"About fifty miles from here is a village known as Happy Village, which operates gambling and brothels to attract local landlords and idlers to spend their money,"
"Even sometimes, curiosity-driven people from the city would come to experience a different kind of pleasure that they cannot find in the county."
"That village is actually a property of the Black Wolf Gang; it's said that the village chief is the Black Wolf Gang's Ninth Master."
"I think the Han Wu and Zhao Xiong you mentioned are probably from there."
"So, Mr. Ma, what is the level of Martial Arts of this Ninth Master?" Lu Qing asked.
"I'm not very clear about this, but I suppose he isn't very strong, definitely not beyond the Qi Blood Realm," Ma Gu responded.
"Just the Qi Blood Realm?" Lu Qing was surprised.
"What do you mean 'just the Qi Blood Realm'?" Ma Gu laughed, "Brother Lu, don't assume Martial Arts Training is easy just because you have astonishing Martial Arts Talent."
"For ordinary people, reaching the Qi Blood Realm already means they have spent countless efforts and endured great hardship to break through by luck."
"Many people practice Martial Arts, and after ten or twenty years, they are still going nowhere, becoming only physically stronger and more skilled without achieving anything significant."
"Instead, it's rare talents like you, who have just started practicing Martial Arts and can already grasp the essence of Qi and Blood, who are truly unusual."
"You should know that even the leader of the Black Wolf Gang, Black Wolf, is just at the Muscle Bone Realm. How much higher can the strength of his Ninth Master under him possibly be?"
"If a small leader managing peripheral businesses was at the Muscle Bone Realm, then the Black Wolf Gang wouldn't just be one of the top three gangs in the county, it would be the first."
Only then did Lu Qing realize his mistake.
Perhaps it was because, in recent days, he had been interacting daily with the Wei Family, seeing even a guard there was at the Muscle Bone Realm level.
He subconsciously felt that Martial Artists of the Muscle Bone Realm were quite common.
Yet he momentarily forgot that the Wei Family is different, a colossal entity throughout the whole region, incomparable to a small gang that only mingles within the county.
"Thank you, Mr. Ma, for your advice. I shall take my leave now."
Having obtained the information he needed, Lu Qing prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment, Brother Lu," Ma Gu quickly called out to him, "Are you planning to go to Happy Village?"
"That's right, as a son who knows there's more to his parents' deaths, I must investigate, right?" Lu Qing did not deny.
But I see your intention is not solely to investigate.
Ma Gu's gaze swept over the War Saber on Lu Qing's back, secretly criticizing in his heart.
Still, he knew that trying to dissuade Lu Qing was likely futile.
Parents' revenge is irreconcilable.
Moreover, his Brother, here, had already killed someone from Happy Village.
The two sides had already formed a death feud, the kind that could not be resolved.
Thinking of the Black Wolf Gang's usual conduct, Ma Gu knew it would be better for Lu Qing to make the first move rather than waiting for them to react.
Otherwise, once the Black Wolf Gang really took action, even with immense capabilities, Lu Qing would hardly be able to withstand them.
But thinking of Lu Qing's Martial Arts strength, Ma Gu couldn't help but worry.
No matter how formidable Lu Qing was, it had only been slightly over a month since he started practicing Martial Arts.
Even though he had already entered the Qi Blood Realm, within the same realm, the difference in strength could be vast.
A realm does not signify combat power.
A realm only represents a martial artist's physical condition and strength.
Whether a realm can be converted to combat power ultimately depends on the martial artist's application of Martial Arts and Fighting Skills.
In this aspect, Ma Gu was not very optimistic about Lu Qing.
That old saying still applies.
Lu Qing's exposure to Martial Arts has been too short.
The fighting skill of a martial artist requires time spent in bitter training, as well as experience in real combat.
Lu Qing, on regular days, was cooped up in Jiuli Village, either studying medical skills or fishing and farming. Where would he find the opportunity to hone his fighting skills?
If he were to rashly enter Happy Village like that, he would likely suffer a great loss.
Thinking it over, Ma Gu still said, "Since that's the case, how about I accompany you, Brother Lu?"
As a martial artist of the Muscle Bone Realm, Ma Gu was quite confident in his own abilities.
A mere Happy Village could not stop him.
However, Lu Qing shook his head, "Thank you for your kindness, Elder Ma, but this is an issue between me and the Black Wolf Gang. There's no need for you to get involved."
Ma Gu wanted to persuade him further. Happy Village had many people and was powerful, not to mention the village chief was also a martial artist. For Lu Qing to venture there alone was far too dangerous.
But he saw Lu Qing's calm, tranquil gaze and knew that further persuasion would be futile.
He could only say, "Then, Brother Lu, you must be careful. If you sense anything wrong, run to the outside immediately and avoid fighting them head-on at all costs."
With Lu Qing's martial artist's strength, purely aiming to break out, unless he fell into a trap or the Ninth Master of the Black Wolf Gang personally intervened, the ordinary members would hardly be able to stop him.
Ma Gu feared that Lu Qing, being young and hot-blooded, would get overwhelmed by his Qi-Blood and decide to take on the entire village in a fight.
"Rest assured, Elder Ma, I understand my limits."
After Lu Qing left with his war saber, Ma Gu still sat there, his face showing deep contemplation.
After a while, he called Xiao Tian, "Prepare the horses and bring my sword."
"Elder Ma, didn't Young Master Lu say he didn't want us to follow?" Xiao Tian asked.
"Are you suggesting I just sit by and do nothing?" Ma Gu glared at him, "The Wei Family has instructed me to look after Brother Lu on usual days. If something were to actually happen to him, how would I explain it to the Wei Family?"
"Besides, who said I'm following Brother Lu? I just suddenly felt like going out for hunting, and I'll just happen to pass by Happy Village."
Xiao Tian was at a loss for words.
Alright then, you're the boss, whatever you say.
"Elder Ma, are we really going to confront the Black Wolf Gang? Those mad dogs aren't easy to provoke, I'm afraid the Family Head wouldn't really agree."
"Are you a pig-brain?" Ma Gu looked at him with a mix of anger and frustration, "Brother Lu is someone the Wei Family values, not to mention, his master, Old Doctor Chen, is also a powerhouse of the Inner Organ Realm. In front of the Wei Family and Old Doctor Chen, the Black Wolf Gang is nothing!"
He paused, suddenly recalling, "Right, does Old Doctor Chen know about this?"
Whether his master was aware of today's events, Lu Qing was unsure.
But what he knew was that his master was kind-hearted, couldn't stand to see others suffer, and disliked hurting others.
Thus, he had never thought of asking his master to help deal with the Black Wolf Gang.
He wanted to resolve this potential threat in his own way.
Having learned from Ma Gu about the vengeful nature of the Black Wolf Gang.
Lu Qing understood that only one of them could survive between him and this gang.
Currently, he had no capability to storm into the county office.
However, Happy Village was still something he could try his luck with.
Having left the gathering, upon reaching a small path, a black figure suddenly jumped from a nearby tree, landing on Lu Qing's shoulder.
This was the reason Lu Qing had declined Ma Gu's offer to go together to Happy Village.
Compared to the scheming Ma Gu, he certainly trusted Little Li more, who was like family.
Not to mention, Little Li's abilities were far beyond what Ma Gu could compare to.
"Let's go, Little Li. From here on, I'll be relying on you to keep me safe."
Lu Qing patted the little black beast's head, his gaze turning to the east.