"One hundred taels? That's the price for a third-rate thug!" Li Ling laughed. "A master of the Innate Realm can easily get a reward of fifty thousand taels for doing something for someone else!"
"Fifty thousand taels!" Zhao Yu'er couldn't help but exclaim, her face full of envy. "Are all the people of the Central Plains this rich?"
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Chapter 194: Zhao Yu'er Wants to Practice Martial Arts (Thanks to 'Yi Yun' for the donation)
“It’s not that the people of the Central Plains are rich, but that a master of innate cultivation is worth this much money!” Li Ling said.
"In the martial arts world, those with innate mastery are always among the top tier, no matter where they go. Moreover, martial artists are generally unruly, and very few would serve as henchmen for high-ranking officials and nobles."
These naturally skilled fighters, willing to become henchmen, pursue wealth and status. Therefore, to win over their followers, these high-ranking officials bestow upon these elite henchmen immeasurable riches; this group is incredibly wealthy!
At this moment, the young man who had just shown concern for Zhao Yu'er stood in front of Li Ling and said with an unfriendly expression, "Yu'er, don't listen to his nonsense. I've never even heard of that so-called innate master! It's just a load of rubbish!"
As he spoke, the young man glared fiercely at Li Ling: "Don't talk nonsense here, trying to seduce Yu'er, or I'll be very rude to you!"
"You're welcome?" Li Ling glanced at the young man and snorted, "You can try!"
"Hmph! You asked for this!" The young man looked at Li Ling's nonchalant expression and immediately threw a punch at him.
At this moment, Zhao Yu'er grabbed the young man and scolded, "Atu, stop fooling around!"
"Yu'er, don't stop me! I'm going to teach this brat a lesson!" The young man was indignant. He broke free from Zhao Yu'er and attacked Li Ling again.
Li Ling stood still, letting the other person punch him. Before the punch even touched Li Ling's clothes, the punch was repelled by Li Ling's protective aura and sent flying to the sand a dozen feet away.
"Bang!"
The young man was in great pain from the fall. If Li Ling hadn't deliberately held back his strength, the blow could have broken his arm or even killed him.
"Alright, let's leave it at that!" Li Ling ignored Atu, who had been knocked away, and turned to Zhao Yu'er, saying, "Miss Zhao, thank you for taking me to the market earlier. I should head back now."
"Why are you in such a hurry to go back now!" Zhao Yu'er didn't want Li Ling to leave and tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "We won the fight today and gained a lot. We're going to have some fun and celebrate. Why don't you come with us?"
"Don't be so hesitant." Seeing Li Ling's hesitation, Zhao Yu'er grabbed his shoulder and pulled him along, saying, "Come on, let me introduce you to some friends. Ah... watch out!"
A strong gust of wind swept past Li Ling from behind.
"Go to hell!" Behind Li Ling, the young man named Atu charged towards Li Ling.
Just now, when Atu saw Zhao Yu'er pulling at Li Ling, he was consumed by jealousy and pulled out his dagger, stabbing Li Ling in the back.
"You don't know what's good for you!"
Li Ling snorted coldly, turned around quickly, and activated his protective inner energy. Instantly, Atu's dagger was fixed a few inches in front of Li Ling.
"ah!"
Atu roared angrily, but even with all his strength, he couldn't move the dagger an inch.
"Bang!"
Li Ling's true energy surged slightly, instantly sending Atu flying again. With a flick of his finger, the dagger flipped over and landed in Li Ling's hand. Then, Li Ling used the dagger to make a light slash in front of Atu.
With a 'whoosh' sound, the sword energy cleaved a deep trench in the sand beside Atu, less than half an inch from Atu's ear as he fell to the ground.
"For Miss Zhao's sake, I'll spare your life this time. But if you dare to lay a hand on me again, watch out for your life!"
Li Ling's voice wasn't loud, but it made Atu's head spin and he felt a headache coming on. He quickly replied, "I understand, I understand!"
"Wow! You're really that amazing!" Zhao Yu'er was also taken aback by Li Ling's series of performances.
Li Ling smiled slightly and pouted, saying, "What, do you also think I'm just bragging?"
"Who told you to make it sound so mysterious? It's hard for me to believe you!" Zhao Yu'er said incredulously.
"In the desert, I have never seen anyone as powerful as you. I never imagined that you, who don't look strong at all, are actually so amazing!"
Li Ling nodded: "Indeed, there are almost no internal martial arts masters in the desert, let alone innate masters."
However, in the Western Regions, there was a peerless master who, along with my grandfather Yi Yun, was one of the three greatest masters in the world. He later fought my grandfather in a duel that lasted seven hours, and in the end, he broke both of my grandfather's legs.
"There are such powerful people in the Western Regions? I've never heard of them before. So you came to the desert to find this person in the Western Regions?" Zhao Yu'er asked with curiosity.
"Of course not!" Li Ling said, "My martial arts skills are at most comparable to my grandfather's back then. That person was able to defeat my grandfather decades ago, and I don't know how much his martial arts skills have improved since then. I'm afraid I'm no match for him now. I came to the desert on other important matters!"
Li Ling knew that before mastering the Eight Swords Flying Together, the eighth form, he was unlikely to be a match for the Carefree King, provided he did not use his mental powers.
He had no immediate intention of fighting the Carefree King. At this point, Li Ling changed the subject and said, "Alright, stop talking about me. Since we're celebrating, include me in the celebration. Let me see what a banquet in your desert is like."
"Okay, I'll let you try my roasted lamb leg!"
"Is that so? Then I must try Miss Zhao's cooking."
...
Zhao Yu'er lived in a small, tribal settlement with about two or three hundred people, whose leader was Zhao Yu'er's mother.
A feast was being held in the tribe. The young women of the tribe danced around the campfire to the music. Zhao Yu'er sat next to Li Ling, poured him a bowl of wine, and said, "Come on, let's drink this bowl together!"
"Okay!" Since the girl was so forthright, Li Ling didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the bowl and took a sip, but then he frowned.
This spicy liquor was completely different from the mellow white wine. It was the first time he had ever tasted it in this life, so he was a little unaccustomed to it.
Seeing his expression, Zhao Yu'er said, "You haven't tasted this wine before, have you? It's mare's milk wine from our desert, different from the wine in your Central Plains. How does it taste?"
"Yes, it's my first time drinking it, and I'm not quite used to it yet," Li Ling said without any pretense.