The Bone-Scraping Knife

That day, Wang Jingyuan and Lin Pingzhi were chatting idly on the second floor of Huiyan Tower, the biggest restaurant in Hengyang City. Wang Jingyuan had come to stake the place out, while Lin Pingzhi was still being bullied by his fellow disciples. In his daily life, he could only stick with Wang Jingyuan, a senior brother he knew fairly well.

As for why he didn't stick with Yue Lingshan, it was because he'd realized that the more time he spent with her, the more the others shunned him—especially Sixth Senior Brother Lu Dayou.

Though it was a restaurant, they also served tea. Wang Jingyuan had tried drinking too much before and found that it only gave him the [Drunk] debuff. Aside from blurring his vision and throwing off his balance, it had no positive effects whatsoever.

After that, he never touched alcohol again. Even in a restaurant, he only drank tea. As for Lin Pingzhi, he was from Fujian and loved tea even more than life itself.

The first floor was a gathering place for martial artists. The second floor, on the other hand, had far fewer of them, and those who were there belonged to reputable sects, making it a much more peaceful place. It was probably because most low-level martial artists had no legitimate source of income. They were often half-starved and short on cash, so they couldn't afford to come upstairs.

Wang Jingyuan had more or less figured it out: the martial world here was a lot like society in his previous life. The bottom rung was full of delinquent young punks, the higher-ups were criminal gangs, and the very top had already become respectable, having long since washed their hands of their past.

As for who Wang Jingyuan was waiting for, of course it was his senior brother, Linghu Chong. Based on what he knew about Linghu Chong, after entering Hengyang City, he wouldn't meet up with their master first. He'd come here for a drink.

If the original story hadn't changed, Linghu Chong would definitely stop by Huiyan Tower.

Wang Jingyuan didn't have to wait long. Before he'd finished a pot of tea, a seedy-looking man came up to the second floor, holding a young nun hostage. Wang Jingyuan ignored the man and instead looked the young nun up and down.

She was delicate and strikingly beautiful, her radiance impossible to ignore. She was only sixteen or seventeen, and though her graceful figure was wrapped in a loose black robe, it couldn't hide her lovely curves.

These were Tian Boguang and Yilin. Now that both of them had arrived, surely Linghu Chong couldn't be far behind.

Wang Jingyuan couldn't help admiring her. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Slim branches, but quite the fruit. One word: stunning!"

The man's eyes lit up at his words. As if he'd found a kindred spirit, he came over and said, "Young brother, you've got a good eye."

Wang Jingyuan ignored him completely. The man frowned and asked, "Didn't you hear me?"

Wang Jingyuan replied bluntly, "Don't talk to me. Our sect rules forbid associating with heretics."

Hearing this, Tian Boguang realized the other man had seen through his identity. He placed a hand on the hilt of the saber at his waist. "So, young hero, are you planning to uphold justice?"

Wang Jingyuan spread his hands, then pressed down on Lin Pingzhi, who was about to rise beside him. "My martial arts are nothing special. I can handle bandits, but fighting you would be suicide."

Tian Boguang hadn't expected that answer. He asked, "Then what are you going to do?"

Wang Jingyuan lifted his teacup. "Starting a fight when you can't win is something an idiot would do. I'll just keep drinking my tea."

Though Tian Boguang was a lecher, that didn't stop him from looking down on cowards. He led Yilin over to another table, sat her down, and couldn't be bothered with Wang Jingyuan anymore. He ordered food and wine for himself.

The food and wine arrived at Tian Boguang's table, and then a pale-faced man covered in blood came up to the second floor. It was the very person Wang Jingyuan had been waiting for: Linghu Chong.

As soon as Linghu Chong came upstairs, he spotted Tian Boguang and Yilin, then noticed Wang Jingyuan. Wang Jingyuan waved to him. "Oi, Senior Brother, sneaking out to drink again?"

Linghu Chong was a little surprised to see Wang Jingyuan there, but rescuing Yilin was more important. He simply nodded to Wang Jingyuan, then walked over to Tian Boguang's table, dropped into a seat, poured himself a bowl of wine, and downed it in one go. Tian Boguang found him amusing, so the two began chatting.

During their conversation, Linghu Chong mentioned Tian Boguang's name. A Mount Tai Sect disciple at the next table immediately slammed his hand on the table, drew his sword, and rushed over to Tian Boguang. "Are you Tian Boguang?"

Tian Boguang replied, "So what if I am?"

The young man said, "I'm going to kill you, you lecher! Everyone in the martial world wants you dead, yet you're still here boasting. Are you tired of living?"

Tian Boguang's body swayed, and he casually slashed out a flash of saber light. The sound of metal clashing rang through the air. The Mount Tai Sect disciple felt a tightness in his throat, then someone grabbed him by the collar and dragged him backward.

Tian Boguang's gaze sharpened as he looked at Wang Jingyuan, who was pulling the Mount Tai Sect disciple back. "You've got good skills, young hero. You don't look like someone with mediocre martial arts."

Wang Jingyuan returned his sword to its scabbard. "I can only use that move three times in a row, and there's a cooldown. It's basically my ultimate. My ultimate barely managed to block your basic attack. If I really fought you, I'd be dead for sure."

Tian Boguang was about to mock him when another person rushed at him. It was Daoist Tiansong of the Mount Tai Sect. Seeing his nephew nearly cut down by Tian Boguang, he leapt in front of him, shouted repeatedly, and launched a swift attack with his sword.

But Tian Boguang still didn't get up. He remained seated, drawing his saber to parry. Daoist Tiansong attacked twenty or thirty times, and Tian Boguang blocked every strike, never once rising from his chair.

Wang Jingyuan didn't take the chance to launch a sneak attack. Instead, he patted the Mount Tai Sect disciple on the shoulder and pointed toward Daoist Tiansong, who was being given a "lesson" by Tian Boguang. "See that over there?"

The Mount Tai Sect disciple was still a little dazed, and only managed to answer automatically, "Yeah."

"If I hadn't saved you just now, would you be dead?"

"Yeah."

"What's your name?"

"Chi Baicheng."

Wang Jingyuan pulled a small booklet from somewhere and wrote in it with a charcoal pencil. "Chi Baicheng of the Mount Tai Sect owes me one life-saving favor."

"Huh?" Only then did Chi Baicheng snap out of it.

Wang Jingyuan looked at him. "What, you planning to deny it?"

Chi Baicheng shook his head. "No. Young hero, wait here. I'm going to help my martial uncle!"

He was about to rush in again, but this time Wang Jingyuan stopped him and handed him a bottle of medicine. "Special Wound Medicine. Remember to give it to your martial uncle in a moment."

Chi Baicheng looked confused. "What?"

Then he saw Daoist Tiansong lose. A gash had been cut across his chest. Only his profound cultivation, along with Yilin's pleas, kept him alive.

Linghu Chong had just helped Daoist Tiansong out of trouble by forcing himself to use Taiyue Sanqing Peak, and the wounds on his body had split open again. But Daoist Tiansong showed no gratitude at all. Instead, he cursed Linghu Chong for colluding with a lecher.

Daoist Tiansong had also taken a dislike to Wang Jingyuan for not daring to fight Tian Boguang. He refused to use the wound medicine Wang Jingyuan had given him.

"Shame on you for being disciples of the Five Great Sword Sects. One of you is a coward, the other a lecher. I—ah!" While Daoist Tiansong was injured and unable to move, Wang Jingyuan simply sprinkled the medicine onto his wound.

"Daoist, I'd advise you to say a little less. You've already blown it, after all. If you keep going, I'm afraid I'll lose my patience and kill you first. I've already done a lot of the Huashan main quest. I really don't want to give it up."

Hearing Wang Jingyuan say that, Daoist Tiansong trembled with rage. "You! You!"

Even Chi Baicheng glared at Wang Jingyuan, but since the other man had really saved his life, he couldn't say much. He simply helped Daoist Tiansong leave.

Wang Jingyuan turned and sat down at the table shared by Linghu Chong and Tian Boguang. Linghu Chong was proposing that they fight while seated. Wang Jingyuan interrupted him. "You've finished the wine at this table. Whatever you're going to do, put it on hold for a moment. I'll get us some more."

When Lin Pingzhi saw Wang Jingyuan step into the fray, he stood up, gritted his teeth, and started to walk over.

Wang Jingyuan held out a hand to stop him. "Only four people can sit at a table, and there's no room for you here. Go to Qunyu Garden next door, book me a private room, and order a table of food and wine. Make sure to get a few vegetarian dishes, too."

Lin Pingzhi glanced at Tian Boguang and turned to leave, but Wang Jingyuan called after him. "Little Lin, do exactly what I tell you. Don't cut corners, and don't do anything extra.

"If I get to Qunyu Garden and there's no food for me, I'll kick your ass hard with my boot."

Lin Pingzhi ignored Linghu Chong, who was signaling to him, and firmly nodded at Wang Jingyuan before heading downstairs. Tian Boguang was curious about Wang Jingyuan's instructions. He'd seen countless martial artists, but never anyone quite like him.

Still, Tian Boguang had watched how Wang Jingyuan acted just now, and he looked down on him. He only hadn't attacked because he was Linghu Chong's junior brother. He snorted. "Kid, you're not fit to drink at my table."

Wang Jingyuan ignored him and shouted toward the waiter hiding in a corner. "Waiter, bring me a jar of your finest wine!"

Linghu Chong had been covertly signaling Wang Jingyuan to hurry up and get help, but he forgot to keep signaling. His throat bobbed as he asked, "Junior Disciple Brother, do you know how expensive the finest wine at Huiyan Tower is?"

Wang Jingyuan pulled a stack of banknotes from his pocket. "Master told me not to deprive myself."

Linghu Chong stared blankly at the stack. Ever since he could remember, the money Yue Buqun had given him probably didn't add up to that much. Even Tian Boguang couldn't help taking another look. "Kid, you're pretty well-off, huh?"

Wang Jingyuan took out one banknote to pay the waiter, then fanned the rest in the air. "This stuff can be more useful than swords sometimes."

Tian Boguang laughed dismissively. "When you're out in the martial world, martial arts are what matter most."

Wang Jingyuan didn't comment. He just set the jar of wine the waiter brought down on the table and knocked off its seal. A rich fragrance immediately wafted out. Linghu Chong could barely resist pouring himself a big bowl, but Wang Jingyuan stopped him.

Wang Jingyuan took out a packet of powder from who knew where and dumped the whole thing into the wine. The fragrance rising from the jar immediately took on a medicinal note.

Linghu Chong said urgently, "Junior Disciple Brother, what are you doing? You've ruined the whole jar!"

Wang Jingyuan gave Linghu Chong a scornful look. "What do you know? This strengthening... tonic of mine cost more than the wine."

Tian Boguang's eyes widened. He sniffed the medicinal aroma and murmured, "Morinda Officinalis, Cynomorium Songaricum, Cistanche Deserticola, Psoralea Corylifolia, Epimedium, Cuscuta Chinensis, Deer Antler, Deer Penis... There are a few other ingredients I really can't identify."

Wang Jingyuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? An expert, are you?"

Tian Boguang stuck out his chest. "I just recognize them. I don't use them often. Still, you know what you're doing, kid. Fine, you can drink with us."

Wang Jingyuan said, "Hold on. I heard you two were going to have a contest. Since we've got a jar of wine here, why don't we change the rules?"

Tian Boguang frowned. "What do you have in mind?"

"Whoever drinks half this jar will get drunk. My senior brother may be a heavy drinker, but he's already had quite a lot, so that doesn't give him an advantage.

"We'll take turns posing a challenge that we ourselves can accomplish. If the others can't do it, they have to drink a big bowl of wine. Whoever gets drunk loses. The last person still standing gets the young nun all to himself."

Tian Boguang leered at him. "I saw you staring at that little nun like you could barely take your eyes off her. You're one of us, so why deny it?"

Wang Jingyuan rolled his eyes. If I didn't have Harmony Mode, the things I could do would be beyond your limited imagination.

Wang Jingyuan didn't answer. He only said, "If I win, neither of you loses. If my senior brother loses, at least he gets to drink fine wine. If you lose, you'll have enjoyed my precious tonic."

Tian Boguang asked, "What if you lose?"

Wang Jingyuan replied, "I wouldn't have challenged you if I thought I could lose."

Tian Boguang suddenly laughed. "You really are an amusing kid. Fine, I'll take you up on it. Who goes first?"

Wang Jingyuan raised his hand. "My martial arts are the weakest, so I'll go first."

Tian Boguang said magnanimously, "Go ahead."

Wang Jingyuan glanced at the dishes on the table. There was a braised pork knuckle, cooked until it was falling apart. He grabbed its shin bone and gave it a light shake, detaching all the meat from it. He held the bare bone in his hand.

Wang Jingyuan rested his hand on the table, then placed the bone in his palm. He drew the precious sword at his waist, made a fierce face, and swung it down toward his palm.

It looked as if he were chopping a pig's trotter rather than his own hand.

Linghu Chong was horrified and started to draw his sword to stop him, but Tian Boguang blocked him. All he could do was watch as Wang Jingyuan's sword cut through the bone and then...

There was no "then." After Wang Jingyuan had cut through the bone, both Linghu Chong and Tian Boguang had clearly seen his sword touch his palm without hurting it in the slightest.

Wang Jingyuan kept swinging his sword. Before long, he'd chopped the bone in his palm to pieces. He lifted his hand and shook off the bone shards and marrow stuck to it. There wasn't even a scratch on his palm.

Tian Boguang suddenly drew his saber and slashed at Wang Jingyuan's palm. After the flash of the blade, a thin line of blood slowly welled up. Wang Jingyuan casually wiped it away, and the bleeding stopped.

Tian Boguang clicked his tongue in wonder. "I can tell your martial arts aren't very impressive. But that sword technique is something I've rarely seen in my life. I concede this round."

Seeing him admit defeat, Wang Jingyuan picked up the wine jar and poured a full bowl for him, then another for Linghu Chong.

Tian Boguang took the bowl and tipped it back. Linghu Chong was still staring blankly at Wang Jingyuan's palm. When he saw Tian Boguang down the whole bowl, he followed suit and drank one himself. He knew he couldn't do what Wang Jingyuan had just done.

As soon as the wine went down, a warm current surged from his throat through his limbs. It felt warm, but also a little strange.

Linghu Chong followed suit and said, "My martial arts aren't as good as Brother Tian's, so I'll set the challenge for the second round."

Tian Boguang was still savoring the medicinal effects, so he agreed without much thought.

Just as in the original story, Linghu Chong chose a seated contest with Tian Boguang, but this time it was a three-way melee. Tian Boguang knew the two brothers would probably work together against him, but he wasn't afraid. He immediately went all out and attacked Wang Jingyuan.

Wang Jingyuan didn't even fight back. He simply leapt away and conceded, keeping himself safe. In the end, though, just as in the original story, Linghu Chong won through a clever trick. Tian Boguang lost another round.

If Wang Jingyuan hadn't gotten involved, Linghu Chong would have settled things with Tian Boguang in a single round and then rescued Yilin. But now that Wang Jingyuan had interfered, Linghu Chong's hard-won victory only earned Tian Boguang another bowl of wine.

It looked like a bad deal, but what kind of person was Wang Jingyuan? He wasn't about to take a loss like that.

Wang Jingyuan picked up the wine jar and poured a bowl for Tian Boguang and another for himself. Tian Boguang was a man of his word. Without saying a thing, he drank the wine in his bowl. But this bowl was different from the first.

The medicinal effects mixed with the wine as it went down. The effects of the first bowl hadn't worn off yet, and the second seemed to set off a powder keg, making the heat inside him blaze fiercely.

The fire that flared up wasn't anger or jealousy. It was pure lust, and it rushed straight down below. Tian Boguang's eyes turned bloodshot, and he panted like an ox. He looked at Yilin sitting off to one side. His burning gaze seemed to pierce her coarse black robe and see the enticing curves beneath it.

"I can't hold back anymore!" Tian Boguang suddenly shouted, then lunged toward Yilin. She screamed and backed away, while Wang Jingyuan stepped in front of her at just the right moment.

"Brother Tian, you're cheating!"

"I really can't hold back anymore!"

No kidding. Anyone could see he couldn't hold back anymore.

Wang Jingyuan immediately said, "Brother Tian's in his prime, and he's taken my precious tonic. It must have set his lust ablaze. I had my junior brother arrange a table at Qunyu Garden nearby, thinking that after the contest, win or lose, we could all share a drink.

"Now, I'll take you to Qunyu Garden first so you can cool off. I hear their girls are all curvy, and they're especially good at their jobs."

A veteran like Tian Boguang instinctively sensed something was wrong. But anyone who'd ever let lust get the better of them knew that when the little head started controlling the big one, they might sense danger and still follow their desires.

Wang Jingyuan grabbed Tian Boguang by the wrist and used his lightness skill to lead him toward Qunyu Garden. With what little reason he had left, Tian Boguang grabbed Yilin as well and followed Wang Jingyuan.

When Tian Boguang saw the sign for Qunyu Garden, he grabbed Wang Jingyuan's hand in return and used his Ten Thousand Li Alone lightness skill to drag Wang Jingyuan inside.

Worried something might happen, Linghu Chong followed them too.

As soon as they entered Qunyu Garden, Wang Jingyuan pulled out a stack of banknotes, found the madam, and pointed at Tian Boguang. "I'll take all the girls who are free. This gentleman wants to test his limits today."

The madam's eyes lit up as she gazed at the thick stack of banknotes in her hand. She called out loudly, "Girls, come greet our guest!"

A crowd of courtesans immediately surged toward Tian Boguang. Wang Jingyuan used the opportunity to pull Yilin out. By then, Tian Boguang was too preoccupied to care about anything else. He'd lost himself in a sea of swaying hips and heaving breasts.

Wang Jingyuan looked around and spotted Lin Pingzhi waving to him from the second floor. He called to Linghu Chong, who had just come in, and went upstairs.

The meal Lin Pingzhi had arranged at Wang Jingyuan's request had just arrived. Wang Jingyuan put the vegetarian dishes in front of Yilin and started eating. Linghu Chong asked in surprise, "Junior Disciple Brother, was this all part of your plan?"

Wang Jingyuan pointed at Lin Pingzhi. "He's the junior disciple now. And yes, that was exactly my plan."

Linghu Chong hurriedly said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get Yilin and leave!"

Wang Jingyuan shook his head. "I've been busy for half the day, and the main course hasn't even arrived yet. Why would I leave?"

As he spoke, Wang Jingyuan explained everything to Linghu Chong. "When I poured the powder into the wine jar, I didn't shake it at all. Most of the powder was floating on top. The first bowl I poured for Tian Boguang contained almost all of it. Your bowl had much less.

"When I poured the second round, I used a special trick to add some more powder to the jar. Since it was the same powder, the taste hadn't changed, so Tian Boguang didn't suspect anything.

"But he took a large amount of heating medicine in a short time, drank wine, and fought you. Naturally, the effects hit him all at once.

"A lecher like him already has insatiable desires. After I gave them a little push, his lust was completely ablaze. I just counted the girls downstairs. There are probably twenty or thirty of them. Tian Boguang is in for a rough day."

Wang Jingyuan pulled out another stack of banknotes and fanned them. "Even if he's gifted enough to handle every girl downstairs, I can still hire more from the other brothels in Hengyang City to help out.

"I told you before: this stuff can be more useful than swords sometimes."