55 Cutting Off Tiehe Green Mountain Army, the Shi family, the Old Snake Gang, and other forces worked together from the inside and broke into Great Cloud City.
Two first-class martial artists from the Imperial Army had died in battle, while the rest had fled in defeat.
Ten days later, the Green Mountain Army beheaded the captured generals and officials of the country of Yan. They announced to the world that the Green Mountain Army had been ordered by the people to punish the useless emperor.
From then on, the Green Mountain Army occupied the five prefectures in the north, while the imperial court of the country of Yan defended the seven prefectures in the south. The two sides used the Yanming River that crossed the country of Yan as a boundary. Thus, they were temporarily under the rule of the river.
* * *
Two weeks passed.
Opposite the Old Snake Gang’s base camp, in an unremarkable courtyard in a narrow alley, an ordinary-looking young man was stretching in the courtyard. He was slowly practicing the Leather Tiger Bone Technique. Under his skin, there was a faint glow. That was the blood Qi tempering his skin and muscles.
Obviously, this was Jiang Ming. Ever since he entered Great Cloud City as a soldier, he had not shown his true face.
After all, Chief Jiang of Tiger Hunting Village was quite famous here, especially in a select few establishments.
"Speaking of which, those restaurants should have opened again,” Jiang Ming muttered to himself, thinking of the sweet Miss Shuang’er.
Ever since the city was invaded, the Green Mountain Army had disposed of the remaining soldiers of the Imperial Army, and they had gradually maintained peace.
A few days ago, the city gates had been opened again, allowing people to enter and leave. The restaurants and shops in the city had also been repaired and opened again under the instructions of the Green Mountain Army. A peaceful new chapter had started.
However, flashbacks of the destruction after the battle made this peaceful scene seem unreal. Many of the wealthier residents were worried and fled Great Cloud City as soon as the city gate opened.
The ones who stayed were the poor people at the bottom rung of society and the refugees whose houses were destroyed. For them, life was already so hard, so how different could it be if they went elsewhere?
Jiang Ming spent some money to buy this small courtyard from a person who was about to leave Great Cloud City. He practiced martial arts and drank wine every day, living a low-key life.
Of course, his main purpose was to observe the Old Snake Gang.
Naturally, Jiang Ming was not in a hurry. The Old Snake Gang had committed many evil deeds. Their enemies were spread all over Great Cloud City. There were probably many people who had the same thoughts as him.
Last night, Jiang Ming even saw a man in black sneaking into the Old Snake Gang’s mansion across the street. Immediately after, there were tragic cries of killing, but soon there was no more movement.
"Let’s be patient.”
Jiang Ming practiced until night fell and felt that the blood Qi in his body was exhausted. Then, he withdrew his fist and stood up.
"A second-class martial artist is indeed much stronger.” Jiang Ming clenched his fist and felt the surging blood Qi in his body.
He estimated that if he used the Blood-Burning Saber Technique again, he could probably slash more than thirty times in a row. After all, the control and suppression of blood Qi by the power of intent were completely different from that of a third-class martial artist.
"I wonder who will have the great fortune of being able to take my first strike!” Jiang Ming thought.
Of course, the strongest point of a second-class martial artist was not their blood Qi, but their physical body.
If the skin and muscles were tempered well, a second-class martial artist could break a weapon with their bare hands. Moreover, ordinary martial artists would find it difficult to hurt their bodies.
Jiang Ming had heard that in this siege, several second-class martial artists in the Green Mountain Army’s city-breaking team had used their bodies to withstand the rain of falling stones and arrows and fought to the city gate by force.
"However, my physical body can only block a paper cutter at most. I still need to learn and practice hard,” Jiang Ming muttered as he returned to the house. He poured the medicinal soup that was simmering on the stove into a bowl, and after cooling it down a little, he drank it all in one go.
He felt the burning medicinal power rushing to his limbs and bones. His exhausted blood Qi was quickly restored, and he felt even stronger. Jiang Ming smiled.
After killing Guo Laohu that night, Jiang Ming got the package that he was going to use to escape. In addition to the money, the most precious thing was a prescription for a secret medicine for martial arts.
It was a prescription for Blood-Strengthening Soup. It was made from tiger blood, deer antler, golden ginseng, and other precious herbs. It had a miraculous effect on strengthening one’s blood Qi. It could make a martial artist’s blood Qi far stronger than those of the same rank. It was probably because of this prescription that Guo Laohu’s blood Qi became so rich.
Jiang Ming happened to lack a secret medicine to strengthen his blood Qi. Thus, he truly had struck gold this time.
"However, my medicinal herbs are almost used up. I need to buy some more tomorrow.”
Late at night, After Jiang Ming finished washing up, he was seated on the bed, drinking tea and reading a book. Suddenly, he heard shouting and the sounds of fighting outside. The ruckus was followed by a low muffled sound and a scream, and then there was no more noise.
"It should be a fight between third-class martial artists,” Jiang Ming estimated.
His expression was calm. This was not the first time such a thing had happened.
At this moment, a cold voice dripping with blood Qi, thundered from outside, “If you dare cause trouble in the Old Snake Gang, prepare a coffin in advance. If there are any more invaders, we will kill their entire family!”
After that, there was silencfter a long time, the barking of a few stray dogs sounded.
"It seems like the Old Snake Gang is really panicking.” Jiang Ming smiled.
The Old Snake Gang had thought that they had made a great contribution to the battle and were about to rise to the top, but they had not expected the Green Mountain Army to ignore them after entering the city.
Even the Shi family had cut off all contact with the Old Snake Gang in recent days. When members of the Shi family encountered members of the Old Snake Gang on the streets, they acted as if they did not know them.
Moreover, in the past few days, the Green Mountain Army had been constantly clearing out the local bandits in the city, as well as some smaller gangs. Many people were guessing that the Green Mountain Army was planning on cutting all ties with the Old Snake Gang.
Some of the more daring ones wanted to take advantage of the situation and get some money before the Green Mountain Army made their move.
"Whatever.” Jiang Ming shook his head and no longer paid attention to the commotion outside. He threw his book away. He covered himself with the blanket and went to sleep.
* * *
The next day, Jiang Ming finished practicing early. He casually strolled to Tiger Hunting Village.
Tiger Hunting Village naturally had high-quality ingredients like tiger blood.
There was also a special shop next to the Tiger Hunting Village’s courtyard, selling all kinds of beast meat, blood, bones, and other things.
During the siege, the gate of Tiger Hunting Village was closed, and no one participated in the battle. After the battle, they “donated” some beast meat and money to the Green Mountain Army. This kept them out of trouble.
Jiang Ming also saw acquaintances such as Peng Lu who was on duty in the shop, but naturally, the man did not recognize him. Instead, he was almost kicked out by Peng Lu after haggling with him.
After buying the tiger blood, Jiang Ming walked to Ji Shitang, ready to buy some medicinal herbs.
"The roast chicken restaurant has been destroyed by the catapults. Dr. Sun is out of luck,” Jiang Ming muttered as he walked in.
Suddenly, he smelled the stench of blood.
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