Why do I have so many masters?

Lan Hongyi, in silence, brought down the blade in his hand. His muscles bulged as pure vigorous Qi and brute force drove the edge to cleave through the air, compressing the air flow and creating two incredibly sharp currents, which then struck the ground heavily, leaving a mark.

The 'Blade Qi' of a person naturally wasn't anything special to look at.

But when as many as three hundred uniform long blades simultaneously slashed out Blade Qi, there was an oppressive sensation that left one feeling breathless. Lan Hongyi took a deep breath and once again struck with his blade.

From afar, the glint of the blades shimmered like flowing tidal water.

A good month had already passed, and after the initial surge in progress, everyone's cultivation speed had once again slowed down.

To once again feel that rapid improvement, everyone was secretly upping the ante in their cultivation.

Now, he was able to cultivate until he fell into a semi-conscious state, then be swiftly stripped naked by those original bandits and thrown into the medicinal barrel to quietly absorb the medicine's potency, then take the 'medicated meal' with added ingredients, and drink it down expressionlessly.

Feeling the humiliating cramps in his stomach, he slowly drew the medicine's efficacy and integrated it into his inner strength cultivation, Lan Hongyi nearly burst into tears.

I've grown...

Mo Xiaoqi let out a heavy sigh of relief. That day, fearing a beating, he had run far away, but even though he had run quite far, he still heard the screams that chilled one to the bone.

Mo Xiaoqi glanced at the pot of rice porridge, not having the slightest desire to take a taste. It was only the Great Village Chief who had dared to eat it one night, his face turning pale but still wolfing it down until not a scrap was left.

In contrast, the leftover medicinal fluid that Qing Taoqi had used up these days. The first time they used it, it felt as if their bodies were being sliced with knives, but it got better after that.

Especially after the general gave them a martial arts manual, soaking in the medicine became only initial discomfort, followed by a feeling of comfort. During this period, Mo Xiaoqi felt he had put on a lot of weight.

Meanwhile, the entire valley underwent an earth-shattering transformation.

The carpenter Huang Xiaoping, who always seemed lazy as if he lacked a few bones, changed completely after getting hold of that axe.

Particularly on the day when the youth named Yuchi called Old Huang over and spent half an hour drawing on the ground before leaving with a smile, while Old Huang seemed to have gone mad.

He stared blankly for a long time, then, like a madman, he yelled for over a dozen people from the stronghold to tinker with something for half a month. Besides timber, they moved various materials back and forth, and Old Huang was so engrossed that he stared at a few sheets of paper daily.

Included among them was a young girl who often went to have a look. Mo Xiaoqi once passed by and faintly heard the sounds of gears and mechanisms, but he had no idea what it was for.

Now, a month later, besides the housing, a few odd devices were set up at the only entrance, and there seemed to be similar contraptions on the cliff walls. At the very least, Mo Xiaoqi couldn't tell what use those structures, resembling both a tower and a mound of earth, served.

But he still vividly remembered the day those devices were completed. Qing Taoqi captured a black bear and a tiger, threw them in, and after a series of crackling sounds, the two fierce beasts were impaled by wooden spears three meters long, turning them into porcupines.

They died miserably and were then skinned and eaten.

Mo Xiaoqi estimated he wouldn't forget that day even in ten years; Old Huang cried and yelled as if he had gone insane. Of course, what was more important was that the tiger meat was incredibly hard to eat, dry and stringy with a sour taste.

But after all, it was tiger meat. Not a single drop of broth was left in the entire stronghold, and everyone had to forcefully gulp it down, almost choking to death. Yet they had to pat their chests and loudly proclaim its deliciousness, saying they had never tasted anything so exquisite in their life, truly worthy of being tiger meat.

Even if one day they settled accounts and descended to the underworld, they could still pat their chests and tell San Ye and the others about their glory days. They had, after all, experienced grandeur.

Tiger meat, ah, where would common folks have tasted that?

That boast would last for half a lifetime.

Lost in thought, Mo Xiaoqi only came back to his senses when he heard the sound of the ratchet turning, only to find that Qing Taoqi, who should have been training as if their lives depended on it, had already assembled.

Each one of them not only wore that set of armor but also had an extra pouch on their waist. Mo Xiaoqi had vaguely heard them mention, within it were divided into three smaller pouches: one contained injury medicine, another claimed to stimulate the recovery of inner strength with elixirs, and the last one held poison.

Usually, when Qing Taoqi went hunting or practiced with weights, they would never be fully armed like today, even their waist pouches were prepared.

Mo Xiaoqi even saw an obviously skilled old man strapping on a dark cyan greatsword to his back, following closely behind, his face alone was enough to tell that he was out for blood.

What had happened?

Mo Xiaoqi's first thought was whether this place had finally been discovered, and then immediately after, he felt some worry. After much difficulty, he was able to eat his fill, he could cultivate martial arts, and there were elixirs to use—these were blessings he dared not even dream of before.

If he were to lose them...

Mo Xiaoqi grabbed a black and heavy iron pot with one hand and held a bone-chopping cleaver in his right, his expression grave.

Yuchi Jie stood next to Wang Anfeng, with a Flying Eagle perched on his right forearm, he untied a letter and handed it over, saying,

"During Old Lu's return this time, he discovered traces of a great many unfamiliar martial artists, just by the numbers he saw, there were over a hundred, the strongest among them were Middle Third Rank martial artists, with the majority being ordinary fighters, with an excess of Eighth and Ninth Grades."

"They must be coming for us."

Wang Anfeng frowned and said,

"Martial artists of this level shouldn't have the guts to besiege us."

Yuchi Jie shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said,

"They certainly wouldn't want to, Old Lu is now by the side of one of their groups, just over thirty people, judging from their clothing they seem to be from some minor Jianghu sects. Getting involved this time, they likely know they were coerced."

"Most of them can't escape being threatened, blackmailed, or enticed with some benefits and the like."

"The enemy's intent is to cast a wide net. These martial artists enter these mountains to search for our location, regardless if we repel them or lead them elsewhere."

"Even if we simply kill them swiftly, we will reveal certain traces."

"If such incidents multiply, the place we are hiding will be discovered. Heh, it seems after all this time, the news has finally spread. Everybody wants a bite of this great fat meat we are sitting on."

He paused for a moment, then continued,

"But... isn't this just perfect?"

Yuchi Jie's eyes gleamed with an unusual excitement as he pointed to the Qing Taoqi beside him and said, "After over a month of torturous training, it's about time we see some blood."

"As for the enemy's plans, since they are willing to sacrifice lives, we cannot avoid confrontation, so let's be thorough with it, see how long we can hold them off."

"Anfeng, you prepare some of that Corpse-Dissolving Powder or something!"

Wang Anfeng's mouth twitched as he looked at the excited youth beside him, giving up on explaining to Yuchi Jie once again that his master never taught him such unorthodox methods, but he knew Yuchi Jie would probably not listen anyway. He turned to face the Qing Taoqi, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke softly,

"Be careful with everything."

"Even in the woods, you should move in groups of at least five."

The three hundred Qing Taoqi replied in unison, then turned and without taking their mounts, they stealthily disappeared into the forest.

Over the past month, Old Lu had taken them through the woods more than ten times, imparting the tricks of the frontier scouts to these wild martial artists who had originated from gangs.

And so, three hundred men rushed into the woods, without a sound.

PS: Today's second update is here...