Chapter 60: Having No Strength to Match the 6th Rank
Qiao Mu has been unconscious for three days.
Although Wang Songhe and the others didn't divide the spoils formally, they basically went through all the books in the secret room of the Lord's Mansion, and even made handwritten copies.
That's why Wang Songhe and the others also have some understanding of the "Flesh Changing Skill."
"In strict terms, this 'Flesh Changing Skill' is not considered a martial art."
Wang Songhe explained:
"This book is divided into multiple different stages, starting from the basic level and progressing to more advanced levels."
"The beginning part can be seen as a unique technique that combines the arts of makeup, disguise, and bone shrinking. When practiced to an advanced level, it can change body shape through bone shrinking and alter appearances through disguise..."
"So, it's a technique to change one's appearance? No, if it's just a technique to change one's appearance, there shouldn't be a division between ancient methods and modern methods," Qiao Mu pondered.
If what Martial Saint created was just simple disguises, how can it compare with the legendary martial arts of Wudang?
Wang Songhe continued:
"That's right, the art of disguises and bone shrinking is just a simple trick. It's a skill used by some performers in the martial world, although it is indeed effective, it is not considered refined and cannot be called a modern method."
"The key lies in the later part of the 'Flesh Changing Skill,' which explains how to use a powerful 'spirit' to control the body's flesh and blood, to change one's appearance. If taken further, it aims to adjust a martial artist's physical body to the best and most suitable state."
"The so-called Flesh Changing Skill is an attempt to use the 'spirit' to control the changes in one's flesh and blood... Of course, this skill is still in its early stages of development by Martial Saint. The later stages can only be considered as a direction of progress."
Qiao Mu was amazed by what he heard.
He initially thought it was just about disguises, but now it seems like they are heading towards the realm of mythical shape-shifting.
This sounds completely different from the ancient method martial arts of those prestigious sects.
From the book "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" to "Flesh Changing Skill", you can see that this Martial Saint is indeed talented and not just famous in name.
Qiao Mu carefully counted and put those secret books together.
Guo Yan's clever sword technique called "Shadow Transformation Sword Technique" can overpower Qiao Mu's well-practiced Military Spear Skill.
The most advanced ancient method martial arts called "Pure Yang Wuji Skill", and the peculiar skill that is difficult to categorize called "Flesh Changing Skill".
If we want to calculate again, actually there is another book called "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" that was obtained from Childe Guo. This book teaches modern method martial arts.
Just by killing City Lord Guo Yan from Yan City, Qiao Mu gained such a huge reward that his mood became somewhat turbulent.
"We can comprehend these secret books together," suddenly said Wang Songhe.
"Especially this 'Flesh Changing Skill', we actually need it. I've already written a handwritten copy within these three days."
"The 'Flesh Changing Skill'? That does sound useful. As bandits, you and Wang brother are wanted by the government. If you have this Flesh Changing Skill, you wouldn't need to hide your faces when going to Yan City," casually remarked Qiao Mu.
"That's not the case, actually we have another purpose." Wang Songhe smiled slightly.
"Hiding in these forests and setting up a mountain stronghold can only protect the villagers of one village."
"If we want to achieve something big, we can't just stay hidden in these forests. This technique called 'Flesh Changing Skill' can allow us bandits to leave the forests and enter Yan City, and even Heyang City, in disguise."
"As for what this big matter is..."
Speaking of that, Wang Songhe looked at Qiao Mu, as if waiting for him to ask a question.
"Since it's a matter of great importance and secrecy, I won't ask." Qiao Mu turned his gaze away, pretending not to see.
He didn't want to get too involved with Wang Songhe.
Wang Songhe was known as a bandit, but he was actually the leader of a rebel army. Getting involved with him would usually result in a quick death.
If that's the case, then it's fine.
The main reason is that this person's character is not good, always likes to rely on his medical skills to save people's lives without permission, causing him to have a bad ending.
Therefore, after dividing the spoils, Qiao Mu immediately prepared to separate from this group of bandits, without any hesitation.
Now this body's internal strength is almost nonexistent and still very weak. It is very uncomfortable. Qiao Mu plans to end his life as soon as possible, secretly refreshing it to return to full strength.
The next day.
Qiao Mu, who had slightly recovered from his injuries, immediately left the mountain stronghold using crutches, without any hesitation.
Wang Songhe's gaze followed the direction of his departing figure and sighed softly:
"Truly an extraordinary person."
"No, this father and son, all three of them are extraordinary."
Zhang Kui, a mountain bandit nearby, also nodded in agreement.
Qiao Sen left a deep impression on them, being able to infiltrate the City Lord's mansion so easily, take down City Lord Guo Yan, and then leave. Qiao Sen must have put in a lot of effort.
This brave knight, who is willing to risk his life, indeed earns the respect of these bandits.
If it weren't for Qiao Sen, they would have secretly infiltrated Yan City and ended up trapped, possibly being attacked and killed by Guo Yan's army, just like what happened to Qiao Lin.
"Big brother, are we just letting him go so easily? Shouldn't we try to keep him?" Zhang Kui said.
"Trying to keep someone won't work. Both Qiao Lin and Qiao Sen have stubborn personalities," Wang Songhe said calmly.
"It's not possible now, maybe in ten or eight years, there might be a chance to see him again."
"Qiao Sen despises evil and has a strong temperament, but being too rigid can lead to breaking easily... That's why I recommended him to go to Heyang City and meet Shen Qinghe."
"I don't want to recommend him for an official position in the capital. I want him to become a low-level law enforcement officer, so that he can temper his overly strong temperament."
"With Qiao Sen's current physical strength, he is almost powerless. It's impossible for him to recover without at least ten or eight years of effort."
"Let him see the dirty things in the city. At this time, he is weak and can't change anything, so he can only endure it... After all, he is not a young person like Qiao Lin anymore."
"Qiao Sen paid a heavy price to kill Guo Yan. He may not realize it now, but the loss of his vitality will haunt him for the next ten years."
"After ten or eight years, when his strength is barely restored, he will understand the principle of being too rigid and easy to break. It won't be too late to recruit then."
"Ten years? That's too long, isn't it?" Zhang Kui expressed surprise.
Wang Songhe laughed silently.
"What do you think we bandits do?"
"To be enemies with the Great Yan Imperial Court and inhumans, it's impossible to achieve overnight. Without the mentality of hibernating for ten years, how can we change the world and break through those mountains?"
"Let's wait quietly." Wang Songhe squinted his eyes, looked in the direction of Qiao Mu's disappearing figure, and was full of anticipation.
"Brother Qiao Sen."
"After ten years, when you break through and return to the 7th rank, maybe we can conspire for something big."
....................
Bang!
With a punch, Qiao Mu burst out internal strength, breaking a tree trunk as thick as a human head in the mountains.
"Yay! My strength is restored. It was really uncomfortable being weak and sickly earlier."
Feeling the surging power in his body, Qiao Mu felt satisfied.
Consciousness sank into the sea of his heart, where the Long Life Lock still shone with a faint glow.
This time's situation is different from when Wang Songhe killed him last time.
"Qiao Sen," who attempted to assassinate City Lord Guo Yan of Yan City, didn't die.
Since "Qiao Sen" didn't die, the Death Assessment cannot be settled, so it is still in the stage of stacking buffs.
Qiao Mu regained consciousness in the present.
His severely injured body from earlier was now lying on the ground, about seven to eight meters away, being consumed by a gray wolf.
Qiao Mu was not bothered by his own corpse.
He even wished for the wild wolf to hurry up and destroy his body completely.
After leaving the bandits' hideout, Qiao Mu had been seeking death and subconsciousness led him to the same mountain where he had jumped off to commit suicide before.
However, this time, before even reaching the mountain, he encountered a strange gray wolf.
This wolf was peculiar, resembling a husky in appearance, although it was clearly a wild wolf. It had a plump body with a fleshiness to it. It didn't show any fear towards Qiao Mu and directly ran over to lick his hand.
"What a strange dog?" At first, Qiao Mu thought he had encountered a husky among the wolves, but then the gray wolf unexpectedly bit his hand while licking it.
At that time, Qiao Mu was still recovering from his injuries and had very little strength left. But he wasn't someone that a lone wolf could bully; he immediately gave the gray wolf a beating.
Even more strangely, after Qiao Mu hit the gray wolf, it had a look on its face as if it had seen a ghost.
It was unbelievable that Qiao Mu fought back after being bitten by the wolf. It was something unimaginable.
After coming to his senses, Qiao Mu didn't harm this foolish and silly wolf.
He suddenly remembered the story of Buddha sacrificing himself to feed an eagle, so he waved his hand, inviting the gray wolf to come and have a buffet. At the same time, he used his fingers to unleash his remaining strength, inserting it into his own temple, resulting in his own death.
This Death Assessment: D (sacrificing oneself to feed a wolf)
Lifespan consumed by death: 1 year
Remaining resurrection chances this week: 4/5
Current age: 44 years old
Skill:
Skill of Changing Flesh (Beginner Level) Pure Yang Wuji Skill (Beginner Level)
................
"So sacrificing oneself to feed the wolves is considered as a D-level evaluation?"
Qiao Mu was in a good mood.
He just finished inspecting his dantian and discovered that it had expanded by one circle. At this moment, he had already broken through to the 6th rank.
After experiencing the assassination of City Lord Guo Yan, Qiao Mu was determined to improve himself. He trained tirelessly day and night for a year, finally making a breakthrough and advancing to the 6th rank, which was very reasonable.
Not only that, but during this year, Qiao Mu also found time to practice the "Flesh Changing Skill" and quickly mastered the Wudang sect's advanced skill, Pure Yang Wuji Skill, at the age of 43.
"This silly wolf is actually my lucky star. I never expected that simply encountering a wolf would be considered as a D-level evaluation, and on top of that, they both quickly learned two new martial arts that I just acquired."
After breaking through the 6th rank, Qiao Mu was in a good mood and didn't kill the wolf that was eating his body. Instead, he turned around and walked away.
Just as he took a few steps, the wolf that had finished eating his body wagged its tail and followed him, excitedly sticking out its tongue and rolling on the ground, showing its belly when Qiao Mu looked over.
Qiao Mu casually reached out and patted the grey wolf, but the wolf immediately started licking his hand like crazy.
"Go away. I don't have that many bodies for you to eat." Qiao Mu pressed down on the wolf's mouth, ignored it, and continued on his way.
Qiao Mu ignored him and continued on his way.
Apart from giving him a recommendation letter, Wang Songhe also told him the route to Heyang City.
.................
Several days later.
Qiao Mu went through mountains and rivers and finally arrived at Heyang City.
They travelled all the way, camping and sleeping under the stars. Apart from a foolish wolf that looked like a Siberian Husky following them from afar, there was nothing eventful along the way.
Heyang City was the largest city in the area, bustling with activity and filled with tourists. It was much livelier than Yan City, which had experienced famine.
Qiao Mu, however, didn't have much interest in sightseeing. After a simple rest at the inn, he followed Wang Songhe's previous instructions and went to find his old friend Shen Qinghe's mansion.
Shen Qinghe wasn't a high-ranking official.
He was a seventh-rank civil servant, serving as a local judge in Heyang Prefecture, handling legal matters.
A seventh-rank official, if placed in Yan City, would naturally be a notable person, only a few ranks below Guo Yan. But in Heyang City, they were only considered low-level officials.
The Governor held the fourth-rank official position, a prominent figure comparable to a modern-day mayor.
Shen Qinghe, on the other hand, was just a seventh-rank low-level official. His mansion was located in the western part of the city, and it wasn't very large.
Following Wang Songhe's instructions, Qiao Mu spent some time finding Shen Qinghe's mansion and delivered Wang Songhe's recommendation letter.
"There's another letter? Alright, I'll give it to the master to see. Please wait outside the mansion for now."
The butler in the mansion took the letter, with a smile that seemed unsure, and stared at Qiao Mu for a while before turning away.
Even though their master, Shen Qinghe, was just a low-ranking official, ranking seventh, everyone knew that he had a bad temper and was stubborn. He couldn't stand people using connections to get ahead. Otherwise, why would he have been demoted and sent to Heyang City as a low-ranking official?
"Master, there's a letter here. It says it's from an old acquaintance and they want to recommend someone they know to you." The butler said respectfully.
"Ha. I, Shen Qinghe, won't tolerate anyone who dares to use connections to get to me."
Shen Qinghe was a middle-aged man, slim in figure, with short beard. His eyes were sharp and expressive, giving off a sense of authority.
"Should I return this recommendation letter?" the butler asked again.
"No rush. Let me see first who this old acquaintance is, trying to get close to me. Such audacity..."
Shen Qinghe smirked as he opened the letter and casually skimmed through it, but his expression immediately changed.
He puts down the letter and hurries out of the door to welcome Qiao Mu inside.
"Is it true that Wang...Wang Songhe recommended you?"
Shen Qinghe doesn't say much, he reads the letter while carefully looking at Qiao Mu from head to toe, his eyebrows furrowed.
According to the letter...this person recommended by him has a strong character, detests evil and is an exceptional martial artist. However, recently he suffered a serious injury and his strength is greatly diminished.
Wang Songhe, with the intention of testing his mettle, hopes to have this person serve as a small constable in this town and shape his character...
Shen Qinghe's eyebrows furrow deeply as he watches.
Just from reading this letter, it seems to make sense and the reasoning is logical.
But when combined with the person in front, Qiao Mu, there is a big problem.
"This person is heavily injured and his strength is greatly diminished?" Shen Qinghe's eyebrows furrow even deeper.
"His strength is not even close to being there, yet he is still a sixth-ranked martial artist? How powerful was he before he got injured? And they even want a mere sixth-ranked martial artist to be a lowly constable?"
Shen Qinghe was already in a mess.
