Chapter 18 - 17: New Martial Arts, Fighting Qi

Chapter 18: Chapter 17: New Martial Arts, Fighting Qi

No matter how anxious Chen Heqing felt, he dared not disobey Lu Jing’an at this moment. After the meal, Lu Jing’an personally saw the two masters off, his impeccable manners giving them plenty of face.

Situ Yiyun, having received a reward, did not forget to show off to Chen Heqing, making the latter secretly grit his teeth again.

Once the two men left, the courtyard returned to silence. Chen Xuan did not ask Lu Jing’an why he had specifically told Chen Heqing to return tomorrow; there was naturally a tacit understanding between master and disciple.

The fact that this matter wasn’t mentioned reminded Lu Jing’an of something else.

"Some of what Situ Yiyun said today does make sense," Chen Xuan said, his voice calm and unhurried. "However, you need not care too much about it. The path of New Martial Arts, though novel, has many limitations. Among the Voiders, there are indeed those who take the transcendent route of New Martial Arts, but that Technique ultimately clashes with our foundation."

Hearing this, Lu Jing’an’s expression shifted slightly. He poured Chen Xuan another cup of hot tea and asked, "Master, can the path of New Martial Arts truly reach the realm of a Martial Cultivator?"

Chen Xuan nodded, taking the teacup. "Such a path does exist, but it is completely different from our Martial Cultivators."

Lu Jing’an couldn’t help but lean forward, pressing on with curiosity. "Master, what are the Voiders’ Martial Cultivators like?"

Seeing Lu Jing’an’s interest, Chen Xuan explained a bit more. "The greatest difference between the Voiders’ so-called Martial Cultivators and us lies in the origin of qi. Our generation cultivates Inner Qi and True Qi, which stems from the stimulation of our own vitality and blood and is nourished in the Dantian. It flows from the inside out, endlessly multiplying. They, on the other hand, cultivate something called Fighting Qi."

"Fighting Qi?" Lu Jing’an was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard. For some inexplicable reason, iconic scenes like ’Fighting Qi manifesting as a horse’ flashed across his mind.

Chen Xuan did not notice Lu Jing’an’s momentary distraction and continued explaining. "The generation of Fighting Qi reportedly relies on specific Secret Skills, and it places great emphasis on being stimulated under extreme emotions. The more intense and elevated the emotions, the stronger the Fighting Qi becomes. Conversely, if their state of mind is broken and their momentum falls, the Fighting Qi will dissipate, leaving not even a tenth of its power. Because of this, New Martial Arts places extreme importance on practical combat skills and a Preemptive Strike. If they cannot seize the upper hand in a single push and stimulate their Fighting Qi, their power weakens."

Lu Jing’an listened with great relish. Just as he was pondering this peculiar Cultivation System, light footsteps sounded from outside the door. His personal Maid-in-Waiting, Orchid, tiptoed into the hall and reported in a low voice, "Young Master, the items sent by the Second Master have arrived."

Seeing that Lu Jing’an had matters to attend to, Chen Xuan got up and left. Lu Jing’an walked his master to the courtyard gate.

When he returned, he saw a heavy, foot-and-a-half-long wooden box sitting on the rosewood desk in his study. The sandalwood box gleamed with a dark luster and was fastened with a brass padlock.

Orchid handed over the key, and Lu Jing’an opened it himself. As the lid was lifted, a blinding golden light instantly poured out, brightening that corner of the study.

Inside the box, gold bars the length of a palm and the width of two fingers were stacked neatly. Each gold bar bore the clear stamp of the Lu Family Bank.

Lu Jing’an reached out, his fingertips brushing over the cold, hard metal surface. Even having lived two lives, it was his first time seeing so much real wealth piled up right before his eyes. He couldn’t help but rub his fingers together subconsciously.

"One, two, three... forty bars?" Lu Jing’an finished counting, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Second Uncle is quite thoughtful. Fearing I wouldn’t have enough, he actually prepared ten extra."

He closed the wooden box. Turning around, he moved the phonograph onto the desk. Muting a thought in his mind, a prompt appeared before his eyes once more:

[Detected an item that can undergo Refining/Repair. Please select.]

This time, Lu Jing’an chose [Repair].

[Incomplete functional Treasure phonograph. Repair requires 35 gold bars and 1 Energy Point. Begin Repair immediately?]

"Thirty-five bars?" It was five more than he had estimated, which caught him slightly off guard. Fortunately, Second Uncle had given him ten extra, leaving him with more than enough.

His mind made up, he confirmed the [Repair]. As the choice was finalized, the phonograph and thirty-five gold bars on the desk were instantly shrouded in an invisible radiance before disappearing.

[Repair initiated. Estimated time: 1 hour...]

Looking at the ethereal text prompt before him, Lu Jing’an muttered to himself, "I hope you can give me a pleasant surprise in an hour."

These thirty-five Yellow Croakers were worth fourteen thousand silver coins. That was enough to purchase over a dozen decent courtyard houses in Shangjing.

An hour quickly passed, and Lu Jing’an saw the prompt:

[Repair Complete!]

Lu Jing’an’s Spirit lifted, and he immediately took out the phonograph. The device now looked brand new, its overall structure appearing more compact and sleek. The originally brass-forged horn was now a glittering Gold. He carefully inspected the interior and found that all the crucial gears, springs, and other metal components had also turned golden. It seemed the extra five gold bars had been used here.

After confirming everything was in order, Lu Jing’an couldn’t wait to test the Treasure’s efficacy. According to what Wen Ling had stated, he only needed to write the Name of the person he wished to eavesdrop on onto the record. As long as the person was within thirty meters of the phonograph, he would be able to hear their voice no matter where they were.

Lu Jing’an thought for a moment and wrote down Orchid’s name. It wasn’t that he had some sort of vulgar fetish; it was just that within a thirty-meter radius, Orchid was most likely the only person around.

Placing the record properly, Lu Jing’an slowly turned the crank on the side of the phonograph. The mechanism produced a subtle, smooth CLICK. The golden horn vibrated slightly. Immediately after, Orchid’s somewhat lively voice transmitted clearly:

"You didn’t see how amazing the Young Master was today. With just one punch, he forced Situ Yiyun from the Zhengxin Martial Arts Hall to retreat!"

After that sentence, the horn fell silent for a moment, leaving only the rustling SWISH of the spinning record. A moment later, Orchid’s voice rang out again. Her pitch had noticeably risen, carrying a hint of urgency and defensiveness over her master.

"So what if Situ Yiyun was taking it easy on the Young Master? How long has the Young Master been practicing martial arts? Besides, Situ Yiyun admitted it himself—he’s not as good as the Young Master! By the time the Young Master reaches Situ Yiyun’s age, ten Situ Yiyuns—no, a hundred Situ Yiyuns won’t be a match for him!"

There was another brief silence. Then, Orchid’s voice grew even more agitated, even bearing a touch of a young girl’s unreasonableness: "I just like the Young Master, so what? The Young Master is handsome and strong. Don’t you like the Young Master?"

Silence descended once more. A moment later, the voice sounded again. "If... if the Young Master takes me in, I’ll be his Maid-in-Waiting!"

Hearing this, the corners of Lu Jing’an’s lips couldn’t help but curl up. He hadn’t expected that the usually submissive and delicate Orchid would be so open when chatting with her friends in private. Still, this little girl’s heart was always directed toward him.

Lu Jing’an let go of the crank. The record stopped spinning, and the sound abruptly ceased. Although he had successfully verified the phonograph, the effect was somewhat unsatisfactory.

The drawbacks of the phonograph were all too obvious. First, its eavesdropping range was limited; he had to be close to listen in. Yet, the phonograph was a bit too large and conspicuous. Second, he could only hear the voice of the person whose Name was written on it. Without knowing the names of the people they were talking to, there was no way to know who they were or what they were saying.

"It seems I oversimplified things before," Lu Jing’an said, frowning slightly as he gently stroked the cold golden horn.

Right then, as his palm touched the phonograph again, that familiar prompt resurfaced:

[Detected an item that can undergo Refining/Repair. Please select.]

Lu Jing’an’s gaze focused, a thought instantly flashing through his mind. He wondered if he could gamble one more time.

[Refining]

Lu Jing’an made a new choice. Since the repaired Treasure still had limitations, he might as well see what valuable entry he could extract from it through Refining.

[Refining in progress. Estimated completion time: 5 hours.]

This was Lu Jing’an’s gamble. He wagered that this Treasure phonograph could yield a useful entry, which might solve his current predicament. Even if he lost the bet, it would just be the loss of an item that was already difficult to directly use to eavesdrop on the Lin Family. It wouldn’t hinder the grand scheme of things.

He had already made it clear to his father, Lu Huaiqian, that this was merely an attempt and it wouldn’t matter if it failed. Having died twice, his willpower had long been forged to be resilient. He would absolutely not obsess over temporary gains and losses.

Lu Jing’an did not intend to waste these five hours, so he went out into the courtyard. The moonlight was hazy, and the tree shadows danced. He assumed a stance and began Practicing Boxing, executing the Fist Skill move by move. Sweat gradually soaked his training clothes.

With less than fifty hours left until he obtained his first red entry, Lu Jing’an’s heart was full of anticipation.

After completing a routine of his Fist Skill, his breathing was drawn out and steady, but the Fist Skill itself saw no significant breakthrough. Lu Jing’an knew perfectly well that his aptitude was originally mediocre. Having indulged in sensual pleasures in the past, it had likely long devolved to Lower-class. Now, he was entirely relying on his Extraordinary Physique to recover some lost ground. Expecting to make leaps and bounds with just a few hours of hard training was no different from a fool’s daydream. True transformation would still require the arrival of that red entry.

After Practicing Boxing, he took his customary medicinal bath. Cui Jieyi had already prepared the medicinal soup. After explaining the precautions, she took her leave.

Inside the bathroom, hot steam rose, and the scent of medicine filled the air. Orchid still knelt behind the bathtub, using just the right amount of force to massage the acupoints on Lu Jing’an’s head and the muscles in his shoulders. Only this time, her fingertips seemed to tremble slightly. Whenever she touched the Young Master’s warm skin, the tips of her ears couldn’t help but flush red. The bold words she had spoken to her friends that evening were probably still ringing in her ears, so it was inevitable that her state of mind would be turbulent while serving him now.

Lu Jing’an took in all these subtle reactions. He only found it somewhat amusing but chose not to point it out.

Forty minutes later, the Medicinal Power was fully absorbed, and the water gradually cooled. Lu Jing’an stood up from the tub, water droplets sliding down his firm muscles. Orchid hurriedly picked up a dry, soft cloth. With a blushing face and her head lowered, she carefully dried him off.

"Y-Young Master, it’s done," Orchid said, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, hardly daring to look up at him.

Lu Jing’an put on his sleepwear and said in a normal tone, "Mm. You’ve worked hard today. Go find the butler and take ten silver coins as your reward."

Orchid’s head snapped up, her eyes full of unbelievable surprise. This quickly turned into excitement and joy as she hurriedly curtsied. "Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!"

Watching the little girl’s back as she practically skipped away, Lu Jing’an had originally wanted to tease her a bit. However, a prompt appeared, interrupting his thoughts.

[Refining Complete!]