Martial Arts Codex

Right in front of Robin, Ye Chen pulled his pants all the way down, lowered his head, and examined himself for a long time, inspecting every detail carefully.

He had never done something like this before, but now he had no choice but to take a good look. After all, this was extremely important to him.

After a long while, Ye Chen let out a deep breath and finally relaxed. A relieved smile appeared at the corner of his roguish mouth. "Thank goodness it's still there. Whew, that scared me to death."

"You... pervert!"

Robin's cheeks reddened. She covered her face with both hands, spat out a curse, and hurriedly backed away in fright. She regretted saving him now. Should I never have saved him? I actually brought a pervert back...

"You wouldn't understand..."

Ye Chen paid no attention to Robin's expression. Putting on an unfathomable look, he even reached down and gestured twice, as if measuring something. Even now, he still could not accept the fact that he had transmigrated. If he had become a eunuch, what fun would there be in living?

"This is very important to me." Resting his chin on his hand, Ye Chen continued looking while answering with great seriousness.

"Put your pants back on! It's ugly as hell! Leave my house immediately!" Robin was both embarrassed and angry. In all her life, she had never encountered such a shameless boy.

It was the first time she had seen a boy naked in front of her. Even if she did not want to look, Robin had still seen it. Now, she only hoped this guy would leave her home at once. Otherwise, when her aunt came back, she would definitely scold her.

"Fine, but this thing really is important to me."

As he pulled up his pants, Ye Chen repeated himself. Glancing at Robin, he muttered quietly, "For women, this is... also very important!"

Although he still had many things to figure out, since she did not welcome him, Ye Chen could not keep imposing on her home. After getting dressed and climbing out of bed, he carefully looked over the girl's so-called "home."

It was merely a wooden shack put together from a few planks. It was very crude and small. Other than a bed made from several boards, there was nothing inside. Still, it had to be said that the room was kept very clean.

"Thank you for saving me!" One should repay even a drop of kindness with a spring's worth of gratitude. Although Ye Chen had been a spoiled young master in his previous life, he understood proper etiquette. He solemnly bent at the waist and gave Robin a deep bow.

Ye Chen headed for the door, but stopped when he reached it. Robin hurriedly shrank back, her heartbeat suddenly quickening. Like a frightened rabbit, she feared Ye Chen would devour her like a big bad wolf.

"You still haven't told me your name."

"My name is... Just leave. I'm not telling you."

She had originally wanted to answer, but this strange boy made Robin feel deeply uneasy. She bit her lip and closed her mouth.

"Hm? Ohara's youngest historian!" Unwilling to give up, Ye Chen's gaze suddenly fell on the wall beside her. A golden-yellow medal hung there, gleaming with light. A name was clearly engraved on it—Nico Robin.

Ye Chen nodded and smiled at Robin before thanking her again. "Thank you, Nico Robin. Your name is beautiful!"

With that, Ye Chen turned and left. By the time Robin chased outside, he had already vanished without a trace.

After leaving Robin's home, Ye Chen had no idea where to go. In this unfamiliar world, he had no family or friends, not even a direction to follow.

He wandered alone without purpose. He did not know how long he walked before finding a patch of woods. Ye Chen found a large tree and lay down against its trunk.

The night wind was cold. As it blew over him, a chilling coldness immediately spread through his entire body. Ye Chen hugged his shoulders and curled himself tightly into a ball, yet he still shivered from the cold.

Although Ye Chen had lived a pampered life in his previous world, with clothes handed to him and food brought to his mouth, he could endure hardship. He had begun studying martial arts under a master at the age of three. Year after year, day after day, he had endured no small amount of suffering.

Of course, his purpose in learning martial arts had merely been to show off, to flaunt himself before others, to avoid being bullied, and to stomp on anyone he met. He wanted to become the most arrogant and overbearing young libertine around. Besides, practicing martial arts strengthened his body, ensuring that beauty would not drain him dry.

Although his motives for studying martial arts had been far from noble, Ye Chen had been exceptionally persistent and capable of enduring hardship. With his family's immense fortune, he invited famous masters from everywhere and developed considerable skill. Combined with his extraordinary talent, he had swept through his opponents at the age of eighteen and become the martial champion of the Great Qing Dynasty.

There was one person who had to be mentioned as the reason he had possessed such lofty ambitions from the age of three: Ximen Official. Ever since he was little, that had been Ye Chen's ideal.

He did not lack money. Other spoiled young masters were usually thin and weak, incapable of even trussing a chicken. That was what Ye Chen despised most. Thus, even he admired his own determination and perseverance in martial training.

"Hm? Where's my book?"

He reached into his clothes and felt around several times before finally pulling out a booklet. Looking down at it under the dim moonlight, he immediately frowned. "The Plum in the Golden Vase! Not this one. I clearly remember that I always carried the Martial Arts Codex with me."

Frowning, Ye Chen racked his brains and searched himself several more times, but ultimately found nothing.

That Martial Arts Codex was an unrivaled martial arts manual he had compiled from the finest techniques of countless schools. Whether it was body-tempering arts or hard training, long-fist styles or close-quarters combat, lightness skills or internal arts, it had all been collected within. It could be called a codex that gathered the essence of Chinese martial arts.

Yet he had always carried it on him, even when entering the bridal chamber. Now it was gone, while The Plum in the Golden Vase was still here. That meant he should not have lost it during his transmigration.

Getting to his feet, Ye Chen stretched his limbs and was shocked to discover that his martial arts were gone. Had his body changed so completely that even his skills had vanished?

Even trying to perform a set of punches was extremely difficult. Ye Chen refused to believe it. Having no martial arts was practically the same as taking his life. What would he do if someone bullied him in this unknown world? He had painstakingly trained for fifteen years, only for all that skill to disappear. Ye Chen felt like dying.

Hm? Throwing a few more random punches, Ye Chen suddenly discovered in surprise that there seemed to be something different in his mind.

What he had just performed was Shaolin Long Fist. Although it had no form or structure, making him look like a novice who had only just begun training, the techniques of Shaolin Long Fist flashed clearly through his mind in an instant!

What is going on?

Forcing himself to calm down, Ye Chen discovered with delight that the Shaolin Long Fist techniques in his mind were exactly the same as those recorded in the Martial Arts Codex, only clearer and more intuitive. He could even see the flow of meridians, blood, and vital energy through the human body with absolute clarity.

In truth, during his transmigration, Ye Chen's Martial Arts Codex had already fused with his body.

Whether they were martial arts he knew or ones he did not, not a single one had been lost. All of them had transformed into countless rays of golden light amid the changes in the space-time tunnel and entered his body.