We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 144 A New City Lord, the Ironclad Returns

Bang bang bang!
Hong Xi was dumbfounded as she stared at the two people fighting in front of her.

He quickly noticed something amiss.

The man in black was clearly there to assassinate.

The smelly beggar seemed to be the one who came to protect him.

He didn't know the beggar, nor did he remember ever having any interaction with him, but now was not the time to delve into these questions.

His eyes were sharp and his gaze was calm. He bent his body slightly and locked his eyes on Su Chen, waiting for an opportunity to help the beggar.

"Kill the man in black first, then ask the beggar for his identity," he thought to himself, already poised to charge out.

But before this momentum could fully materialize, it was abruptly halted by a single sentence uttered by the beggar:

"I'm taking his life, you can't interfere!"

Hey!
So they weren't here to support me, but to kill me!

Upon hearing this, Hong Xi's eyelids twitched violently, and the corners of her mouth twitched. Her eager expression froze for a moment before a surge of anger welled up inside her.

They keep saying they want to kill him, do they even respect him as a Bloodthirsty Warrior?
At this moment, neither Su Chen nor the handsome man noticed Hong Xi's emotions.

Su Chen initially thought the person in front of him was from the Xuan Shui Gang, but upon hearing this, he immediately realized that they were kindred spirits!
With a thud, he struck the handsome man back with a palm strike, and his hoarse voice rang out: "Then do it."

Hong Xi: "...!"

Before Hong Xi could get angry, the handsome young man's gaze instantly shifted to him, and he uttered a soft "Thanks!"

Then, the handsome young man leaped forward like a cheetah, charging towards Hongxi with lightning speed.

Seeing this, Hong Xi's pent-up anger erupted like a tidal wave, and he roared, "You cowardly rat, you're asking for death!"

Before he finished speaking, Hong Xi's feet seemed to be stepping on flowing water, moving slightly and displaying remarkable agility. His arms moved like serpents, and with each opening and closing motion, a long, continuous force swept over him.

The two clashed violently, unleashing bursts of energy that destroyed all the surrounding tables, chairs, and benches, leaving the room in a state of utter chaos.

Su Chen stood to the side, gazing intently, looking rather solemn. This Hong Xi's strength was probably comparable to Hong Ke's, and perhaps even slightly superior due to his age and the characteristics of his power.

The Hong family is truly powerful and influential; even a random deputy leader they select is at the Blood Transformation Realm!

But what shocked Su Chen even more was the handsome man; with his discerning eye, he naturally noticed the man's strangeness.

The handsome young man was injured, and his injuries seemed quite serious.

Despite his injuries, he was still able to overpower Hong Xi, which shows how strong he is. His true strength is even greater than what he is showing at this moment.

The fight between the two did not last long. Hong Xi's hysterical outburst not only failed to defeat the handsome man, but he also seized the opportunity and killed him in one move.

Looking at Hong Xi's unseeing eyes, Su Chen shook his head slightly. He was all too familiar with that look. It was meant to be directed at him, but now it was directed at the handsome young man. But it didn't matter, as long as Hong Xi was dead.

Suddenly, his eyes darted to the handsome man panting heavily, and he frowned, saying, "He's not quite dead yet, shouldn't we finish him off?"

The handsome young man was taken aback upon hearing this, then suddenly stepped forward and struck out with his palm.

Hong Xi, who was pretending to be dead, thought he could fool everyone, but Su Chen saw through his act and he could no longer keep up the act. He opened his eyes and tried to escape.

Unfortunately, she was a step too late, and the handsome young man seized the opportunity, striking her directly on the top of her head with a palm.

This time, he was completely and utterly dead!

"Thank you!"

The handsome young man was surprised by Hong Xi's cunning, as she was pretending to be dead. Fortunately, Su Chen reminded him in time, preventing her from escaping.

Su Chen glanced at the completely dead Hong Xi, shook his head, and disappeared from the handsome man's sight without saying a word.

Watching Su Chen's departing figure, a smile appeared on the handsome man's face: "It seems that I am not the only one who is an enemy of the Hong family, and his strength is not much weaker than mine."

The thought that the man in black was also an enemy of the Hong family gave the handsome young man a sense of camaraderie.

He chuckled softly, shook his head to dispel the thoughts from his mind, and then turned and left.

After he left, a dark shadow descended, and Su Chen returned, searching the room.

After a short while, Su Chen weighed his wallet and returned home with a full load.

……

Qiao Mansion.

Qiao Qiliang's eyes were vacant, his skin was dull, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was covering his head in deep thought, troubled by something.

Since receiving support from the Boiling Blood Pill, Qiao Renzhou overcame numerous difficulties to support the Four Seas Gang. The Four Seas Gang is now thriving and is about to reclaim the territory that the Six Harmonies Gang once occupied.

As a result of a single sentence from Hong Xi, the new deputy leader of the Xuan Shui Gang, those forces that had previously promised to return the territory are now too afraid to utter a single word.

Even with pressure from the government, these forces were unwilling to hand over their territory, fearing retaliation from the Xuan Shui Gang.

Even some pro-government forces eventually changed their tune, saying that it wasn't that they were unwilling to hand over the money, but rather that they dared not, and politely declined Qiao Qiliang's offer.

This put Qiao Qiliang, who was just about to make his mark, in a difficult situation, leaving him at a loss and quite troubled.

Tapping.

"Young Master Qiao."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Immediately, a figure strode over. Qiao Qiliang looked up and saw that it was Qiu Sihai, the leader of the Sihai Gang.

Qiu Sihai had a bright smile on his face, which surprised Qiao Qiliang.

Before he could even ask, Qiu Sihai laughed and said, "Young Master Qiao, this is wonderful news! It's incredibly wonderful news!"

"Chief Qiu, what makes you so happy?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiliang asked, but there wasn't much of a smile on his face; he was still troubled by the territory issue.

Qiu Sihai took a few steps forward and chuckled, "It's about Hong Xi. He... he was killed!"

"What?" Qiao Qiliang stood up abruptly upon hearing this, first stunned, then overjoyed. "Who did this?"

“It’s a beggar and a man in black. The Xuan Shui Gang is in chaos because of Hong Xi’s death. Young Master Qiao, our chance has come!” Qiu Sihai was also a little excited.

Qiao Qiliang immediately nodded: "That's right, inform the other forces that tomorrow's banquet will proceed as planned."

"Yes!"

After Qiu Sihai left, Qiao Qiliang gradually calmed down, and the tense expression on his face relaxed.

He sat down, gradually revealing a thoughtful expression, as if pondering who had killed Hong Xi.

"A beggar, a man in black..."

The next day.

News of the death of the new deputy leader of the Xuan Shui Gang spread throughout Dafeng City, leaving many forces stunned upon hearing the news.

Is the Xuan Shui Gang facing bad luck this year?
How come another vice leader has died?
During this period, the Xuan Shui Gang has become the center of attention in Dafeng City, and it has sparked heated discussions every now and then.

Of course, none of this had much to do with Qiao Qiliang.

Early in the morning, he couldn't wait to gather other forces in advance. After some coercion and enticement, he finally managed to take back 40% of the territory of the Six Harmonies Gang.

The remaining territory is difficult to reclaim for the time being, as it is all under the control of the Xuan Shui Gang. But that's alright, 40% of the territory alone is enough for the Si Hai Gang to digest for a long time.

However, this is only a verbal withdrawal; it will take some time to actually implement it. So, Qiao Qiliang will be quite busy for the next period of time.

Xuan Shui Sect.

A figure stormed into the pavilion, where Hong Jinfeng, the patriarch of the Hong clan, and Hong Jingrui, the sect leader of the Xuan Shui Sect, had been waiting for a long time.

"Too deceiving!"

Hong Jinnian, the leader of the Xuan Shui Gang, shouted angrily, his face contorted with rage.

He couldn't help but be furious; during his absence, yet another deputy gang leader had died.

Hong Jinfeng beckoned him to sit down, his expression somewhat grim.

After Hong Jinnian sat down, Hong Jinfeng got straight to the point: "This matter has been investigated and found out. Hong Xi was killed by Wen Qingqiu, the leader of the Rebirth Sect."

"That scoundrel!"

Upon hearing this, Hong Jinnian was furious. He had been hunting down Wen Qingqiu, but he never expected that the other party would steal his lair and kill Hong Xi.

"Where is he?"

“Still in Dafeng City,” Hong Jinfeng replied.

"I'll go find him!"

"Wait a minute."

Hong Jinfeng stopped him, shaking his head and saying, "Don't rush, there's something else."

"What's wrong?" Hong Jinnian asked, puzzled.

Hong Jingrui, who was standing to the side, waved his hand, gesturing for Hong Jinnian to sit down, and then said, "It's about the Four Seas Gang."

These words startled Hong Jinnian: "The Four Seas Gang? Isn't that the gang supported by Qiao Renzhou? I've already ordered people to stop them from taking back the territory of the Six Harmonies Gang. What trouble could they possibly cause?" "Things have changed. Taking advantage of Hong Xi's death, Qiao Renzhou has already taken back 40% of the Six Harmonies Gang's territory," Hong Jingrui said calmly, his voice carrying a hint of killing intent.

"Outrageous! Do you really think my Xuan Shui Gang wouldn't dare to kill him?" Hong Jinnian roared in fury.

Ignoring Hong Jinnian's temper, at Hong Jinfeng's prompting, Hong Jingrui took out a light red pill and placed it in front of Hong Jinnian.

He looked at Hong Jingrui with some confusion and asked, "What's this?"

"This is a kind of pill that has been leaked from the Four Seas Gang. It is called the 'Boiling Blood Pill' and is a pill used by the Four Seas Gang to recruit martial artists."

Upon hearing this, Hong Jinnian picked up the pill. He could tell from Hong Jingrui's expression and words that something was amiss. As Hong Jingrui swallowed the pill, his expression gradually became serious.

A moment later, he turned pale: "This elixir..."

Aside from the difference in appearance and efficacy compared to Qi Xue Dan, it is almost identical to Qi Xue Dan in every other aspect; it is simply a weaker version of Qi Xue Dan.

He immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

"How could the Four Seas Gang possibly refine such a pill? Could it be..." Surprised, Hong Jinnian couldn't help but ponder. He thought of a possibility and looked at Hong Jinfeng and Hong Jingrui in astonishment.

Their faces were grim, and a strong killing intent was gathering between their brows.

“We suspect that the one who obtained the Qi and Blood Pill formula last time was not the Rebirth Sect, but the City Lord’s Mansion. They have already started finding people to refine the Qi and Blood Pill, and it won’t be long before they can replicate the Qi and Blood Pill exactly like ours!”

Hong Jinfeng said in a deep voice, the chill in his voice palpable even through the air.

The Qi and Blood Pill is of paramount importance to the Hong family, and no one is allowed to be contaminated with it.

Giving it to the Chu family was a last resort, but if anyone else dares to touch it, they should be prepared to face the Hong family's overwhelming retaliation.

"Furthermore, we also learned that Qiao Renzhou's son, Qiao Qiliang, has been secretly purchasing large quantities of Fire Blood Grass."

These words were the final word, basically convincing Hong Jinnian that the pill formula in the hands of the Four Seas Gang was indeed the Qi and Blood Pill formula.

He suddenly realized, "No wonder the City Lord's Mansion dared to support the Four Seas Gang and was not afraid of us stopping the supply of Qi and Blood Pills. It turns out they had planned this all along."

He paused, then looked at Hong Jinfeng with a serious expression and asked, "Clan leader, what do we do now? The Qi and Blood Pill must not fall into the hands of the City Lord's Mansion."

Hong Jinfeng sneered, his gaze deep and his words icy: "Since Qiao Renzhou is ungrateful and opposes us at every turn, then we might as well change the city lord!"

"Who should we replace?" Hong Jinnian asked, glancing sideways.

"Hong Yue!"

……

Seven days have passed in the blink of an eye.

After several days of negotiations by Qiao Qiliang, the Sihai Gang has now completely reclaimed 40% of the territory originally held by the Liuhe Gang.

high speed.

With all the necessary preparations, the Four Seas Gang smoothly took over these territories and naturally replaced other forces.

To Qiao Qiliang's surprise, the Xuan Shui Gang seemed to have fallen silent during this period and did not take any obstructive actions.

This puzzled him somewhat, but he didn't delve into it further.

Instead, she threw herself into a great undertaking, busy every day, to the point that she didn't even have time to see Su Chen.

Su Chen didn't care. He was also busy. After taking drugs for many days, the progress on the Thick Earth Palace was finally maxed out.

"We can now activate the easy mode to upgrade the Thick Earth Gate."

Su Chen was overjoyed. This would be the first of his five cultivation techniques to reach its limit, which naturally filled him with anticipation.

As soon as Su Chen gave his thought, the panel quickly provided feedback:
[Easy Mode Activated: Stand for one hour to push the Thick Earth Gate to its limit.]

Su Chen wasn't standing there for no reason; he was reading medical books while standing to pass the time, which also met the conditions of the panel.

An hour later, as the panel changed, the Thick Earth Tower was fully upgraded and reached its limit.

Then, he carefully observed the changes in Hou Tu Que:

"The assimilation ability of the Thick Earth Force has become faster, and it can freely switch forces within a few breaths to enhance combat power."

In addition, their 'loan limit' has also increased significantly, giving them more leverage to embezzle funds.

Finally, there's the speed at which the Qi and Blood Pill is refined. Previously it took about an hour, but now it's halved to just half an hour.

These changes are quite good, but what pleases Su Chen the most is that the Thick Earth Gate has temporarily alleviated the impact of the force conflict.

Some time ago, Su Chen noticed that the forces within his body were incompatible, and he vaguely sensed that the conflict between the forces was about to reappear.

But Su Chen soon discovered that Thick Earth Force could alleviate the conflict of forces, so he took the lead in upgrading Thick Earth Fist and cultivating it to its limit to see if he could eliminate this effect.

After some attempts, it did have some effect.

As long as Su Chen kept using the Thick Earth Gate to convert the other four types of force, the conflict between the forces was alleviated.

However, this relief is only temporary. To resolve the conflict of forces, it seems the only solution is to utilize the Hunyuan Gong (Primordial Chaos Technique).

"With the Limitless Thick Earth Gate, it should be able to hold out for a while. After we raise the other three techniques to their limits, we can consider using the Hunyuan Gong to fuse our strength."

After all, none of the cultivation techniques he currently practices are blood-moving techniques, and blood-moving techniques also have specific methods.

If Su Chen wanted to advance further, he naturally needed the corresponding cultivation techniques, but since he had not joined any faction, he could only rely on himself to integrate cultivation techniques.

Anyway, that's how Iron Shirt was back then, and he's used to it.

Moreover, Su Chen cultivated the Hunyuan Gong, and he didn't even need a panel; he could automatically merge it into a new cultivation technique.

As long as Iron Shirt can be improved, he will become stronger.

"Next, let's focus on the Qi and Blood Pill!"

Su Chen calmed himself down and focused his attention back on the research and refining of the Qi and Blood Pill.

While Su Chen was refining pills day and night, a major event occurred in Dafeng City.

Hong Yue led his armored army back in triumph.

Hong Yue's reputation for suppressing bandits and religious sects, which lasted for half a year, became widely known throughout Qinzhou.

Now that he has returned in full armor, he has naturally been greeted with cheers throughout Dafeng City.

Especially for those who fled to Qinzhou, the rest of the prefectures were already in constant war, but Qinzhou, because of the presence of Hongyue, was a place where people could live in peace and prosperity, and became the first choice for refuge for many refugees.

Upon learning of Hong Yue's return, ordinary people lined the streets inside and outside the city to welcome him, and his prestige reached its zenith.

Even the city lord had to personally lead the government officials to welcome Hong Yue within the city.

The scale and momentum were undeniably impressive.

"General Hong, congratulations on your triumphant return!"

Qiao Renzhou cupped his hands and smiled, saying that Hong Yue was his equal in official rank, but in terms of military power, he was even more powerful than him.

Although they were at odds with the Hong family, they still had to put on a good show.

Hong Yue did not refuse Qiao Renzhou's request, and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Haha, thank you, City Lord Qiao."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two walked side by side.

The second floor of the restaurant.

Looking at the splendid Hong Yue, the handsome man Wen Qingqiu was full of contempt. Others may not know about Hong Yue's behavior, but as the leader of the Rebirth Sect, how could he not know?
The so-called suppression of bandits and extermination of religions was nothing more than a pretext for the Hong family to amass wealth and eliminate hostile forces.

Ding Yi's numerous letters vividly revealed Hong Yue's brutality.

Tens of thousands of innocent civilians died at the hands of Hong Yue's army, and if those affected are included, the number is countless!

Such behavior, to call it a 'triumphant return', is utterly laughable!
"Once the envoy sends me a message and my injuries have healed, I will give the Hong family another surprise!"

After finishing his drink, Wen Qingqiu got up, went downstairs, and disappeared into the crowd.

The post station on the official road was ten miles away.

Tatata!
A figure galloped away on horseback, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Upon hearing the sound, the travelers along the way quickly moved aside, getting their mouths full of dust, but dared not utter a word of anger.

Soon, the figure disappeared from everyone's sight.

evening.

Qiao Qiliang was hurriedly summoned, his face filled with doubt.

As he entered the room, he asked, puzzled, "Father, why give up supporting the Four Seas Gang? I've already settled down!"

Qiao Renzhou did not answer, but pushed the official documents on the table to Qiao Qiliang without saying a word.

Upon seeing this, Qiao Qiliang picked up the official document with a puzzled expression, opened it, and was immediately struck dumb, his body swaying involuntarily.

"Father, how could this happen?!"

(End of this chapter)