Chapter 281: 257 Secret Moves, Part 1

After the meal, Zhang Rongfang continued to send people to watch over the Li family.

This continued for three days, all the same.

It wasn’t until the fourth day that new developments emerged, and the Li family finally made a move.

Li Guanyue came forward and invited Zhang Rongfang to meet and talk at a nearby Yun Jing Restaurant.

Zhang Rongfang went gladly.

Yun Jing Restaurant, located on the outskirts of Citong, is considered a high-end restaurant. The food and drinks here aren’t remarkable, but the opulent décor lends it considerable prestige.

The entire restaurant is three stories high, with different meeting protocols from top to bottom.

The top floor is usually reserved for regular customers who spend a lot of money here and can book in advance.

The middle is the standard price range, while the ground level offers cheap set meals.

“I used to enjoy dining at Yun Jing Restaurant years ago. The food’s not great, but the environment is nice, the soundproofing is good, and the thick floors mean you don’t hear the clatter that disturbs your mood like in other places.”

In a large private room on the third floor.

Li Guanyue, along with his eldest son Li Erchan, was sitting at the round table, engaging in lively conversation with Zhang Rongfang and Zhang Zhenhai across from them.

Zhang Rongfang maintained his Young Master Zhang persona, looking every bit the wealthy young enthusiast of martial arts, holding a white fan, his long hair adorned with jade, exuding a blend of wildness and heroism.

Beside him, Zhang Zhenhai wore a black mask, a black veil hat, and fitted clothes with black base and blue trim, playing the part of a personal maid and bodyguard.

“Master Li, how about you spell out the conditions for earnestly teaching me the Thirteen Guardians’ Bodyhardening?” Zhang Rongfang asked sincerely.

“Actually, it’s quite simple.” Li Guanyue smiled, the melancholy on his face slightly lifted.

“You must know, our family’s secret art, even in the Great Capital or the Central Capital, would draw countless experts ready to bid with just one shout.

So teaching this martial art won’t come cheap….”

“That’s fine, Master Li, just name your price. Whether it’s suitable or not, I’ll consider it myself.” Zhang Rongfang laughed; as long as he’s willing to quote, everything else is negotiable.

Li Guanyue laughed, giving the table a soft pat.

“Young Master Zhang, straightforward as ever. I’ll be direct. To learn our family’s martial arts, several conditions must be met. The first of these is a substantial deposit.”

“May I ask how much the deposit is?” Zhang Rongfang inquired.

“This much!” Li Guanyue opened one hand and raised his index finger.

“Sure, sure, is it a thousand taels? No problem.” Zhang Rongfang replied easily.

“Ten thousand taels!” Li Guanyue stated directly. “The deposit must be at least ten thousand taels!”

He actually never intended to teach the martial art, but his family’s financial situation was dire, with too many unpaid goods. In desperation, he just thought to deceive as much money as possible.

As long as he could offset the debts first.

“Agreed!” Zhang Rongfang’s smile didn’t falter as he nodded slightly.

Hiss…

Li Guanyue was taken aback. He had merely quoted an exorbitant price, not expecting the other party to agree so readily, without any pause.

“Are you certain!?” he asked solemnly, realizing the martial art’s value to the other party might be greater than imagined.

The price quoted was clearly too low…. Recognizing this, Li Guanyue knew where he stood.

“Of course, I’m certain.” Zhang Rongfang nodded.

Although his income wasn’t much now, and martial arts expenses were ongoing, the hidden money he’d unearthed and previous savings meant producing ten thousand taels wasn’t an issue.

He just hadn’t expected the other party to demand so much at once.

“Then, when can we sign and seal the deposit?” Li Guanyue asked eagerly.

“Naturally, anytime.” Zhang Rongfang nodded.

Not long after, they drafted an agreement, stipulating that upon payment, the other party must fulfill the remaining conditions to receive complete martial arts instruction.

Li Guanyue thought it over, carefully adding three conditions to the agreement.

“After the deposit is paid, as long as you can meet these three conditions I mentioned, the authentic martial arts of my family will be taught to you without reservation!” he stated solemnly.

In truth, if it wasn’t for his failed business venture, causing his fleet to fall apart and leading to significant unpaid debts,

he wouldn’t even be considering exchanging martial art for money.

Initially, he only intended to pocket a few thousand taels under the guise of martial arts instruction.

Who would have thought….

Ten thousand taels… the person before him actually produced it all without hesitation??

With this sum, he could even rebuild his previous fleet, with plenty to spare.

Immediately, Zhang Rongfang took out ten thousand taels in silver notes, ten new Great Spirit treasure drafts each worth a thousand taels, handed over directly by Zhang Zhenhai at his side.

Li Guanyue restrained his exhilaration, feeling as though in a dream. Upon receiving the money, even leaving the restaurant, he felt his footsteps were unsteady.

The hardships of recent days seemed to disappear in an instant.

Returning home,

his children quickly gathered around.

“Father! How did it go!?”

“Dad, how did the talk go?”

“The money? Where is the money??”

His three sons and daughters eagerly crowded closer, waiting for their father to reply.

“Rest assured, everything went smoothly… smoother than expected.” Li Guanyue smiled.

Long-held tension and setbacks seemed to melt away at this moment.

He narrated the events as they happened, eliciting small gasps from his children.

“That much money, he handed it all over just like that?”

“Are you really going to teach the martial art seriously this time, dad?”

“No rush… if he actually completes the three subsequent conditions, I’m surely willing to teach earnestly.” Li Guanyue nodded.

But he himself didn’t quite believe these words.

In the past, it wasn’t that no one had ever tried to target his family’s martial arts, but he had turned them all away.

This time, the only reason he agreed was because his family truly couldn’t hold out any longer.

Besides, weren’t there three conditions to fulfill?

If the person couldn’t fulfill those three conditions in the end, he could easily act magnanimous, still pass on the martial arts, and by only teaching a bit of the family’s martial arts basics, everything would be resolved.

This routine, he was all too familiar with.

And it wasn’t just him who had done this; many ancestors in the Li family had done the same.

Otherwise, where did those inferior versions of the Thirteen Guardians’ toughening exercises in the market come from?

While comforting his children, Li Guanyue began to calculate how to use this money to quickly rebuild the fleet.

He was unwilling to fail just like this.

A person has to get back up from where they fell.

So he still wanted to make a comeback.

He just didn’t notice.

Among his children, his usually most sensible and gentle daughter, Li Huansha, was looking at him with a slight worry.

In fact, the reason they had previously come to Citong to make a living was because they had taken a large sum of money from someone else elsewhere, then used it to set up a fleet at Citong, intending to become the captain.

Otherwise, in these times, no one would want to take their entire family on the run, moving from place to place.

But such methods, done too much, would eventually lead to trouble…

*

*

*

Dozens of miles from Cituogang Port, on a wild coastal stretch.

On a rugged and steep rocky beach.

Zhang Rongfang, dressed in black, stood facing Zhang Yunqi alone on two pieces of reef.

Aside from them, there was no one around.

No rebel sect members, no idle fishermen, not even Zhang Rongfang’s subordinates.

The sea breeze blew, and the waves slapped against the rocks.

The two stood more than ten meters apart, their bodies standing straight.

“Half a year has passed, and Young Master’s strength has visibly increased. It seems it won’t be long before you surpass this old man,” Zhang Yunqi said with a sigh.

“Uncle Yunqi, why do you say that? I still have a long way to go to reach your level; maybe in the future, but right now I’m still quite far off,” Zhang Rongfang replied modestly.

“Just take it as you comforting me.” Zhang Yunqi smiled, “This time, our continuous encirclement to induce spiritual veins has drawn the attention of many forces. Especially in the past half-year, our actions have become more frequent and faster, and they might have already triggered others’ vigilance.”

“Is it the Spirit Court, or…?” Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly.

“The Western Sect and the Secret Teachings. People from both sides have come to Citong. It seems both are planning something, vying for control over the fleet,” Zhang Yunqi sighed, “Now we all follow your lead, so what do you intend to do?”

“Just watch how things unfold. From beginning to end, our goal is to preserve ourselves and wait for the future. What does the struggle between the Western Sect and the Secret Teachings have to do with us?” Zhang Rongfang replied.

“I understand.” Zhang Yunqi nodded.

“Actually, there’s another reason I called Uncle Yunqi here today,” Zhang Rongfang continued, “It’s just that I’ve recently made some breakthroughs in martial arts, and I wanted to find someone to spar with, but there’s no suitable opponent around, so…..”

“That’s fine, then I’ll accompany Young Master in practice.” Zhang Yunqi was actually very curious about the prowess of this young master from a different kind.

This Young Master Zhang Ying was rumored to have the highest literary cultivation aptitude in the history of the Great Dao Teaching.

But in terms of martial arts, it was only known that he used to be a spirit envoy in the Golden Wing Pavilion, and nothing more.

In recent times, he could only be seen practicing here and there, rarely focusing on the martial arts of the Great Dao Teaching. It seemed he was quite neglectful of his proper duties.

This was a good opportunity to take a closer look at his martial arts cultivation.

This way, in future actions, it’s better to allocate forces to protect each other.

“Well then, forgive me.” Zhang Rongfang clasped his hands in salute.

“After you, Young Master.” Zhang Yunqi, being of the Three Emptiness, although his physical strength had declined because he no longer worshiped the gods, his super-grade strength in the Three Emptiness complemented his own highly advanced martial arts cultivation.

In terms of skill, he compensated quite a bit for the decline in speed and strength.

The two focused intently, their eyes locked.

Suddenly, two shadowy figures dashed out, charging at each other simultaneously.

Zhang Yunqi’s martial arts were somewhat eclectic; his strikes sometimes sharp like a blade, other times gentle like falling leaves. It all depended on personal choice.

And this time, he chose speed.

In a flash, the two crossed paths, exchanging a move in an instant.

There was no contact; just at the moment they were about to exchange injuries, they both withdrew at the same time and passed by each other.

Their speed erupted, surprisingly evenly matched.

Zhang Yunqi’s heart tightened. He remembered when this Daoist’s martial arts were just at the level of external medicine, but now…

No time to think further, he changed his posture, stepping into a set of Eight Trigrams Iron Heart Palm with a seamless flow.

This set of martial arts was what he used the most without a blade, notable for its balanced offense and defense, its keen agility.

Facing any martial art’s sudden burst, it had a strong margin for error.

Zhang Rongfang, on the other hand, began with the Primordial Talisman of the Great Dao Teaching.

The martial arts of the Great Dao Teaching were upright and peaceful, balanced and diverse, and equally good at responding to all kinds of extraordinary martial arts.

These martial arts were resilient and extensive, no matter the odd moves faced, an appropriate countermeasure could always be found within a vast array of techniques.

The opposing Eight Trigrams Iron Heart Palm’s body technique was nimble, its strikes fierce and explosive.

Zhang Rongfang responded with more agile and balanced techniques, the Primordial Talisman and Morning Energy Talisman.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep