Chapter 881 - Increasing Internal Energy
After the encounter with the river bandits, the rest of the journey passed without incident. Han Wu was actually a bit disappointed that no other opportunities arose to absorb internal energy.
When they reached Jiang City, Han Wu’s group moved into Han Feng’s residence. Before abducting Qin Shuang’s family, the kidnappers had left her with an address.
Rather than acting rashly, Han Wu’s group had Han Feng send people to investigate the location first. The results came back empty. The place had already been abandoned.
Qin Shuang nearly broke down on the spot. The kidnappers had gone back on their word, switching locations without informing her. The Martial Arts Civilization was vast. Where was she supposed to start looking for her family?
Han Wu offered a few words of comfort, though he didn’t fully trust the investigation’s findings. After all, there were matters involving the Divine Civilization that the Martial Arts Civilization’s locals couldn’t detect. Before making any plans, he decided to inspect the location himself.
When Qin Shuang heard that, she insisted on accompanying him. Her family’s safety was at stake, and she had to be there in person to feel at ease. Once they reached an agreement, Han Wu and Qin Shuang set out. He Xu dragged Jia Gui along too.
After arriving at the address, Han Wu knocked on the door. Once they confirmed nobody was inside, they broke in. The four searched together but found no trace of its former occupants.
The unexpected discovery came from Jia Gui. He found a formation constructed from runes. Drawing on what she had learned in class, Qin Shuang used her lightning-infused internal energy to break it.
A slip of paper fell from the formation. It had Qin Shuang’s name written on it, instructing her to deliver the ransom to the White Lotus Sect’s Lotus Heart Sage within three days, or her family would die. The three-day countdown started the moment the formation was broken.
With this information, Han Wu’s group returned to Han Feng’s residence. The latter dispatched people to investigate the sect and the Lotus Heart Sage.
Half a day later, the scouts returned with their report. The White Lotus Sect was a major faction that spanned dozens of towns and cities. They had established a branch in Jiang City, and the Lotus Heart Sage oversaw that branch. He was a First-rate fighter.
When Qin Shuang heard the news, her heart sank. The Lotus Heart Sage is a First-rate fighter. We may not be a match for him. On top of that, there is no guarantee that he’ll actually release my family even after receiving the ransom.
The three-day deadline severely limited how much Han Wu’s group could improve. It felt like a calculated move. If Qin Shuang refused to appear, her family would likely be killed. If she showed up and paid the ransom, her family could still remain locked up.
If Han Wu accompanied her, that outcome would align perfectly with the True Martial God King’s plans. At their current level, a First-rate fighter could kill them all in fewer than ten moves. No matter how they looked at it, they were trapped.
Qin Shuang was on the verge of despair. Seeing her like that, Han Wu said firmly, “Relax. I still have a way. Your strength can’t reach First-rate level in such a short time, but mine may!”
While listening to the scouts’ earlier report, Han Wu had noticed something. Jiang City was a chaotic place teeming with factions. Where there were factions, there were numerous martial artists. If he could accumulate enough internal energy, even a First-rate fighter wouldn’t necessarily beat him. The problem was the three-day window. Half a day had already passed, and he had to make every remaining hour count.
Although Qin Shuang was uncertain whether the plan would succeed, it was the only option available. With intelligence provided by Han Feng’s scouts, Han Wu targeted his first target: the Azure Fish Gang.
This gang made its living from the fishing trade, though its members never fished themselves. Instead, they extorted fishermen for protection fees and charged them for the right to cast their lines. Whenever fishermen made a catch, they took a cut. Those who refused to pay got beaten.
The worst rumor claimed that they had once kicked a fisherman into the water and left him there for three days and three nights until he starved to death. The locals despised the Azure Fish Gang but didn’t dare provoke them. After all, their leader was a Third-rate fighter who commanded a dozen unranked thugs.
Han Wu could earn internal energy while helping the people at the same time. Following the scouts’ directions, he arrived at one of the gang’s claimed territories.
He kicked the door open and found several young men gutting fish to make salted dried fish. When they saw him barge in, they jumped to their feet.
“Who are you? How dare you break into the Azure Fish Gang’s turf?”
“I’m here for the Azure Fish Gang,” Han Wu shot back immediately. “Get your boss out here.”
“Just you alone, and you want to see our boss? You must be tired of living.” One of the young men sneered and threw a punch.
The young man was unranked, but as the saying went, “Youth comes with strength.” Purely through physical power, he could hold his own against many members of the nearby gangs.
Han Wu caught the incoming fist effortlessly, activated the Kunpeng Divine Art, and drained all of the young man’s internal energy in one breath.
The young man went limp as every ounce of strength was gone and stammered, “W-what did you do to me?”
“Get lost.” Han Wu flung him aside.
The young man hit the ground hard. The others saw what happened and backed away, too afraid to step forward. Han Wu didn’t want to waste time, so he struck first. Within moments, he had drained them all dry.
The problem was that their cultivation was pathetic. Six of them combined didn’t even give him a full year’s worth of internal energy. Han Wu was annoyed. The gang’s standards were abysmal and dragged down Jiang City’s average.
Soon, the commotion attracted someone from inside. A middle-aged man with a dragon tattoo stepped out. When he saw his men sprawled across the ground, his expression darkened.
“Who are you, and why are you causing trouble at the Azure Fish Gang?” the man demanded.
Han Wu couldn’t be bothered with courtesy.
“I’m your daddy!” he snapped and lunged at him.
The middle-aged man was slippery, moving like an eel. Han Wu had no choice but to call out Xun. The latter landed two clean axe strikes and left the man badly wounded. Only then could Han Wu drain his internal energy.
The man was reasonably strong and provided Han Wu with fifteen years’ worth of internal energy. Judging by his internal energy, he was almost certainly the gang leader.
Wiping out the entire gang earned Han Wu sixteen years of internal energy and cost him an hour of time. At that rate, even if he continued nonstop for the remaining sixty-five hours without eating or sleeping, he would only gain 1,040 years. It would still not be enough.
After leaving the Azure Fish Gang, Han Wu told the scout leading the way, “Next time, take me to bigger gangs. Ideally, ones with a Second-rate fighter in charge and about a dozen Third-rate fighters under them.”
The scout swallowed hard. “You won’t find that kind of lineup among the small gangs around here. You’d need to target the mid-sized ones, the ones with more than a hundred members. Can the four of you handle that?”
“Won’t know until we try,” Han Wu replied.
