The City Lord

A few days later, after thorough basic training had confirmed the four men's aptitude and resolve, Liu Tian abandoned his plan to develop them through Secret Martial Arts and chose another path instead.

"Hard work is an important part of a person's growth, but so is choosing the right direction."

"Over the past few days, I've seen your willpower and self-discipline, and gotten a sense of your potential. Now, it's time I officially taught you Secret Martial Arts..."

As he spoke, Liu Tian paused, giving serious thought to how to tactfully tell them they weren't suited to martial arts.

The tuition he charged was quite modest, after all: each student only had to pay for the right to view a thousand different antiques from the Lost Empire.

But since he'd agreed to teach them, Liu Tian would do the job properly and put his heart into it. The problem was, if a score of one hundred represented perfect martial aptitude, then Liu Wenqian, Bai He, Li Hua, and Chen Qichao averaged around forty. The highest score among them was barely fifty.

Not one of them even passed!

They were even worse than Liu Tian had been before his aptitude improved.

With such poor aptitude, their families had clearly made the right call in giving up on training them in martial arts.

"Truth is, you aren't suited to practicing Secret Martial Arts." Liu Tian mulled it over for a long time before finally deciding. "Your talent is about average, and a few of you are even below average."

"Li Hua, the most talented of you, has a terrible foundation because he gave up martial arts entirely. Wenqian, the least talented, has trained hard, but his ability is still only so-so. All things considered, you're about evenly matched. You're roughly on par with farmyard geese."

"I'd say that, barring a miracle, you can't count on martial arts to make a living in this lifetime."

Without the slightest concern for their increasingly gloomy expressions, Liu Tian shrugged and changed the subject. "But what era are we living in? Martial arts aren't the only way to get stronger. Second Uncle is a fine example."

"His talent is only a little better than yours, but Second Uncle's strength is nothing to sneeze at now." As he spoke, Liu Tian pulled out several books and flicked them toward the group. The books landed neatly in their hands, two apiece. "So if you want to get stronger, you can't rely solely on Secret Martial Arts."

They'd long since gotten used to this routine. Without Liu Tian's permission, they wouldn't stop holding their horse stances, so all they could do was look at the covers.

The book in their left hands was titled Flowing Dragon Steps, while the one in their right hands was titled Firearms Mastery. The two books had been written in very different hands: the left one was wild and elegant, while the right one was neat and proper. It was obvious they'd been written by two different people.

"The book in your left hand is a simple Secret Martial Art I came up with for you over the past few days."

Flowing Dragon Steps was a martial art Liu Tian had created by setting aside a little time here and there. He'd simplified it from Shadow Seeking Dragon Step and incorporated some of Thunder Hand's principles. It specialized in dodging within a confined space.

Thanks to all his hard work, Liu Tian had now surpassed the creator of Shadow Seeking Dragon Step. Simplifying it into a new martial art was a breeze. And with the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao as a reference—a technique born from the fusion of countless Secret Martial Arts—creating a new art by combining them was easy as well.

He called it simple, but that was only by his standards. In the past, it would have counted as a decent Secret Martial Art with a specialized focus.

"Flowing Dragon Steps will improve your agility, helping you move faster and react more quickly. It's especially good for dodging in tight spaces. It's easy to learn, easy to practice, and easy to improve at. You just need to put in the time and resources, so it's perfect for you." Before any of them could ask, Liu Tian explained, "Flowing Dragon Steps has nine forms and sixty-three moves. Combined in different ways, they're enough to handle all kinds of terrain, whether you're on open ground, among obstacles, in the woods, or out on the grasslands. If you master it, you won't have to worry about getting shot unless three or five gunmen surround you."

"As for Firearms Mastery, my Second Uncle wrote it. It brings together his research on firearms and weapons over the years, along with some training methods. I thought it over from every angle. Since you're not suited to getting stronger through Secret Martial Arts, you might as well learn to shoot."

"Under normal circumstances, a gun is faster beyond seven steps, and both faster and more accurate within seven. It beats training in martial arts until you're worn to the bone."

"Starting today, you'll practice Secret Martial Arts in the morning and firearms in the afternoon. I'll be staying here for another month and a half. You have one month to build a solid foundation. After that, I'll take you into the mountains to hunt and put your skills to the test."

"After a month, what you get to eat will depend on what you manage to hunt. If you come back empty-handed, you'll have to chew on black bread—the kind that's hard enough to kill someone. So don't even think about slacking off."

"Tian'er."

Just as Liu Tian was lecturing the group, Liu Yun came in. His face showed a mix of excitement and apprehension, with a hint of confusion. Liu Zhengde, whose leave hadn't ended yet, followed close behind, looking quite pleased.

The two hurried over as soon as they saw Liu Tian. "Still teaching them martial arts? Something's come up. Your father said he wanted to ask your opinion."

"Sure." Seeing their expressions, Liu Tian raised an eyebrow and agreed. Then he turned to the others and instructed them, "Read the books first and familiarize yourselves with them. Don't start practicing yet. Once I'm back, you can begin properly."

"Son! You're here!"

The three of them soon reached an empty guest room nearby. The matter was important enough that even his mother, Sophie, who had disliked moving around ever since giving birth, was waiting there with his baby sister in her arms. When Sophie saw the three of them come through the door, she waved to Liu Tian. As if sensing her mother's joy, little Hua, now chubbier than ever, giggled in Sophie's arms.

"Mom! Hey, did you miss me, little Hua?"

Liu Tian took two steps for every one of his mother's and reached her in no time. He took little Hua from her as he always did and gently teased her with his finger. As long as he didn't have to raise them himself, he quite liked newborns—especially one related to him by blood.

Liu Zhengde, bringing up the rear, turned and waved. A guard took up position outside the door, and Liu Zhengde shut it behind them.

"Why all the secrecy? What's going on?" Liu Tian asked, blinking. "I've never seen Dad make a face like that before. Go on, tell me. You said you wanted my opinion..."

"We received an imperial decree from the palace," Liu Yun said, drawing a deep breath. "It says they want your Second Uncle to become the City Lord of Pei Commandery. They also want to hire me as a Naval Instructor."

"You're joking, right? Second Uncle becoming the City Lord is one thing, but Dad as a Naval Instructor? What's he going to teach, whale-catching?" Liu Tian laughed in disbelief and held out his hand. "All right, I get it. This has to do with my senior brother, Bai Cinan, right? If you can't beat them, recruit them; if you can't recruit them, join them. Same old tricks. Where's the decree? Let me see it?"