Heavenly King Lin is indeed a heroic figure in the worldly society, who suddenly encounters Xu Qing on the official ship, and without a clear understanding of the situation, he steps toward Xu Qing after a moment of shock.
This step, seemingly nonchalant, actually caused a thunderous sound as soon as it landed on the deck, making the wooden boards beneath ripple like waves, causing the entire deck to shudder, and the government officials from the Inspection Office on board staggered unprepared.
Even the martial monks from Golden Ray Monastery showed a look of alarm.
With hands clasped in prayer, Fayue maintained a strict expression.
With his insight, he could tell that the prowess of the robust man before him was possibly unmatched by anyone in Golden Ray Monastery in terms of strength.
Such a character is indeed born with exceptional talents.
Although the cultivation of Martial Arts indeed involves realms like Muscle Training, Bone Training, and Refining Internal, personal talent still plays a significant role in actual combat.
For example, a Bone Strengthening Martial Artist of ordinary talent is most likely no match for a Muscle Training Practitioner with exceptional talent.
Someone naturally endowed with divine strength, even if you improve your constitution and increase your strength through Bone Training, might still outclass the casual results of your opponent’s Muscle Training.
These people are often naturally fierce generals on the battlefield.
As the saying goes, ’A thousand troops are easy to get, a general is hard to find,’ and it probably refers to people like the one before us.
At the same time, Heavenly King Lin’s Qi-Blood was stimulated.
It was only now that Xu Qing realized the great oppression that a Martial Artist’s Qi-Blood could have on the Divine Soul, which was even more terrifying than he had expected.
He found himself unable to leave his body through his soul for a while.
"Cultivating Dao Skills indeed seems susceptible to suppression by Martial Arts Qi-Blood," Xu Qing lamented to himself.
This was to be expected.
If Dao Skills were not restrained by Martial Arts, then sects like Lotus Sect and Luo Sect would have dominated long ago.
However, Xu Qing still harbored a doubt: what about those who cultivate both Martial Arts and Dao Skills? Wouldn’t they have the best of both worlds? Could there be someone who has mastered both to the peak?
Although Xu Qing himself managed to cultivate both Magic and Martial Arts due to a cheat, true geniuses do exist in the world.
He vaguely felt that at the profound levels, there must be contradictory conflicts between Martial Arts and Dao Skills, making it difficult to achieve mastery in both simultaneously.
As his thoughts flashed by, Xu Qing saw Heavenly King Lin step forward without retreating; he boldly approached and spoke to the surrounding soldiers and government officials: "Put down your weapons; this is a friend from the worldly society."
Xu Qing’s status was unique at the moment; whether it was the Inspection Office or the soldiers, they were willing to follow his commands.
As for the martial monks of Golden Ray Monastery, they refrained from any rash actions under Fayue’s hint.
Wu Xun’an, seeing such a powerful figure approaching, naturally did not step forward.
He knew his own limits; facing these lawless heroes of the worldly society, he could only hold them back.
You say you are an Imperial Censor, representing the Court, one of the four major heads in the Civil Servant hierarchy of South Zhili Province? What use is that?
These people are lawless, after all!
Well, as lawless as they might be, they probably still wouldn’t dare make a move.
Better safe than sorry.
"Trust in fates; believe in karma!"
Seeing Xu Qing taking initiative, Heavenly King Lin also breathed a sigh of relief.
He still trusted Xu Qing’s character.
Honestly, with so many people on the ship, even if he could defeat their leader, it was uncertain whether he could make it out unscathed from so many attackers.
People on the ship feared him, and Heavenly King Lin himself was not without trepidation, otherwise, he wouldn’t start with such an intimidating move.
Damn it! He heard from Zhao Bao earlier that the ship carrying smuggled salt was just an ordinary official ship with not many people and no real experts. He didn’t expect to encounter such a scene upon boarding.
Had it not been for seeing Xu Qing, his first move would have been to seize the leader to ensure his safety.
"Brother Lin, let’s talk over there," Xu Qing thought quickly and figured out why Heavenly King Lin was there.
Apparently, their rendezvous point for receiving goods was also where Heavenly King Lin planned a raid; what a coincidence!
So quickly, Heavenly King Lin must have handled the Salt Gang’s transfer point smoothly.
Now, Xu Qing held an even higher esteem for Heavenly King Lin’s formidable capabilities.
Once aside, Heavenly King Lin first asked, "Brother Gongming, how come you are here?"
Xu Qing then explained the situation to Heavenly King Lin.
After listening, Heavenly King Lin felt it truly was a coincidence and let go of much of his worries.
He inwardly regretted that initially, he wanted to swallow up the whole shipload of smuggled salt, but now with Xu Qing here...
Understanding Heavenly King Lin’s thoughts, Xu Qing, in a short time, had a contingency plan in mind, they underwent a cordial and friendly negotiation.
The fish market definitely couldn’t consume all the smuggled salt, and Wu Xun’an still needed to claim achievements to his superiors, so it was decided that the salt on board mostly couldn’t be tampered with.
Also, according to regulations, a portion of the Salt Introduction had to be turned over.
The loot and bodies on the island captured by Heavenly King Lin also needed to be divided.
Conveniently, Xu Qing had previously seized some Crossbow Arrows, adding to his own share of the profits in Heavenly King Lin’s operation this time.
After a friendly exchange for a while, confirming the general distribution of benefits, Heavenly King Lin returned to the island. However, he spoke righteously of the moral codes of the worldly society, safeguarding Zhao Bao once at Xu Qing’s place.
Zhao Bao is castrated, with neither children nor descendants; Xu Qing was not worried about potential revenge from his family. Moreover, his greatest crisis had no connection with Zhao Bao.
At present, Zhao Bao could not even affect the dark Qi of his Qi Fortune, considering maintaining Heavenly King Lin’s moral integrity in the societal realm, Xu Qing didn’t pursue the matter further.