Without Lifting a Finger

There was a traffic jam on the highway, with cars stretching for an unknown length.

Most of these vehicles are sedans, but trucks are not uncommon.

They resembled rows of uneven, depressing, and anxious little houses.

The snowflakes had already accumulated to a thickness of several centimeters on the roof of the car, and the nearby road surface was covered with dirty snow and ice, with both tire tracks and footprints.

I heard that the road ahead was blocked by thick ice due to rain and snow, so a bulldozer was brought over and is slowly breaking the ice.

After being stuck here for most of the day, everyone was getting impatient, hungry, and bored. Many people couldn't help but get out of their cars and walk around to find out what was going on.

Some people are no longer willing to wander around aimlessly.

He just stood next to his car, wearing a hat, his right foot on the stainless steel guardrail, hunched over, smoking silently.

A few dozen meters away from the roadside, several children were playing in the snow.

There was also a child holding a bag of red instant noodles, squeezing it forcefully, seemingly intending to crush it and eat it dry.

The smoking man's eyes lit up, and he called out, "Hey kid, do you have any instant noodles? I'll pay you, I'll buy two packs."

The child glanced in this direction for a while, then ignored him and ran back to the village.

The man smoking sighed, then took another drag of his half-smoked cigarette.

After a while, an old lady wearing a red cotton-padded jacket came over carrying a thermos and half a box of instant noodles.

The child who ran away earlier was right behind her.

The smoking man immediately perked up. "For me?"

Seeing that the roadside was too high for the old lady to reach, he climbed over the guardrail, grabbed the roadside bricks, and jumped down.

Not far ahead, there was a truck, and the driver and passenger were standing beside it, witnessing this scene.

Both men were of medium build. One of them had no distinguishing features except for a small, inconspicuous mole on his right temple.

The other man was missing a pinky finger on his right hand.

"Why haven't Old Liu and the others come back yet? Does it really take them this long to chase a cat?"

The man with the severed finger said, "I'm fucking hungry again. I'm going to go get some instant noodles."

Another man grabbed him. "Have you forgotten the last time there was a traffic jam? Those villagers came over with bowls of plain porridge in thermos flasks, and they dared to sell them for fifty yuan a bowl."

The man with the severed finger said, "Of course I haven't forgotten. If it weren't for the priority of securing the goods, I would have taught them a lesson back then."

The man next to him whispered, "With our wealth, five thousand yuan for a meal isn't a big deal, but I just don't want to let these small fry rip us off."

Sure enough, the man smoking was already reaching for money—a fifty-yuan bill.

The old woman quickly shook her head, pushing his hand back.

The smoking man had no choice but to rummage through his things and find two ten-yuan bills.

The old lady declined a few times before finally accepting it.

I saw the smoking man fill his thermos with hot water and carry half a box of instant noodles up the stairs.

The two men next to the truck couldn't help but look rather grim.

After a while, their expressions turned even more grim.

In the village, it seems that because an old lady took the lead, many families brought instant noodles, sausages, and hot water for people stuck in traffic on the highway.

Prices were generally the same as those commonly found in convenience stores; no one took the opportunity to raise prices, and some people simply didn't charge at all.

People stuck in the traffic jam started jumping off the road one by one to retrieve their belongings.

Some were talkative, striking up conversations right away with smiles on their faces and their breath steaming in the air.

Despite the freezing weather, the area around the road became lively.

The man with the severed finger couldn't hold back any longer. He jumped down, grabbed two cup noodles, squeezed in some sausages, poured in hot water, and stuck in a fork.

He didn't even use his hands to climb up the road; he took two running steps and stepped directly onto the roadbed bricks, thus returning to the highway.

A child witnessed this and screamed in surprise.

"That's amazing!"

The man with the severed finger turned around and chuckled.

"Give!"

He shared a bucket of noodles with his companion, and, unable to wait for it to soak, stirred it a couple of times with his fork and started eating.

A middle-aged man with a chubby face and a full beard leaned over and sighed.

"There are still more good people than bad in the world. Friend, you're so athletic, could you go buy me a couple of buckets?"

As the chubby-faced man spoke, he handed over a red bill held in his hand.

The man with the severed finger didn't even look at him, only uttering one word. "Get lost!"

Before he could finish speaking, the fat-faced man's hand, which was holding the banknotes, was already close to the man with the severed finger's ribs. Suddenly, his five fingers dug, and the down jacket couldn't block the penetrating force at all.

The man with the severed finger suddenly felt as if he had been electrocuted. The pain in his ribs was so intense that he couldn't speak and had no strength at all.

Just as the instant noodles in his hand were about to fall, the fat-faced man caught them with his other hand.

"You!"

The scream that came from the man's throat after the severed finger was unexpectedly low, barely a faint whisper.

He was terrified, only his eyes could move, and he hurriedly tried to see his companion.

His companion stood there, dumbfounded, holding a bowl of instant noodles, motionless, not even his eyes moving, only beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

There was a young man, seemingly impervious to the cold, wearing a shirt and trench coat, standing lazily next to his companion, the two of them like buddies with his arm around his companion's shoulder.

The man with the severed finger at least knew when the fat-faced, bearded man had squeezed through the vehicles.

The man with the small mole had no idea when the young man in the trench coat had approached him.

Chu Tianshu put one arm around the other's shoulder, and his Immortal Force had already permeated the other's entire body.

It is as gentle as flowing water, yet as sharp as a needle, stimulating the muscles in a controlled manner.

The areas that should be numb will become numb with a single prick; the areas that should move will twitch with a single prick.

Chu Tianshu put his arm around him and walked forward, and the other man's feet took steps on their own.

Qi Lianyong also walked forward, holding the man with the severed finger in his hand.

But this part will require a bit more effort.

The man with the severed finger had weak legs. Qi Lianyong appeared to be only pinching his ribs, but in reality, he was lifting the man's entire body.

He walked forward while "carrying" the man with the severed finger in one hand.

The four men got to the back of the truck and opened the cargo compartment.

Chu Tianshu led the group in a jump, then reached back to help them, and all four of them smoothly and naturally entered the carriage.

The carriage was spacious; even with hundreds of sealed cardboard boxes piled up on both sides, the middle was still roomy.

"You were able to control his legs just by putting your arm around his shoulder."

After Qi Lianyong entered, he couldn't help but praise, "This not only demonstrates a thorough understanding of the common muscles and bones of the human body, but also allows one to ascertain the strength of the opponent's physique with just a touch."

"Once you cross the threshold of Dual Cultivation of Life and Nature, is it really this miraculous? How could your skills have reached such a high level in just a few years?"

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "I had other opportunities and obtained several secret manuals from senior masters."

"Especially one of them, which is also for practicing Tongbei; I'll show it to Master Qi later."

Qi Lianyong quickly said, "I can't accept a reward without merit. I charged you for teaching me the boxing techniques back then. How much does this manual cost...?"

We'll discuss the price later.

Chu Tianshu said casually, "I'm planning to visit the Golden Saber Martial Arts School. Could Master Qi introduce me to it?"

Qi Lianyong was taken aback. "What are you going there for?"

"Isn't it normal for someone who practices martial arts to want to visit a martial arts school?"

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Perhaps there's another business deal we can discuss with the people at the martial arts school."

He changed his clothes and took his bank card with him when he went out.

In addition to his previous savings, his card also contained funds transferred from Macau.

The profits from the online store are secondary; the most lucrative thing right now is the bonus received from the Nie Longding incident.

Having money in my account makes me feel less anxious.

Chu Tianshu estimated: With connections and this much money, hiring experts from the Golden Saber Martial Arts School to help me with my cultivation should be no problem.

It's still uncertain how long the service will last.

The man with the severed finger felt a mixture of hatred, anger, and fear as he listened to them openly discussing "Golden Saber Martial Arts School" and "follow-up business."

These two people clearly had them figured out, which is why they acted so recklessly.

Whether they are brought to justice or silenced, their fate is probably sealed.

"You..."

The man with the severed finger struggled, uttering a weak whisper, "Ambush..."

Chu Tianshu then gave him a glance.

"Who told you to get stuck on the highway, with so many villagers around?"

"If it were a different situation, I wouldn't mind counting to three before swatting you both away."

These two are actually quite capable.

If they were truly given the chance to use their skills, they should be no less capable than the two Kunlun were skilled in poisons.

However, faced with such an unsportsmanlike sneak attack, they didn't even receive the same treatment as the Kunlun, who were grabbed and thrown out by Chu Tianshu.

"That's called tactical wisdom."

Qi Lianyong scoffed, "Who's ever heard of practicing martial ethics when dealing with criminals?"

Do you even deserve it?

Three horn blasts came from the side of the highway.

Chu Tianshu went outside and saw three vans parked below the highway.

This was a strategy everyone had decided on before setting off.

Because the criminals' truck was on the highway, and the cargo compartment contained some valuable antiques.

To avoid any accidents, the two best fighters were sent up first to quietly apprehend the suspect.

The rest of the martial arts school students went to find a car and drove along a side road to the side of the highway.

At that time, the suspects and stolen goods can be moved down in batches and taken away completely.

The nearby villagers and those stuck in traffic on the highway were still chatting and laughing.

Some truck drivers, noticing people moving things over there, only showed a hint of envy.

They assumed it was someone with connections who had brought a companion to transfer the goods.

Chu Tianshu inserted several needles into the two men, promising that they would remain obediently still after he removed them.

However, just as he put the two men into the van and reunited them with the burly man and the skinny man from before...

The phone on the man with the severed finger suddenly rang.

Qi Lianyong reacted quickly, his three fingers like eagle claws pinching the man's Adam's apple as he threatened him in a low voice.

"If you don't want to die, just lie and say your phone is about to run out of battery and you might lose contact with me afterwards!"

The burly man had already confessed everyone's identities, Qi Lianyong reported this to the provincial department, which then assigned people to make arrests.

Besides these core members, there are many accomplices scattered in various places, and we must not let them notice anything amiss.

Chu Tianshu removed a silver needle, allowing the man with the severed finger to nod.

Qi Lianyong loosened his grip slightly, took out the man's phone, and pressed the answer button.

"Hey, A Xuan."

The voice coming from the phone was that of a middle-aged man.

"You've been stuck in traffic for so long, you've already missed the ferry crossing. After you get off the highway, why don't you just find another place to settle down?"

The man with the severed finger had a dry throat. "This damn weather is awful. My phone's almost dead from the cold. Boss, where are you talking about? Is it safe?"

The leader said, "Golden Saber Martial Arts School, you've heard of it, right?"

(End of this chapter)