Chapter Twenty-Seven: Return

Yang Wenhao gazed at the old beggar before him, his expression somewhere between amusement and skepticism.

This old beggar was nothing short of enigmatic—his appearances in the film were scarce, yet he exuded an aura of mystery. In the movie, it was thanks to this beggar that Ah Xing became so formidable, unlocking his meridians and mastering the Divine Palm of the Buddha.

Most crucially, Wenhao could not discern the true strength of this old beggar; at the very least, he was stronger than Wenhao himself, without question.

The beggar held six martial arts manuals; one of them Wenhao had already learned—the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

The rest were unfamiliar to Wenhao, fueling his intense desire to obtain them.

He looked at the old beggar and said, “What do you think? If it’s not enough, I can have someone bring more money.”

The beggar stared at Wenhao in silence before snatching the thick wad of bills from his hand and tossing all six manuals at him. “You said it—you won’t regret it.”

With that, the old beggar turned and ran away without another word.

Seeing the beggar flee, Wenhao made no move to chase after him.

He asked, “System, check if these six manuals are genuine.”

The system replied, “They are all genuine, but they are duplicates. Note: You have already mastered the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Further fusion can upgrade your proficiency.”

Satisfied with the answer, Wenhao nodded. As long as they were real, that was enough.

“In that case, fuse them all.”

“Fusing ‘Thousand-Hand Buddha Fist,’ ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms,’ ‘Nine Yang Divine Skill,’ ‘One Yang Finger,’ ‘Solitary Nine Swords.’ As they are all duplicates, the fusion cost is doubled—four hundred points spent, one hundred ninety-seven points remaining. Your mastery of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms has advanced from ‘comprehension’ to ‘perfection.’”

“What! Four hundred! And the duplicate cost is doubled?” Wenhao cursed inwardly.

But the manuals were fused now—there was nothing to be done.

Though the duplicate fusion cost was doubled, Wenhao thought he might have found a shortcut for rapid improvement.

The system, as if reading his mind, cautioned: “Each manual can only be used once for duplicate fusion. Do not attempt to exploit loopholes.”

“Damn,” Wenhao muttered under his breath.

Having acquired the manuals, Wenhao’s plan was complete.

He turned and headed back to the Axe Gang headquarters.

Upon returning, Wenhao had expected the Landlord and Landlady to still be there, but they were gone.

“Boss, before those two left, they gave me something and told me to hand it to you personally.”

The second-in-command held a special box, its contents unknown.

Wenhao took the box and was about to open it, but the second-in-command stopped him.

“Boss, be careful—it might be a trick,” he warned, vigilant.

“You’re overthinking it,” Wenhao replied, ignoring him and opening the box.

Inside lay a book, and beneath it another. He picked them up, his curiosity giving way to delight. “Lion’s Roar and Tai Chi Fist.”

He never expected the Landlord and Landlady to hand over their martial arts manuals, especially after having been so unwilling before.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wenhao turned to the second-in-command, “Find those two and send them ten million in cash.”

“Ah…” The second-in-command gaped in surprise.

“What, you don’t listen to me anymore?” Wenhao’s face darkened.

“No, Boss, it’s just—I’m curious. Why give them ten million?” the second-in-command asked, puzzled.

Wenhao closed the box. “This box is worth ten million. Also, move the items I requested into my room.”

“Understood, Boss.” The second-in-command nodded. Orders were orders, and he dared not disobey—otherwise, who knew what fate might await him.

With everything arranged, Wenhao was ready to return.

This time, he was far better prepared than the last. The trove of treasures before him made the journey worthwhile, not to mention the martial arts he’d gained.

“System, how many points to fuse Lion’s Roar and Tai Chi Fist?”

“One hundred points,” the system replied.

“Fuse.”

“Fusing ‘Lion’s Roar’ and ‘Tai Chi Fist,’ one hundred points spent, ninety-seven remaining.”

“System, return.”

“Initiating return…”

Host: Yang Wenhao

Realm: Qi Refinement, fourth stage

Martial Arts: Heavenly Dao Manual

Points: 97

Items: Alloy Sword, Nine Heavens Jade Zither

Fused Martial Arts: ‘Primordial Skill,’ ‘Thunderbolt Fist,’ ‘Phantom Yin Finger,’ ‘Nine Yang Skill,’ ‘Heaven and Earth Shift,’ ‘Nine Yin Manual,’ ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms,’ ‘Six Styles of Ancient Zither,’ ‘Dragon Claw Silk Fingers,’ ‘Thousand-Hand Buddha Fist,’ ‘Nine Yang Divine Skill,’ ‘One Yang Finger,’ ‘Solitary Nine Swords,’ ‘Lion’s Roar,’ ‘Tai Chi Fist.’

A flood of white light enveloped his vision. When it faded, Wenhao was back in his bedroom.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; only a few seconds had passed.

Just then, the sounds of doors opening and closing came from outside the bedroom. Judging by the footsteps, it was Yang Ying returning home.

As he stepped out, he saw Yang Ying, dressed in her school uniform.

On others, school uniforms seemed ordinary, but on his sister, she was nothing short of stunning.

Still, remembering she was his sister, Wenhao kept his thoughts in check.

Yang Ying noticed Wenhao staring at her and felt a bit embarrassed. She pouted and complained, “Brother… why are you staring at me so much? Your eyes are glued to me.”

Wenhao replied calmly, “Heh, you’re my sister. What’s wrong with looking?”

“Hmph…” Yang Ying huffed, then seemed to remember something. “Oh, right, Dad called earlier. He asked me to tell you he’ll be here tomorrow.”

“We have classes. What’s he coming for?” Wenhao frowned.

“Brother, did you study yourself silly?” Yang Ying giggled. “Tomorrow’s Saturday—we don’t have classes.”

“Seems so.” Wenhao realized she was right. After spending days in the martial arts world, his sense of time had become muddled.

“Brother, where are you going?” Yang Ying looked at him, puzzled. At this hour, where could he be heading?

“I’ve got something to take care of. Don’t wait for me for dinner—just eat on your own.” Wenhao put on his shoes, preparing to leave.

“Hmph… who’s waiting for you anyway?” Yang Ying snorted. “You’re always back so late, I’d never wait for you.”

Hearing his sister say this left Wenhao helpless. He could only shrug and head out the door.