Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
At the gate of the yard, Liu Liuhai was twitching. His body started to become arched like a cooked shrimp, but he was still gibbering.
The moment Liu Dongdong finished registering the line of people…
Liu Liuhai’s body suddenly shuddered. His legs straightened, and he passed out.
“My dear child, I’ll care for you more in the future!”
Liu Fan withdrew his spell and sighed.
“The First Elder worked too hard!” Liu Dongdong sighed with mixed emotions.
He had once thought that he himself was already very diligent, but his effort was nothing in comparison with the Sixth Elder’s.
He bowed and saluted, and those newly recruited soldiers behind him also bowed sincerely.
This group of fighters would form the Scythe Army of the Liu clan, and its nature was similar to the retainers of other clans.
Liu Dongdong watched as Liu Liuhai was carried away. Then, he began to teach the recruits about the clan rules and the creed of the Scythe Army.
The focus of their learning was “The Story of Ancestors.”
“The Story of Ancestors” was a record of all the Liu clan ancestors and what they had done in the past thousand or so years, and 98% of the content was about the heroic achievements of the founding ancestor, Liu Fan.
Each recruit received a copy of this book.
Sitting on small wooden stools, the recruits flipped the pages. The illiterate ones looked at the pages blankly.
Liu Dongdong smiled slightly. Wagging his head, he began reading aloud…
“Chapter One, Part One, ‘The Style of the Founding Ancestor'”
“The Liu clan has a long history and has been around for more than a thousand years. These relentless years have taken away too many regrets and buried countless truths.”
“The founding ancestor of the Liu clan, Liu Fan, is noble and dignified, like the sun in the sky. His glory will never be forgotten, and his merits in this world are immeasurable!”
“He calculated the Heavenly Cycle of Qi in one’s body to an incredible precision of 3.141592653 days, and he proposed the important concept of the Golden Ratio of Human Bodies. He clearly pointed out that physical cultivation requires the accurate pinpointing of the 14 golden points, 12 golden rectangles, and 2 golden indexes within the body!”
“He was invincible. Thus, he earned the name of ‘Bulldozer’ in his time. He left many physical cultivation techniques, which have benefited his descendants for generations…”
Liu Dongdong read the book slowly.
The stories mesmerized the recruits. They were held in awe to the extent that they did not notice the passing of time. Before they knew it, the sun was already setting.
Even the two old and bald martial arts experts of the Dragon State were in a trance, and their faces were overwritten with emotions.
“The founding ancestor of the Liu clan was indeed a legendary man!”
“He’s next level compared to all of us. The difference between us is like the difference between a firefly and the Moon!”
Liu Dongdong noticed everyone’s expressions and was satisfied. Today’s brainwashing was very successful!
“We’ll stop here today. Write a reflection as your homework today. The topic will be to sing praises for the founding ancestor’s great achievements. Hand it in next morning!” Liu Dongdong said, as if he’s really a teacher.
The recruits frowned, a little dissatisfied.
Liu Dongdong waved his hand, and each recruit received some silver ingots.
The poor immediately beamed with joy, but the wealthy ones curled their lips in disdain.
Liu Dongdong didn’t care much. He said, “This is your monthly allowance. Don’t lose it!”
“The Clan Head has said that the Liu clan will be expanding its facilities very soon. When the time comes, all of you will be accommodated in the Scythe Army Apartment, and there will also be a Martial Arts Library where you can learn and cultivate martial arts. Black tuxedos will be tailor-made for everyone. You will also be equipped with sophisticated weapons and armors…”
“Our clan is planning to invest heavily on the Scythe Army. You won’t have to pay for accommodation or food, and each meal will certainly come with enough meat. Those who perform well will be promoted and rewarded with cultivation pills!”
While speaking of this last part, Liu Dongdong raised his voice.
Everyone looked at him with fiery eyes.
“What cultivation pills?”
Liu Dongdong narrowed his eyes and smiled. He didn’t utter a word, only revealing a “guess-it-yourself” expression.
Everyone, including the two bald old men of the Dragon State, stared at Liu Dongdong. Their eyes were glowing intimidatingly.
The Liu family was previously declining and had experienced several attacks at their very own doorstep. But recently, it had suddenly risen. They had more than one martial arts master guarding the clan, and the clan members had suddenly become very powerful too.
The Liu clan seemed to have changed overnight!
Liu Dongdong used to be a gangster in Black Street.
However, just yesterday, he had actually defeated Zhuo Tianyou, emerging third in the legendary List of Heroes!
“The Liu clan definitely has cultivation pills that can improve one’s martial arts realm!”
“And the pill must be an effective one!”
The crowd was excited. They felt that joining the Liu clan was really a wise move. There were secrets about this clan that no one knew.
The two bald masters glanced at each other and communicated with each other quickly.
“Blend into the Liu clan, wait for an opportunity to steal the pills, and then escape!”
…
The crowd dispersed in a hurry as they still had to write their reflections.
The two bald old men stayed behind. Liu Dongdong brought them into the courtyard of the ancestral temple and introduced them to Liu Tao.
Liu Tao was wiping the dust off of Liu Fan’s coffin with great care.
The two bald masters could not help being surprised upon seeing this.
“Why was there a coffin in the ancestral temple?! Has anyone from the Liu family just died?!”
“I’m Zhang San! Also known as the Black-Handed Zhang!”
“I’m Li Si! Also known as the Iron-Footed Li!”
The two bald old men revealed their nicknames. Then, they took a bow and said, “It’s our honor to meet you, Clan Head!”
They were smiling, and they looked neither arrogant nor restrained. After all, the names “Black-Handed Zhang” and “Iron-Footed Li” were very well-known in the martial arts realm!
From the side, Liu Dongdong was surprised. He did not expect that he had recruited these two experts into the Scythe Army!
Black-Handed Zhang was extremely good at hands-on kungfu, and he liked to stab others in the back. Iron-Footed Li had extraordinary leg and foot martial skills and was similarly well-known among the martial arts fighters.
“Black-Handed Zhang?! Iron-Footed Li?!”
Liu Tao’s eyes lit up. He didn’t expect that the Sixth Elder could recruit such experts. These two people had been famous in the martial arts realm for many years!
With the two of them joining the Scythe Army, it would be a huge boost to the strength of the Liu clan’s retainers!
He cupped his hands together and said, “I’ve heard a lot about the both of you! Welcome to the Liu clan’s Scythe Army!”
Black-Handed Zhang and Iron-Footed Li waved their hands and shook their heads humbly. At the same time, they secretly observed Liu Tao.
However, they could not see through his aura!
His aura was as unfathomable as an abyss. This terrified the duo. “Could it be that Liu Tao is a grand martial arts master?!”
Liu Tao looked at the two with a smile and told Liu Dongdong to take good care of them.
Black-Handed Zhang and Iron-Footed Li thanked him. They glanced at Liu Tao deeply, then left the place under Liu Dongdong’s guidance.
Liu Erquan walked out from the shadow of the ancestral temple.
“So? Are these two people trustworthy?”
“Wily old foxes, not reliable at all!”
“Then feed them poisons. Both Seven-Day Intestinal Damage Powder and Three-Day Soul Capturing Pill!”
“Sure!”
Liu Erquan turned around and walked away.
Liu Tao watched as Liu Erquan walked away. He nodded slightly.
Ever since Liu Erquan became a grand martial arts master, he had gradually regained the self-confidence he’d had in the past. He was decisive yet ruthless in his actions. This made him qualified to be Liu Tao’s most capable assistant.
Liu Fan was very satisfied with Liu Tao’s strategy.
As for Liu Erquan, his progress had also been great. As the second grand martial arts master within the Liu family, he would play a very crucial role. He deserved more love and care.
“What spell can I give him?…” Liu Fan thought.