I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 138 - 118: Nemesis of the Bandits

Cao Zhengchun and the driver returned to the Qin Mansion by themselves, while Qin Yuesheng, upon acquiring the information, immediately headed towards Meteor Mountain outside Cyan Yang City.

This wasn’t the first time Qin Yuesheng had come here, and revisiting an old place inevitably brought different feelings.

"Red Saber Stronghold, San Yi Stronghold, Shituo Stronghold, I often appear in these three places, I, Laiye, have a height of about six feet, neither fat nor thin, my shoulders abnormally broad."

While delving deeper into Meteor Mountain, Qin Yuesheng perused the information he bought for a hundred taels.

The old man not only told him the places where I, Laiye, had previously appeared but also included relevant information about him, which was rather considerate.

"Let’s start with the Red Saber Stronghold first." Qin Yuesheng looked around, not knowing where the Red Saber Stronghold was, so to find this place, he had to locate a mountain stronghold and then interrogate the bandits for the location of the Red Saber Stronghold.

After circling swiftly for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qin Yuesheng finally discovered a mountain stronghold hidden in a dense forest.

This immediately invigorated his spirit, prompting him to briskly approach.

"Someone’s here!"

As soon as Qin Yuesheng appeared outside the stronghold, he was instantly spotted by the sentries on the lookout tower.

However, Qin Yuesheng was no longer the inexperienced youth of the past; his current power far surpassed what it was on his first venture into Meteor Mountain.

He made a powerful leap, springing up like a grand roc spreading its wings, effortlessly bypassing the fort gate and walls as if they were nonexistent.

The nearby bandits reacted quickly, grabbing steel sabers to encircle him, but Qin Yuesheng mobilized his Inner Strength, casually pushing it out with both palms.

The bandits couldn’t even approach Qin Yuesheng; they were instantly shaken by his Inner Strength, suffering complete fractures, and flew away powerlessly.

"Let your leader come out to see me." Qin Yuesheng stood proudly and shouted loudly.

His voice spread like rolling thunder, booming and deafening.

Many bandits covered their ears, yet Qin Yuesheng’s voice still left them dazed, with nausea building in their chests.

Shortly afterward, a bald Great Han wielding double bronze hammers ran out from the largest building in the stronghold, arrogantly pointing at Qin Yuesheng and shouting, "Hey! Where did this brat come from, daring to wreak havoc in my Golden Hammer Stronghold, let’s see if I don’t crush your skull."

The man charged forward with his twin hammers, shouting vociferously, exuding an imposing aura.

Qin Yuesheng didn’t even bother drawing his blade, delivering a high kick, and just as the man was within a step, his heel came down like a battle-axe.

Simultaneously, the bald Great Han swung his twin hammers aiming at Qin Yuesheng’s head.

But as the bronze hammers neared Qin Yuesheng’s body by five fingers’ distance, they suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t due to leniency on the bald Great Han’s part; he was puzzled by the situation.

"How is this possible?" the bald Great Han exclaimed in disbelief.

As his hammers approached Qin Yuesheng, he felt an invisible wall halting his attack, and no amount of strength could break through it to reach Qin Yuesheng.

At that moment, Qin Yuesheng’s "leg-axe" reached him.

Bam!

The bald Great Han’s shoulder immediately fractured, forcing him to his knees, wailing in agony.

Qin Yuesheng used only a tenth of his strength in that kick; had he used his full power, the man might have died on the spot, which wasn’t Qin Yuesheng’s intention as he wanted to interrogate the man for the Red Saber Stronghold’s location.

He lifted the bald Great Han by the collar, disregarding how much pain the man was in, and directly asked, "Do you know where the Red Saber Stronghold is?"

"Ah! My hand!"

"Do you know or not, quit avoiding the question." Qin Yuesheng intensified his grip.

"The Red Saber Stronghold, it’s south of here, over ten miles away." Pressured by Qin Yuesheng, the bald Great Han, despite his pain, gritted his teeth and answered.

"Are you lying?" Qin Yuesheng stared at him.

"I wouldn’t dare," the bald Great Han replied with a wry smile.

"You’d better not dare, I will come back, and if I find out you’re lying, I’ll skin you alive." Qin Yuesheng threatened fiercely.

"It’s the truth, I swear I wouldn’t lie to you," the bald Great Han affirmed righteously.

Throwing the man to the ground, Qin Yuesheng immediately dashed at full speed in the direction indicated by the Great Han.

After Qin Yuesheng left, the remaining able-bodied bandits quickly gathered around to help the bald Great Han up.

"Boss, are you alright?"

"Oh, hurry, find me a doctor, I’m afraid my shoulder is done for," the bald Great Han wailed, clutching his shoulder.

...

Qin Yuesheng sped southward; tree after tree rapidly disappeared behind him.

With agility surpassing a hundred, Qin Yuesheng possessed exceedingly fast speed; with a physique surpassing a hundred, Qin Yuesheng was filled with stamina. For a journey of more than ten miles, he didn’t stop for a moment and came rushing over.

Along the way, Qin Yuesheng naturally encountered numerous mountain outposts. He took the initiative to question these mountain bandits about the location of Red Saber Stronghold, continuously adjusting his route based on their descriptions.

In return, after each inquiry, Qin Yuesheng would slaughter these outposts, leaving no creature alive in the entire place.

The mountain bandits within Meteor Mountain were already one of the three major scourges. They were like locusts, usually hiding within Meteor Mountain, occasionally coming out to rob and pillage the surrounding towns and villages, making life unbearable for ordinary people.

Therefore, when Qin Yuesheng eradicated these mountain outposts, he didn’t feel guilty at all.

Thanks to Qin Yuesheng wiping out many outposts in one go, the Soul-Catching Demon had absorbed the souls of no fewer than a hundred people on this journey. When attached to Qin Yuesheng’s arm and transformed into the Soul-Catching Arm, the arm visibly showed more than a hundred densely packed faces.

These faces varied in size, some with indifferent expressions, some wailing in agony with open mouths, and others grinning widely.

A thousand faces, exhibiting a hundred different expressions.

If anyone saw this arm, they would surely regard it as an ominous and evil ghostly object.

As more souls were absorbed, the power boost brought to Qin Yuesheng by the Soul-Catching Arm noticeably increased. Currently, it’s unknown whether there is an upper limit to this enhancement.

He looked at the exposed Silver Rock Mountain ahead.

Qin Yuesheng approached directly, raised the Soul-Catching Arm, and smashed with all his might.

Boom!!!

A loud bang was heard, the mountain’s surface at the punch point instantly cracked, and a large number of rocks fell, eventually forming a giant pit with a diameter of ten feet.

Cracks spread like cobwebs throughout the pit, with a clear fist mark at the center.

This was when Qin Yuesheng hadn’t exerted his Inner Strength or used the power of martial arts. If both were used, the final power would probably have been greatly increased.

"Not bad." Qin Yuesheng nodded in satisfaction and continued on the path to find Red Saber Stronghold.

...

In Meteor Mountain, Red Saber Stronghold’s strength could be considered above average. Within the stronghold, there were two leaders skilled in Outer Forging, with the chief leader even achieving Outer Forging Perfection, making their strength formidable.

Red Saber Stronghold had a very distinct characteristic; the bandits within the stronghold all used various bladed weapons, with their blades painted red like blood.

"Leader, this is a birthday gift from Zhang Datou, a pair of Jade Ruyi."

"Leader, this is a birthday gift from Wang Scarface, a 300-year-old Lingzhi."

In Red Saber Stronghold today, a hundred banquet tables were set, with lanterns and red decorations celebrating the occasion, along with long life couplets wishing prosperity as vast as the East Sea.

Red silk was hung everywhere, with the words "Prosperity" and "Long Life" standing atop the walls. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At the head banquet table, an elder in a red robe and black trousers sat in the main seat, his face brimming with indescribable joy.

Though elderly, he had broad shoulders and a strong back, exuding a robust aura that made no one dare underestimate him because of his age.

This was the chief leader of Red Saber Stronghold, ranked eighty-ninth among the hundred villains of Jiangnan, nicknamed ’Red Saber Master’ — Ruan Linghong.

Today marked Ruan Linghong’s sixtieth birthday and the day of taking his twelfth concubine.

With two joyous events coinciding, it was a cause for celebration.

The bandits within a few miles around Red Saber Stronghold, as well as those leaders who had good relations with Ruan Linghong, all came to the banquet with precious gifts, giving Ruan Linghong considerable face.

"Hahaha, today is a day of double blessings for me. Everyone feel free to drink and eat as you please, eat meat and drink wine heartily, don’t stand on ceremony with me," Ruan Linghong laughed heartily.

This voice spread far, making the ears of those around buzz, and subtly displayed an impressive strength, causing people to secretly marvel that the ’Red Saber Master’ seemed to have further improved his skills.

"Leader Ruan, I heard that you went to an ancient tomb a few days ago and acquired a book of Internal Cultivation Methods, is this true?" asked a man with a pencil-thin mustache sitting to Ruan Linghong’s left.

"Younger Brother Zhang, where did you hear such absurd rumors? How precious are Internal Cultivation Methods? I merely visited a wealthy individual’s tomb, not some renowned master’s relic, how could I possibly obtain such a treasure?" Ruan Linghong said with a laugh, fiddling with his wine cup.

A plump woman with heavy makeup immediately chimed in, "I trust Leader Ruan’s words. He is also somewhat famous in the martial world. How could he possibly deceive us?"

Ruan Linghong gazed playfully at the woman, "Ma Erniang gets more charming each year, and I very much like that mouth of yours."

A skinny man with a sharp, monkey-like face suddenly chuckled slyly, "When Red Saber Master likes, is it the use or what you say that pleases him?"

"Hahaha!"

Laughter filled the hall.

Ma Erniang laughed so hard she swayed like a flower in the wind, rolling her eyes coquettishly, "Street Rat, your mouth is really getting more and more vile. One day, I’m going to make sure that foul mouth of yours can never speak again."

"Hey, why wait till later? You can just stuff a big white bun in my mouth right now, and that will shut me up."

"Hahaha." Swinging his big hand, Ruan Linghong signaled for it to end here, "You are both noted stronghold chiefs within Meteor Mountain, why bicker over words? Why not, after the feast, have a martial contest in Red Saber Stronghold’s arena?"

Ma Erniang was just about to agree when suddenly a massive boom came from the direction of Red Saber Stronghold’s gate, as if someone was using some kind of siege equipment to strike the stronghold’s walls.