Kill

Master Black swallowed hard, his throat emitting a distinct gulping sound.

"Xiang, Master Xiang, are you not going to make a move?" he asked, turning his head.

Xiang Geng's expression remained unchanged, though he was indeed feeling a measure of concern, especially since he had already prepared himself to intervene just moments ago.

Yet, he had not expected Feng Xiu's split-second decision-making to turn the tide.

Though the process was not exactly perfect.

In the clearing, after the man collapsed and failed to rise, Feng Xiu paused, shaking his hands with a hint of distaste.

These few were not like the original fish-man; the fish-man had not yet grown accustomed to human anatomy, resulting in telegraphed attacks and a swift death.

But these men were different—they understood coordination and, even more so, the art of the ambush.

Had it been anyone else, that hidden weapon technique alone would have been fatal.

At this moment, the three remaining men still did not flee; a look of madness had already overtaken the face of one.

The other two, however, hesitated, their gazes flickering toward the calm-faced Xiang Geng in the distance.

This wealthy young master was already troublesome enough, and there was another unknown expert on that side; as for Master Black, he was nothing but a bag of wind.

"What, still not running?"

"If you won't run, then I shall come to you!"

"Attack! Kill him!" the crazed man gritted his teeth, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

He charged first, though his pace slowed by a few steps as he moved.

Seeing this, the remaining two had no choice but to grit their teeth as well, their strikes all aimed at Feng Xiu's vulnerable points.

Yet, their force was not what it had been before, marred by a lingering hesitation.

Feng Xiu seized the opportunity, locking onto one man's wrist and twisting with force.

Bone shards pierced through skin instantly, blood streamed down the arm, and the man let out a shrill scream.

Feng Xiu then brought his fingers together like a blade, swinging his taut right arm to tear through the man's throat with his sharp nails.

Simultaneously, at the moment of his swing, he shifted his weight, his lower body's qi and blood surging as he delivered a violent sweep kick to the other man's chest.

The man's chest caved in, and his breath vanished.

The initial crazed man's expression shifted drastically; as he swung his blade again, he simultaneously pulled something from his robes and flung it toward Feng Xiu's face.

White powder filled the air!

Having crossed the threshold of being besieged by five men, Feng Xiu's movements grew increasingly fluid; facing this familiar ambush, he retreated a few steps and held his breath.

It was these few steps that brought a look of joy to the crazed man's face, and he turned to run.

He had never intended to fight to the death; the posturing of a life-or-death struggle had merely been a ruse.

"Now you want to run? What were you doing earlier?" Feng Xiu sneered.

He pushed off the ground, caught up in a few strides, and slammed a fist into the man's back.

The whistling wind of the punch carried immense force, and a dense series of bone-cracking sounds erupted, forcing a scream from the man.

The force of the punch traveled through his back and out his chest, shredding his clothes and sending his body flying several meters away.

He tumbled like a rolling gourd, his breath growing thin as he tried to struggle to his feet, but his body lacked even a shred of strength.

His eyes were wide with rage, watching helplessly as his own life force slowly faded away.

The battle in the clearing gradually subsided, and Master Black, sitting on his horse, was completely stunned.

The martial prowess Feng Xiu had suddenly displayed felt like a dream to him.

As for technique, he had learned a few moves himself and understood a bit about the martial path.

But it had only been a month; to possess such strength already was nothing short of the peak of Body Refining!

Master Black suddenly snapped to his senses, looking at Feng Xiu's physique with newfound realization.

His complexion was much more rugged than before, his skin slightly tanned, especially those rough hands.

He had assumed it was from inspecting the farm under the sun, but it had actually been from training?!

At this moment, Xiang Geng ignored Master Black's shock, flicked his horse whip, and rode over.

He looked at Feng Xiu, who seemed to be lost in thought.

"Young Master, is this your first time killing a man?"

Feng Xiu offered no explanation. Thinking he needed guidance, Xiang Geng said softly, "How does the Young Master feel?"

Feng Xiu sighed, "It doesn't feel very good."

True life-and-death combat, compared to killing the Fish Mother or sparring with Han Che and the others, was a completely different matter.

Perhaps Han Che was sincere, his attacks ruthless.

But the other guards had a tendency to be sycophantic, using complex moves to bait Feng Xiu.

They would then lose on purpose, only to praise the Young Master's peerless might afterward—a tendency Xiang Geng himself was not entirely free of.

Compared to today, aside from being a bit flustered when first ambushed, he had handled it well.

Feng Xiu felt that life-and-death struggles in the pugilistic world were actually quite simple—so simple that he hardly needed to use many moves from the Five Force Fist.

Xiang Geng nodded. "The pugilistic world is just like this; you'll get used to it." He paused, then added, "It's fortunate they didn't use poison. Lime powder and hidden weapons are nothing to worry about."

Feng Xiu looked at him. "What if they had laced them with poison?"

"There's no way around it. You either have to tough it out or carry antidotes in advance. But poisons are varied and unpredictable; antidotes aren't a cure-all."

"Antidotes, blood-replenishing pills, healing salves—when you're out and about, no one can guarantee what they might encounter. It is only because you, Young Master, have such a solid foundation that you survived. If you had suffered damaged meridians or broken bones during the fight, that would have been a true life-or-death crisis."

Seeing that Feng Xiu had gained some insight, Xiang Geng offered a bit more explanation.

"Xiang Geng, which direction do you think I should focus on for my next stage of cultivation? Weaponry or movement techniques?" Feng Xiu asked.

Xiang Geng pondered for a moment and said, "While weapon arts can quickly boost one's strength, you have long resided in the manor, so you have no immediate need for them. In my opinion, you should focus on mental cultivation methods."

"Mental cultivation methods?"

"Yes, exactly. Your blood and qi are at their peak, and your physical strength is sufficient. Learning more mental methods will allow you to better leverage your natural advantages."

After some thought, Xiang Geng provided this sound advice.

Hearing this, Feng Xiu nodded. Mental cultivation methods were, fundamentally, the core cornerstone of the martial path.

Just like the Five Force Fist—if one only learned the framework, they would only have the strikes and stances to temper their tendons, bones, skin, and flesh.

But if one learned an internal breath method, the results would be entirely different.

The Five-Strength Internal Breath Method was also a form of unconventional martial mental cultivation, though it focused primarily on breathing rhythm.

"Very well. If you come across any good mental methods, keep an eye out for me."

Xiang Geng gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment.

Just as the two were speaking, a rustling sound reached their ears.

They turned back to look and saw that Master Black had dismounted at some point.

He was currently squatting beside a corpse, reaching out to rummage through its clothes.

His technique was quite practiced; he didn't start with the chest, but instead pulled off the boots to check for hidden compartments.

He fished out a coin purse, weighed it in his hand, and Master Black beamed with joy.

Ignoring the stench of sweat and rot, he stuffed it directly into his own tunic.

Then came the second body, then the third. His movements were fluid and practiced—clearly, he was an old hand at this.

He even found the two hundred taels of silver notes that Feng Xiu had handed out earlier on one of the bodies.

Xiang Geng's brow twitched as he looked toward Feng Xiu.

Feng Xiu watched Master Black rummaging through the pile of corpses and couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle.

When he first met Master Black, Feng Xiu had felt the man was full of hot air.

Even as a wealthy young master, he had been completely taken in by the man's glib tongue.

At the time, Feng Xiu had actually envied him; after all, having just transmigrated, the one thing he lacked was the skill to deal with people.

Now, seeing him looting money from the dead, he felt no surprise at all.

Without further ado, Feng Xiu swung onto his horse.

Xiang Geng followed, unable to resist asking in a low voice, "Young Master, are you not going to stop him?"

Feng Xiu said indifferently, "Everything has its place, and everyone has their own aspirations; one should not force others to be the same. Everyone has their own way of living—why bother managing him?"

Xiang Geng was stunned, then nodded and said nothing more.

Master Black finished looting the last body and stood up, satisfied. When he looked up, he saw that Feng Xiu and Xiang Geng had already ridden away.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait for me!"

He scrambled onto his horse in a panic and spurred it to catch up.

By the time the three returned to Green Rock City, the sky had already darkened.

Feng Xiu did not enter the city, instead turning his horse toward Dendrobium Village. Master Black, riding behind, rolled his eyes and suddenly spurred his horse to catch up.

"Young Master Feng, Master Xiang, I won't follow you any further. I'm heading back into the city to take care of some business."

Feng Xiu waved his hand impatiently.

"Got it!"

Master Black rode a few paces, then looked back at Feng Xiu's retreating figure and reined in his horse.

"Young Master Feng!"

"What is it now?" Feng Xiu turned back.

Master Black rode back, dismounted, and pulled a grey cloth pouch from his tunic, offering it with both hands.

Feng Xiu glanced down; through the untied opening of the pouch, the corners of several silver notes were inadvertently peeking out.

Feng Xiu's lips curled into a playful smile. "Master Black, what is the meaning of this?"

Master Black let out a cackle, revealing a few gold teeth as the wrinkles on his face bunched together.

"Young Master Feng, everything we scavenged from those men just now is right here. Take a look, the two hundred taels are included as well."

The smile on Feng Xiu's face deepened, and he looked up at Master Black once more.

Master Black still wore that same jovial, chubby face he showed everyone, yet his eyes seemed different than before.

"Master Black, have you had a change of heart?"

"Young Master Feng, you jest. Old Black just feels that this money belonged to you in the first place, so I certainly couldn't keep it."

Feng Xiu stroked his chin, his scrutinizing gaze making Master Black's heart crawl with unease.

The smile on his face was barely holding on, his mouth stiffening, yet he kept his hands raised with the money, not daring to pull them back.

Xiang Geng watched from the side, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

After a long moment, Feng Xiu finally moved, reaching out to take the pile of money and weighing it in his hand.

"Master Black, since when did you learn to think of others?"

Master Black rubbed his hands together. "Young Master Feng, how can you say that? Old Black has always been a man who knows how to repay kindness, especially since you saved my life."

Feng Xiu was amused by his words.

You, a man who repays kindness?

How can you say such things with a straight face? You really are thick-skinned.

Feng Xiu tossed the gray pouch to Xiang Geng. After the latter caught it, Feng Xiu remembered something and looked back at Master Black.

"Right, there is one thing I need you to handle for me."

Master Black's eyes lit up. "Just say the word, Young Master Feng! As long as it's within my power, I'll brave blades and fire to get it done for you!"

"Get me a top-tier martial arts manual. The higher the grade, the better. And don't try to fob me off with common street trash."

Finally, Feng Xiu added a few words in a slow, leisurely tone.

"And it had better not be something you drew yourself."

The smile on Master Black's face froze.

Xiang Geng couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a laugh.

Master Black gave a dry cough. "Young Master Feng, we're past that point now, there's no need to keep exposing my old secrets."

"Past that point or not, just tell me if you can do it or not."

Hearing this, Master Black patted his chest in assurance. "Done. Rest assured, Young Master Feng, leave this matter to me."

Feng Xiu nodded and spurred his horse away.

Master Black shouted from behind, "Young Master Feng, Master Xiang, travel safely! I guarantee I'll get you something top-tier!"

The sound of hooves gradually faded into the distance.

Master Black stood where he was, watching their backs disappear into the night, the smile on his face slowly fading away.

After a while, he shook his head and rode toward the city.