The night sky reigned over Golden Carp Town as De Ming and Bu Li delved deep into the town's "underworld."
An interconnected system of alleyways and manholes, shoulder, never knowing peace of mind
The atmosphere smelled of death and was barely lit by scattered torches. Beggars, criminals, and worse, the people here were always looking over their area was dirty, not just in the traditional sense, but also by its nature. De Ming's eyes flashed with shock as he realised the life these people led
"How do people live like this… "
De Ming muttered as he passed someone gnawing on bones to sustain themselves, while Bu Li was happily skipping along
"That's the neat part, benefactor. They don't. These people have lost their will to live months ago, they're just satiating their bodily needs at this point." Bu Li said these words casually
"Ope! We're here!" Bu Li exclaimed as he stopped his trot in front of a rundown building
The doors were gone, in their place were hung pieces of rag, obscuring its interior with the exception of gaping holes.
"Here?" De Ming asked as he looked the place up and down
"Doesn't look like a dojo to me, Bu Li."
"Well, that makes the two of us, smartass." Bu Li bantered cheekily before he cupped his hands over his mouth
"Oi! Lao Jiu! Help me train a Gu"
Bu Li's voice echoed the dark alleys, but no response came; he persisted
"Don't play dead! You still owe me a favor!"
"Goddamit, Bu Li! Let my old bones rest, will ya?!"
A groggy and elderly voice ran from within the house as the rags for the door pulled open. A balding old man, skinny and weathered, walked out with a sour expression
"Lao Jiu, help school this Gu for me, he's a real specimen, he'll do great, plus he–"
Bu Li excitedly rambled on as he pointed towards De Ming, who was standing awkwardly, fidgeting with the fabric of his clothes, his disinterest was quite visible, pissing the elderly beggar off
"Oi, kid! Aren't ya here to learn? Quit loitering and get in here!"
Lao Jiu yelled as he gestured De Ming inside
Reluctantly, De Ming lifted the rags and followed him in on high alert as Bu Li skidded behind him
The insides were surprisingly spacious, cracked walls draped in cobwebs, the floors dusty but not as dirty as De Ming expected, no furniture to speak of except for an old hammock, possibly Lao Jiu's only belonging
The moonlight crept in through a gaping hole in the ceiling, illuminating a circle of light in the middle of the house
"Alright, kid, let's get started," Lao Jiu said as he stepped into the circle of moonlight, now wearing a pair of round glasses with broken lenses
"Oh boy, he's in professor mode," Bu Li remarked joyfully
"What does that mean?" De Ming asked as he also stepped into the circle
"Ignore him, kid, they used to call me the professor, back when I still did Gu fighting." Lao Jiu grunted as if remembering something distasteful
"He was the best Gu fighter there was, he hadn't lost a match yet! He forcefully kept his cultivation at the early third-rate realm all this time, honing his battle sense to extreme levels. I even heard rumors that he had trained every single Low-Bronze martial art in town to perfection. Also–"
"Oh, would ya shut up already?!"
"My bad." Bu Li replied meekly
Lao Jiu turned his his to face De Ming, lifted a hand and waved it tauntingly
"Show me what ya got, kid."
De Ming grinned confidently as he strode forward, flaring his Qi, and then tried to hit him with a Crimson Flame Palm despite its terrible strain
Lao Jiu smiled and turned his body, the palm grazed past him entirely before he leveraged his momentum to elbow De Ming in the chest
De Ming tried to react, but it was too late; he was already too deep in a palming motion
A solid thud ran out as De Ming fell to the floor
"First lesson, kid, it's important to learn martial arts relevant to your cultivation realm. One has four proficiency levels to learning a martial art: novice, familiar, mastered, and perfected." He paused as he adjusted his glasses
"The reason you missed is simple: that martial art you're using is beyond your cultivation level, so you're stuck at a familiar level with it. I recommend you pick up something else, your moves are too predictable right now." Lao Jiu spoke words of wisdom
De Ming slowly stood up, grasping his chest in pain, but he chose to continue
"Again!"
"Very well, kiddo."
De Ming gritted his teeth, opened his dantian then launched himself forward using Flowing Reed Steps to close the distance. De Ming appeared behind Lao Jiu and attempted to grapple him
Lao Jiu jumped up and kicked down both his legs, slamming them against De Ming's back, throwing him to the ground
"Lesson two, Qi regulation. You're putting in more Qi than required for your techniques, kid. You're not only wearing yourself out, but also giving your opponents tell signs of your technique. Martial arts are split into five major grades: Low to High Bronze, then Silver, Platinum, Gold, and Heaven, with each grade requiring more Qi and expertise than the last. So, use your Qi appropriately."
De Ming clutched his back as he stood up, a flame of determination lit in his eyes. Even De Ming could tell that the Lao Jiu wasn't simple; he had yet to use Qi or martial arts against him. This man is fighting with instinct alone
"Again!"
"A tenacious one, huh? Bu Li hit the jackpot this time."
De Ming rushed in without using martial arts to be unpredictable. Lao Jiu smiled and raised his fists. They started to braw, raw, unrefined, and unrestrained by martial honor. They fought dirty
De Ming tried anything he could, but in the end, he couldn't even land one good hit
Lao Jiu, on the other hand, was terrifyingly efficient, giving De Ming's resilience a run for its money
Eventually, De Ming collapsed from exhaustion and bruising. In the end, he was thoroughly outclassed
"You've got potential, kid, your adaptability is frankly terrifying. But that's gonna get you nowhere without a proper cultivation base. Listen up, youngling, in Jianghu, cultivation realm alone determines most of your strength. There are 7 realms: Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate, Expert Realm, Master Realm, Transcendental Realm, and finally Unrestrained Realm. If your opponent is a realm or two higher, you're out of luck, run"
De Ming groaned as Bu Li lightly massaged his sore body
"You've done well today, kiddo."
De Ming rolled his eyes.
'I did well?' All he did was get beaten up by an old man, De Ming sighed as he cursed his clumsy steps
"Here, take this."
Lao Jiu said as he threw De Ming a worn wooden scroll
"This is–"
"The Staggering Tiger's Claw, a Low-Bronze technique, it'll help ya fight dirty, and it fits your level, yer still too honest with strikes." He chuckled as he moved to his hammock
"The professor giving out free stuff?! That's unheard of–"
"Shut up, Bu Li, I'm doing your Gu a favor, so quit it."
"Haha, fine."
De Ming stood up, dusted his travel robes, and cupped his hand at Lao Jiu, showing respect
"I'll be going, old man, I'll be here the same time tomorrow."
Lao Jiu waved his hand dismissively and went to sleep
De Ming walked out of the alleyways with Bu Li's guide, bid farewell for today, and went back to the Drifting Cloud Pavilion
=====================================================
It was now close to midnight, yet the streets were just as busy as when they first arrived. The Golden Carp Town's nightlife was impressive as ever
De Ming limped his way back and went inside the now-closed restaurant, hoping to ask the staff where Zhu Lian was. But just as he pushed the door in. He saw Zhu Lian pacing fast between the tables, her expression a mix of worry and slight agitation
"Zhu Lian? Why are you still here?" De Ming asked meekly
Zhu Lian paused in her track and turned to De Ming
"I was waiting for you, idiot! Where have you been all da–" She paused, noticing his battered form
"De Ming!? What happened? Did that Li Wei do this?!"
Zhu Lian raised her voice as she hastily ran to him, checking his body up and down
"No, Li Wei left a while ago…. Would you believe me if I said I fell down?" De Ming chuckled awkwardly as Zhu Lian made a frustrated expression
Zhu Lian pinched her brow and complained
"Why is it that you get yourself so badly injured every time De Ming… " She paused, her face shifted to sadness
"I understand that you're keeping secrets from me, I don't mind that … but you promised to protect me, didn't you? How can you fulfill that if you can't even protect yourself… "
"Zhu Lian… " De Ming's voice was guilt-ridden, and he paused before pulling Zhu Lian in for a warm hug
Her body trembled in sadness, causing De Ming to hug he tighter
"I'm doing this to become stronger, Lian. I'll tell you everything eventually. Believe in me, please," De Ming whispered into her ears as he felt her body go stiff
Zhu Lian pushed him away and covered her face, which was now flushed pink
"W-whatever! Just don't overdo it! You make me worry!"
Zhu Lian frantically shouted before she stormed upstairs, unable to keep talking with him due to her embarrassment
"This restaurant has resting rooms upstairs! Mine is numbered 03, don't you dare enter!"
Zhu Lian shouted from upstairs before De Ming heard her slam her door
De Ming chuckled, finding her antics cute. He went upstairs and randomly picked out a room, went inside, spread some salve over his bruises, and knocked himself out