Wordless Book

The strange scene didn't cause Xiang Yang too much panic; instead, he was ecstatic. Reborn into another world, how could a couch potato like him, who was physically weak and ignorant of the five grains, establish himself? By writing novels? Or by relying on his pretty boy looks? It had to be a golden finger.

The white square paper in front of him was clearly the same one from his old house back in his hometown. It might even be the culprit behind his transmigration, but that didn't matter anymore. The key was what functions it had.

As Xiang Yang's thoughts raced, the white paper seemed to understand. It peeled itself into two layers. One layer remained pure white as before, while the other was densely covered in black text. Through Xiang Yang's eyes, the words were deeply etched into his mind, impossible to forget.

After a long while, Xiang Yang rubbed his slightly throbbing head, looking at the white paper in front of him with a bewildered expression. The Wordless Book? Containing all sorts of divine skills and secret techniques? Or perhaps an evolution of martial arts fragments from another world? Amazing!

According to the information transmitted by the Wordless Book to Xiang Yang, it possessed no supernatural abilities or powers of its own. Its sole function was to provide the host with divine skills and secret techniques. Whether it was the Dragon Subduing Palm, Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens, Telepathic Finger, or Little Li Flying Dagger, if you could think of a martial art, it knew it.

As the host of the Wordless Book, Xiang Yang's method of acquiring martial arts was uncertain. The word "天" (heaven/sky) in its name indicated everything. It was said that the heavens were too high to question, and everything was left to fate. If the book was pleased, it might directly give Xiang Yang the Buddha's Palm. If it wasn't, you'd have to accept a set of Wild Wolf Fist without complaint.

Of course, the most reliable method was to follow the book's prompts, complete related tasks, intercept karmic threads, and replenish the book's losses to obtain specific cultivation methods.

In Xiang Yang's opinion, this was just a system disguised as the Wordless Book. However, this system wasn't as troublesome; it wouldn't kill you if you didn't complete tasks.

On the contrary, this system was humane and willful. Not completing tasks was fine; at most, you wouldn't have any martial arts to cultivate, which was better than undertaking certain death missions.

Just now, the book had issued him three tasks. The first was to please Magistrate Li's wife, Madam Li, and win her favor. The reward was a divine skill known as the Iron Crotch Technique, which all men under heaven supposedly desired to cultivate.

The second task was to kill Big Saber Hu Qiang, the third-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold, who had murdered Xiang Da Niu. Upon successful completion, the reward would be a set of Hu Family Saber Technique.

The third task was to find the mastermind behind Xiang Da Niu's death and kill him to avenge his father. Upon completion, the reward would be a set of Basic Breathing Technique.

Of these three tasks, the first one was displayed as "completed" in Xiang Yang's eyes, meaning he didn't need to do anything further. Madam Li already liked him very much, so the Iron Crotch Technique was a martial art the Wordless Book had given him for free.

As for the second and third tasks, they surprised and astonished Xiang Yang. He had initially thought some minor thugs had killed Xiang Da Niu, but it turned out to be Big Saber Hu Qiang. What's more, Hu Qiang was merely acting on someone's orders; the true mastermind was someone else.

"Could it be the leader of Black Wind Stronghold? No, that's not right. If it were him, there would be no need for investigation, so it must be someone else. It seems Xiang Da Niu either knew something he shouldn't have, or obtained something he shouldn't have, which led to his murder."

Xiang Yang knew very well that Xiang Da Niu was just an ordinary constable, not some peerless hero in retirement. He didn't even know martial arts, only possessing a rudimentary understanding of a simple saber technique, which he executed purely through brute force. It was given to him by the magistrate who promoted him back then. For such an ordinary person to be targeted and killed, there had to be a hidden reason.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Xiang Yang's phoenix eyes, and his fists clenched. Blue veins bulged on his fair skin. Even if the book hadn't issued this task, upon learning the truth, he would have investigated it thoroughly. After all, he was Xiang Yang now, and Xiang Yang was him. How could he not avenge his father's death?

However, thinking about the system's tasks gave Xiang Yang a headache. Setting aside the mastermind, even Big Saber Hu Qiang was someone he couldn't possibly deal with.

Black Wind Stronghold was the most notorious bandit group in Anyuan and several surrounding counties. They had set up checkpoints and roadblocks at the foot of Black Wind Mountain, extorting money from merchants and often abducting villagers. Despite this, the authorities were powerless against this criminal organization.

The leader, known as Big Beard, was elusive, his true name unknown. Captain Wang of Anyuan County had fought him and returned defeated, recuperating for over a month from his injuries. Rumor had it that he was a master of internal energy.

The second-in-command, Poison Scholar, was not known for his martial prowess but was cunning and resourceful. The authorities had repeatedly sent troops to suppress Black Wind Stronghold, but he had thwarted them with his strategies.

Especially two years ago, when Anyuan and Kun Ding counties mobilized five hundred county soldiers to attack the stronghold, Black Wind Stronghold couldn't resist. Poison Scholar proposed the strategy of breaking up their forces and hiding in the mountains, causing the two counties to return without success.

The third-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold was Hu Qiang, the direct killer of Xiang Yang's father, Xiang Da Niu. Although Xiang Yang had never met him, he had heard of him.

Standing nine feet tall, with immense strength, he wielded a seventy-jin steel saber. Although he didn't know internal energy, his saber techniques were grand and powerful. He had once split a stone lion weighing over five hundred jin in half with a single strike, striking fear into the surrounding underworld. Even some martial artists with weaker internal energy were no match for him.

Consider this: Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade weighed no more than eighty-one jin. For Hu Qiang to wield a seventy-jin saber, he was indeed a top-tier fierce general. With Xiang Yang's current scrawny arms and legs, killing him was practically impossible.

Not to mention his high status in Black Wind Stronghold as the third-in-command. To even approach him, one would have to get past at least a hundred fierce bandits.

However, Xiang Yang was not discouraged. He was in the shadows, while Hu Qiang was in the open. He knew Hu Qiang had killed Xiang Da Niu, but Hu Qiang didn't know that Xiang Yang had learned the truth. Therefore, by being prepared and catching the enemy off guard, there was still a chance.

Moreover, Xiang Yang was now within the government office, becoming one of the few constables, and could fully utilize the power of the authorities to achieve his goals.

But these were things to consider later. The immediate priority for Xiang Yang was whether his martial arts could improve rapidly. He didn't want to have a one-on-one opportunity only to be killed because of his inferior skills, making himself a laughingstock.

With a twitch of his legs, Xiang Yang shifted from kneeling to sitting cross-legged, facing Xiang Da Niu's spirit tablet. His fair and handsome face was solemn as he focused his attention entirely on the Iron Crotch Technique that the Wordless Book had just imparted to him.

The Iron Crotch Technique, hailed as the romance of men, after cultivation, made one's "little brother" incredibly strong and indestructible. The so-called "Tung Wheel of Lai Ai" would be child's play. These were realms that the otaku Xiang Yang had always dreamed of, but now, he was more concerned about how much this cultivation method would improve his combat power.