Pieces of Work

Chihe Residence. When Yaoguang returned to this temporary residence, it was already noon the following day. He had first made a trip to Yangxin Hall to pick up the medicinal herbs he had purchased at great expense. Back in his room, he decocted them one by one. Once the decoctions were finished, he consumed the medicine and began circulating his energy to temper his body. Inside his spiritual world. A fourth branch had already separated from the main trunk. Yet what this secondary profession was had not fully revealed itself. Aside from this new offshoot, the only other one remaining was the [Martial Artist] branch. Standing tall and alone. "Tier 4... In terms of growth, it has already reached forty-five percent," Yaoguang observed with calm perception. His physique had not yet reached the human limit of Grandmaster perfection, yet his realm was already comparable to minor completion of a Martial Saint—a textbook case of one's cultivation realm outpacing physical strength. To anyone else, this would be a dream come true, but to him, it was completely ordinary. His physical condition had never managed to keep pace with his realm. After all... There were far too many avenues to comprehend and advance one's realm. Hunting demons, practicing martial arts, conducting business—any of them worked. Yet the tempering of the physical body could only be forged through one's own grueling labor. "I need to cut down my time spent practicing martial techniques even further." Yaoguang rolled his right wrist. At present, his primary martial technique was Formless Boundless. He had chosen this technique because, according to information retrieved by his "search engine," it was the defining martial art of a top-tier sect, passed down through an unbroken lineage. Starting from Nine Palaces, it progressed through Eight Trigrams, Seven Stars, and Six Harmonies. And as the ancient tree retrieved more and more information regarding [Martial Saint], variations of the Five Elements gradually began to surface. While Formless: Six Harmonies mobilized the power of the internal tendons, bones, and viscera, Five Elements went a step further by regulating the five organs and five qi to form a systemic circulation. The faster the cycle ran, the more lethal the strikes unleashed would be. It was a pity that while he possessed the underlying principles in his mind—much like having a secret manual handed to him—whether one could master it and what kind of power it could exert ultimately depended on the individual. Practicing martial arts techniques had always been a matter of practice making perfect, which inevitably ate into the time Yaoguang needed to temper his physique. Previously, when tempering his body step by step, he could practice martial techniques during recovery periods. But now... He intended to use medicinal herbs to stimulate his physical potential and reach Grandmaster perfection as quickly as possible, pushing his body to the human limit. That would inevitably cut into his technique practice. However... No matter. "Technique is merely a supplement to strength. As long as one is strong enough, sheer force can crush all methods. Why waste time and energy obsessing over martial techniques?" Yaoguang applied the medicinal ointment over his body. If he gathered his qi into a core, washed his marrow, and exchanged his blood, wielding a superhuman physique and smashing down blow after blow of dan jin, any fancy tricks would be shattered head-on. *** *Bang, bang, bang!* Before Yaoguang had even finished his training, a violent pounding echoed from the door outside. No! To be precise, someone was battering the door. "Su Yaoguang! Don't you hide in there staying quiet! I know you're home! You had the guts to hang up on me, so have the guts to open the door!" Frantic shouts accompanied the heavy pounding from outside. That voice... Yaoguang frowned slightly. He ignored it and continued training. Yet the banging on the door did not stop for a second. Someone even volunteered, "Madam, I know how to pick locks. A Class-B lock like this won't take long to pop open." "Then what are you waiting for? Open it!" Soon, rustling noises came from the lock. Before long... *Click.* The door swung open. Immediately afterward, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be in her thirties, dressed extravagantly like a wealthy socialite, stormed inside with several people in tow. Seeing Yaoguang practicing martial arts in the living room, her temper flared. "Su Yaoguang, are you deaf? Didn't you hear me telling you to open the door?" "Arrogant and overbearing," Yaoguang remarked coldly. He slowly brought his training movements to a close. Turning his gaze toward the woman, he said, "If you want to talk, speak properly. If not, turn left out the door, and never come looking for me again." At his words, the woman's eyes went wide. An instant later, fury consumed her. "Who gave you permission to speak to me like that?! The Su family, was it?! What did they tell you? Out with it—" "Quiet!" Yaoguang barked in a low voice. The Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound Technique vibrated through his viscera, instantly inducing sympathetic resonance within the internal organs of those nearby. In an instant, both the woman before him and the three people she had brought along were struck by acute discomfort, their limbs turning completely limp. "A martial arts secret technique?!" A middle-aged man accompanying the woman gasped in shock, staring at Yaoguang with disbelief. He was Zhang Ya's maternal cousin, Zhang Hong. In his youth, he too had studied martial arts diligently, dreaming of becoming a Martial Saint, being retained by the royal family as an honored guest, and founding his own prominent clan. However, he could not endure the bitter agony of transforming sinews and forging bones, ultimately giving up right at the threshold of Martial Master. Though he had never become a Martial Master, he still possessed the requisite discernment and experience. For Yaoguang to vibrate his viscera and disrupt the physiological functions of others like this... Could this be a Grandmaster-level secret technique?! A year ago, he had heard that this nephew of his was fond of martial arts, but who would have thought he had actually achieved something remarkable? He naturally did not believe Yaoguang could become a Grandmaster in a single year, but this secret technique alone proved that his martial arts attainment was far from shallow. At the very least, his physique was exceptionally formidable. Otherwise, he would never possess such tremendous visceral power. "All right. Speak. What do you want?" Yaoguang glanced at Zhang Ya—the original owner's mother. "Facts have shown that I can live perfectly well without you. So there's no need to push onto me the tricks you used on Su Anping. Otherwise, we break ties completely and go our separate ways." Hearing this, Zhang Ya stared in sheer disbelief, followed by renewed rage. "Su Yaoguang! How dare you speak to me like that?! I'm your mother!" "You should be glad you hold that title. Otherwise, I would have already kicked you out," Yaoguang stated bluntly. "You've completely lost your mind!" "Cousin, calm down. Yaoguang is grown now; he has his own mind. If you keep trying to manage him like a child the way you used to, it's only going to provoke his rebellion. And if the Su family tricks him, wouldn't we just be letting them profit at our expense?" Zhang Hong hastily stepped in to soothe her. Hearing the words "letting the Su family profit," Zhang Ya finally suppressed the fire burning inside her. After all, Yaoguang truly did have an alternative now. If she pushed him too hard, he might very well lean entirely toward the Su family and sever all ties with the Zhang family from then on. "Listen carefully. I'm taking you to the Su family right now. I don't give a damn whether Su Huaifeng lives or dies, but as the sole heir of his lineage, not a single penny of what belongs to you can be left behind! Our Zhang family will do everything in our power to secure every last bit of it for you." As Zhang Ya spoke, she did not seem inclined to explain in detail, merely waving her hand dismissively. "In short, when the time comes, just do as we tell you." Yaoguang turned his gaze back to Zhang Ya. Through lingering memories and the accounts of others, he had already gained some understanding of the original owner's appalling parents. In his youth, Su Huaifeng had been a playboy renowned far and wide in Tiannan's capital. Defying the Zhang family's objections, Zhang Ya had insisted on marrying him and bore him Su Yaoyu, hoping to use her charm and the warmth of a family to make Su Huaifeng mend his ways. The result had been utterly useless. In fact, when Zhang Ya became pregnant with the original owner, he indulged in debauchery with other women even more shamelessly. In the end, driven to fury, Zhang Ya ran away from home and, out of spite, soon ended up with her honest classmate Su Anping. Her actions incensed the Su family, forcing the then-weakened Zhang family to sever ties with her to protect themselves. Husband and wife had turned into bitter enemies, and the family had been dragged down as well. One could easily imagine the hatred burning in Zhang Ya's heart. Two years ago, when the Zhang family rose in power, Zhang Ya returned to them openly and honorably. And now she had come for him... Was it because she couldn't accept having all her past devotion betrayed, and wanted to use the original owner, her son, to take a vicious bite out of the Su family? "Whether you want revenge on Su Huaifeng or the Zhang family wants to wipe away their past humiliation, that's your own business. Just don't drag me into it," Yaoguang said calmly, pointing toward the doorway. "See yourselves out."