Chapter 46: Destroying the Corpse and Erasing All Traces

  Fan Yibo was also a cautious and ruthless master, he could sit in the position of capture head for many years without being overthrown, except for his relationship with County Master Wu Qi, it also had a lot to do with his own personality.

  Although he coveted Li Wenjun's wealth, when the situation developed to the point where it might jeopardize his own interests, his first choice was still to protect himself.

  However, perhaps due to greed, Fan Yibo swung his knife at Li Wenjun but did not attack the vital parts of Li Wenjun's body. Instead, he prepared to give Li Wenjun a ruthless blow, making him realize the gap between them, forcing Li Wenjun to hand over his money and then killing him.

  Li Wenjun smiled coldly, he took a deep breath and suddenly appeared behind Fan Yibo with his light body skill, at this time, the big knife that Fan Yibo had raised was still falling.

  With one palm, Li Wenjun heavily slapped Fan Yibo's back.

  Pfft!

  Fan Yibo's eyes turned black and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

  Fresh blood like rain, under the illumination of winter sunlight, gives a desolate and beautiful beauty.

  Fan Yibo's feet were unstable, and with a thud, he fell to the ground. He stared at Li Wenjun in shock, racking his brains but unable to understand why Li Wenjun was so formidable. After all, he had personally gone to Li Wenjun's martial arts school to investigate, and according to the school owner's account, Li Wenjun's skills were slightly inferior to his own.

  Li Wenjun indifferently looked at Fan Yibo who was seriously injured and fell to the ground, coldly saying: "Fan, do you still want silver?"

  Fan Yibo lay on the ground, looking at Li Wenjun with his head tilted to one side. He raised his hand and pointed at Li Wenjun, just about to speak, when suddenly he let out a loud "ahh" and spat out another mouthful of fresh blood. This mouthful of blood was followed by Fan Yibo's life force dwindling away, and he was now on the verge of death.

  Li Wenjun was able to shatter a stone the size of a millstone with three slaps before he even reached the first layer of Qi Refining, and now his strength had increased by more than just one fold compared to that time.

  Under his palm, Fan Yibo's ribs and heart were all shattered.

  Li Wenjun shook his head, he didn't have the mind to play cat and mouse, with that time, he might as well go back and cultivate for a while. He raised his palm, silently casting the fireball technique.

  A moment later, with a crackling sound, a flame the size of a walnut formed in his palm.

  Dying Fan Yibo looked as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes revealing an extremely fearful expression. Unfortunately, it was too late to regret now. Even if he wanted to ask for help, he couldn't make a sound anymore.

  Li Wenjun's hand shook, and the fireball landed on Fan Yibo's body.

  Kung Fu was no match, Fan Yibo was burned into a ball of ash, and even the large knife and chain he carried with him were burned into a ball of iron slag, and it was impossible to distinguish their original appearance.

  Li Wenjun sprang up and landed on the treetops of a small forest, he quickly circled around to confirm that no one had seen him kill Fan Yibo, then returned to the scene where he killed Fan Yibo.

  At this time, the cold north wind had already blown away some of Fan Yibo's ashes.

  Li Wenjun found a tree branch, dug a hole in the ground, and pushed all of Fan Yibo's remaining bones and other objects into it, burying them. He picked up the iron slag that had melted from the big knife and chain, preparing to throw it away far, far away when he turned back.

  After everything was settled, Li Wenjun left with a relieved expression. His mood was exceptionally relaxed, without any sense of guilt. Just like killing those two bandits who ate human flesh, Fan Yibo was also a person who deserved to die in his eyes, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with killing such people. As for the law, let it go to hell.

  Li Wenjun could have gone around the block and entered the county town from another city gate. He first went to his usual tea house to drink a pot of tea, listened to a story for a while, and then walked towards Sun Baicao's medicine shop.

  Sun Baicao briefly reported to Li Wenjun on the recent operation of the shop, and then handed him a wooden box containing some medicinal herbs that the medicine shop had helped Li Wenjun purchase.

  Li Wenjun asked again about the search for people, and Sun Baicao shook his head. So far, there is still no clue.

  When Li Wenjun was about to leave, Sun Baicao told him another thing. Sun Baicao said he heard a rumor that the 300-year-old wild ginseng that had appeared in Zhenpin Market had been obtained by County Master, and Kong Yaoshi had already taken people to hurry to Fucheng.

  Li Wenjun couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. The three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng was definitely precious, and there were several cultivators in the market who didn't want it, yet Wu Xue Mei and Kong Yao Shi bought it instead? Were they also planning to learn from him and get a free deal?

  Li Wenjun shook his head and said goodbye to Sun Baicao and Sun Jianing before heading home.

  Back home, Li Wenjun opened the wooden box and took out the medicinal herbs inside. He also took out the remaining herbs he had left before and categorized them according to the Qi Gathering Powder's prescription.

  A moment later, Li Wenjun's face showed dissatisfaction. He reluctantly came up with two packets of Qi-gathering powder. Even if he used one packet a day, it would only last for two days. After two more days, he would again be in the predicament of having no medicine to use.

  Li Wenjun put away the herbs and walked into the courtyard. He gazed in the direction of Wufeng Mountain, pondering the possibility of going up the mountain now.

  Li Wenjun now feels that the most urgent thing is that time is not enough, his cultivation realm is too low. Once he encounters other cultivators, if the other party is friendly, it's okay, but if the other party is extremely evil, then he will definitely be at a disadvantage.

  Li Wenjun had long been aware that in order to gain respect from others, he must have corresponding strength. Without strength, everything is empty.

  To quickly enhance his strength, he must continue to insist on using the bath soup to cultivate every day. And to configure the bath soup, herbs are indispensable. Relying solely on Sun Baicao's medicine shop to help him collect, the speed is too slow. Today, he only brought back a small amount of herbs, which is clear evidence. He must think of another way.

  There are the herbs he needs on Mount Wufeng, that's for sure. Last time he went up the mountain, he brought back over a dozen doses of medicine. If he can search carefully on the mountain, he might be able to find even more.

  Of course, entering the mountain now is not the best choice. On the one hand, the heavy snow has blocked the mountain roads, and the roads are slippery, with a risk of falling off cliffs if you're not careful. On the other hand, wild fruits that can be used to fill your stomach are definitely less abundant than in summer and autumn, and once he finishes his dry rations, how will he fill his belly? This is also a problem.

  In addition, winter is not the best season for collecting medicinal herbs. Almost all of them have withered away, and even if they are collected, their efficacy cannot be compared to that in their prime. Another very important point is that Wang Yonggui, the notorious outlaw, has not been caught by the authorities, nor is there any news of him being driven out of Sanshan County. If Wang Yonggui is hiding in Wufeng Mountain, it is possible for him to encounter Li Wenjun, which is also a particularly noteworthy point.

  To sum it up, going into the mountains at this time is absolutely not the best choice, but the problem is that apart from this choice, Li Wenjun has no other way to go. If he wants to continue cultivating at a relatively fast speed, entering the mountain to pick herbs is something he must do.

  Going into the mountains to gather medicine, there's definitely no small amount of risk. But with risk, should he just not do it? Since his hometown suffered a great drought and he went out to escape the famine, have the dangers he encountered been few? Wealth and honor are sought in danger, without even a bit of adventurous spirit, he shouldn't cultivate anymore; relying on his current abilities, being a wealthy gentleman for life would absolutely be no problem.

  After a moment of contemplation, Li Wenjun made up his mind - to go up the mountain.

  Li Wenjun began to prepare for going up the mountain, bringing enough dry rations such as braised meat, pickled vegetables, and steamed buns. Tools like lanterns, ropes, herbal medicine hoes, and mountain-opening knives could not be left behind, and he also had to bring fire starters, quilts, and other items.

  After packing up, a day passed. The next day, Li Wenjun bid farewell to Sun Baicao and asked him to take care of the big dog for him.

  Sun Baicao learned that Li Wenjun was going up the mountain to pick herbs and hurriedly advised him.

  Apart from saying that going up the mountain at this time is too dangerous, Sun Baicao also pointed out that in a few days, it will be Chinese New Year, and there's no reason to go up the mountain during this festive period.

  No matter how Sun Baicao advised, Li Wenjun's decision never wavered. He was a man with his own ideas and wouldn't easily let others sway his thoughts. Of course, if someone else's words were more practical than his own ideas, he would still be willing to change his mind.

  After politely thanking Sun Bicao, Li Wenjun bid farewell to the Sun father and son without looking back, left the county town, and rushed straight to Wufeng Mountain five miles away.

  After entering winter, San Shan County had several snowfalls in a row. The Wufeng Mountain was covered with silver and white, and the roads leading to the mountain were all sealed off by heavy snow. Li Wenjun relied on his memory to find the road into the mountain and started climbing up.

  The mountain road was covered with thick snow, and it was very difficult to walk on it. The difficulty was not just the depth of the snow, but also the fact that many mountain roads were located near cliffs, and one wrong step could lead to a fatal fall. If the other side of the road wasn't a cliff, but rather a steep slope, falling down would be equally deadly, even for someone as skilled as Li Wenjun.

  After wandering in the mountains for several days, Li Wenjun gained nothing. The snow was too thick, and the medicinal herbs were pressed under the accumulated snow along with other grasses. For now, Li Wenjun didn't have the skill to penetrate through the snow layer and see the medicinal herbs.

  Li Wenjun could only try to find places with thinner snow, and also lie down at the edge of the cliff to check if there were any herbs he needed on the steep cliff wall.

  Unconsciously, Li Wenjun gradually moved away from the edge of Wufeng Mountain and entered its depths.

  It seems that Li Wenjun's experience has paid off, and on this day, he finally managed to collect two of the herbs he needed from the cliff. What surprised him even more was that these two herbs might have been growing in a sheltered spot, as they hadn't withered and turned yellow entirely, but still had some green left at the roots. This meant their medicinal effect would be much stronger than if they had withered completely.