NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 34: Tai Sui
Fatso Han’s rise within the black market, nearly monopolizing the demon meat trade, was no mere coincidence—it showcased his considerable abilities!
His cultivation of Swallow the Heavens Merit boasted unparalleled accumulation of blood qi. At this moment, all his excess fat seemed to transform into muscle, containing an immense and boundless true force, even surpassing Fang Xi’s strength before his recent breakthrough!
Moreover, with each overwhelming punch, Fatso Han’s hefty body added terrifying momentum to his attacks!
“Not bad, not bad! Your martial prowess exceeds both Chunyu and Qiao Wuchang, only falling short of Linghu Yang!”
Fang Xi laughed heartily, unleashing a swift palm strike.
Bang!
The entire small log cabin shook violently, causing a shower of dust to cascade down.
Fatso Han flew backward at an accelerated pace, slamming hard onto the ground!
Crash!
A large crater formed beneath him, and all the furniture inside the cabin shattered instantly.With wide eyes, ignoring his injuries, Fatso Han muttered, “True Force? How could you possibly break through as a martial artist?”
Despite collecting and practicing numerous third-rate martial arts, Fang Xi had managed to achieve the rank of martial artist—an utterly astonishing feat!
“Haha, perhaps my martial foundation is exceptionally strong and inherently gifted,” Fang Xi replied with a hearty laugh.
“Indeed…in this vast world, there will always be individuals who defy conventional norms.”
Fatso Han struggled to his feet, his large hands like palm leaves brushing off the dust from his clothes.
“You seem to have encountered such people before?” Fang Xi’s interest piqued slightly.
“During my travels, I’ve heard of a few cases…nothing significant.” Fatso Han waved dismissively and then asked seriously, “If I give you the Tai Sui, will you take me out of here?”
“Certainly!” Fang Xi nodded firmly.
In the Great Liang World, he believed that mythic beast meat would currently be most valuable at Qingzhu Mountain Market.
Of course, true force manuals might fetch higher prices, but Fang Xi could never part with them; they were his trump cards!
Fatso Han squinted his eyes, “Deal! However, I need to bring along my entire family.”
“No problem, as I also plan to take some people with me.” Fang Xi agreed, nodding. “But since you added conditions, so must I - hand over the Tai Sui now!”
“Agreed!”
Fatso Han’s small eyes narrowed as he suddenly rolled towards a corner of the log cabin, digging with his large hands like shovels.
Moments later, he unearthed a white spherical mass and tossed it casually. “Here you go!”
Fang Xi caught it, realizing it was a fleshy ball bearing scars from previous cuts, now mostly healed.
“This Tai Sui is an outcast beast that old Han stumbled upon with great difficulty. It has minimal offensive capabilities but possesses remarkable self-healing and growth rates! Just provide it ample food and water daily, and it will rapidly increase in size…”
Fatso Han’s face twitched visibly.
Fang Xi pressed on the Tai Sui, finding it pleasantly soft and yielding to the touch. The texture resembled the meat he usually consumed, causing him to nod approvingly. “When it’s time to leave, I’ll send you a message; you know where to find me!”
He couldn’t believe Fatso Han didn’t already suspect his true identity. After all…the wooden token used in their first transaction was a crucial clue.
“Baiyun Dojo, right? Understood…” Fatso Han slumped back, appearing utterly dejected and dispirited.
However, for the sake of survival, he had no other choice.
At Baiyun Dojo’s headquarters, Mu Canglong glanced at a letter in his hand, a cold smile spreading across his face. “The Three Flowers Dojo is getting desperate…”
“Dad, what’s happening?” Mu Piaomiao asked her father.
“Previously, when Yuanhe Mountain had access to leave the city, these dojos eagerly flocked around them, offering supplies, secret manuals, and even women… Little did they know, within days, Yuanhe Mountain was targeted and decimated. Now, those brave enough to visit their quarters find it completely empty…”
Mu Canglong smirked as he put down the letter. “With no other options, they’re calling for a united front among the dojos, hoping to tap into our resources.”
“Hmph, a bunch of bastards!” Mu Piaomiao’s cheeks flushed with anger.
“It’s unsurprising; people will always act this way. One dojo master even considered making things ugly until he saw Da-shixiong’s iron pillar, which quickly silenced him…” Mu Canglong sounded somewhat smug.
His disciple, despite being so young, had already reached the pinnacle of true force mastery - truly bringing honor to him. Unfortunately…their path forward was now fixed. Such is the tragedy of practicing third-rate martial arts.
“Master… Master! It’s not good…”
Just then, Hao Lan stumbled in, his face filled with panic.
“What’s happened?” Mu Canglong demanded calmly, unfazed by the sudden urgency.
“Someone has come to challenge our dojo!”
Hao Lan caught his breath and continued, “It’s ‘Zheng Tianbao’!”
“Zheng Tianbao?”
Mu Canglong was taken aback.
Of course, he had heard of Zheng Tianbao’s reputation. As a solo cultivator, Zheng Tianbao excelled in the Cloud Soaring Art, boasting unparalleled agility. His actions were unpredictable, straddling the line between righteous and nefarious, and his strength was immensely fearsome. He even held the record of escaping from under a True Strength martial artist’s pursuit!
The key question was, why would this non-dojo-affiliated individual show up here?
“Let’s go, we must see for ourselves!” Composing himself, Mu Canglong strode towards the main gate, noticing that all the disciples had already emerged.
Tang Xuan and Liu Taotao stood together, anxiously gazing at the figure outside.
Dressed in black robes, the man towered tall with a slightly pointed chin, exuding an air of harshness—it could only be Zheng Tianbao!
Beside him were several other dojo masters. Recognizing them, Mu Canglong erupted in fury, “Xu Mingjue of Three Flowers Dojo, Zhang Tianba of Red Rock Dojo… Have you actually brought outsiders to intervene?”
“Ah, Dojo Master Mu, you misunderstand. We merely heard about a challenger targeting your esteemed disciple and came to watch the spectacle,” Zhang Tianba replied with a grin. Despite his rough appearance, he was notoriously cunning, earning him the nickname ‘Viper’.
They had long been envious of Baiyun Dojo’s resources but feared confronting it due to its two resident martial artists, especially Fang Xi, whose true force seemed almost otherworldly.
This time, they mustered their resolve, aligning themselves with Zheng Tianbao to collectively pressure Baiyun Dojo!
“If there’s a challenge, please wait - our Da-shixiong is not present at the moment,” Liu Taotao blurted out.
“Heh, no problem… we can certainly wait. Even if it takes ten or more days, that wouldn’t bother us. Dojo Master Mu, kindly host us during this period,” Zheng Tianbao chuckled, stepping forward to enter the dojo.
To be frank, their willingness stemmed from their own dwindling food supplies.
After all, True Force martial artists possessed extraordinary blood qi, accompanied by equally voracious appetites!
“Certainly!” Mu Canglong’s cheeks twitched slightly as he eyed the group of disciples following Zhang Tianba, inwardly groaning. This situation threatened to deplete Baiyun Dojo’s provisions entirely!
When Fang Xi returned, he was greeted by this chaotic scene.
“What’s going on here? Is our dojo turning into a communal dining hall?” He watched, somewhat speechless, as several cultivators raided the kitchen like bandits.
In the past, these high-ranking cultivators would never have engaged in such amusing behavior - fighting over a pot of rice!
“You’re Fang Xi?” Zheng Tianbao put down his bowl and chopsticks, then laughed heartily. “We’ve come to challenge your skills; isn’t it only proper for your master to extend hospitality?”
“I’ve seen plenty of beggars, but encountering ones who freeloach with such audacity is truly a first,” Fang Xi nodded, swiftly moving to stand before Zheng Tianbao.
“What?” Zheng Tianbao paled in shock.
His Cloud Soaring Art emphasized agility, yet he found himself outmatched by this young man!
“Since you’re here, there’s no leaving!” Fang Xi casually unleashed a slap.
Zheng Tianbao raised his arm to block.
Crack!
Instantly, Zheng Tianbao felt multiple layers of force within that single strike! There were venomous energy, twisting force, and even a hint of lightning vigor… causing half of his body to tingle numbly.
Pop!
In the next moment, Fang Xi snapped Zheng Tianbao’s arm and sent him flying across the room.
Witnessing this, Zhang Tianba’s bowl slipped from fear, crashing to the ground and shattering instantly…
An hour later.
“Shidi, you truly…became a martial artist?”
Mu Piaomiao recalled Fang Xi’s display of divine prowess, effortlessly incapacitating Zhang Tianba and his cohorts with just a few moves. Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Yes!” Fang Xi nodded with a smile, confirming her observation.
“Wonderful!”
Tears welled up in Mu Canglong’s tiger-like eyes as he exclaimed, “Our Baiyun Dojo…finally has its own martial artist! With a third-rate martial art alone, there is indeed hope for advancement! What are you all waiting for?”
Following his rebuke, Hao Lan, Liu Taotao, and the others hastily bowed and shouted loudly, “Congratulations to Da-shixiong on breaking through to True Force and becoming a martial artist!”
“It was merely a fortunate coincidence.”
Fang Xi knew well how challenging it was for local cultivators practicing third-rate martial arts to achieve such a breakthrough. Unless blessed with extraordinary innate talent, deemed exceptional by fate itself, one would need a similar cheat like him.
Glancing around, he noticed that all unrelated individuals had been dismissed. His tone turned serious as he said, “Master Mu…now we must consider how to escape from here.”
“Leaving? Easier said than done,” Mu Canglong chuckled bitterly. “Linghu Yang once claimed he had a way, but then Yuanhe Mountain was annihilated…”
As he spoke, his gaze shifted towards Fang Xi, suspecting that his disciple might have played a significant role.
However, Mu Canglong, being a wise man, refrained from saying anything outright.
Fang Xi appreciated this cautious approach and responded, “I encountered a Daoist who told me I would face a deadly crisis in the future, which could only be averted by a specific spirit talisman… So, I spent ten thousand taels of gold to acquire it from him… Looking back now, it may very well refer to today’s situation.”
“Ten thousand taels of gold?!” Mu Canglong’s lips twitched, yet somehow it seemed entirely plausible for this disciple to do such a thing! After all, Fang Xi had previously purchased a medicinal pill worth one thousand taels of gold.
“Where is that spirit talisman?” Mu Piaomiao, genuinely believing the story, eagerly asked.
“It’s at my old residence; let me search for it tomorrow…” Fang Xi yawned.
In reality, he planned to wait until he saved enough spirit stones to buy the ‘Forced Entry Talisman,’ which would naturally serve as the solution…