Chapter 18

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

Boom!

Xu Yi’s mind felt like it was exploding, like he suddenly had an epiphany.

His expression was observed by Master Zhou, who thought, This one can be taught. He then said, “One could even say that Martial Skills are not just the perfect combination of speed and power. For tens of thousands of years, after going through so many geniuses on the path of the Martial Way, and after being explored by the brilliant minds of the strongest in the world, the most intricate Martials Skills can very realistically improve or even surpass one’s usual speed and power.

“Just like you had mentioned earlier, a practitioner who is clearly at the peak of Body Forging who should only have the strength of one bull, but was able to perform an attack with the strength of three bulls. This is the advantage of Martial Skill. Perhaps, phrasing it this way is not so straightforward. Let me give you an example. Furong Town is bordered by water, with countless cargo ships going in and out. I believe all of you have seen the pulleys on top of the masts of the ships that are used for loading goods. An ordinary man uses pulleys to lift weights that are many times his own weight. It can be said that the relationship between Martial Skill and power is just like these pulleys. With the aid of a ‘pulley’, to be able to deliver an attack with the strength of three bulls, is that such a difficult concept to understand? In summary, your strength is your foundation, and Martial Skills are your methods. A strong and solid foundation coupled with exquisite method of delivery; that is the key to victory!”

Clap clap clap…

The hall erupted with a thunderous applause that seemed to never end.

Deep down, Xu Yi could only take his hat off to the Master. Only a person who had gone through it all could be able to deliver knowledge in such an exquisite manner.

However, as Xu Yi was admiring the Master and was about to rise again to ask another question, someone else beat him to it.

With such a performance from Master Zhou, no one remaining in the audience could possibly be left unaware of the greatness of the man that sat before them. If they missed the opportunity to ask a question, they would surely regret it for the rest of their lives.

With the situation as such, there was no chance left for Xu Yi. Within the next hour, the remaining seven questions were used up.

True to his word, Master Zhou answered all questions to the best of his ability. After the last question was asked, he picked up his wine gourd, stood up, and left. There was not a hint of hesitation. Truly the style of someone superior.

Watching the back of Master Zhou retreat further into the distance, Xu Yi’s heart sank a little.

Earlier on, the questions from fellow members of the audience had not been useless to him, but he still had one important question that he needed answered. Now, the opportunity was lost.

The sun rose higher into the sky, and a gentle wind blew, causing the bamboo to sway and rustle. It brought in a fresh aroma through the hall. Only after a while did Xu Yi finally come to his senses. He looked around, and the entire hall of people had practically vanished.

As Xu Yi was about to get up and leave, two loud knocks came from the door. The man in black, who was at the entrance of the hall testing those who wished to enter, had just knocked. He walked over with large strides and had a smile on his face. “You’ve put me through quite a search, Brother. I was outside looking for you. If I had not asked the right person, I might have missed you.”

“What business does Captain Gu have with me?” Xu Yi was rather curious.

“Fret not, Brother, it’s good business, good business. Right, I still do not know how to address you, Brother. Where are you from?” The man in black maintained his smile.

Xu Yi felt nervous, but without revealing anything on his face, he said, “What good business is there? Why don’t you tell me more first, Captain Gu.”

His name and his origins could not be so easily given to some outsider. Guang’an Prefecture was definitely a large place, but for an important person such as Zhou Daogan, it might as well be no more than a square inch. If he dared to reveal any hint of his current whereabouts, he would have to flee again with people coming after his life.

Hence, when the man in black asked for his name and his hometown out of the blue, Xu Yi naturally became wary.

The man in black””Brother, do not worry, I already have some idea of your situation. You were fished up from the Nielong River by Old Man Mu three days ago, and you’re now living at the Mu family’s. Am I right?”

“You’ve got some skill, Captain Gu.”

Xu Yi smiled, but his heart turned cold as he prepared for the worst case scenario.

The man in black waved his hands. “Don’t misunderstand, Brother. I’m here only to invite you to join Furong Town’s Dark Shirts. As for your actual identity and the identity of your enemies, I have no interest to know, and I do not wish to make an enemy out of you either.”

“Dark Shirts? I’m sorry, I really do not understand what you’re saying.”

Xu Yi was getting more and more confused.

The man in black stared blankly at Xu Yi. Then suddenly, he remembered that he was not speaking to a local. Perhaps Xu Yi had never even set foot into a large city before. He immediately explained, “The Dark Shirts are Furong Town’s police force. Put it this way; other than the army that protects the country, the Dayue Imperial Court also has police forces to enforce law and order in the rural areas. Their attire comes in five different colours: gold, purple, black, white and green. The Gold Shirts guard the capital, the Purple Shirts protect the borders, the Black Shirts maintain order at the state level, and the White Shirts take care of the prefecture level.

“Furong Town belongs to White Horse County, Guang’an Prefecture. The town’s police force falls into none of the usual categories, hence we are the Dark Shirts. I am the captain of Furong Town’s Dark Shirts. By work of chance today, I met you when I was testing you for the Martial Lecture Hall. Brother, I really feel that your skills are impressive and that you could go far, so I am inviting you to join us. What do you think, brother?”

With this, Xu Yi finally understood. The captain of Furong Town’s “local police force” had seen something in him and wanted to recruit him.

And from what he said, he seemed to imply that Xu Yi’s identity and background was not a concern at all as long as he was willing to join.

That was the major selling point for Xu Yi. Even though the Dark Shirts are the lowest ranking, as long as it could solve his problem of being an illegal immigrant, why not join them?

If he did not enjoy the work, he could simply leave. He did not believe that there was anyone who could hold him back.

With that thought in mind, Xu Yi held his fist in a salute. “You’re too kind. I accept!”

The man in black laughed heartily and firmly patted Xu Yi on his shoulders. “Brother, I promise that you will never regret this decision! Let’s get to know each other properly; I am Gu Jianming!”

Gu Jianming was truly overjoyed. Furong Town’s Dark Shirts were short on military force and definitely needed some reliable manpower.

Initially, he had not thought much of this outsider. But not long after the lecture ended, he thought about how impressive a certain “foreigner” was. After asking around, he had found out what the outsider had asked during the lesson.

With some careful thinking, Gu Jianming understood that if he could ask such questions, there was no way that he was any ordinary person.

Although his stage in the Martial Way was still low, it was evident that he had plenty of talent and plenty of room for improvement in the future.

When would be a better time to take such a budding talent under his wing if not now?

Making up his mind to recruit Xu Yi, Gu Jianming had begun to find out more about Xu Yi’s origins. Furong Town was not large, and with his status as a local police captain, there could not be a simpler task than finding out about an outsider in the town.

After finding out how Xu Yi had found his way to the Mu family, Gu Jianming had his own deductions on Xu Yi’s identity.

But he did not wish to delve further. In this day and age, revenge killings among martial artists were as common as eating and drinking. People who hide their true names and pasts are as common as fish in the river. Unless he was unbelievably bored, he would not be interested in digging up all this information.

With that said, even though Gu Jianming had no intentions of exposing Xu Yi, he had still accurately guessed that Xu Yi was hiding his identity. In order to entice him, he had mentioned the conditions of not needing to reveal one’s identity and past.

Just as he had guessed. He hit the nail on the head, and Xu Yi was roped in.