Mortal Bones

"Swish!"

Xu Taiping ignored the others and continued stepping forward, his figure rushing like a fierce wind towards Mr. Yashan.

"Boom!"

Just as Mr. Yashan was about to disappear again, Xu Taiping struck with a mighty Bull Horn Mountain Breaker punch, slamming it hard into his chest.

"Bang!"

A deafening crash filled the air, accompanied by the sound of bones shattering.

Mr. Yashan, who had only just gotten up, was sent flying straight backward by the punch, crashing violently into the courtyard wall.

However, the cost of Xu Taiping's powerful punch was that several figures, who had just jumped over the wall from outside, surrounded him, making it impossible for him to escape.

"Kill him! Kill this little thief and let him know the consequences of offending our Cloud Tower Association!"

Mr. Yashan, whose mouth was bleeding, swallowed several pills and angrily shouted at Xu Taiping.

Even without his command, the people surrounding Xu Taiping had already begun to move.

In an instant, the courtyard was filled with the sharp sounds of swords and knives cutting through the air.

If Xu Taiping was truly surrounded and beaten by them, he would likely be reduced to a mass of mangled flesh in no time.

However, what surprised Mr. Yashan greatly was that Xu Taiping did not run or resist. Instead, he took a deep breath and made a snapping gesture.

"Snap!"

Just as Xu Taiping was about to be struck by a flurry of blades, a crisp snapping sound echoed in the courtyard.

At first, Mr. Yashan was puzzled, but soon the confusion in his eyes turned to terror.

"Boom!"

With a sharp blast, a gust of wind like a flying blade erupted from Xu Taiping's body, instantly tearing apart the four attackers surrounding him, turning them into a pile of mangled flesh.

In an instant, the courtyard was filled with blood mist.

The technique Xu Taiping had just used was the Cobalt Ring's second finger technique — Mountain Crusher.

"This is impossible, this can't be happening..."

Mr. Yashan was in disbelief, momentarily forgetting to flee. By the time he reacted, Xu Taiping had already arrived in front of him, holding a blood-soaked blade.

"No..."

"Bang!"

Before Mr. Yashan could finish his words, Xu Taiping punched him in the cheek, sending him and the wall crashing through together.

After the brief exchange, Xu Taiping had already confirmed that Mr. Yashan's cultivation was at most at the Opening Gate stage, perhaps even less than a small level of it.

Such a cultivator was nothing to fear for Xu Taiping.

The only thing he needed to watch out for was the invisible treasure Mr. Yashan had, but since Mr. Yashan hadn't used it again, Xu Taiping speculated that the treasure had a limit on its usage or duration.

"Spare me, fellow cultivator! I was wrong, please forgive me!"

Mr. Yashan, whose bones were now broken in many places, could no longer use his treasure and had reached a dead end. He had no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy.

"Tell me, how did your Cloud Tower Association target me?"

Xu Taiping stood in front of Mr. Yashan.

"This... There's no special reason..."

"Bang!"

Mr. Yashan was about to offer an excuse, but Xu Taiping kicked him over.

"Don't lie. If you don't tell the truth, I'll use my blade next time."

Xu Taiping stepped forward, pointing his sword at Mr. Yashan.

"Fellow cultivator, please don't be impulsive, I—I'll tell you everything!"

Mr. Yashan frantically waved his hands.

Xu Taiping gave him a cold stare.

"Some time ago, we went to the Western Wind Pavilion. A disciple who joined our Cloud Tower Association there told me that there is an outer sect disciple at Qingzhu Residence who has planted many rare medicinal herbs this year. When they mature, they'll be worth at least one or two thousand merit coins. I got greedy..."

Mr. Yashan's voice grew quieter.

Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping furrowed his brows. He thought to himself:

"So it was someone from the Western Wind Pavilion who leaked the information about the seed buying. Could it be those people I taught a lesson to last time?"

He immediately linked this with the individuals who had been reprimanded by Ninth Uncle that day.

But he decided to suppress this thought for now and focus on asking for more information.

"So, it was your own decision to invite me, not the Cloud Tower Association's?"

Xu Taiping asked next.

"Yes, it was my own decision, but... but I am the leader of the Cloud Tower Association here, so I can make decisions about small matters like this," Mr. Yashan said, suddenly raising his voice when mentioning his status as a small leader of the Cloud Tower Association, clearly trying to threaten Xu Taiping.

"What was that treasure you used to become invisible earlier? Hand it over."

Xu Taiping asked again.

"This..."

Mr. Yashan clearly didn't want to hand over the treasure.

"Swish!"

Xu Taiping made a sword strike through the air.

"Fellow cultivator, please calm down. This treasure is called Shadow Grass. When held in the palm, it grants invisibility. However, it can only be used three times a day, and each time lasts only ten breaths."

Reluctantly, Mr. Yashan handed over a piece of greenish leaf.

Xu Taiping silently thought, As expected, and then took the leaf.

Xu Taiping nodded and then asked:

"If I join the Cloud Tower Association, what benefits will I get?"

He casually asked this question.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Yashan's face lit up. Since Xu Taiping was considering joining the Cloud Tower Association, he must want something from him.

"Fellow cultivator, I can assure you, once you join the Cloud Tower Association..."

"Swish!"

Just as Mr. Yashan let down his guard, Xu Taiping gathered his true qi and made a sword strike.

"If you weren't the small leader of the Cloud Tower Association, I might consider sparing your life."

He muttered to himself expressionlessly.

After the incidents with the ghost and the tiger demon, Xu Taiping had learned that to survive in the cultivation world, one must not be merciful. His safety always came first.

The tragic incident with Liu Qingmei was a living example.

"Well done, well done."

The ethereal soul image of Lingyue Fairy floated out of the gourd.

She had been watching the entire scene since her initial comment and was very satisfied with the outcome.

"Wasted a few Golden Bell Talismans."

Xu Taiping, however, regretted a little. He thought that if he had handled things better, he probably wouldn't have needed to waste those Golden Bell Talismans.

...

Afterward, following Lingyue Fairy's guidance, Xu Taiping cleaned up the traces around the courtyard and put all the bodies, including Mr. Yashan's, into the gourd.

He couldn't leave any evidence for the Western Wind Pavilion or the Cloud Tower Association. Even if they knew it was him, they wouldn't have any proof.

Once the scene was taken care of, he sorted out the items he had obtained from the people.

He ended up with three Fire Arrow Talismans, two Golden Bell Talismans, and six hundred merit coins.

"This is much more profitable than growing medicinal herbs."

Xu Taiping joked while looking at the extra bag of merit coins.

"But the risk is a hundred times greater than growing herbs."

Lingyue Fairy quickly reminded him, worried that Xu Taiping might stray onto a dark path.

"Don't worry, Lingyue Sister. I know. I don't like this kind of thing either."

Xu Taiping smiled and shook his head.

Lingyue Fairy nodded and then pointed to the fire gourd at Xu Taiping's waist:

"From now on, you can focus on your cultivation and prepare for the big competition in two years."

...

Late that night, back at Qingzhu Residence.

"Boom!"

Xu Taiping opened the fire gourd and carefully poured out a small cup of Longdan wine that had been soaking for a day.

"Lingyue Sister, should I... drink it?"

He hesitated as he raised the cup, looking at Lingyue Fairy in front of him.

Tonight, he planned to test the effects of the Longdan wine.