“Some mountains are above people’s heads. They are weightless but can break people’s backs.”
Wang Songhe turned around, looked at Qiao Mu intently, and said word by word:
"I, King Songhe, am willing to be the thief who breaks through these many mountains!"
Chapter 24: A Tyrannical Government is More Fierce than a Tiger
Qiao Mu listened quietly to Wang Songhe talking about his ambitions, and was slightly moved. His eyes also swept over the bandits around him.
He probably knew why these bandits were so disciplined in the previous anti-bandit campaign, and how a middle-aged scholar like Wang Songhe could gather so many bandits in these mountains.
Wang Songhe had an extraordinary vision and conversation. He must have had a distinguished background before becoming a bandit.
"Brother Qiao, let me ask you again, are you willing to work with me to accomplish great things?" Wang Songhe asked sincerely.
"But I refuse." Qiao Mu was still calm:
"As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Whether you are bandits or rebels will ultimately be determined by your actions, not your slogans."
Just like Qiao Mu was determined to die, he definitely didn't just shout slogans, and in the end he still lived on tenaciously.
Wang Songhe was not angry. As the leader of the bandits, he seemed to be quite cultured and gentle from beginning to end:
"I was abrupt."
"Brother Qiao, if you want to know whether we are bandits in the right sense of the word, why don't you come to my stronghold and see for yourself?"
"That's possible." Qiao Mu's eyes suddenly lit up and his heartbeat quickened a little.
Although Wang Songhe was trying to recruit him, Qiao Mu knew that he was still surrounded by bandits!
If he went to the mountain stronghold and found out where the bandits were hiding, Wang Songhe would definitely not let him go!
It was like a robber taking off his mask in front of him. As long as Qiao Mu knew the robber's true identity, he would only have two choices: die or join.
I'll go to this cottage!
"I'm going to die..." Qiao Mu's heart was pounding, and he gladly accepted Wang Songhe's invitation.
Surrounded by bandits, he and Wang Songhe walked forward along the mountain road, one in front of the other.
The mountain road was winding and after walking for about a quarter of an hour, we suddenly saw a bright future ahead.
The bandits' stronghold was built around a dilapidated Taoist temple. The houses were simple but neatly arranged.
What surprised Qiao Mu even more was that he actually saw fruit and vegetable terraces in this bandit’s stronghold, and there were also old and young women and children working happily in front of the houses.
Rather than calling it a mountain village, it is more like a small mountain village in the mountains.
If it was a bandit den that lived by burning, killing and looting, there would be no way that there would be old people, children, women and children. Even if there were, they would be very few. It seems that Wang Songhe is not just bragging... Qiao Mu thought.
"The boss is back?"
Several strong hunters wearing animal skins were walking on the mountain road, carrying the corpse of a giant tiger on their shoulders. Almost all of them were injured and covered in blood, but they still nodded in greeting when they saw Wang Songhe.
This giant tiger is nearly three meters long, and its fur is a strange navy blue color. It is more like a demon tiger than a giant tiger, and it does not look like an ordinary creature at all.
The warriors in this world have powerful qi and blood, and can cultivate internal strength that is far superior to that of ordinary people. For example, at this moment, when Qiao Mu, who is at the peak of the ninth level, bursts out with internal strength that is over a thousand kilograms.
And among the mountains, there are also powerful beasts and monsters that can be compared to mortal warriors.
Wang Songhe saw Qiao Mu looking at the giant tiger and said:
"A harsh government is more ferocious than a tiger, and taxes are more poisonous than a snake."
“Although there are strange beasts and monsters in these mountains, it is better than starving to death in Yancheng.”
At this point, Wang Songhe's eyes turned cold and he said coldly:
"No matter how venomous a tiger or snake is, it is not as venomous as a human heart."
Qiao Mu seemed to be thinking about something, and suddenly asked:
"Mr. Wang, I have heard of aliens many times, but I have never seen one. Do you know who these so-called aliens are? Are they some kind of alien race?"
Qiao Mu had also heard about strange people from Qiao Canxue before.
It is said that the Martial Saint was defeated by the aliens. Even though the Martial Saint was the second best warrior in the world, he was still defeated miserably. It seems that the aliens are a very powerful race.
But when Qiao Mu asked again, Qiao Canxue became very secretive.
When Qiao Mu asked this, Wang Songhe was surprised and looked at him carefully:
"You are a member of the Qiao family, and I saw you use the Changsheng Fist after you assassinated Captain Chu. How could you not know anything about the aliens?"
The Qiao family is related to the aliens? My Immortality Fist has been discovered again
Qiao Mu's heart moved slightly, he looked at Wang Songhe suspiciously, and asked tentatively:
"Are you from Wujihui?"
Anyway, he is not afraid of death. If he has any questions, he will ask them and he is not afraid of saying the wrong thing.
When this question came out, Wang Songhe's expression became even weirder, and he laughed:
"The Qiao family's Changsheng Fist Scripture has an extraordinary origin, and it's not just the people in the Wuji Association who can see through your boxing style."
"You are a member of the Qiao family, but you don't know the details of the alien. It seems that although the Heyang Qiao family has a surviving lineage, it has fallen into decline and the inheritance is incomplete."
"What the Martial Saint did was truly amazing."
Qiao Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Having said that, he understood that Wang Songhe had long regarded him as a member of the Qiao family.
I just don't know if Wang Songhe went to so much trouble to recruit him so kindly because of the Qiao family.
Having said that, he naturally knew that Wang Songhe had an extraordinary background and his knowledge and conversation were beyond the reach of ordinary people, so he wanted to continue asking him questions.
"The origin of the Longevity Fist is extraordinary?" Qiao Mu continued to test:
"I only know that this Changsheng Fist is an internal martial art inherited from a Taoist master. There is even a saying that it was taught by a Taoist immortal..."
In fact, Qiumu didn't take this statement seriously.
Many people would like to recognize a great ancestor for their own martial arts.
For example, in Qiao Mu's previous life, there were certain martial arts that worshipped Yue Wumu as their ancestor, or Bodhidharma as their ancestor. Basically, they were just big banners and should not be taken seriously.
Wang Songhe looked at him steadily.
After a long time, he finally spoke:
"The Martial Saint is a rare martial arts genius. He calls himself the Martial Saint and is known as the second best in the world, but no one dares to claim to be the best."
"Decades ago, he was already a first-rank warrior and a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and was implicitly considered the leader of the military officials in Dayan."
"However, even someone as strong as the Martial Saint suffered a tragic defeat in the Alien War. He fought to the last man, and the last 100,000 elite soldiers were annihilated by the Aliens, leaving only him alive."
"After returning from the battlefield with the aliens, he abandoned his official position and title to pursue the ultimate in martial arts. Thus, the Wuji Association was born."
"Such a person later went to personally seize the Qiao family's Longevity Fist, naturally because the Longevity Fist is extraordinary."
"As for the stranger..."
Wang Songhe looked at Qiao Mu in silence:
"The so-called aliens are not actually aliens. They are of the same origin as us."
Chapter 25 The So-called Alien
"The aliens are of the same origin as our human race? Then what makes them different?"
Qiao Mu was completely confused by what Wang Songhe said.
Before meeting Wang Songhe, he thought that the alien race that could defeat the Martial Saint might be a fighting race with three heads and six arms, and that could run horses on their fists.
After all, the Martial Saint is too strong.
Whether it was from the mouth of Qiao Canxue or from the mouth of the mysterious bandit king Song He, the Martial Saint was a martial arts giant of terrifying strength.
Now it seems that the extraordinary person who could defeat the Martial Saint was not what Qiao Mu imagined.
"Brother Qiao, this is not the place to talk. Come with me."
Wang Songhe led him forward while coughing up blood, and his physical condition seemed to be a little bad.
Qiao Mu originally thought that Wang Songhe would take him to some secret room to talk, but after walking around, he ended up in the Taoist temple in the center of the village.
The Taoist temple had long been in ruins, with mottled marks all over the walls and pots and pans piled up in the courtyard. It was obvious that it had been occupied by this group of bandits.
The halls and pavilions of the Taoist temple also became shelters for the bandits.
The only exception is the main temple where the statue of the deity is enshrined.
The main hall is much tidier than other places in the Taoist temple. Although the altar and other items are old and broken, there is not much dust on them, and it is obvious that someone cleans them regularly.
The statue behind the altar is a majestic immortal in white clothes and holding a wooden staff. The tablet on the altar reads "Qingmu Immortal".
When Qiao Mu walked in, a middle-aged couple just came in. They knelt down respectfully in front of the altar and lit three incense sticks on the altar.
When they saw Wang Songhe come in, the middle-aged couple greeted him with a smile, then turned and left.
"How does this place look like a bandit's den? It's just an ordinary mountain village, right?" Qiao Mu felt that something was wrong with the style of the painting.
Although Wang Songhe considered himself a bandit, what he did was perhaps more like the rebels at the end of ancient dynasties.
But he was a little puzzled. If Wang Songhe wanted to talk, why did he have to come to this Taoist temple to talk
Wang Songhe closed the front door of the main hall, leaving only him and Qiao Mu in the hall. The hall was silent except for the lingering smoke of three incense sticks.
At this point, he continued, "This so-called extraordinary person is actually not a big secret, but those who know it are keeping it a secret."
"Not only do aliens share the same origin as us humans, they also look the same as us, and their languages are also mutually intelligible, so there is no barrier for us to communicate with each other."
"Then what's so special about this strange person you're talking about?" Qiao Mu frowned.
Wang Songhe pressed his chest and said coldly:
"The difference is in the heart."
"The aliens possess great powers that surpass warriors, and they also distinguish themselves from ordinary people from the bottom of their hearts."
"Of course, aliens don't call themselves aliens."
"The term 'extraordinary man' is nothing more than a pretext used by the imperial court to deceive people."
Qiao Mu understood immediately and thought that if there was anything, just cover your mouth first.
Wang Songhe continued, "The aliens are extraordinary. They have great powers and long lifespans. Once their existence is confirmed by the world, they are often worshipped. They are simply beacons in the eyes of ordinary people."
"And this is just an appearance." Wang Songhe said solemnly:
"The mountain that towers over the world is the Great Yan Dynasty, and above the Great Yan Dynasty is the mountain of the aliens."
"The harsh policies and taxes imposed by the imperial court over the past few decades were caused by the war against aliens that the Martial Saint lost."
"The aliens are high and mighty, and they do not regard us humans as their own kind. We humans are merely resources and property in the eyes of the aliens."
"They raise a large number of humans as laborers, doing mining, farming, and planting. These laborers are also believers, and they have to worship them after working."
"From birth to death, from soul to body, mortals are providing resources and value to aliens, and they don't even realize it!"
"Aliens may seem glamorous, beautiful, and powerful, but every pore of their bodies is filled with the blood of mortals!"
What do you mean by bringing capitalists... Qiao Mu frowned as he listened.
He had been a worker who had received blessings in his previous life. After listening to what Wang Songhe said, he felt a strong sense of substitution and started to get angry.
It's just these excuses... He vaguely thought of something, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't figure it out.
"So what exactly are these strange people you are talking about?" Qiao Mu asked again.
Wang Songhe kept silent and just stood there with his back to him.
Qiao Mu asked again, but Wang Songhe remained indifferent.
The atmosphere has become so tense, are you going to keep us in suspense? Qiao Mu was about to complain, but suddenly he was cheered up.
Wang Songhe did not keep the person in suspense. He gave the answer from the very beginning, but Qiao Mu just turned a blind eye to it.
During the conversation just now, Wang Songhe had never faced him, but his eyes were fixed on a place in the main hall.
Qiao Mu followed Wang Songhe's gaze and saw a statue behind the altar. It was the Qingmu Immortal holding a wooden staff, looking down at them expressionlessly from behind the altar.