Chương 122: Thousand Hammer, Hundred Refined Art

Plum Garden Mountain Villa. Looking at the massive cauldron emitting green smoke before him, Boss Song began to hesitate. Just moments ago, he had tried sticking his hand in to grab some iron sand—it wasn't much cooler than boiling water! Motherf cker! * Is this cultivation method real or not?! If I sit in there, won't my 'eggs and sausage' get cooked?! Song Que felt his sphincter tighten, and a chilling sensation spread below. But the words had already been spoken, and that kid Li Xin was watching eagerly.

He couldn't chicken out at this critical moment! Glancing at Xiong Ba, who was watching curiously beside him, Grandee Song's eyes darted around. He turned to the simple-minded bear and smiled kindly:"Xiong Ba, you try cultivating first! I will protect you. Spread this medicinal ointment all over your body... apply it thickly." Xiong Ba was such an honest child. Not understanding the sinister nature of human hearts, he naturally obeyed.

He quickly stripped stark naked, standing there bare-bottomed as he scooped up the medicinal ointment and slathered it all over his body. Having grown up together and bathed together in Mirror Lake countless times, none of them felt anything was amiss. Once the ointment was applied, Xiong Ba, acting like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, agilely leaped into the cauldron and buried his body under the iron sand.

"Circulate your blood and Qi to resist the heat! If it becomes unbearable, jump out immediately!" Truly Grandee Song's most loyal underling! Xiong Ba's swift and decisive actions even startled Boss Song a bit, prompting him to hurriedly shout a warning.

"Yes, Young Master!" Song Que and Li Xin stood outside watching. Hearing the sizzling sounds and catching a faint whiff of roasting meat coming from the cauldron, they felt a chill in their hearts. Fortunately, the cultivation method was genuine, and the medicine was effective. Aside from some initial discomfort and grimacing, Xiong Ba eventually settled into a relaxed expression. He circulated his energy, burning his blood and Qi according to what Grandee Song had taught him, to absorb the metallic essence.

About thirty minutes later, Xiong Ba, now as red as a boiled shrimp, finally exhausted his blood and Qi. Unable to endure it any longer, he leaped out of the cauldron. Boss Song immediately showed his concern:"How is it, Xiong Ba? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

"No, Young Master. It just feels a bit hot, and my skin and flesh feel a little numb. Other than that, no problems." Song Que still wasn't entirely at ease:"What about besides your torso and limbs? Did any other parts suffer damage?" Rubbing his shiny bald head, Xiong Ba stared blankly for a moment before answering with certainty:"No, Young Master. No parts were damaged." Grandee Song breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in satisfaction.

"Mm. If anything feels unusual, tell me immediately so I can heal you. Now put your clothes on, go stand over there, and let Li Xin hit you."

"Hehe, thank you, Young Master." Waiting until Li Xin, wielding the iron rod, had pounded the foolish bear clack-clack-clack for a long time until he was utterly exhausted, Xiong Ba's first day of cultivation was considered complete. Now, it was Grandee Song's turn. Looking at Xiong Ba's body, where all the body hair had been singed off, Song Que decisively shaved himself clean. The fair and handsome Boss Song mournfully rubbed his beautiful face, then, wiping a tear, leaped into the iron cauldron.

Female heroes, do not be overly heartbroken. I, Grandee Song, will return! Song Que said inwardly.... Xiong Ba wasn't entirely wrong. The iron cauldron was terrifying, but with the medicinal ointment applied and using blood and Qi to resist the heat, Song Que didn't find it overly unbearable. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Enduring the torment for nearly an hour, waiting until the skin and flesh all over his body tingled and went numb, Boss Song finally leaped out. He hurriedly put on his clothes, stood in a horse stance, and circulated his energy to absorb the metallic essence, allowing Xiong Ba and Li Xin to strike him with the iron rods. Blue and purple welts quickly appeared on his skin, but they were healed one by one by the Tesseract's energy.

It wasn't until his skin returned to its previous softness that he told the two to stop. Today's cultivation was finished. Today's events didn't scare Li Xin. Seeing the two of them still lively and energetic, bouncing around completely unharmed, he felt much more confident. After eating a meal, he couldn't wait any longer and ran home to persuade his old mother. As for Grandee Song, after consuming a pot of restorative tonic, he began treating Xiong Ba's injuries.

He believed that with prompt daily healing like this, anyone practicing this art wouldn't develop hidden traumas in their bodies later on.... The next morning. Li Xin arrived as promised. He hadn't expended much effort persuading his mother. Hearing that Song Que was also practicing it, Aunt Li agreed without a second thought. He's a man, after all; having a sturdy body is what matters! Being a bit ugly is fine! As for cutting his hair and shaving his head... it's clean, cool, and convenient!

With one more person practicing, the Plum Garden became much livelier that day. The sounds of sabers, hammers, and whistling fists echoed endlessly. Fortunately, this was the outskirts of the city, so no one could hear it and complain. That evening, after finishing dinner and while treating the two youngsters' injuries, Song Que suddenly frowned and stood up. With a cold, murderous glint in his eyes, he shouted:"Go get your weapons!" Xiong Ba and Li Xin didn't hesitate, instinctively running to grab their gear.

Before long, the three were on horseback, hurrying through the night toward Eagle's Sorrow Ravine.... Not long before this. As the Mountain Sparrow conducted its routine patrol over the Black Iron Stronghold, it suddenly spotted several figures moving stealthily through the forest at night—highly suspicious! Curious, Song Que had it perch on a nearby tree, pricking up its ears to listen.

"How are the preparations?" a burly man with a bushy beard asked in a low, rough voice.

"Boss, One-Eyed Dragon and Buck-Toothed Su have already set off secretly. They'll be here soon." The person across from him answered, but then hesitated:"Are we really going to do this? After all, his two accomplices aren't here. If we get discovered..." Thinking of those two figures that night who looked like Gods of Death, the men couldn't help but shudder. The man called 'Boss' shouted in a low voice:"What are you afraid of?! Didn't One-Eyed Dragon and his group find several military crossbows?!

We just need to keep a close watch and secure the stronghold gates! When those two return and call for the gates to open, we strike immediately! I guarantee that caught off guard, they won't survive a single volley!"

"Think about it! Ever since those people took power, haven't they started marginalizing us? Hmph! If we don't strike early, when they find an excuse to play us to death later, you'll be the ones crying!" Hearing this, the others were swayed and gritted their teeth:"Boss, we listen to you!"

"Isn't this for the best? As long as this succeeds, One-Eyed Dragon and Buck-Toothed Su have already agreed: I will become the Grand Chieftain, and they will be the Second and Third Chieftains! You guys will be eating well and living comfortably then!" Thinking of a bright future, the men's expressions improved slightly, and they said excitedly:"We swear to follow you to the death, Boss!"

"Hehe, very good. We will proceed as planned. Is that 'Horse Face' guy still in the house on the mountain?"

"He is, Boss. I've been watching from a distance these past few days. He's just been up there drinking wine and looking at the moon; no unusual movements."

"Hehe, let him look! Once he's down there in hell, he won't necessarily have a moon to look at! Brothers, go back and prepare! Remember to keep a close eye on those traitors! If necessary, you can..." The 'Boss' made a throat-slitting gesture, and the others silently understood. In the tree, observing everything below with absolute clarity, Grandee Song's eyes flashed with a cold light. This is a good opportunity to wipe out these troublemakers once and for all!

Song Que returned to his true body and hurriedly shouted for Xiong Ba and Li Xin to prepare their gear. He quickly returned to his room, wrote a short letter, and placed it in his Storage Space. On the other end, the Mountain Sparrow pulled the letter from the Storage Space, clutched it in its claws, and flew toward the house midway up the mountain to find Nie Feng. Having done all this, he didn't even have time to conceal their tracks.

He hurriedly told the two to throw on night-traveling clothes, put on ghost masks, and sprinted toward Eagle's Sorrow Ravine. Normally, to maintain secrecy, he would run on foot, but the matter was urgent today; there was no time to worry about such details.... Sitting alone, drinking to drown his sorrows, Nie Feng instinctively ignored the sparrow flying toward him.

But remembering it was his Young Master's pet, and noticing it was carrying something in its claws, he grew suspicious and immediately stepped forward to take it. Opening the letter and reading it, his expression turned dark, and his mind began racing. Time waited for no man! Nie Feng made a quick decision, carefully concealed himself, and headed down to the stronghold to find a few trusted subordinates to prepare....

'Scarface' was one of the old leaders at the Black Iron Stronghold. He was sinister and crafty, but capable, so the previous Chieftains had favored him quite a bit. But ever since Boss Xu and the others were wiped out and the Black Iron Stronghold changed hands, his good days had quickly come to an end. He and the other old leaders were gradually marginalized from the circle of power.

Furthermore, the scrutinizing gaze of Chieftain 'Horse Face' often left him terrified, and he constantly harbored an ominous premonition. I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me! If Scarface heard these words from 'Brother Mengde' in another world, he would definitely consider him a kindred spirit! Always suspicious by nature, he decisively refused to just sit and wait for death. He secretly contacted several marginalized individuals in the stronghold who shared his situation.

After gaining their agreement, over the past few days, he had used every opportunity to sneak out and contact two relatively large bandit groups nearby. Those groups were just stressing over not having a defensible stronghold to collect tolls from! Without a second word, they hit it off immediately, agreeing to bring their men for a sneak attack tonight, coordinating from the inside and outside to take over the Black Iron Stronghold! As for worrying about the 'Chieftains' seeking revenge?

They lived their lives licking blood from the edge of a blade—living day by day! Why think so much? Just kill them first and figure the rest out later!