As it turned out, the group of people on the mountain path today were sent by the Dragon's Gate. The arrogant guy was the young master of the Dragon's Gate. No wonder he was so arrogant and despotic.
Li Long said in surprise, "You know 'Sickly Tiger'?" Afterwards, he naturally saw the bow on Li Qingshan's back. As Huang Binghu rarely visited Qingyang city, he could not be certain that it was the Stone Splitter bow.
Li Qingshan nodded and said nothing more.
Li Long said, "Don't tell me your martial arts are also his …"
"No, and it's none of your business. If you want revenge, feel free to come!" Li Qingshan did not want to use Huang Binghu's name to intimidate others.
Li Long's expression changed. He thought, This Li Qingshan's martial arts are already third-rate, so just what kind of person is his master? And he's connected to Huang Binghu. I only have a small dispute with him. Even if I kill him, what benefit will I get? It's better to squash enmity than keep it alive.
Li Long made up his mind. Suddenly, his expression changed. He smiled slightly, although his smile was rather forced. "Erlang, we're fellow villagers, so what kind of grievance is there for revenge?"
Li Qingshan was taken aback instead. Originally, he thought what would happen next would be him provoking the elders after beating up the young, forcing him into a corner like a swarm of bees. Afterwards, he would achieve a minor accomplishment in his abilities and kill them all.
He never thought Li Long would actually be so fickle despite how reckless he seemed. Moreover, he was quite thick-skinned as well, actually changing his tune. He had basically witnessed the slippery side of the people of the jianghu.
Li Long smiled. "And exchanging three punches for two punches, so I've profited."
"I can let you earn some more," Li Qingshan could tell that he originally wanted revenge. He had only changed his mind after hearing Huang Binghu's name. When he thought about how this was the second time he had to escape trouble like this today, he felt very mixed emotions.
He hoped that one day, he could also be like Huang Binghu. No, he wanted to be even stronger than Huang Binghu. Even if it was a thousand miles away, if someone heard his name, they would still feel deep veneration, not daring to act recklessly.
Li Long smiled awkwardly. "There's no need for that. Don't just stand there. Let's talk inside. Our Crouching Ox village has produced such a young hero. I just happen to want to get to know him better." Then, he cupped his fists in all directions. "Fellow villagers, please go ahead. If I have the time, Li Long will visit each and every one of you."
The villagers looked at one another. The outcome had truly exceeded their expectations, but since Li Long had asked them to leave, they dared not disobey. They just silently passed the title of the greatest hero of the Crouching Ox village to Li Qingshan.
Since he had lowered himself so much, it was difficult for Li Qingshan to turn him down. Just like he had said, there was no particularly great grievance between them, and he also wanted to understand some information about Qingyang city, especially the Dragon's Gate sect.
Under many gazes of respect, Li Qingshan was invited into village head Li's home. He was completely different from the nervousness he felt when he attended the banquet at caretaker Liu's home. He was relaxed and lighthearted. In the eyes of others, he possessed an air of arrogance. This was the change in mentality and bearing that came from his own strength.
"Qingshan, with how impressive your martial arts are, are you interested in finding a job in Qingyang city? Our Iron Fist sincerely invites all the heroes of the world to gather. With your martial arts, my master will definitely like you. "Li Long tried to rope him in right from the beginning.
"I'm skilled in martial arts. Can I join the Iron Fist just because I want to?" Li Qingshan found this person's breadth of mind rather admirable, but little did he know that Li Long was conflicted inside. Although Li Qingshan had punched him twice, there was no great grievance between them. If he could rope him into the gang, he would be able to help each other out as fellow villagers, which would be beneficial to his status in the sect.
"Of course I need to be vouched for. Don't worry, I can vouch for you! Our Iron Fist is a great clan with a great business. Our influence is not limited to Qingyang city. Our headquarters is located in the Clear River prefecture. As long as your fists are tough enough and your contributions are great enough, you won't have to worry about development. Women and silver will be at your fingertips too … "
Li Hu and Li Bao were both extremely envious. They could only blame their elder brother for not vouching for them, preventing them from enjoying the women and silver in the city.
"Yeah, yeah. My family's Liu Neng is a caretaker in old hero Liu's estate. He'll be able to look after you when the time comes." Caretaker Liu followed them in as well. He felt fortunate that he had not offended Li Qingshan too much in the past. Who would have thought that the cowherd from back then would become so powerful in just a few months?
As Li Long said that, Li Qingshan gradually understood that although the Iron Fist accepted disciples, it was more like a gang, entrenched in the city. The Iron Lion, old hero Liu, should be a branch leader or a branch sect master.
Li Qingshan said, "May I ask what rate old hero Liu's martial arts are in the jianghu?"
"If you ask someone else, they really might not be able to answer you. My master's Iron Fist has reached perfection. He can be described as a second-rate master."
"Then how do I compare to him?"
"This …" Li Long never thought Li Qingshan would compare him to the peak of Qingyang right off the bat, and he was even comparing him to his master. He became rather displeased. "I'm not trying to boast, but while your martial arts are impressive, you're only at the peak of the third-rate.
You're nowhere near my master's opponent. "
"Then what's the difference between second-rate and third-rate?"
"My master once said that a person who has just grasped the rudiments of martial arts can take on three to five strong men. An expert of the jianghu can take on three to five such people, and so on and so forth. Although it's not absolutely accurate, that's the general idea. Once it exceeds this number, it'll be difficult for two fists to take on four hands. "
"However, this is only in terms of direct confrontation. If you use the method of sneak attacks, a first-rate expert who is proficient in Qinggong can kill dozens of second-rate experts. However, dozens of trained ordinary archers can also kill first-rate experts."
Li Qingshan roughly understood his strength. Those ginseng foragers were originally people who had practiced martial arts. Back then, he could be regarded as an expert of the jianghu, so although he won, it was a pyrrhic victory.
After some cultivation, he barely managed to reach the level of a third-rate master. Only after drinking the spiritual alcohol did he become a true third-rate master. Li Long's martial arts could be regarded as decent, but he was not a master. As a result, he was not his opponent at all.
"Apologies. I've already promised hunting chief Huang of the Drawn Reins village that I'll join them. I'm afraid I can't accept your invitation." He could not help but think of a few months ago, when he could not even sleep peacefully in the cowshed. His brother and sister-in-law viewed him as a thorn in their side, wanting to chase him out no matter what. Yet now, people were inviting him everywhere.
As expected, Li Long thought. He said in pity, "The Drawn Reins village doesn't have much to offer. Out of the four places in Qingyang, our Iron Fist is the most at ease. They're all in the mountains, so how can they compare to us, who are so close to the bustling world? Whatever. Whenever you change your mind and come to Qingyang city, feel free to come to Iron Fist to find me. Just mention my name. "
Li Qingshan could not help but smile. Sure enough, there were not a lot of people who wandered the jianghu for the sake of justice. He asked about many more things, and Li Long answered everything he knew. Seeing how he was so loyal, Li Qingshan was not a tactless person, so he showed some respect. "Brother Li, it's not a festival right now, so why have you returned?"
Li Long suddenly lowered his voice. "Even if you didn't ask, I'd tell you anyway. I've returned this time for something major that threatens the Crouching Ox village. The Black Wind stronghold might treat the Crouching Ox village as a target to plunder."
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