Chapter 40: Uninvited Guest

In the morning, Wang Jingyuan was diligently practicing his martial arts. He was practicing the four secret manuals he had looted from Tian Boguang: two blade techniques, the Raging Wind Blade Technique and the Thirty-Six Sand-Flying and Stone-Rolling Forms, and two lightness skills, the Upward Triple Stepping Clouds and the Downward Triple Stepping Clouds.

In truth, at this stage, Wang Jingyuan was entirely capable of learning the martial arts manuals on his own. But as a lazy person, since he had the "Ding!" system, why bother putting in the effort?

He would simply hand the manuals to Yue Buqun for perusal, then ask for his guidance the next day. Even if Yue Buqun hadn't mastered them yet, as long as he understood the general principles and offered a few pointers, it would trigger the teaching function and allow Wang Jingyuan to master them instantly.

Having just learned these four martial arts, Wang Jingyuan was still in the newbie reward period, where he could increase his proficiency purely through practice, so he was quite willing to put in the effort. Later on, his martial arts would only improve through sparring and killing.

To Wang Jingyuan's surprise, his internal energy idle-farming function continued to increase his proficiency by one point every twenty-four hours, just as it always had. Although the progress was slow, the gains would neither diminish nor halt as his internal power deepened.

Wang Jingyuan finished his morning exercise routine and slowly wound down, just in time to see Yue Lingshan coming to his small courtyard to look for him. As soon as Yue Lingshan drew near, she caught the strong scent of a man in the prime of youth wafting from Wang Jingyuan, who was drenched in sweat. Struck by this masculine aura, her pretty face instantly flushed red, and she took a few steps back, complaining:

"You've worked up a stinky sweat first thing in the morning! Go wash up quickly; we'll be leaving for the Liu residence shortly."

Wang Jingyuan checked his own cleanliness status, casually put away his short saber, and replied, "There's still half a jar of water behind my room. A quick rinse will do."

Yue Lingshan loved to bicker with Wang Jingyuan regardless of the occasion: "A quick rinse will still leave you reeking. You need to scrub yourself thoroughly."

Wang Jingyuan gave Yue Lingshan a sidelong glance. "We only have pig fat soap here. Washing with that is no better than just using plain water. If you want something that smells good, I'd have to use Yang Guo soap."

Yue Lingshan frowned. "What is Yang Guo soap?"

Wang Jingyuan strolled leisurely toward the back rooms. "A rare treasure. It has a natural, exotic fragrance that drives women wild just from the smell."

Yue Lingshan gave a dainty snort of indignation. "Shameless!" With that, she turned and ran off.

Wang Jingyuan walked into his room, tossed his dirty clothes casually into a basin, and went to the backyard to fetch water for a bath. Scooping water from the water jar with a ladle, he rinsed himself off a few times to wash away the sweat.

He retrieved a clean set of clothes from his inventory, put them on, and prepared to head out.

When he reached the front gate, he saw Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and the rest of the disciples already gathered. Seeing Wang Jingyuan come out, Yue Buqun nodded to him and led the procession toward the Liu residence.

...

At the Liu residence, quite a few guests had arrived ahead of time. Among them, one person was particularly conspicuous, so much so that the passing martial artists in the vicinity would turn pale with fright at the mere sight of him and hurry away.

Those who couldn't avoid him tip-toed past, giving him a wide berth with the utmost caution. This individual seemed accustomed to such reactions and paid them no heed, simply snacking leisurely on the fruit by his side.

For this man was dressed in a silver-white embroidered uniform of the Brocaded Guard, with an *Xiuchun* saber slung at his waist—he was unquestionably a centurion of the Brocaded Guard.

At this moment, Liu Zhengfeng walked into the main hall, cupped his fists toward the centurion, and said, "Many thanks to Lord Chen for gracing my humble home with your presence. Please forgive Zhengfeng for being slightly indisposed and unable to welcome you further down the road."

Centurion Chen returned the salute with an expression that was neither servile nor overbearing. "You and I will soon be fellow officials serving the imperial court, Lord Liu, so I had to show you this much respect. You are quite an interesting character, Lord Liu; others go out of their way to avoid me, yet you are the first person to actually invite me into his home."

Liu Zhengfeng's smile grew even brighter. "The Brocaded Guard are tasked by imperial decree with monitoring all officials. Since I, Liu Zhengfeng, walk an upright path and sit with a clear conscience, I truly have nothing to hide."

Centurion Chen recalled a scandal that had recently been creating quite a stir in Hengyang City. The corners of his mouth twitched upward slightly, though he quickly suppressed it. "Lord Liu has spent half a lifetime working tirelessly for Hengyang City. We have witnessed all your past deeds, and it is indeed a fortunate thing to share a corner of the world with an official like you."

A few days ago, Wang Jingyuan had helped Liu Zhengfeng purchase an official title, running back and forth until the matter was finally settled. However, feeling that merely buying a rank lacked a certain flair, he simply decided to make things interesting by visiting the local Brocaded Guard post.

He went to see the Brocaded Guard centurion bearing heavy gifts. The centurion had originally intended to throw him out upon learning he came bearing bribes, but upon discovering the purpose of Wang Jingyuan's visit, he agreed instead to attend Liu Zhengfeng's golden basin hand-washing ceremony as an observer.

As local overlords around Hengyang City, the Hengshan Sect was duly registered with the Brocaded Guard. Thus, Centurion Chen was thoroughly familiar with the Hengshan Sect and its actual power-holder, Liu Zhengfeng.

To his knowledge, the code of conduct of the Hengshan Sect truly deserved to be called that of an upright, righteous sect, and the faction's local influence often proved far more effective than the county yamen. Centurion Chen was more than happy to see Liu Zhengfeng buy an official title and step onto the formal political path.

Especially since Liu Zhengfeng had spent a great deal of effort to buy the position of local county magistrate; with a man like him serving as an official in the locality, life would be much easier for the Brocaded Guard as well.

And so, Liu Zhengfeng and Centurion Chen chatted casually back and forth. Seeing that more and more guests were arriving at the Liu residence, Centurion Chen took the initiative to mention that he was feeling a bit fatigued and asked Liu Zhengfeng to send someone to guide him to the back parlor to rest.

After all, today was a momentous occasion for Liu Zhengfeng, and the visiting guests were all men of the pugilistic world. As an outsider attending as a guest, sitting in the main hall the entire time would likely make everyone feel rather uncomfortable. He could simply stroll back out when the ceremony was about to begin.

Liu Zhengfeng immediately summoned his disciple, Xiang Dahai, and had him escort Centurion Chen to the back parlor. Once the centurion had departed, Liu Zhengfeng let out a soft sigh, touched the back of his neck, and found it already damp with sweat.

Liu Zhengfeng hadn't been lying earlier; apart from his friendship with Qu Yang, he had indeed walked an upright path throughout his life with nothing to hide from anyone. But the Brocaded Guard... were they truly helpless against a man whose life was entirely unblemished?

At this thought, Liu Zhengfeng couldn't help gritting his teeth. "That brat really is... truly... sigh!"

"How have you been, Elder Brother Liu?" It was Master Dingyi who had arrived. Liu Zhengfeng quickly adjusted his expression and stepped forward to greet her.

"Please forgive me for failing to welcome you properly, Master."

Because of Centurion Chen's temporary absence, the atmosphere in the front hall immediately became much more lively.

The Huashan Sect arrived last because the guesthouse where they were staying was somewhat far away. Upon hearing the Hengshan disciple welcoming guests at the entrance announce the arrival of the Huashan Sect, Master Dingyi, who was chatting idly with Liu Zhengfeng, smiled slightly and said:

"I heard that Elder Brother Yue of Huashan has recently acquired a brilliant disciple. Even my own disciple Yilin was rescued by him, allowing her to escape the clutches of wicked villains."

Liu Zhengfeng forced a smile and said, "Indeed, indeed."

Master Dingyi reminisced, "I am told that Elder Brother Yue's newly accepted disciple is named Wang Jingyuan. From his actions, one can easily tell that he truly lives up to his name—a humble gentleman of quiet character and far-reaching ambition..."

*Crunch! Crunch!*

Master Dingyi, who was in the middle of praising Wang Jingyuan, suddenly heard a strange sound coming from beside her. She turned her head and saw Liu Zhengfeng gnashing his teeth with a hideous grimace.

Master Dingyi frowned and asked, "Elder Brother Liu, what is the matter with you?"

Liu Zhengfeng wore an expression resembling severe constipation. "An old injury flared up just now. A moment of forbearance will pass it, just a moment of forbearance."