The sky at the hour of the tiger was still not fully bright. Around the training ground, the torches from the night still crackled as they burned.
Cui Yao looked at the burly young man before him, who was clearly under eighteen yet looked to be in his twenties, and for a moment, he was speechless.
He clearly remembered that the other man had joined the escort agency less than a month ago, and had spent fewer than ten days learning the living postures and the Tiger Form Eight Styles.
Although the Tiger Form Fist was not particularly complicated before one began learning an Internal Cultivation Method, this speed was enough to rival the privileged children of wealthy families in the inner city.
Could it be that the Chief Escort had truly recognized a hidden gem and taken in a little genius?
"Whether you can manipulate blood essence or not, we'll know after exchanging a few moves."
Cui Yao placed his left hand behind his back and beckoned with his right, signaling for Li Cunxiao to attack.
The stunned escorts nearby hurriedly cleared out an open circle. Their eyes remained fixed on the burly-looking youth, filled with doubt and disbelief.
It had to be fake, right?
Qin Yu's dropped jaw had yet to close. Yet Run Dong, who usually never said a word, reacted even more strongly than he did.
It had to be fake!
The latter forcefully squeezed through the crowd, ignoring the curses around him as he pushed his way to the front row. His eyes were nailed to the scene before him, his teeth clamped tightly around his lip.
Could it really be true?!
He Bi was likewise standing at the very front of the crowd. Yet his expression was like that of someone who had casually bought a lottery ticket by the roadside, only to win the grand prize—brimming with anticipation and excitement.
"Instructor Cui, here I come!"
Li Cunxiao let out a low shout. The instant he stepped forward, he immediately followed the method he used in his usual fist training, gritting his teeth and glaring fiercely, like a startled savage tiger.
His emotions surged, and his breathing suddenly quickened. Vast amounts of oxygen entered his blood, and his surging Blood Essence became like an engine fed with fuel, pumping faster into his legs.
The distance of four or five meters vanished in the blink of an eye. By now, Li Cunxiao's legs had swollen so thick under the enhancement of Blood Essence that they pressed tightly against his trouser legs. Seeing Cui Yao neither dodge nor evade, he abruptly planted and shook his foot. Strength and Blood Essence instantly surged upward from below, passing through his waist, turning through his shoulder, while his five fingers and forearm filled with blood like iron hammers—
Tiger Leap Mountain!
His fist tore through the air and struck Cui Yao's completely unguarded abdomen. Yet Li Cunxiao clearly felt that the other man's skin was extraordinarily tough. This punch felt as though it had landed on a cowhide drum, and a rebounding force rushed back at him.
Cui Yao immediately grinned. "Put a little more strength into it!"
Li Cunxiao said nothing, but his breathing through his nose and mouth grew ever more violent, like a great bellows. Borrowing the recoil from that punch, he turned and lowered his body in one fluid motion. The Blood Essence gathered in his fist flashed to his right foot, which swept upward toward Cui Yao's head. His muscles swelled and hardened like iron rods as he smashed out—
Tiger Swish Tail!
At last, Cui Yao moved.
He merely flicked his hand as lightly as if swatting a fly. Li Cunxiao instantly lost his balance, the world spinning around him. He hurriedly curled up and rolled away like a tumbling gourd for a full zhang before borrowing the momentum to spring back to his feet, staring at Cui Yao in astonishment.
He had not suffered the slightest injury, but that was precisely what showed that Cui Yao's strength surpassed his by who knew how many levels.
"Did Li Cunxiao break through or not?"
"Look at how pathetic he looks. He definitely didn't break through."
"If you're stupid, then talk less! Didn't you see it just now when Li Cunxiao exerted force? Every punch and kick was enhanced by Blood Essence! Power Reaching the Four Extremities, Using Qi to Catalyze Strength—he's already reached Minor Accomplishment in Tiger Form Fist!"
As that man spoke, deep envy appeared on his face. Run Dong beside him, however, looked ashen.
He might not understand much, but the smile on strict Instructor Cui's face could not possibly be fake.
Run Dong pushed through the crowd in a daze.
He bore no ill will toward Li Cunxiao. He simply... could not accept it.
Why wasn't the person standing there me?
Qin Yu noticed this. When he could not stop Run Dong even after calling out once, he simply let him go.
Yet when he turned back to look at Li Cunxiao, he could not help recalling their time together. I shouldn't have offended him, right? Or rather, as roommates, we got along fairly well, didn't we?
Could he share a little of his experience in breaking through to Subdue Qi? If they found time to drink together, perhaps...
He Bi was young as well, so naturally he felt a little envy and jealousy. However, he quickly cast those feelings aside. When Li Cunxiao looked over, he smiled and cupped his hands in congratulations.
Though Li Cunxiao's rapid growth had exceeded expectations, this was a promising prospect he had set his eyes on. As someone born into business, how could he resent the object of his own investment?
Li Cunxiao returned He Bi's smile.
This was his angel investor.
Now that he had displayed even greater potential, perhaps... he could ask for more money?
Cui Yao walked over and, in a rare gesture, patted the young man before him on the shoulder. Grinning, he said:
"You really gave me quite a surprise."
"It is all thanks to Instructor Cui's excellent teaching."
Li Cunxiao remained respectful, without the slightest trace of self-satisfaction. He understood very well that without the Vajra Scepter, breaking through to Subdue Qi would not have been so easy.
But Cui Yao was quite pleased by his humility.
To become smug after achieving the slightest success was not only arrogant—it was foolish.
Foolish people did not live long in this world.
Besides, learning an Internal Cultivation Method was not so easy.
"Qian Laosan, come here. Take Li Cunxiao to collect his clothes and waist plaque."
Cui Yao called over a thirty-something man with a horse face and gave him a few instructions. Then he headed straight for the small courtyard where the young masters of the inner city practiced separately.
His elder brother, Cui Wei, taught fist techniques there.
"Brother Li, come with me."
Li Cunxiao came back to his senses and followed Qian Laosan through twists and turns until they arrived once more at the administrative office he had seen when he first entered the escort agency.
"Li Cunxiao, right? I remember you've been at the escort agency less than a month—only twenty-some days?"
This time, the other man's face finally showed a little more warmth. Qian Laosan beside him was also taken aback, his expression turning eager.
"Becoming an escort master in less than a month—Brother Li, you're young and promising! Once you learn an Internal Cultivation Method, you might even have a chance to enter the Muscle and Tendon Realm and be accepted by the Chief Escort as an inner disciple!"
Li Cunxiao took note of this inwardly, while outwardly offering the usual polite words of gratitude for the escort agency's cultivation.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Manager Liu personally came carrying a pile of items.
A black futou headcloth, black leather boots, a white cotton round-collared robe, and an oxhide diexie belt—several essential little items for traveling were hung from the narrow straps extending from it.
There were seven items in all, including a small knife for cutting meat, a whetstone for sharpening blades, a needle case for mending, and a tinder pouch for starting fires. These were known as the "Seven Diexie Items."
Besides those, the most eye-catching item was a vermilion forehead band embroidered with a winged fierce tiger. Other than the waist plaque, this was the item that best displayed one's status.
Li Cunxiao was tall and powerfully built, with a fierce face. Once dressed in this outfit, he looked even more rugged and imposing, drawing repeated praise from the two men beside him.
"Brother Li, now that you're an escort master, your monthly salary will be ten taels of silver. Every escort mission will also bring a share of the profits, depending on the value of the goods being escorted."
"And since you're now an escort master, you no longer need to squeeze into the large communal sleeping quarters with the other hands. If you wish, the escort agency can hire a broker to find you a house with good terrain and a reasonable price."
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Manager Liu."
Li Cunxiao carried the Vajra Scepter on him, and there might be even more secrets in his future. Living with others came with too many inconveniences, and he had long planned to rent a place. Hearing this, he naturally went along with the flow.
After leaving, as he followed Qian Laosan back toward the training ground, he took the opportunity to ask:
"Old Brother Qian, you've traveled far and wide and seen much of the world. Could you tell me about the Internal Cultivation Method and the Muscle and Tendon Realm you mentioned before?"