Chapter 4: The Dead
Chapter 4: The Dead
From Li Niu and the other martial arts disciples, Gu Qingfeng finally understood that deaths in Linqian County had not just started.
It had been going on for a month now.
People in Linqian County had been dying in various horrific and bizarre ways, but since the county was neither too large nor too small, and Gu Qingfeng had always been shuttling between the martial arts school and his home, he had not heard much about it.
In the following days,
Gu Qingfeng delved deeper into the situation in Linqian County.
He discovered that the frequency of deaths was increasing, and the intervals between them were getting shorter.
At first, it was a household every few days. Now, it was almost every day, sometimes even two or three households in a single day.
As the death toll rose, rumors of supernatural entities in Linqian County grew more rampant. Many citizens were in a state of panic, and some even considered moving away from the county.
To address this,
the local government issued a notice stating that a serial killer had escaped to Linqian County and was responsible for the murders. They claimed to have tracked the killer and assured the public that it would only be a matter of time before they apprehended him, urging everyone to remain calm.
This announcement temporarily quelled the public's unrest.
However,
when Gu Qingfeng heard this, he frowned slightly.
"A serial killer... I doubt it's that simple."
Of course,
he only pondered this in his mind. He had yet to figure out the truth.
Back in the courtyard,
Gu Qingfeng saw Gu Yang practicing the Mountain-Crushing Fist. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Aren't you supposed to go to the private school today?"
"The teacher said the county has been unstable lately, so he gave us a few days off. He will notify us when classes resume," Gu Yang replied honestly.
Gu Qingfeng nodded slightly, glanced at his attribute panel, and felt his worries dissipate.
Why worry so much?
Whether it's supernatural entities or a serial killer, as long as he was strong enough, none of it would be a problem.
To quickly enhance his strength, he needed to help Gu Yang break through first.
Once his son broke through,
he could follow.
With this in mind,
Gu Qingfeng silently took out a Blood Qi Pill and handed it to Gu Yang.
"This is a Blood Qi Pill, specifically designed to aid your practice of the Mountain-Crushing Fist. Since you don't have to go to school for now, stay home and focus on your training. Take one pill per day, and remember not to take more than that.
Otherwise, you could suffer severe damage to your meridians, or even die!"
Gu Qingfeng's expression was stern as he spoke.
The Blood Qi Pill wouldn't kill anyone, but taking too many was still not advisable. He exaggerated the consequences to ensure Gu Yang took his words seriously.
As expected,
Gu Yang's face paled at the mention of death, and he hastily replied, "Don't worry, Father. I won't take more than one."
"Good, that's best!"
Gu Qingfeng then provided some pointers on the finer details of practicing the Mountain-Crushing Fist before moving to another area to begin his own training in the Iron Body Technique.
He had been practicing the Iron Body Technique for a month now.
Perhaps because he had already reached the peak of the Skin-Tempering stage, Gu Qingfeng's progress in the Iron Body Technique was much faster than when he had practiced the Mountain-Crushing Fist.
In just one month, he had successfully mastered the basics of the Iron Body Technique.
As Gu Qingfeng delved deeper into the Iron Body Technique, he could feel his skin becoming tougher, though the change wasn't particularly noticeable, it was undeniably a step forward in strength.
However, his attribute panel didn't show much progress in terms of his cultivation level.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't bothered by this. The lack of change in the attribute panel didn't mean he hadn't grown stronger. In the current environment, he needed to focus on enhancing his capabilities as much as possible.
...
Time passed swiftly, and another three months flew by.
During this period, Linqian County had become much more peaceful. There were no more unexpected deaths among the civilians, as if everything had returned to normal.
Gu Qingfeng no longer paid much attention to these matters. With his Qi Blood Pill supply depleted, he used his savings to purchase some body-strengthening baths and pills from the Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall.
Most of these resources he gave to Gu Yang for his cultivation, using only a small portion for himself.
Despite this, in the span of three months, Gu Qingfeng successfully advanced the Iron Body Technique to the Minor Success stage.
At the Minor Success stage of the Iron Body Technique, Gu Qingfeng could feel a significant difference in his body. He grabbed a weapon and slashed at his arm, but the sharp blade couldn't even leave a white mark on his skin. Then, he clenched his hand, and the well-tempered weapon turned into a lump of scrap iron.
"Excellent!"
Gu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction. When he had completed the Skin Tempering stage, he could resist some cuts and slashes, but not to this extent. This was the power of breaking through to the next level of the Iron Body Technique.
Just then, the long-silent information panel refreshed with a new message.
"Your offspring 'Gu Yang' has advanced to the Middle Stage of the Skin Tempering Realm!"
"Reward: 2 Enhancement Points!"
"Reward: 30 Qi Blood Pills!"
"Reward: 10 Blood Refinement Pills!"
...
This time, the reward didn't include any martial techniques, but it did come with two Enhancement Points and a new type of pill.
The Blood Refinement Pill! When Gu Qingfeng focused on the pill, the corresponding information appeared in his mind.
This was a pill for Blood Refinement Realm practitioners, capable of enhancing their Qi and Blood, accelerating their breakthrough to the Blood Refinement Realm. It could also be used by those who had completed the Skin Tempering stage to advance to the Blood Refinement Realm.
"Can these two Enhancement Points help the Mountain-Crushing Fist break through to a higher level?"
Gu Qingfeng looked at the name of the Mountain-Crushing Fist, and a thought crossed his mind. Instantly, a message appeared in his mind.
To break the limit of the Mountain-Crushing Fist, it requires 5 Enhancement Points!
Indeed, it can be done—
Gu Qingfeng felt a surge of joy. The Mountain-Crushing Fist had already helped him reach the peak of the Skin Tempering stage. If he could break through to a higher level, he might be able to become a Blood Refinement practitioner solely through the Mountain-Crushing Fist.
However, upon seeing the required 5 Enhancement Points, Gu Qingfeng's brow furrowed.
Breaking the limit required a significant number of Enhancement Points. So far, he had only accumulated a total of 4 points.
Achieving the 5 points needed would take an indefinite amount of time.
With this in mind, Gu Qingfeng turned his attention to the Iron Body Technique.
"Since the Mountain-Crushing Fist can't be enhanced for now, I'll focus on advancing the Iron Body Technique. I'll deal with future matters later. For now, the most important thing is to improve my strength as much as possible!"
(End of Chapter)
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