Chapter 2034: Practice

After a brief awkward moment, the people on the street dispersed with dry coughs.

They were already accustomed to seeing Yang Ge Lao beaten up, but today, they regarded the new owner of the teahouse with newfound respect. Anyone brave enough to kick Yang Ge Lao had to be a formidable individual.

Ye Chen remained calm. Every time Old Yang got a beating, he was there to witness it from beginning to end.

Yang Xuan emerged, glanced at Ye Chen, then closed the door again. He had intended to step out for some fresh air, but ended up getting knocked back inside. Zhu Xian Zhen was bustling with people, and it seemed to have more than its fair share of eccentrics.

“This is just how the local customs are; you’ll get used to it.”

Ye Chen threw a charming glance at Yang Xuan.

“I’ve noticed.”

Yang Xuan returned the look.

The street gradually returned to its usual state.

Yang Ge Lao was in a sorry state, clutching his aching back, feeling utterly humiliated. He was a master of martial arts, after all, yet he kept getting beaten up every few days, losing all his dignity.

This time, he retreated and behaved himself, not daring to knock on Xia Lan’s door again.

Outside, Ye Chen welcomed new guests.

It was the same Taoist from the east of town who practiced fortune-telling. He came again, not for a reading this time, but to become a disciple, bringing a pile of gifts and staring eagerly at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was always direct with such individuals – a slap usually sufficed.

But he had underestimated the Taoist’s persistence. The man showed up every day without fail, even after being beaten, developing a thick skin. Eventually, Ye Chen felt reluctant to hit him anymore.

Unable to withstand the constant pestering, Ye Chen decided to teach him something. It wasn’t fortune-telling, however; it was pulse diagnosis, essentially becoming a physician.

The Taoist was overjoyed. Whether it was fortune-telling or medicine, as long as it made money, he was content. That was his sole objective.

That night, Ye Chen wandered the street with his divination tools, feeling bored.

The pedestrians who recognized him were quite polite. After several accurate predictions, they knew he was a master of the craft and treated him with respect. Some wealthy families even sent silver periodically to foster goodwill.

Ye Chen accepted everything they offered – it was free, after all.

Back in the small garden, he put down his tools and said leisurely,

“I’ve noticed you’ve been following me. What’s your purpose?”

As he spoke, a gust of wind arose, and a figure leaped into the garden. It was Yang Xuan. After more than ten days of recovery, his injuries had healed, and his inner force was remarkably profound.

“No particular reason, just wanted to spar with you.”

Yang Xuan chuckled.

“It’s an honor for this old man to be taken seriously by Yang Xuan.”

Ye Chen took out a wine flask and casually took a sip.

“My apologies in advance.”

Yang Xuan laughed heartily; he was always ready for a fight. He struck out with a fierce palm, the wind howling, accompanied by the sound of dragon roars – pure, forceful yang energy.

Ye Chen didn’t dodge or evade; he simply raised his hand and struck back with a palm.

Boom!

Their palms collided in midair, creating a thunderous explosion that sent tables and chairs flying in the garden.

Ye Chen stood firm, unmoved, while Yang Xuan stumbled back seven or eight steps before barely regaining his balance. A sweetness rose in his throat, and fresh blood trickled from his mouth.

“What powerful inner force.”

Yang Xuan wiped the blood away, his eyes gleaming with excitement, his fighting spirit even stronger.

With that, he channeled his inner force into a protective gang qi, enveloping his entire body – it was the legendary Tian Gang Hu Ti.

“I wonder if your gang qi is tougher, or my sword qi is.”

Ye Chen lightly waved his hand, transforming his inner force into a sword qi that shot towards Yang Xuan. The sword qi was incredibly strong, ringing sharply and sparking in the air, with the momentum of thunder and mountains, its piercing power overwhelming.

Yang Xuan’s expression changed, and he hurriedly channeled more inner force to reinforce his Tian Gang Hu Ti.

Crack!

In an instant, the gang qi shield shattered like paper, pierced by the sword qi, which also carved a bloody gash on Yang Xuan’s shoulder. He staggered back three or five steps.

If outsiders had witnessed this, they would have been shocked.

Who was Yang Xuan? The third-ranked expert in the martial world, with Tian Gang Hu Ti at an otherworldly level. The only one who could break his defense was Du Gu Jian Sheng. Yet now, it had been effortlessly shattered, which would shake the entire martial world if word got out.

“You’re Ling Feng.”

Yang Xuan clutched his shoulder, spitting blood as he knelt on one knee, staring intently at Ye Chen.

Ling Feng? Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that the Ling Feng Yang Xuan mentioned must be some kind of expert.

He could tell from Yang Xuan’s expression.

“I never expected the great Du Gu Jian Sheng to be hiding in such a remote town, working as a fortune-teller. It’s quite a surprise.”

Yang Xuan shakily stood up and slowly approached, looking at Ye Chen with a mix of sigh and wonder. “Where did you learn that disguise technique? You even fooled me. And your talent for bluffing is impressive too. But what shocks me most is your skill – it’s improved even further.”

Hearing this, Ye Chen stroked his chin.

Clearly, Du Gu Jian Sheng was Ling Feng’s name, and Yang Xuan had mistaken him for Du Gu Jian Sheng. It made sense; the only one who could break Tian Gang Hu Ti was Du Gu Jian Sheng, so anyone else would think the same.

Ye Chen just shook his head and smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.

Yin Shan Lao Dao had mistaken him for Yang Xuan, Yang Ge Lao had thought he was Yin Shan Lao Dao’s disciple, and now Yang Xuan believed he was Du Gu Jian Sheng. He already had two identities; he didn’t mind adding another. Let them think what they wanted – the main thing was, he was too lazy to explain.

“Take off the mask! It’s rude to wear it around an old friend.”

Yang Xuan stepped forward, looking annoyed, and reached out to rip off Ye Chen’s mask.

Ye Chen sidestepped and laughed.

“Wearing it makes me feel more at ease.”

“Suit yourself.”

Yang Xuan didn’t press further. He plopped down under a tree, pulled out a wine flask from his waist, took a big gulp, wiped his mouth, and asked, “Do you know why Yan Wang is after me? What did I do to him?”

“Yan Wang wants to get Yin Shan Lao Dao to help with tomb exploration. But as soon as he arrived, you stole his family heirloom. Yin Shan Lao Dao was furious and demanded your head as the price for helping. Yan Wang is after the gold and treasures in the tomb, so of course he has to go along with Yin Shan Lao Dao.”

Ye Chen coughed lightly.

“Damn it all.”

Yang Xuan cursed loudly. “When did I ever steal his treasure? This is my first time here. And that Yin Shan Lao Dao – I last saw him three years ago. I didn’t provoke him, and now he’s scheming against me like this.”

“Take it easy; maybe he’s just having a bad day.”

Ye Chen patted Yang Xuan on the shoulder.

“Bad day? That’s one hell of a bad day!”

Ye Chen’s words only fueled Yang Xuan’s anger. He exploded on the spot, ranting, “The entire martial world is hunting me, and I’ve faced over a hundred thousand troops blocking my way. What the hell did I do to deserve this?”

Ye Chen coughed again and decided not to say more. It was normal for Yang Xuan to be furious.

This mess wasn’t really Yin Shan Lao Dao’s fault – it was all because of that Tian Gang Hu Ti, which had stirred up chaos across the land.

“You sneaky Yin Shan, think you’re living too long, huh?”

Under the tree, Yang Xuan kept cursing, finally venting his pent-up rage. The whole pursuit was thanks to Yin Shan Lao Dao. As the third-ranked expert, how could he tolerate this?

“Just stay put in Zhu Xian Zhen for now, don’t run around, and wait for things to blow over.”

Ye Chen handed him a flask of wine.

Yang Xuan took it and downed it in one go. Though he wanted to settle scores with Yin Shan Lao Dao, now wasn’t the time. That old man would have experts protecting him, making it hard to strike.

Soon after, Yang Xuan got up and left the small garden.

All Ye Chen could do was rub his brow.

Whether he admitted it or not didn’t matter anymore. The issue was that Yan Wang needed Yin Shan Lao Dao’s help, so regardless of whether it was really Yang Xuan, Yan Wang had to order the hunt. Compared to a martial arts expert, Yan Wang valued the tomb’s treasures more – they were key to his dream of unifying the world.

What a mess!

Ye Chen scratched his head and headed toward the house.

But after just two steps, he suddenly turned and bolted in the other direction, because he caught a whiff of an enchanting scent in the air.

“Where are you rushing off to like that?”

An ethereal female voice rang out, full of allure.

Before the words faded, a figure materialized in front of him under the moonlight, like a dream.

Who else could it be but Xie Mo?

“Senior, what brings you here?”

Ye Chen chuckled nervously, backing away as he laughed.

“Nothing much, just that my hand is feeling a bit itchy again.”

Xie Mo stepped forward and pinned Ye Chen down with one hand.

In the quiet night, the tenth prince of Da Chu’s miserable screams echoed as legendarily as ever, reaching the street and making passersby turn their heads, thinking someone was slaughtering a pig.

The one feeling most like crying was Ye Chen. He had no idea why Xie Mo kept beating him up, coming every so often to give him a thrashing, never holding back – it was like she was trying to kill him.

He finally understood – this woman was truly evil! She never did anything normal in her life, and somehow, he always got dragged into it.

With that, the evil god visited once more, leaving him seriously injured – minor cases meant bruises and a swollen face, worse ones meant broken bones.

PS: Tomorrow’s update time: 7 PM