Posturing

"Don't go underestimating my Iron Ox Art." Liu Ye waved the manual in his hand and explained, "Do you know what state of mind is best suited for initiating yourself into the Three Demon Blades of Yanluo?" Wang Ping sank into deep thought. According to Liu Ye, the introductory first blade of the Three Demon Blades of Yanluo was called Greed. While practicing the technique, one would suffer impacts from blade intent born of such emotion. What state of mind could contend against that? A sudden flash of inspiration struck Wang Ping's mind. *A state of mind related to the Iron Ox Art... Could it be the brief state of pure clarity a man feels right after doing that deed?* "...You really are a sharp lad." Liu Ye nodded. "Precisely so. In that brief window, a man is utterly free of desire, which happens to be the absolute bane of Greed's blade intent." "In other words, the more times you enter that state of pure clarity, the stronger your resistance to Greed will be. Your cultivation will progress faster, and the risks of initiation will be lower... And my Iron Ox Art is an extraordinary, peerless discipline that lets you experience that state of clarity time and again without harming your body!" Wang Ping was thoroughly tempted. Naturally, he was not a lecherous man. His interest stemmed primarily from what Liu Ye said—this Iron Ox Art would help him quickly master the Three Demon Blades of Yanluo. Beyond that, there was an even more important reason: *This technique might also aid my cultivation of the Desire Realm Innate Method!* That secret art, derived from the *Heavenly Scripture of Other-Transformation Governing the Desire Realm*, was actually very simple to practice. Put plainly, it involved engaging in physical exercise with another person. *The secret art consists of eight positions in total. Completing them all constitutes one minor heavenly cycle, and after each minor heavenly cycle, you must switch to a different partner and start again.* *Defeating a hundred and eight people in a row like that completes one major heavenly cycle.* *Only when you can complete an entire major heavenly cycle without a single pause is the art considered fully mastered, from which point onward you become a Desire Realm Deva.* Once one became a Desire Realm Deva, one could sense and even lightly manipulate the emotions and thoughts of others, and even condense the divine sense possessed only by true cultivators. Wang Ping had drooled over those many miraculous abilities for a long time, but the conditions for cultivation were simply too punishing—it was not something a normal human could ever learn. Yet now, he saw a glimmer of hope. *If I cultivate the Iron Ox Art to great perfection and condense the martial ability Golden Spear Never Falls, will it be able to withstand the physical toll of the Desire Realm Innate Method?* It just might! At this thought, Wang Ping was thoroughly determined to obtain the Iron Ox Art. Soon, however, he realized an awkward predicament. He had no money. Most of the stipend silver that came with his constable post had just been gifted to Liu Ye, and the meager sum remaining could never afford a martial arts manual. After turning it over in his head, Wang Ping could only force a bitter smile. "Master Liu, please don't laugh at me. My pockets have really been pinched dry lately. How about you name a price first and give me a few days to scrape together the funds... Or perhaps sell it to me on credit, and I can slowly pay you back, principal and interest, out of my monthly stipend?" Liu Ye chuckled warmly at his words. "Little Wang, that's where you're wrong. In your eyes, am I the kind of person who only cares about money?" *Aren't you?* Wang Ping grumbled inwardly. Yet in the very next instant, Liu Ye gave a grand wave of his hand and shoved the Iron Ox Art manual directly into his chest. "There, take it." "Don't worry, I don't want your coin. Let's make an exchange. In the future, if you come across any new martial arts, just slip them to me in secret, and we'll call it even." "How about that?" Hearing this, Wang Ping, who had just been completely baffled, suddenly understood everything. Looking at Liu Ye again, he saw right through the veteran constable's calculations. *He has a sharp eye for people. He figures I might take on Head Constable Chen's perilous assignment down the line and claim that intermediate martial art as a reward, so he wants to trade his Iron Ox Art for my future intermediate art. That way, he reaps the benefits without taking any risks...* With that realization, Wang Ping's attitude shifted instantly. "Old Brother Liu, if you're putting it like that... then it's no longer the price we were talking about." Liu Ye: "..." *This wretched brat really has a boundless future ahead of him.* One moment it was 'Master Liu,' and the next it was 'Brother Liu'—he changed his tune and turned his back faster than an old hand of the jianghu. After a brief silence, Liu Ye lowered his voice. "How much do you want?" Wang Ping held up five fingers. "Five hundred taels." "Are you robbing me?!" Liu Ye grew agitated at once. "Five hundred taels? Even the bounty on Shouchong isn't damn well that high! How much is our monthly stipend? You certainly have the nerve to open your mouth for that!" Wang Ping shook his head with a helpless look. "I don't have a choice either. Brother Liu, your Iron Ox Art may be wonderful, but it also requires practical combat to improve. Right now, I'm penniless. Even if I wanted to engage in combat, I couldn't afford the cost. Surely I can't go around harassing decent women, can I?" Only then did Liu Ye heave a sigh of relief. "You fool, is the Iron Ox Art really that rigid? Who said combat practice has to involve another person? Don't you usually have your own hand?" Wang Ping: "..." Of course he understood that kind of clever shortcut. The problem was that while the Iron Ox Art could be practiced that way, the Desire Realm Innate Method strictly required real people. And so, he dug his heels in on his demand. "Five hundred taels, not a single copper less!" "You..." Liu Ye's eyes narrowed slightly, but soon softened again. On second thought, he remembered that the youth before him was probably still green. At such a young age, brimming with vigor and blood, it was only natural to want a taste of worldly pleasures. "...Fine, fine." With that in mind, Liu Ye changed his approach. "I don't have the silver. But if you just want combat practice... I have a connection at Danfeng Tower in the city." "When you go there, give my name to the madam, Lady Feng, and tell her you practice the Iron Ox Art. She'll naturally arrange combat practice for you." Wang Ping stared at him in utter marvel. From the sound of it, could he really get it for free? Though Liu Ye spoke cryptically, how could Wang Ping fail to understand? Without a doubt, this Master Liu held a stake in Danfeng Tower; otherwise, why would he make such an offer? Thinking of this, Wang Ping cupped his hands at once. "Thank you, Master Liu!" "And that five hundred taels...?" "I was merely jesting earlier!" Only then did Liu Ye nod in satisfaction. He wasn't worried that Wang Ping would renege in the future either; after all, an unranked martial art cost him nothing even if the deal fell through. And if it succeeded, the profit would be tremendous! After all, so far as he knew, Lord Chen's family martial art had been brought out from the Divine Constabulary's headquarters in the capital—it possessed an illustrious heritage! * * * Although Wang Ping had obtained the chance to indulge for free, he did not set out immediately. Once again, he was not a lecherous man. Cultivating the Iron Ox Art and the Desire Realm Innate Method was entirely for the sake of a brighter future. "A mere Iron Ox Art can be cultivated with just a hand. Going out for combat practice now would be a waste. Even if I master it, what good is it by itself? The main event comes afterward!" The Desire Realm Innate Method. That secret cultivation method was what truly demanded an enormous amount of combat practice. To put it bluntly, mastering that art might well drive an entire brothel into ruin. "Liu Ye talked a big game just now, but if I really go there and use his free pass to cultivate the Desire Realm Innate Method, the losses would definitely make him regret it on the spot, and all my efforts would be ruined... The best approach is to quietly cultivate the Iron Ox Art to the realm of great perfection first." "Once I have the support of the martial ability Golden Spear Never Falls, then I'll go take advantage of the free offer." "Before they realize what's happening, I'll push through in one breath and master the Desire Realm Innate Method directly. By then, he'll have no choice but to swallow the bitter loss in silence." For that, he had to exercise patience for now. Of course, if he had the silver to pay, none of this would even be an issue. Thinking of this, Wang Ping returned home and rummaged through his chests and cupboards, carefully taking stock of all his savings. Then, he decisively shook his head. "Whether I pay or not isn't really important." "At the end of the day, I am a man of upright morals who keeps himself clean. I am no lustful degenerate—how could I degrade myself by frequenting such foul, smoky places for no good reason?" With that, Wang Ping shut the doors and windows and took out tissues. The long night stretched ahead. He prepared to take matters into his own hands and painstakingly train the Iron Ox Art through the night, persisting until the sun climbed high in the sky, striving to bring the art to perfection with the utmost speed! * * * A dark moon and high winds—the perfect hour for slaughter. The wind howled as the sun stayed hidden. Three bright moons hung high, yet dark clouds swallowed their glow, casting down only deep, fathomless shadows. "Who goes there!" With a sharp bark, a patrolling constable inside the Longxing County yamen raised his lantern toward the shadowy corner, but under the lantern light, there was no one. "What happened?" another patrolling constable asked. "Nothing. I must have seen wrong." The constable holding the lantern gave a bitter smile. "You know how troubled these recent years have been. I'm getting jumpy, seeing rebels behind every shadow." The others offered wry smiles in return. It was not just Longxing County. Across all of Changle Commandery and throughout the vast expanse of Jizhou, rebellious factions had sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain. The world had long fallen into chaos. "All right, stop letting your mind wander." "We're just going through the motions. If a true expert sneaks in, we wouldn't be able to spot him anyway. When that happens, our superiors will take charge of the hunt." "True enough..." As they spoke, the patrol moved farther and farther away. Yet none of them noticed that an extra figure had quietly appeared behind them. It was Xie Shi. Unlike ordinary men, however, the White Lotus Sect's senior disciple produced virtually no sound at all—not his breath, not his heartbeat, not even his footsteps. This was clearly a martial discipline. He followed behind the patrol in silence, his figure cloaked in darkness, walking from the outer yamen into the inner grounds. Along the way, he crossed paths with several other patrols, yet not a single soul noticed his presence, every one of them overlooking him entirely. Only when he drew near the inner yamen did he flick aside in a sudden blur. The stir of wind he caused blended seamlessly into the night wind, still alerting no one as he slipped into the inner yamen. Before his eyes lay the main hall. Inside the hall stood dozens of weapons large and small—sabers, spears, staves—each of which had once been a sharp weapon renowned in its own region. Xie Shi locked his gaze onto the center of the hall in an instant. There, atop the largest table, rested an exquisitely crafted flying dagger that gleamed with silver radiance. Its blade light flowed like moonlight, exuding a biting, bone-chilling aura. The Lotus Blade! *Found it...* Xie Shi clenched his teeth. Even though he was only one step away from his objective, he dared not step forward, nor did he dare enter the hall before him. The pitch-black hall and wide-open doors seemed, in his eyes, to transform into a monstrous beast opening its bloody maw, waiting for him to throw himself into the net. *That old bastard is just using me to test the waters.* *He and Head Constable Chen have an understanding. Both are internal strength martial masters nearing titled ranks. How could someone like me get involved in their contest of power...?* At this thought, Xie Shi immediately resolved to retreat. Scouting where the Lotus Blade was kept was already enough to report back to Shouchong. He didn't make that much silver in a month anyway—why throw his life away? Yet at the very instant Xie Shi took a step back from the inner yamen— "Leaving so soon?" A calm voice drifted on the night breeze. From the shadows of the main hall where the weapons were arrayed, a cold-faced man strode out. "Chen Haoyan... Not good!" Xie Shi's expression twisted in terror. Daring not reply to Chen Haoyan's words, he stomped his foot heavily, shattering the ground beneath him into pulverized dust. A terrifying shockwave rippled outward with him at the epicenter, tearing across the county yamen in every direction like a turning earth dragon. Utilizing the immense recoil born of that stomp, he vanished from where he stood, turning into a black blur that sped toward the outside of the yamen in the blink of an eye. Such momentum was already astonishing. Yet in the next second, a resonant laugh full of vigor drowned out every noise, like an anchoring pillar that instantly subdued all chaos. "External mastery at perfection? That old bastard certainly knows how to train his disciples." "Still, if he wants to take back the Lotus Blade, he should come for it in person." Inside the main hall, Chen Haoyan held a great bow firm in his right hand and gripped a long arrow in his left. Endless streams of light surged from his palm, converging at the arrowhead. Sensing the danger, Xie Shi glanced back, and his courage broke completely. *Master said this thief hails from the Divine Constabulary in the capital! Not only does he possess the true heritage of the Divine Constabulary, but his internal strength is also beyond ordinary reach...* *I'm finished!* *Rumble!* A tremendous roar followed. Chen Haoyan drew the bow to a full moon, and the arrow shot through the air, detonating a visible shockwave deep within the county yamen. A white beam of light tore through the night sky. Like thunder shattering the darkness, the rumble sounded before the flash of light—a fleeting streak that instantly struck Xie Shi out of mid-air as he fled. "Aargh!" With a shrill, agonizing scream, crimson blood splattered across the air. Xie Shi's body crashed straight down into the county town, vanishing in an instant into the depths of the night. *Clang! Clang!* Having shot down Xie Shi with a single arrow, Chen Haoyan stood tall and imposing with his bow. He drew his oxtail saber and pointed it straight at the heavens, his booming voice echoing beneath the curtain of night: "The White Lotus rebel raided the county yamen in open treason! Everyone has the right to strike him down!" "Pass down my order: search the entire city! Ten taels of silver to whoever provides clues on this rebel, a hundred taels of silver to whoever slays him, and extermination of the entire clan for anyone who harbors him!"