Whatever Hu Xiaotian thought, learning a few techniques to protect himself and stay alive had become his most pressing concern. He might usually be careless and slapdash, but when the time came to get serious, he was absolutely earnest and fully committed.
Once again, Quan Dean was won over by the lad's talent for martial arts. Hu Xiaotian mastered the Golden Spider Eight Steps in less than an hour.
Hu Xiaotian finally understood why Quan Dean had taught him the Dark Nether Yin Wind Claw. Without that foundation, he could never have learned the Golden Spider Eight Steps. Only someone whose claw strength had reached a certain level could pick up this footwork so quickly.
The next task Quan Dean gave Hu Xiaotian was to get to the bottom of the secret passage.
After leaving the Four Seasons Dry Goods Shop, Hu Xiaotian headed to Jadeite Hall. This was not official business; he had come specifically to visit his tailless horse. Fan Zongxi, Assistant Director of the Directorate of Imperial Stables, had given him the gray horse at the Red Mountain Racecourse. Since Hu Xiaotian lived in the palace and could not bring the horse inside, he could only board it temporarily at Jadeite Hall. Its manager, Cao Qianshan, needed a favor from him, so he took the purchasing eunuch's instructions very seriously and set aside a space in the rear courtyard stables especially for the gray horse. Although barely more than ten days had passed, the once filthy, scrawny animal had eaten its way into a plump, sturdy horse. The mud had also been washed off, revealing its original markings. Strangely, its body was covered in spots like a leopard's, with jet-black hair above all four hooves and a patch of pure white shaped like a crescent moon on