Universe Infinite Canteen

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Ma Lu sat in the shed, drinking the yellow wine that the little leader of Black Tiger Village had failed to enjoy, waiting for the group from before to go back and bring more reinforcements.

This time, his wait was a little longer, taking about thirty minutes before more people came down from the mountain.

The newcomers looked more numerous than the last, led by a man with a red face and black beard, carrying a big Guan saber, looking from afar much like Lord Guan.

Ma Lu thought that this time it might be Du Dalang, the village chief of Black Tiger Village, or his brother Du Erlang making an appearance, but when the man announced his identity, it turned out to be an unfamiliar name.

However, according to what the red-faced man said, he was the instructor of Black Tiger Village, and in terms of martial arts prowess, he was second only to the two village chiefs.

Moreover, he was much more polite than the previous two groups, asking Ma Lu about his identity and origins first. Upon learning he was a disciple of the Songxi Sword Sect, the man's face also showed a look of surprise.

Although the Songxi Sword Sect wasn't a big power like the Beggars' Sect or the Heavenly Dragon Sect, it was well-known in Qingzhou, with nearly a hundred years of history. The current sect leader, Sage Chongyun, was also a first-class master of the current age.

It was quite rare for someone so young, abandoning a prestigious and proper path with a bright future ahead, to come to Crouching Tiger Hill and turn to banditry.

But when Ma Lu said that he owed more than thirty thousand silver to Jile Street (interest had gone up in this period), the man named Song, the instructor, displayed an enlightened expression.

As the instructor of Black Tiger Village, and a trusted confidante of the Du Brothers, he knew very well that although the various strongholds on Crouching Tiger Hill worked together against the government forces, there were also frictions and conflicts among them on regular days.

The big and second bosses were never content with being the perennial number two on Crouching Tiger Hill, and they were very eager to recruit talented individuals over the years.

Although there were no shortage of people taking to banditry on Crouching Tiger Hill each year, there weren't many experts, and Black Tiger Village did not have any apparent advantage over the other three villages.

Since this young man from Songxi Sword Sect managed to defeat Xue Gui, who wielded the Horse-cutting Saber, it was clear that he had real skill. If they could recruit him to Black Tiger Village before anyone else, it would be considered a significant achievement.

Instructor Song's mind was whirring with thoughts, considering that the dead Iron Head was just an ordinary member of the village, although he had followed the Du Brothers for a long time and was considered an old-timer, it would not be worth it to lose a potential expert recruit just to avenge him.

Not to mention that the man surnamed He did not appear weak, and it was unclear how many more people would end up lying on the ground if a fight really broke out.

Of course, the necessary formalities had to be done; otherwise, it would dampen the spirits of their men. Additionally, he also wanted to personally test Ma Lu's depth.

So, Instructor Song proposed a sparring match to Ma Lu: if Ma Lu could defeat him, then the previous incident would be wiped clean.

Ma Lu naturally agreed readily.

The result was that the two played cards for sixteen rounds, going through the deck twice, and in the end, it was a draw.

After the battle, Instructor Song put away his Guan's sword and laughed heartily, "Exhilarating! It has been a long time since I've had such an enjoyable fight, Brother He truly has excellent martial arts."

After pausing, he added, "I've long heard that the Songxi Fast Sword relies on speed to overcome speed and its swift as lightning, a top-tier swordsmanship. However, having experienced it today, I feel that your sect's internal cultivation methods are even more extraordinary, being able to reduce the consumption of True Qi, truly amazing."

Ma Lu, impersonating He Qisheng, had only the genuine Songxi Fast Sword among all his martial arts techniques, while the rest were replaced with Withered Zen Skill, just bearing the name of the Songxi Sword Sect. His qinggong and defensive martial arts were easy to explain.@@novelbin@@

The card pack he had stumbled upon in the Ruined Temple had some he could use, but internal strength was trickier; the Minor Eternal Spring Technique was too common in Jianghu, and even changing its name wouldn't alter its effects, making it easily recognizable to others.

Therefore, Ma Lu had to choose between the Ice Skin Jade Body Technique and Fire Toad Strength. The Fire Toad Strength card, with 13 points of True Qi, might scare the bandits of Crouching Tiger Hill if he played it.

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Although the effects of the Ice Skin Jade Body Technique seem quite extraordinary, Shen Mei has only cultivated it to the Fifth Layer, which at least on a numerical level doesn't seem too preposterous.

Of course, even if he changed his cards to win, beating Coach Song wouldn't be difficult.

But there was no helping it, to join Black Tiger Village, Ma Lu couldn't appear too weak, nor could he be too strong, because being too weak would mean he held no value for recruitment, and being too strong would arouse the Du Brothers' wariness.

They wanted to find helpers to expand Black Tiger Village, not to find a new leader for it.

That was why Ma Lu had fought six rounds with the man wielding the Mo Blade and why he had to engage in a tug-of-war match with Coach Song for sixteen rounds.

Hearing Coach Song say this, Ma Lu didn't blush or skip a beat.

"This is a new inner strength technique that my master devised on his seventieth birthday; it's just that not many people outside know about it."

Upon mentioning Master Chongyang, Ma Lu's face also timely revealed a touch of guilt and helplessness.

"My master treated me like his own son, yet I failed to accomplish the tasks he entrusted to me, and I even betrayed my sect, sigh... if the master knew, how heartbroken he would be."

Coach Song consoled him a few words and then eagerly got straight to the point, "Brother Qi, we have fought a long battle, and although no victor was determined, I can feel you were still holding back. Given that, according to our agreement, let's dismiss our previous grievances."

He paused, then continued.

"We can also consider this an acquaintance forged through combat. Since you and your honorable wife are considering going up the mountain, why not come to our Black Tiger Village? Dalang and Erlang particularly favor promising young men, and they will surely welcome you with open arms. After that, we'll be one family, drinking merrily and feasting together, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Ma Lu hadn't even responded when another voice came from up the mountain.

"Young man, don't fall for his trickery. Those two brothers from Black Tiger Village are no good people, especially since you're bringing a delicate lady with you, be careful not to walk into the dragon's den."

Coach Song, hearing someone speak ill of his village chiefs, was about to retort when he turned his head to see who it was and his expression changed again.

"Hong Xinghua, what happens here is none of your business, isn't it?" Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

Ma Lu and Gu Qingyi also didn't expect that the newcomer would be the village chief of Xinghua Village, Hong Xinghua, a woman who was gorgeously dressed, in a fiery red long skirt, her smile especially melting the hearts of the surrounding men.

Seeing Ma Lu staring at Hong Xinghua, Gu Qingyi stealthily stepped on his foot.

Hong Xinghua also saw her little move and smiled slightly, then turned to Coach Song and said.

"How can it be none of my business? A master has come down the mountain; you Black Tiger Village want to recruit, but you won't let Xinghua Village extend an invite?"

After speaking, she looked towards Ma Lu and patted her chest, saying, "Mr. He, if you join my village, I will protect your lady for you. Whether you're in the village or not, I assure you no one will bully her."

Ma Lu seemed somewhat tempted upon hearing this, Coach Song immediately became anxious, "Brother He, don't listen to nonsense. All those rumors about the village chiefs outside are false; Dalang and Erlang always take good care of their own people."

Ma Lu showed a troubled face and turned to whisper with Gu Qingyi, seemingly discussing which place to choose, Gu Qingyi's gaze intermittently cautious towards Hong Xinghua.

After a moment, Ma Lu raised his head and spoke again, "That... I would like to ask if there is any secret medicine in either of your villages that one could use for cultivation?"