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

Chapter 145 Bone Forging Mastery, Pretending to be Weak to Deceive the Tiger: Qiao Renzhou
A cool breeze was blowing outside, but it was still warm inside. However, both Qiao Renzhou and Qiao Qiliang felt cold in body and mind.

Qiao Renzhou slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked out the window at the scenery, and sighed, "This is the Lord's decision."

"Lord of the Prefecture?" Qiao Qiliang's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Why would the Lord of the Prefecture care about such a trivial matter? And why did you suddenly issue an official document to replace the city lord? Didn't the governor speak up for you?"

A series of questions could not express Qiao Qiliang's excitement at this moment.

Changing the city lord is not a big deal in the entire Donglin Prefecture. Usually, it is the state lord who decides and reports to the prefectural lord. But now the prefectural lord is personally involved in this matter, which makes him very surprised.

Qiao Renzhou did not hide anything from Qiao Qiliang when faced with his various questions.

"The incident started when the Hong family recalled Hong Yue, wanting him to replace me, and thus they used their connections to impeach me."

After discussing it with the governor, we decided to turn the tables and go along with the Hong family in order to take this opportunity to dismantle the Hong family's armored army.

Unexpectedly, before either side could even make a move, the prefectural lord issued an official document appointing Qian Santong as the city lord of Dafeng City. The die was cast, and even the prefectural lord was powerless to reverse the situation.

Qiao Renzhou briefly recounted the events to Qiao Qiliang, speaking calmly as if it were a casual conversation, but his heart remained unsettled for a long time.

But since things had come to this, he had nothing to say; his heart was filled with turmoil and, more than anything, confusion.

Both he and the governor Qian Xinghai shared the same confusion: why would the prefecture lord send Qian Santong to serve as the city lord of Dafeng City?

It should be noted that Qian Santong is the brother-in-law of the prefect and has always been the prefect's confidant.

The fact that the Lord of the Prefecture sent his trusted confidant to Dafeng City, keeping him completely away from the center of power, inevitably leads to speculation that Qian Santong may have been abandoned by the Lord of the Prefecture.
All the speculations lacked evidence, and even the governor's network of connections failed to provide a clear explanation, leaving the two completely baffled.

The only consolation was that Hong's plan had not succeeded.

"Then, Father, when will Qian Santong take office?" Qiao Qiliang asked bitterly, snapping out of his reverie.

"It can take anywhere from three days to half a month."

Qiao Renzhou replied, then returned to his desk to continue processing official documents, while also considering what to do next.

Seeing this, Qiao Qiliang opened his mouth, hesitated, then silently closed the door and quietly left.

Feeling troubled, he went to the Cai residence and poured out his grievances to Su Chen.

Su Chen was surprised when he found out. He drank with Qiao Qiliang all night and then sent him back the next morning.

The matter of Qiao Renzhou's demotion not only disrupted the plans of the Hong family, the governor Qian Xinghai, and Qiao Renzhou, but also made Su Chen feel a sense of urgency, as if a storm was brewing.

Su Chen naturally knew that every power shift would cause a bloodbath. Now that he was tied to Qiao Qiliang, regardless of whether he would be implicated in the end, it would be right to improve his strength as much as possible.

He became increasingly reclusive, spending his days either refining pills or cultivating. Originally, Su Chen planned to cultivate the other attribute techniques to their limits first, but now it seems he needs to change his strategy and improve his Iron Shirt skill first.

Su Chen has already upgraded Iron Shirt to the seventh level, so the amount of potions he needs is very high. Upgrading to the eighth level requires seventy Qi and Blood Pills.

Fortunately, Su Chen is not short of Qi and Blood Pills at the moment. In addition, Qiao Qiliang has rarely asked him for Qi and Blood Pills recently, which has made Su Chen's supply of low-end Qi and Blood Pills more and more abundant, enough for him to improve. It just takes time.

While Su Chen was in seclusion, the outside world was in turmoil.

The news of Qiao Renzhou's demotion could not be kept secret in the end, and with the help of the Hong family, it spread to various powerful forces.

Upon learning this news, these forces frantically sent people to gather information, causing a great stir in the entire city of Dafeng.

Some forces that were attached to the City Lord's Mansion were extremely anxious, like ants on a hot pan, as the City Lord's Mansion was constantly visited by people from the Qiao family every day.

However, this change was soon followed by another change.

When Qiao Qiliang halted the expansion of the Four Seas Gang, some forces remained uncertain. However, as the Hong family suppressed the City Lord's Mansion and the City Lord's Mansion remained indifferent, more and more forces became increasingly convinced of the news's authenticity.

In just a few days, the vassal forces of the City Lord's Mansion all suffered varying degrees of attacks from the Hong Clan, and this oppression continued. Because of the City Lord's Mansion's silence, many forces defected and joined the Hong Clan.

On the third day, Qiao Qiliang found Su Chen. Qiao Qiliang was no longer the spirited man he once was; he looked rather defeated. Only when he saw Su Chen did he manage to show a slight smile.

He told Su Chen his purpose, that he intended for Su Chen to temporarily move to the Qiao residence. Su Chen did not hesitate and quickly packed his things and moved into the Qiao residence.

Upon moving into the Qiao residence, they discovered that Qiao Renzhou and Qiao Qiliang had recently been taking similar measures, moving some of their confidants and friends into the Qiao residence to avoid persecution and assassination by the Hong family.

It was from Qiao Qiliang that Su Chen learned that Dafeng City had become much more chaotic recently, with people going missing or dying every day.

On the very first day after Su Chen moved in, the entire Sihai Gang was slaughtered by a group of men in black. Only Qiu Sihai was lucky enough to find Qiao Qiliang and move into the Qiao residence, thus escaping the massacre.

After several days of taking drugs, Su Chen quickly completed the progress on the panel, and then he communicated with the panel with his mind: "Activate easy mode."

[Easy Mode Activated: Take a warm bath for two hours to train your Iron Shirt skill to level eight.]

Su Chen did not start cultivating immediately. Instead, he looked at the panel and felt slightly relieved when he saw that the panel showed that he could continue to improve his Iron Shirt skill.

"Although I don't know the limits of Iron Shirt, I can at least continue practicing for a while longer."

Afterwards, Su Chen intermittently soaked in the bath for two hours, until even his steel-like skin turned somewhat pale, before he finally completed the Iron Shirt training and reached the eighth level.

"The bones have been strengthened, and the destructive power of the bones alone is comparable to that of ordinary swords, but it seems that the jade bones have not yet been condensed."

After a series of tests, Su Chen seemed to be deep in thought. He had thought that this improvement would allow him to condense jade bones, but now it seemed that he was still lacking something.

"However, my strength has indeed increased. At least in terms of realm, I have reached the Great Perfection of Bone Forging. Without using any force, I can shatter gold and split rocks simply by relying on the hardness of my bones. Its power is comparable to a sharp weapon."

Su Chen tested the equipment until late at night before finally falling asleep.

I've been under a lot of stress lately, but I can finally get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, I'll continue my cultivation and alchemy.

The next day, Su Chen continued his cultivation and pill refining as usual, as if he were living in complete isolation from the world.

The entire city of Dafeng became unusually lively, as the new city lord had informed Qiao Renzhou and his party the previous night that they would arrive in Dafeng today.

Therefore, Qiao Renzhou made all the necessary preparations overnight to welcome the new city lord.

One carriage after another, carrying the belongings of the new city lord, slowly drove into Dafeng City. The carriages stretched like a long dragon, and the guards were like a river, making a grand and imposing spectacle.

In the middle of the procession, a middle-aged man dressed in magnificent brocade robes stood on horseback, his face composed and his every move exuding an air of nobility that inspired awe.

"Damage City Lord!"

After entering the city, Qian Santong saw Qiao Renzhou and his men not far away, so he dismounted. Qiao Renzhou and the others came forward to greet him and bowed.

"This must be Lord Qiao, I've heard so much about you!" Qian Santong's brows relaxed as he chuckled.

Surrounded by Qiao Renzhou and others, Qian Santong entered the city lord's mansion like a star surrounded by the moon, with all other forces becoming mere supporting characters.

For the next two days, the entire city of Dafeng revolved around Qian Santong, with countless people heading to Qian's residence every day.

In contrast, the Qiao residence was deserted and had lost its former glory.

The new broom sweeps clean, and the first of these actions targeted Qiao Renzhou.

Qian Santong ordered Qiao Renzhou to take up his post in Fengbei City within three days, clearly indicating that he wanted to drive him away.

Qiao Renzhou did not refuse. Since Qian Santong did not need him to hand over the affairs, he was happy to be free. Anyway, he would leave sooner or later, so leaving the vortex of Dafeng City as soon as possible was not a bad thing.

The next day, Qiao Qiliang told Su Chen that they planned to leave and asked Su Chen if he wanted to come with them. Su Chen did not refuse and prepared to go to Fengbei City with Qiao Renzhou and his group.

Since most of the things had already been packed, it only took Qiao Renzhou and the others less than a day to set off for Fengbei City.

It's disheartening that no one came to see him off.

"The world is cold and indifferent; such is the human heart!"

After this incident, Qiao Qiliang had clearly matured a lot and was no longer as frivolous as before. When he saw this scene, his expression was quite calm.

Just as Su Chen was about to offer a few words of comfort, he saw Qiao Qiliang looking at him and said with a smile, "However, the Hong family is suffering even more than we are."

"Hmm?" Su Chen looked puzzled, clearly not understanding the meaning of Qiao Qiliang's words.

Seeing this, Qiao Qiliang explained, "At least we no longer have to worry about Qian Santong making things difficult for us. It's just that the Hong family is in trouble. You probably don't know, but the second of Qian Santong's three fires upon taking office directly targeted the Hong family, demanding that they provide the Qian family with five hundred Qi and Blood Pills every month." Hearing the first part, Su Chen didn't feel much, but when he heard about five hundred Qi and Blood Pills, Su Chen's breathing became a little rapid.

Qiao Qiliang didn't notice Su Chen's unusual behavior and laughed to himself, "I've figured it out. Without comparison, there is no harm, and similarly, without comparison, there is no happiness. Compared to the Hong family, going to Fengbei City isn't such a bad thing."

Five hundred Qi and Blood Pills every month—just thinking about it makes me feel the pinch for the Hong family. This knife has truly cut into the Hong family's fat flesh, and it has cut off a large chunk of fat flesh!
"What's wrong with you?" Qiao Qiliang asked when Su Chen didn't respond.

"It's alright, I'm just heartbroken about those five hundred Qi and Blood Pills," Su Chen said, shaking his head.

Qiao Qiliang: "..."

In the distance, in the dense forest.

"Seventh Brother, the Qiao family's men have arrived. Should we make a move?"

An aged voice rang out, its gaze seemingly piercing through the mountains and forests, landing on the Qiao family's procession.

“There’s no rush, let them go first,” the man known as ‘Seventh Brother’ said, shaking his head.

"But this is the best ambush location. If we go past this place and try to take action against Qiao Renzhou, it won't be so easy," the voice said.

"Eighteen, you're already quite old, why are you still so impatient? Qiao Renzhou must have anticipated that we would make a move against them, and he probably made preparations in advance. If we make a move here, I'm afraid we'll fall into their trap."

At that moment, another voice rang out.

"Eleventh Brother, it's not that I'm in a hurry, but I don't want to waste too much time on the Qiao family. The three of us are all Blood Transformation Warriors, and Qiao Renzhou is just one Qiao Yong. What's there to fear? Let's just push through!" the old voice said.

"Stop arguing. When they arrive in Fengbei City tonight, we'll take action and wipe out Qiao Renzhou's entire family!"

"Seventh Brother" spoke calmly, interrupting the two's argument.

Fengbei City.

Located north of Dafeng City, about thirty miles from the city, it is no smaller than Baishi City, standing like a reclining ox in the north, guarding Dafeng City.

With the speed and agility of Qiao Renzhou's team, they arrived outside the city in less than a day.

The same treatment that Qian Santong once enjoyed is now being applied to Qiao Renzhou.

Although many people believe Qiao Renzhou was demoted to this position, at least the various factions in Fengbei City dare not view him in that way.

We still need to give them face.

Qiao Renzhou exchanged pleasantries with various local figures, while Qiao Qiliang led Su Chen and the others to the yamen (government office), intending to stay there temporarily for a few days until they purchased a house.

They were busy until dusk before they finally finished arranging things. Su Chen was also assigned a courtyard to live in alone.

The local authorities originally wanted to invite Qiao Renzhou and others to a banquet, but he declined. The group simply ate a meal at the government office.

Qiao Qiliang arrived at the courtyard where Su Chen was and saw that Su Chen was completely unaffected and was still refining pills. He couldn't help but sigh:

"I originally planned to support the Four Seas Gang to weaken the Hong family's power. Once you were able to refine the Qi and Blood Pill completely, we would join forces with the state lord to take action against the Hong family. I never expected things to turn out this way."

"Isn't this great?" Su Chen smiled, completely unconvinced. "The Hong family is currently preoccupied with their own problems, so we can refine pills without any restraint."

"Haha, that's true. My dad always told me that one should think thrice before acting: think of danger, think of retreat, and think of change. Knowing there's danger and avoiding it is called thinking of danger; hiding where no one is paying attention to you is called thinking of retreat; and retreating gives you an opportunity to observe and reflect slowly, to see where you went wrong and how to correct it in the future is called thinking of change." Qiao Qiliang nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid someone is trying to prevent us from thinking things through!" Su Chen gazed into the distance, the bright moonlight shining on his face, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Qiao Qiliang seemed to have discovered something and sneered: "They didn't make a move on the way, but now they're making a move. The Hong family is really arrogant and conceited."

As he finished speaking, more than a dozen figures stood on the eaves, surrounding the government office.

They were dressed in black, seemingly blending into the darkness, and the long swords in their hands gleamed with a cold and sharp edge, sending chills down one's spine.

"Leave no one behind!"

A deep, hoarse voice rang out, and as the words fell, more than a dozen men in black appeared, their arms outstretched, transforming into assassins in the darkness, displaying their ruthlessness.

The two men in black quickly set their sights on Qiao Qiliang and Su Chen in the courtyard. Just as Su Chen was about to make a move, he heard Qiao Qiliang say, "Don't do it, let me handle it!"

After speaking, he leaped forward like a beast pouncing on its prey. The two men in black exchanged a glance, sneered, and surrounded Qiao Qiliang from the left and right. They raised their long swords slightly, ready to strike, and charged at him with their feet on the wind.

Bang bang bang!
The three figures quickly became entangled. Qiao Qiliang, who was fighting two against one, was initially able to gain the upper hand, but as time went on, he gradually found himself unable to defend himself. The two men's deadly attacks made him start to panic.

Just as one of them was about to slit his throat with a long knife, Qiao Qiliang's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body instinctively retreated. However, the other party pressed forward step by step with an air of certain victory, and it seemed that Qiao Qiliang was about to be forced into a corner. Finally, Su Chen made his move.

"I'll do it!"

Su Chen said calmly, took a step forward, shielded Qiao Qiliang behind him, and then waved his arms like a dragon and a tiger, clashing with the two men in black.

Click!

The long swords in the hands of the two men shattered instantly under Su Chen's bare hands. This change not only shocked Qiao Qiliang, but also stunned the two men in black for a moment. However, they quickly reacted, exchanged a glance, and stepped forward again with their broken swords in hand.

Seeing this, Su Chen's eyes revealed a nonchalant attitude. Instead of dodging, he leaped in front of the two men, who swung their broken swords with undiminished fierce momentum.

Unfortunately, they encountered Su Chen.

He slowly raised his arms, striking left and right with powerful iron palms that vibrated the air with a crackling sound before whistling through the air and landing on the two men in black.

clap clap!

Boom!

A crisp slap rang out, followed by two figures falling in parabolic arcs and crashing heavily to the ground, with the faint cracking sound of bones breaking faintly audible.

After convulsing a few times, the two of them stopped breathing completely.

"Let's go, let's go find your father!"

After dealing with the two men in black, Su Chen and Qiao Qiliang did not delay and headed towards the courtyard where Qiao Renzhou was.

at this time.

A courtyard.

The battle was fierce, with Qiao Yong fighting against three opponents and standing in front of Qiao Renzhou.

However, his strength was only at the Blood Transformation Realm, which was comparable to the strength of the three. Under the siege of the three, he gradually showed signs of defeat.

Qiao Renzhou watched from the side with a calm expression, though his eyes flashed with alternating expressions of shock and anger.

He expected the Hong family to send people to deal with him, but he did not expect that the Hong family would send three Blood Transformation Realm martial artists to take action at once.

This isn't just about killing him, it's about wiping out Qiao Renzhou's entire family!
"Lord, quickly take the young master and leave!"

With a bang, Qiao Yong was struck by one of the men's palms, and a trace of crimson blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He took several steps back, his expression turning fierce, and shouted at Qiao Renzhou.

"Hahaha, Qiao Renzhou, there are our men everywhere outside. Do you think you can leave?" Hong Shiba laughed wildly, his words icy cold. "Tonight, I will wipe out the entire Qiao family!"

"Enough with the nonsense, just kill me if you want!" Qiao Renzhou said without fear.

"kill!"

Upon hearing this, the three men were filled with murderous intent. They rushed forward, turning into three afterimages, and surrounded Qiao Renzhou, completely blocking his escape route.

Qiao Yong, who was standing to the side, was about to step forward to help when he suddenly stopped halfway and stood frozen in place, staring at the scene in astonishment as if he had seen a ghost.

Within his sight, Qiao Renzhou, whom he had always regarded as only at the Bone Forging Realm, seemed to have become a different person. Like a dragon emerging from the abyss and a tiger roaring in the forest, he suddenly revealed his ferocious skills and faced the three of them in an extremely domineering manner. He was not at a disadvantage at all and was incomparably domineering!

(End of this chapter)