Surprise

Qin Bo shook his head. "That man is quite formidable. Junior Sister had an accident just now, so I naturally didn't dare linger. I could only retreat first and make plans afterward."

Fei Yao said, "Senior Brother, I'm fine. They should only be superficial injuries."

Hearing this, Qin Bo's expression grew even more anxious. He hurriedly said, "Junior Sister, how about I take a look at your injuries, then go buy you some medicine to apply? You absolutely mustn't be careless."

Fei Yao felt conflicted upon hearing those words, and a trace of shyness flashed across her face.

But in the end, she still nodded lightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Yes... We're people of the martial world. There's no need to be overly restrained."

Qin Bo was secretly delighted.

Though Fei Yao usually thought rather highly of him, she had always kept a certain distance from him, never giving him an opportunity to take things further.

Who would have thought that because of what happened today, Fei Yao would actually relent?

For a moment, Qin Bo even absurdly wanted to thank Xu Yunfan. If not for that kick, he likely would never have had this chance.

Yet outwardly, he showed no sign of anything unusual. His face remained full of concern, and his movements were as gentle as though he were handling a rare treasure, as if he truly cared for her deeply.

When he carefully lifted Fei Yao's clothes and saw the large blue-black bruise across her lower abdomen, he feigned fury, abruptly rose to his feet, and shouted, "You bastard! Junior Sister, don't worry. A gentleman must avenge such a grievance! I'll make him pay a painful price for that kick!"

Fei Yao recalled Xu Yunfan's utterly merciless methods, and her heart filled with anger and resentment. Seeing Qin Bo's furious appearance before her, she felt exceptionally sweet inside.

She bit down on her lower lip, her eyes glinting with arrogance as she said viciously, "Senior Brother, that man has taken over your house. He's gone too far in bullying us. We absolutely cannot let him off—we must find a way to kill him!"

"There's no rush. The other party is a Martial Master who has at least reached Great Accomplishment in the First Tempering. We can't act rashly if we want to deal with him. We must deliberate carefully first. If he is willing to sell the house, then everything can be discussed. We'll just make another trip there tomorrow."

After comforting Fei Yao a few times, Qin Bo hurriedly calmed her down. Otherwise, if they went over again on a whim, there was a strong chance that the next time they saw him, they would be looking at a corpse.

A First Tempering Martial Master was living incognito in this small city. Without knowing his background, if a conflict arose and he decided to kill them, they would not even know whom to seek revenge against.

But by the same token, perhaps he had no backing, or perhaps he was keeping such a low profile because he could not show himself openly.

Perhaps they could even get some unexpected benefits from this fellow.

Most importantly, Xu Yunfan had very likely found the thing in that courtyard. Whether the man yielded or not, Qin Bo had to find a way to kill him.

They had returned this time for that very item. The house was merely a pretext; they could leave once they had taken it. But if that Martial Master discovered them...

Qin Bo's gaze flickered as killing intent churned in his heart.

"Huh? Where are my banknotes?"

"...Perhaps you accidentally dropped them when I brought you back. I'll go buy you some medicine first. Rest and recover for a day or two before we make further plans."

"Ah, it's fine. There's still a pouch of gold leaves in my bundle. Senior Brother, please use them as you see fit. It'll be enough for our expenses on this trip."

A flush rose to Fei Yao's cheeks. "Senior Brother, you're so good to me."

"..."

'You diligently practiced Fleet Foot once. Your steps seem to have grown several degrees lighter, as though you have grasped some of its essence.'

'You carefully pondered Fleet Foot once. By reviewing the old, you gained new insight and noticed a crucial point you had previously overlooked. After correcting yourself accordingly, you found that exerting force took somewhat less effort.'

'...'

Watching the notifications that had appeared in his vision, nearly filling the screen, Xu Yunfan let out a breath and stopped his legs, which had been trained until they were unbearably sore. At this moment, his blood and qi roiled within him, exceptionally vigorous.

In the bitterly cold weather, he walked slowly around the courtyard bare-chested, gradually calming his blood and qi. The heat radiating from his body and the moisture expelled from within made his entire body steam, white vapor rising from him. His trouser legs were rolled up to the roots of his thighs, revealing clearly visible bundles of muscles constantly twitching in his legs. Thick veins twisted over them, pulsing as his heart contracted and expanded, throbbing incessantly beneath the surging torrent of blood.

His legs were growing thicker by the day. When he stood with both legs together, there was barely even a gap between his thighs.

Glancing at Fleet Foot's proficiency, Xu Yunfan rubbed his hands together in delight. He had not neglected this technique these past few days. After five days of intense training, he needed only a little over forty more points to advance it to Great Accomplishment.

At most, it would take another day or two.

Ever since reaching Great Accomplishment in the First Tempering, with the aid of the Attribute Panel, he practiced other techniques several times faster than before.

Once he reached Tendon Training Great Accomplishment, with both tendon and skin training at Great Accomplishment, he could call himself a Second Tempering Martial Master wherever he went.

A Second Tempering Martial Master was at least several times stronger than a First Tempering Martial Master. When the major tendons snapped, they sounded like thunderclaps, and one's physical abilities would undergo a tremendous leap. Tendon training was especially useful for building endurance.

Martial Masters at Tendon Training Great Accomplishment all possessed lasting endurance. After an intense battle, even highly skilled experts would only be breathing slightly harder, without flushed faces or ragged breaths.

Martial Masters at Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering, meanwhile, excelled in training strength. Their skin could become as tough as old cowhide. Though they could not compare to martial artists who specialized in hard-body techniques, their strength could reach eight hundred to a thousand jin, which was truly astonishing.

A Second Tempering Martial Master with combat ability as strong as Xu Yunfan's would be highly sought after anywhere. Naturally, he wanted to find a good sect to settle into.

He raised his head and looked into the distance. The setting sun was blood-red, its dim yellow afterglow gradually swallowed by darkness, while the moon was quietly rising on the other side of the sky.

Xu Yunfan happened to be standing beside the courtyard wall, looking at the wall of the opposite courtyard.

He exerted force beneath his feet, his toes digging into the ground. The muscles in his legs instantly tightened and bulged, like a powerful bow drawn to its limit.

As he gathered strength, his major tendons quivered violently like thick steel cables, emitting a deep hum.

Crack!

The blue stone brick beneath his feet instantly shattered under that tremendous force.

Borrowing that momentum, Xu Yunfan shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his body streaking ahead.

In the blink of an eye, he landed steadily beneath the wall of the opposite courtyard.

He crossed more than ten meters in a single bound!

Xu Yunfan's expression was somewhat strange. His exertion just now had felt a little hollow, and he still had some strength left unused.

The blue brick paving was somewhat unstable.

He turned and looked south, toward the inn where Qin Bo and Fei Yao were staying.

Early the next morning, Xu Yunfan's attention was once again drawn by a knock at the door. He slowly stopped swinging the long-handled wooden iron hammer in his hands.

He threw on a garment and went to open the door. When he saw the visitor, Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Qin Bo stood at the entrance, carrying several gifts in his hands.

A smile appeared on Qin Bo's face.

"Brother Xu, I've come specifically to apologize."

Xu Yunfan was somewhat surprised. He had never expected Qin Bo to adopt such a humble attitude.

As a disciple of the Surging Wave Sect and a Martial Master at Great Accomplishment in the First Tempering, it was no easy thing for him to lower himself so much. Even Xu Yunfan's desire to kill him wavered, and he could not help wondering whether his repeated encounters since arriving in this world had left him so insecure.

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