52: Unwelcome guests have arrived!
The night passed in silence.
The boats searching on the river had long since dispersed, but Li Qing still had a lingering bad premonition in his heart.
He had clearly felt someone tracking him before.
But then it disappeared.
Could they have gone to look for reinforcements?
Li Qing's guess was correct.
Lord Zhou and the others didn't have much of an advantage in water combat, and Hall Master Lin of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall also...
After a night of predation, his evolution value had reached 368.7/50,000.
Compared to the last update, his evolution value had only increased by a bit over 300 points, averaging about a hundred points per day.
Early the next morning, Li Qing brought some large fish to the Iron Bone Martial Arts School.
“Senior Brother!”
Several small children saw him and immediately swarmed around him, their little faces full of excitement.
“Yesterday's meat was so delicious!”
“Senior Brother, is there more today?”
Li Qing nodded and set down the fish in his hands.
Xiao Chen walked out of the house, and seeing Li Qing, a smile appeared on his face.
“You've come at just the right time. Last night, I organized some of the notes left behind by my father.”
“There are some combat techniques inside that might be useful to you.”
Li Qing took the yellowed booklet. Just as he flipped to the first page, the dilapidated gate of the martial arts school was kicked open.
Bang!
The wooden door broke upon impact, and the hinges directly exploded.
“Which one is Li Qing?”
A burly man strode in, followed by seven or eight Disciples.
The leader was a man in his twenties, wearing a cyan martial robe with the insignia of the Jingtao Martial Arts School embroidered on his chest.
Wang Meng scanned the courtyard and quickly locked onto Li Qing.
Xiao Chen's face turned pale instantly; he recognized the newcomer.
“Wang Meng? What do you want?”
Wang Meng completely ignored Xiao Chen and directly released his Late-stage Condensing Yuan Realm Aura.
Boom!
A powerful pressure instantly enveloped the entire courtyard. Xiao Chen felt as if a giant boulder was pressing against his chest, causing him to retreat repeatedly, unable to stand steady.
The children were even more terrified, huddling together in a shivering heap.
“Kid, are you the one who injured my Junior Brother?”
Wang Meng's voice was sinister.
The man before him was barely over 1.7 meters tall and had a thin build.
He didn't look like a martial artist at all.
Zhao Hu really is a piece of trash!
“Today, not only will I cripple you, but I will also see to it that this broken martial arts school is disbanded!”
The Disciples behind him began to grow restless, waiting only for their Senior Brother's command.
They were ready to start smashing the already dilapidated facilities in the courtyard, arrogant to the extreme.
“Don't you dare!”
Xiao Chen tried to stop them, but he was pushed aside by a Disciple's palm and slammed directly into the wall.
“Xiao Chen, you trash. Your father Xiao Tianxiong was once someone of note, but I never expected him to sire such a spineless son like you!”
Wang Meng sneered, completely disregarding Xiao Chen.
“Li Qing, right?”
He turned to Li Qing, the killing intent in his eyes unconcealed.
“Zhao Hu's hand is ruined. The physician says it will take three months of recovery just to regain seventy percent.”
“How do you plan to settle this debt?”
Li Qing put down the booklet in his hand and looked at Wang Meng calmly.
“He made the first move.”
“Hahaha!”
Wang Meng threw his head back and laughed, his laughter filled with disdain.
“He made the first move? Kid, do you know who Zhao Hu is?”
“He is a Disciple of my Jingtao Martial Arts School!”
“In this place, you're the first one who has dared to touch someone from our Jingtao Martial Arts School!”
“Eldest Senior Brother, why waste words with him? Just cripple him!”
“Right, let him know that the Jingtao Martial Arts School isn't to be trifled with!”
The Disciples behind him began to jeer.
Wang Meng raised his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw as Condensing Essence Realm Internal Energy gathered in his palm.
“Kid, I'll give you a chance.”
“Kneel, kowtow, and apologize to my Junior Brother, then cripple both your hands, and I can let you die a quick death.”
“Otherwise, I will make you wish you were dead!”
Xiao Chen struggled to stand up and wanted to say something, but he was immediately pinned down by one of Wang Meng's lackeys.
The children hid in the corner, not daring to make a sound.
Li Qing slowly stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
“Is this how your Jingtao Martial Arts School operates, by using numbers to bully the few?”
“Using numbers to bully the few?”
Wang Meng acted as if he had heard a hilarious joke.
“Kid, what kind of thing are you? Are you even worthy of us ganging up on you?”
“I alone am enough to deal with you!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Meng suddenly made his move.
He really couldn't hold back anymore.
The youth before him was acting too cool.
Being so calm and composed—who did he think he was looking down on?
His figure was like a pouncing tiger, his right claw lunging straight for Li Qing's throat.
Driven by Condensing Essence Realm Internal Energy, this claw strike carried the sound of breaking air, its power formidable.
However, Li Qing merely raised his right hand slightly and easily caught Wang Meng's attack.
“What?!”
Wang Meng's face changed drastically. He felt as if his claw had grabbed onto solid steel, unable to advance even an inch.
“You!”
He tried to pull his hand back, only to find his wrist firmly gripped by Li Qing, unable to move.
“Is this all the strength you have?”
Li Qing's voice was as calm as water, but to Wang Meng's ears, it felt like a chill running down his spine.
He had run into a tough nut to crack!
“Impossible! How could you possibly block my attack?”
Wang Meng frantically pushed his Internal Energy, attempting to break free from Li Qing's control.
But Li Qing's hand was like an iron vice, completely unmoving.
“Eldest Senior Brother!”
The Disciples of the Jingtao Martial Arts School finally reacted and rushed toward Li Qing one after another.
“All together!”
A flash of coldness crossed Li Qing's eyes.
Since the other party showed no martial ethics, he didn't need to be polite either.
He squeezed hard with his right hand.
Crack!
Wang Meng's wrist snapped directly, letting out a crisp sound of bone fracturing.
“Ahhh!”
Wang Meng let out a shrill scream, falling to his knees as cold sweat poured down like rain.
The Disciples who were rushing forward were terrified by this scene and stopped in their tracks, not daring to advance further.
“Now, it's my turn.”
Li Qing released Wang Meng's wrist and walked toward the Disciples step by step.
“Wha—what do you want to do?”
One of the Disciples asked tremblingly.
“Returning the favor.”
As soon as Li Qing finished speaking, his figure vanished from where he stood.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
In just a few breaths, all seven or eight Disciples were on the ground; some were unconscious, while others clutched broken arms and screamed in pain.
The entire courtyard fell silent instantly, leaving only the sound of Wang Meng's groans.
Xiao Chen stared blankly at the scene, completely unable to believe his eyes.
Li Qing, who had just joined yesterday, had actually easily defeated Wang Meng of the Late-stage Condensing Yuan Realm?
How was this possible?
Li Qing!
And you still said you didn't know martial arts!
Li Qing walked up to Wang Meng and looked down at him from above.
“Now, do you still think I'm not worthy?”
Wang Meng looked up, his eyes filled with terror.
“Who... who on earth are you?”
“I am a Disciple of the Iron Bone Martial Arts School.”
Li Qing's voice was calm, but every word slammed heavily into Wang Meng's heart.
“Li Qing!”