Chapter 15: Killing a Tiger Barehanded, The Richest Man in the Donghe County_1

Roar! In the evil woods, a tiger’s roar echoed. Xu Yan had already pounced on the Red-eyed Tiger, circulating his blood and energy, the strength erupting just as his fist fiercely pounded on the tiger’s head. Boom! The Red-eyed Tiger, just standing up, prepared to charge, was struck dumb by the punch, its limbs softened, and it went down again. Roar! The Red-eyed Tiger was furious, letting out a roar, shaking its head off, ready to roll and shake Xu Yan off, with its claws ready to strike. Xu Yan, being successful with a hit, naturally wouldn’t stop there. He grabbed the back of the Red-eyed Tiger’s neck and launched another punch at its head. Once again, the Red-eyed Tiger was struck down to the ground. "The Red-eyed Tiger is indeed the king of tigers, able to struggle after taking two of my punches!” Xu Yan was amazed inside. Although he hadn’t yet refined his Golden Bones, he had already broken the limits of Copper Bones. His physical strength was such that swords and knives found it hard to wound him. With the burst of energy and blood, shattering stones was a piece of cake. This terrible punch didn’t kill the red-eyed tiger, which showed its ferocity. "Die!” Xu Yan threw another punch at the Red-eyed Tiger’s head. Bang! This punch directly smashed the Red-eyed Tiger’s head into the soil! The Red-eyed tiger tried to struggle up, its tail whipping around and making a pop sound. With such strong force, an ordinary person would probably not be able to get up after being hit. "Still resisting?” Xu Yan shouted, and at this moment, his blood and energy appeared to reach a limit. His fist seemed to enlarge, enveloped by a surge of energy. "Die!” This punch smashed viciously on the back of the Red-eyed tiger’s neck. Snap! A bone-breaking sound was heard. Roar! The Red-eyed tiger let out a painful roar. Its head fell into the soil, and it was unable to lift it. Its limbs were convulsing, appearing to lose their strength. Xu Yan’s punch had directly broken the Red-eyed tiger’s neck bone! "This should kill it, right?” Although it was only a few punches, each one carried explosive energy, especially the last punch that pushed his energy to the extreme. Xu Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and panted, getting down from the tiger’s body. The Red-eyed tiger was letting out low roars, its body spasming. It looked like it was on the verge of death! "I, empty-handed, have killed the king of tigers!” Xu Yan raised both fists, his eyes filled with insane excitement. He felt as if he was not satisfied yet. "The king of tigers, so this is it!” "This is the true Martial Arts. I haven’t even entered the path yet and already possess such strength. How much more powerful will I be once I’ve entered? "Can I explode the bodies of beasts like the Red-eyed Tiger with just one punch?” At this moment, Xu Yan’s determination for Martial Arts was growing stronger. His eyes were filled with fervor and longing! He picked up his sword and hung it on his waist. The Red-eyed tiger was dead. He hoisted it up on his shoulders and strode away. "I'm going to process it in the village, then rush back to Donghe Prefecture as fast as I can for the pharmacist to concoct the precious tonic. That should greatly boost its medicinal powers!” Xu Yan’s face was filled with excitement, sure that he could refine his Golden Bones. He was determined to be in no way inferior to the ancient talents. He would never disappoint his master! East River Prefecture was one of the twenty-six prefectures in Qi Country. If asked what the common folk on the streets and alleys of East River Prefecture City find the most entertaining, nothing surpasses the stories surrounding the son of the Xu Family, the wealthiest family in East River. From high-ranking officials to ordinary citizens, and even the beggars on the streets, everyone knows that the young master of this rich family is a martial arts fanatic. Not only is he a martial arts fanatic, but he’s also a little dimwitted. After reading some biographical tales, he became obsessed with the idea that there are hidden experts in the world. He’s determined to find one to be his master, to learn the true essence of Martial Arts. Occasionally, some daring individuals pretended to be experts in order to fool him. The moment these imposters were exposed, they would suffer a great beating and inevitably get thrown into jail. As the incidents repeated, people eventually stopped attempting to trick him. Still, that didn’t dampen the spirit of the son of the richest family. He embarked on a journey, wandering around in search of that elusive expert to further his martial arts prowess. Last month, the engagement of the young master was called off. The entire city was astir. People sneered, saying it was good that the engagement was broken. The lady was not from any ordinary family; she was the only daughter of Jiang Pingshan, the General of the East River in Qi Country. For the Xu Family, this marriage was considered marrying above their station. This engagement was arranged by Xu Yan’s maternal grandfather and General Jiang of East River. If you were to mention notable figures in East River Prefecture, Xu Junhe—the patriarch of the Xu Family—would make the list. Rising from humble beginnings, he was a formidable businessman. The most astounding fact to everyone was his marriage to the daughter of the former Prefecture Head and current Minister of the Bureau of Personnel, Guo Rongshan. It was due to this connection, coupled with Xu Junhe’s business acumen, that allowed him to quickly rise to become the wealthiest man in East River Prefecture. However, his only son was a disappointment. Without business acumen, obsessed with Martial Arts, and even unable to maintain the engagement with the General’s family, he was a disgrace. It’s rumored that when the General’s daughter came to break off the engagement, the young master of the Xu Family made wild claims, saying the General’s daughter would regret it and that he was too good for her. Once this went public, it became the joke of East River Prefecture. For a mere merchant’s family to have been able to engage with the family of a General was a great fortune indeed. How dare he boast about being too good for the General’s daughter? If not for the Xu family’s affiliation with the Minister of the Bureau of Personnel, Guo Rongshan, the General might have laid siege to their home as soon as he heard this. It was precisely because of their connection to Guo Rongshan that Xu Junhe, bringing lavish gifts, apologized and thereby pacified General Jiang Pingshan’s wrath. A horse-drawn cart loaded with goods blanketed by a layer of burlap attracted many curious glances as it moved along the main street. The focus of public attention was not the goods on the cart but the young man driving it. "How did Xu Junhe, such a figure, have such a son?” "The vast wealth of the Xu family has no adequate successor.” "That might not be the case; Xu Junhe is still young. If his son is not up to it, his grandson might well be.” "If he had married the General’s daughter, it would have worked. Now, it’s hard to say.” Many on the street engaged in such discussions. Some sighed, while others rejoiced at the Xu Family’s misfortune. Some sneered. Xu Yan remained indifferent to such talk. These discussions had been going on for quite a while. In the past, he might have been enraged. Now, he couldn’t care less. What a bunch of frogs in the well. Do they know how vast the world is and how powerful Martial Arts could be? When I master Martial Arts, the insignificant commoners and merchants won’t matter to me, let alone the haughty emperor! Think the General’s daughter is very impressive? Once I master Martial Arts, even the princesses of the royal family will be beneath me! I said she’s not good enough for me; then she definitely won’t be good enough for me! At this moment, Xu Yan’s eyes were full of arrogance, his gaze steadfast. He believed that day would not be far off. This Red-Eyed Tiger, the king of tigers, will certainly help him quickly develop Golden Bones. To be on par with the extraordinary talents from the ancient days! The mansion of the richest family in East River Prefecture, the Xu Family, was situated along the main street in the east of the city, close to the Prefecture’s office. It was a luxurious residence. There were no fewer than a hundred house servants and Protectors. Among the Protectors, there were some seasoned warriors. They could run on roofs and vault over walls and possessed the power to split a stone monument or shatter a table into pieces. At this moment, in the inner courtyard of the Xu Family, the madam of the Xu Family—daughter of the current Minister of the Bureau of Personnel and mother of Xu Yan—had a worried look on her face. Her thick-headed son had not sent any news for a month…