Chapter 12: Origin

In the dead of night, two burly men exchanged blows, seemingly in a fierce battle, but Lu Shan only felt his fists and legs were sluggish, as if every Move was within his opponent's prediction.

Li Qi seemed to possess Innate foresight, always able to intercept his Moves midway, preventing him from achieving full effect!

With his combat techniques ineffective, his strength inferior, and even unable to break through his opponent's thick skin, Lu Shan quickly fell, his hands broken and ankles shattered by Li Qi.

Around them, apart from Li Qi and Lu Shan, there was no one else.

“Hoo…” Li Qi wiped the mixture of blood and sweat from his head, feeling a little nauseous.

It wasn’t because of killing; he felt nothing about killing, neither excited nor particularly disgusted. But to appear ferocious and scare away those Boat Towmen, he had bitten into several pieces of raw meat, and the腥味 in his mouth made him a little queasy.

Furthermore, he had taken several heavy blows. Even with the thick skin from the Ox Strength Technique, his internal organs were shaken, and his skin cracked. His injuries weren't severe, but they certainly weren't light either.

If those twenty-odd Boat Towmen had been willing to risk their lives and form a Formation to围攻 him, he might have truly fallen here.

Fortunately, even with a certain degree of training, a disorganized mob was still a disorganized mob.

“Shan Dazhuang, you’ve really fallen hard this time. So, do you admit defeat?” Li Qi sat down, maintaining the Ox Strength Technique, and spoke to Lu Shan.

“Pah!” Lu Shan spat, but the pain in his hands and feet was unbearable, making his sputum weak and unable to fly even half a meter, landing on his own stomach.

“Li Qi, you scoundrel are cunning! There’s no way I’ll admit defeat!” He cursed loudly.

“However, a loss is a loss, and I accept it. But you’ve killed so many people, yet you alone didn’t kill me, instead breaking my hands and feet. I’m telling you, if you want to humiliate me, dream on!” He struggled, roaring at Li Qi.

“Alright, I’m not crazy. Who wants to humiliate you?” Li Qi shook his head. Why would he humiliate Lu Shan for no reason?

He only kept him alive because he had a few questions.

“You’re already crippled now. Answer a few of my questions, and I’ll let you go back so you don’t die here. You’ve been a Gang leader for so long, so you should have some savings. Go back and recover, and though you’ll be lame and unable to lift, you won’t starve to death. How about it? Deal or no deal?” Li Qi said directly.

“You and I both know that although we’ve fought for so long, we’re both trustworthy. I wouldn’t deceive you now. How about it? Are you willing?” Li Qi sat beside him and said.

“What do you want to ask?” Lu Shan’s vigilance hadn’t completely dropped, but his tone softened a bit upon hearing this.

“You’re definitely not a Lifter. Where are you from?” Li Qi asked first.

“Hmph, what kind of talk is that? Are you a Lifter?” Lu Shan sneered, painstakingly shifting his body to lean his back against a rock: “It’s just the pot calling the kettle black. You suddenly appeared three years ago, dressed strangely, and were completely powerless, without any trace of a cultivation method. Weren’t you perhaps crippled by someone who shattered your Innate Three Treasures and then abandoned you in Li Prefecture?”

Li Qi’s expression immediately stiffened upon hearing this strange term.

He knew he had gambled correctly.

However, now was not the time to show weakness, so Li Qi shook his head: “Why are you asking so much about my affairs? I’m asking you now.”

“Heh.” Lu Shan sneered but no longer actively questioned.

“You still haven’t answered me. Where are you from?” Li Qi pressed.

“Song Kingdom, a deserter.” Lu Shan answered somewhat impatiently: “At that time, Song Kingdom was attacked by Tang Nation, and the entire country fell. Generals dared not fight, soldiers dared not advance, so I fled, following the Li River all the way to Li Prefecture.”

Li Qi suddenly understood.

So that was it. That explained everything.

Both the military style and the battle Formation that relied on morale must have been learned by Lu Shan in the army.

But thinking about it this way, something still seemed off?

“No, if you’re a deserter from Song Kingdom, with your skill, how could these two Lifter Gangs possibly contend with you? Shouldn’t they have been swallowed up long ago? For example, with your battle Formation today, plus your combat techniques, shouldn’t you have won long ago?” Li Qi frowned.

“Do you think I didn’t want to? If it weren’t for you, the Paibo Gang and the Water Horse Gang would have been swallowed by me long ago!” Lu Shan glared: “The Strongmen Gang is the youngest Gang. I fled here six years ago, alone, and built the Strongmen Gang with my own hands. My cultivation method is a strength-training method from the grassroots army of Song Kingdom. Practicing it is also training the art of battle Formations. After four years of patient waiting, I finally achieved some results, but then you appeared, forcing me to continue accumulating strength.”

The more Lu Shan spoke, the angrier he became: “If it weren’t for you, two years ago, I would have been in charge here!”

Li Qi listened and thought carefully.

It was true!

When he first arrived here, the Strongmen Gang often encroached upon the other two Gangs. However, at that time, for self-preservation, he devised a strategy of alliances, uniting with the Water Horse Gang to resist several aggressions, and also leveraging geographical advantages, relying on the Paibo Gang’s cultivation method’s advantage in water to resist the Strongmen Gang several times.

Presumably, after that, Lu Shan must have realized that he couldn’t easily take them down at that moment, so he hid the Formation, preparing to use it as a decisive killing Move?

Therefore, when he was able to obtain a cultivation method, he unhesitatingly initiated his plan.

But he didn’t expect that he could learn the Ox Strength Technique within a day, and also quickly planned a counterattack.

Thinking about it this way… Lu Shan seemed a bit unlucky.

However, if he wasn’t unlucky… then the unlucky one would be himself.

“Then your Formation—” Li Qi tried to speak again.

“Dream on! Even if you kill me here, I will never teach it to you!” Lu Shan cursed loudly, reacting violently.

It made sense. In this world, things like cultivation methods would never be passed on, even if one died, unless one joined an organization and showed loyalty, or established a master-disciple relationship, or exchanged them equally. Otherwise, obtaining other cultivation methods was indeed as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Didn’t you see? The Water Horse Gang and Paibo Gang were almost forced to their deaths, but neither side exchanged cultivation methods.

For them, they would rather be annihilated than pass it on.

“Alright then, anyway, you’re already crippled. After today, the Strongmen Gang’s morale will probably be completely scattered. So, take care of yourself.” Li Qi said.

Then, he stood up and stomped on Lu Shan’s head, crushing it.

Let him live?

Are you kidding? This person was clearly ambitious, and couldn’t be trusted even if crippled! If he really let him go, what if he came back for revenge later!?

Li Qi was trustworthy in most situations, but that didn’t mean he would sacrifice his own life for the sake of trustworthiness.

After eliminating future troubles, it was better to go back and think about how to deal with the authorities.