Chapter 419: Chapter 170: Twelve Years in the Blink of an Eye_3
After speaking, Brother Ling took his time drinking tea again.
The magistrate saw Brother Ling resting once more and curiously asked, "Brother Ling, aren’t we investigating today?"
"Not investigating." Brother Ling pointed to the tea across the table, "Today is for drinking tea."
"Alright..." The magistrate heard they weren’t investigating today, and inexplicably felt relieved.
Honestly, for him to investigate a good person and redress grievances for an obvious villain felt awkward.
Yet Brother Ling, with his exceptional hearing, laughed upon hearing him sigh,
"Regarding Young Hero Zhang, I’m investigating but never mentioned arresting him.
He rids harm for the people; I’m not foolish and clearly understand that.
Taking on his case, especially because I know you also despise evil, why not we do some facade to protect him.
Seeing as you really haven’t changed, still as much a foe to evil as ever."
Brother Ling said this and then suddenly sighed,
"Luckily I took charge, and here you preside.
Otherwise, falling into the hands of the prefect and other two captains, given their hostility towards Jianghu individuals, hmm..."
"I see!" The magistrate fully understood that Brother Ling was testing him before to see if he wanted to investigate.
Indeed, he wasn’t suited for officialdom.
He still preferred his previous life, being a retainer at the former Minister of Works’ place after stepping down.
Meanwhile.
Once Brother Ling finished his tea, he asked curiously,
"You mentioned Young Hero Zhang... Where did he go these years? How did he just disappear out of the blue?"
...
How he disappeared, nobody knew.
Yet within half a year after that, by chance, he stumbled upon some news about Zhang Feng’s background.
He learned Zhang Feng belonged to a small sect which was subsequently eliminated by the now prominent ’Hengxun Sect’.
This information came from the remaining member of that small sect who told him.
But because it involved Jianghu disputes.
Brother Ling didn’t meddle, nor could he.
Hengxun Sect contained an innate expert along with six pinnacle postnatal masters.
As an insignificant postnatal great success, he couldn’t stir much trouble.
The court wouldn’t seek justice for Zhang Feng either.
However, regarding this.
Brother Ling reckoned that Zhang Feng probably felt renowned and feared Hengxun Sect would root out any leftovers, hence went into hiding.
He thought this theory was quite plausible.
Yet where Zhang Feng had hidden, he couldn’t discover.
But years later, whenever he handled other cases, he’d occasionally search for Zhang Feng alone.
Besides searching for other criminals was investigated similarly.
This to him was simply asking about one more person.
Without realizing it.
Twelve years had passed.
The initial curious search turned into a subconscious habit.
...
Twelve years later.
The world hadn’t changed much.
Still enveloped in Jianghu struggles and court disputes.
Plus the never-ending Jianghu and court gossip in villages.
And in the sparsely populated border mountain forests.
Currently.
Beneath a large tree.
Zhang Feng was contemplating recent cultivation issues and restructuring Spiritual Qi around breakthroughs and dead ends.
Over these decade-plus years, Zhang Feng found numerous cultivation manuals, increasingly comprehending the world’s cultivation framework.
Additionally, in these past two years, Zhang Feng concluded.
Breakthroughs didn’t exist.
Given some more time, he could unravel them.
Forming a perfect leak-proof Spiritual Qi barrier.
Across a short distance.
A black bear was grilling fish, skillfully turning and handling them.
Through twelve years.
Though it still couldn’t speak, its thoughts and behavioral patterns were increasingly human-like.
It even grew to a fearsome three meters seven tall!
Equivalent to stacking two men 1.8 meters in height.
Moreover, the black bear was heftier, its arms as thick as an average waist.
Its waist surpassed village water urns in girth, roughly 150 centimeters.
Total weight reached a staggering 2.2 tons.
Real polar bears are about 2.8 meters tall, weighing 0.8 tons, though their fat percentage is high.
But Zhang Feng’s black bear has more muscle and bone density.
Especially its bone strength hitting a marked ’excessive’ level.
Now its bone ratio was 20%, weighing 0.4 tons.
Entirely an abnormal ’misfit’ according to biological mechanics.
Because normal living entities, leaving aside slimming efforts, should have bones making up 12%~18%.
Humans range from 12~15%, bears from 13~14%.
This one was nearly double.
Similarly, Zhang Feng’s physical body had long surpassed biological structures.
Bone ratio at 30%, pure bones weighing 220 pounds, and a reinforced ’condensation’ type.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t support exerting several tons worth of force.
But this black bear now unleashed nearly 4 tons of force.
Zhang Feng finally understood why ’Demon Cultivators’ were so formidable.
Their innate constitution advantages were enormous.
However, to train and form took too long.
Plus, the black bear had its flaws of being relatively slow in agility and being too large a target.
Even if it had a constitution around 210 or so.
Encountering a master wielding a ’force-breaking weapon’ around 150 or so would be rough.
Whereas Zhang Feng required only 80 in constitution, without needing force-breaking tools, bare-handed with Spiritual Qi forming blades, enough to break through and kill.
Through nurturing demons.
Zhang Feng gathered considerable understanding of his prowess in demon cultivation.
Meanwhile.
Zhang Feng pondered over matters while watching the black bear grilling fish.
Seeing its mountain-like towering form.
Thinking back on this bear he raised.
Zhang Feng cast a fatherly contented grin.
But smelling the grilled fish aroma.
Zhang Feng’s face turned stern, shouting toward the black bear:
"Qingshan, grilling too long will overcook it."
Qingshan, the name Zhang Feng gave the black bear, since the mountain there was called Qingshan.
"Roar roar." The black bear heard Zhang Feng and got up, moving its huge body, bringing the grilled fish over.
The fish was sizable, measuring half a meter long.
But in the black bear’s paws, it felt like holding a normal fish like in human hands.
Zhang Feng received the grilled fish and while eating glanced at drooling Qingshan.
’He’ resembled a disciple, obediently standing.
Zhang Feng saw drool run about a dozen drops from him, then chuckled,
"Silly bear, couldn’t you eat while grilling the fish? Total six fish, four are yours, yet you keep staring at mine?"
"Roar roar!" Qingshan innocently scratched its head with its paw, agreeing with its master.
Zhang Feng didn’t understand what it meant.
Despite it began spirit cultivation and started spiritual thoughts formally under Zhang Feng’s help two years ago.
But its control over Spiritual Qi was too low, insufficient to emit ’human voice’, nor could it manipulate qi vibrations for imitating ’human speech’.
Thus, Zhang Feng communicated by speaking, and the bear listening.
Then it nodded for ’yes, it understood’, shook its head for ’no, couldn’t, didn’t comprehend’.
As for scratching its head.
Zhang Feng yet didn’t understand.
Still, hidden practice had been ample.
Time to step out.
Boom...
After finishing several fish.
Zhang Feng sat crossed-legged atop Qingshan as it used all limbs, rumbling akin to a tank, charging straight out the forest, scattering nearby birds and wildlife.
Crash, tall and vast trees were easily knocked down by Qingshan, earth overturning.
At the moment Qingshan ran past.
Zhang Feng activated his spiritual thoughts, restoring trees, earth churns, everything returning to original state.
Qingshan dashed gleefully, mindlessly.
Zhang Feng speechlessly meditated.