Chapter Fifty-Five: The Reward Is a Cultivation Technique

Hearing that the reward was actually a manual for martial arts techniques, Wind Startled was more interested than ever. Li Changsheng, that sly fellow, had never allowed him even a glimpse of such a thing. In fact, throughout the Wind family, even the little white dog in Lady Jiang's arms could learn a trick or two, while Wind Startled, the sole heir to the title, was left staring helplessly. There was no helping it; under Wind Xiaoman's strict orders, all that was expected of him was to produce offspring and ensure the continuation of the lineage. Martial arts could be taught to a dog, but he was forbidden even to touch them.

“A martial arts manual as payment? That’s hard for me to refuse!” he exclaimed. “But if a manual is the reward, I suppose the competition won’t be as simple as it seems…”

That much was clear—there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. To gain something, one must pay the corresponding price.

“Indeed, your opponent is very strong—a master of the Stone-Splitting Realm,” Mr. Fox replied, withholding nothing; no one here was a fool.

“What? Stone-Splitting Realm! Ha… Mr. Fox, are you taking me for a fool? If I could defeat a Stone-Splitting Realm master, why would I need your manual at all?”

“You really think you can win?” Mr. Fox rolled his eyes, his lips twitching with amusement. “The rules for this match are different. Your opponent has to defeat ten challengers in succession to earn the final reward. You’ll be the ninth. Your task is to last at least a quarter of an hour, and to drain his stamina as much as possible.”

“A quarter of an hour? That’s all?” Wind Startled asked instinctively.

“Simple, you say? Since the wager was placed three days ago, no one has lasted more than three moves against him. Did you think martial arts manuals were handed out like cabbages?” Mr. Fox replied.

Wind Startled had no reason to refuse, so he agreed at once. “All right, I accept! But I want half the manual now, and the other half before I step onto the stage.”

Mr. Fox hesitated, frowning, but eventually nodded in compromise. “Agreed. Two days from now, at the hour of the Dog, a small boat will meet you by the Wei River.”

With that, Mr. Fox pulled a small booklet from a hidden compartment in the wall. Without further ado, he tore it cleanly in two.

“According to the rules of the martial world, you should get the lower half, but I don’t doubt those I use, nor use those I doubt,” he said, tossing the upper half to Wind Startled, who caught it and began leafing through it on his own. The booklet contained both text and illustrations, which would take time to fully comprehend.

“Fine, I’ll take it back and study it. Maybe I can last a bit longer in two days…” Wind Startled didn’t waste words. With the deal struck, he waved a casual farewell and walked out.

Once he was out of sight, the previously smooth wall suddenly sank inward, and a person of indeterminate gender emerged from within. “This is one of the palace’s treasured manuals, and you’re giving it away so easily—aren’t you afraid His Highness will blame you?” The voice was soft and complaining, the demeanor and gestures reminiscent of an old eunuch, the face wrinkled and dusted with powder.

“No choice. Someone’s taken advantage of our mistake and is crushing the odds. If we lose, the minimum loss is one hundred thirty thousand taels! The gambling house will change hands, and everything we’ve built for His Highness over the years will be for nothing…” Mr. Fox rubbed his swollen temples. Truth be told, he had little confidence this time. Though on par in cultivation, after watching several matches, he couldn’t decipher the opponent’s methods. For absolute certainty, he had to pay a hefty price to add another safeguard.

“Why make it so complicated? If things get desperate, just send someone to…” The old eunuch drew a finger lightly across his neck.

“You make it sound easy. If the other side dares to meddle with the odds, they’ll be prepared for such tricks. There are only a few Break-Army Realm fighters in Chang’an. If we move, so will they, and we’ll be the ones at a disadvantage.”

“Fine, suit yourself. If you can avoid stepping in personally, do so—His Highness has already agreed to that matter, the date is set for the seventh day of the seventh month. Don’t let anything go wrong then…”

Mr. Fox nodded solemnly. “Tell His Highness not to worry. I will remove this thorn from his side.”

Seeing Mr. Fox still troubled, the old eunuch patted his shoulder in comfort. “Don’t worry too much—His Highness has people negotiating as we speak. I doubt the other side wants to break things off so soon. There may yet be a perfect ending…”

“Let’s hope so…” The conversation in the room dragged on, the atmosphere heavy throughout.

Meanwhile, Wind Startled, now in possession of half the manual, sat atop his green donkey, engrossed in its contents.

In truth, these so-called secret manuals were nothing more than breathing techniques akin to Daoist health practices, combined with specialized strength training to push the limits of the human body. The upper half contained many odd postures, movements to be assumed while practicing the breathing method. Wind Startled tried a few, but for him, the effect was negligible. If he practiced all day as instructed, it would be less effective than punching himself in the face. What might be a treasure for ordinary people was of little use to someone like Wind Startled, who was gifted beyond measure.

Still, it wasn’t entirely useless. At least, by breathing as instructed, the pain from his wounds diminished noticeably. And this was only half the manual. With the complete set, the next time he chose to self-inflict, he could spare himself much suffering.

Back at the Wind family mansion, he flopped onto the bed and fell asleep. It seemed he had barely closed his eyes when Li Changsheng’s knock sounded at the door. Morning had broken outside. Liu Lei, having not slept a wink, waited anxiously for dawn and then hurried to find Sun Wealth. After explaining his purpose, the two rushed to the Wind family in search of their main man.

Wind Startled, bleary-eyed and hair uncombed, watched as a stout and a thin figure barged directly into his room. Although it was a separate courtyard, it was still part of the Wind family’s inner quarters. Wind Startled didn’t mind, but anyone else would have thrown them out immediately.

“Third Brother, don’t blame me! This Liu fellow was pacing all morning, itching like mad. If he’d waited any longer, he’d have pulled his hair out by the roots,” Sun Wealth said, pouring two cups of tea—one for Wind Startled, the other for himself, which he sipped slowly.

“Your family is stingy. Guests come in, and you don’t even offer a cup of tea.”

“Be grateful. If Changsheng hadn’t snuck you in, do you think you’d be sitting here?”

Wind Startled stretched lazily, took the tea, and started shooing them away. “Done drinking? Then get going. This isn’t the place to talk business. If my sister comes back and sees you, she’ll bash you both with a rolling pin…”

Sun Wealth knew this all too well. Thinking of that formidable woman made his knees tremble with fear. As for Liu Lei, still unclear about the situation, he was dragged out in haste once more…