Chapter 43 More Excitement Afoot

How utterly boring.

Zhang Chengyi had originally expected the fellowship of martial arts heroes to be somewhat interesting, but to his disappointment, it felt rather similar to corporate dinners back on Earth in his past life.

People carrying each other on litters, you flatter me with a line, I praise you with a sentence, and then everyone joins together to elevate the big shot sitting in the seat of honor—namely, himself.

Although having people fawn over him brought a tiny flicker of pleasure, the sudden, unbidden reminder of corporate culture instantly killed his enthusiasm. He couldn't even be bothered to keep up pleasantries, preferring instead to keep his head down, eating meat and drinking wine.

Even Duan Yu in the novels could trace the aroma all the way to the Songhe Tower; the mixed fragrance of caramel and soy sauce was indeed remarkably appetizing. The culinary skills of people in the Song Dynasty were not nearly as abysmal as one might imagine, and whipping up dishes that genuinely appealed to modern palates was entirely doable.

The others thought nothing of it. If the Gold Mountain Knight-Errant—revered throughout the pugilistic world as a demonic figure—were to chat and banter idly with them, that truly would have been a ghost sighting.

Such an arrogant demeanor, paired with an unrestrained, devil-may-care way of dining, was the hallmark of a true knight-errant.

It just went to show that whatever a mighty expert did was bound to be admirable.

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, Su Xinghe tossed down the silver to cover the expenses of the household head's consumption. Zhang Chengyi flatly refused the invitation to go make trouble for the people of Western Xia and led his men back to the inn.

It wasn't that he intended to let the Realm-Inspection Hall of Western Xia off the hook; the moment he heard those Western Xia thugs were tyrannizing the local populace, he had already mentally condemned them to death.

The Gold Mountain Knight-Errant was right here, yet they still dared to commit villainy and break the laws—wasn't that a blatant disregard for his golden reputation?

It was simply that he believed Qiao Feng would investigate and unearth something, and indeed, would be able to uncover something.

Therefore, he was willing to wait a little while, especially since it was only until the *Shen* hour.

Back at the inn, Su Xinghe and his disciples were discussing and pondering the body-tempering technique as usual. The current body-tempering technique was no longer just a martial art; it also touched upon pharmacology, engineering structures, and other miscellaneous studies, which happened to match their professional expertise.

There was little left to refine concerning the body-tempering movements; human anatomy and meridians were simply structured this way, and no amount of ingenuity could make them more intricate.

Even if a fool were to employ a brute-force exhaustive method, wasting a vast amount of time, they could still list out seven or eight out of ten body-tempering movements, let alone martial arts masters of Su Xinghe and Qiao Feng's caliber.

Aside from trying to use pharmacology to sluggishly impede the internal Qi, what they were currently working on was how to use internal Qi to better control the stray internal Qi scattered throughout the muscles and bones.

What kind of reactions would occur when different quantities of internal Qi collided? What effects would arise from collisions at different angles? How could internal Qi be made easier to control? These were all problems that needed resolution.

Zhang Chengyi couldn't wedge a single word into the conversation. Having downed a few extra bowls of wine back at the Songhe Tower, he lay down under the tree in the inn's backyard and drifted off to sleep before long.

As an entity born from a game modifier, his "game" did not log him out every time he fell asleep or into a coma. Sleeping was simply another "mode of gameplay," or rather, a gaming experience.

Much like eating and drinking, he could not achieve complete sensory synchronization; it felt as though a layer of fabric separated him from reality, yet this immersion barely allowed him to retain a shred of human feeling.

Caught in the haze between wakefulness and slumber, he finally slept his fill, opened his eyes, and sat up. The sky had already grown dim; the *Shen* hour spanned from three to five in the afternoon, and judging by the twilight, it was probably well past the halfway mark of the *You* hour.

Zhang Chengyi lazily rose, stretched his limbs, and followed the sounds to find the others.

Qiao Feng had already returned and brought along a captive—Helian Tiezhu, the Master of the Western Xia Realm-Inspection Hall.

"Big Brother Zhang," Su Xinghe greeted him, softly explaining the purpose of the Western Xia Realm-Inspection Hall's trip to the Jiangnan region.

It turned out Helian Tiezhu had intended to cause trouble for the Beggars' Sect, especially after the sect lost its chief and its two elders in charge of transmitting skills and enforcing discipline. However, they subsequently received an order from the Western Xia Dowager Consort commanding them to capture Ding Chunqiu.

"Wait, hold on. Ding Chunqiu is in Jiangnan?"

Zhang Chengyi paused in surprise. Was Wuyazi really that incompetent? Even after growing immeasurably stronger, he still let Ding Chunqiu escape?

The Western Xia Dowager Consort—wasn't that Li Qiushui? Why would Li Qiushui want to capture Ding Chunqiu as well? Didn't that seem somewhat fishy?

"Yes. According to Helian Tiezhu, they have already pinpointed Ding Chunqiu's location at a certain estate in Lake Tai. However, they were beaten back several times; Ding Chunqiu's poisons are truly troublesome. Last time, Murong Fu even intervened and drove off the Four Evildoers of the Realm-Inspection Hall."

"Because members of the Qingcheng Sect accepted the 'Yan' character flag of the Gusu Murong clan a few days ago and intended to come assist, they were captured by the Realm-Inspection Hall and are being used to threaten Murong Fu."

"Right now, the Four Evildoers are leading men to besiege that estate, locked in a stalemate with Murong Fu and the others."

As for the Beggars' Sect, it went without saying that they had tried to meddle in the affairs of the Western Xia interlopers and ended up defeated and captured.

"Well, this is getting lively." Zhang Chengyi rubbed his hands in excitement after listening to the explanation. "Old Su, your master didn't make a move, so now it's your turn to step up personally."

The Northern Demise Internal Qi was completely impervious to all poisons; the few of them were quite literally the living daddies of Ding Chunqiu.

A battle between the Realm-Inspection Hall and the Gusu Murong clan—he simply could not miss such a spectacle.

Never mind whether anything was amiss; as long as it was lively enough, that was all that mattered.

"Understood. Many thanks for your guidance, Big Brother Zhang." Su Xinghe was also somewhat stirred. Having suffered abuse and humiliation from his sect's traitor for thirty years, he now had the chance to exact vengeance with his own hands, and his emotions churned accordingly.

Soon, however, he considered whether Ding Chunqiu's flight to Jiangnan might have been arranged by his master all along.

"Brother Zhang, Qiao has one more favor to ask." Qiao Feng stepped forward to speak.

Zhang Chengyi could guess this fellow's intentions with his eyes closed. "Go rescue the Beggars' Sect disciples? Go ahead."

"Thank you." Qiao Feng cupped his fists in gratitude, then leapt away like a soaring bird.

"Big Brother Zhang, how should this person be dealt with?" Su Xinghe pointed at the unconscious Helian Tiezhu, who had been subdued with drugs.

Zhang Chengyi raised a hand and flicked a finger. With his vastly enhanced control over internal Qi, he finally no longer needed to push or strike with his palms; a mere fingertip could pierce the air and turn it into an air projectile.

*Bang!*

Helian Tiezhu's head burst open like a blossoming flower. Fortunately, Xue Muhua had run fast, otherwise he surely would have been splattered all over.

Tsk, how brutal.

Zhang Chengyi shook his head. What he had envisioned was an elegant fingertip piercing through to create a single neat hole, which would have looked quite dashing. Instead, causing the target to explode entirely—well, that was unexpected.

Su Xinghe maintained his usual expression and offered a subtle glance. Wu Lingjun, standing not far away, immediately came over to pack up the headless corpse. Seeing him carrying a hemp sack, it seemed he had long anticipated Helian Tiezhu's fatal end.

"Let's go, Old Su, come with me to the Mantle Manor." Having eaten his fill and slept well, Zhang Chengyi was naturally ready for action. The moment the words left his mouth, his body soared outward.

He completely failed to consider that he had no idea where the Mantle Manor was located.

Su Xinghe was momentarily stunned, though he didn't dwell on how the household head knew the manor's name, and leapt up to follow him.

In the novels, Duan Yu rowing a boat from the Listening-Fragrance Water Pavilion to Wuxi City took more than two hours, a truly considerable distance. But for a powerhouse like Zhang Chengyi, who could drift across a mile of lake surface on a random plank of wood, that distance was hardly enough.

Naturally, because he was entirely clueless about the whereabouts of the Mantle Manor, he wasted a vast amount of time drifting aimlessly across Lake Tai. Eventually, he resorted to his old trick: using both hands to push out a surge of internal Qi that blasted him into the sky. After multiple attempts, he finally located the besieged Mantle Manor deep in the night.