Chapter 13: Just You Wait

Please don’t think I’m being noisy, but I’m continuing to push for the rankings and asking for votes. We’re still a bit away from making the list, and I can only rely on all of you. Just one vote from each person will get us there.

***

When these words came out, it was truly like a pot boiling over. Countless people immediately turned their eyes to Su Mu, their gazes filled with disbelief.

"So that’s it!" Yangx Kai thought, suddenly realizing the truth. He had been guessing Su Mu’s purpose all along, but after thinking it over, he had only come up with two possibilities: one was for profit, and the other was for fame. He never expected to be completely wrong; Su Mu’s actual goal was beauty.

Yangx Kai had seen Boss Hex’s daughter before. The little girl was quite Shuiling. Although she did not have kingdom-toppling beauty, she was still a lovely girl from a humble family with delicate features and a slender figure. She was only fourteen this year and was a famous little beauty in Wumei Town. Who would have thought that such a young girl would be targeted by Su Mu, bringing this trouble upon Hex’s Rice Shop.

"Stop your nonsense!" Su Mu’s face was flushed completely red as he tried to argue.

The man continued to sneer, "I am not spouting nonsense. Although my brother and I have some character flaws and often extort people, we would never do something like falsely accusing a Rice Shop of poisoning their rice and cutting off someone’s livelihood. You must know that all of you folks here are like parents who feed and clothe my brother and me. To cut off someone else’s livelihood is equal to cutting off our own path of survival, so why would I ever be willing to do such a thing? Everything was orchestrated by this kid."

These words were spoken so sincerely that they actually made the crowd laugh.

Yangx Kai asked at the right moment, "After the matter was completed, how much of a reward did he promise to give you?"

"Fifty taels of patterned silver!" the Great Han replied.

"Fifty taels, that’s quite a lot." Yangx Kai nodded gently.

Having listened for a while, Boss Hex naturally understood the whole story. He immediately glared at Su Mu and said disdainfully, "You despicable villain, to actually use such dirty tricks! How could my daughter ever take a liking to you? To think that Lingxiao Pavilion produced scum like you; it simply ruins Lingxiao Pavilion’s excellent reputation. You have a handsome face for nothing, yet your character cannot even compare to a ten-thousandth of Brother Yangx’s. It truly is true that the same rice feeds all kinds of people. I feel ashamed for your parents."

The other merchants joined in, hurling a barrage of disdainful insults and spitting on Su Mu’s despicable actions.

Su Mu’s face turned from Qing to red. He knew in his heart that after today, if he ever came to Wumei Town again, he would probably have to come with his face covered. And the source of all this disaster was this... Senior Brother in front of him! If it weren’t for him, he would have definitely won Boss Hex’s favor today. Then he could have visited more often in the future, making it convenient to interact with the Hex family’s daughter. Bearing the reputation of a chivalrous hero, he would have enjoyed the advantage of being close to her, and he might have even won the beauty’s heart. But now, all of this had become an illusion. Not only had his plan failed, but his reputation was also ruined.

Under extreme shame and anger, Su Mu’s expression actually calmed down. He stared coldly at Yangx Kai and asked, "How may I address you, Senior Brother?"

"Guess!" Yangx Kai winked at him.

Su Mu took a deep breath. "Even if you don’t tell me, I can still find out your identity. To have been in the Sect for more than three years and still not have broken through the Body Tempering Realm, you must be a Trial Disciple. There are no more than ten Trial Disciples in the entire Lingxiao Pavilion. Just you wait. I will properly settle this score with you."

After saying that, he actually turned around and walked out. Su Mu had some skills, after all. Even if someone blocked his way, he shoved them aside. Walking as if there was no one around, he nonchalantly left.

It was only after Su Mu left that the crowd remembered the two men who had been beaten into pigs’ heads. But where was there any trace of them at the scene? They had secretly run away while Yangx Kai and Su Mu were clashing.

This farce thus came to an end. However, Yangx Kai’s sharp eyes had exposed this fake trick, causing these merchants to praise him endlessly. Boss Hex, in particular, was so grateful to Yangx Kai that he could shed tears. Even the young waiter looked at Yangx Kai with a face full of admiration.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Mrs. Hex walked over. She grabbed Yangx Kai’s hand and refused to let go, growing fonder of him the more she looked.

Boss Hex revealed a worried expression. "Nephew Yangx, you offended that Su Mu today. I’m afraid you will have some trouble within the Sect in the future." After today’s incident, Boss Hex’s form of address for Yangx Kai had become affectionate.

"I’m not afraid," Yangx Kai smiled faintly. "The Sect naturally has its own rules. No matter how much he hates me, he can’t do anything to me."

"Although that may be so, you must be careful, Nephew. If today’s matter brings you any disaster, I, as an elder, will feel terrible."

"I will be careful," Yangx Kai consoled him.

Mr. and Mrs. Hex were grateful for Yangx Kai’s help today and insisted on keeping him for dinner. Yangx Kai originally wanted to agree, but a single sentence from Mrs. Hex scared him away.

"Little Yangx, are your parents still around? Where do you live? Are you married yet?"

Looking at this posture, Mrs. Hex probably wanted to upgrade herself to become his mother-in-law. Yangx Kai gave a vague reply and hurriedly slipped away.

Before leaving, he carried a large sack of white rice on his back, far exceeding the amount ten taels of silver could buy. With this, he wouldn’t have to worry about his meals for a month.

Originally, Yangx Kai was worried that Su Mu would ambush him on the road. After all, although Su Mu looked handsome and elegant, he was actually petty, malicious, and deceitful; it wasn’t impossible for him to set up a sneak attack. However, Su Mu didn’t appear even when Yangx Kai returned to Lingxiao Pavilion. Thinking about it carefully, it was sensible for him not to strike. Although many Disciples died during internal challenges in Lingxiao Pavilion, the Sect’s rules strictly forbade injuring or killing fellow Disciples without cause, especially outside the Sect. If he dared to ambush Yangx Kai out there, Su Mu himself would face an imminent disaster once exposed.

If Su Mu wanted to deal with him, he would definitely only make an issue out of challenges! As for whether he could find out his identity, that was beyond doubt. The number of Trial Disciples in Lingxiao Pavilion was scarce. Even if Su Mu didn’t know him before, casually asking around would make his identity clear. Yangx Kai hadn’t seen through this person’s true strength, but he was definitely also in the Body Tempering Realm. He just didn’t know exactly which level he was at. From the looks of it, he had to hurry up and Cultivate. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t be able to stay in Lingxiao Pavilion anymore.

With things on his mind, Yangx Kai hurriedly returned to his small hut. After resting for a bit, he began his Cultivation.

At this hour, it was no longer possible to Cultivate the Body Tempering Chapter, but he could Cultivate Lingxiao Pavilion’s Basic Techniques. These Basic Techniques were External Martial Arts used for Body Tempering, depleting one’s physical strength through External Techniques to temper the body. For instance, the Long Fist and whip kicks that Yangx Kai had executed when he was challenged before were precisely this kind of Basic Technique. Long Fist and whip kicks were not considered true Martial Arts; they could only be considered basics. However, this kind of Basic Technique was essential for every Sect and family.

In an empty clearing on the left side of Yangx Kai’s hut, there was a man-sized wooden dummy. He had made this himself, choosing century-old locust wood as the material. Its hard texture made it perfect for Cultivation. This wooden dummy was covered in pits and marks, and there were even faint traces of blood on it—these were precisely the marks left behind from Yangx Kai’s daily Cultivation.

Striking a stance, Yangx Kai began to bash against the wooden dummy, his blows landing with a loud THWACK THWACK THWACK. Every punch used all his strength, and every kick was as fast as a gale. The wooden dummy was struck so hard that it swayed continuously, emitting loud THUD THUD THUD sounds.

However, after Cultivating for only a moment, Yangx Kai felt that something was amiss. His fist and leg strength today seemed to be much greater than before; this could be clearly compared by the dummy’s swaying amplitude and the muffled sounds it produced. Moreover, as time passed, a warm, tingling sensation emerged beneath his flesh and above his bones. This was clearly a sensation coming from his Meridians. The Qi Sensing that had only just emerged in the morning gradually became clearer, surging continuously within his body. Starting from the Fourth Level of Body Tempering, one would develop Qi Sensing, which would then allow them to temper the Meridians in their body. This warm, tingling sensation was the sign of his Meridians being opened up.