Breaking a Promise

"Auntie, I don't want to work hard anymore."

Skinny Dog rather missed that line.

Honestly, he had once flirted with a wealthy older woman and experienced the charm of a mature woman.

Mm-hmm, the aftertaste was endless~~

Of course, he refused to admit defeat verbally. He shouted, "What the hell do you know? If I can win by lying down, why should I work hard? Fang Zhixing, you're doomed to toil your whole life. I'm different—I can still win while lying down!"

Fang Zhixing dismissed that with disdain.

Relying on others was worse than relying on oneself. One's fate should be held in one's own hands.

Winning by lying down was not true victory. It only meant basking in the winner's glory.

In the blink of an eye, it was noon.

The man and dog left the Cheng Family Compound to eat outside.

"Young man, please wait."

They had just stepped out of the alley when a smiling middle-aged man approached them.

Fang Zhixing scrutinized him carefully. The man had a big belly and decent clothes; he was certainly no poor beggar.

"Uncle, what is it?" he asked.

The middle-aged man beckoned. "Hungry? Let me treat you to a meal, and we can chat for a bit."

Fang Zhixing immediately looked wary and said, "I don't even know you. I wouldn't dare go eat with you. What if you try to extort me?"

The middle-aged man spread his hands. "Don't worry, I'm not a bad man. I just want to ask you about something. Come on, I'll treat you to something good."

Fang Zhixing still acted timid and unwilling to go, holding out his hand. "You could just give me money instead."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man took ten large coins from his pocket and placed them in Fang Zhixing's hand. He asked, "You're Hero Cheng's apprentice, right? You live in the Cheng Family Compound, right?"

"Yep, what about it?" Fang Zhixing nodded repeatedly.

The middle-aged man asked, "Did you see Hero Cheng yesterday? Where did he go?"

Fang Zhixing was instantly startled and suspicious. He stammered, "I-I can't reveal Hero Cheng's private affairs, or I'll get beaten."

The middle-aged man immediately took out another ten large coins and stuffed them into Fang Zhixing's hand. Smiling, he said, "It's fine. If you don't say anything, who'll know you leaked it, right?"

Fang Zhixing lowered his head, looking as if that made sense. He replied, "Yesterday, Hero Cheng stayed at home for a while, and he also went out."

The middle-aged man asked, "Was he home around dusk?"

Fang Zhixing thought for a moment and shook his head. "At dusk... uh, I'm not sure. I went out to eat around then."

Disappointment appeared on the middle-aged man's face. He asked again, "Then, have you ever heard Hero Cheng mention Old Master Chen?"

"Old Master Chen..."

Fang Zhixing raised his brows. "I think he mentioned him a few times."

"Oh, what did he say?" The middle-aged man immediately became excited.

Fang Zhixing answered vaguely, "He said Old Master Chen was a rabbit master. I don't understand what that means. Why call him a rabbit master?"

The middle-aged man's expression stiffened slightly. He patted Fang Zhixing on the shoulder and said seriously, "Only you and I know about this. Don't tell anyone, especially not Hero Cheng. Understand?"

Fang Zhixing nodded again and again.

The middle-aged man turned and left, blending into the pedestrians on the street.

Skinny Dog watched him go and asked in surprise, "Who was that? Why was he asking about Cheng Tian'en's whereabouts?"

Fang Zhixing was also curious. He transmitted, "Come on, let's follow him and see."

The man and dog followed at an unhurried pace.

With Skinny Dog there to track his scent, there was no way they could lose him.

About half an hour later, the middle-aged man entered a grand residence with two stone lions standing before its gates.

Fang Zhixing looked up at the plaque overhead. Two large gold-painted characters were written on it, but he did not recognize them.

So, he stopped a passerby and asked about the owner of the residence.

"Holy shit, so this is the Chen Family!"

Skinny Dog clicked his tongue in amazement, baffled. "The Chen Family is investigating Cheng Tian'en? What's that supposed to mean?"

Fang Zhixing fell silent for a moment. Then he suddenly shuddered, an amused expression appearing on his face. He mused, "Could it be that the Chen Family suspects Cheng Tian'en was the one who killed Chen Yusheng?"

"(⊙o⊙)..."

Skinny Dog was dumbfounded. He had never expected things to take this turn.

But upon thinking it over, he found it perfectly reasonable.

He said, "Chen Yusheng was a Giant Python Realm martial artist. Looking across all of Little Clear River Market Town, Cheng Tian'en really is the only one strong enough to kill him. Haha, no wonder the Chen Family suspects him of being the murderer!"

Fang Zhixing's gaze flickered.

Seeing that, Skinny Dog asked, "What are you thinking? Should we tell Cheng Tian'en about this?"

Fang Zhixing shook his head. "No rush. Let's wait and see."

And so, the days passed one after another.

Cheng Tian'en kept himself shut indoors all day, cultivating and recuperating daily. His body recovered better and better, and the muscles on his body visibly increased.

Cheng Tianxi, meanwhile, left early and returned late every day. No one knew what he was busy with.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

That morning, Fang Zhixing felt the time was right. He walked up to Cheng Tian'en and said, "Hero, I've cultivated the first level of the Iron Mountain Art to perfection. Do you think you could teach me the second level now?"

Cheng Tian'en raised his brows. These past few days, he had been focused on his own recovery and had not paid much attention to Fang Zhixing's cultivation progress. He asked, "How did it go? Did you awaken any burst skills?"

Fang Zhixing answered truthfully, "I did. It's called Iron Mountain Lean."

"Iron Mountain Lean—so it was this burst skill!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Tian'en was neither surprised nor pleased. He said flatly, "Iron Mountain Lean is considered one of the more common burst skills. But to be honest, it's rather ordinary, and it has considerable disadvantages in actual combat."

Fang Zhixing frowned. "Even burst skills of the same level have strengths and weaknesses?"

"Of course!"

Cheng Tian'en explained carefully, "Burst skills come in all kinds of forms, but we mostly use them when we are caught in battle. If a burst skill cannot effectively kill enemies in actual combat, then it has no value at all."

"Iron Mountain Lean is only suited for close combat, and you must make sure you can pin down your enemy before you have a chance to close in and ram them."

"If you encounter martial artists who are fast and agile in their movement techniques, your Iron Mountain Lean will have no chance to be used at all."

After hearing that, Fang Zhixing could not help but fall into thought.

Then he said, "Thank you for the reminder, Hero. Please teach me the rest of the art."

Cheng Tian'en was silent for a moment before replying, "Let's talk about it in a few days. I'm at a critical stage of recovery lately and cannot afford to be distracted."

Fang Zhixing paused, then slowly said, "All right. It's fine if I wait a few more days."

And so, that wait lasted another seven days.

Fang Zhixing went to see Cheng Tian'en again, only to be refused once more.

The reason was still the same: he was recovering and could not teach him.

When Fang Zhixing returned to his room, his face had already darkened.

Skinny Dog asked in surprise, "What does Cheng Tian'en mean? Why is he refusing to teach you no matter what?"

Fang Zhixing glanced outside and saw Cheng Tianxi emerge, sit beneath the eaves, and begin talking with Cheng Tian'en.

"Skinny Dog, hurry and eavesdrop," Fang Zhixing said at once.

Skinny Dog hurriedly slipped out.

The next moment, he heard Cheng Tianxi ask, "Big Brother, why aren't you teaching him anymore? Didn't you say he was a martial arts prodigy?"

Cheng Tian'en sighed. "It's not that I'm unwilling to teach him. I just want to observe his character a little longer. I always feel that this kid is a bit..."