You Can't Tell in the Dark!

In the early years of the Great Xin Republic.

Shen City.

In the dead of night, the darkness was thick as ink, black enough to frighten you.

Inside a side room of a small courtyard off Rongsheng Street.

The scent of camphorwood drifted faintly through the air, and the lamplight swayed.

On the wall, it cast two overlapping shadows, drawing together and pulling apart.

After a long while.

Xu Zhenzhen's fragrant shoulders were half exposed, her upper body covered by a thin quilt, her long legs faintly visible beneath it.

She leaned against the bed, her face flushed like a peach blossom, her hair tousled, her skin glistening with sweat.

Accompanied by her soft, broken breaths, she was utterly alluring, enough to set anyone's blood racing at a glance.

She gazed at the peerlessly handsome man beside her, half enamored and half languid.

Jiang Wangzu's firm chest was damp with sweat, and the eight-pack of his abs looked even more captivating in the orange-red lamplight.

His fingertips wandered carelessly over the delicate skin of Xu Zhenzhen's lower back.

"Did you get the Black Tiger Fist Manual I asked you to find?"

Xu Zhenzhen slapped away Jiang Wangzu's wandering hand. Her lips parted, and her breath came fragrant as orchids.

"You beast. Just now you were acting like a starving wolf, and now you've remembered the important business!"

"What's the rush? I had it ready for you ages ago. The thing you wanted... is under the mattress."

Jiang Wangzu reached beneath the mattress at the head of the bed and pulled out a thread-bound booklet. Its pages had yellowed.

A sense of age seemed to waft from it.

It was obviously an antique.

His eyes full of hope, he opened the first page. Delicate brushstrokes covered the yellowed paper.

It depicted pairs of men and women with their clothes half removed, entwined in intimate poses. Just looking at it made one's ears burn.

The small notes in the margins weren't about acupuncture points, meridians, or martial arts techniques.

They were all phrases like "Warmth of the Jade Tower" and "Begonia Receiving Dew."

"A pornographic album?"

Jiang Wangzu raised an eyebrow, rubbing his fingertip across the page with a soft rustle.

He flipped through a few more pages, then turned to Xu Zhenzhen beside him with a look of bewilderment.

"It was pitch-black when I stole it last night. How was I supposed to tell whether the booklet showed fist techniques or... other kinds of poses?"

Xu Zhenzhen froze at his words, then gave him a coquettish, sidelong glance and tapped his broad chest with her slender, pale finger.

"Can't tell in the dark?"

"Then, in that pitch-black room, how could you tell me apart from my big brother?"

"Tell me!"

Jiang Wangzu grabbed her jade-like wrist in irritation. The veins on his neck pulsed beneath the lamplight.

"Giggle, giggle!"

Xu Zhenzhen gave a seductive laugh, amused by him, then burrowed into his arms.

Her warm breath brushed Jiang Wangzu's neck, carrying a faint scent of face powder that made his heart itch.

She leaned close to his ear and said with a seductive smile, "Oh, you beast. Yours is... better than his."

"Damn it!"

Jiang Wangzu suddenly clamped a hand around Xu Zhenzhen's waist. His face twisted as he roared, "You filthy slut! So you really did have a thing going with my big brother?!"

"Hahaha!"

Xu Zhenzhen laughed so hard she trembled, then reached out to pat his face. Her fingertips felt a little cool.

"Are you confused?"

"Think carefully about who I am."

Jiang Wangzu paused at her words, then chuckled. The viciousness between his brows vanished, leaving behind only a thick, unmistakable air of intimacy.

"Right!"

"I really am a little confused!"

Jiang Wangzu leaned down, his nose brushing hers as their breaths mingled.

They could even feel each other's heartbeats.

His voice dropped, a roguish note entering it as he continued, "But you still have to help me get my big brother's treasured Black Tiger Fist Manual."

"I'm the mighty Tiger of the Canal Gang. I can't go roaming the martial world relying only on some third-rate Iron Crotch Technique, can I?"

"What's wrong with the Iron Crotch Technique? I like it!"

"Now that's real hard work!"

"No one in all of Shen City can compare to you!"

Xu Zhenzhen said with a laugh.

"Long hair, short wits. You womenfolk know nothing beyond the business of the bedchamber."

"These are chaotic times. Without powerful martial skills to protect me, a lowly gangster like me is just a stray dog on the roadside, there for anyone to beat or kill as they please. So I have to grow stronger."

"Also, lend me another fifty silver dollars. I've spent too much energy on you lately. I need to replenish myself!"

Jiang Wangzu rubbed his cheek against Xu Zhenzhen's and spoke shamelessly.

"I think you've been short on money for tonics because of your training lately, haven't you?"

Xu Zhenzhen saw right through his little scheme and scoffed.

She reached beneath the pillow and took out a warm banknote that carried the heat of her body and the scent of face powder. She pressed it into Jiang Wangzu's hand. "Here's a hundred dollars. Don't spend it all at once."

"That's great!"

Jiang Wangzu's eyes lit up. Clutching the hundred-dollar note, he planted a hard kiss on Xu Zhenzhen's face.

Then he waved the pornographic album in his hand, a sly smile curling his lips.

"It's still early. Why don't we practice the techniques in here together?"

Xu Zhenzhen blushed at his teasing. "Oh, I'm afraid that fellow might come back unexpectedly!"

"What's there to fear?"

Jiang Wangzu held Xu Zhenzhen tight, feeling the heat of her body as he replied, "He's going to the Little Peach Blossom at the Red Romance Cabaret tonight to discuss the ideals of life."

"At this hour, who knows where he is, flirting up a storm?"

"Hmph!"

"You men are all the same. Not one of you is any good."

Xu Zhenzhen gave a soft snort, then traced her fingertip across Jiang Wangzu's back and whispered, "Hurry up..."

"Coming right up!"

The pages of the pornographic album fluttered in the cool night breeze, mingling with the rustle of the bed.

Amid the enveloping darkness, they brewed a passionate, seductive entanglement.

Early the next morning.

With a hundred-dollar silver note tucked into his arms, Jiang Wangzu walked out of Xu Zhenzhen's place feeling refreshed and invigorated.

With a thought, a golden-red frame appeared in his field of vision, visible only to him.

[After striking your crotch one hundred thousand times, the Iron Crotch Technique reaches Great Accomplishment!]

A warm current appeared out of nowhere and swept through his whole body.

Jiang Wangzu felt as solid as a boulder, indestructible. His kidneys had become more vigorous, too.

His strength had also increased a little.

With a thought, he opened the cheat interface belonging to him, a transmigrator.

A simple attribute panel appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Jiang Wangzu]

[Profession: Martial Artist]

[Technique: Iron Crotch Technique (Great Accomplishment)]

[Quick Training Method: Strike your crotch one million times to reach Perfection in the Iron Crotch Technique and gain the Golden Dual Kidneys talent!]

[Talent: Succubus]

"At last, this third-rate body-tempering technique has reached Great Accomplishment!"

"But even after cultivating the Iron Crotch Technique to Great Accomplishment, apart from being well-endowed, lasting a long time, and not fearing sneaky attacks to my crotch, it doesn't seem to have done much to improve my strength!"

"I still need to get my hands on a more powerful technique!"

"But the fact that reaching Perfection in the Iron Crotch Technique can awaken the Golden Dual Kidneys talent is worth looking into."

"I'll still need someone to help me train, though."

Jiang Wangzu looked at the attribute panel before him, thinking to himself in silence.