Chapter 17: The Royal Brain (Fixed)

With their hunger satisfied, the group resumed their journey of escape. Before leaving, Leader Cai shared information about Qingya County with the village chief, advising him to stay vigilant and flee at the first sign of trouble. Unfortunately, neither the village chief nor most villagers took it seriously.

They were accustomed to life here and wouldn’t hastily abandon their homes based on Leader Cai’s words. They would wait for further confirmation before considering any departure.

Leader Cai didn’t press the matter further; after all, his concerns were merely speculation. It was possible that those raiders might cease after burning down Qingya County.

To Leader Cai, the notion of a rebellion seemed like an outright joke.

As the leader of the largest bandit gang near Qingya County, he would have undoubtedly known if genuine rebels were operating nearby. Thus, without even needing proof, he suspected something amiss with the events in Qingya County. However, being just a bandit chief with little influence, knowing this served no purpose as it couldn’t alter the larger situation.

The world had always been this corrupt.

The imperial court’s ban on martial arts meant ordinary people could never access true power. All they could do was comply and struggle for survival.

Before becoming a bandit, Leader Cai was once an honest farmer himself. Only when life became unbearable did he resort to joining the mountains as a bandit. Initially, Fierce Tiger Stronghold consisted of just him and his brothers. Over time, as more people found it impossible to survive, the stronghold gradually grew.

At its core, the Fierce Tiger Stronghold was merely a group of hard-living individuals, akin to stray dogs.

They had no access to formal martial training and could only rely on trial and error to hone their skills.

This explained why after witnessing Chen Luo’s display of martial prowess, everyone at Fierce Tiger Stronghold immediately trusted him. In their eyes, anyone knowledgeable in martial arts was considered nobility!

“Brother Chen, would you be interested in joining our Fierce Tiger Stronghold? If you’re willing, I’ll gladly step aside and let you lead.”

After walking a short distance, Leader Cai slowed down, approached Chen Luo, and whispered the offer.

Leader Cai was shrewd. Having seen Chen Luo’s martial abilities, plans began forming in his mind. For him and the Fierce Tiger Stronghold, a martial arts expert represented opportunity!

If Chen Luo agreed to join, surrendering leadership would be a small price to pay.

The prospect of truly mastering power is something none of the brothers in the stronghold would refuse.

“For now, I’m not considering that, thank you, Brother Cai.”

However, Chen Luo shook his head and declined.

During their brief rest, he had utilized Wei-gonggong’s mind to refine his understanding of the Black Tiger Fist, gaining new insights. The deceased eunuch’s aptitude far surpassed that of the jianghu wanderers Chen Luo had encountered before. Had it not been for his preoccupation with power struggles hindering his cultivation, Chen Luo might not have stood a chance against him.

He now had a clear plan.

Once they escaped this predicament, he would find a safe place for Third Uncle and himself. There, he intended to leverage his newly acquired ‘minds’ to further hone the Black Tiger Fist technique.

Especially the brain from the imperial descendant.

Until now, he hadn’t dared to use it, sensing that it was fundamentally different from all the jianghu wanderer minds he’d previously accessed. It could potentially reveal a completely new path for him, and with luck, even help him directly breakthrough to the third stage of Bone Tempering.

Due to this intuition, Chen Luo refrained from using it hastily. In such unstable circumstances, risking a missed opportunity could be a significant loss.

After traveling half a day more, they finally emerged from the narrow country paths onto better roads.

At this point, the Fierce Tiger Stronghold group needed to take a detour.

The Fierce Tiger Stronghold also had a base near Yanhu County, guarded by their people. Like cunning rabbits with multiple burrows, these bandits exemplified this strategy, making it no wonder that the authorities struggled to eradicate them.

“Brother Chen, if you ever change your mind, Fierce Tiger Stronghold will always welcome you,” Leader Cai said with evident reluctance.

Being outlaws, they naturally couldn’t enter the city. Upon reaching this location, Chen Luo and his uncle found temporary safety. With the immediate threat gone, Chen Luo planned to secure lodging first and take time to fully absorb his recent gains.

“Certainly,” Chen Luo replied with a courteous farewell gesture.

Setting aside their status as bandits, Leader Cai was quite decent—a man of loyalty and brotherhood, albeit lacking somewhat in strength.

After parting ways with the group from Fierce Tiger Stronghold, Chen Luo and Third Uncle settled down in the nearest Fan Village.

This village was the closest settlement to Yanhu County.

Upon arrival, Chen Luo and his uncle rented the most secluded house from the local elder, finding a temporary refuge.

“Once things calm down, we should visit our village. After such significant events in Qingya County, Da-ge and the others must be worried again.” Third Uncle cooked some food, brought it inside, and placed it on the table.

The “Dage” he mentioned was Chen Luo’s father.

Life in the village was arduous; year-round labor in the fields often yielded insufficient food to even have a single satisfying meal. Unable to endure this hardship any longer, Chen Luo’s father sent his son to the city, entrusting him to Third Uncle for support.

In the past, Third Uncle

‘The Black Tiger Fist should not be practiced this way.’

As he recalled the cultivation method for the Black Tiger Fist, a sudden realization emerged in his mind.

The boxing technique, refined by over a hundred jianghu practitioners’ brains, now appeared riddled with

The strength remained unchanged, and the boxing technique was still the same. Yet, his power had nearly doubled unexpectedly!

After utilizing the Royal Brain, Chen Luo felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. Overwhelmed by an indescribable weariness, he forgot about further training and collapsed onto his bed, instantly falling asleep.

Morning came after a restful night.

Upon waking up, Chen Luo felt refreshed and invigorated. The lingering injuries from his encounter with Wei-gonggong and others in Qingya County were completely healed. His inner qi surged more actively, and his mind became exceptionally clear. The bottlenecks he had encountered while learning the Black Tiger Fist suddenly resolved themselves.

“Does the Royal Brain have some special enhancement?”

Chen Luo pondered momentarily.

All brains should be similar, so why did the Royal Brain differ significantly from others? Could there be something unique within it that he couldn’t perceive?

For instance… spiritual roots!

PS: Thank you for ProofReadUrTranslations to inform us that there is incomplete translation!