Chapter 133 - 131: Treasure Hunter
"Indeed." Song Changming openly admitted.
The purpose of this trip out of the city, braving the heavy rain to come here, was precisely for the Mist gold on this person’s body.
Previously, he exchanged a piece of Mist gold with Liu Dingsheng for a 350-year-old Flowing Gold Ginseng King, and it is unforgettable to this day.
Having tasted the sweetness, he sought the whereabouts of Mist gold more than once.
Unfortunately, this item is considered an obvious prohibited item. Even if people have it, they carefully hide it, rarely exposing it.
It was only until now that Song Changming finally had such an opportunity today, which he naturally wouldn’t miss.
Even amidst the harsh weather, he was determined to come here.
"Song Changming, others may fear you, but I do not. Others may give you respect by calling you your Jianghu name, but if not, my Dinghai Water Gang will kill you, and no one in County City will dare say a word for you!"
He Bo continued to intimidate with empty threats, his words trying to wield his Dinghai Water Gang to intimidate Song Changming into hesitating.
But regrettably, Song Changming had fought with the Dinghai Water Gang members more than once since his time as a Gan Patrol Guard.
In the past, the Dinghai Water Gang couldn’t unsettle him, and now it can’t make him change his mind temporarily.
Whether it’s his martial skills or the network of relationships he’s built in County City, there was no need for him to consider too much.
"If you’re unafraid, then there’s nothing more to say." Said Song Changming calmly, walking to within ten steps of his opponent.
He Bo’s face turned fierce and at this moment, he suddenly drew his saber to attack Song Changming.
The ten-step distance vanished in an instant, as a slash came forward furiously, raindrops splashing, and his sword momentum was fierce.
"Die for me!" He Bo, knowing well of Song Changming’s formidable strength, thus exerted all his power upfront.
In the case of an injured shoulder, if he could achieve an unexpected victory, it would be the best.
However, Song Changming neither dodged nor evaded, standing still, without any sign of drawing his sword.
As He Bo’s saber approached the top of his head, he finally struck like lightning, gripping the opponent’s wrist with a swift grasp.
The swinging saber froze in mid-air, unable to be brought down.
He Bo was greatly shocked, swinging his left fist to try and force Song Changming back.
Song Changming raised a foot, counterattacking first, the tremendous leg power instilled into his body, kicking him more than ten meters away, nearly into the nearby river.
A gut-wrenching pain in his abdomen made He Bo’s face painful, coughing blood incessantly.
Only at this moment did he truly realize the immense disparity in strength between him and Song Changming.
He, a dignified Fifth Realm Martial Artist, considered a prominent figure within the gang, respected by all on his travels.
But facing Song Changming, he stood no chance at all.
From start to finish, Song Changming remained composed and at ease. Not to mention drawing his saber, he didn’t even set down the oil-paper umbrella he held, and the clothes he wore remained dry.
Fighting was out of the question, all that was left was to flee!
Struggling to support his body, looking at Song Changming not far away, fear filled his heart. Clenching his teeth, he attempted to leap into the rapid river.
The only escape route left for him was this.
Seeing this, Song Changming, unhurried, tapped his toes, causing the saber that fell from He’s grasp to float upward.
With a flick of his hand, he slapped the knife hilt, causing the saber to shoot out with a vibrating hum, nailing He Bo back to the ground as he tried to leap into the river.
"Afraid now?" Song Changming approached, looking at the heavily injured He Bo.
"Spare, spare me..." He Bo gave in without further protest, straightforwardly handing over the piece of Mist gold he possessed.
This Mist gold, in his hands, required other animals or beasts nearby to be of use.
But regrettably, there was nothing here, and the black horse he originally rode had fled in a panic and vanished without a trace.
Thus, until the end, he never got the chance to use the Mist gold.
"Only one piece?" Song Changming looked at the Mist gold in his hand and asked.
"I, I only have this piece..." He Bo replied.
"Where did it come from?" Song Changming tentatively believed him, and continued asking.
"Fished from the sea..." He Bo confessed everything.
This piece of Mist gold was indeed lifted from the sea by him unintentionally, initially intending to keep it and sell it through a channel in the city. Unfortunately, the gang members on the ship leaked the news, and the high-levels in the gang discovered it, ordering him to bring the Mist gold back.
And after that, somehow, even the government knew about it, dispatching the Patrol Guard to arrest him.
After arduously killing some patrol guards and escaping the County City, he still ended up in Song Changming’s hands.
"Can this stuff be fished out of the sea?" With many years of patrol guard interrogation experience, Song Changming was convinced this guy was not lying, slightly taken aback.
He learned from Liu Dingsheng that Mist gold mostly comes from the Outer Domain, and in fact, early on this Mist gold almost covered various places. It’s just that the Da Han Dynasty’s exploration and development have left very little undiscovered Mist gold within the territory.
Thus, the current situation is that Mist gold produced from the Outer Domain occupies eighty to ninety percent of the output, with the remaining one or two percent being inadvertently discovered domestically each year.
This member of the Dinghai Water Gang accidentally finding this piece of Mist gold is a rare chance event that happened to him.
Of course, acquiring a treasure but failing to protect it could easily bring about a fatal disaster.
In the current situation, it’s hard to say whether He Bo is lucky or unlucky.
After extracting the information he wanted, Song Changming swiftly ended his life, casting his body into the river to eliminate future troubles.
As such, the whereabouts of this piece of mist gold were known to no one but him.
Putting away the mist gold, Song Changming was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a figure standing silently in the layers of rain and mist on the small hill where he had set up his ambush.
"Hmm!" Song Changming’s gaze focused, as there should have been no one else there but him.
This person had come later, and it seemed unlikely that they had wandered there unintentionally.
"Coming for me?" Song Changming inexplicably felt as if he were being targeted.
Suddenly, that blurred shadow on the hillside vanished into the rain and mist.
Seeing this, Song Changming set his oil-paper umbrella aside, carefully embedding half the handle into the ground to prevent it from being blown away by the river breeze later.
The next moment, a series of rapidly moving footsteps quickly approached him.
With the corner of his eye, Song Changming noticed a sharp short sword tearing through the rain and mist, its edge silently closing in on his forehead.
With such fierce and swift assault speed, Song Changming realized that his opponent was certainly a martial Tao expert to be reckoned with!
Therefore, he didn’t hold back; he drew the Dragon Pattern Saber, lifting it to meet the incoming sword, sparks flying in all directions.
While knocking away this short sword, the opponent’s left hand again reached for his face.
A similar short sword emerged from the opponent’s sleeve, stabbing at him once more.
Song Changming leaned his upper body backward, sliding sideways to narrowly avoid the short sword.
He gripped the Dragon Pattern Saber in reverse, slashing downwards.
The opponent, wielding dual swords, blocked the strike, but the next moment he sensed the terrifying power behind Song Changming’s saber.
Despite having done some investigation beforehand, knowing Song Changming was innately powerful with immense strength, experiencing it firsthand was a different realization.
"Bone Forging Eighth Realm?! No, it’s more than that!" Yan Shu was forced back by a single slash, assessing the frightening force in his mind.
He was sure that although he had killed other Bone Forging Eighth Realm martial artists before, none had the amazing strength of Song Changming.
"Such physical strength must be the result of cultivating multiple body refining skills!"
Yan Shu saw that Song Changming not only possessed overwhelming strength, surpassing his realm, but also exhibited remarkable speed and agility.
Such a person couldn’t possibly have followed any path other than dual cultivation of body refinement, he believed.
Song Changming leaped forward, executing a Soul-Shocking Slash!
Yan Shu dodged the slash, countering with a Double Dragon Stab.
Song Changming retracted his saber to block, then slashed at the opponent’s waist, the saber’s wind whistling, dispersing the surrounding rain and mist.
Yan Shu showcased a top-level light body skill in his steps, demonstrating an extraordinary level of mastery, almost reaching perfection. His form resembled a water ghost in the rain and mist, making him hard to track.
Avoiding Song Changming’s slash, he was still able to counterattack.
Clang!
Once more, they collided, and Song Changming stepped back two steps due to insufficient time to exert force, while the opponent retreated over ten steps.
Song Changming was certain the opponent was an Eighth Realm Body Refinement martial artist, following the Cleansing Marrow and Changing Tendons agile flow.
Moreover, there seemed to be some background, as the martial arts possessed were all upper vehicle or top-level, and the realm was quite high, likely due to strict tutelage from a young age, resulting in such martial arts mastery.
After some probing, perhaps realizing that Song Changming wasn’t easy to deal with, the opponent wasn’t eager to attack again, standing still to adjust his breath.
"Are you from the Dinghai Water Gang?" Song Changming tentatively asked.
If they were to become enemies in the future, he couldn’t at least know the identity of the adversary and the opposing force.
More importantly, what was the purpose of the out-of-the-blue assault? Was it also for the mist gold?
Yan Shu didn’t answer Song Changming’s question, but after a moment of silence, he said, "Recognize this?"
He spoke, taking out an item.
Song Changming looked closely, and his eyes instantly lit up!
He immediately understood the reason the opponent sought him out.
The object in the opponent’s hand was not unfamiliar to him.
It was a piece of beast fur, yellow and white intermingled, folded into a palm-sized piece.
Even though the item was quickly soaked by rain after being taken out, Song Changming recognized it at a glance.
"Finally..."