Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Improvement

“We’ll see who’s really better during the Daoist Examination!”

Liu Quan retorted.

Without getting further entangled with the man in black, he led Liu Lishi and the others away from Wine Street.

Chu Lingguang returned, laden with goods.

The shopkeepers had given him so many things that Chu Lingguang had to borrow a flatcart from Butcher Hu to haul everything back to Liu Family Gully.

Looking at the pig’s head Butcher Hu had given him, Chu Lingguang worried it would spoil in the heat by morning. He grabbed it by the ears and carried it over to the basin to wash it.

“CLANK!”

But when he pried open the pig’s mouth to pour water inside, three taels of broken silver fell out.

’Hu really knows how to handle people.’

Chu Lingguang mused.

Butcher Hu had stuffed the silver into the pig’s mouth. It was a way to express his gratitude without making the other shopkeepers feel awkward.

Otherwise, if Hu had given him the silver publicly, it would have been awkward for Chu Lingguang and the group if the other shopkeepers didn’t follow suit. Conversely, if all the shopkeepers had copied him, Chu Lingguang would have been in a bind over whether to accept it under everyone’s watch.

Accepting it would mean he was being paid for his services, leaving no room for Favors. In the future, he’d be obligated to step in and solve any problems between the shopkeepers and the Big Saber Gang.

Refusing it would make people overthink things and could lead to other troubles down the line.

Chu Lingguang made a mental note. Butcher Hu’s shop had been open for over twenty years; he still had much to learn from the man about the ways of the world.

After washing the pig’s head thoroughly, inside and out, Chu Lingguang noticed some bristles on the ears hadn’t been scraped clean. He used a kitchen knife to remove them all before placing the head in an iron pot.

He started a fire and let it simmer through the night.

An hour later, Chu Lingguang inserted chopsticks into the ear canals, lifted the head from the boiling water, and placed two sticks across the top of the pot. He then set the cooked pig’s head on this rack to let the grease drain off.

Only then did Chu Lingguang take a cold bath off to the side.

He soaked in a large water vat.

He couldn’t resist checking his status panel.

Favor Points: 223

Iron Mountain Fist (61/100)

Heavenward Force (69/100)

Iron Mountain Saber Technique (70/100)

Basic Body Technique (82/100)

Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques (82/150)

Staff Technique (33/100)

Tidal Breathing Technique (81/300)

Basic Archery (61/100)

Riding Skill (37/100)

Turtle Breath Technique (61/500)

Heaven and Earth Art (0/1000)

(Remaining Lifespan: 78)

Chu Lingguang saw that he had reaped a huge harvest this time. Not only had he received a flatcart full of gifts, but he had also gained over two hundred Favor Points.

The number had reached an all-time high.

’To pass the Daoist Examination, I just need to get A Class in four subjects. But lately, I’ve been too ambitious, trying to practice every Kung Fu at once, and as a result, not a single one has reached A Class.’

’With my aptitude, I can only focus on one skill at a time. Even with the help of Favor Points, I should master one technique completely before moving on to others.’

Chu Lingguang thought to himself.

With this in mind, he glanced at his status panel again and decided to max out his Basic Body Technique, Iron Mountain Saber Technique, Heavenward Force, Iron Mountain Fist, and Basic Archery.

The panel changed.

Favor Points: 47

Iron Mountain Fist (100/100)

Heavenward Force (100/100)

Iron Mountain Saber Technique (100/100)

Basic Body Technique (100/100)

Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques (82/150)

Staff Technique (33/100)

Tidal Breathing Technique (81/300)

Basic Archery (100/100)

Riding Skill (37/100)

Turtle Breath Technique (61/500)

Heaven and Earth Art (0/1000)

(Remaining Lifespan: 78)

Chu Lingguang saw that his Archery, Fist Technique, Saber Technique, Heavenward Force, and Body Technique—five skills in total—were all maxed out, and he still had 47 Favor Points left.

He wanted to max out the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques and his Breathing Technique as well, but 47 Favor Points obviously wasn’t enough. Besides, the Heaven and Earth Art was just too dazzling—its peak value was a thousand. Chu Lingguang was dying to know just how powerful this technique was, so he spent the remaining 47 Favor Points on it.

Favor Points: None

Heaven and Earth Art (47/1000)

Chu Lingguang stood up from the water vat, put on two thin layers of clothing, and hung the dried pig’s head from a rafter with an iron hook to keep it away from rats.

Then he went back inside and fell into a deep sleep.

Having maxed out five of his skills, he was eager to test their effects. But it was a dark and windy night, and making a commotion could attract trouble.

In any case, there would be plenty of time to test them later. No need to rush.

「The next morning.」

Chu Lingguang placed all the gifts from the shopkeepers onto the flatcart, adding the cooked pig’s head as well, then pushed it to the Martial Arts Hall.

Last night on Wine Street, he had stood up for the shopkeepers. While it seemed like his own Martial Arts had passed the test against the man in black, in reality, he had used Guo Wei’s influence to help the shopkeepers reduce their monthly stipend.

Therefore, Chu Lingguang couldn’t keep the things the shopkeepers gave him for himself. In fact, he had to treat them as if they were all gifts for Guo Wei. Only then would Guo Wei not blame him for “throwing his weight around,” and upon hearing the news from Wine Street, would acknowledge that he had brought honor to his master.

“Lin Guang, why are you pushing a cart full of things to the Martial Arts Hall so early? Did Master Guo ask you to go buy them?”

At the entrance to the Martial Arts Hall, Chu Lingguang ran into his Second Aunt, Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family.

“Second Aunt, you’ve misunderstood. These are just small tokens of appreciation from the shopkeepers on the street, which they asked me to pass on to my master.”

Chu Lingguang explained.

“Oh, is that so? I heard a new gang just formed over on Wine Street, called the Big Saber Gang or something. The bosses on Wine Street all have to pay a hefty monthly stipend. Are they asking Master Guo for help?”

Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family asked curiously.

“The matter is already taken care of. I’m going to deliver these things to my master first. Second Aunt, you should get back to what you were doing.”

Chu Lingguang said with a smile.

“Alright. Master Guo is such a good person.”

Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family sighed in admiration.

Sitting in the main hall, kneading a rattan cane, Guo Wei overheard the conversation at the entrance. The tense expression on his face couldn’t help but break into a smile.

“Master.”

Chu Lingguang pulled the flatcart to just outside the main hall.

Guo Wei tossed the rattan cane aside. His smile vanished as he put on a serious expression and asked, “Why are you hauling a flatcart over here so early in the morning?”

“Master, this disciple has caused trouble.”

Chu Lingguang walked into the main hall and knelt before Guo Wei.

“Junior Brother, my father isn’t angry.”

Guo Fang whispered from the side.

News of what happened on Wine Street last night had quickly reached the Martial Arts Hall. Although Chu Lingguang hadn’t brought any shame—and had even earned the shopkeepers’ approval—he had engaged in an armed fight with members of the Big Saber Gang on his own initiative. This matter could be either minor or major. If handled poorly, it could lead to a bloody conflict between the Martial Arts Hall and the Big Saber Gang.

That was why Guo Wei had Guo Fang wait with him in the main hall for Chu Lingguang that morning. He had intended to give the boy a harsh lesson to make sure he learned his place.

But the conversation between Chu Lingguang and Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family at the entrance made Guo Wei realize that his disciple wasn’t the kind of person who would learn a few skills and immediately run off to someone else’s territory to show off.

Especially the part about him using his master’s name to confront the Big Saber Gang—it now seemed there must have been a misunderstanding.

“What trouble did you cause?”

Guo Wei shot Guo Fang a glare and continued, his face still stern.

“Last night, when I returned to Liu Family Gully, I saw Village Chief Liu gathering the clansmen, shouting about going to support Liu Quan. I learned from them that Liu Quan was confronting the Big Saber Gang on Wine Street.”

“For the past few months, this disciple has been thinking about how I must bring honor to you, Master, in the upcoming Daoist Examination. So I followed them, wanting to see how Liu Quan’s Kung Fu has progressed.”

“I never expected…”

Chu Lingguang recounted the events of last night in full detail.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep