Flying Swallow

"Whoever dies, dies."

"I'm afraid that after a while, you won't be thinking that way anymore."

Qin Yang sneered inwardly.

From some of his conversations with Li Tong, Qin Yang had finally understood why the Outer City's common folk had been so easily incited by the Other Shore Cult.

Aside from their methods of bewitching people's hearts, a major reason was that the great clans of the Inner City did not treat the Outer City's people as human.

Since they could not survive anyway, following the Other Shore Cult at least gave them a little money to eke out a miserable existence.

If the Inner City kept going on like this, Qin Yang believed it would soon erupt into violent riots like the Outer City had before.

They rode the rest of the way in silence.

The carriage soon arrived at Li Mansion.

After Li Tong got out, he originally wanted the driver to take Qin Yang back to the Outer City, but Qin Yang refused.

After bidding Li Yang farewell, he walked alone through the pitch-black streets, quietly pondering.

"The Huang Family has deep foundations, and Huang Xinglong, their Family Head, is even a Qi Gathering Martial Artist."

"If I want to seize that Turtle-Snake Art, I'll need to plan carefully."

Qin Yang had long regarded the Turtle-Snake Art as something already in his pocket.

In his eyes, the Huang Family was merely keeping the Turtle-Snake Art for him temporarily. Before long, he would personally take it back.

Yet even after thinking all the way there, he still could not come up with any particularly good method.

Before he knew it, he had returned to the Outer City. The filthy stench drifting through the air reached his nose, pulling his thoughts slightly back to reality.

"I should go home first. There's no need to rush."

Just as Qin Yang was about to quicken his pace, he saw a yellow-clad figure dart past an alley at the end of the street.

Qin Yang did not even need to follow them to know they were from the Other Shore Cult.

"This Other Shore Cult is becoming more and more rampant."

"The County Office previously said it would thoroughly investigate the cause of the Outer City riots, but it was all thunder and no rain. After a few days, they vanished without a trace."

"They probably saw there was nothing to gain from it. None of those constables wanted trouble landing on their heads, so they simply decided to muddle through."

Qin Yang muttered to himself inwardly.

Then a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly thought of a good plan.

A smile curled across his lips as he quickened his pace toward Qin Manor.

The next afternoon.

Qin Yang was practicing martial arts in the small courtyard.

Qian Hai entered in hurried steps, carrying a martial arts manual.

"Young Master, I brought back the movement technique manual you wanted."

"But that Crippled Jia was asking an outrageous price. He dared demand two thousand taels of silver for a third-rate movement technique manual. In the end, I bought it for fifteen hundred taels."

Qian Hai seemed rather angry.

He had previously assured Qin Yang that he could buy it for one thousand taels, yet it had ended up costing five hundred more.

"It's fine. The main thing is that I needed it too urgently."

"Otherwise, if Uncle Qian felt Crippled Jia out a little, you could naturally get it for one thousand taels."

Fifteen hundred taels was still within Qin Yang's means.

"That Crippled Jia is truly detestable. But he's the only one with movement technique manuals for sale."

Qian Hai shook his head.

The Crippled Jia he spoke of was the master of the Flying Swallow Martial Arts School in the city.

That master was not actually crippled. He had merely been born with uneven legs, and people had given him that nickname.

Among the city's many martial arts schools, the Flying Swallow Martial Arts School had the weakest combat strength. Its only advantage was its exceptional movement techniques and incredible speed.

Crippled Jia even claimed that he was faster than some Qi Gathering Martial Artists.

Naturally, all of this was thanks to the movement technique manual he cultivated, the Flying Swallow Steps.

Crippled Jia was extremely greedy for money. As long as one paid, he would teach anyone.

This time, when Qian Hai went to buy the Flying Swallow Steps manual from him, Crippled Jia had taken a hefty cut.

Qin Yang took the Flying Swallow Steps manual and glanced through it. After confirming it was genuine, he smiled. "All right, Uncle Qian. There's no need to fuss over such a small amount of money."

"Then I'll go inspect the apothecaries and taverns."

Qian Hai nodded.

With Qin Yang holding down Qin Manor now, he felt at ease.

It was the unrest in the Outer City that required him to make frequent inspection rounds at the shops.

"Thanks for your hard work, Uncle Qian."

Qin Yang nodded.

After Qian Hai left, Qin Yang took the Flying Swallow Steps manual back to his room.

"I wonder how long it'll take me to cultivate a third-rate movement technique to perfection now."

Qin Yang slowly exhaled, and his gaze swiftly became calm, free of joy or sorrow.

He carefully studied the Flying Swallow Steps.

The Flying Swallow Steps were merely a third-rate movement technique and not particularly complex. It mainly consisted of changes in footwork, along with how to circulate one's qi and blood to explosively propel both legs, achieving the effect of being light as a swallow.

In his state of deep focus, Qin Yang spent an hour thoroughly understanding the Flying Swallow Steps. What remained were the various changes in footwork and the timing of his qi and blood bursts.

Late at night.

A black shadow twisted and flashed through the small courtyard, leaving behind streak after streak of afterimages.

Then, with a swish—

The black shadow shot across more than ten meters, appearing at the courtyard gate like a ghost.

"Not bad. My qi and blood are vigorous, and combined with these Flying Swallow Steps, I can unleash quite a good burst of speed."

"Next comes hard training."

Before Qin Yang's eyes, a transparent panel appeared.

Host: Qin Yang

Arhat Fist: Perfection (Zen Meditation)

Azure Wave Blood Transference Method: Perfection (Rushing Rivers Return to the Sea)

Po Jun Saber Technique: Minor Accomplishment (1345/1500)

Primordial Qi Shield: Fifth Layer (873/1000)

Flying Swallow Steps: Beginner (1/100)

In the days that followed, even though the Po Jun Saber Technique needed only a little over a hundred more repetitions to reach great accomplishment—

Qin Yang remained unmoved, pouring all his time into cultivating the Flying Swallow Steps.

At dawn, noon, afternoon, and even at night, Qin Yang's rapidly darting figure could be seen in the small courtyard.

Xiao Huan had no idea what madness had seized her good Young Master again.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

An afterimage flashed continuously through the small courtyard, yet it did not stir even the faintest sound of wind.

Xiao Huan's little head swung wildly as she tried to catch that flashing figure, but it was simply too fast. It had completely surpassed the limits of her vision, and she could not see Qin Yang at all.

"Phew..."

At last.

A large hand lightly patted Xiao Huan's shoulder.

"Ahhh!"

Startled like a frightened rabbit, Xiao Huan jumped straight up.

Only after seeing that it was Qin Yang did she let out a small sigh of relief. "Young Master, when did you get behind me?"

"You muddleheaded girl, I've been standing behind you for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

Qin Yang smiled.

"You ran so fast that I didn't even know where you were."

Xiao Huan shook her head.

"Hahaha, go bring your Young Master a bowl of medicinal soup."

Qin Yang said with a smile.

Xiao Huan obediently headed toward the back kitchen.

Qin Yang's gaze flickered as he opened the System Panel.

Host: Qin Yang

Arhat Fist: Perfection (Zen Meditation)

Azure Wave Blood Transference Method: Perfection (Rushing Rivers Return to the Sea)

Flying Swallow Steps: Perfection (Fleeting Shadow)

Po Jun Saber Technique: Minor Accomplishment (1345/1500)

Primordial Qi Shield: Fifth Layer (873/1000)

"Finally, perfection. Even I feel like I'm about to break down."

Qin Yang sighed softly.

For more than ten consecutive days, he had repeated the same thing over and over in enormous volume, unable to rest for even a moment. The tedium was imaginable.

Even cultivating the Arhat Fist had not exhausted him this much.

The main reason was that the Arhat Fist had taken a month to go from beginner to perfection.

This time, he had compressed that time by half.