Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
Yan Liqiang didn’t know where Li Hongtu had gone off to. He had been cultivating in peace under the waterfall. However, his mind kept replaying the scene from earlier. This love triangle sure was complicated enough. Now he finally understood why the mountain behind Deer Villa was a restricted area. The three people living here was probably the reason why.
The voice of the lady named Little Ying didn’t really sound young. It would seem like the three of them had gone through a lot in their youth.
Yan Liqiang cultivated under the waterfall until noon, when the sun was hanging high up in the sky.
Before this, Yan Liqiang would have been exhausted from his cultivation by this time. However, his stamina was increasing every day as he was being strengthened by Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing. Hence, he still had a lot of energy left in him right now instead of feeling fatigued.
Just when Yan Liqiang was pondering about carrying those weight ‘accessories’ on his back to cultivate in the future, a figure flashed back to the edge of the pool. Li Hongtu had returned.
“Master…” Yan Liqiang immediately stopped what he was doing.
“You have done enough for your morning training. Come over here, Liqiang. There’s something I would like to discuss with you!” Li Hongtu looked at Yan Liqiang and waved at him.
“Alright!” Yan Liqiang stopped, then tossed the Dragon Spine Steel spear into the pool. He then effortlessly leaped more than ten meters across the water surface and landed on his feet beside Li Hongtu as though everything was like a walk in the park for him.
The violent fury on Li Hongtu’s face this morning was long gone. Instead, he looked slightly depressed and lost. He seemed to have calmed down, but Yan Liqiang didn’t know what happened after Li Hongtu went away. From the looks of it, things probably didn’t go too poorly. Otherwise, Li Hongtu wouldn’t be so calm.
“Did you realize your body technique and lightness skill have been making rapid improvements lately?”
“I’ll have to thank you for the guidance, Master!”
“It’s really not easy to shake a spear on such a slippery boulder while maintaining balance. Once you get used to it, you’ll be cultivating your body technique and footwork every second you stay on the boulder, unknowingly reaping great benefits from it. The next time you have a spear in your hands, your feet will move as you wish and you will be unstoppable!” Li Hongtu glanced at Yan Liqiang and let out a long sigh. “Even so, your rate of improvement has gone beyond my expectations!”
“My skills are still far inferior to yours, Master!” Yan Liqiang replied humbly.
“Ahem… ahem… Next time… you don’t need to come here so diligently…”
Yan Liqiang was taken aback. “Master, what do you mean? I’m afraid I didn’t really catch that!”
“From now on, you will find time in the morning to visit that Ji guy every three days. He will teach you archery techniques and he will also… He will also be your master!” Speaking up to that point, Li Hongtu averted his gaze from Yan Liqiang in embarrassment.
“Master, didn’t… didn’t you tell me not to find that Ji guy last time? Why…”
“If I tell you to go, then go! Don’t ask so many stupid questions! I am your Master, why do I have to explain anything to you?” Li Hongtu suddenly flew into a rage out of humiliation and shot a glare at Yan Liqiang. “Anyway, I’ve already informed you. It’s up to you whether you want to go or not. Alright, you are done for the day. I’m going to nap now, so don’t bother me over nothing…!”
After saying all that, Li Hongtu swung his sleeve, ignored Yan Liqiang, and went toward his thatched cottage.
Yan Liqiang rubbed his chin with one hand while watching Li Hongtu’s disappearing silhouette. A smile broke across his face. Although Li Hongtu’s words were quite a surprise, it was actually good news for him.
For a long time, Yan Liqiang had been making progress in his archery cultivation by solely relying on his own talents. He had never consulted with others or received any guidance from anyone. Therefore, he was curious to see how powerful the other experts were…
After watching Li Hongtu enter his thatched cottage, Yan Liqiang put on the clothes he left at the edge of the pool and then left the place.
This afternoon was his day off after every three days. Three days ago, he made an afternoon appointment to meet Fang Beidou, Xu Enda, and the rest for a discussion. After lunch plus a few rounds of Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing to strengthen himself and recover his stamina, Yan Liqiang left Deer Villa. This time, he didn’t go with his rhinodrake steed. Instead, he walked to the Imperial Capital with large strides.
Yan Liqiang made his first stop at the Hundred Clans Market since it was on the way from Deer Villa and it was located outside the Imperial Capital’s western gate.
As the employment marketplace of the Imperial Capital, the Hundred Clans Market was still as lively as ever. Since Yan Liqiang didn’t arrive on a high rhinodrake steed, he didn’t attract a flock of brokers who wanted to introduce wet nurses or maids to him this time. He went straight to the agreed location to meet with Xu Enda and the rest. As expected, he saw a few familiar faces glancing around while waiting for him there as soon as he arrived. The moment Yan Liqiang appeared, the young men instantly had a relieved expression on their faces.
Everyone except Xu Enda was there.
“Hm? Where is Xu Enda?” Yan Liqiang walked over to them and asked when he noticed Xu Enda’s absence.
The young men had an indignant expression on their faces, but they seemed hesitant to speak.
“What’s going on?” Yan Liqiang looked at one of them who was about the same age as him. “Tell me, Little Wu…”
“Something happened to Brother Xu!” Little Wu clenched his fists tightly, looking both angry and upset. “When Brother Xu was on his way home last night, that bastard Guo Si ambushed him in an alley and stabbed him…”
“Guo Si?” Yan Liqiang frowned. “You mean that swindling thug on the streets from last time?”
“Yes, that piece of trash! Brother Xu returned home alone last night. We weren’t around and it was dark. He was caught off-guard by that scoundrel in the alley and got injured. If this were an honorable fight, there’s no way that Guo Si could be Brother Xu’s match…!”
“Is he alright?”
“Brother Xu’s injury seems to be quite serious and we only found out this morning. He didn’t want this to affect our appointment with you so he sent us all here to wait for you…”
“Where is Xu Enda now?”
“We sent him back from the medical hall. He is now recuperating from his injuries at home!”
“Let’s go then, bring me to Xu Enda’s house. Anyhow, this incident happened partly because of me. If it weren’t for my sake, you guys wouldn’t have provoked those thugs. Now that Xu Enda got hurt, I can’t leave this matter alone. We’ll talk about work later…” Yan Liqiang told the other young men solemnly.
The few young men exchanged glances with each other upon seeing Yan Liqiang’s sense of obligation. They nodded, then brought Yan Liqiang along to visit Xu Enda…
