Old Jiang, You Want to Practice Martial Arts Too?

"You... you..."

Ma Shan staggered back two steps in terror, his voice trembling.

He had never expected this old bastard to fake being drunk and wait for him to walk right into the trap. He really was a crafty old ghost!

Jiang Yuan stroked his beard and slowly stepped forward. "Ma Shan, first you harbored ill intentions toward the proprietor, then you tried to harm this old man. Now that you have been caught red-handed, what else do you have to say?"

"You... you're talking nonsense!"

Ma Shan grew even more frightened. "I didn't do anything!"

"Didn't do anything?"

Jiang Yuan's gaze sharpened. "Then why did you come to my room tonight carrying a dagger?"

Ma Shan was rendered speechless, a crazed look flashing through his eyes.

"Old bastard, since you're asking for death, don't blame me!"

With an angry roar, he waved his dagger and lunged at Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan's eyes turned cold. His feet shifted slightly as he sidestepped the dagger, then struck out with his palm at the same time.

The palm strike looked light and fluttering, yet it contained the full force of his ninth level Body Tempering cultivation.

Bang!

His palm struck Ma Shan squarely in the chest!

Crack—

A bone-breaking sound so clear it made one's scalp prickle rang out. Ma Shan was sent flying as if struck by a hammer, crashing heavily into the wall and spraying blood wildly!

"You... you..."

Ma Shan's eyes widened as he stared at Jiang Yuan in disbelief, blood continuously spilling from his mouth.

Even unto death, he could not understand it.

How could a seventy-year-old man possess such terrifying strength?

Jiang Yuan walked over and looked down at him from above. "In your next life, be a good man."

Ma Shan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, no words came out. His head lolled to one side, and he breathed his last.

After killing Ma Shan,

Jiang Yuan went straight to Ma Shan's room, wanting to see what sort of mischief the brat had been up to on ordinary days.

The moment he pushed open the door, a musty odor rushed into his face.

Jiang Yuan searched the room and quickly found a bundle beneath the bedboards. Inside were neatly stacked gleaming silver taels—no less than two hundred taels!

"He's only a shop hand. Where did he get so much silver?"

Puzzled, Jiang Yuan continued searching and discovered a scroll hidden inside the bundle.

When he opened it, it turned out to be an erotic painting!

The woman in the painting had half-undone clothes, eyes like silk, and a bewitching pose.

Good heavens!

Young people really knew how to have fun.

He truly had not expected that brat to possess this kind of skill.

The next day,

Ma Shan was dead.

A corpse dressed in nightwear was found in front of the teahouse, with a bundle containing two hundred taels of silver on him.

The matter alerted the authorities, who urgently sent people to investigate.

After a cursory investigation, the authorities concluded that Ma Shan had stolen property while everyone in the teahouse was drunk, only to lose his footing and fall to his death from upstairs.

Such theft cases were far too common.

A mere teahouse shop hand had died in such chaotic times; the authorities did not take it seriously at all and hastily closed the case.

Only Mei Lan stared blankly at the two hundred taels the authorities returned to her.

None of her belongings had been stolen.

Where had Ma Shan stolen two hundred taels from?

However, while none of her belongings had been stolen, the bundle found on Ma Shan looked extremely familiar to her.

It was not until one day later that she suddenly remembered—wasn't that the bundle she had given her sister-in-law?

Jiang Yuan brushed off his sleeves after settling the matter, hiding his achievements and fame deep away.

No one would ever investigate an old man like him.

However,

Before the authorities closed the case, Zhang Yong, Constable Zhang from the yamen, had privately sought him out.

"Old Jiang, does this have something to do with you?"

Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat. "Old Zhang, don't joke with this old man."

"Who's joking with you?"

Zhang Yong rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. "I've handled cases for so many years. I could tell at a glance that this guy didn't die from a fall—he looked like he was beaten to death!"

"I heard you and Ma Shan were handing out porridge together during the day and ran into bandits causing trouble?"

"What exactly happened?"

Tsk!

Hearing that, Jiang Yuan looked at Zhang Yong in surprise. He had not expected this fellow, who usually seemed so careless and rough, to possess such a meticulous mind.

No wonder he could become a constable.

After giving it some thought, Jiang Yuan told Zhang Yong the entire sequence of events.

But only half of it, and that half was a mixture of truth and lies.

He only said that two strange people had come while they were handing out porridge that day. They seemed to be from the Black Market and had sworn that they would cause trouble for Ma Shan.

As a result, Ma Shan had fled before him.

Zhang Yong came to a sudden realization after hearing this. "So that's how it was. I always thought that brat was no good, but I never expected him to dare provoke the Black Market."

"Then it's no surprise. No surprise at all."

"Old Jiang, you really got lucky this time."

"The people from the Black Market aren't easy to provoke. They're practically beyond the authorities' control, and they love doing shady business that can't see the light of day!"

Jiang Yuan raised a brow. "What, even the authorities can't control them?"

"Can't."

Zhang Yong's expression turned grave. "The world is in turmoil now. The Black Market has occupied a lot of territory and is simply lawless!"

"Not to mention elsewhere—even here in Jiangning City, a large stretch of land belongs to the Black Market. Not even people from the authorities can enter freely. We can only follow their rules."

"You old fellow rarely leave home. If you run into them, you'd better be careful!"

"I see."

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, then abruptly changed the subject. "Old Zhang, could you teach this old man some martial skills?"

"If I encounter such villains, I would at least have some means of protecting myself."

His Everlasting Spring Technique seemed to be only a cultivation method. He still lacked true martial skills to practice with.

If he could learn even a move or two, he would not have to panic so much when encountering villains in the future.

"Martial skills? You want to practice martial arts?"

Zhang Yong's face filled with astonishment before he burst into laughter. "Hahahaha... Old fellow, I think practicing martial arts is just an excuse. What you really want is to rise again, isn't it?"

As he spoke, he waggled his brows.

"Tell me honestly. Are you getting old and want to marry a young girl to leave you an heir?"

"I think Miss Mei Lan is quite good, hahaha..."

The moment those words came out, not only Zhang Yong but even the constables around them burst into hearty laughter, laughing until tears squeezed from their eyes.

That was right.

A man nearly seventy wanting to practice martial arts—who would believe that?

Jiang Yuan's face darkened. "Hmph, just tell me whether you'll teach me or not. Why humiliate this old man like this!"

"Hahaha, don't be angry, Old Jiang."

Zhang Yong slung an arm around Jiang Yuan's shoulders and grinned while waggling his brows. "Old Jiang, I happen to have a martial skill suited for you. If you master it, it's not impossible."

"But take note: you're old, after all, and your body can't keep up. Don't train yourself to death."

"I still want to go to the teahouse and listen to your storytelling!"

Jiang Yuan was utterly speechless. "Go, go, go. Even if you die, this old man will still be alive and well!"

"Hahahaha... This Old Jiang is interesting!"

Everyone laughed endlessly.

For a time, the yamen, inside and out, was filled with a cheerful air.