Wrist-Wrestling Shakes the Ghost Market, Money and Debt Settled
"Count!"
Iron Arm Hu's roar echoed through the karst cavern, carrying a surge of wild force. His fan-sized palm clamped tightly around Ye Qingxuan's right hand. Blue veins coiled across his forearm like tangled vines, while his muscles bulged in blocks of forged iron. He drove power through his waist and back, leaning his whole body forward as an earth-shaking force suddenly bore down on Ye Qingxuan's arm!
Ye Qingxuan's arm stood like a stone pillar, utterly unmoving. His body sank slightly, both feet firmly rooted to the ground. The muscles of his waist and abdomen tensed, and a force surged up from the soles of his feet, passing through his spine and straight into his right arm. He did not rush to counterattack. He merely held steady, allowing Iron Arm Hu's strength to pour down upon him.
"One!" shouted a burly onlooker from the crowd.
Sweat rolled down Iron Arm Hu's face. He was using every ounce of strength he had, yet Ye Qingxuan's hand had not even trembled. Shock jolted through him. The boy looks so thin—how can he possess such monstrous strength? He clenched his teeth, and the muscles in his arm swelled again, as though he meant to crush Ye Qingxuan's arm outright.
"Two!"
Through the gap in his face covering, Ye Qingxuan's gaze fell upon Iron Arm Hu's flushed face. He could sense the weakness in the man's force—the sign of brute strength driven too hard and lacking staying power. Within Ye Qingxuan's body, the Indestructible Vajra Body circulated his blood-and-qi power into his right arm without end. His muscle fibers grew denser amid the trembling, while his bones became as tough as jade.
"Three!"
The veins on Iron Arm Hu's forehead bulged, and his breathing grew heavy. A low growl rumbled in his throat as he tried to overwhelm his opponent with sheer presence. The onlookers, who had initially come only for the spectacle, gradually grew solemn. They could see that Iron Arm Hu was giving it everything he had, yet the masked man before him seemed to be strolling through a leisurely courtyard.
"Four!"
The corner of Ye Qingxuan's mouth twitched, his expression calm and unhurried. He no longer remained purely on the defensive. A vast, irresistible force suddenly erupted from his right arm! It was not mere brute strength, but the seamless unity of blood and qi, sinew and bone, achieved after the Indestructible Vajra Body had reached minor mastery.
Iron Arm Hu felt an unprecedented force rebound against him, bearing down like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing into his face. He had already exhausted his entire body's strength and could no longer hold on. His wrist began tilting backward little by little.
"Five!"
A wave of startled cries rose from the crowd. No one had expected the masked man to turn defeat into victory!
Iron Arm Hu's face went from crimson to iron blue. He tried to withdraw his strength, but that force had him clamped down tight, leaving him unable to move. He tried to push harder, but the blood and qi within him had already run dry. He could not summon even the slightest bit of strength.
"Six!"
"Crack!"
The faint sound of a bone slipping out of place rang through the clamorous Ghost Market with startling clarity.
Iron Arm Hu's right arm suddenly bent outward, his wrist twisting at a bizarre angle. He let out a shriek, and the rebound force sent his entire body staggering. He nearly fell to the ground.
Ye Qingxuan released his hand. Iron Arm Hu's right arm hung limply as he clutched his wrist, his face slick with sweat from the pain. Not a trace of his former arrogance remained.
The onlookers fell silent. Then waves of astonishment erupted.
"That kid has terrifying strength!"
"Iron Arm Hu got wrecked!"
"Could that so-called 'Clumsy Strength Art' really be genuine?"
Ye Qingxuan ignored the surrounding uproar. He withdrew his arm, and his sleeve fell back into place, concealing the right arm as smooth and warm as jade. He looked at Iron Arm Hu and asked in the same calm voice, "Do you still want the cultivation art?"
Iron Arm Hu grimaced in pain. He raised his head, unwillingness in his eyes, mixed with a hint of apprehension. He knew he had encountered a tough opponent. In the Ghost Market, anyone who could break his wrist without even changing expression was no ordinary person.
"Want it... I want it!" he said through clenched teeth. "But I can't give you those three liang of silver. I... I only have six liang on me."
The surrounding people revealed looks of disdain. Iron Arm Hu had lost the contest of strength and now wanted to take advantage of the situation when it came to money.
Ye Qingxuan did not lose his temper. He merely watched Iron Arm Hu in silence. In the Ghost Market, profit came first, and there was no room for sentiment. Since the man dared to renege on his debt in front of everyone, he was testing Ye Qingxuan's bottom line.
"Six liang?" Ye Qingxuan repeated the amount.
Thinking Ye Qingxuan intended to refuse, Iron Arm Hu hurriedly explained, "I... I only brought this much when I came out today. If you don't believe me—" He made as if to undo his robe, then stopped, a sly glint flashing through his eyes.
Ye Qingxuan naturally had no intention of searching him. In the Ghost Market, rules were rules, but some rules existed only on the surface. Once a fight broke out, it would bring unnecessary trouble.
He needed this money, and he needed it immediately. Time waited for no one.
"Deal," Ye Qingxuan said.
Iron Arm Hu froze, seemingly never expecting Ye Qingxuan to agree so readily. He pulled a heavy money pouch from his robes and tossed it over.
Ye Qingxuan reached out and caught it. He weighed it in his hand, then loosened the drawstring. Inside were several pieces of silver of different sizes, gleaming with a dim, obscure light beneath the murky firelight. He tucked the pouch into his robes, then handed the stack of straw paper to Iron Arm Hu.
"This is the Clumsy Strength Art," he said. "Practice according to it. Work hard and diligently, and you will naturally achieve something."
Iron Arm Hu took the straw paper and gave Ye Qingxuan a complicated look. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He silently put away the paper, clutched his injured arm, and turned to leave.
Ye Qingxuan did not linger. He picked up the wooden board bearing the words "Clumsy Strength Art," then turned and left.
With the six liang of silver added to the fourteen liang he already carried, he had exactly twenty liang.
He needed fourteen liang to repay his debt. The remaining six liang would be enough to support him and his younger sister for some time.
After leaving the underground cavern of the Ghost Market, Ye Qingxuan slowed his pace considerably. He threaded through the narrow alleys, his body taut. The wind by his ears and the faintest footsteps could not escape his senses. He knew that after earning money in the Ghost Market, he had to beware of those eyes that lurked in the shadows.
He deliberately took several detours to avoid possible pursuers. The dawn air of Linyuan Prefecture carried a hint of damp earth, utterly different from the rotten stench of the Ghost Market.
He reached an empty street corner and stopped. With his back against the wall, he fixed his gaze on several figures in the distance along the street. They were guards from the outskirts of the Ghost Market. Tall and steady in bearing, they were clearly trained martial artists. He assessed their strength and silently calculated his odds should a clash break out.
The minor mastery of the Indestructible Vajra Body had given him a clearer understanding of his own strength. His current ability was enough to deal with ordinary Body Tempering martial artists, and he could even contend with an opponent who had reached minor mastery of the second level of Body Tempering. But against these Ghost Market guards, he still had to be cautious. They were numerous and worked together seamlessly; defeating them would be no easy matter in a one-on-one fight.
He did not act rashly. He merely watched in silence.
Today, he had settled one matter weighing on his heart. The fourteen liang of silver that had pressed upon him for so long had finally been gathered.
But this was only the first step.
Hu Jiudao's threat and Duan Tianbao's ten-day deadline would both come due tomorrow.
Fierce Tiger Hall, a gang that had entrenched itself in the Southern District for many years, possessed enormous influence. He knew that merely repaying the debt would not solve every problem. Hu Jiudao's words had already touched his inverse scale.
He lowered his head and glanced at the money pouch in his robes. He had the money now, but could money buy him true peace?
He knew this was only the beginning.
He raised his head and looked toward the sky gradually brightening in the distance. The rays of the rising sun pierced the thin mist, dyeing Linyuan Prefecture a faint gold.
In this turbid, chaotic world, there was no true peace. Only by meeting force with force and repaying tooth for tooth could he fight his way to a sliver of life for himself and his younger sister.
He drew a deep breath and secured the money pouch inside his robes.
Today, he would personally deliver this money to Fierce Tiger Hall.
He would make those people understand that Ye Qingxuan was no lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
And that money was far from his only trump card.
He turned and strode toward the Southern District. His back did not look particularly imposing in the morning light, yet it showed a steady resolve as firm as a mountain.
His heart had already reached a decision.
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