Chapter 42 If You Can Beat Me!

Lu Chuan cast a somewhat strange look at the man.

Although the man appeared rough and unrefined, there was a distinct difference in skin tone around his neck and shoulders!

In other words, this man was clearly in disguise!

However, what was he hiding under a disguise?

He was merely coming into a tavern to grab a bite to eat!

Could it be that he was some kind of notorious bandit?

Lu Chuan gave a slight shake of his head, not wanting to waste any energy on the matter.

He was just a passerby after all!

He sat there, continuing to eat his food.

"Brother Chuan, what are we going to do today?" Sun Laizi asked at this moment.

"We're heading to the Cui Family Grain Shop to buy enough grain!"

"Then we'll head straight back to the village!"

Lu Chuan replied as he ate.

The two of them exchanged a few words back and forth.

"Uhm, Brother Chuan, may I ask you a question?" Sun Laizi seemed to muster his courage, looking at Lu Chuan with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

Lu Chuan nodded. "Go ahead and ask!"

"What kind of martial art is it that you learned? How on earth were you able to subdue the people of the Zhao Family Village in an instant?"

At this, Sun Laizi's eyes practically sparkled with stars.

"Back when I was still in the village, I ran into an old man under the old locust tree. He must have been a beggar. That beggar saw that I was naturally gifted with extraordinary bones and tendons, so he passed down a couple of moves to me!"

"He said it could strengthen the body and health, and called it Xingyi Quan!"

Lu Chuan said cheerfully.

Anyway, this kind of thing was impossible to verify. As long as he had a plausible origin story, he wouldn't have to fear even if someone came to investigate him.

"Hiss!"

"Then Brother Chuan, your luck is truly extraordinary!"

Sun Laizi hurriedly chimed in, "No wonder your hunting skills are so incredible, and… um…"

"Is this martial art of yours difficult?"

Lu Chuan raised his head with a trace of amusement.

He stared at Sun Laizi in front of him for a few moments.

"Want to learn?"

"I can teach you…"

"Starting tomorrow, right after the rooster crows every morning, come to the outside of my courtyard, and I'll guide you through your forms!"

Lu Chuan said with a smile.

"You got it!"

Sun Laizi hastily nodded, then walked aside with the utmost solemnity, and kowtowed heavily three times to Lu Chuan with loud thuds. "From this day forth, you are my master! As the saying goes, a master for a day is a father for life!"

"In the future, I will definitely revere you just like my own father!"

"Cut it out!"

Hearing this, Lu Chuan hurriedly waved his hand, a look of mild disgust crossing his eyes. "Your real father wouldn't want a son like you even if his life depended on it!"

At these words, Sun Laizi scratched his head in embarrassment!

"I might have been a bit reckless before, but I swear I'll turn over a new leaf starting today!"

Lu Chuan didn't say much more in response.

There was no point!

Learning the basics of Xingyi Quan wasn't actually that difficult. As long as one had perseverance and determination, mastering thirty to forty percent of it was entirely possible. However, advancing further required a certain level of innate comprehension and foundational strength!

If Sun Laizi truly possessed that kind of comprehension, he wouldn't mind teaching him a thing or two.

"Hmph…"

Right at that moment, a trace of disdain laced the man's voice!

"What grand skills do you even have, to dare to openly take on disciples right here?"

"Anyone who doesn't know better would think you were some grandmaster from a martial arts school…"

The man's words carried a sharp edge. Although they sounded somewhat bold and uninhibited, it was hard for anyone to warm up to them.

"Hey…"

"Are you ever going to quit?"

Sun Laizi stood up. "You clearly have no idea what my master is capable of! My master is someone who ventured deep into the mountains alone and hunted down a wild boar!"

"If he didn't have real martial arts skills in his hands,"

"How could he possibly pull that off?"

The man chuckled. "Are you trying to scare me? If you truly have such skills, how could a tiny tavern like this be lacking even a wild rooster? You've ruined my chance of even getting to eat the roasted phoenix dish!"

"Hmph!"

With that, the man stood up. "How tedious. I'm leaving!"

And with a turn, he walked away.

"Hey, my fiery temper!"

Sun Laizi was just about to step forward to argue when Lu Chuan stopped him!

Lu Chuan paused for a moment before saying, "You are no match for him. This man's palms are covered in thick calluses, especially around the tiger's mouth of his right hand, which means he is an experienced practitioner!"

"His finger joints are thick and slightly protruding, and his fingers naturally curl inward. Judging by that, the weapon he uses is likely a saber!"

Lu Chuan's voice drifted leisurely.

At that instant, the man abruptly turned his head and shot a glance back at Lu Chuan.

"To possess such discernment?"

"Indeed!"

Lu Chuan nodded, his gaze calm and detached. After a brief pause, he continued, "Having this discernment isn't difficult. But rather it's you—your palm strike just now, although full of force, managed to dissolve the kinetic energy completely off the table without a sound!"

"Your Excellency is definitely no ordinary person!"

Lu Chuan said coolly.

At this, the man walked back over.

He fixed his gaze straight onto Lu Chuan.

A moment later, he burst into loud laughter!

"Interesting!"

"It's been a long time since I've met someone this interesting!"

The man took a seat once more.

"My name is Yu Tianrui. What's yours?"

"Tianrui?"

Lu Chuan looked at the man before him and smiled. "Lu Chuan!"

"Interested in sparring?" Yu Tianrui's gaze flickered with a competitive fighting spirit. At this very moment, he truly wanted to test Lu Chuan's capabilities!

Lu Chuan gave a slight shake of his head. "I am not your match."

To be precise, the current Lu Chuan was no match for Yu Tianrui!

He had arrived in this world less than a week ago, and his original body was somewhat frail, having only barely recovered a little bit of strength.

If they were to truly fight, he definitely wouldn't be able to secure the upper hand.

Though in a life-or-death struggle, Lu Chuan might have a sliver of hope!

After all, what he practiced were techniques meant for killing!

"Heh…"

Yu Tianrui nodded. "I must say, my curiosity about you is growing by the minute!"

"You practice fist techniques, but there are no calluses on your finger joints, which means you haven't been practicing for very long! Don't worry, I'll pull my punches!"

Excitement shone brightly in Yu Tianrui's eyes.

Lu Chuan furrowed his brow slightly.

He looked at Yu Tianrui and shook his head once more. "Apologies, I still have important matters to attend to!"

"I have two wives at home, and the annual grain tax is due almost immediately. I need to go purchase some grain," Lu Chuan stated.

"Heh!"

Yu Tianrui nodded. "How much is your annual grain tax?"

"One shi of grain per person!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Tianrui gave a slight nod. "Not too bad. But since there are three people in your household, that means you have to pay three hundred catties of grain. That's not a small amount, is it?"

"Indeed it isn't!"

"That's why I don't have time to spar with you here."

Lu Chuan answered calmly.

"If you defeat me, I'll give you twenty taels of silver!"

Yu Tianrui narrowed his eyes, a faint, imperceptible smile curling the corners of his mouth.