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“Cough! Cough cough…”

Inside a private room at Sunset Hill, Wang Luori suddenly crushed an expensive glass-and-jade table into pieces. He immediately turned as white as a sheet and coughed loudly after that.

A man walked up to him and asked with a concerned voice, “Are you alright, father?”

“I’m fine.” Wang Luori waved him down and asked for clarification, “Are you sure everything you told me is the truth, Zailai?”

If Ye Qing was here, he would definitely recognize the man who addressed Wang Luori as father—his foster father to be exact—as Wen Zailai.

After confirming that Wang Luori was fine, Wen Zailai answered, “It’s definitely true. I was told this by a friend in the Pacification Bureau.”

“Dammit!” Wang Luori cursed loudly. “Just how lucky is that brat? Not only did he discover the Way of Taiping’s lair in Luo Shui, he even played a pivotal role in thwarting their plans. Gu Suitang would value Ye Qing more than ever before, and it’ll be that much harder to capture him!”

“What should I do… What should I do…”

Wang Luori’s eyes were bulging furiously like a tiger, but Wen Zailai paid his reaction no heed. He said, “Calm down, father. There is a simple way to solve this matter.”

“There is?” Wang Luori asked in a hurry, “Tell me!”

Wen Zailai smiled. “Ye Qing became pretty famous because of this incident, right? Let’s make him even more famous.”

“What do you mean?” Wang Luori looked puzzled. “How is that going to help us?”

Wen Zailai explained calmly, “Sometimes, too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and fame is one such example.”

“You know how the Way of Taiping is, They are as ruthless as they are vengeful. If we publicize Ye Qing’s role in the sabotage and besmirch the Way of Taiping’s reputation at the same time, those madmen would definitely come after Ye Qing no matter the cost.”

“All we need to do then is to wait for the Way of Taiping to kill him.”

Sometimes, words were so much more effective than the sword.

But as soon as Wen Zailai finished, Wang Luori shook his head and said, “No. Ye Qing must live.”

Wen Zailai looked puzzled. “Why not, father?”

Wang Luori’s eyes flickered. Wen Zailai’s plan was good, but if the Way of Taiping managed to kill Ye Qing, then the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method” would most likely fall in their hands. Was retrieving the painting from Ye Qing harder than retrieving it from the Way of Taiping? Of course not.

He didn’t care if Ye Qing lived or died, but he mustn’t die in another’s hands no matter what.

Of course, Wang Luori wasn’t going to tell his adopted son about the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method”, so he said, “Xiao Yang was my favorite disciple, and I’m pretty sure that he is behind Yang’er’s death. That is why Ye Qing must die in my hands.”

The excuse was completely bullshit as a matter of course, but if Ye Qing was here, he would’ve been very impressed with the Hill Lord. It wasn’t everyday you made something up, and it turned out to be the truth.

Wen Zailai looked surprised. “And how would you know that, father? Everyone seems to agree that the Stranger was the one who killed him.”

Wang Luori replied simply, “I have my ways. All you need to know is that Ye Qing must die in my hands.”

Wen Zailai fell into thought for a moment. “The plan is still a go, we just need to tweak a few things here and there. We can pretend to be the Way of Taiping and announce to the world that anyone who kills Ye Qing will be gifted a Spirit Purification stage martial art, a Hatred-class Strange Artifact, a Taiping Godkiller Pill and so on.”

“There are countless greedy people in the jianghu. They will surely set their sights on Luo Shui and infiltrate the city to kill him. While the waters are muddied, the opportunity to kill Ye Qing will present itself.”

“Are you sure it would work?” Wang Luori asked with a frown.

Wen Zailai replied confidently, “One hundred percent.”

“The rewards I mentioned would catch the interest of any Spirit Purifier, but not a Spirit Master. Therefore, only Spirit Purifiers and below would target Ye Qing.”

“Ye Qing wouldn’t be able to kill them easily, but they wouldn’t be able to take out Ye Qing either. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about them. We just need them to muddy the waters enough so that you can take advantage of it.”

“Not only that, you can pin the blame on them whether you capture or kill Ye Qing. It would be killing two birds with one stone.”

Wang Luori’s eyes lit up, but another worry came over him. “The plan sounds good, but would the jianghu warriors really fall for your ploy? And what if the Way of Taiping denies the announcement?”

“They will,” Wen Zailai said confidently. “All men are greedy, and jianghu people even more so. They will go after Ye Qing no matter how untrustworthy the rumor was.”

“As for the way of Taiping, they are even less of an issue. Ye Qing was the one who ruined their grand plan, and they only wished they could kill him this instant. Not only would they not deny the announcement, they might even support it even if they weren’t the one who came up with the idea.”

“That is true!” Wang Luori nodded gladly. “Very well. We shall do as you say.”

He immediately added, “But be careful. No one must find out that we are the ones who spread the rumors. Otherwise, that old fucker, Gu Suitang will knock on our doors.”

Wen Zailai smiled. “Don’t worry, father. I will. In fact, I’m planning to pin the blame on White Horse Academy. Luo Feiliu’s younger brother died because of Ye Qing, so he has a motive to want him dead. If Gu Suitang really is going to take action, he could only target White Horse Academy. That would be very poetic, no?”

“Hahahaha! That is a great idea!” Wang Luori guffawed. “Everyone praises you to be a cunning and knowledgeable man, and you are most definitely deserving of your reputation! I’m so glad I still have you, or I honestly wouldn’t know how to take revenge against my wrongdoers or rebuild Sunset Hill. Sigh…”

“You flatter me, father. You are the one who possesses the talent and ability to become a great warrior who will go down in history. The reason the idea didn’t come to you immediately is because such tactics are beneath you,” said Wen Zailai to butter up his father. “As for Sunset Hill, so long as you are still standing, Sunset Hill will never fall.”

Wang Luo let out another burst of laughter. “Well said! So long as I, Wang Luori, am still standing, Sunset Hill will never fall! Once I’ve recovered from my injuries, everyone who ever wronged me shall face my wrath!”

When I caught Ye Qing and obtained the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method”, I’d become a Spirit Master. When that happens, White Horse Academy will pay the price of blood, Gu Suitang will pay the price of blood, and the mice who tried to have me killed while I was weakened will be exterminated to the three generations!

……

Bang!

Ye Qing flew back like a sack of grain and hit the ground so hard that he bounced twice. His bones felt like they were completely disjointed, and blood was pooling underneath his skin.

“Do you know why ‘Break Through’ is called ‘Break Through’? It’s because it represents the unwavering courage, if not the power, one must possess in order to break through a wall, a ceiling, or even a formation made up of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.”

“But you? Your fist is completely lacking in both qualities. Power can be built up with time, but what the fuck was that pussy ass punch you tried to hit me with earlier? My neighbor, Old Wang, had more courage than you when his wife caught him trying to sneak out for a drink!”

Gu Suitang withdrew his fist and yelled, “We body-tempering warriors may hesitate before we throw a punch, but once we’ve made the decision, then it’s all in! So what if a god, a demon, or even the heavens themselves stand in your way? You will punch through them even if you physically cannot!”

“There is a puff of air in your chest that must dare to challenge heaven or earth. Only then could you stand a chance of slaying gods and demons. But your fists are hesitant both before and after you threw it. Where the fuck is your courage? Your fighting spirit?”

“Also, is it just me, or are you looking down on fist art? Isn’t it better to hide your astral qi and fist intent like a dragon lurking in the abyss, unleashing it all only when the time is right? Isn’t it nice to be able to punch through the sky in one punch?”

“When you punch, your astral qi is leaking all over the place, your force is exposed, your intent is bare for all to see. Oh, it looks very flashy, I’ll give you that, but to someone in the know you look like a leaky bag who’s completely wasting your energy. You might be able to intimidate a useless piece of trash, but anyone who’s even remotely stronger than you would be able to kick your ass like nothing!”

“You’re a journeyman body-tempering warrior with the power of a dragon-elephant in you, but instead of exploiting your own strength you choose to master those superficial shit those with frail bodies have no choice but to master. Are you an idiot or what?”

“It’s truly a miracle that you didn’t die when you entered Sky Gate Abyss alone!”

Ye Qing didn’t dare to talk back even though Gu Suitang was berating the shit out of him. It was also because he knew that the Deputy Chief was chiding him for his own good.

Two days after he returned from Sky Gate Abyss and got some well-deserved rest, Gu Suitang had called him over to his place and beat the shit out of him.

It was training, of course. Every day, Gu Suitang would spend four to six hours tempering his body, focusing his fist intent, and pointing out the flaws in his fist techniques.

His teaching method was a little unorthodox though. Most people would guide their students onto the right path via words and actions. They would use violence only when a student was particularly unruly. But Gu Suitang? Gu Suitang’s teaching method was to beat the shit out of him.

The guy didn’t have brakes either, or rather, his brake was right before the point where he would kill or cripple him. Gu Suitang beat him up until he wondered if there were times where he genuinely wondered if he had imagined his OPness, or if his whole life was a lie.

Every day, Gu Suitang would shatter his flesh, break his bones, and scatter his astral qi during training. The Gu Suitang special guaranteed that, no matter how healthy or confident he felt, he would always leave the compound on a stretcher.

Physical attacks weren’t the only things Gu Suitang mastered. His verbal abuses, slurs, and demeaning comments were such that sometimes, they were worse than the beating itself.

Seriously, he would have broken a long time ago if his willpower was weak.

Thankfully, his improvements were just as obvious. Ever since Gu Suitang started training him, his body had undergone a small improvement. Some other people might scoff at such a minor improvement, but he was a journeyman body-tempering warrior. Any improvement starting from this level was difficult unless he consumed a priceless medicine or encountered a great boon or something.

What delighted Ye Qing the most was Gu Suitang’s understanding of fist intent and fist theory, however. Theory was the foundation of all things, and fist arts weren’t an exception. Someone who had never studied the theory before wouldn’t know what to do or what not to do, much less become proficient in a martial art. Even the exceptionally gifted must grasp the knowledge in order to avoid wasting their time and effort.

Ye Qing had been self-learning from the moment he set foot on the Way of the Fist. The “Cloud Vaporization Style” was the only reference he had, and he had never studied under a true master. Although he was always able to surpass expectations, it was only because the Annon Sutra was there to keep him from going astray.

Even so, he had inevitably wasted much time and effort and formed many bad habits. For starters, he was a jack of all and master of none. There was a lot of hesitation behind his fists, and he had gotten used to planning for failure—which was a good thing in most cases, but a bad thing for a practitioner of the Way of the Fist. He mastered qi, but neglected his intent. His techniques looked strong, but were really devoid of substance. His grit was lacking, and he was bogged down by too many thoughts. So on and so on.

To make a metaphor, he looked like a tall, strong and healthy tree on the outside, but on the inside he was weighed down by many unnecessary branches and leaves, and his balance was completely off. He might be strong enough to provide shade to some people, but he still had a long way to go if he wished to become a pillar that could withstand the heavens themselves.

Gu Suitang’s fist theory was like an axe that cut off all of the unnecessary branches, leaving only the things that truly mattered behind. It wouldn’t make him a master of the fists overnight, but it laid down the foundation that would make him a master in the future.

To an outsider, it looked like Gu Suitang was just abusing him for no real reason. In reality, he was teaching him the theory with his fists, and the intent with his verbal abuses. He was violently uprooting all the bad habits that he had unknowingly ingrained in his body, and building him a better foundation and future.

Not only that, Gu Suitang had taught him two fist techniques. The first one was Divide, and the second Break Through.