The Nine Cauldrons

Translator: Iamgt  Editor: Lucas

Chapter 48: Iron Mountain Gang

“ChiChi~~” A blurry figure floated in the icy cold air that permeated the area surrounding the Frost Jade Pool.

“The source of this Frost Jade Pool cannot be seen. It seemed to be a stagnant pool, but the water level doesn’t sink at all. Also, the water level remains constant throughout the year. If I thrust a wooden pole towards the bottom of the pool, it wouldn’t even reach the bottom.” Teng Qingshan pondered about the mystery behind the Frost Jade Pool..

“It has been almost a month since I began looking the bottom of this Frost Jade Pool.” Teng Qingshan circulated his inner strength and stood in the center of the pool. He was submerged within the pool, the water reaching Teng Qingshan’s chest. “In comparison to a month ago, my ability has improved dramatically. I should try again and see whether I can touch the bottom of this pool.”

During these few years, Teng Qingshan, who was curious about why this Frost Jade Pool was so marvelous, would always try to explore the bottom of the pool by holding his breath.

However,he had never truly reached the bottom of the pool, not even once.

“Walla~~” Teng Qingshan held a stone that weighed more than a hundred Jin and took a deep breath. Immediately, his entire body sank towards the bottom of the pool. Actually, with Teng Qingshan’s control of his muscles and bones, he could easily submerge down to the bottom of the water if he was at a normal body of water, .

However, the density of the water within the Frost Jade Pool was a lot higher than normal water. In order to get to the bottom of the pool, there were only two ways. One was to weigh oneself down with a stone, piece of metal, or any other heavy object. The other way was to use inner strength. Of course Teng Qingshan would use the easier method instead of wasting his own inner strength.

Using his arms to wrap around a huge rock, Teng Qingshan continued sinking.

There were no weeds or living creatures in this Frost Jade Pool. It was dead silence.

As Teng Qingshan continued sinking, he could distinctly feel the water temperature dropping drastically, getting increasingly colder. However, Teng Qingshan relied on his physical toughness to endure the coldness.

“The water surface of this Frost Jade Pool is only seven or eight meters wide and more than a dozen meters long, yet the depth of this pool is actually this surprising.” Teng Qingshan hugged the rock and continued submerging. “The Frost Jade Pool is located halfway up Twin Peak Mountain. I have sunk more than a hundred meters, so I should be at the base of the mountain.”

Twin Peak Mountain was just a small mountain on top of the Great Yan Mountains, with a height of only three or four hundred meters.

“It’s really cold.” Teng Qingshan’s muscles shuddered slightly. At this moment, the temperature of the water was so freezing that it felt like sharp needles pricking every part of Teng Qingshan’s body and entering his bones. “I remember that particular rock protruding over there. I must have dived four meters deeper than last time because I used inner strength.”

The rich inner strength in his body had already moved rapidly in his body, circulating rapidly to defend against the extreme coldness.

This Frost Jade Pool became wider the deeper one went. It was now already more than ten meters wide. However, Teng Qingshan still couldn’t see the bottom of the pool.

“By now, I have gone beyond the foot of Twin Peak Mountain,” said Teng Qingshan as he estimated the depth. “Down here, it’s so dark.” Even with Teng Qingshan’s acute eyesight, he could only distinguish objects clearly up to five to six meters away. It was obvious that the Frost Jade Pool was already dark to an unknown degree. However…….”

Teng Qingshan still hasn’t touch the bottom of the pool.

With Teng Qingshan’s ability, holding his breath for one to two hours wasn’t a difficult thing. As a powerful practitioner of Internal Martial Arts, training the internal organs was more vital than anything else. His strong lungs allowed him to hold on for a long time while underwater. This was just one of the many reasons why he was able to reach such a depth and last so long. A large lung capacity alone won’t allow Teng Qingshan to last underwater for one to two hours.

The most important reason was——

Teng Qingshan’s main meridians and almost every pathway that connected his skin pores were unobstructed.

With Teng Qingshan’s control over his energy and blood, he could easily absorb the oxygen in the water through his pores. Of course, the speed of absorption through his skin was a lot slower than breathing through his nose or mouth. It could only maintain a low consumption of oxygen; he was unable to afford to create any intense movements. If a fierce fight were to happen underwater, with Teng Qingshan’s powerful organs, he could only endure for a short while before needing to go above the water to take a breath.

“It’s getting colder and colder.” Teng Qingshan could feel the bones wrapped by the skin being irritated by the freezing cold sensation.

Even if Teng Qingshan used inner strength, he still couldn’t withstand such low temperatures.

“This can’t go on.” Teng Qingshan released his grip, and the rock dropped towards the bottom of the water. Free of the weight, his body floated upwards..

“Wa-lla!”

Teng Qingshan burst out of the water surface.

“The water on the surface of this pool actually made me feel warm. Haha……” Teng Qingshan laughed. In comparison to the deeper areas of the Frost Jade Pool, the water at the surface of the Frost Jade Pool was indeed ‘warm.’ Teng Qingshan also understood that this was due to a misinterpretation of temperature caused by the limits of the human body. Likewise, during the winter, cold running water sometimes felt warm.

However, during the summer, the running water always felt cold.

This was the same principle. The water at the bottom of the pool could be considered extremely cold. Feeling the water on the surface of the pool after feeling the extremely cold water, it wouldn’t be weird if the water on the surface felt warmer in comparison.

“After submerging two hundred to three hundred meters deep, the water pressure is really high.” Teng Qingshan took a deep breath and rested in order to stabilize his internal organs. Normal people couldn’t withstand the water pressure once they dived ten meters deep. Teng Qingshan remembered clearly that in his previous life, the world’s barehanded diving record was about one hundred meters.

Those people trained for a long time in order to be able to dive great depths. In his previous life, even Grandmasters of Internal Martial Arts wouldn’t be able to withstand a depth of two hundred meters.

The water density of this Frost Jade Pool was a lot higher than normal water, so although Teng Qingshan had only dived two to three hundred deep, the depth was equal to diving four hundred meters deep in normal water. Facing such water pressure, even with his strong body, Teng Qingshan would still feel his chest being compressed, causing him to use inner strength to alleviate the pressure.

“By going deep down the pool every month, each nerve, bone, and internal organ would be simulated by this extreme coldness.” During these few years, Teng Qingshan had notice the beneficial effects of the Frost Jade Pool’s icy water.

After every deep diving, and during the training, his organs would become increasingly stronger.

Just like muscles could be strengthened through stimulation, so could organs. If organs experienced regular stimulation, they would be improved. However…….such simulation challenged the body’s limits. Even Teng Qingshan was not audacious enough to do it often, which was why he only attempted this once a month.

After Teng Qingshan left the Frost Jade Pool, he used the towel in his bag to rub and wash his body before putting on his clothes and long pants. He then took out a long spear that had been disassembled into two parts and combined the two parts into one. This Damascus Steel Spear wasn’t the same as the spear he used four years ago. Because Teng Qingshan had grown a lot taller, he switched to a nine Chi long Damascus Steel Spear with a weight of sixty-eight Jin.

“Phew!” “Phew!”

Teng Qingshan began practicing his Spear Arts besides the Frost Jade Pool.

……

The sky gradually darkened, and the clan members of Teng Jia Village that were out farming returned from the fields. Many people gathered at the lively training field, which was bustling with noise and excitement.

“Sister Lan, your son, Qingshan, has returned.” The voice of a woman at the training field rang, announcing the return of the esteemed leader of the hunting squadron.

Yuan Lan, who was at the training field, immediately turned her head and saw Teng Qingshan, who was wearing linen suit and long pants with a bag on his back, walking in from the side entrance instead of Teng Jia Village’s main entrance. At the same time, he was smiling and greeting the clan members surrounding him. The well-dressed Teng Qingshan looked very delicate and handsome.

Because he practiced Internal Martial Arts, his body was so tough that he didn’t have a scar on his body. Although his facial features weren’t very beautiful, they are still considered quite handsome.

No one would have expect a young man that looked so delicate to possess shocking, terrifying power.

“Mother,” called Teng Qingshan while she was still at the distance from him.

“I’m waiting for you to come home for dinner.” Yuan Lan looked at her own son with a bright smile on her face. Beside Yuan Lan was a cute girl, who is almost six Chi tall. This is Teng Qingshan’s eleven years old sister, Teng Qingyu. Because of differences in gender, girls grew earlier than boys. Also, Teng Qingshan’s household has favorable living conditions, so Teng Qingyu had already started growing at a fast pace.

“Brother, my tummy is growling,” Teng Qingyu purposely yelled.

“Alright, go back and finish dinner.” Teng Qingshan walked over lovingly and stroke his sister’s head.

Teng Qingyu giggled in response. She was used to such loving actions from Teng Qingshan.

“Qingshan, you’re back.”

“Haha. Qingshan, don’t forget you are going into the mountain to hunt tomorrow.”

In the training field, many people were greeting Teng Qingshan enthusiastically. During these four years, Teng Qingshan’s position in the Teng Jia Village had risen higher and higher. During the yearly sacrifice two years ago, Teng Qingshan lifted a two thousand Jin boulder in one breath, shocking his clansmen. Everyone guessed that the current Teng Qingshan could probably lift a boulder that weighed three to four thousand Jin.

Lifting three or four thousand Jin was already quite terrifying to the simple and honest clan members.

However, to Teng Qingshan, if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t expose all his ability.

During the last year’s yearly sacrifice, the cousin, Teng Qinghu, who also practiced the Tiger Fist, lifted a huge rock that weighed two thousand Jin and became the man in the clan with the power second to Teng Qingshan.

……

On the wooden table at Teng Qingshan’s house, the family of four was eating dinner together. Because Teng Qingshan only came home at night, dinner was the most extravagant among the three daily meals in Teng Qingshan’s house.

“Qingshan, eat.” Yuan Lan picked up a chicken thigh and placed it in Teng Qingshan’s bowl. She then picked up a chicken wing for her daughter, Teng Qingyu.

“Thank you, Mother.” Teng Qingshan smiled. He never felt parental love in his previous life. Now that he felt it in this life, Teng Qingshan was very satisfied.

“Qingshan, have you heard? A very strong gang has risen in our Yi City.” said the mature and prudent father, Teng Yongfan. Teng Yongfan already viewed Teng Qingshan as an adult. In the clan, Teng Qingshan’s words held great importance.

“Father, are you talking about Iron Mountain Gang?” Said Teng Qingshan as he furrowed his eyebrows. “Yesterday, I heard someone mention it while we were hunting.”

“Yes.” Teng Qingfan was slightly anxious. “The Iron Mountain Gang is very arrogant and looks down upon the White Horse Gang. Within a short six months, they have become the second greatest gang in the region of Yi City. I was told that there are over three thousand core members. In addition, the three leaders are powerful masters. Within this half a year, the gang expanded to its current size. Now, this Iron Mountain Gang urgently needs money, and many villages in the territory of Yi City are being threatened by them.

Teng Qingshan nodded his head slightly.

The White Horse Gang collected the annual tribute to fund their normal expenses.

As for this Iron Mountain Gang, they were in a hurry to expand and develop their gang, so they obviously needed more taels of silver.

“I hear they demand large amounts of silver from local villages. I just received news that yesterday, the Black Wood Village, located thirty Li away from us, refused to pay the Iron Mountain Gang’s ridiculous demands since they didn’t have enough money……Who would have expected.. that this Iron Mountain Gang would slaughter the Black Wood Village, which was home to one thousand people?!”

“What! Total annihilation of the village?” No matter how calm Teng Qingshan was, he was still shocked by this news.