My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 401: Chapter 190: Becoming a Demon?

He saw that a family of six had moved into a new home. A fence had been put up around their riverside yard, and several small children were running around wildly, playing and roughhousing.

Qin Fang was momentarily dazed, then he let out a soft sigh. After watching for a while, he tore through the air and shot straight for Old Ox Mountain.

Once he reached Wanshui, Old Ox Mountain was very close. After no more than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the familiar sight of Old Ox Back was already visible in the distance.

Qin Fang’s eyes immediately fell upon the small cave near the summit... The large rock he had used to block its entrance before leaving was still there.

It was now July, and the vegetation was lush and overgrown, covering everything so densely there were no gaps to be seen...

Qin Fang breathed a sigh of relief.

’Looks like no one found it.’

He didn’t head for the cave immediately. Instead, he made his way toward the foot of the mountain.

He subconsciously glanced in the direction where Li Family Ao once stood... only to find the area deserted. The former village had completely vanished into the mountains. Vast patches of wild grass covered the original site, and the few meager fields that had been cleared were so overgrown they were almost unrecognizable.

Qin Fang headed straight for the bamboo shelter at the base of Old Ox Back. From the air, he could barely see through the dense grove. He finally landed and walked in through the entrance.

His gaze swept across the area, and Qin Fang froze on the spot...

’...The shelter looked exactly the same as when he’d left.’

Rows of bamboo houses stood there, curtains hanging in their doorways...

But over a year had passed. Uninhabited and with the heavy moisture in the air, the curtains looked soaked and gave off a musty odor. In front of several of the bamboo houses, the curtains had even collapsed halfway.

Qin Fang stood there in silence...

”Brother Qin! Here, for you...”

”Brother Qin! This is delicious...”

”Master Qin... whenever I exert my strength, it feels like it isn’t flowing smoothly...”

”Fang, come over here and try this on...”

For a moment, Qin Fang was lost in a trance.

In his mind, the voices and smiling faces of Qinghe, Xiao Jiu, Monkey, his senior brother, his master’s wife, his master... seemed to echo right beside him.

His master’s wife was always sitting in this courtyard, sewing and mending clothes.

After finishing a meal, Qinghe and Xiao Jiu would always be the first to run over, their eyes full of expectation as they asked him to try it.

Whenever Monkey and Xiao Qi encountered a problem in their training, they would come to him for guidance.

His master and senior brother...

They had all lived here together for the better part of a year.

They were supposed to be taking refuge from disaster, but without even realizing it, they had become a family...

He still remembered the day his master and the others left. He recalled the sight of his master patting him on the shoulder, smiling.

”We’ll go on ahead. You can follow after you advance to the Huajin realm. We’ll see you in Lanyang City.”

At the time, his senior brother’s face was full of smiles and anticipation.

”When it’s time for your Martial Arts Examination, I’ll come cheer you on... It’s a shame I was tied up with official duties during our junior sister’s exam, so I couldn’t make it... This time, I’ll get to see what the Martial Arts Examination is really like with my own eyes.”

’Senior Brother...’

Qin Fang pursed his lips.

...His Martial Arts Examination had been the center of attention.

From the first round to the very last, he had been the most brilliant contestant.

But when he snapped out of it, he realized... he had no one to share his glory with.

If his master and the others had still been around to witness his glorious performance on the day of the Martial Arts Examination...

His senior brother would have been unable to contain his excitement. Qinghe and Xiao Jiu’s eyes would have lit up with emotion. The boisterous Monkey would have loudly boasted to everyone around them that this was his Master Qin. His stubborn old master would likely have been visibly stunned, before struggling to maintain his usual calm and collected expression. And his master’s wife would have been grinning from ear to ear, her eyes filled with gentle affection...

But...

But...

Qin Fang’s fists slowly clenched, and a terrifying killing intent emanated from the depths of his eyes.

But they were all gone.

Their fates unknown.

The Heavenly Gang Wuji Sect had even used all its resources to search for them.

And still, there was no news.

’Blood Luo...’

A bone-deep hatred surfaced in the depths of Qin Fang’s eyes, a look that promised to devour its prey.

Just then, the sudden sound of something rushing toward him startled Qin Fang. He instinctively whipped his head around and saw a behemoth hurtling toward him from the direction of the waterfall!

When he got a clear look at the creature, even someone as stoic as Qin Fang found his eyes widening in disbelief.

WHOOSH!

The next moment, Qin Fang felt himself get knocked over, and a large, thick tongue began to frantically lick his face.

”Xile! Xile! Down! Down!”

Qin Fang shouted.

The behemoth gave him two more licks before backing up, a happy panting sound like laughter coming from its mouth.

Qin Fang wiped the slobber from his face, staring dumbfounded at the enormous creature before him...

”Xi...le?”

The creature before him was none other than Xile!

But the Xile of today was far, far larger than when Qin Fang had left!

When he left, Xile’s body was already nearly four meters long, which would have already qualified as a ’behemoth’.

And now... it was even more intimidating!

Standing on all fours, its shoulders alone were probably a good three to four meters high, and its body length likely exceeded seven or eight meters!

Its entire body was covered in yellow fur that shone with a brilliant luster, as if every single hair was made of pure gold!

It was warm and soft to the touch, like the finest silk!

It was lolling its thick, wide tongue, panting happily without end.

Its eyes were like black gemstones, crystal clear and filled with nothing but joy at the sight of Qin Fang...

Qin Fang, who was over six feet tall, looked like a child standing in front of it.

Qin Fang was utterly stunned, his eyes wide.

’...Wait, was that mysterious liquid really that effective?’

’Could it really cause such a massive change in Xile?’

’...That can’t be right!’

’I drank that stuff, too.’

’It didn’t have an effect this exaggerated on me, did it?’

Qin Fang was completely bewildered.

He reached out to touch Xile.