Raging Wave Saber Technique, Ape Arm Skill

After a bout of self-reflection, Su Chen steadied his emotions and entered Liu Tong's room.

After turning the place upside down, he finally found what Liu Tong had hidden atop a crossbeam.

It was a bundle.

Opening it, he found two secret manuals, several letters, some medicinal herbs, and seventy taels of silver.

The two manuals were the "Raging Wave Saber Technique" and the "Ape Arm Skill."

Su Chen glanced at them and put them back. Like Liu Heishui's ledger, these two manuals also contained coded language.

He would probably not be able to discern their mysteries anytime soon. He might as well put them away and examine them after returning home.

Su Chen then turned his attention to the other items.

There was nothing unusual about the medicinal herbs. They were a few thin roots, resembling ginseng rootlets, though he had no idea how many years they had grown for.

Tucking the rootlets inside the manuals, Su Chen picked up the letters and began reading.

The farther he read, the uglier his expression became.

These letters were all records of correspondence between Liu Tong and Lao Lin of Lin Family Fortress.

However, it was basically Lao Lin who contacted Liu Tong, informing him in advance about anyone who had accepted missions to assassinate Liu Tong.

After reading every letter, Su Chen finally understood. No wonder something had felt off before.

He had clearly been so careful, yet Liu Tong had still discovered him.

The man had even prepared beforehand, taking an antidote to avoid being knocked unconscious by the Misty Sweat Drug.

It seemed Liu Tong might have gone through this sort of thing several times already.

Unfortunately, this time he had encountered Su Chen, who had added Tendon Weakening Powder while using the Misty Sweat Drug.

The result was naturally Liu Tong lifting a stone only to smash his own foot, dying at Su Chen's hands.

Of course, he had gotten exactly what he deserved.

Judging from these letters, Lao Lin had worked with Liu Tong more than once.

Using the missions as bait, he had Liu Tong kill the unlucky people who accepted them.

Then he would obtain their information and use Misty Rain Pavilion to secretly investigate their backgrounds.

If they had no significant backing, Liu Tong would strike and cut the grass at its roots, after which they would split the profits fifty-fifty.

Then they would switch locations and repeat the same nesting-doll scheme. That was precisely why Lao Lin knew Liu Tong's address.

"I was planning to put on another disguise and take missions at Lin Family Fortress, but it seems there's no need now. I'd better send Liu Tong's head straight to the authorities and collect the reward!"

Su Chen shook his head slightly, abandoning the idea of continuing his dealings with Lin Family Fortress. Nor did he intend to send Liu Tong's head there.

"Seventy taels of silver, plus the fifty-odd taels at home, is enough to upgrade Iron Wire Fist. And there are another fifty taels from the authorities, but..."

Su Chen's gaze settled on the two secret manuals.

If he had not found this saber manual, Su Chen would have chosen to spend money on Iron Wire Fist without hesitation.

But after the battle just now, he was more inclined to spend money on the Raging Wave Saber Technique.

After all, at his current level, weapons were still extremely useful.

"Forget it. I'll collect the money first and decide when I get back!"

After packing everything away, Su Chen rose and left the room. In the courtyard, he dealt with Liu Tong's head before departing.

By the time he returned to White Stone City, the sky was beginning to lighten, and a ray of sunlight slowly rose from the east.

Pale golden light fell upon Su Chen, dispelling the exhaustion and weariness of his journey.

"The entry fee has gone up another copper coin!"

After learning of the new fee from the guards, Su Chen paid to enter the city and headed straight home.

After washing up, eating, and changing clothes, Su Chen made his way to the Yamen.

"Stop! Who are you?"

Seeing the veiled-hat-wearing Su Chen, the Yamen Runner guarding the entrance stopped him and questioned him.

Su Chen said nothing, merely raised the Wanted List and bundle in his hand. The Yamen Runner's pupils contracted sharply at the sight.

His attitude immediately changed, and he said respectfully, "Please allow me to report this."

Before long, a man of average height and somewhat plump build approached him.

"May I ask, warrior, did you capture and kill Liu Tong?" the man asked.

Su Chen nodded. Seeing this, the man hurriedly invited him in. "Please come with me, warrior. The Magistrate wishes to see you."

Following the man, Su Chen made his way to the main hall, where Magistrate Tao Wenxuan had been waiting for quite some time.

The moment he saw Su Chen, Tao Wenxuan's gaze immediately fell upon Su Chen's hand.

More precisely, it fell upon the bundle.

Su Chen did not waste words. He directly tossed out the bundle, and a Yamen Runner promptly opened it, revealing Liu Tong's head.

"Sir, it is Liu Tong's head."

After verifying it, the Yamen Runner cupped his hands and reported.

Upon hearing this, the Magistrate's gaze toward Su Chen changed slightly.

"Haha, warrior, you truly are formidable. Liu Tong has been on the Wanted List for a long time, yet there had never been any news of him. I never expected him to be killed by you. May I know your name?"

"Yang Guo," Su Chen replied indifferently.

"So it is Warrior Yang. Here are fifty taels of silver. Please accept them."

After offering a few compliments, the Magistrate clapped his hands, and someone immediately brought over the reward.

Su Chen glanced at it, nodded, and put away the silver. Under the watchful eyes of the Magistrate and the others, he flicked his sleeve and departed.

After Su Chen left, the Magistrate ordered someone to put away Liu Tong's head.

He then looked to the Yamen Clerk and asked, "Has such a person appeared in White Stone City recently?"

The Yamen Clerk shook his head. "I have not heard of him, sir. Shall I investigate him?"

"There is no need. He killed Liu Tong with a single hand, so he is certainly no ordinary man. The situation is tense at present; it would be best not to provoke him."

The Magistrate shook his head, stopping the Yamen Clerk from doing so.

After a pause, he added, "However, should an opportunity arise, we may be able to put him to use for the Imperial Court."

"Yes!"

Finding a secluded place, Su Chen removed his disguise and changed into another set of clothes.

After returning home, Su Chen spent some time sorting through the manuals.

Liu Tong had not hidden his manuals as carefully as Liu Heishui had, so Su Chen deciphered them easily.

However, after practicing them once, he did not see any sign of new Martial Arts on the panel.

So he reread the manuals, going through them five times from beginning to end before finally noticing the two places where Liu Tong had reversed the sequence.

After rearranging the moves, Su Chen practiced them again, and two Martial Arts immediately appeared on the panel:

Martial Arts: Iron Wire Fist (Mastery 2%) Iron Sand Palm (Mastery 2%) Ape Arm Skill (Beginner 1%) Raging Wave Saber Technique (Beginner 1%)

Easy Mode: Iron Wire Fist 0 times (10 taels of gold/time) Iron Sand Palm 0 times (10 taels of gold/time) Ape Arm Skill 0 times (1 tael of silver/time) Raging Wave Saber Technique 0 times (1 tael of silver/time)

He calculated the money he had obtained. In total, it was around one hundred and seventy taels.

He then fell into deep thought:

"This silver is only enough to activate Easy Mode once for Iron Wire Fist or Iron Sand Palm."

"The entry cost for Raging Wave Saber Technique and Ape Arm Skill has not changed, but I don't know whether the cost will change later."

"If it does not change, I could choose to improve the saber technique."

"According to Liu Tong's manual, the Raging Wave Saber Technique is highly explosive and requires Ape Arm Skill as support. Otherwise, repeated use will cripple the arm, and medicinal herbs are needed for treatment after practice."

"But I have the panel. I believe those drawbacks should not apply to me."

"Mm, even if they do, I can spend a dozen or so taels of silver to improve Ape Arm Skill."

"Since that's the case, I'll improve the Raging Wave Saber Technique first."