Golden Scale Mountain Piling Art

Advisor Hao Wei tapped his folding fan against his palm, glanced at the gathered lieutenants, and said, "Cao Li gathered those experts and blocked Zhao An in Two Wells Alley. His intent was clear: he wanted revenge on Zhao An."

"Yet, not only did Zhao An escape unscathed, but he also wiped out every single expert Cao Li brought with him. Such ability, Gang Leader, is something I have only ever seen in you..."

Hao Wei looked toward Zhou Hu, who sat in the seat of honor.

Zhou Hu caught the implication behind Hao Wei's words.

"Are you suggesting that Zhao An has also reached the realm of a Martial Master, and that we all misjudged him?"

"It is merely a possibility; otherwise, it would mean Cao Li is simply too incompetent." Hao Wei smiled faintly, careful not to commit to a definitive conclusion.

"Cao Li is certainly no incompetent, but if Zhao An is a Martial Master, how did he manage to cultivate Internal Breath?" Zhou Hu asked, puzzled.

At this moment, he could never have guessed that Zhao An had broken through using his own Fierce Tiger Blade Art.

Hao Wei suddenly remarked, "Does the Gang Leader remember that Zhao An has an older brother who serves as a head constable at the yamen?"

Zhou Hu frowned slightly. "But that brother of his hasn't paid any attention to Zhao An for a long time now."

"I recall that when Zhao An went to beg his eldest brother for help previously, he was thrown out."

"They are still blood brothers, after all. Even if he dislikes him, it is only natural to offer some protection," Hao Wei said.

"You mean to say it was his eldest brother who taught him the martial arts that allowed Zhao An to secretly cultivate Internal Breath?" Zhou Hu mused.

"It is highly probable." Hao Wei nodded.

"Then, in your opinion, should I summon Zhao An to question him?" Zhou Hu continued.

"There is no rush. Zhao An previously harbored resentment, and since I have spoken a few kind words on his behalf, I shall be the one to pay him a visit and soothe his temper. To have such a sharp blade and not use it would be a pity, Gang Leader. This is the perfect opportunity for the Tiger Head Gang to grow stronger." Hao Wei stroked his beard and smiled.

Zhou Hu's eyes lit up. If Zhao An truly was a Martial Master, this was indeed an excellent opportunity to annex the Python Gang!

"Whether we can wield this blade effectively depends entirely on your efforts, Advisor," Zhou Hu said politely, his lingering anxieties and doubts suppressed by Hao Wei's few words.

"I shall naturally give it my all." Hao Wei stood up and cupped his hands.

Elsewhere.

Zhao An brought the Li Gou'er brothers to visit the Bright Moon Clinic once again.

This time, however, it was to treat the injuries the two brothers had sustained.

It is worth noting that the money Zhao Chunzi had collected from looting the corpses, even after returning a portion to the residents of the alley, still left them with quite a surplus.

The money pouch found on Cao Li was particularly heavy; all together, they had nearly fifty taels of silver. It was clear that the old man had squeezed plenty of illicit gains from the city in his time.

This windfall made Zhao An significantly wealthier in an instant.

Just as he had thought, as long as one's skills were sharp enough, this kind of "black-on-black" robbery was the fastest way to make money.

Meng Wanyi set Li Gou'er's bones, stitched up Zhao Chunzi's wounds, and applied medicinal plasters.

An hour had passed by the time she finished her work, and she finally found a moment to take a drink of water.

Her gaze suddenly drifted to Zhao An, who was lying on the clinic's bench, legs crossed in a leisurely manner, flipping through a palm-sized booklet. She felt a sudden sense of astonishment.

Can this bandit thug actually read?

Curiosity piqued, she couldn't help but lean in closer to take a peek.

It was those two glances that caused her gaze to freeze instantly; she lost her grip on her teacup, and it shattered on the floor.

Zhao An turned back to look, only to be met with Meng Wanyi's burning, flushed face, her expression a mix of shame and annoyance.

"You—you shameless scoundrel! How could you look at such obscene filth in broad daylight..." Meng Wanyi's words were incoherent, and she failed to grasp the main point.

She had wondered how this street ruffian could read, but each page of the booklet contained only a few characters, with the rest filled with lewd illustrations depicting the affairs between men and women.

As the realization sank in, her legs felt weak and began to tremble.

"Obscene filth?" Zhao An asked, closing the booklet.

Meng Wanyi then noticed the elegant characters printed on the cover of the booklet.

"Golden Scale Mountain Piling Art."

This booklet had also been scavenged from Cao Li, kept right alongside the money pouch.

The booklet was yellowed and appeared quite old; the paper was creased and showed clear signs of frequent handling. It was evident that Cao Li had read it often, to the point of never letting it leave his side.

However, this was no simple collection of erotic drawings.

"Does Physician Meng know where Golden Scale Mountain is? I suspect this might actually be a martial arts manual," Zhao An asked.

Having interacted with the female physician a few times, he now knew her name.

Meng Wanyi's mouth was slightly agape, revealing a glimpse of her pink tongue, moist and glistening.

Regaining her composure, she realized she had misunderstood. She coughed lightly and said, "Golden Scale Mountain is east of Great Wu, in the coastal region of Andong Prefecture. It is indeed a major sect with a long history."

"However, I have never heard of Golden Scale Mountain having such... such an indescribable style of martial arts, nor do I know how it came to be here..."

"Oh!" Zhao An had not expected Meng Wanyi to actually identify Golden Scale Mountain, and that it was truly home to a major martial arts sect.

In that case, it was possible that the illustrated manual he had scavenged from Cao Li was indeed a genuine martial arts technique.

Perhaps Cao Li didn't know what he had and failed to grasp the essence, treating it as nothing more than an ordinary picture book.

But since he had a Soul Slave to deduce and study it, he might just stumble upon the true path hidden within.

"It's hard to believe this is a real martial art..." Seeing the serious look on Zhao An's face, Meng Wanyi couldn't help but add.

In any case, she didn't really believe this booklet actually originated from the great Golden Scale Mountain sect.

Zhao An didn't commit to an answer. He glanced at the neatly arranged stack of books on the shelf in the corner of the clinic, then suddenly changed the subject: "Doctor Meng, could you teach me how to read?"

His predecessor had been nothing but a rough brute with a dull mind, so it was perfectly normal for him to be illiterate.

Consequently, the current Zhao An was also illiterate.

Not to mention reading other books, even this Pile Driving Technique had plenty of text written in the back, not just those vivid illustrations.

If he couldn't understand the words, it would be impossible to grasp the essence of the technique.

"I am a doctor, not a schoolteacher." Meng Wanyi refused immediately.

"Ten taels."

"What do you take me for!"

"Twenty taels."

"I don't have that much free time on weekdays."

"Thirty taels."

"You!" Meng Wanyi glared, while Zhao An remained calm, simply slapping thirty taels of broken silver onto the table with a crisp sound.

The warm, soft glow of silver was always so soothing to the heart.

Even Meng Wanyi's furrowed brows were slowly smoothed out by the sight of that silver light.

"One hour. I can spare one hour every day to teach you how to read." Meng Wanyi stared at the silver on the table and finally agreed.

"I hope my thirty taels of silver won't be wasted." Zhao An smiled slightly.

"Your satisfaction is guaranteed!" Meng Wanyi snatched up the silver, though she still sounded somewhat sullen.

It wasn't that she was dissatisfied with the money, but rather the sense of humiliation that came from having her weakness grabbed and toyed with at will.

But in this life, how many people could truly turn down silver?