A martial arts manual

"Go on. If it's something I can do, I'll definitely help," Sun Wukong promised without hesitation.

"Great Sage, do you happen to have any cultivation manuals you could pass on to me?"

"I do know quite a few techniques, but I picked them all up secretly. That's against the rules, so I can't teach them to you." Sun Wukong began to feel troubled.

Indeed, Chen Hao knew all about Sun Wukong's abilities. The Seventy-Two Transformations, Fiery Golden Eyes, Somersault Cloud—any one of them could send him soaring to greatness.

But just as Sun Wukong had said, he had learned all those skills secretly. Asking him to teach them to someone else really did put him in a difficult position.

When Sun Wukong failed to reply for a long while, Chen Hao couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"Don't worry. Give old Sun a little time. I'll go find something for you."

Seeing that Sun Wukong wouldn't have news anytime soon, Chen Hao went to take a shower.

He had just finished when his phone sounded with a WeChat notification.

Opening WeChat, he saw Tiger-Subduing Arhat complaining in the Heavenly Court Chat Group.

"Great Sage Sun, if you wanted my Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist manual, you only had to ask. Why did you have to beat me up?"

Erlang Shen immediately stepped in to right the wrong. "That damned monkey only knows how to bully honest folk. Don't worry, Tiger-Subduing Arhat. I'll see that justice is done."

Tiger-Subduing Arhat was moved to tears. "Thank you, Immortal Erlang."

Since Sun Wukong was involved, few dared to speak casually, afraid they might provoke that unruly monkey and get themselves into trouble.

Before long, Sun Wukong replied in the group, "Erlang, you little brat, are you itching for another beating? Don't you know your own limits? You're actually trying to stand up for someone else? You're killing me!"

Erlang Shen clearly wasn't willing to take that lying down. He immediately replied, "Stable keeper, do you really think no one in the Heavenly Court can keep you in line? Come here if you've got the guts, and see how I deal with you!"

The moment Sun Wukong heard "stable keeper," he flew into a rage. "You've got some nerve, Erlang Shen! Just you wait!"

Seeing the two about to fight, Chen Hao grew frantic. Fight all you want, but could you give me the Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist manual first?

Sure enough, the thought had barely crossed his mind when his WeChat suddenly vibrated.

You have received a Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist manual from Sun Wukong.

"Extract!"

Chen Hao's heart began pounding wildly. A huge flood of information then poured into his mind: "Second-grade immortal technique, Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist."

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Chen Hao watched a phantom of Tiger-Subduing Arhat's Metal Body constantly demonstrate the fist technique in the void within his mind.

In just an hour, Chen Hao had committed all the essential points of the Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist to memory.

The Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist had four stages.

Upon mastering the First Realm, every punch could carry the sound of a tiger's roar, its force overwhelming.

Upon mastering the Second Realm, one could concentrate internal force into a tiger's roar with each breath, injuring enemies with sound waves.

At the third stage, one could give form to condensed true qi and control the resulting phantom tiger to attack.

The fourth stage was even more formidable. One could directly embody Tiger-Subduing Arhat's Metal Body, effectively bringing his true body into the world.

However, terrifying and heaven-defying as the technique was, each stage required a different level of strength. With Chen Hao's current abilities, he could barely begin learning the First Realm.

Even so, if he could truly master the First Realm, there probably wouldn't be many people in the entire world capable of matching him.

The next morning, Chen Hao climbed out of bed, yawning and bleary-eyed.

He had been so excited about learning the Tiger-Subduing Arhat Fist the previous night that he had practiced almost until dawn, getting up after barely more than an hour's sleep.

In those few short hours, he had only become familiar with the moves and had yet to fully integrate them. Still, even that had greatly improved his ability to defend himself.

After washing up, Chen Hao found a pile of messages waiting in his WeChat.

He skimmed through them. The Heavenly Court Chat Group was full of idle chatter and jokes, and he had no interest in reading it all.

Ever since downloading the red-envelope-grabbing cheat, Chen Hao had almost always been the first to claim the group's red envelopes. Over the past few days, his little stash had grown to several hundred Daoist Merit Points.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Chen Hao noticed a new person in his chats, labeled "Ghost Officer Horse Face."

Holy crap, could this be Horse Face from Ox Head and Horse Face?

He hurriedly opened the chat and found Horse Face pitching his product right off the bat, like an insurance salesman.

"This officer has a famous painting from the Underworld for sale, painted by Tang Yin himself. Fair prices, honest dealings for young and old alike! Message me privately if you're interested. Kisses!"

After reading it, Chen Hao stared fixedly at the name "Tang Yin." Wasn't Tang Yin none other than Tang Bohu?

He quickly opened the image, and an ancient painting around two meters long appeared before him.

Damn, could this really be one of his works?

There weren't many authentic Tang Bohu works in the world. Every painting or piece of calligraphy that surfaced was undoubtedly a priceless treasure, cherished by prominent collectors.

If he actually produced an authentic Tang Bohu work now, that would be incredible.

Chen Hao replied directly to Horse Face, "Brother Horse Face, is Tang Yin's painting still available?"

Before long, Horse Face replied, "It is, but who are you?"

Reading Horse Face's message, Chen Hao couldn't help wanting to laugh. Brother, you contacted me first, and now you're asking who I am? Is this a joke?

Chen Hao paused for quite a while before replying, "Uh... I'm Little Charlatan."

"Little Charlatan? You've got some nerve! If the King of Hell heard that name, he'd dunk you in boiling oil three times," Horse Face replied.

Chen Hao froze at the message. Holy crap, is my name really that provocative? He asked, "Why can't I use that name? Is it really that arrogant?"

"It isn't a question of arrogance. Immortals belong only in the Heavenly Realm. No ghost in the Underworld is allowed to use the word 'immortal.' Besides, the Heavenly Realm and the Underworld lost contact thousands of years ago. Claiming you're an immortal is just trying to fool me," Horse Face said with utmost seriousness.

After hearing this, Chen Hao understood. It wasn't just the Heavenly Realm and the Mortal Realm that had been cut off from each other. The Underworld and the Heavenly Realm had been separated too. The Three Realms really had been isolated for thousands of years.

But if they were isolated, how could he contact both the Heavenly Realm and the Underworld? And how had Horse Face contacted him?

A string of questions flashed through Chen Hao's mind.

"Hey, hey, are you still there? Hurry up and change your name. I'm warning you for your own good. Anyway, do you want to buy this painting? My prices are fair for everyone."

Chen Hao snapped out of his thoughts. Worried about being scammed, he sought confirmation. "Brother Horse Face, by my reckoning, Tang Yin should have died hundreds of years ago. Was this painting really done by him?"

Horse Face immediately replied, "Impressive! Just as you said, Tang Yin did die hundreds of years ago. But the fellow refuses to reincarnate and has been pestering me in the Underworld for centuries. He's driving me crazy. I've been bored lately, and his paintings looked pretty good, so I thought I'd bring one out and see if I could trade it for some Daoist Merit Points."

Horse Face then launched into complaints about the Underworld's poor pay and benefits, saying he wanted to change careers and find another job, until Chen Hao cut him off.

"How much Daoist Merit do you want for it?" Chen Hao went straight to the point.

Horse Face said, "One thousand Daoist Merit points."

"Damn, are you robbing me?" Chen Hao replied indignantly.

He could hawk this lousy painting all over the Underworld and probably never sell it in his entire life, yet he has the nerve to ask for a thousand Daoist Merit points. How can he even say that?

Horse Face also knew there wasn't much demand for the painting, so he hurriedly replied, "How about this? Since you seem serious about buying it, I'll give you twenty percent off. Eight hundred Daoist Merit points?"

"Fifty Daoist Merit points. Take it or leave it." Chen Hao's bargaining slashed straight at Horse Face's jugular.

He had thought that all his years of experience in the mortal world, combined with his outrageous bargaining skills, would make these immortals sit up and marvel at him. However...

"Deal!"

"What?!" Chen Hao instantly felt as though he had been scammed.

You have received a painting and calligraphy scroll from Ghost Officer Horse Face!

Since the other party had already sent him the item, how could he go back on his word? He could only reluctantly pay Horse Face fifty Daoist Merit points.

After receiving the Daoist Merit, Horse Face immediately sent a cupped-fist gesture. "Thank you, brother. I'm just trying to make a living here. Please keep supporting my business. Until next time!"

Hearing that, Chen Hao felt increasingly certain that he had been scammed.

He quickly sent Horse Face another message. "Brother Horse Face, do you offer seven-day, no-questions-asked returns and refunds?"

When no reply came for a long time, Chen Hao slapped his forehead, feeling that he was in trouble.

He hurriedly extracted the scroll and gently unrolled it. Damn it, the ink wasn't even dry yet—it was still wet. "Shit, did that bastard Horse Face just scribble this himself?"

But when he glanced at the red seal and writing in the lower-right corner, they really did have something of the bold, flowing style of an ancient master.

Chen Hao put the scroll away, then opened his phone and searched for any recent exhibitions of ancient paintings or antiques. He could take the opportunity to have an expert authenticate it.

"Found one!"

After searching for a while, Chen Hao saw that a three-day exhibition of ancient paintings was being held at the Zhonghai International Expo Center, starting that very day.

Without another word, Chen Hao went downstairs, hailed a cab, and headed straight for the expo center.

What Chen Hao never expected was that the cab he hailed would be driven by that same unlucky driver.

The instant he got in, Chen Hao had an ominous feeling. After all, neither of his previous two rides with this man had gone without an accident.

He was just about to get out when the enthusiastic driver stopped him. "Oh, young fellow, we really are destined to meet!"

Destined, my ass! Chen Hao cursed inwardly. He really wondered whether he and this driver were simply incompatible.

The car headed west. Before Chen Hao could say anything, the driver began complaining about the earlier accidents.

Chen Hao gripped the handle cautiously, laughing awkwardly while constantly reminding the driver to drive safely.

After more than half an hour without anything unusual happening, Chen Hao gradually let his guard down.

But just as they drove up a ramp onto an elevated road, something suddenly went wrong with the car.

Halfway up the slope, the car abruptly lost power. No matter how hard the driver stamped on the accelerator or brake, neither responded.

"Shit! The brakes have failed!"

Chen Hao, who had already relaxed, was jolted in fright. He stared wide-eyed at the driver, silently cursing himself for being careless.

The driver was experienced. Upon realizing the accelerator had failed, he immediately pulled the handbrake. But whether he had pulled too hard or not, the damned handbrake lever snapped clean off.

Holding half the handbrake lever, the driver looked at Chen Hao, and Chen Hao looked back. Then both screamed at the same time.

Chen Hao reacted first, opening the passenger door and jumping out. Seeing this, the driver immediately opened his own door and got out too.

Fortunately, the car wasn't moving very fast. After jumping out, Chen Hao instinctively grabbed the door, trying to slow the car as it rolled backward.

But with that tug, Chen Hao tore the entire passenger door off, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.

As the car rolled faster and faster, Chen Hao hastily dropped the passenger door and grabbed the front bumper.

Crack!

With one pull, Chen Hao ripped the entire bumper off.

Just as Chen Hao was about to rush forward again, the driver grabbed him, looking close to tears. "Brother, stop pulling! At least leave the car's corpse in one piece!"

And so the two could only watch helplessly as the car rolled down the slope.

Crash!

The car rolled straight into an SUV parked by the roadside, splashing soy milk all over the face of the fellow inside, who had been enjoying soy milk and a fried dough stick.

Seeing the car stop, the two hurried over. The SUV owner climbed out in a daze, holding his dripping soy milk and half a fried dough stick. Upon seeing the driver and Chen Hao, he immediately cursed, "What the hell are you doing? Playing with a driverless car?"

The driver could only apologize repeatedly, then call the police to deal with it.

Chen Hao could only sigh and shake his head. Once the driver finished calling the police, Chen Hao stepped forward and clasped his hand with a little agitation. "Brave fellow, we've been through enough together to count as brothers in adversity. I really want to know your name."

The driver's eyes were brimming with tears too. "My name is Hao Chen. May I ask yours, brother?"

Upon hearing the driver's name, Chen Hao nearly burst out laughing. Chen Hao, Hao Chen—damn it, there's no need to check our birth charts. Our names alone clash! No wonder sparks fly whenever we meet.

Chen Hao gently patted Hao Chen's hand, then consoled him. "My name is Good Samaritan. Goodbye!"

Watching Chen Hao leave in bewilderment, Hao Chen still remembered to shout, "Brother, don't forget to give me a five-star review!"

"Five stars, my ass!"

After hailing another cab, Chen Hao finally arrived safely at the expo center.

As he entered the ancient painting exhibition, a rich scholarly atmosphere greeted him.

The hall displayed all kinds of ancient paintings and collectibles in individual glass cases. Crowds milled about, and from time to time, announcements introduced the origins of the various exhibits.

Chen Hao knew nothing about these things and had little interest in them, so he headed straight deeper into the exhibition.

As he went farther in, Chen Hao spotted a dais in the center of the hall, with a group of elderly men seated on it. They were clearly renowned experts in ancient paintings.

At an ancient painting expo, viewing the exhibits was really just a draw. The main event was the appraisal that followed.

After a woman with a stunning figure took the stage in a qipao and delivered a few inconsequential opening remarks, people began bringing out ancient paintings and collectibles they had treasured for years, presenting them to the experts onstage for authentication.

Of course, some also brought out their treasures for auction.

It had to be said that antiques, paintings, and calligraphy really weren't hobbies ordinary people could afford. An unremarkable scroll could easily be worth hundreds of thousands, or even millions.

This made Chen Hao wonder how much his Tang Bohu scroll would be worth, assuming it was genuine.

As time passed, the collectors presented their scrolls one after another, sending fresh waves of excitement through the crowd.

Judging that the time was right, Chen Hao took out his scroll and walked onto the stage, choosing an elderly man with graying hair and reading glasses.

"Hello, I have a Tang Bohu painting and calligraphy scroll. I'd like you to help me determine whether it's genuine."

Chen Hao hadn't chosen this elderly man at random. He had observed him from below the stage for a long time. In both knowledge and authority, the man undoubtedly ranked among the best of the group.

The elderly man adjusted the reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and studied Chen Hao for a moment. Then he suddenly smiled. "A Tang Bohu painting and calligraphy scroll?"