Inner City, Shan Estate.
Shan Xiongqing stood before Yun Xu, his face dark with displeasure.
Madam Gao stood off to one side, her expression calm.
Whenever Shan Xiongqing tried to reach out and touch her, the chains rang sharply, forcing him to pull his hand back.
Last night, he had witnessed the power of that secret art for himself.
"Yun Xu, Yun Xu. You put on such a chaste act, refusing to let me touch you for over a month, yet you won't kill yourself either. What could there possibly be in this estate that's worth waiting so patiently for? Too bad for you, the informant you contacted in secret has already been caught. He even helped us surround and wipe out Cloud-Striding Martial Hall. You'd better give in obediently." Shan Xiongqing sneered.
The enemy had clearly been prepared for last night's surprise attack. There had to be a spy among them.
Yun Xu had been locked up here the whole time, so there was no way she could have known what was happening at the horse ranch. The traitor must have come from inside the ranch.
But if she had held out until now, she must still be counting on something.
Shan Xiongqing might as well try bluffing her again.
The whole point of wiping out Cloud-Striding Martial Hall had been to get their cultivation method.
If Yun Xu was willing to reveal it, then last night's losses wouldn't amount to much.
"I'm afraid of dying, but I don't mind taking you with me. I've been waiting for that moment." Yun Xu's face was gaunt, her tone calm.
Shan Xiongqing stepped back two paces. "You won't get the chance. I'll pry what we want out of your fellow disciples. Then you'll be completely worthless."
Yun Xu simply closed her eyes and said nothing, sinking back into silence.
Shan Xiongqing snorted and swept out of the room.
Only after he had left did Madam Gao slowly approach. She gently ran her fingertips over Yun Xu's back. Yun Xu shivered slightly, but did not resist.
All this time, Madam Gao had taken care of Yun Xu's meals, clothing, and washing. Shan Xiongqing, meanwhile, hadn't even been able to touch the hem of her clothes.
Madam Gao was very pleased with that.
"Little Sister Yun," she said softly, "if you're willing to hand over that cultivation method, I can guarantee your life. I might even... find a way to protect your senior brothers."
Yun Xu remained silent.
Madam Gao sighed, but made no further advances. She only let her fingertips wander slowly, as if to soothe her.
After a moment, she withdrew her hand and turned toward the training room.
In the main hall, Shan Xiongqing listened to Han Gui's report, his expression growing darker by the moment. Suddenly, he swept the teacups off the table and sent them crashing to the floor.
"Never mind that something went wrong at the horse ranch! You couldn't even manage something as simple as assassinating Su Yuan! Are those Jing martial warriors good for nothing?"
Han Gui lowered his head. "Those idiots attacked while Su Tieniu was there. It was three against one, and two of them ended up dead. Only Song An managed to escape back, with one arm broken."
"And he had the nerve to come back? Go clean this up at once! If Chai Er follows the trail back to us, we'll be in deep trouble!" Shan Xiongqing snapped.
"Goodness, Brother Shan, what's got you so furious?" Chai Nian walked in, smiling as he waved his fan.
Several household servants had tried to stop him on the way in. "Young Master Chai, you can't just force your way into the Shan Estate!"
But Chai Nian strode on, and none of them dared to truly stop him. Those who had tried to block him were all sprawled on the ground, unable to get up.
Following behind Chai Nian, Su Yuan was thrilled. They'd actually come right to the Shan Estate to start a fight.
"Chai Er, you—" Shan Xiongqing picked up a teacup and hurled it at him with tremendous force, but Chai Nian swept it aside with a flick of his fan.
Smack!
The force burst in midair with a sharp crack.
Chai Nian said leisurely, "Brother Shan, why so jumpy? I came to help you out. Your failed attempt to wipe out Cloud-Striding Martial Hall is already a done deal. Would you rather have more people stick their noses in and take a share, or let just a few families continue dividing up the spoils?"
He didn't mention Su Yuan at all, speaking only of Cloud-Striding Martial Hall.
Shan Xiongqing's expression softened slightly. "Let's go inside and talk."
Chai Nian gestured for Su Yuan and the others to wait outside, then followed Shan Xiongxin in alone.
"Brother Shan, you saw it last night. What Cloud-Striding Martial Hall used was the Black Cloud Secret Art, inherited from the Cloud Mist Sect. At the front lines, the Cloud Mist Sect has relied on this technique to repeatedly break through our army's defenses. Their secret arts are even more strange and powerful, and they don't even require the user to destroy themselves. What would it matter if several families shared the credit for obtaining intelligence about this technique and helping the front advance..."
Shan Xiongqing's gaze flickered. "Even if you took Yun Xu, she'd be useless to you. She's at Peak External Force, and once she decides to use that secret art, there's no stopping her. Even the Vein Splitting martial warriors of my Shan Family couldn't do anything about it. We couldn't even cripple her cultivation in time. Unless we wait for her strength to run dry—but by then, she'll kill herself first."
"Brother Shan, you're getting hung up on the wrong thing. A secret art this powerful can't be something that every External Force martial warrior can master. You can simply capture a few who haven't learned it yet."
"And what if they've all learned it?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Just hear me out..."
Outside the hall, the crowd surrounded Su Yuan and Tie Niu, but the two remained composed.
Han Gui came over. "Little Brother Su, Madam Gao would like you to go see her."
"Lead the way," Su Yuan replied coolly.
"Brother Yuan." Tie Niu tried to stop him, but Su Yuan waved him off.
"It's fine. Wait here."
Han Gui took Su Yuan to the outside of a training room. Even before they entered, Su Yuan could hear the wind howling inside and blows cracking through the air.
"Is Madam practicing?" Su Yuan asked.
Han Gui nodded, then turned and left.
"Xiao Yuan, why are you standing outside? Come in." Madam Gao's lazy voice drifted out.
Su Yuan pushed the door open and entered.
This was the first time he had seen Madam Gao practicing.
She wore a dark red, fitted martial outfit with a tight belt, the fabric clinging to her body and perfectly tracing her ample, curving figure.
Her dark hair was swept up high. As her fists and feet flew, her full breasts inevitably bounced violently, and beads of sweat rolled from the hollow of her collarbone, disappearing into the deeper shadows beneath.
Her proud figure stretched like a tiger's, radiating a fierce, athletic strength and beauty, with an easy, valiant air.
Su Yuan stared, momentarily transfixed. This was what he had always imagined Madam should look like.
But before he could voice his admiration, Madam Gao launched a swift attack, sweeping a sharp whip kick toward him.
Su Yuan instinctively raised his arms to block and let himself fall backward. Madam Gao's long, powerful leg came down across him, her ankle braced against his shoulder and neck. Through their clothes, he could feel her warmth and astonishing softness.
"Madam, what are you doing?"
Seeing how easily Su Yuan had been subdued, Madam Gao furrowed her brows, withdrew her leg, and stepped back. "What have you been practicing these past two weeks? You're so weak you can't even put up a fight."
"Madam, I just have a low-grade physique," Su Yuan said as he got to his feet.
"So what if you have a low-grade physique? I do too, and I still became a Savage Strength martial warrior. You definitely haven't been practicing properly these past two weeks," Madam Gao said with a cold snort.
"You have a low-grade physique too, Madam? Could you teach me some of your experience?" Su Yuan asked, surprised.
Madam Gao sighed. "If you devote yourself to hard training, you still have a chance of reaching Blood Condensing. But becoming a Savage Strength martial warrior is a slim hope without a powerful medicinal draught. I took one back then, and after that, my martial path could advance no further. In the end, I married into the Shan Family. Looking back now, I can't say I have no regrets."
"A powerful medicinal draught... marrying into the Shan Family..." Su Yuan hadn't expected Madam to have a story like that in her past.
He'd known she was strong-willed, but even she had been held back by her physique.
"Madam—" Before he could finish, another flurry of fists came at him.
Su Yuan had no choice but to keep playing the part, getting knocked down again and again.
Madam Gao planted a foot on Su Yuan's back as he lay face-down on the floor. Her chest rose and fell slightly, and her voice carried a hint of irritation. "Thick-headed!"
She had originally held some expectations for Su Yuan, along with a faint, nameless hope.
But seeing how hopeless he was now, that little spark of hope in her heart suddenly went cold.
She had married into the Shan Family. She could hardly go looking for another man who had no ability and wasn't worth relying on.
She grabbed Su Yuan and pulled him up, her tone turning indifferent. "What brings you to the Shan Family today?"
Su Yuan knew he had disappointed her, but he couldn't reveal his true strength yet. So he told her honestly about the attack.
Madam Gao's gaze turned icy. "He really dared to lay a hand on someone of mine."
Seeing Su Yuan's guilt-ridden expression, she eventually softened. "Forget it. If you're willing, I'll take you as my sworn younger brother. From now on, your big sister will have your back."
Huh?
Su Yuan hadn't expected that either. He immediately bent over and bowed. "Sister Mian! Please accept your little brother's bow!"
Madam Gao caught him by the arm and ruffled his hair. "There's no need for formalities between siblings. Come on, let's keep practicing!"
Before the words had even left her mouth, Su Yuan was swept off his feet again.
This happened over and over.
A line of golden text appeared before his eyes.
[Strike Bearing: 1/100 (Beginner)]
"So this works too? Isn't this just taking a beating?"
"Daring to get distracted?" Madam Gao's voice rang out, tinged with annoyance. Another sharp gust from her leg, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance, swept toward his face.
Su Yuan was gradually learning to catch her attacks, and with her feeding him moves, his progress was rapid.
Although Su Yuan was hiding his strength, the changes in the moves were completely genuine.
It seemed that the only way to learn martial arts was through plenty of real combat.
"Sister Mian, I'm not stupid. I'm learning pretty fast," Su Yuan praised himself.
"Then you really were slacking off." Madam Gao suddenly increased her strength and knocked Su Yuan down.
[Strike Bearing: 5/100 (Beginner)]
Even if he hadn't been hiding his strength, he still wouldn't have been able to beat her.
Madam Gao shook her head and sighed. "At the rate you're going, you probably won't make it in time for the Wolf God Festival three months from now."
"Sister Mian, is the Wolf God Festival really that important?" Everyone kept bringing it up, but no one had explained what it was.
"The Wolf God Festival is the most important celebration in Great Liang. Everyone in Great Liang has to go hunting to make offerings to the Wolf God. As for martial warriors, every city holds a hunting competition to decide the rankings. The top contenders receive generous rewards; money and status are there for the taking. To put it simply, it's like the martial examinations in Great Jing. Last year, the first-place prize was a powerful medicinal draught used to break through to Savage Strength," Madam Gao explained.
"If you get the chance, you could have your younger brother win that medicinal draught for you," Madam Gao suggested.
"Sister Mian, I can do it myself. By then, I'll have become a Martial Warrior," Su Yuan said at once.
"Talk is cheap. Keep practicing!" Madam Gao's fist came at him again.
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