"It's unbelievable. Back in my day, I went through all kinds of hardship to cultivate Sword Intent. Who would've thought this kid could comprehend Sword Intent so easily? Could there really be someone in this world with such extraordinary talent?"
"I've always thought of myself as a Sword Dao prodigy, but it turns out I was just a joke! Today, this junior has thoroughly humiliated me. I'm utterly ashamed."
Muttering to himself, Yan Chixia took a sip of wine, still completely baffled. Xiao Han's talent in Sword Dao was indeed exceptional, but comprehending Sword Intent wasn't something that happened overnight.
Yan Chixia had never heard of anyone like Xiao Han, who, after receiving his guidance for just a few days, had suddenly comprehended a Sword Intent of his own.
As for Xiao Han, he kept practicing his sword nearby. Seeing Yan Chixia's dumbfounded expression, he secretly snickered.
Kai Dad's Sword Dao talent bonus was indeed impressive, but even that had its limits. The reason he'd developed his own Sword Intent so quickly was entirely because of the system!
System: Pay 100 Energy Value, and you can instantly get started with the Transformation Freedom Law.
After figuring out the principles behind Sword Intent, Xiao Han had used the system to get started with it.
However, he didn't intend to use Energy Value to force his Sword Intent to improve.
First, his Sword Dao talent really was exceptionally strong, and he could use this opportunity to temper himself.
Second, improving Sword Intent required far too much Energy Value. The cost was daunting.
With both factors in mind, Xiao Han began tempering his Sword Intent the way Yan Chixia did, hoping to make further progress in Sword Dao.
Put simply, he was broke and didn't want to spend that Energy Value.
In the days that followed, Xiao Han learned whatever Yan Chixia taught him. Whenever they encountered a monster, Xiao Han would volunteer to go cut it down, while Yan Chixia leisurely drank his wine.
The old man and the young man traveled on and off like this for over a week.
One day, Yan Chixia and Xiao Han arrived together at a ferry landing. They'd have to cross this great river to reach the town on the other side.
The river's current was swift, and it stretched several hundred meters across.
To cross, Xiao Han and the others had to take a boat run by a ferryman who'd been making a living here for years. They could fly across, but the horses couldn't.
Fortunately, there were ferrymen who made a living as "river taxis." They lived off the river, having grown up alongside it for generations, and had mastered the skills needed to work in the water.
Xiao Han had wanted to lead his fine horse onto the ferry, but Yan Chixia wasn't there, so he had to give up on the idea.
Quite a few people did business on this river. Besides the boats that ferried passengers across, there were also large fleets of boats from other regions.
So the landing was bustling with people, a far cry from the desolate places Xiao Han had seen earlier. Of course, prosperous places also had their share of beggars. There were many refugees in this area who'd fled famine.
Yan Chixia left Xiao Han to watch the horses while he went to a tavern near the landing to buy wine.
As Xiao Han stood holding the horses and enjoying the view, an argument nearby caught his attention.
"I didn't! I really didn't hit this old man. I just saw him lying on the ground in pain, and I couldn't bear to leave him there, so I went over to help him up. I really didn't hit him!"
Hearing the voice, Xiao Han looked around for its source and quickly spotted it. Leading two horses, he approached the crowd and saw two fierce-looking men cursing at a scholar.
At a glance, the scholar looked fair and clean. His clothes were shabby, but he was handsome.
Though the scholar seemed timid on the surface, Xiao Han could tell from his clear eyes that he wasn't lying.
The scholar surrounded by the men looked like an easy target, but in truth, he couldn't stand being wronged. He kept arguing his case.
The two men beside him didn't care. They stood in front of the scholar like a wall, and one of them gripped the luggage box on his back, refusing to let him leave.
Behind them lay an old man pretending to be asleep.
The scholar was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He kept explaining to the people around them, "Everyone, please listen! I really didn't hit this old man! I just saw him lying on the ground with no one helping him, so I went over to help him!"
"Hmph!"
The big man on the left snorted. "You said my father was lying on the ground with no one helping him. So why were you the one who went over to help him? Everyone else ignored him, but you did? I say you must be guilty!"
"Exactly,"
the big man on the right sneered in agreement. "If you didn't hit him, then why did you help him? Could it be just like my big brother said—that you're feeling guilty?"
"You... you two!"
The scholar trembled with anger and pointed at the unreasonable thugs. "You have no proof! How can you make up accusations and ruin my good name? When I helped this old man up, there were so many people here. Surely someone can testify that I'm innocent!"
"Oh?"
The two men grinned viciously and looked around at the crowd. "Let's see which of these people dares to testify for you!"
None of the ordinary people watching wanted to get into trouble. Even though they'd seen that Ning Caichen hadn't hit the old man, they didn't dare speak up. They all took a few steps back.
"You... Ah..."
Seeing everyone retreat, the scholar couldn't help giving a bitter smile.
But he understood. In these times, earning enough to eat was already hard enough. No one wanted to get into trouble with two local bullies.
"Got nothing to say now, have you? Pay up!"
The big man on the left shoved the scholar. He stumbled forward and was about to fall when a hand reached out and pressed against his chest.
"Can't we talk this out? Getting physical isn't exactly appropriate, is it?"
Following the hand with their eyes, everyone saw a black-clad boy, no older than thirteen or fourteen, emerge from some corner and steady the scholar.
The two men frowned. The boy had an impressive bearing and wore luxurious clothes. He might be some young master out sightseeing.
The two men looked at Xiao Han, the hotheaded youth who was clearly about to stand up for the scholar, and sneered. "Is this scholar your friend, young master?"
"Thank you for standing up for me, young brother, but you can't beat the two of them. You should leave quickly, before you get dragged into this because of me." As soon as the scholar had been helped to his feet, he thanked Xiao Han and urged him to leave.
"No, no. I'm not one for fighting. What I like best is reasoning with people."
Xiao Han smiled at the two men. "As they say, harmony brings prosperity. I'm sure you gentlemen don't want this little matter to end up in court."
The big man on the left changed expression and narrowed his eyes at Xiao Han. "Kid, are you threatening me?"
The big man on the right sneered. "We're not afraid of going to court. First of all, we're in the right. Besides, our uncle is the deputy magistrate around here. Even if we go to court, we won't be the ones who suffer!"
"No, no, of course not."
Xiao Han rummaged in his pocket, then pulled out a silver ingot.
The two brothers saw the silver and immediately looked greedy. "Young brother, since you're being so reasonable, we might be willing to forgive the scholar. But he injured our father. One little silver ingot isn't enough.
"At least triple it... No, five times as much!"
"If you can't come up with that much silver, then my brother and I will have to report this to the authorities."
Seeing the two ruffians raise their price the moment they spotted the silver, it was clear they planned to treat Xiao Han like a fool and fleece him.
Xiao Han shook his head. "You two, the 'reason' I'm talking about isn't this silver. It's..."
Boom!!!
A rush of air rolled outward as Xiao Han slammed his fist into the ground. In an instant, he blasted a hole one meter deep and three meters across!
Countless cracks spread outward in a web, stretching nearly three meters before stopping. The onlookers hurriedly backed away several steps in fright.
The onlookers were far enough away to remain unharmed, but the two ruffians were knocked flat on the ground.
Xiao Han had used controlled force, so the brothers weren't seriously injured. At worst, they'd have to suffer a little pain. They seemed fine for now, but once the hidden force of Eight Extremes Collapse inside their bodies erupted, they'd probably be laid up for weeks.
Their lives had been spared, but seeing a child make such a huge crater right in front of them—and imagining what would happen if that fist struck them instead—left them thinking they'd be killed with one punch!
They'd heard that the world was full of martial masters who'd reached the pinnacle of the Martial Path. They'd never expected to be so unlucky as to run into one today!
At the thought, the two brothers hurriedly dropped to their knees, their faces full of terror, and begged for mercy.
As for the old man who'd been helped up by the scholar and hadn't said a word from the beginning?
He'd disappeared without a trace in the confusion.
Xiao Han had seen plenty of scammers who worked in groups, pretending to get hit, before he'd crossed over.
"Today, I'll let you off with a light punishment. If I ever see you bullying men and women and throwing your weight around again, I'll make sure you regret it!"
"Thank you, great hero! Thank you for sparing our lives!"
"Get out of here!"
Xiao Han stepped forward and crushed a stone slab underfoot.
"Yes, yes! We're leaving! We're leaving!"
After watching the two ruffians flee, the scholar stepped forward to thank Xiao Han. "Thank you for saving me, young brother. My name is Ning Caichen. I'm deeply grateful that you were willing to stand up for me."
Xiao Han was taken aback. He hadn't expected to meet Ning Caichen here.
Looking closely, the poor scholar really did bear some resemblance to "big brother" Leslie Cheung!
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