"Hmph!"
Qin Geng was no longer the greenhorn he once had been.
Faced with the sudden, uncanny attack, he advanced instead of retreating.
He stamped both feet and dropped into the Three-Body Stance.
The muscles along his back bulged. Beneath his flesh, his spine seemed to turn into a living dragon, writhing furiously.
Power rose from his heels, passed his knees, drove through his waist, burst from his spine, and reached the tip of his fist!
Qin Geng's arm snapped like a whip, striking straight toward the center.
Crack!
An ear-splitting report split the air.
His punch carried the sound of wind and thunder as it slammed into the onrushing Boy Paper Doll.
Thud!
Fist met paper with a dull impact.
But the paper doll did not burst apart, nor did bamboo strips go flying as he had expected.
Qin Geng felt as though he had punched a heap of limp leather, or driven his fist into a mound of impossibly tough cotton.
The instant his fierce, unstoppable force touched the paper doll, it was strangely "sucked" in, then dispersed through that featherlight body in every direction.
Whoosh—
The punch sent the Boy Paper Doll flying backward.
But it did not hurtle away like Chen Sanpi. It drifted like a falling leaf, spun several times in midair, and settled neatly on the counter.
There was not even a hole in it. It was completely unharmed!
Qin Geng lowered his fist and stood still, brows knitted.
How... was that possible?
That punch could smash the breastbone of a trained fighter like Chen Sanpi. How could it fail to tear through a thing made of paper?
"Good!"
While Qin Geng stood there in bewilderment, Shopkeeper Lu sprang up from his Grandmaster Chair.
His eyes, usually sharp with calculation, now blazed with startling intensity.
"Dragon Spine Through the Back!"
Shopkeeper Lu strode up to Qin Geng. Ignoring the uncanny paper doll, he gave Qin Geng's broad back two firm slaps.
"You're a fine lad! A truly fine lad!"
Shopkeeper Lu could not hide the admiration in his voice. "I thought you were simply willing to work hard, enough to reach the third level as a carriage driver. I never imagined your talent for martial arts was this astonishing!"
"A Born Killer! You're a Born Killer if ever I saw one!"
"Born Killer?"
Qin Geng relaxed his stance and gave a small exclamation at the phrase.
"That's right."
With his hands behind his back, Shopkeeper Lu circled Qin Geng twice, as though admiring a rare piece of flawless jade.
"For those of us who practice martial arts, the bones you're born with matter most."
"There are two gifts in this world that only Heaven can put in your bowl. No amount of wishing will get them for you."
"One is Dragon Tendon. The other is Tiger Bone."
Shopkeeper Lu held up two fingers. "With Dragon Tendon, the great tendons are taut as bowstrings, springing back with explosive power. That punch of yours drew its force from your spine, like a dragon turning over. That's the classic sign of Dragon Tendon! And when that force runs through the back, it's the finest kind of Dragon Tendon, called Dragon Spine Through the Back."
"With Tiger Bone, the bones are extraordinary and exceptionally dense, able to withstand blows far beyond what an ordinary person could bear."
"Possess either one, and you're a Born Killer envied by everyone in the martial world—a natural martial talent!"
At that, Shopkeeper Lu paused and gave Qin Geng a complicated look.
"Possess both, and you're born with an exceptional Fate Pattern. Your future greatness would be beyond words."
"I could see your physique was strong, unlike an ordinary person's, so I used that paper doll to test you."
"I never expected you'd actually developed Dragon Spine Through the Back."
Shopkeeper Lu shook his head, seemingly marveling at his own judgment. "I must have missed it before because your body was so depleted. You were too scrawny, ate too little meat, and were still young enough that you hadn't grown into your frame. The talent hadn't shown itself yet."
"Good. Very good."
Shopkeeper Lu patted Qin Geng's rock-hard arm. "From now on, you need to eat hard and train hard!"
"Since you have Dragon Tendon, who knows? You might have a talent for Tiger Bone hidden inside you too."
"If you truly turn out to have both Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bone..."
Shopkeeper Lu did not finish, but the hope in his eyes was plain.
Qin Geng's face warmed.
He knew the truth as clearly as a reflection in a mirror.
Born Killer? Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bone?
He had not been born with those gifts. The Book of a Hundred Trades had given them to him.
Dragon Spine Through the Back was a talent unlocked at level five in the Martial Artist profession.
As for Sickly Tiger Bones, the panel stated plainly that it would not unlock until level ten.
But he could not tell Shopkeeper Lu that, even if he had to let the words rot in his stomach.
If Shopkeeper Lu wanted to believe his own explanation, Qin Geng would let him.
It made the best possible cover.
"You flatter me, Shopkeeper Lu."
Qin Geng cupped his hands and steered the conversation elsewhere. "I have reached the third level as a carriage driver. I came today to ask about that trip into the mountains you mentioned."
"Understood."
Shopkeeper Lu's smile faded, and he nodded.
He walked to a rosewood table, picked up a Purple Clay Teapot, and poured Qin Geng a bowl of tea.
The tea was amber-colored. Its fragrance was faint, but it carried a deep medicinal scent.
"Sit."
Shopkeeper Lu gestured for Qin Geng to sit, then returned to his Grandmaster Chair.
"Xiao Wu, things in the mountains have changed over the past month."
Shopkeeper Lu rubbed his teacup, his tone turning grave. "It's grown even less peaceful. Dangerous, in fact."
"Westerners, Tomb Raiders, Government Officers, Bandits, Zombies—they've all come... and they're stirring up quite a storm."
Qin Geng said nothing. He simply listened.
Fortune was found in danger.
Thirty silver dollars could feed an ordinary family for years. Why would anyone offer that much to a carriage driver if there were no risk?
"But greater risk brings greater reward."
Shopkeeper Lu looked at Qin Geng and slowly dangled the bait. "If you handle this job well, once it's over, I can get you an official post on top of those thirty silver dollars."
"An official post?"
Qin Geng froze, the teacup pausing in his hand.
That was no ordinary offer.
To struggling folk at the bottom like them, an "official" stood as high as Heaven.
It was tempting indeed.
For an ordinary person, drawing a government salary—even as an official no bigger than a sesame seed—would be like green smoke rising from the ancestral grave.
But after a moment's thought, Qin Geng shook his head.
These were chaotic times, with armies at war and a new king's banner flying over the city walls every other day.
A soldier of the Great Xin Dynasty today could be one of the New Southern Party's men tomorrow, and serve some warlord the day after.
Would an official post still be worth anything?
As if he had read Qin Geng's doubts, Shopkeeper Lu smiled and said meaningfully:
"Don't be fooled by how chaotic things are now, with the south clamoring for independence and the foreigners battering at our gates."
"The Dragon Vein of this land won't be severed anytime soon."
"The Great Xin Dynasty may be swaying in the storm, but its foundations were built over centuries. The nation's fortune still holds."
"As long as it holds, an official post is an iron rice bowl."
"With that standing, when you travel around Tianjin, people on both sides of the law and among the Three Teachings and Nine Schools will all show you a little respect."
"Even the Dragon King Society, the Canal Gang, the Beggars' Gang, and those Concession Police dogs will have to think twice before laying a hand on you."
Shopkeeper Lu's words carried weight.
An official post was a protective talisman.
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