Chapter 61: Nourishment, Conditioning, Combat, and Killing—The Four Arts Complete
Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Nourishment, Conditioning, Combat, and Killing—The Four Arts Complete
The crowd dispersed, leaving only a few low-level escorts scattered around the courtyard. Xie Yuan, Qin Sea, the recently returned Zhao Xingyang, and Lu Zhenyu were also there.
Lu Zhenyu walked up to Zhao Xingyang, his expression turning serious.
"Although the Agency Head didn’t voice any objections, I still think it was improper of you to let them acquire Cultivation Techniques on credit. The Agency Head established the rules for exchanging merit points for a reason. It’s how he developed the Escort Agency into what it is today."
Zhao Xingyang chuckled.
"I’m not asking the Agency Head to abolish the rule. I’m just tailoring my approach to my own Escort Team, teaching according to their abilities and adapting as needed."
Lu Zhenyu’s face was stern. "How can the rules be bent just for you? Besides, their foundations aren’t even solid yet. Giving them advanced Cultivation Techniques ahead of time is like yanking on a seedling to make it grow faster—it does more harm than good."
"What do you mean, ’more harm than good’? Isn’t Xiaoxie training just fine?"
Zhao Xingyang patted Xie Yuan on the shoulder.
Lu Zhenyu fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "He is indeed quite good, but that doesn’t mean everyone is like him. You weren’t even here this time; it was all up to him. You just got lucky."
"Luck? Who said it was luck? I’m a great judge of talent. I knew right away the kid was special and could handle this training method."
Zhao Xingyang waved his hand dismissively, looking perfectly at ease. "Darts Master Lu, neither of us can convince the other. Let’s just leave it at that."
Hearing this, Lu Zhenyu shook his head and strode away.
"Alright, everyone go get some rest! Xiaoxie, Brother Hai, you two come with me."
Zhao Xingyang beckoned, and the two followed him toward his private little courtyard.
Xie Yuan and Qin Sea walked behind, and Xie Yuan spoke in a low voice, "Darts Master Lu isn’t quite what I imagined."
"What did you imagine?"
"I thought... he’d be more difficult, especially with people under Boss Zhao."
"Hahaha, maybe I gave you the wrong impression? Darts Master Lu can’t stand Boss Zhao’s style of doing things, and for... certain reasons you can guess, he’s stricter with us."
"But he always goes by the book and puts the Escort Agency first. He’s an upright man; he wouldn’t resort to petty tricks."
Xie Yuan nodded slowly.
’So not every place is rife with deadly internal strife.’
They entered Zhao Xingyang’s small courtyard. He casually plopped down on the steps in front of the veranda and called out, "Xiaoxie, time for a test! Let’s see just how amazing your Rushing Wolf Saber Skill is, to cause such a huge commotion!"
"Boss Zhao, shouldn’t you rest first?" Xie Yuan said hesitantly, glancing at his injuries.
"Trying to postpone the test? No way! Hurry up, it’ll only take a moment. I can bear it," Zhao Xingyang laughed heartily.
Seeing this, Xie Yuan had no choice but to draw his saber.
After so many consecutive spars, Xie Yuan was actually exhausted too.
But with his saber skill having reached Minor Success, he could still execute the forms even with what little stamina he had left.
As Zhao Xingyang watched quietly, Xie Yuan moved and swung his saber in the courtyard, the blade whistling through the air. Qin Sea, on the other hand, was full of admiration. "He really has reached Minor Success. I’ve been practicing for so long and still haven’t reached Major Success; I’m just a little more practiced than he is. The kid the boss picked up is a monster."
When Xie Yuan finished performing the entire set, applause rang out from the side.
"Excellent!"
Zhao Xingyang clapped vigorously, his face full of approval.
"Aside from a few minor flaws in the First Form and the Third Form, the rest was impeccable!"
He immediately and enthusiastically pointed out the flaws and areas for improvement, and both Xie Yuan and Qin Sea nodded repeatedly as they listened.
Finally, Zhao Xingyang said with a smile, "Minor Success in seven days. That’s much faster than I was back in the day. Xie Yuan, your talent is even better than I thought. The Escort Agency has really found a treasure this time."
In comparison, the fact that Xie Yuan had broken through to the Martial Artist realm earlier didn’t seem as shocking to him now.
"That being the case, get ready. You’ll be going out on an escort mission in a few days. Hmm, even the Agency Head said you need to pay back your merit point debt as soon as possible, so you’d better work hard. Haha, once you’ve paid off your debt, you can exchange for a new technique. With your comprehension, you should learn and practice as much as possible. I want to see how fast you can progress then."
Zhao Xingyang waved his hand and went into the house to rest.
Xie Yuan said goodbye to Qin Sea and headed back to his own small room.
Along the way, people looked at Xie Yuan with strange gazes, and some even took the initiative to greet him.
In an Escort Agency’s martial hall, strength was what truly mattered. After that sparring session, Xie Yuan was no longer a nameless nobody.
Back in his room, Xie Yuan relaxed his mind and lay on his bed, reviewing the spars in his head.
Having reached Minor Success with his saber skill, he had new insights as he re-analyzed the earlier fights.
’If I had done this back then...’
He made a few gestures, and his eyelids grew heavy as he gradually drifted off to sleep.
...
「Three days later.」
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
A series of knocks rang out.
"Xie Yuan! Are you ready? It’s time to leave!"
Xie Yuan shouted to the person outside, "Coming!"
He tightened his sash, laced up his boots, and after one last check, glanced in the bronze mirror.
A handsome youth dressed in smart martial attire stared back at him.
Xie Yuan nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing.
[Chopping Wood: (4396/10000)]
[Iron Cloth Shirt · 4th Layer: (369/2000)]
[Body-Nourishing Art · 2nd Layer: (1876/2000)]
[Iron Garment Long Fist · Major Success: (121/500)]
[Rushing Wolf Saber Skill · Minor Success: (117/1000)]
’The progress for Chopping Wood is almost halfway... I’ll take it slow.’
Iron Cloth Shirt was still his only defensive technique. It wasn’t profound, but it was practical. Although Xie Yuan had been diligently practicing his saber recently, he hadn’t neglected this fundamental skill.
And as for the Body-Nourishing Art, the Inner Power technique that set Xie Yuan apart from the other warriors, it was finally on the verge of another breakthrough!
His Inner Power was the greatest foundation of his strength, the fundamental reason his combat power surpassed his peers. It affected every aspect of his Martial Dao cultivation. If he could break through again, the boost to his abilities would be self-evident!
’After I get back from this trip, I’ll take some time off for quiet cultivation and focus on breaking through with my Body-Nourishing Art!’
Xie Yuan nodded to himself and looked further down the list.
He only practiced the Iron Garment Long Fist occasionally, as a close-quarters backup in case he ever lost his saber. The Rushing Wolf Saber Skill was his main fighting style now. Relying on the C Class saber technique at the Minor Success level, ordinary opponents were no match for him.
’Add to that my three signature moves... looking at it this way, I have techniques for nourishing, training, fighting, and killing. With all four areas covered and none of them weak, I guess I can be considered an all-around Martial Artist,’ Xie Yuan thought.
In all of Yunzhao County, there was likely no Martial Artist as well-rounded as him in terms of Cultivation Techniques; just having a nourishing technique alone set him apart.
’With these preparations, I’m ready to see the outside world.’
When he reached the courtyard, the team was already waiting for him.
There was a horse-drawn carriage and three other people: two Darts Masters and one junior escort, all ready to go.
"Sorry, I was doing one last check. Have I kept you waiting long?"
"No worries. It’s like that for everyone on their first mission," Darts Master Tang Dawei said with a smile.
"Um, am I supposed to shout the escort cry when we leave?" Xie Yuan, unfamiliar with the procedure, couldn’t help but ask.
The junior escort, Kong Chun, quickly waved his hands. "That’s only for large Escort Teams led by a senior Darts Master. For the four of us on a small escort job, we just leave quietly."
"Oh," Xie Yuan said. So that was how it was.
He still didn’t understand many of the agency’s customs, but he did know that the size of an Escort Team was determined by two factors.
One was the danger of the route, and the other was the value of the goods being escorted.
This escort only had four people, including a complete novice like himself. One could imagine how difficult it was supposed to be, which was why the other three all seemed relaxed.
However, the steady and experienced Darts Master, Wu Qing, still said, "On the way to Jinshan County in the west, there’s a stretch of mountain road that’s rarely traveled. The forest is dense, and bandits have been known to operate there in the past. We still need to be careful."
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright."
"Okay, if everyone’s ready, let’s head out."
Xie Yuan followed the carriage, his spirits high as he stepped out of the Escort Agency’s main gate.
「On a mountain peak, dozens of miles west of Yunzhao.」
Two burly men wearing beast-skin vests, their faces covered in thick beards, perfectly matched the stereotype of bandits. They were the strongmen who controlled this mountain pass.
At this moment, however, the two of them were trembling with fear. They looked at the young man before them, their faces filled with terror, and said with quavering voices, "Young Master Xiaobao, my brother and I are just running a small business here. We’ve never offended you or Leopard Mountain! You want us to intercept an Escort Team from the Longteng Escort Agency... th-that’s suicide!"
"Die now, or follow my orders. Your choice," the young man, who had a long, blood-red scar on his face, asked viciously.
The two wanted to refuse, but seeing their companion lying dead at the young man’s feet, they swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "Tell us... what do we do?"
"Very good. Listen up. I’ve investigated. The Escort Teams on this route don’t have many men. They’re mostly led by Junior-level Darts Masters, so they’ll be no match for me."
"When the time comes, you’ll block the road. I’ll hide nearby. When they get close, I’ll kill them in a single strike. Once it’s done, I’m going to cut off their heads and throw them into Yunzhao County."
The young man spat, his voice hoarse. "The Longteng Escort Agency destroyed my fortress and killed my brothers. I will make them pay in blood."