I Cheated While Cultivating

Zhou Heng laughed loudly, but instead of dodging, he moved straight ahead and pointed out a finger, lightly brushing against the fist of the pharmacist Lu.

His move was offhand, his lips curved in a smile.

He seemed to be enveloped in a saintly radiance, his fingertip appearing to bear no force, merely grazing past Lu’s fist.

At that moment, Zhou Heng gave off the impression of Buddha picking a flower, smiling for ten thousand years.

Flower Picking Finger!

The pharmacist Lu, who was struck by Zhou Heng’s finger at the front, did not share the dreamlike sensation others felt. From his perspective, he simply felt the force in his fist sink like it had plunged into the deep sea, incapable of inflicting any harm.

Zhou Heng’s extended finger looked so slender and fragile as if it would snap at the slightest touch, but after actually coming into contact with it, Lu immediately reconsidered.

If his punch was like plunging into the deep sea, then this finger that lightly brushed over was like a towering column that could stir the entire ocean’s depths.

The power contained within this finger was truly terrifying, incredibly strong.

Although pharmacist Lu was a martial artist at the peak of the Seventh Rank with considerable strength, he still felt as weak as an ordinary person with no martial arts in the face of Zhou Heng’s move, incapable of any resistance.

Crack!

The big man’s fist burst open on the spot, bones twisting and snapping, piercing through the skin, leaving flesh torn open like a blooming flower.

How could the Flower Picking Finger not produce a flower?

Therefore, Zhou Heng’s move made pharmacist Lu’s punch blossom.

“Ah!” Lu screamed miserably, trying to pull his hand back and retreat.

But by this time, Zhou Heng had already rushed to his face, lifting his palm without using any specific technique, merely letting it fall lightly onto Lu’s chest.

Bang!

With a muffled sound, Lu was sent flying like he had been hit by a speeding carriage, thrown horizontally out of the first-floor hall of the building ship and crashing onto the deck outside.

“Congratulations! You have defeated the easy opponent, pharmacist Lu. Fortune Bag [Copper] +1.”

The reward prompt sounded.

Zhou Heng walked towards the deck without showing any emotion, with everyone around him hastily getting out of the way, none daring to stop him.

Not until he left the first-floor hall.

Did the people there explode into uproar, shouting and exclaiming in surprise.

“Zhou Heng! It’s actually Zhou Heng, he dares to make a public appearance like this. Isn’t he the one with a Killing Order from the four great Evil Sects? Isn’t he afraid of being hunted down?”

“That’s old news. In my opinion, it’s not the Evil Sects’ half-hearted Killing Order targeting Zhou Heng anymore, but Zhou Heng who’s frenziedly hunting down the experts of the Evil Sects!”

“That’s right, I also heard that over the past half a month, Zhou Heng has been traveling around, having already destroyed four or five Evil Sect factions, and killed forty or fifty of their experts.”

“Only four or five Evil Sects? That must be outdated information. I just heard that Zhou Heng has already annihilated thirteen Evil Sects and has executed over a hundred of their experts.”

“How come I heard that Zhou Heng has already killed more than two hundred Evil Sect experts? And he’s about to destroy nearly forty Evil Sect factions.”

“Zhou Heng is really amazing. Others issued a Killing Order by the four great Evil Sects would be scared to step out of their door, but he’s not only unafraid, he’s actually on a campaign against Evil Sect experts and factions, constantly provoking them. That’s too strong!”

“This is reassuring. In today’s world, the Evil Sects shouldn’t be allowed free rein. That pharmacist Lu from just now is probably finished too.”

“Zhou Heng’s strength is too strong, too formidable!”

…

The three members of the Natural Gate exchanged glances, their eyes sparkling, and they unanimously looked towards the door leading to the outer deck.

An expert!

A true master, and moreover, a young expert from the eminent Martial Dao Sect!

How could they not seek to make his acquaintance when encountering such an expert in the Jianghu?

They definitely couldn’t miss this opportunity.

So, the three of them walked out together, planning to greet Zhou Heng after he dealt with pharmacist Lu, then introduce themselves and befriend him.

When the three stepped onto the outside deck, they found that there were already about thirty or forty people lying around, seemingly people brought by pharmacist Lu, all taken down by Zhou Heng alone.

Hisss!

The three couldn’t help but gasp. They could tell that those lying on the ground weren’t ordinary bandits; they were mostly well-practiced martial artists.

It’s only been a moment?

Zhou Heng has already taken down so many people!

He’s too strong!

The three of them continued forward and finally saw Zhou Heng at the bow of the boat, single-handedly clutching the neck of the pharmacist Lu, holding him suspended in midair.

There were other tower boats on the river, and the people on them also witnessed this scene. Many people on the shore also looked over, and the entire river suddenly bustled with activity.

Many were curious about who this young and handsome expert was, possessing such strong martial arts that he completely overpowered the pharmacist Lu, who was at the Peak of the Seventh Rank.

Wondering which person of renown he was.

The crowd was abuzz with speculation.

Zhou Heng, for his part, completely ignored the noise. He gazed at the pharmacist Lu, chuckled, and said, “Speak, who sent you? To test me?”

Although the pharmacist Lu seemed to be looking for some people from the Naturally Sect on the surface, the position where the brawny man who had burst in fell, along with the decisive nature of Lu’s actions, was enough to make Zhou Heng suspect that it was he who Lu was targeting.

“Ha, worthy of being the Purple Lightning Thunder Blade. Your strength truly lives up to your reputation.” Despite being grasped by the neck, the pharmacist Lu was still able to speak loudly, his voice carrying so far that people on the shore and the other tower boats could hear him clearly.

Suddenly, the identity of Zhou Heng became known to everyone by the river bank and on the tower boats, and exclamations rang out like a tidal wave.

Moreover, it attracted even more spectators to the riverside, with people from other tower boats rushing onto the decks, all desperate to get a glimpse of Zhou Heng.

In just a few breaths’ time, the riverside became crowded, swelling from around one or two hundred people to nearly a thousand.

All had come to see Zhou Heng.

It was then that Zhou Heng realized his reputation in Fangzhou was so significant.

Actually, this was to be expected.

He now ranked thirteenth on the newly released list of notable figures in October, a true frontrunner on the list of notable figures of the age.

Subsequently, he was declared wanted with a Killing Order by the four major evil sects, and for over half a month, he had almost single-handedly swept through most of the evil sects in Fangzhou.

Thus, in the land of Fangzhou, his fame could truly be said to be at its zenith, extremely vigorous.

Even if he wasn’t known by every single person, he wasn’t far from it.

However, pharmacist Lu’s loud declaration of his identity clearly had an ulterior motive.

Zhou Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his grip on pharmacist Lu’s neck tightened. He chuckled and asked, “What do you wish to do?”

“I don’t wish to do anything, just want to extend an invitation to Daoist Zhou,” Pharmacist Lu laughed, appearing as if his scheme had succeeded. “Recently, six fellow practitioners visited my Medicine God Sect. Hearing that Daoist Zhou had come to County City of Fangzhou, we wanted to offer you our hospitality and invite you to the Medicine God Sect for a chat, how about it?”

“Six fellow practitioners, that’s six evil sect experts, right?” The eldest young man from the Naturally Sect couldn’t hold back, stepping forward and saying, “Daoist Zhou, you must not go. This must be their scheme!”

“Exactly, you can’t go! They must want to gang up on you; you can’t go!” The other two people also hurriedly urged, their expressions anxious.

Pharmacist Lu glanced at these three, then looked at people on the other tower boats and the shore. Raising his voice, he laughed, “Indeed, it would be normal not to go. After all, my Medicine God Sect is considered part of the evil path, and you, born of the righteous martial path, are naturally wary.”

“Ha, are you trying to provoke me with reverse psychology?” Zhou Heng laughed, “Are your tactics that unrefined?”

Pharmacist Lu’s actions were too obvious. One could tell at a glance that he wanted to let more people know of Zhou Heng’s presence here and draw even more attention to him.

Then, leveraging this momentum, he would force Zhou Heng to accept his invitation, making him visit the Medicine God Sect.

Even if Zhou Heng refused, it would still damage his image to a certain extent, creating an impression in some people’s hearts that he lacked courage and was afraid of death.

Although going alone to a place gathered with six or seven evil sect experts was clearly not a wise decision, if Zhou Heng refused in front of all these witnesses, there would inevitably be those who thought he was afraid.

This was a common occurrence.

Pharmacist Lu laughed, looking somewhat smug as he watched Zhou Heng, “So, will you go or not?”

“Go, why wouldn’t I?” Zhou Heng laughed, “You’ve all gathered together, which actually saves me the trouble of searching for you.”

“Hahaha! Good, good! ‘Purple Lightning Thunder Blade’ indeed has some heroic spirit,” Pharmacist Lu laughed heartily. To Zhou Heng he said, “Then I shall wait for you at the Medicine God Sect!”

As the words fell, the body of Pharmacist Lu became slick and slimy, even twisting in shape, and he managed to slip from Zhou Heng’s grasp and dived directly into the water, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

It turned out that this Sect Leader of the Medicine God Sect had only pretended to be captured by Zhou Heng, seizing the opportunity to provoke Zhou Heng into agreeing to the appointment—now that he had achieved his goal, it was natural that he would slip away.

The method of his escape, however, was truly bizarre, shocking everyone on the tower boats and those watching from the shore.

Clang!

Just then, a sword cry echoed through the air and a sword light unexpectedly appeared next to Zhou Heng, flying into the sky. The blade shot into the river in an instant.

The water churned violently as if a battle was taking place within. After less than a breath’s duration, layers of bloody water rose to the surface.

Soon after, a body floated up from the river, the recently escaped Pharmacist Lu, with a longsword stuck in his neck, suspending him in the air.

“It seems there’s no need for you to wait,” Zhou Heng smiled faintly, looking at the body of Pharmacist Lu, and said, “You need not be anxious either; I will send those six companions of yours down to meet you soon enough.”

Following that, he struck down with thundering force upon Pharmacist Lu’s body, incinerating him to ash, obliterating body and spirit alike.

This series of events left the onlookers stunned, taking some time to process what had just occurred, only to see Zhou Heng already crossing the water from the boat to reach the shore.

The members of the Naturally Sect then snapped back to reality and quickly employed their lightweight kung fu, using the tower boats to leap to the shore, catching up with Zhou Heng, “Daoist Zhou, are you going to the Medicine God Sect? Might we join you? We could lend you a hand.”

“The Medicine God Sect?” Zhou Heng stopped in his tracks, shook his head with a smile, and said, “No, to the County City’s Yamen (government office).”