bookbashuk Chapter 8 Black Dragon Stronghold
Chapter 8 Black Dragon Stronghold
"there!"
Lin Dong's face darkened, his lips twitched, and he pointed in a direction for Li Yi.
Lin Changqiang watched Li Yi's retreating figure and finally couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Yi still doesn't know the way, hahaha..."
Lin Dong did not laugh.
He watched Li Yi's figure grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared at the end of the road before turning around.
"Let's go."
"Where to?" Lin Changqiang asked.
"go home."
At night, Lin Dong lay in bed, took the stone talisman out of his pocket, and examined it over and over.
The room next door was empty.
No one sat in the darkness, and there were no those faintly glowing purple eyes.
Lin Dong placed the stone talisman against his chest and closed his eyes.
Li Yi has left.
But he knew it wasn't goodbye forever.
Lin Dong took a deep breath and turned over.
Starting tomorrow, he will become stronger.
Be strong enough that when you meet that person again, you can stand at the same level as them.
The night breeze blew in through the window, carrying the scent of the fields.
In the distance, a star shines exceptionally bright.
It's like giving directions to someone...
……
The sun was setting in the west, and the summer heat on the mountain path had not yet dissipated.
Li Yi left Qingyang Town and headed in the direction Lin Dong pointed.
He didn't keep track of how many days he had been traveling. He ate the dry rations Lin Dong gave him when he was hungry and drank the spring water from the mountain stream when he was thirsty. He didn't care about these things.
On this day, Li Yi arrived at the foot of a mountain, turned a bend, and found himself surrounded by dense forests on both sides of the road. The slopes on both sides were steep, and there was a narrow path in the middle, no more than two zhang wide at its widest point.
Li Yi looked up at the terrain and thought that if someone had set up an ambush here, they could have blocked the road by throwing a few large rocks.
really!
"stop!"
Seven or eight men jumped out of the woods, completely blocking the mountain path. The leader was a shirtless, burly man with a black tiger tattooed on his chest, a face full of fierce features, and carrying a large machete.
The men behind him, some with knives, some with guns, and some with clubs, all looked fierce and menacing.
The shirtless, burly man brandished his knife and shouted at the top of his lungs, "This road is mine, these trees are mine! If you want to pass, leave your toll!"
Li Yi glanced at him.
After a short while, he asked, "How much?"
The shirtless man was stunned for a moment.
He had been a bandit for over a decade, robbing at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, pedestrians. Some cried, some knelt, some ran, some fought desperately, but no one ever asked, "How much?"
"...Five hundred taels!" The shirtless burly man instinctively quoted a price.
"no."
"How much do you have on you?"
Li Yi thought about it.
The bag of money Lin Dong gave him was mostly spent on food and drinks along the way, leaving very little money.
"A few dozen copper coins."
Upon hearing this, the shirtless man's face darkened, and he roared, "You fucking tricked me?"
"No." Li Yi's tone remained calm. "I'm very serious."
The shirtless man was speechless. He looked at Li Yi's face, which showed no mockery or ridicule. Li Yi was answering his question seriously.
But this kind of seriousness is more infuriating than mockery.
"Damn it!" The shirtless burly man spat on the ground. "Brothers, get him! Strip this kid naked! We'll take every penny!"
After he finished speaking, seven or eight people rushed forward.
Li Yi sighed, his voice not loud, but everyone present heard it.
"I originally intended to pay."
But it's too late to say those words.
The two henchmen at the front raised their knives to strike, but before the blades could fall, they saw Li Yi's eyes.
A flash of purple light appeared in their pupils, and the two henchmen froze, as if something had seen right through them. Their minds went blank, their hands went limp, and the knives slipped from their hands, falling to the ground with a clatter. They fell straight backward, their heads hitting the rocks, and they fell asleep instantly.
Two more henchmen rushed in from the side, and Li Yi took a step forward.
The bluestone slab beneath their feet shattered, sending fragments flying and cracks spreading in all directions. The two men were thrown back by the blast, crashing into a tree and foaming at the mouth.
"Run!"
Someone shouted something, and the rest of them turned and ran.
The fastest runner had already dashed far ahead. Li Yi could have caught up, but he didn't, letting the man's figure disappear into the woods.
In less than ten breaths, not a single person was still standing.
The shirtless man lay on the ground, trembling all over, his crotch soaked with sweat, because he had witnessed the whole thing.
The boy didn't even lift a finger, throw a punch, or kick; he just glanced at them and took a step, and all his brothers fell to the ground.
"Who...who exactly are you?"
You don't deserve to know.
Li Yi walked past him without stopping.
"Go back and tell your master that I'm going to take this road to the east."
The shirtless man nodded frantically and scrambled up the mountain.
Li Yi stood there, watching his figure disappear around the bend in the mountain road, and then followed him at a leisurely pace.
He wasn't going to chase after the person and kill him, but rather have the person lead the way so he wouldn't have to find it himself.
After all, he couldn't tell which way was which, and there were many forks in this broken mountain road. Every one of them looked right. It was good to have someone to lead the way.
The shirtless man scrambled back to the mountain village.
At the gate of the village, several guards were stunned to see him in such a disheveled state, with his crotch soaked.
"Tiger Bro? What's this...?"
"Quick...quick, go report to the boss!" The shirtless burly man collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "Someone came down the mountain! A young boy! He beat all the brothers to a pulp!"
"How many people?"
The gatekeeper seemed not to have heard him clearly and asked again.
"Just one... just one..."
Upon hearing the definite answer, the gatekeepers exchanged glances, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes. The burly, shirtless man, whom the gatekeepers called "Tiger Brother," was already at the early stage of the Earthly Realm.
How could it be just one person? They wiped out the entire patrol team from Black Dragon Village?
"He...he's coming up the mountain!" The bare-chested man's voice trembled.
A figure appeared on the stone steps in the distance.
He was a boy.
He walked at a moderate pace, as if strolling in his own backyard. His clothes were dusty and his boots were muddy; he looked like an ordinary traveler.
But his eyes...
It was incredibly eerie, with two pupils side by side, one large and one small, and purple light flowing around the corners of their eyes.
"Stop...stop!" One of the henchmen at the gate raised his knife, but for some reason, his voice was trembling.
Li Yi did not stop.
The henchman got angry and shouted, "I told you to stop right there!"
Li Yi seemed not to hear him and continued walking forward.
The henchman gritted his teeth, raised his knife, and charged forward. Just like the previous henchmen, a purple light flashed in Li Yi's double pupils, and he fell straight down, only to be coaxed to sleep by Li Yi again.
Another henchman fared even worse. Before he could even reach Li Yi, he fell down. He got up, then fell down again. His legs went weak, and he was kneeling on the ground, unable to get up.
Li Yi's eyes were terrifying. He was just a lowly gatekeeper; he had never seen such terrifying eyes before.
"Spare me... spare me..."
Li Yi walked past him without looking at him.
With the village gate in sight, more and more henchmen, having heard the news, rushed to the stone steps on both sides, forming a dense, dark mass blocking the way.