Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 425 - 379: The Strong Prevail over the Weak, the Dragon-Slaying Youth

Chapter 425: Chapter 379: The Strong Prevail over the Weak, the Dragon-Slaying Youth

Zhou Ping’an vaulted over the city wall, becoming a wisp of green smoke in his passage, and noticed several patrolling Police Security officers in the distance had not reacted at all, nor had they spotted him, prompting him to sigh involuntarily.

He thought to himself that the martial defense in Dongjiang was still a bit weak.

It could only defend against forces below Grade A, and facing an invasion of S-class strength was tantamount to having no defense at all.

There was no helping it.

Cultivating his own force was something that couldn’t be rushed and would need to be taken step by step.

The key was his own strength, which certainly needed a good boost.

As his consciousness sank into the space, he sensed the ten starlight twinkling beads on the thatched cottage’s table and felt a slight heat in his heart.

How many bones could one bead allow him to refine quickly?

Would it be five, or would it be six...

"I’ve only refined nine [Starry Bones] in my right hand, and although the strength in my grip and the bones’ resistance to shock have both increased several times, I have not formed a combined force, so the marvelous aspects within are still not being brought into play," he mused.

Looking down at his palms, he thought back to when he caught the strikes from the Ancient Tomb’s Ten Man General, his finger bones were completely unharmed, but his metacarpals and the bones in his palms had already cracked and shattered.

The force of the residual impact caused his wrists, forearms, upper arms, and even his shoulder bones to break like wooden sticks.

That powerful and majestic force even broke through his chest cavity, shaking his entire body.

If not for his exceedingly mystical Stepping Technique, covering a hundred meters in one step, and his flawless execution of the Sword Technique, instantly dissipating seven or eight tenths of the force,

it’s very likely that even his whole body would have been shattered.

From this, it was clear that when facing the Ten Man General’s all-out attack, his own strength was still considerably lacking.

This was quite unscientific.

"Could it be that after I instantly killed eight armored soldiers, I triggered some mechanism?

As a result, the Ten Man General received a boost from the Formation’s power," he speculated.

Thinking back to when the ancient tomb’s dome was trembling with starlight, where his blade’s light instantly became grand and vast,

Zhou Ping’an vaguely remembered that Yu Changlie had once said that a grandmaster level expert could have his Martial Intent Reach Heaven, sense Heaven and Earth’s Divine Opportunity, invoke the forces of heaven and earth to attack, and increase the power by tenfold.

It seemed, the attack of the Ten Man General also had a bit of this meaning.

Indeed, no matter which path one takes, all roads lead to Rome, whether in battle it’s leveraging the body’s strength, the mind’s power, or the force of heaven and earth.

The strong overcome the weak, the many suppress the few...

This is the way of military tactics, and naturally, the same is true of contests of strength.

Now the situation is such that, if only his limbs’ bones could all be turned into "Starry Bone" in a short period of time, his relative combat power would undoubtedly multiply several times over.

Not to mention whether it would be safe to continue exploring the Ancient Tomb... just considering the other world, facing the assault of demon beasts from the Southern Barbarians, and the possible retaliation from the Red Lotus Sect, he would be much more at ease.

In whichever world, whether one can ensure a good life for oneself is determined not just by looks but ultimately by strength.

Although eager to return to cultivate, Zhou Ping’an first hurried to the Guanhai Building.

Since it was the afternoon and the weather was fine, the bustling streets were filled with people coming and going.

Perhaps having heard the commotion,

in front of the doors of the Guanhai Building, as well as farther down at the street corners, were easily hundreds to thousands of people, each discussing fervently.

Some people looked incredibly alarmed, exhibiting an anxious and disillusioned sentiment as if the end of the world had arrived.

Others were not worried at all; instead, they were excitedly discussing the gossip they had heard or seen earlier.

"I always felt that the Hongguang Group’s monopoly, with all the Genetic Beast Materials outside the city, had to go through their hands so they could skim a profit.

We risk our lives outside the city, and they sit back and reap the profits, which is truly infuriating."

"Being angry is useless. They have connections in the higher echelons, and that’s why they get to make that money.

Besides, even if we kept the materials for ourselves, we wouldn’t have the qualifications or the equipment to produce a strength-enhancing potion...

Even if we wanted to eat meat, we couldn’t completely purify it and would have to worry about our bodies being affected and undergoing Alienation."

"Everything is going to get better... haven’t you heard that Dongjiang Police Security is now under the control of [Zhou, King of Hell]?

He doesn’t handle things the same way; to him, whether they’re nobles or the wealthy, everyone is equal under his blade."

"Who knows? Haven’t you ever heard the tale of the dragon slayer boy who eventually becomes the dragon himself?

He might seize control of the Genetic Beast Material market from Hongguang Group, but whether he’ll genuinely act in our interest remains unknown. Who would ever complain about having too much money? Isn’t that the truth?"

"Brother Ping’an would never do that; he’s not that kind of person," one retorted.

A few rugged men were fervently discussing the fate of the nation and its people.

Suddenly, an abrupt crisp voice came in disputing their conversation.

Feeling a sense of displeasure that someone was interrupting them, they were about to snap back.

But when they turned and caught sight of who it was, they were taken aback.

It turned out that not far from them, two very young girls were watching the commotion with great interest.

One girl, about eighteen or nineteen, had a round face and pleasing features, and she was dressed in a loose Police Security uniform, without a gun.

The other, however, looked about fifteen or sixteen, delicate and graceful, exuding a youthful vibrance.

The one who spoke was the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl on the left.

Even with furrowed brows in anger, she radiated a charm that was overwhelmingly adorable.

The burly man took one look at her and unconsciously swallowed, his mindless words almost slipping out, but then he suddenly came to his senses, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.

Without even considering the identity of the round-faced girl in the Police Security uniform,

Just the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old high school girl did not seem to be from an ordinary family...

Her refined and gentle demeanor, her confident argumentation, if she didn’t come from a background, who would believe it?

’Out in the world, you need to have brains and you must discern well, or you won’t live long.’

That thought crossed his mind.

The burly middle-aged man quickly offered a conciliatory smile, "Yes, yes, yes, I was just joking around. Consider me having spoken out of turn."

After saying that, seeing the two girls no longer holding onto the issue, he quickly wormed his way into the crowd, not daring to say more.

Zhou Ping’an had just approached the Guanhai Building when he witnessed this scene and shook his head with a wry smile.

It was quite normal for Song Qiaoqiao to be here.

She was someone who loved to watch the excitement and who feared neither heaven nor earth.

Wherever there was trouble, she would surely be there.

However, as a trainee for Police Security, he didn’t know why Tang Tang hadn’t taken her along for action, and furthermore, hadn’t even equipped her with a small handgun.

Was this because they feared she would recklessly rush into battle, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth?

On the other hand, how did Sun Lishu end up mixing with Song Qiaoqiao?

And they almost got into an argument with someone, no less.

Yet, the girl’s heart, untainted by any ulterior motives, did warm his own quite a bit.

"Actually, there’s no need to pay attention to what others say, babbling a few more words about you won’t cause you to lose any flesh from your bones,"

said Zhou Ping’an with a smile as he walked closer.

"Big Brother Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Sun Lishu turned her head in amazement. Seeing Zhou Ping’an, she nearly rushed forward to cling to his arm.

After taking a couple of steps, realizing they were in a public place, she promptly stopped in her tracks, clutched the hem of her dress, and said bashfully, "I didn’t mean to argue with them on purpose. I just couldn’t stand them slandering Big Brother Zhou and saying you are greedy for money. It really made me angry.

"If you really had conducted yourself like those capitalists, you wouldn’t have let the Taihe Group be manipulated by others at that time, but would have held everything firmly in your hands..."

Uh...

Was it that I didn’t want to get involved?

Back then, I lacked the connections and power. Real estate and factory lands and such—I couldn’t have taken them even if I wanted to.

However, you might not know that I did get a box of gold from Chen Guangyuan.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping’an was profoundly moved.

Was this the towering image he held in the young girl’s eyes?

"So Lishu, do you also think it’s right not to take control of the company?" Naturally, he couldn’t let slip any secrets at this moment, but he was curious to hear what Sun Lishu thought.

Due to the actual alliance, the administration of Dongjiang was now essentially handed over to Councilman Sun.

Dongjiang Governor Wei Changhe had nearly become a figurehead.

It was difficult for him not to become a figurehead, as with Zhou Ping’an watching over him, there was nothing he could do.

Especially after a brush with life and death, he had become indifferent to many matters and adopted the attitude of someone about to retire, which saved Zhou Ping’an a great deal of trouble.

Although he counted as an ally, and Councilman Sun Changzhi was someone he had supported into power,

Zhou Ping’an was nevertheless keen to hear Sun Lishu’s thoughts—perhaps in some aspects, they represented her father’s inclinations.

Sun Lishu tilted her head in thought for a moment, "It’s not exactly like that either. Big Brother Zhou is meant for bigger things and doesn’t like dealing with the small stuff.

"It’s just that if you don’t intervene, others naturally will. It’s better to profit yourself than to let others benefit. It’s also good to reorganize the chaos this way and shape the market into what you want it to be."

Though the young girl’s words were quite idealistic and sounded like the slogans some politicians use to deceive people,

Zhou Ping’an knew that she truly thought this way and that it wasn’t a case of saying one thing while thinking another.

He thought about it, and indeed, that was the case.

If it had been in the past, he might have worried about balancing various forces and wouldn’t have wanted to be too greedy in Dongjiang, to avoid attracting unknown troubles.

But now, it didn’t matter anymore.

Having coerced even Dongjiang Governor Wei Changhe and taken full control of the Police Security forces, he was also confident in suppressing the battlefield forces.

As long as the higher-ups didn’t resort to unconventional forces, he truly had nothing to fear.

So there was no need to maintain appearances while simultaneously keeping up the facade.

It was better to be open and aboveboard.

If he wanted something, he would take it.

He believed that Councilman Sun Changzhi would turn a blind eye and wouldn’t say an extra word about this matter, so as not to harm their relationship.

"Not bad, not bad, Lishu, you’ve gotten smarter."

Zhou Ping’an reached out and ruffled the girl’s hair, which prompted a big reproachful glare.

As if she wasn’t smart in the first place.

"Hey hey hey, what about me?"

Song Qiaoqiao was hopping around beside them, frantic like a monkey.

The two were talking as if she didn’t exist—it was a blow to her pride.

"I see you, why aren’t you on duty with your unit?" Zhou Ping’an didn’t have much interest in disciplining this spirited cousin on Tang Tang’s behalf.

When he took her to lure the assassin last time, he realized that she had no fear of the world and was too bold.

Letting her out on a mission would probably lead to problems.

It was better to let her maintain that sprightly girl demeanor and be cheerfully unconcerned each day.

That was also why she wasn’t allowed to carry a gun.

Anyway, everyone knew her identity, and nobody dared to provoke her.

"Let’s go see what President Huang Shicheng had eaten, bear heart or leopard gall, to be so foolish as to even think of targeting me?"

...