Chapter 5: A girl in white
Chapter 5: A girl in white
At the backyard of a certain inn.
A youth's silhouette could be seen dancing at the backyard, striking his fists from time to time which produced startling noise. Without a doubt, his fists could even kill a cow with a single strike!
Three days had passed since he left home. Each time he lodged in an inn, he would use all his free time to practise martial arts.
What was he practising right now was none other than Basic Fist Strikes and Basic Arts of Lightness.
As one of the five God-ranked players, Lin Yi had various ways to increase his strength quickly. The fastest way would be to keep killing people, obtaining combat experience points.
However, in reality, how could there be so many people for him to kill?
He didn't want the title of "Mad Slaughtering Devil" to be widespread before he even stepped into Huashan.
Other than battling, the other faster way would be to keep practising.
Naturally, the fastest method would be to practise various martial arts simultaneously. In this way, the martial arts that he practised simultaneously would be able to progress further.
Other than that, this kind of practise method was helpful to combat experience as well.
Along with the practise of fist strikes and arts of lightness, system notifications sound could be heard constantly.
Basic Fist Strikes +8 experience points (Initial stage: 508)
Basic Arts of Lightness +8 experience points (Initial stage: 508)
Basic Fist Strikes +9 experience points (Initial stage: 517)
Basic Arts of Lighntess +9 experience points (Initial stage: 517)
.
Basic Fist Strikes +10 experience points (Initial stage: 885)
Basic Arts of Lightness +10 experience points (Initial stage: 885)
Finished practising a set of moves of fist strikes and arts of lightness, he called it a day.
In a span of three days, Lin Yi raised the proficieny of both Basic Fist Strikes and Basic Arts of Lightness to 885 experience points of Initial stage.
Although there was still quite a way from 10,000 experience points needed to reach Novice stage, Lin Yi was quite satisfied with his progress.
"Yi'er, are you done practising?" Waiting Lin Yi to finish his practice, Lin Zhihu walked out of a corner with a smile.
"Uncle Hu!" Lin Yi greeted.
"To think based on just manuals, you only used three days to reach Initial stage in both Basic Fist Strikes and Basic Arts of Lightness. You are a martial arts genius indeed!"
Lin Zhihu was filled with emotions when he thought back that he had practised martial arts for dozens of years, though he missed the prime age for practising, causing his progress to slow down. Seeing Lin Yi started from scratch, relying on self-study to reach Initial stage and would soon catch up with him made him sigh helplessly.
This nephew of his was really a genius!
Lin Yi just smiled without replying because he had known very well he wasn't a genius. In the game, the fact that he could become one of the five God-ranked players, becoming the top existence of hundreds of thousands of players was inseparable with the efforts he had put into.
Ordinary people could only see his glorious side, yet they didn't know how much painstaking efforts he had to pay to learn martial arts.
Moreover, being able to surprise Lin Zhihu was all thanks to the game system.
This wasn't his real ability.
If he were to practise martial arts in the same way with people of pugilistic world, then he wouldn't be able to progress this fast.
In short, he was cheating using a cheat engine.
If he got arrogant just because of this, then he wouldn't be able to become one of the five God-ranked players.
He had clearly known, though the game system provided huge assistance, but it was only helpful during the start. When it got to middle and late phase, the game system's influence would gradually diminish. If it weren't for this, there wouldn't be only five players who managed to ascend to the peak and got the God-ranked title.
In the late phase, to progress further, one would have to rely on efforts and comprehension!
Only by truly comprehending the essence of the martial arts, one could progress leap and bounds!
Seeing Lin Yi kept his calm instead of became arrogant, Lin Zhihu mumbled in heart, this nephew of his was able to keep his calm despite his young age, his future must be immeasurable!
"Oh right, Yi'er, there's something I have been wanting to ask you. I have held it down for three days and it's really hard to endure any longer. Why didn't you tell Big brother and Big sister-in-law that you were the one who annihilated the Black Wind Stockade?" Lin Zhihu asked curiously.
Lin Yi went silent for a while, then replied, "Uncle Hu, I didn't want to let them know, lest they become worry. Another reason is for serenity. I don't want to be pestered by them asking how did I do it!"
"Alright then. I know you are carrying secrets on you. You have grown up, it's only right that you have your own secrets. Uncle Hu only hope that when you have accomplished in the future, you will still remember your parents, remember that you were also an ordinary people once." Lin Zhihu gazed at Lin Yi, which then turned solemn, "Nowadays, there are numerous people from pugilistic world who view ordinary people as weeds, forgetting the fact that they were once ordinary people as well. Uncle Hu can't change their perspective, but Uncle Hu hope that you will remember you original identity, so that Uncle Hu won't bring you to Huashan in vain."
"Uncle Hu will remember forever remember my original identity[1], thank you[2]!" Lin Yi nodded heavily. Previously in game, he had already known wanting to join a big sect like Huashan wasn't something that can be easily accomplished. Not to mention in reality, as the difficulty would only increase!
Although he always talked to Lin Zhihu plainly, he always remembered Lin Zhihu's favor in his heart. Without Lin Zhihu's help, joining a big sect like this would undoubtedly become more difficult, as it required a lot of time and effort.
But what Lin Yi lacked the most was time!
Chaotic warring period of pugilistic world was approaching, dangers lurked everywhere. At dawn, one's couldn't even know whether they could last till evening[3]. If he didn't utilized his time properly and get stronger as soon as possible, presumably he would even lose his life!
He owed Lin Zhihu a huge favor!
"Well, it is quite late now. We still have to hurry on our way tomorrow. Go and take a rest!" Lin Zhihu turned around after finished his words and went back to his room to sleep.
A night without words.
.
The morning of the second day.
Two people on their horse rushed out of the inn, galloping along the main road.
When the sun rose above their head, they had arrived at Leizhou City, where the headquarters of Dragon Escort Agency is situated.
"Yi'er, I will go to Dragon Escort Agency to handle some matters and ask for a leave from Escort Agency Head Chief. Wait for me in the teahouse in front of the escort agency."
Standing in front of Dragon Escort Agency, Lin Zhihu dismounted from his horse, handed it to Lin Yi and told him some instructions.
"Just go on, Uncle Hu!" Lin Yi nodded.
Lin Zhihu smiled and walked into Dragon Escort Agency. Leading two horses, Lin Yi walked towards the teahouse in front of the escort agency.
"Please sit, customer!" A waiter from the teahouse stepped forward, helped Lin Yi pull his horse and tied it to the stable at a side then led him to a seat.
Inside the teahouse, basically it was filled with people carrying blades and swords, dressed up like people from pugilistic world. These people glanced at Lin Yi. Seeing it was a youth with a common bow on his back and a common dagger at his waist, they turned away their glance and ignored him.
Though Lin Yi's robe was made of good material, but were there anyone in pugilistic world who was in poverty?
Even if they were tight on their hands, they could find someone wealthy, extort them, and they would have money flowing in.
It was only a youth with better clothing, normally would have mediocre martial arts, so he was unworthy of their attention.
Ordering a pot of Tieguanyin[4], he put down his bow and quiver of arrows on the table, looking at the pedestrians leisurely.
On the main road, he could see people from pugilistic world carrying their weapons and with ferocious looks everywhere.
Lin Yi smiled gently. The current him could also be considered to have entered the pugilistic world.
Although he was a nobody now, but who could say for sure that he wouldn't be able to become someone reputable in the future?
This was also the charm of the pugilistic world!
For reputation and power, they put their lives at risk, living a life filled with blood and under precarious state. None of them knew their future, would they be someone with widespread reputation or someone who failed and ended up as bones on road?
Because it was unknown, it was charming.
Lin Yi scanned around, shook his head slightly with disappointment. There wasn't a single expert on main road neither in the teahouse.
Most of them were figures with attack attributes around twenty, with their basic skills between Novice and Intermediate stage.
Someone with Novice stage mastery was already considered as an expert here.
Yet to him, as long as he could break their defense, then they weren't a threat to him!
Although he seemed unremarkable, only capable of basic skills and all of there were only at Initial stage, but combining his martial arts and his wonderful experience, it was enough to increase his combat capabilities by several folds.
Compared to the him at Black Wind Stockade, the current him had stronger combat capabilities by a lot.
This was the difference of being capable and incapable of martial arts.
Glancing around leisurely, Lin Yi who felt superiority for a moment, suddenly twitched his eyes.
A girl in white walked in the teahouse, followed by an hunched old man who was dressed like a servant. Lin Yi put all of his attention at the servant-like old man, a horrified expression flashed by his eyes.
An expert, a genuine expert!
His sense of danger escalated. In an instant, it reached the utmost level!
The old man's temple was bulging[5], a sign of someone with profound internal strength!
At the very least, he was an expert who had cleared twelve standard meridians!
Perhaps he had even cleared his extraordinary meridians!
Without fighting him, Lin Yi couldn't be sure as well. But he quickly put this old man into the list of existences he couldn't offend for now.
At the same moment he was also curious, being able to let an expert who had cleared twelve standard meridians and possibly extraordinary meridians to follow a girl like a servant, just what is this girl's background?
He moved his attention to the girl in white.
She looked like a thirteen or fourteen years old youth, with fair skin, pair of intelligent eyes, and a lovely nose, she was the depiction of beauty!
If she were to grow older, she would definitely become a peerless beauty who could bring calamities to her country!
The girl had very keen sense. Lin Yi merely glanced her slightly longer, she could accurately ascertain Lin Yi's position.
Frowning her brows, she looked at Lin Yi with disgust. Putting both her hands on her waist, she cursed loudly, "Dai[6]! That brat, what are you looking at this lady for? Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Lin Yi was stunned, realizing he was the person meant by the girl. Being stared by everyone in the teahouse made him feel embarrassed.
What he didn't expect was such a young beautiful and cute girl would have such temper. Only by looking at her for slightly longer and she wanted to gouge someone's eyes.
"Hey, little girl, you are so young, why bother to be so fierce?" Lin Yi didn't put much thought into it and retorted back at her.
"Whether this lady is fierce or not is none of your business!" The girl exclaimed ferociously, then seemed to think of something, her face suddenly was full of anger, angrily shouted, "What did you say about me? Little girl?"
She puffed out her chest, "Is this lady small?"
Seeing the tough personality of the girl, Lin Yi was speechless and really looked at her chest attentively, then he nodded while smacking his lips, "For someone of your age, it's not small anymore, instead it's pretty big."
Being looked at by Lin Yi for so long, the girl felt an itch at her chest. She felt a weird feeling, with a gradually flushing face, she screamed, "Rogue!"
Clutching at her chest, she ran away from the teahouse.
Lin Yi was just about to let out a whistle proudly that he had managed to tease a little girl, then a pair of cold eyes stared at him, which made him felt frozen all over!
His face paled. It was exactly that old man who was dressed like a servant who stared coldly at him with killing intent mingled within. Afterwards, the old man chased at the girl calmly. Though his pace seemed slow, his speed was fast, evidently he had practised higher grade arts of lightness with high level mastery.
"Phew!"
Lin Yi with his pale face was now dripping with cold sweats. Having visited hell for a moment there made his little proud feeling crumbled to fragments!
Reality had given him the harshest blow. He was no longer a God-ranked player who could command winds and rains as he pleased in game. The current him was a youth who hadn't grown up yet.
Though his wonderful experience was useful against bandits with superficial martial arts, but it meant nothing in front of a genuine expert!
He was far from being able to be proud of himself!
Wiping his sweats, Lin Yi led his two horses away, fearing that the girl would turn around to claim his life!
[1] raw said "" here, but I think he meant "Uncle Hu, I will forever remember my original identity" here.
[2] "" was used here. It is used to greet someone older than you or someone you respect.
[3] "", meaning in precarious state.
[4] "", a variety of oolong tea.
[5] "", is located at one's temple.
[6] "", a kind of interjection. Meaning calling out suddenly, to attract attention.