Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 976 – Third Master Zu – Zu Sui, A Kick Of Death

Before they knew it, another round of dishes was served. The members of the Qing Clan chowed down the food happily despite some realizing that there was a weird substance in the dishes. The drug’s effect was indeed strong, but it could cause no real harm to their bodies. However, some of them could not even endure the effect of the drugs after they had taken a few bites of the food.

Despite the effects of the drug, it would take a bit longer for the drug to take its full effect. It would probably take affect after they had finished their meal. Even if they had been inflicted with the sleeping drug, Qing Shui had the capability to remove the drug in their systems. The worst thing that could happen to them was being put to sleep the whole night before waking up in the morning.

The food Qing Shui ate traveled down to his stomach and the drug effect was burnt off immediately. The meltdown of the poison was done automatically as his body was practically immune to any kind of poison. Moreover, his Nature Energy was quite effective in eradicating the sleeping effect of such an unorthodox poison almost immediately after the drug entered his system.

They took quite a long time to finish their meal since it was a large group having a meal together. The sky at that moment was still blue as well. Everyone took their time to eat and chat with each other. Some preferred to listen while chowing down their food, and some who would rather play with the children than chat with the others.

Time passed by slowly, and Qing Yu was the first to fall asleep. No one noticed anything wrong about him, because children were prone to sleep earlier than adults. However, when all of the children eventually fell asleep, the others realized there was something amiss about the current situation.

After a while, the others began to feel dizzy as they looked at each other in confusion. They finally realized that there was something wrong with the dishes before they turned to Qing Shui with a shocked expression. Qing Shui nodded his head with a smile, but shook his head afterwards without saying a word.

Then at that moment, footsteps could be heard trampling up the stairs. A number of young men were already at the staircase, and Qing Shui immediately knew that they were the perpetrators behind the sleeping drugs. By this time, almost half the members of Qing Clan had already succumbed to the drug’s effect.

Qing Shui picked up Qing Yu quickly, while the other children were already asleep on the high-legged chairs that were made of beast leather. The chairs were comfortable enough, so Qing Shui decided to let them sleep on the chairs for now.

“Hahaha!” The leader of the young men burst out in laughter. His gaze was fixed on the ladies, who remained seated on their chairs due to their inability to stand up straight.

Yiye Jiange, Canghai Mingyue, and Di Qing felt uncomfortable, but were able to withstand the drug’s effect. Despite being fine, they remained seated and went along with the flow of the current situation. They didn’t move a muscle, nor did they make a sound.

“Who are you?” Qing Shui frowned as he looked at the despicable young man in front of him.

“You don’t have to know who we are. Who you are is bound to be more interesting.” The young man looked at Qing Shui before turning his head to look at the other members of the Qing Clan. His smile became more sinister as he observed the others in the room.

“You’re the ones who drugged the dishes?” Qing Shui already knew the truth, but insisted on asking them to get a bit of information.

“How do you feel now? Tell me, where are you from, and what do you plan on doing in the General Country?” the young man maintained a smile as he asked this question with a calm attitude.

“I advise you to hand over the antidote now. You don’t want to mess with us.” Qing Shui stood up and swayed for a bit before sitting down and before he demanded angrily at the smiling young man.

“Haha, can’t mess with you? Regardless of who you are, as long as you’re in the General Country, you have to follow our rules now. There’s no one that I, Zu Yanglong, cannot destroy. These women you have there are quite exquisite. Even if I die from ravaging them tonight, I will welcome death with open arms. Your threats are useless to me. Even if you have the support of an almighty emperor, it’s useless,” Zu Yanglong said excitingly as he clenched his teeth with exaggerated force.

“Zu Yanglong? We’re from the Continent’s Capital. Aren’t you afraid that I will destroy your clan if you make any reckless moves against us?” Qing Shui didn’t care if the Zu Clan had the support of an aristocratic clan or a prestigious sect, he used all his might to rage his anger at the Zu Yanglong. If he had to act like he was inflicted with the sleeping drug, he must put an effort to pretend like he was affected. But he didn’t expect to see this kind of monster that the young man had become – he had an insatiable hunger for lust and women.

“Continent’s Capital? Haha, what power is there in the Continent’s Capital? They will still be under the grasp of my General Manor even if they were to come to this country to look for trouble. And here I thought you were some kind of hidden aristocratic clan. You’re just taking the Continent’s Capital as a disguise to roam around foreign countries,” Zu Yanglong said with confidence as if he was determined that Qing Shui could not pose a threat to him or his General Manor.

Zu Yanglong was more than relieved to discover that Qing Shui and his family hailed from the Greencloud Continent’s capital. Qing Shui knew that Zu Yanglong would let down his guard if he mentioned he was from the Continent’s Capital. He didn’t have any good feelings from this despicable man at all, and he wasn’t a real threat to Qing Shui since he was just a martial cultivator with the strength of an Early Martial Saint.

A profligate son with the power of an Early Martial Saint in such a young generation should be no more than a few years older than Qing Shui himself. Qing Shui was more curious about his alliances, and what kind of power they possessed.

In any case, Qing Shui now understood why there had never been a group from the other continents which would attempt a coup and conquer the Greencloud Continent. The reason was quite profound because there were people of undeniable power hidden within the countries in a seemingly weak continent. They would keep a low profile most of the time, but they would not hold back their power should the situation require them to show their strength.

He also understood the complexity of the General Country, and to an extent, the Greencloud Continent as well. However, he was still baffled how he would end up for a trivial matter like this with the Qing Clan. Regardless, it didn’t matter anymore. Qing Shui had decided to retaliate no matter what forces they were. He had an exceptional martial skills, and most importantly, he had the Marrow Nibbling Golden Silkworm in the Blood Essence Pool situated in his Central Palace. The silkworm had grown stronger despite not growing any larger. The golden gleam from the silkworm was more magnificent and animated than before. In addition to that, Qing Shui had also developed a deeper telepathic communication with the silkworm, forming a profounding bond between himself and the ferocious creature.

“Zu Yanglong, there’s still a chance for you to stop whatever you’re doing. Hand over the antidote and you’ll get a chance to live. I won’t ask you to be responsible for today’s incident either,” Qing Shui shouted while ‘struggling’ to stand up on his feet.

“No need to shout. No one will intervene when I’m dealing with you guys in the General Country. If you want to blame someone, blame those women besides you. They are too beautiful, and you don’t deserve to have them for yourself. Women are a source of trouble, you know. You should have realized that this day would come one day.” Zu Yanglong approached Yiye Jiange who was the closest to him. If he could conquer a celestial-like woman like her, then even if he were to die soon, it was all worth it.

“Sure, women are the source of trouble….. But you are the one seeking your own demise!” In the middle of his speech, he suddenly felt restless and dropped his act immediately.

Qing Shui returned to his normal self and shot a few Coldsteel Needles towards the perpetrators’ dantian areas.

Pu pu…..

A soft yet distinct sound rang out, like plastic abruptly exploded into pieces. Their dantian areas were pierced in an instant, causing the pitiful men to shriek in excrutiating pain. Having their dantians destroyed meant that their cultivations had been crippled as well. No one could endure such an excruciating pain physically nor mentally.

“Shout again and I will make you disappear right away.” Qing Shui said calmly.

Everyone else sat down except for a few children. Qing Shui had calculated his time perfectly with the Violet Jade Pendant, which wasn’t just an accessory, but could notably be used to dispel poison, albeit not instantly for a colorless and odorless drug like the one they had just consumed. The drug effects would wear off in about the time needed to burn an incense stick.

In the meantime, Qing Shui allowed the others to return to their rooms to rest up first.

Zu Yanglong and his friends clenched their teeth and remained silent. One of them even bit his sleeves tightly, drenching it in a pool of cold sweat. His face was pale and the corners of his mouth were dripping with a stream of fresh blood.

Today would not end well for them, and there was no way that Qing Shui would let them go easily. Qing Shui faced Zu Yanglong, stared him in the eyes and said, ‘Speak, who are you people. It’s time you should tell us by now!”

“We are members of the General Manor.” Zu Yanglong said reluctantly without an ounce of foul language. He had a feeling that Qing Shui would kill them without a moment’s notice should they try to provoke him any further.

Qing Shui laughed when he saw the sudden change in Zu Yanglong expression. This reckless man feared death more than anyone else in this room. However, when Zu Yanglong mentioned the General Manor, Qing Shui froze for a while before turning his head towards the three women beside him – Yiye Jiange, Canghai Mingyue, and Di Qing.

“General Manor is the main command of the General Country. It is said that they are an ancient clan passed down from a great legacy, but they had been maintaining a low profile so no other details are known. In any case, they have existed for a long time in this country.” Canghai Mingyue gathered her thoughts before explaining what she knew about the General Manor to Qing Shui.

“Mingyue, what do you think about killing them and mutilating their corpses afterwards?” asked Qing Shui as he turned to Canghai Mingyue beside him.

“These men are indeed despicable. But killing them that way is a bit too filthy in my book,” Di Qing spoke out instead.

“So are we going to let them go freely?” Qing Shui said with a frown.

“How about we break their arms and legs, and throw them out from this floor?” Di Qing said as she looked at Qing Shui with a serious expression.

“Well said, Qing ‘er. I was thinking of the same idea as well.”

“Don’t kill me, I will give you anything. Please let us go.” Zu Yanglong pleaded for mercy in a horrified state.

The others followed and pleaded in loud voices.

At this point, they believed that Qing Shui was definitely capable of killing them without mercy. Regardless of whether the General Manor could win against these people from the Continent’s Capital, their fate was now in the hands of the young man in front of them.

Qing Shui’s ears twitched for a moment before he turned his head to the stairs with a smile. A series of loud footsteps became increasingly audible, followed by dozens of men rushing towards him. The leader of the incoming group was an old man clad in violet robes. He had a full head of white hair and bushy eyebrows above his bulging eyes, with a broad nose protruding from his face. Beside the old man were a few elders and some middle-aged men who were likely the subordinates of the old leader.

“Grandfather, save me!”

When Zu Yanglong saw the old leader, he pleaded for help desperately. He was just laying beside Qing Shui, unable to move his muscles freely. His hair was in a ruffled mess, and his face was as pale as a white sheet of paper. In contrast to his pale face, a streak of blood could be seen dripping from the corners of his mouth. Zu Yanglong had a miserable look on his face as he laid still in desperation.

“Who are you, why are you hurting my grandson?” The old man shot a furious look at Qing Shui, emitting an aura of killing intent as he spoke with a menacing and domineering tone.

“Your grandson? Good timing. I don’t have to go around and look for you then. Let’s consider how we should deal with your grandson today, shall we?” Qing Shui sat down and brushed off the killing intent of the old man.

Zu Sui knew all about his grandson’s shameful acts. Without the need to think over the situation, Zu Sui knew that his grandson must have provoked the young man sitting in front of him, and it seemed that it was quite serious this time. Moreover, his grandson was beaten to a pulp in the General Inn, a place situated in the General Country where his power was absolute.

In any case, Zu Sui was furious. No one would dare to disrespect the Third Master Zu in the General Country, so who would have thought that he would be considering the actions needed to be taken against his own grandson? Wasn’t the pitiful sight of his grandson enough already?

“What are you planning to do with him?” Zu Sui looked at Qing Shui coldly, slowly dissipating the killing intent he had earlier. The General Manor had never feared anyone, and no one had ever talked to him like that before.

“I have decided to break his arms and legs before throwing him out from this height. What do you think?” Qing Shui cocked his head to look at the old man and said very calmly.

“You are asking for it!”

Suddenly, the old man growled and leaped towards Qing Shui at an unfathomable speed. He aimed for Qing Shui’s head and curled his fist in an attempt to strike a death blow. Unfortunately for the old man, his seemingly unfathomable speed was too slow in Qing Shui’s eyes.

Qing Shui remained seated while striking a counterattack with an abrupt kick at the old man!

Tiger Tailwhip Kick!

The only thing the old man saw in front of him was an apparition of a meter long tiger claw that rapidly approached. The kick flashed towards him instantaneously and landed on his chest.

Pu!

Ultimately, the old man was killed by that single kick!

To be honest, it was not surprising. The old man was the one who had initiated the fight, so Qing Shui would naturally not hold back when he kicked him in retaliation. The old man’s strength was less than two stars, which was unfortunately the strength of an ant when contrasted to Qing Shui’s power. The kick was able to destroy the old man’s vital organs with a menacing force. If Qing Shui had used his full power, the old man would be shattered to nothing more than a few speckles of dust.

From a Peak Martial Saint to a Martial Emperor, the disparity between their levels was greater than the depths of a natural ravine!