Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant

A single volume of the Duren Sutra could reveal the deeds of the dead in life.

The man before him, who had been physically and spiritually enlightened by Xu Qing, was named Li Fan.

He had lived in the Capital City since childhood. His father, Li Ping, was a butcher at the slaughter pavilion, while his mother, Madam Fan, earned a living mending and washing clothes for others.

The old couple did not want their child to grow up as unaccomplished as they were, so they brought out the savings they had scraped together over half a lifetime and sent Li Fan to a martial arts school.

Li Fan had always been the little tyrant of the streets, and he loved wrestling and competing with others. Once he entered the martial arts school, he was like a fish returning to the sea, and from then on, there was no stopping him.

At fifteen, he tempered his skin. At eighteen, he refined his tendons and strengthened his bones. Before he turned twenty, he had already completed Blood Exchange and become an Outer Refinement Warrior.

Unfortunately, there was a saying that rang true: the poor studied literature, while the rich studied martial arts.

Li Fan's family was not well-off. By the time he reached this point in his training, his family's savings had nearly run dry.

Helpless, Li Fan had no choice but to suspend his cultivation at the martial arts school and take on all kinds of odd jobs, saving up for his future tuition.

During that period, he had escorted caravans, killed people, and even served as a constable for several years. By the time he was thirty, Li Fan had never returned to the martial arts school, yet by other means, he had stepped across the threshold of an Inner Refinement Master.

By then, the sharp edges of Li Fan's youth had been worn smooth. Even though he had once harbored ambitions vast enough to swallow the heavens, the endless grind of firewood, rice, oil, and salt had completely submerged him in the mortal world.

He married and had children in Linhe Fang. Then, for the sake of making a living, he eventually became one of the capable men under Fifth Master Chang.

That day, Fifth Master Chang called Li Fan before him, took two hundred taels in banknotes from the accounts, and said, "You've followed me for three years, more or less. Now you're thinking of your wife, children, and parents, and you don't want to keep living a life with your head on the chopping block. I admire that. A man who doesn't care for his family can't be called a hero."

"Still, even if you want a stable life, you need money. Are you planning to keep your boy from learning martial arts? Besides, firewood, rice, oil, and salt cost money every day, don't they?"

"Take these two hundred taels. Since you've followed Fifth Master, Fifth Master can't let a brother live in poverty afterward!"

Li Fan accepted the banknotes but showed no excessive gratitude. There were no free lunches in this world. He knew Fifth Master Chang had a task for him; the two hundred taels were merely payment.

Li Fan hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still accepted the job. After all, Fifth Master Chang's words made sense. He had to save more money if he wanted his wife, children, and parents to live well.

And this job was to go to the wharf, drive back the Jinmen Gang's vanguard, and completely extinguish their intention of laying hands on Linhe.

The fifth watch of the first lunar month was even darker than midnight. The biting wind at the wharf carried the dampness of the Baisha River—a time cold enough to freeze even a hero into a grandson!

At precisely this juncture no one could have expected, Fifth Master Chang led a group of capable men, knives clenched between their teeth, and quietly reached the area where the Jinmen Gang had stopped to rest.

Li Fan charged at the very front, with the other enforcers close behind. Fifth Master Chang stayed outside to provide support.

Only after they rushed into the water fortress and searched and hacked through all the rooms and sleeping quarters did Fifth Master Chang's men discover that it had long since become an empty fortress. The people in the beds were nothing more than shredded, ragged cotton-padded coats. There wasn't a single living soul!

Just as everyone stood at a loss, torches suddenly rose behind the fortress. A group of Jinmen Gang members wielding sharp weapons had already surrounded Li Fan and the others!

That night, the lights at the wharf swayed in the wind, while flashes of blades and swords rang like death warrants, sending life after life to its end before the rooster crowed and the sun rose!

Li Fan held a mountain-cleaving saber and held back the enemies with all his might. Turning toward the outside, he shouted, "Fifth Master, get out of here!"

At that very moment, a sinister chill suddenly flashed behind Li Fan. It was a brother and fellow subordinate who had worked under Fifth Master Chang alongside him. The man secretly struck a treacherous blow, stabbing straight through Li Fan's lower back!

As the saying went, even beneath flowers and branches, thorns might still be hidden; the human heart could never be trusted not to harbor poison.

Li Fan could never have imagined that the brother who had often drunk and drowned his sorrows with him in the past would suddenly strike him with murderous intent.

The flashes of blades and swords continued before him. Li Fan lost focus for the slightest moment and was struck by several more blows. Summoning the last of his strength, he grabbed hold of the traitor and prepared to drag him with him into death, even though the saber in his hand had long since been knocked away.

Li Fan had studied under the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts School. Its master, Zhang Longhu, was famous throughout the Capital City for his Dragon Tiger Fist. Though Li Fan was merely a Registered Disciple, he had still mastered the fist technique.

Even without a weapon, Li Fan was utterly unafraid. He took out his knuckle dusters and fitted them over both hands. Like a ferocious tiger returning to the mountains for revenge, he forcibly punched open a path and reached the hidden traitor.

The hand holding the saber trembled. Li Fan used up the last of his strength and spat blood as he uttered three words—

"I hate this."

Having said that, he dropped his head. A long spear had pierced through his chest.

In the end, the Jinmen Gang expert who had watched the battle from the sidelines could not hold back and finally intervened. Li Fan, who had planned to retire after completing this final job, ultimately failed to get his wish.

Roaming the Jianghu, one's life was thinner than paper.

The Duren Sutra's final evaluation was: Human, Grade Mid.

As for the rewards, there was a pair of Vajra Knuckle Dusters and a set of Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant Fist.

Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant had originally been the Dragon Tiger Fist Arena's signature secret art, created by Zhang Longhu. This fist technique cultivated both the inner and outer aspects. Once it reached minor mastery, every punch seemed to carry the roar of dragons and the howl of tigers.

Once it reached major mastery, it granted the transformation of the dragon-elephant and the might of a gathered tiger. It was a high-grade fist technique capable of standing on equal footing with Condensing Gang!

Martial arts had six realms. The first was Outer Refinement, the second Inner Refinement, the third Meridian Opening, and the fourth Condensing Gang. The fifth and sixth realms were Martial Arts Grandmaster and the Heaven-Man Realm.

"A fist technique that can be cultivated all the way to Martial Arts Condensing Gang." After Xu Qing digested the essentials of Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant Fist, ripples stirred in his heart. "I wonder, if Martial Arts Condensing Gang corresponds to the realm of zombies, what level would that be? A Goldclad Wandering Corpse, or perhaps an even higher level—the Three Transformations of Crouching Corpse?"

Temporarily suppressing his doubts, Xu Qing picked up the patterned Vajra Knuckle Dusters again and examined them through the Green Lamp. He saw cold light gleaming across the knuckle dusters, as though a vicious tiger truly had swept out its claws.

A surge of excitement rose in Xu Qing's heart. He slipped the knuckle dusters onto both hands and began practicing according to the methods of Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant Fist!

Zombies already possessed immense strength. Now that he had the fist technique's enhancement, the Corpse Driver's Shop was instantly filled with gusts of wind, while the lamplight swayed.

His fists and robes tore through the air. The knuckle dusters, radiating violent beauty, swept across the air in arc after arc. When he reached the most exhilarating parts, it was as though the roars of dragons and tigers truly rang out!

Xu Qing had a feeling that even if Uncle Jiu came now, he would have to go around him upon seeing him!

Who wouldn't be afraid of a zombie that knew martial arts?

Xu Qing felt incomparably refreshed. It was as though all the strength in his body had finally found a floodgate through which to pour out. This fist technique seemed tailor-made for him, allowing him to unleash the strength of his physical body to the greatest extent.

After finishing the set, Xu Qing went to Li Fan and removed all the ropes binding him.

He then scattered some powder that removed foul odors and wrapped the other party in a thin layer of burial cloth.

After completing all this, Xu Qing placed him to the side and prepared to transcend the next client.

"The Human Way values splendor, ever arising from the heart; the Ghost Way values endings, ever arising from misfortune; the Immortal Way values life, ever arising from auspiciousness."

The Duren Sutra flipped back and forth. Before he knew it, Xu Qing had transformed all seven of the remaining corpses.

However, these corpses had not produced anything valuable. Most had yielded Overlord Fist, Dog Bark Fist, or some vicious street tricks such as eye-poking, crotch-grabbing, and scattering lime.

The only one with some practical use was a side skill for lock picking.

Seeing that he had completely exhausted the value of these corpses, Xu Qing finally opened the shop door, preparing to find some neighbors and give them work as well.

For the funerals and burial rites to come, coffins, paper offerings, incense, candles, and burial clothes were indispensable. If the funeral was to be grand, he might even need to hire musicians. There was no way he could handle all that alone!

Besides, allowing the neighbors to benefit and managing his connections well was a good thing in itself!

After opening the shop door, Xu Qing was about to head next door when he discovered that someone had appeared outside at some point. The person was pacing back and forth, repeatedly knocking his fists against his palms, as though he had something weighing heavily on his mind.

"So the shopkeeper was home after all." When the man saw Xu Qing come out, he immediately stepped forward and said, "I'm one of Fifth Master's men. Li Fan was my brother. Something happened to him yesterday, and I heard that the workers from the funeral shop sent him here. So I thought I'd come over and take one last look at him."

Xu Qing looked at the man before him and found him vaguely familiar.

After thinking for a moment, he remembered the man's identity.

Wasn't this the traitor who had betrayed Li Fan when Xu Qing read through Li Fan's life?