CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 60: TALENT (PART 2)

Lou Yi ran a hard wooden stick across the surface of his palm, feeling almost no pain.

Next, he took out a saber.

First, he tried it forcefully with the back of the blade; his skin felt itchy on the surface, but it remained unharmed. He gradually increased the force, but it couldn’t penetrate.

Then, he lightly slashed with the sharp edge, leaving not a scratch.

He increased the force little by little until at fifty percent strength, his palm finally started to break the skin.

Lou Yi wasn’t a masochist, but to test the limits of this ability, he really needed to attempt it with the sharp edge.

Doing so would enable him to have a more precise control over weapon combat in the future.

With his current strength, fifty percent force still carried the weight of one thousand catties.

In other words, an ordinary person, even wielding a weapon, would not be able to cause him any harm once his skin had petrified.

About ten breaths later, Lou Yi felt a wave of dizziness and withdrew from the state of petrification.

’Hungry.’

’So hungry.’

A thick sense of hunger overwhelmed him.

He hastily grabbed some dried meat from his bosom and devoured it, feeling much better afterward.

After half an hour, Lou Yi felt his body was roughly back to normal and continued the experiment.

He discovered that any part of his body could undergo petrification and he could transfer it at will.

But the area was fixed, roughly the size of a duck egg.

The duration was also fixed, and the time for the second petrification was slightly worse than the first, lasting only about ten breaths.

Probably because his physical condition during this petrification wasn’t as good as the previous time, after exiting he felt even hungrier, and his brain felt somewhat dizzy.

Of course, Lou Yi could feel that forcing himself to maintain the petrified state wasn’t impossible just now, but it would likely severely deplete his primordial qi.

If it wasn’t an urgent moment, Lou Yi wouldn’t mistreat his body like this.

"The area is still too small."

Lou Yi sighed.

If it could cover his entire body, his overall strength would definitely be enhanced, making dealing with ordinary martial artists a breeze.

However, this ability has only just begun.

Once he breaks through in the future, the petrified area will inevitably grow larger, and perhaps one day it will cover his entire body.

Even now, with a small area, it can still play a role in turning the tide in certain situations.

"Fourth Head, the Chief is calling you to a banquet." A lackey’s voice came from outside the door.

Lou Yi acknowledged the call.

Now that he had gained the ability, his strength had improved, giving him greater confidence in dealing with Xu Xi.

The so-called bandit banquet was held in the Hall of Unity and was not much different from a rural feast.

A dozen round tables lined up, adorned with yellow wine, cooked beef, roasted chicken, peanuts, scrambled eggs, and other home-cooked dishes.

Lou Yi, Xu Xi, and three other heads sat at the middle table, while the others sat outward from the center, with higher statuses sitting closer to the heads.

As the feast began, Xu Xi stood up abruptly, like a pole suddenly erected.

He raised a bowl of wine towards Lou Yi, "Fourth Brother, by killing the monkey this time, you have eliminated a major threat from Sunset Mountain. I toast you a bowl for those injured and deceased brothers!"

"Big Brother, no need to be so formal, we’re all family. This was my duty."

The two of them downed a bowl of wine with hidden motives, and the bandits all cheered.

Afterward came the entertainment.

On a stage in front of everyone, five or six women, all around twenty years old, wearing skirts, came to dance for them.

However, these women danced very stiffly, with several still bearing tear stains on their faces, some even bruised, devoid of any beauty.

’Bang!’

Xu Xi, in anger, slammed his bowl onto the table, spilling more than half of the wine.

"What kind of dance is this? Li Eru, how did you teach them?"

Li Eru was an uncommon female bandit, around forty years old, cropped hair, with scars on her face, stocky and robust.

If it weren’t for the lack of an Adam’s apple, one wouldn’t think she was a woman.

Her voice was sharp and thin, pleading, "Chief, these were just captured, mostly village girls, barely trained a few days.

They’re not any noble ladies; you can’t expect them to learn at once!"

"Noble ladies? That’s easy enough, just capture a few." The elder Daoist Wu Yiping said with a sinister smile, "Recently, a few villages have refused to pay the grain tribute; breaking their villages will provide both grain and noble ladies."

"Good idea! We indeed need to set an example for them." Xu Xi nodded in agreement, "Jia Family Manor, Liu Family Manor, Hu Family Manor... Which do you all think we should strike first?"

Upon hearing ’Jia Family Manor’, Lou Yi felt stirred.

The others around began to discuss enthusiastically, as each manor had its own characteristics.

Jia Family Manor was the farthest, relatively weak, under Landlord Jia’s good reputation;

Hu Family Manor was the closest, the strongest, notorious for its domineering ways, allegedly boasting three hundred retainers;

Liu Family Manor had official backing, with descendants working in the main city...

"Naturally, we should pick the softest target; I suggest attacking Jia Family Manor!" The elder Daoist smoothed his long beard, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Of course, we should hit Liu Family Manor. They have official backing, so the loot should be the richest!" Zhu Darui offered a differing opinion.

"Oh, Fourth Brother, what do you think?" Xu Xi turned to ask Lou Yi.

"Big Brother, I think we should attack Hu Family Manor."

"No way! That Hu Yifei rascal is no slouch, having broken through as a martial artist for several years now!" The elder Daoist vehemently opposed.

"Old Fourth, care to share your reasoning?" Xu Xi neither agreed nor disagreed, asking Lou Yi for specific reasons.

"These manors refuse to pay tribute solely because our Sunset Mountain name isn’t intimidating enough.

To establish a reputation now, to kill one to warn a hundred, we naturally have to pick the toughest bone to chew!" Lou Yi’s reasoning made Xu Xi pause in thought.

Of course, Lou Yi’s choice of Hu Family Manor wasn’t as noble as he stated.

Firstly, he wanted to protect Jia Family Manor from being disturbed.

Secondly, according to fellow bandits, the Hu Family Manor’s master was notorious for tyrannical deeds, exploiting the people.

Since they had to choose one to eliminate, why not choose the one with the worst reputation?

"The Fourth Head makes sense!"

"Kill that dog Hu Yifei!"

"My wife was taken by his manor, and reporting to the Inspection Bureau was useless!"

Several bandits from the outer circle spontaneously voiced their support for Lou Yi, leaving him a bit astonished.

"Many brothers were forced up the mountain by Landlord Hu, that fellow is notorious for his misdeeds." Zhu Darui quietly informed Lou Yi.

How many bandits are born wanting to be bandits?

Lou Yi’s casual mention of Hu Family Manor unexpectedly resonated with the public opinion.

Xu Xi’s eyes flashed, then he suddenly slapped the table, "We’ll attack Hu Family Manor, let these damn landlords witness the might of Sunset Mountain!"

"Good!"

"Well done, Chief!"

Praises came from everywhere, but Xu Xi was unmoved.

Instead, he looked directly at Lou Yi, "Old Fourth, would you be willing to join me in breaking Hu’s spirit this time?"

Soon after speaking, most of the bandits turned to look at him.

Their gazes held anticipation, mockery, indifference...

Lou Yi abruptly stood up, drained the bowl in front of him in one gulp.

"How dare I not obey!"

"Good!" The bandits cheered in unison, satisfied smiles breaking across Xu Xi’s face.

...