Returning from the Immortal World
Page 170Chapter 170: Traveling Across the Road Ruled by Might
The economic development of Cangbei City was ordinary. Although it should be at the same urban classification level with Star City, the development and construction of its urban area and districts were far inferior than Star City. Even though the woman driver took Tang Xiu to the city’s best five-star hotel, but after he entered the hotel, he felt that the hotel was not even up to the four-star standard.
Certainly, the price here was also a lot cheaper.
Both sides of Cangbei City were encircled by hills as well as water. Obviously, this caused its geographical location in the mainland to be slightly remote. In the early morning of the next day, Tang Xiu had a breakfast in the hotel’s dining hall after he took a bath, after which, he met the woman driver’s taxi who came to pick him up.
“How long do we need to travel to Qingshan Town from here?” Tang Xiu asked.
“Nearly two and a half hours. Although the distance isn’t that far, the road is quite rough. The government has been shouting all day, saying that a road from here to there will be built. It’s been a couple of years already, I think. And yet, they haven’t done anything. If the road is smooth, such a distance of a hundred to two hundred kilometers should be easy to reach within a little more than an hour’s driving.” The woman driver said with a smile.
Tang Xiu nodded slightly. After he thought for a moment, he suddenly asked, “I heard that there’s a Sky Cavern there, is it real?”
For a moment, the woman driver was surprised. Then, she seemed to immediately awaken as she scrutinized Tang Xiu’s eyes afterward. With a beaming smile, she then said with a smile, “Little Brother, I presume you’re going to Qingshan Town in order to visit the Sky Cavern, aren’t you? You’ve got to listen to Big Sis, don’t throw yourself into danger there! This Sky Cavern is located in the remote area of the mountains and ancient forest. The mountain pathway is very steep, with vipers and beasts preying around as well as filled with miasma and swamps. A lot of people had ventured into the mountains, and they never came out! And every year, the next visitors find the bones of the dead, a lot.”
Tang Xiu curiously said, “This Primeforest Mountain Range is a kind of large mountain range in the country, then why the local government hasn’t thought to develop it into a scenic site? Nowadays, in every part of our country, if one place has only a bit of scenic site, the authority wantonly builds tourist attractions there. In the hope to attract a large number of home and foreign tourists to help improving the economic development of the region. Why wouldn’t Cangbei City exploit this capital they have?”
The woman driver replied with a forced smile, “Well, I tell you three words that would be the most appropriate to describe the authority in Cangbei City.”
“Huh? Which three words?” Tang Xiu asked.
“DO NOT ACT!”
The woman driver bluntly said.
Tang Xiu couldn’t help but laugh. The woman driver said it in a simple manner, but the meaning brought along with her expression was very vivid and made him lament. In regard to this point, he recalled the remark Yuan Chuling had told him, for which he could clearly remember it vividly until now:
“In regards to government officials, they’re not worried having voracious corrupt acts. Just like all the crows in the world, they’re all sort of blackened as this is what is required to be promoted in their organization. If one wanted to stay clean and not become corrupted themselves, whoever they are, they would find themselves in difficult predicament. Some of these corrupt officials are but only executing the orders of their bosses, while some others are doing it out of their own interests. Of these two types of bureaucrats, the latter is the most loathsome.”
Tang Xiu didn’t want to continue chatting about the issues with the local government, so he smiled and shook his head as he shifted his vision to the outside of the window. The taxi drove very fast, and it only took half an hour to leave Cangbei City downtown into the country road. Without spending much effort, they already arrived at the end of the fairly wide road, as the rough graveled road was seen in front.
The woman driver clearly wasn’t the solitary type. Not long after their conversation ended, she started talking again.
Tang Xiu, on the other hand, didn’t want to chat anymore. As he sat in the back row and looked at the woman driver driving, he said, “I want to rest for a while. Wake me up when we have arrived at Qingshan Town.”
“Ah, you’re going to sleep? You didn’t have a good rest last night?” The woman driver was surprised and asked.
“Mmm!” Tang Xiu hummed, confirming it.
The woman driver said with a laugh, “Ah, right. It was already past 10 PM when you arrived in Cangbei City last night. Checking into the hotel, having a bath and then hitting the bunk, you were only able to sleep till 12 AM. And you had to get up early in the morning as well, so it would be strange if you don’t feel sleepy. Anyways, take your rest until this Big Sis shouts to wake you up, Little Brother!”
“Thanks a bunch!”
Tang Xiu replied and then slowly shut his eyes.
He did sleep very late last night. It wasn’t at 12 AM but around 2 or 3 AM. After all, no matter how busy he was everyday, he was determined to allocate some time to cultivate. Although the increase of Star Force inside his body wasn’t too much, he could still accumulate it, albeit quite slowly. One day, as the conditions were ripe, he would naturally be successful and breakthrough to the Skin Strengthening Late Stage.
Time passed by…
The sudden sound of brakes made Tang Xiu abruptly awake from his deep sleep.
“Ugh, what happened?”
Tang Xiu’s body was thrown to the front. If it weren’t for his fast reaction, he would’ve had his head bump into the back of the front seat. After opening his eyes, he frowned and immediately asked.
The woman driver’s complexion had turned white as a restless expression could be seen from her eyes. With an astringent expression, she turned her head and replied, “We’re in bad luck! I didn’t expect that we’d encounter road robbers in this broad daylight.”
Tang Xiu looked at the outside through the window. He immediately saw that three vans were surrounding the taxi after it stopped. There were also four or five big stones blocking the road about seven or eight meters in front of the taxi.
Looking at the surrounding environment, Tang Xiu quickly figured out. The road had a three fork junction in front and the three vans should have long been parked on both sides of the junction, waiting for the passing cars. As soon as the car passed by, they would immediately drive inside and outflank the car to stop it. And those four or five stones were probably thrown on the road for this temporary use.
“The local government really doesn’t act!”
Sighing inside, Tang Xiu was in fact, not feeling very anxious. As he watched brawny men rushing out of the three vans with knives in their hands, he calmly said, “You wait in the car, I’ll go out and see them.”
The woman driver hastily said, “Little Brother, don’t rush at them. These people usually only want money. As long as you give them money, your safety will be guaranteed. But if you resist them, they won’t hesitate to ruthlessly smash you!”
Tang Xiu didn’t reply. He opened the door and got off. And then looked at the fierce looking big men as he said, “You’re waylaying the road, playing the robbers?”
In front of more than ten big men was a bald man with a thick gold chain around his neck and a grim knife scar on his left cheek that looked like a centipede. He was holding a mountain knife, as he grimly laughed and said, “Hehe, you kid knows our business eh? Since you know that we’re waylaying here, then be obedient and take out all of your money and valuables. Perhaps, you’ll make us brothers happy and you’ll save yourselves from broken legs!”
For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent. Then, he slowly said, “Have you ever heard the saying that, the wicked will be grounded by the evil?”
The bald big guy stared blankly for a second, and then burst into laughter immediately before he replied, “You mean, you’re also the evil? And you must give us the lesson or something?”
Tang Xiu raised his thumb up and praised with a sigh, “Ah, since you can understand it well, so I presume you’re a smart one. But it’s a pity, though. The path you took is not a good one, and your brain is filled with crooked ideas. Today, on the behalf of your parents, I will help them educate you well. So as to make you completely redeem your wrongdoings and help their prodigal sons turn a new leaf in life.”
“Pfft… Hahaha…”
The dozens of big men and the baldy big guy were laughing wildly. Even some big men around were also smiling amidst their laughter, looking at Tang Xiu as if they were looking at an idiot.
After a long while, the baldy big guy stopped laughing. He watched Tang Xiu while hooking his fingers and said with a smile, “Kid, do you know what people call me? The Scarblade Qiang! Even the people on the street call me Big Brother Qiang! How is it? Have you heard the name of this Big Brother?”
Whilst shaking his head, Tang Xiu replied, “I’m just a country bumpkin and have shallow experience. The name doesn’t ring a bell, truly. Are you that famous?”
One of the big guys grinned and said with a smile, “Famous? Far more than famous! Brother Qiang absolutely has a reputation outside. You’re very tactful kid. You know yourself as being a country bumpkin so it’s natural that you didn’t know.”
“Nah, I gotta refute your words. I don’t think he’s really famous. You wanna know why?” Tang Xiu said and shook his head.
“Huh? Why?” The big guy replied with a puzzled expression.
“You punk! You’re specially courting your own death!” The big guy flew into a rage and pointed his knife toward Tang Xiu.
The Scarblade Qiang waved his hand to stop the big guy. As he narrowed his eyes to scrutinize Tang Xiu, he lightly said, “Kid, I admire your balls, really. Facing and talking so frankly with us with such confidence, that means you’re not ordinary. Are you also one of us? Tell these Brothers your name.”
“I told you that I come from the countryside, didn’t I?” Tang Xiu said.
The Scarblade Qiang looked deeply at Tang Xiu’s eyes. As a bit of fiendish-looking grin appeared on his face, he said, “You had the opportunity, but you didn’t take it. If so, we brothers will be polite no longer. Take out all of your belongings, and drag out that driver in the cab also! All of you must take out all of your money to pay out. Else, you’ll have yourself drown in a bloody disaster today!”
With a cold and detached expression, Tang Xiu replied, “I throw these words back to you! Gimme all of your riches, else don’t blame me if I fuck you up! Also, take off the dog chain on your neck, your wrist watch, and give all of your money and valuables to me!”
Scarblade Qiang blankly stared for a moment, and even the ten big men around were also dumbfounded.
However, within just a few seconds later, they reacted. As anger hung on the face of each and every one of them, they aggressively swarmed over toward Tang Xiu.
A cold and grim expression emerged on Tang Xiu’s face. Looking at the slashing knife that was coming at his face, his feet flashed and instantly avoided it by a hair. His fist at the same time hit the bridge of the man’s nose. Even though he didn’t use much strength, but the punch was enough to smash the man’s nose.
“Peng, peng…”
Tang Xiu was as though a brave tiger, whilst those big men were as soft as lambs. When a tiger ran into a flock of lambs, the end result was naturally obvious.
Within just seven or eight breaths, the dozens of big men had already been knocked down by Tang Xiu. Each and every one of them was as though a curling shrimp on the ground, wailing and screaming in pain.
Scarblade Qiang hadn’t yet acted. Now, he was the only one who was still perfectly intact and standing. His pupils were contracted, while an expression of disbelief flashed from his eyes as he stared tightly at Tang Xiu as if he was looking at a terrifying monster.
He had seen a lot of martial arts masters, but such a frightening one he had never seen before! At this moment, he even suspected himself that if he wasn’t dreaming right now, then, could it be Tang Xiu in front of him was a retired special forces’ soldier? A super soldier commando?