Master Hei Visits

Two days later.

Outside Dendrobium Village, in the old bamboo forest.

A figure shuttled through the bamboo, footsteps light and movements elusive.

Feng Xiu trod to the rhythm of the Wind Chasing Step, weaving through the dense thicket of bamboo; with a light tap of his foot, his body drifted a full ten feet.

With another tap of his toe, he changed direction once more.

The wind whistled, and bamboo leaves flew in a flurry.

After running several laps, Feng Xiu returned to the clearing deep within the bamboo forest.

In the clearing, two stone locks were placed in each of the five directions, each weighing at least several hundred catties.

Ropes were tied to the stone locks, with the other ends attached to ten finger rings.

Feng Xiu walked over and inserted his ten fingers into the five rings.

Taking a deep breath, he exerted force with his ten fingers, curling them into a downward claw shape.

The muscles on his arms tightened, blue veins bulged, and the ten ropes instantly pulled taut.

Even with the obstruction of weeds, gravel, and withered bamboo stumps on the ground, the five stone locks were dragged over the obstacles.

A thick layer of soil and debris piled up in front of the stone locks. As Feng Xiu exerted force, his ten fingers splayed, and blood and qi surged through his arms; with every ounce of effort, the stone locks were pulled a little closer.

The strength in his ten fingers grew increasingly intense, and his knuckles cracked and popped.

"Young Master, your finger strength is even stronger than it was a few days ago."

Xiang Geng stood to the side, adding firewood to the stove while watching Feng Xiu train.

Feng Xiu did not answer, continuing to pull the stone locks with his finger strength.

Only when the ten stone locks had surrounded him in a circle on the ground did he rub his now-numb fingers.

He then walked over to the iron pot and plunged his hands into the scalding hot iron sand.

He stirred it over and over.

"Xiang Geng."

"This subordinate is here."

"Have there been any anomalies during the brothers' patrols these past few days?"

Xiang Geng shook his head. "No, the brothers patrol every day, and every day there is nothing to report; they are starting to get a bit weary."

Feng Xiu set his mind at ease and continued his training.

With every stir, that slight tearing sensation that stung his finger bones deepened faintly.

Xiang Geng hesitated and said, "Young Master, why don't we just level that Dark Canal? It would save us from having to guard it every day."

"How would you level it?" Feng Xiu glanced at him casually.

Feng Xiu's authority was now apparent, and even Xiang Geng felt a bit intimidated, letting out a dry, awkward laugh. "Just, well, just fill it in."

Swish.

Feng Xiu withdrew his gaze and continued stirring the iron sand.

"Leveling it would cause too much of a commotion. What if the strange fish monsters find out?"

Xiang Geng fell silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Then... what about that thing in the Tang Reservoir?"

Suddenly, Feng Xiu's movements stopped.

"That is not a matter for you to worry about."

Feng Xiu's tone paused, his expression appearing quite ordinary.

"It is merely a hairless, scaled beast."

Xiang Geng was stunned.

Immediately, a shiver ran through his entire body. This!

Back when they killed the Fish Mother, he had pondered this very question.

In his assumptions, the Fish Mother certainly could not have appeared alone.

Xiang Geng opened his mouth, wanting to say something several times, but swallowed his words back down.

After a long while, Xiang Geng finally snapped out of it and silently added a handful of firewood to the stove.

Feng Xiu's words circled in his mind several times.

Scaled, beast?

A hairless, scaled beast?

In the stove, a few sparks burst from the sizzling, dry firewood and landed on the back of his hand.

Xiang Geng's mind was in a trance. Had the Young Master known something all along?

His face cycled between shades of green and white, his brows furrowing tightly before occasionally sweeping over the resolute expression of Feng Xiu.

Inside the Jade Belt Reservoir...

There is a dragon!

Suddenly, a sharp sting on the back of his hand snapped him back to reality; he hurriedly peeled it away, his mind racing as he made a connection.

A true dragon, Daoist Yellow Dragon, praying for rain—could Daoist Yellow Dragon be the reincarnation of a true dragon?!

Does a dragon truly exist in this world?

Could it be that because of a request for rain, a rift had formed with the eldest young master?

Xiang Geng's entire body stiffened, struck by a long-lasting shock that left him unable to recover, his mind still a tangled mess.

"Oh my, I finally found you two."

Just as Xiang Geng was continuously linking the associations between these figures in his mind, an abrupt voice shattered the silence of the bamboo grove.

The two turned to look.

At the entrance to the bamboo clearing stood a man dressed in dusty, gray clothes with a slick, oily smile—it was Master Black.

Xiang Geng frowned, about to open his mouth to reprimand him, but Feng Xiu waved a hand.

Master Black hurried over, his eyes immediately catching the ten stone locks on the ground that had been violently dragged, as well as Feng Xiu's hands, which were once again soaking in medicinal liquid.

"Young Master Feng, your training is truly diligent!"

Master Black exclaimed, "Even I, Old Black, feel envious watching your martial arts. Tell me, how exactly do you train?"

"What, do you want to learn?" After finishing his conditioning, Feng Xiu plunged his hands back into the iron sand, tossing it up as he worked.

Master Black's eyes shrank. "I think I'll pass."

"Speak, what business do you have with me?"

"Can't I come to see you if there's no business? Given our relationship, we're practically family." Master Black chuckled.

He then revealed a mouthful of gold teeth, chattering on incessantly.

"Young Master Feng, you have no idea how busy I've been these past two days."

"The Tiger Might Hall in the east and the Torch Gang in the west got into a scrap. Between the two sides, there were over a hundred people; if I, Old Black, hadn't stepped in, there definitely would have been lives lost."

"And before I could even catch my breath, the Green Roc Gang in the south started fighting with the Red Flower Hall. Oh my, it nearly exhausted me to death."

Master Black's voice was highly infectious, his face showing a hint of smugness.

Accompanied by his famous hand gestures, he spoke with a flowing eloquence, his eyebrows dancing with excitement.

Feng Xiu didn't even lift his head; with a shift of his focus, he pulled up his attribute panel.

[Life: 17]
[Spirit: 7]
[Strength: 14]
[Agility: 9]
[Technique Record: None]
[Recorded: Bone Refining Claw (Minor Success, Strength +2)]
[Wind Chasing Step (Minor Success, Agility +2)]
[Synthesis: Not yet at the pinnacle (Unavailable)]
[Ultimate: Vajra Finger Blade]

On the panel, the Ultimate series of martial arts appeared in a separate column, and his own agility and strength had each increased by 2 points.

He had gained a deeper understanding of the force-generating techniques for the Bone Refining Claw and the overall delivery of power, and his arms felt significantly more powerful.

"Five Force Fist + Bone Refining Claw + Vajra Finger Blade; the architecture of my martial arts system is already more than half complete."

"All that remains is to continue increasing my life intensity and bolstering my own defenses."

Feng Xiu pondered in his heart, feeling deeply satisfied.

The only thing that annoyed him was that even if he wanted to find someone to spar with to hone his techniques, he found that there were hardly any Body Refining martial artists of his level around him.

"Young Master Feng, you tell me, is it easy for me, Old Black? I finally got a moment to rest and wanted to find my brother Liu for a drink, but who would have thought he'd end up dead."

By his ear, Master Black's voice continued to chatter on, a look of sorrow hanging on his face as he let out a sigh.

"Enough with the chatter, what exactly did you come here for?" Feng Xiu still hadn't spoken, and Xiang Geng was growing impatient listening to him.

It was either gossip about the East family or the shortfalls of the Li family.

One moment he was talking about knocking on a widow's door, the next he was saying how good the roast duck at Old Man Xia's house was.

There was no point to his words at all, and Xiang Geng frowned with a cold face.

Hearing this, Master Black did not follow his lead this time; he spread his hands, his expression looking quite innocent.

"I'm not doing anything, just here to catch up on old times."

"Then stop talking nonsense." Xiang Geng's expression turned one of disgust, and he interrupted Master Black quite bluntly.

The smile on Master Black's face slowly faded, and his gaze shifted back to Feng Xiu.

"Young Master Feng, you be the judge—would you say I'm just talking nonsense?"

Feng Xiu soaked his hands in the medicinal liquid again, pulled them out, and wiped them dry with a towel.

He looked back, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Nonsense?

Master Black had come here and said so much, but his purpose was singular.

He was indirectly proving that his intelligence network was vast and his reach extended to the heavens, implying he had already dug up something.

The matter of Zhou Gang's memory loss was a closely guarded secret within the Feng Clan, but the commotion at Fragrant Flower Pavilion had been too great to suppress.

Su Wantang had no way to erase the memories of those who had heard of or seen the event, even if they hadn't been directly involved.

This included him.

Furthermore, the martial prowess he had displayed earlier was far too shocking.

As such, his purpose for coming here was obvious.

"Of course not. Master Black's powers are vast; not just Green Rock City, but the entire Cloud Province wouldn't function without you."

Feng Xiu shook his head, speaking with a smile as he tossed out a lighthearted remark.

At these words, Xiang Geng was stunned, seemingly not expecting Feng Xiu to be so sycophantic.

Master Black, however, immediately beamed with joy, clearly pleased. His fat face crinkled into a thousand folds, and his gold tooth sparkled.

"That's right, Young Master Feng certainly has a keen eye."

Master Black laughed, then followed up on Feng Xiu's lead.

"By the way, yesterday I heard you mention that woman, Su Wantang. I gave it some thought, and it seems she once said her husband's surname was Li?"

"Ah, it's been so long, my memory is a bit fuzzy. Was it Li Xuanshuang?"

Master Black slapped his forehead in feigned annoyance, as if he had just recalled something.

The smile on Feng Xiu's face did not waver. "Master Black, your memory really is quite poor."

"Sigh, I'm getting old. A woman's belly is a drain on the loins; my memory really isn't what it used to be," Master Black sighed.

"Indeed, it's time to nourish yourself."

Feng Xiu nodded, wearing an expression of deep agreement, then turned his gaze to Xiang Geng and gave a slight nod of his head.

Xiang Geng felt helpless, but he knew it was time to pay up.

He took a hundred-tael silver note from his pouch and handed it to Master Black.

Master Black didn't show any particular emotion; he reached out, took it, and stuffed it casually into his chest.

"By the way, Master Black, do me one more small favor," Feng Xiu said with a smile upon seeing this.

"Young Master Feng, name it," Master Black said magnanimously.

"My claw technique is just beginning to take shape, and my strength is too volatile; I can't seem to control my force. Could you help me find a pair of high-quality cowhide gloves?"

Feng Xiu thought for a moment before adding.

"Ha, is that all?" Master Black looked as if he had it all under control.

His narrowed eyes met Feng Xiu's, and Feng Xiu nodded with a smile.

Master Black smiled back; dealing with a smart person was always comfortable.

"Young Master Feng is generous and doesn't sweat the small stuff. If I, Old Black, were to keep holding back, that would be quite ungentlemanly."

"Ah, what was I going to say? I was drinking with Old Liu's father yesterday, and he said—let me think—oh, right."

Master Black's smile grew even brighter. As he spoke, he pretended to struggle to recall, then suddenly had a flash of realization.

"He said that in a few days, a big shot is coming to Green Rock City. I heard it's the Cavalry Commander of the Garrison Battalion under the Eastern Army Governor's Office?"

"He has over five hundred Iron Crutch Cavalry under his command—a proper official of the imperial court."

"Heh, if you ask me, those Eastern Army folks are just bored. Why come all the way to our territory for no reason? Hmph, those court officials only know how to fight for power and profit all day long."

Master Black snorted coldly, cursing under his breath.

Feng Xiu's expression remained unchanged as he nodded in agreement. "Master Black is right; the imperial court is full of parasites who only know how to line their own pockets."

At this, Master Black waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, Young Master Feng, I won't keep you any longer. I still have to pay a visit to Widow Wang's place." A smirk that only men could understand appeared on his lips.

He had only taken a few steps, not yet out of the bamboo grove, when he suddenly turned back.

"My memory is terrible, I almost forgot. Before I came here, I ran into the young master of the Wu Clan. He told me to let you know not to forget about the 'Lamb Banquet' tomorrow?"

Master Black slapped his forehead, finally remembering the real business, and gave another sycophantic smile.