Chapter 77 : Chapter 77
Chapter 77. A Bet
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Xu Yuan’s injuries had long since improved, and now he was devoting most of his time to cultivating his movement technique.
He set up wooden stakes and ropes in the courtyard to simulate a complicated environment, repeatedly tempering the turns, shifts, and evasive maneuvers of his footwork.
Not long after he finished and came to a stop, Chen Sanli hurried over and whispered into his ear, “Brother Xu, there’s progress on the matter you asked me to investigate.”
Xu Yuan raised a brow. “Explain it clearly.”
Chen Sanli continued, “By following the movements of some suspicious people in Fu’an Street and tracing the clues step by step, I found what seems to be one of the Bai family’s spy safehouses.”
“As expected.” Xu Yuan nodded, signaling for him to go on.
“That place is in the back alley behind the fish market in the southern part of the city—a very inconspicuous general store.” Chen Sanli explained in detail.
“I kept watch on it for several days. The people going in and out disguised themselves well enough, but their gait and their eyes can’t fool someone who knows what to look for.”
At this point, he lowered his voice, sounding a little excited.
“Should we raid it overnight? If we capture a few alive, we might be able to torture more information out of them!”
But Xu Yuan shook his head. “No rush. It’s only a contact point. Even if we wipe it out, the Bai family can just set up another one… keep watching them, figure out their communication pattern, and find out who their superior contact is.”
“If we’re going fishing, then we need to hook a big fish.”
Chen Sanli immediately understood. “Brother Xu really does think deeper.”
Aside from little incidents like this, Changning Street as a whole remained stable as usual.
Xu Yuan moved back and forth between cultivation and official duties, becoming more and more practiced in handling matters within his authority.
…
Time flowed like water, and before long, more than half a month had passed.
June 25.
That afternoon, in the Street Guard courtyard,
Xu Yuan’s figure flashed as the steps beneath his feet changed unpredictably.
His body moved through the narrow quiet room, at times nimble like a swimming fish, at times elusive like a falling leaf.
Each step landed without making a sound. Though he had not yet reached the point where one step created an afterimage, it had already begun to conform to a certain mysterious rhythm.
[Skills: Taiji Fist Exercises (Perfection 100%), Yutai Stance Art (Entry 52%), Benlei Fist (Major Mastery 24%), Youlong Step (Minor Mastery 1%), Tieyi Gong (Entry 78%)]
[Aptitude: 22 (Promising Talent, Uncut Jade)]
“It finally worked!”
Xu Yuan stopped moving and let out a long breath of turbid air.
After many days of shut-in, bitter training, Youlong Step had finally advanced successfully, bringing him a two-point increase in aptitude.
That, in turn, fed back into his other skills, allowing his cultivation speed to increase even further.
Xu Yuan familiarized himself with the changes brought by the improvement in his footwork. The speed of his movement technique had increased by at least thirty percent, and combined with the explosive force of Benlei Fist, his combat strength had climbed to a new level.
At this rate, in less than a month, I’ll be able to break through to the Fifth Meridian! Xu Yuan estimated inwardly.
He tried practicing in combination with Benlei Fist. His punches came out like thunder, his steps moved like a roaming dragon, and the transitions between attack and defense instantly became much more fluid.
Some of the openings that had previously appeared because his movement technique lagged behind were now cleverly patched over.
And this Tieyi Gong—compared with the movement technique, it’s much simpler. It’ll likely finish reaching Entry very soon as well. Xu Yuan slowly drew in his stance, and a cold gleam flashed through his eyes.
Once I have both speed and unified offense and defense, if I face Xu Tianlong again, I’ll be far more at ease.
With that thought, he once again sank his mind into training and began practicing Tieyi Gong.
Thanks to gaining another two points of aptitude, Xu Yuan found it even easier to cultivate this martial technique, and the progress in his mind rose steadily.
…
As if in answer to Xu Yuan’s thoughts, only three days later, Xu Tianlong came looking for him again.
This time, he brought men directly to the buffer zone between Changning Street and Fu’an Street and called Xu Yuan out by name.
Xu Yuan walked out from the office area and arrived at the bridgehead, frowning slightly. “Street Guard Xu, what do you mean by this?”
“What kind of future is there in hiding at home all day?”
A cold light flickered in Xu Tianlong’s eyes, and he let out a savage grin. “Last time we didn’t fight to our heart’s content. This time, let’s go again!”
He’s this confident? Could it be he’s relying on something?
Xu Yuan’s brow twitched, his gaze landing on the slightly bulging robe on the other man’s body. Then he suddenly smiled in realization. “Street Guard Xu, are you sure you want to fight here?”
“Cut the crap!”
Xu Tianlong took a step forward and said in a deep buzzing voice, “Don’t think that just because you took a few of my blows, you’re now qualified to stand on equal footing with me. Today I’ll show you what a real gap looks like!”
Before his words had even fallen, he lunged like a ferocious tiger, both fists shooting out together, the wind from them howling. Clearly, he too had not spent this past month idle, and his strength had improved.
Xu Yuan’s eyes sharpened, and the footwork beneath him suddenly changed!
The improvement brought by Minor Mastery Youlong Step made dealing with him effortless. Xu Yuan lightly slid to the side and avoided Xu Tianlong’s first wave of attacks, then immediately countered with a punch aimed straight at the other man’s ribs.
But to his surprise, Xu Tianlong did not dodge at all, taking the punch head-on. His qi and blood surged through his body, yet that tricky penetrating force was much weaker than before.
Just as I thought.
Feeling the strange feedback through his fist, Xu Yuan had his suspicions confirmed, and he said with a smile,
“Street Guard Xu really was willing to pay a high price. Just to deal with me, you even went out and bought a treasure armor.”
Treasure armor referred to armor tanned from the skin and flesh of spirit beasts. It could weaken force, but was often extremely expensive—far beyond what ordinary people could afford.
But for Xu Yuan, his force was usually stronger than others’, so this item was somewhat of a chicken rib to him.
Xu Tianlong gave a cold snort, a trace of pride surfacing on his face. “Isn’t your greatest ability just that your force has reached Minor Mastery?”
“Now that you’ve lost that advantage, let’s see how you fight me!”
With that, his qi and blood shook violently, and carrying a might capable of splitting steles and cracking stone, he blasted forward again.
…
Not far away, Lin Yue’e, Sun Xiaochuan, and a group of other Street Guards had also come to watch the excitement.
After all, as Street Guards, most of their days were peaceful and leisurely. A duel with this much spectacle was rather rare.
“How about we make a bet and guess who’ll win this time?” Lin Yue’e, lively by nature, was clearly looking to make things interesting.
“Street Guard Xu may be exceptionally talented, but in the end, he’s accumulated too little. I’m not very optimistic about his chances.” A thin Street Guard shook his head.
“I fought Xu Tianlong before. That old fellow has some real ability—he could even exchange a few moves with me.”
Sun Xiaochuan folded his arms and let out a scoffing laugh, sounding extremely certain. “What’s more, he’s even wearing treasure armor now, which can weaken force. With one side gaining and the other losing, Xu Yuan will definitely lose!”
“Oh?”
Lin Yue’e smiled. “Then how much are you betting?”
Did I ever say I was going to bet with you?
Sun Xiaochuan grumbled inwardly and shot her an annoyed glance. “Fine. Let’s call it a bit of fun. I’ll bet ten taels.”
“What about Old Zhao?” After making a round among the other Street Guards, most of whom had picked Xu Tianlong to win, Lin Yue’e turned and asked.
Strange… why does that look so much like the opening posture of Youlong Step?
Zhao Tieshan frowned, staring fixedly at Xu Yuan’s footwork in silence. Then, hearing her question, he spoke:
“I think Street Guard Xu might surprise us. I’m betting on him to win—five taels.”
Oh?
Zhao Tieshan had always been steady and cautious, the type to act only after careful planning. Yet this time he had actually made the opposite choice?
Lin Yue’e immediately looked over in curiosity, only to see him shoot her a meaningful glance. She paused for a moment, thought briefly, then said:
“I’ll also bet five taels on him winning. I believe Street Guard Xu must still have a hidden move in reserve.”
The moment those words came out, the other Street Guards all shook their heads and laughed disdainfully. No matter what hidden trump card he had, what use would it be in the face of absolute strength?
Sun Xiaochuan watched coldly from the sidelines, sneering inwardly.
What a bunch of mediocrities. I already said Xu Tianlong is truly capable, and they still insist on running headfirst into it?
Serves them right to lose the silver in their pouches!
…