Talks on Martial Arts and Scriptures

"How... how did you...?"

Du Dajin stared at Jiang Dali in shock. He had never expected a bandit chief to know the secrets behind Shaolin's ultimate skills. For a moment, he found the man before him unfathomable and powerful, clearly someone with an extraordinary background. He did not dare make another rash move.

"If Chief Escort Du is willing to accept defeat, then let us leave matters here. The grievances between us will be wiped clean. Stay for a day as agreed, and sit down with me to discuss martial arts and scriptures. How about it?"

Jiang Dali smiled calmly and gestured with composed ease.

In his previous life, he had at least been an expert of the Gang Qi Realm and had encountered quite a few powerful players from Shaolin.

He was naturally very familiar with Shaolin's Seventy-Two Absolute Skills.

Though he was also surprised that Du Dajin knew two ultimate skills, the moment he learned of them, he understood why Du Dajin had spent all these years roaming the martial world and becoming famous for his Repeating Steel Darts, fists, and single-palm techniques, rather than those two Shaolin ultimate skills.

Most likely, he had very few opportunities to use those two skills.

First, there was no need to. Second, before either of the two skills had been mastered to perfection, they could not be cultivated together.

The Demon Subduing Palm, one of Shaolin's Seventy-Two Absolute Skills, had been created by Master Yuanyuan, Shaolin Temple's eighth abbot. When unleashed, its palm force was extremely soft, seeming both present and absent. It followed a gentle path and therefore could not be cultivated alongside Shaolin Buddhist hard techniques such as the Maha Finger. Otherwise, one's inner breath could easily go astray. If one's master failed to provide proper supervision, vomiting blood would be unavoidable, and severe injuries would be difficult to heal.

Du Dajin had studied under Zen Master Yuan Ye for twelve years before completing his apprenticeship. Back then, he had certainly learned only the Twenty-Four Demon Subduing Palms.

Yet, driven by greed and impatience, he had somehow secretly learned the Great Vajra Palm as well.

In the end, he had only learned an incomplete version of the Great Vajra Palm. Or perhaps he had found cultivation unbearably difficult from the start and could only manage an incomplete version. Thus, he had ultimately brought disaster upon himself and achieved neither one thing nor the other.

Jiang Dali had long guessed Du Dajin's weakness and now used it to keep him in check.

Du Dajin was utterly shocked as well, even growing wary of Jiang Dali. He snorted coldly, withdrew his hand, and clasped his fists slightly toward Jiang Dali.

"What a Black Wind Stronghold Master. You are the first chief I can truly give a thumbs-up to. Today, I accept defeat. I will stay and discuss martial arts and scriptures with you."

By the end, Du Dajin felt even more awkward inside.

This bandit chief not only knew a vast and varied range of martial arts, but had mastered them all remarkably well. And now he wanted to discuss martial arts and scriptures with him? What kind of bandit did that?

"Excellent. Release them!"

Jiang Dali laughed heartily and immediately waved at Xiong Ba.

Xiong Ba hesitated upon seeing this, worried that Du Dajin would go back on his word and flee the moment his people were released.

But given Jiang Dali's authority, he did not dare refuse.

He promptly released the people from the Bronze Bull.

Jiang Dali was not some reckless fool either.

The people had been released.

But the Dragon Gate Escort Agency group had been separated from Du Dajin.

If Du Dajin insisted on fleeing, not only would he have to fight another fierce battle, but he would also bear the disgrace of breaking his word.

Du Dajin was no fool. He himself might be strong enough to escape the stronghold, but his disciples and descendants might not even be able to retrieve their own corpses.

Therefore, Jiang Dali was not worried about Du Dajin trying any tricks.

He directly invited Du Dajin into his courtyard to sit down, genuinely intending to discuss martial arts and scriptures with him.

This so-called discussion of martial arts and scriptures was really nothing more than an exchange of martial arts experience and interesting tales from the martial world.

As for scripture annotations and the like, although Jiang Dali had never studied them in depth, he could draw upon his experience from his previous life and converse with Du Dajin about them for a long time.

This exchange naturally stunned Du Dajin once more. He felt that this bandit chief knew far too many things.

Even scriptures written by eminent monks of the Western Regions could be casually brought up by Jiang Dali. He explained them with perfect precision and resolved Du Dajin's doubts at every turn, leaving him utterly amazed.

Thus, the two spoke more and more freely.

Du Dajin's initial hostility toward Jiang Dali gradually faded. By the end, not only had much of it disappeared, but admiration and respect had begun to arise in his heart.

Meanwhile, Jiang Dali listened to the constant notifications of Potential Points gained, and his mood grew increasingly pleasant.

Interactions such as discussing martial arts and scriptures

were also a distinctive feature of the Comprehensive Martial World.

They were generally conducted between elders and juniors. They could also occur between peers, but both parties needed exceptional knowledge and broad experience, capable of offering information and insights that could inspire or benefit the other.

As the chief escort of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency, a Shaolin lay disciple who had completed twelve years of training, and a man who had spent over twenty years escorting goods across the north and south of the martial world, Du Dajin's knowledge and experience were naturally beyond comparison with ordinary people.

Du Dajin felt that Jiang Dali's speech was extraordinary, while Jiang Dali also found Du Dajin's knowledge and experience extensive.

The two could be said to be taking what they each needed. Jiang Dali's Potential Points increased considerably during their discussion of martial arts and scriptures, while time quickly slipped away.

Two hours later.

Both men felt their mouths had gone dry, and the sky had already reached noon.

Jiang Dali instructed his men to prepare food, invited Du Dajin to continue their discussion in the afternoon, then returned to his room to digest the spoils of battle and rest for a while.

Du Dajin agreed, still wanting more, and went to rest in a side room.

Before discussing martial arts and scriptures with Jiang Dali, he might have considered sneaking his men down the mountain before the day was over.

But now, he only felt that a single day would not be enough. His heart was filled with admiration.

"Village Lord Jiang is truly a man of vast knowledge and lofty ambition. His origins before becoming a bandit chief must have been far from simple. Since ancient times, heroes and great men have emerged from the greenwood. Men such as Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, or Song Jiang—were they not all like this?"

Du Dajin sighed, his expression grave. "With such eloquence and experience, he is no ordinary man destined to remain in a small pond. It is only a pity that he is an enemy, not a friend."

Dragon Gate Escort Agency Chief Escort Du Dajin's favorability toward you +100. Dragon Gate Escort Agency favorability obtained: 50. Du Dajin's favorability toward you has reached the Indifferent level.

Dragon Gate Escort Agency's favorability toward you has reached the Cold level.

Inside the room.

Jiang Dali received two more notifications and could not help laughing.

He had not expected that merely discussing martial arts and scriptures with Du Dajin for two hours would make the other man's favorability leap two levels from hostility, reaching the Indifferent stage.

Still, this was good. This way, Du Dajin would be even less likely to rashly leave the stronghold.

He had delayed for so long already. The experts from Prince Ruyang's Mansion should be arriving soon.

The people from Prince Ruyang's Mansion are certainly taking their time. As expected of a Grade A, Level D mission. If an ordinary player received such a mission, there would be no chance of completing it at all. Even if they could barely fight Du Dajin to a draw, he might not agree to remain for so long.

Jiang Dali inwardly shook his head and chuckled.

In this life, he still held a tremendous advantage.

He commanded an entire mountain stronghold, with more than a hundred brothers at his disposal.

Even if Du Dajin did not want to stay, he would not dare risk his people's safety by truly fighting his way down the mountain.

Besides, the benefits of discussing martial arts and scriptures were there to tempt him.

Any player, or even another NPC in the position of a stronghold chief, would likely find it difficult to accomplish such a thing.