Chapter 60 - 58: A Gift of a Horizontal Art and a Grand Plot
Chapter 60: Chapter 58: A Gift of a Horizontal Art and a Grand Plot
The luxury sedan drove into the underground garage, bringing Wan Ze to Tie Qingyang’s residence. The place was heavily guarded; even business partners weren’t qualified to be here.
For this very reason, the butler leading the way was exceptionally cautious in Wan Ze’s presence. He walked ahead with a stooped back, and soon, he led Wan Ze into an elevator that took them to ground level. After passing through an ancient, stately courtyard, they finally arrived in a living room with strikingly modern decor.
Tie Qingyang was in the middle of giving orders. Four strong, well-built bodyguards stood at the door.
Wan Ze only needed a glance to notice the calluses on the bodyguards’ palms and their enlarged knuckles. They were all seasoned experts who had practiced their craft.
"Mr. Wan!"
The moment Tie Qingyang saw Wan Ze, he immediately rose and strode forward to greet him. The fact that this imposing figure was treating a mere young man with such ceremony left the middle-aged man waiting for his own instructions nearby completely dumbfounded.
"You may leave for now," Tie Qingyang suddenly said to the middle-aged man.
"Yes, Boss."
The middle-aged man stood up and left. As he passed Wan Ze, he gave a polite nod, but inwardly, he was utterly baffled.
’Is this the young master of some other prominent family?’
’Here on an incognito visit?’
"Mr. Wan, please, have a seat." Tie Qingyang’s voice, as warm as a spring breeze, came from behind him. The expression on the middle-aged man’s face grew even stranger.
’Is this still the boss he knew?’
’It can’t be, can it?’
...
Wan Ze casually surveyed the living room’s furnishings. If the courtyard outside was ancient and understated, then the decor inside was ostentatiously nouveau riche.
It really fit his image of upstarts like Tie Qingyang.
"Boss Tie, you didn’t go to the trouble of bringing me here just for tea, did you?" Wan Ze asked, getting straight to the point.
"Mr. Wan, you’re even more direct than I imagined." Tie Qingyang chuckled and began to brew the tea himself, deciding to stop beating around the bush. "Last time, I noticed Mr. Wan was quite interested in Cultivation Techniques, so I had someone bring back a Martial Skill from my hometown that focuses on strengthening the body’s defenses... If you have any concerns, Mr. Wan, you can have Elder Situ appraise it first."
Wan Ze chuckled lightly. "I haven’t done anything to deserve this. You’re being far too generous, Boss Tie."
"Like I said, I want to be friends with you, Mr. Wan," Tie Qingyang said with a frank smile.
Wan Ze said nothing.
His gaze swept over the sandalwood box on the table.
"Please, Mr. Wan, feel free," Tie Qingyang gestured.
Wan Ze didn’t stand on ceremony. He opened the box to find a scroll of cowhide paper, meticulously tied with a red string.
He grabbed it. The surface felt coarse and fibrous.
He unrolled it.
And studied it intently.
Across from him, Tie Qingyang tilted the tea scoop, pouring the dry leaves into a lidded bowl. As the tea leaves met the residual warmth at the bottom of the bowl, their fragrance suddenly intensified. He then lifted the kettle, this time holding it slightly higher, and a stream of boiling water cascaded down, striking the leaves. The reddish-brown strips of tea immediately unfurled and danced in the water.
Then, with a gentle flick of his wrist, he moved the kettle’s spout in a circle, pouring until the tea liquor submerged the leaves and the water level was just shy of the rim, only then did he pull the kettle away.
At the same time, two lines of small text updated in Wan Ze’s vision.
[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Training Technique]
[Skill Beginner Level requirement met: Rub body with Rough Cloth 10 times]
...
"Interesting."
A slight smile touched the corners of Wan Ze’s lips.
The foundation of this Horizontal Training Technique was strengthening the muscles and bones, as well as increasing impact resistance and the foundation for exerting power.
Although his Cultivation of both the Iron Mountain Fist and the Dragon Eagle Secret Martial Arts also served to strengthen his physical body, this Martial Skill, which focused solely on Horizontal Training, would clearly be even more effective!
He looked up.
Tie Qingyang had just finished pouring a cup of tea. "I wonder if it’s to your liking, Mr. Wan?"
"Out with it. What do you need my help with?" Wan Ze cut straight to the chase again.
Tie Qingyang smiled, picked up the teacup, and offered it to him. "Mr. Wan, please, have some tea first."
Wan Ze reached out to take it.
Suddenly, a strange light glinted in Tie Qingyang’s eyes. The instant Wan Ze’s hand closed around the cup and his center of gravity shifted, Tie Qingyang abruptly jabbed two fingers—his index and middle—toward Wan Ze’s wrist.
Blindingly fast.
There was absolutely no warning.
This old veteran from Guandong was a master in his own right; his use of power was subtle and his burst of speed was explosive.
Wan Ze didn’t even have time to think. He reacted purely on instinct. With a flick of his wrist, he gripped the cup between his thumb and index finger, his pinky snapping out to strike from along the cup’s outer wall.
The flick of his finger held the power of a thunderclap.
It was the kind of explosive sound made by crushing a walnut.
In an instant, it collided with Tie Qingyang’s two fingers. Tie Qingyang’s fingers bent inward as he rapidly withdrew his hand, a look of surprise on his face.
"Innate Divine Power?"
He was surprised, but more than that, he was delighted. "Again!"
With that, he loosely clenched his fist as if holding an invisible hammer, and his arm snapped forward toward Wan Ze.
There was no killing intent—it was purely a test of skills.
Wan Ze, too, felt a thrill at the prospect of a good fight and didn’t feel offended. Seeing Tie Qingyang’s skill firsthand gave him a clearer understanding of the old veteran.
Because he had practiced Basic Swordsmanship, he could tell at a glance that Tie Qingyang’s move contained traces of a Sword Technique. It was ferocious, hiding a terrifying power that would be incredibly difficult to block.
Wan Ze held the teacup in his right hand, so he simply thrust out his left hand in a horizontal sweep.
Their two arms collided with a dull thud.
The teacup, held by just two of his fingers, wobbled in mid-air, sloshing out a drop or two of water.
The sofa Tie Qingyang was sitting on creaked loudly.
The moment their arms met, both men sensed the terrifyingly immense power hidden beneath the other’s seemingly casual move. They had not unleashed the deepest reserves of their power; otherwise, this would not be a spar, but a battle to the death.
"Mr. Wan, you certainly hide your skills well," Tie Qingyang said, a wider smile spreading across his face.
This spar made him even more satisfied with the decision he had made that day.
"You’re the one who truly hides his skills, Boss Tie. I’ve learned a lot." The corners of Wan Ze’s mouth curved up as he withdrew his hand. Recalling the power in Tie Qingyang’s strike, he felt he had gained something from the exchange.
Tie Qingyang, a man in his forties, laughed heartily. "I’m getting old. The future belongs to young geniuses like you."
Wan Ze remained noncommittal. He didn’t continue the topic, seeing no point in it, and simply looked at him with a faint smile.
Tie Qingyang knew what he meant. He paused in thought for a moment before saying, "To be honest, besides offering you the Martial Skill, I did have a presumptuous favor to ask by inviting you here today."
Wan Ze wasn’t surprised.
The man had already gifted him two high-grade Martial Skills; it was impossible that he wanted nothing in return.
"Please, Boss Tie, go ahead. If I can help, I will."
Tie Qingyang gave a wry smile. "Then I won’t hide it from you. An old rival of mine recently hired a Martial Dao master from who-knows-where. They call him a master, but his strength is only at the Second or Third Transformation of Blood Tempering... This person has recently wrecked two of my establishments and injured more than twenty of my men. Even Xiao Song and Xiaoyou were defeated by him... I’ve arranged to negotiate with them tomorrow at six in the evening, on the top floor of the Ruby International Hotel. I’m hoping Mr. Wan can help me hold down the fort."
"Hold it down how?" Wan Ze asked.
"It would be best if the negotiations succeed. If they fail, I hope you will make a move, Mr. Wan. But don’t worry... I’ll take the opportunity to ambush him... I’ll kill him myself."
To even mention an ambush... Tie Qingyang really was something else.
Wan Ze studied him intently. There wasn’t the slightest hint of embarrassment on the old veteran’s face. Instead, he declared resolutely, "I return respect with greater respect. Since my opponent has shown no mercy, he can’t blame me for what I do. The martial world... has no place for soft-heartedness. There is only eliminating a problem at its root!"
"My apologies, Mr. Wan. I’m sure this all seems rather brutish."