The Nine Cauldrons

A great number of cavalrymen galloped on the plains, causing the earth to tremble. Four Scarlet Wind War Hous galloped in front of the group of cavalrymen, pulling a black, metallic carriage. In the cage which was welded onto the carriage, there was a slave boy called Xiong Shou.

TLN: Forgot to include an image of what a Hou might look like. [Click this for image]

This specially made carriage weighed sixty thousand Jin.

As it weigh sixty thousand jin, even if the slave, Xiong Shou, left the cage, the iron chain which bound him was connected to the carriage. Even he, the Xiong Shou, wouldn’t be able to escape if he was dragging a heavy item which weighed sixty thousand Jin.

“Fang Hong, what does it feel like to make an army move with just one command?” At this moment, Young Master Li was slightly excited.

Fang Hong, who was at the side, just responded with a smile.

“One day!” Fang Li exclaimed as he pointed at the endless earth ahead, “”All the lands before my eyes will be my territory! I will make everyone on earth obey my orders!” At this moment, Fang Li was in high spirits. He had a dream. He dreamed that he could one day unify the entire continent like the Thunder Blade Deity.

“The endless lands spread in all directions.

“One day, I will make my will cover the entire continent, and no one can go against me!”

Young Master Fang Li rode on the Trampling Cloud Gold Hou with great ambition in his heart.

“Young Master, surnamed Teng, and his companions are already there!” His subordinate immediately delivered the message.

The corners of Fang Li’s mouth curved into a smile as he said, “Even this person surnamed Teng won’t be able to disobey my will! If he is truly a Martial Saint, I will spare him today. If he is not a Martial Saint......” Hearing this, Fang Hong, who was at the side, sighed inwardly. The only thing bad about Young Master was his arrogance. Besides this, everything else about him was good.

“Hyah!”

Fang Li immediately rode the Trampling Cloud Gold Hou and led a carriage, which carried Xiong Shou, and five hundred cavalrymen toward the official road ahead in a grandiose manner.

......

On the official road—

Teng Qingshan was riding on a hunchbacked beast, while the coachman, Old Wang, was driving the carriage forward. In order to let Little Jun and Little Ping sit more comfortably, the carriage was not going fast.

“Eh?” Teng Qingshan gazed southward and saw an army rushing toward them in a vigorous manner.

“What’s wrong?” Li Jun and LIttle Ping looked out through the two windows on the left side of the carriage. This carriage was a four-wheel-carriage with a great amount of space and was able to accommodate over ten people. As it was a carriage this big, there were two windows on the left and right sides of the carriage.

“Mister!” A hearty laugh came from afar.

Dressed in a golden war robe, Fang Li was seen riding the terrifying beast, Trampling Cloud Gold Hou, which had a length of two Zhang. Like the god of war, he rushed toward Teng Qingshan and his companions. The majestic-looking several hundred cavalrymen behind him were just like a powerful flood of steel.

“Stop.” Teng Qingshan stretched out his hand.

“Neigh~~” Old Wang stopped the mounts, and Li Jun and Little Ping looked out through the carriage windows.

“What a coincidence. I just took Xiong Shou outside to hunt this morning. I didn’t expect to meet Mister.” Fang Li stopped the War Hou and laughed. “However, I didn’t expect Mister to leave the city so early this morning. If I didn’t see Mister this morning, I am afraid it would be very hard to see you again in the future.

“Xiong Shou?” Teng Qingshan said in surprise, “That slave, Xiong Shou?”

“Yes, it’s him,” Fang Li said with a smile. “Mister, would you like to see him?”

To be honest, Teng Qingshan did have an intense curiosity toward this slave boy who didn’t have inner strength, yet still possessed a physical strength of over a few ten thousand Jin. This was because throughout the whole world, whether be it the Land of the Nine Prefectures or Duanmu Continent, he had never seen anyone else that possessed such powerful physical strength.

“Let’s go check him out.” Teng Qingshan jumped off the hunchbacked beast.

“Xiong Shou?” Li Jun led Little Ping and got off the carriage.

“Mister, Xiong Shou is in this carriage.” Fang Li rode the Tramping Cloud Gold Hou and galloped rapidly to the huge carriage. He looked back at Teng Qingshan and smiled. However, at this moment, Fang Li was rejoicing covertly. He cast a glance toward the several people driving the carriage. A man named, Hu Hai, who knew how to tame beasts was among them.

Seeing the glance, Hu Hai immediately understood what the Young Master was trying to convey—”Create the scene of Xiong Shou accidentally breaking out of his cage.”

Hu Hai had already set up the mechanism for the cage, so he just needed to tamper with it when the time came.

“Mister, please take a look,” Fang Li said enthusiastically.

Teng Qingshan stood beside the four Scarlet Wind War Hous and looked up at the slave, Xiong Shou, in the cage. Although his name was Xiong Shou, he just looked like a 15- to 16-year- old teenager. He was slender but muscular, and his body seemed to be made of steel. He had long and messy hair. However, the most conspicuous features of this teenager were his nails and eyes!

His nails were like sharp claws!

An unconcealed savageness flashed in his eyes.

“Roar~~Roar~~” The teenager Xiong Shou rammed the metal cage as he let out a burst of growls. The iron chains on his body rattled and made a heavy-sounding striking sound.

Fang Li was laughing in secret. Teng Qingshan and Li Jun both had worn white leather coats yesterday. In cold seasons like these, it was impossible to change one’s clothes everyday. Therefore, Fang Li had sent people to train Xiong Shou to attack people dressed in white. If Teng Qingshan had truly changed his clothes today, then Fang Li would be unable to do anything.

However, it was just as he had guessed. Teng Qingshan and Li Jun had worn these white leather coats just for a day. How was it possible for them to change after wearing them for just one day?

“He really doesn’t understand human language.”

Teng Qingshan stared at the teenager, named Xiong Shou, in the cage and sighed.

Suddenly—

“Bang!” One part of the cage, which the teenager had struck repeatedly, seemed to have some sort of problem, and the door of the cage was rammed opened. There were only a few who knew of the secret plan to let Xiong Shou out for the purpose of harming people. For example, among the people driving the carriage, only Hu Hai alone knew, while the others knew nothing.

The five hundred cavalrymen also knew nothing.

“Ah!” The coachman was the first to shout in fright.

“Protect the Young Master!” The cavalrymen shouted.

“Roar~~” The teenager, Xiong Shou, suddenly got on his hands and feet and leaped up forcefully like a fierce tiger. Leaving behind an afterimage, he pounced toward Teng Qingshan who was wearing a white leather coat and standing two Zhang away.

The thick and long iron chain which connected him and the carriage was a total of fifteen Zhang long, which meant that...... Xiong Shou could kill anyone within a range of fifteen Zhang (37.5 meters). At this moment, Teng Qingshan was only two Zhang (5 meters) away from the cage. When the teenager, nicknamed Xiong Shou, pounced, ordinary people would be unable to react in time.

“Mister, watch out!” With a shock and terrified expression, Fang Li shouted hastily.

“Interesting!” Teng Qingshan waved his right hand.

“Bang!” He struck the shoulder of the teenager, Xiong Shou, with one palm, and Xiong Shou was blasted into the air. However, the teenager, Xiong Shou, flipped and landed on his hands and feet. He was just like a wild beast, preparing to deliver a deadly strike. Suddenly, Xiong Shou’s entire body became a size larger and even his arms became slightly thicker.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz~~”

An extremely faint and soft sound rang out, but in Teng Qingshan’s ears, this faint and soft sound was like the rumble of a thunder.

“What?!”

Teng Qingshan’s eyed widened. His heart was filled with shock as he thought to himself, “This sound... this sound... is coming from within his body!”

“This is....” Ever since Teng Qingshan became a fugitive, he had never been this shocked. He hadn’t even been this shocked when he saw the Celestial Jade Annulus.

“Boom!” The teenager, Xiong Shou, dashed out again.

Teng Qingshan did not use too much strength this time. He only forced the teenager back slightly with strikes which possessed the strength to gain an upper hand. Simultaneously, Teng Qingshan was comprehending carefully the attacking methods and abilities of this teenager nicknamed Xiong Shou.

......

“Protect the Young Master!”

“Quickly!”

The troop of cavalrymen, who had been shaken into disorder, placed Fang Li well within their protection. Fang Li shouted hastily, “Mister, run away quickly! This Xiong Shou is untamable and very crazy and violent.” However, at this moment, it was impossible for Teng Qingshan to listen to him. Although Fang Li was shouting that, he was laughing in secret as he thought to himself, “Hmph. He thinks he can gain the upper hand? However...... when Xiong Shou was still young, the experts, who had been slightly stronger than Xiong Shou, were still killed by Xiong Shou in the end!”

Fang Li knew clearly of how cruel and frantic Xiong Shou’s fighting methods were.

......

At this moment, Teng Qingshan was still shocked, and he thought to himself, “He is just a teenager who can only roar instead of talk. He... he was actually able to reach the realm of bone synchronization! This... this is something only the Grandmaster of the Internal Martial Art can achieve! Perhaps it is because he has lived with beasts for such a long time that he managed to comprehend the root concept of the Xing Yi Martial Art?”

According to the history of the Xing Yi Martial Art in Teng Qingshan’s previous life, many experts had achieved breakthrough and reached the Grandmaster Realm by learning from beasts.

However—

For him to be able to reach the Grandmaster Realm without any guidance—that’s truly terrifying.

“In the past, the Martial Ancestor Ji Jike created the 《Godly Tiger Form Technique》. This teenager, Xiong Shou, doesn’t understand the words of humans. Yet, he was able to comprehend the essence of the Xing Yi Martial Art through the gambling cage fights.” Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened as he continued thinking, “Such great aptitude! Such great aptitude! Such talented genius is like fine jade, and I actually encountered one!”

Teng Qingshan’s heart was filled with immense joy.

He wanted to create a third branch of martial arts which was different from the Daoist Sect and the Buddhist Sect in the Land of the Nine Prefectures—Internal Martial Art! For a branch of martial arts to thrive, the teacher was indeed important. However, it was also important to have a disciple that could inherit the teacher’s skills. The Internal Martial Art had extremely high requirements in regards to aptitude as it was extremely hard to reach the Grandmaster Realm!

“Now that the heavens have brought such fine jade before my eyes, how can I not accept it?” While thinking about this, Teng Qingshan’s eyes beamed. “This teenager, Xiong Shou, will be my, Teng Qingshan’s, the eldest disciple!”

Teng Qingshan had made up his mind.

......

“Why hasn’t that slave killed him? What is going on?” In the midst of the cavalrymen’s protection, Fang Li was beginning to feel anxious.

“Haha....” Along with hearty and loud laughter, Teng Qingshan actually grabbed Xiong Shou’s left and right hands. He kicked Xiong Shou’s back, causing Xiong Shou to fall to the ground and eat a mouthful of mud. Unwilling to yield, the teenager struggled as he tried to free himself.

However, Teng Qingshan’s right hand was like an iron hoop.

Xiong Shou couldn’t free himself!

“What?!” seeing this scene from afar, Fang Li’s facial expression changed into one of astonishment. “This... this person surnamed Teng is actually this strong?!” Fang Li exclaimed.

He knew clearly of how strong Xiong Shou is.

However, to think that there was someone who could actually lock the teenager Xiong Shou with just one hand. This ability...... there was no doubt. Teng Qingshan was definitely a Martial Saint!

“Martial Saint! Martial Saint!” Fang Li still felt slightly reluctant, but he took a deep breath anyway as he thought, “No matter what, this surnamed Teng is still a Martial Saint. If he can join the Fang Clan, doesn’t that mean that he would be taking over the world for me, Fang Li? Yes...... I must make him my subordinate and make him serve me!”

Fang Li had made up his mind.

......

“Haha, this Xiong Shou is very strong. The statement about him being able to lift a huge rock which weighed ten thousand Jin is definitely true. I can feel his arm strength is about one hundred thousand Jin!” Teng Qingshan laughed secretly. In the past, he had improved himself based on the most perfect plan, which was why he had been able to have a physical strength of about two hundred thousand Jin at the age of 16. So, the physical strength he had when he was sixteen years old was double the physical strength of this teenager’s.

“Hisss~~” Unwilling to yield, Xiong Shou bared his fangs and glared at Teng Qingshan with eyes full of wildness and reluctance.

“Hmph!” Teng Qingshan’s eyes flashed with a chill and revealed a killing intent. Simultaneously, he exerted force with his right hand, and the teenager immediately felt an intense pain in both of his wrists.

Xiong Shou was subdued, and he didn’t dare to bare his fangs or growl again.

“This Xiong Shou has the quality of a beast. When he knows I am definitely more powerful than him and he feels the killing intent as well, he knows how to give in to me, the stronger one!” Teng Qingshan felt that...... the disciple he was about to accept was not a human but just a beast. “It looks like I will encounter great difficulty when I teach him in the future.”

Although Teng Qingshan was mumbling these words in his heart, the joy and happiness he felt could not be hidden.

“Clang~~~” Teng Qingshan grabbed the iron chains connected to the carriage and tied Xiong Shou up, preventing him from struggling. Teng Qingshan only released his grip on Xiong Shou after this.

“Mister!”

Escorted by a great number of cavalrymen, Fang Li rushed over and asked promptly, “Mister, are you alright?”

“Haha, I am fine.” At this moment, Teng Qingshan was in a good mood.

“Xiong Shou’s wild nature cannot be changed. If he really had injured Mister, I, Fang Li, would not be in peace,” Fang Li said with a smile. “Fortunately, you’re extraordinarily powerful. You caught Xiong Shou and allowed me to see the amazing ability. Mister, the Fang Clan seeks talented people with eagerness. I, Fang Li, would like to ask Mister to join the Fang Clan again. Mister, please tell me whatever request you have.”

“Fang Li, don’t mention this anymore,” Teng Qingshan said.

Fang Li felt bitter. However, he had already seen Teng Qingshan’s ability and could only think hatefully to himself, “You, who are surnamed Teng! I invited you many times, but you just won’t give me any face...... Alright. One day, I will make you kneel and beg!!!”

“Since Mister is not willing, Fang Clan will not demand insistently.” Fang LI then continued saying with a smile, “Someone! Put Xiong Shou back into the cage. Lock the cage, and don’t let him out lest he hurts someone again.”

“Yes.”

Many people rushed over immediately, but at this moment, Xiong Shou was bound by iron chains and was completely unthreatening.

“Fang Li, let Xiong Shou come with me in the future,” Teng Qingshan said calmly.

How could he let this disciple go?

“What?” Hearing this, Fang Li was stunned. The cavalrymen also stopped as they turned back and looked at their leader, Fang Li.

“Fang Li, I still have to hasten on with my journey, so I will be leaving first.” Teng Qingshan said and picked up the teenager, Xiong Shou. Seeing this, Fang Li was dumbfounded. He had originally planned to use Xiong Shou against Teng Qingshan...... Who would have thought that Fang Li would suffer a double loss after trying to trick Teng Qingshan. It’s fine if he couldn’t deal with Teng Qingshan, but he had actually lost the powerful Xiong Shou.

At this moment, Li Jun, who was at the side, came forward and said, “Big Brother Teng, don’t worry.” As Teng Qingshan was immersed in the joy of obtaining a good disciple, so he didn’t realize there was a problem. However, Li Jun, who had been an outsider could sense that...... something was wrong. Why had Xiong Shou broken out of his cage at such a timely moment? Moreover, why had he only attacked Teng Qingshan?

“Eh?” Teng Qingshan stared at Li Jun.

Li Jun let out a few growls at Xiong Shou. The teenager was stunned at first, but his eyes then revealed an immense joy.

He hadn’t been able to communicate for over a dozen years, but he finally could now.

Xiong Shou roared and growled as he answered Li Jun’s questions. As Li Jun listened, her countenance gradually turned dark.

“What’s wrong? Little Jun?” Seeing this, Teng Qingshan was startled.

“Big Brother Teng.” Li Jun pointed furiously at Fang Li, who had already seen the situation was bad and was quickly mounting his Trampling Cloud Gold Hou. Li Jun shouted with rage, “It wasn’t a coincidence at all that Xiong Shou broke out of his cage! This Fang Li planned this intentionally. He made Xiong Shou attack people dressed in white! Fang Li wanted to kill Big Brother Teng as well as the rest of us! Such people cannot be spared!”