chsdbacks Chapter 6: Stepping on Three Layers of Clouds!
Chapter 6: Stepping on Three Layers of Clouds!
"Young Master Escort, although you killed the villain Tian Boguang and made friends with the Hengshan Sect this time, you should still be more careful next time you make a move."
While everyone was cleaning up the scene, Chief Escort Cui whispered his advice.
He was really scared out of his wits just now.
"I acted impulsively this time. Thanks for the reminder, Chief Escort Cui."
Lin Pingzhi readily admitted his mistake.
In fact, his move this time was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of careful planning.
Previously, he spent one hundred taels to visit a famous teacher and finally obtained guidance from Tian Boguang.
During this process, the two had competed countless times.
This memory remains in my mind.
In other words, he was very familiar with Tian Boguang's moves and had a thorough understanding of his weaknesses in swordsmanship.
Tian Boguang knew nothing about him.
It was precisely because of this information gap and Tian Boguang's underestimation that he risked injury to seize the opportunity and eliminate this lecherous thief.
Seeing that Lin Pingzhi admitted his mistake, Chief Escort Cui said nothing more.
Regardless, the current outcome is good.
Bai Er, the porter, stepped forward excitedly and said:
"Young Master Escort, we've struck it rich this time! Besides a secret manual, this lecherous thief also has over 1,100 taels of silver on him."
Lin Pingzhi was not surprised.
villains like Tian Boguang do not engage in production; they spend their days robbing and oppressing the good and honest, and must have amassed a considerable fortune.
He took the package, first taking out ten taels of silver and handing it to the hotel owner as compensation for the damaged tables and chairs.
He then took out another three hundred taels of silver and distributed them to the brothers of the escort agency.
Everyone held the silver, their faces beaming with joy, and they felt even greater respect for the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort).
Finally, Lin Pingzhi instructed Bai Er and Chen Qi to collect Chi Baicheng's body.
Then, he took out paper and pen and wrote a letter to the Taishan School.
The letter offered an explanation for Chi Baicheng's death, and then praised Chi Baicheng's actions, saying that he was worthy of being a disciple of the Taishan Sect.
Lin Pingzhi handed the letter to Chen Qi, then took out three hundred taels of silver and instructed him, "Chen Qi, please have someone escort Brother Chi's body back to the Taishan Sect."
Everyone was deeply moved.
The desire to return to one's roots is a universal human aspiration.
Lin Pingzhi's actions not only showed respect for the deceased, but also left the Taishan Sect indebted to him.
The death of Tian Boguang brought him the opportunity to befriend two major sects.
If Tian Boguang knew this in the afterlife, he would have no regrets.
-----------------
After lunch, we rested in our hotel room.
Lin Pingzhi opened Tian Boguang's "Stepping on Three Layers of Clouds".
"No wonder Tian Boguang was able to escape from being surrounded by so many martial arts masters; his lightness skill played a crucial role."
According to the manual, the "Reverse Step Three Clouds" technique includes two variations of footwork: forward stepping and backward stepping. It emphasizes reverse maneuvering and can achieve rapid changes of direction in confined spaces.
Lin Pingzhi's mind stirred, and the blue, semi-transparent screen reappeared in his eyes.
Name: Lin Pingzhi
Martial Arts: * **Evil-Repelling Swordplay (Abridged Version)** (Complete), * **Heaven-Turning Palm** (Beginner), * **Evil-Repelling Swordplay (Complete Version)** (Not Beginner), * **Reverse Triple Cloud Stepping** (Not Beginner)
Silver: Four thousand five hundred and twelve taels
The four thousand five hundred and twelve taels included one thousand taels given privately by the mother and three thousand taels given by the father for daily maintenance and navigating relationships.
And the more than 500 taels that were just swindled from Tian Boguang.
"Spend a thousand taels to practice 'Upside-down Three-Layer Clouds'."
"Thanks!"
Since he didn't know how much money "Treading on Three Layers of Clouds" would cost, Lin Pingzhi dared not invest all of it.
The number of silver coins on the panel kept decreasing.
Four thousand five hundred and twelve taels... four thousand four hundred and twelve taels... four thousand two hundred and four eleven taels...
at the same time.
At the same time, lines of prompts flashed at the bottom of the panel:
[Due to your weak internal energy, you spend one hundred taels to purchase elixirs to improve it.]
[Through continuous practice, your progress in "Stepping on Three Layers of Clouds" has improved.]
[You visited many famous teachers, and Li Mochou, upon hearing of your righteous act of killing Tian Boguang, praised you and offered to teach you for a day free of charge, raising your "Three Layers of Clouds" to the beginner level.]
And this effect too.
Lin Pingzhi's eyes lit up.
Without spending a single penny, this time I essentially got Li Mochou for free.
[Due to your weak internal energy, you spend 300 taels of silver to purchase elixirs to improve it.]
[Through continuous practice, your progress in "Stepping on Three Layers of Clouds" has improved.]
You visited many famous teachers, spending three hundred taels of silver, but gained nothing.
You spent two hundred taels of silver to invite Yun Zhonghe to a pleasure boat in Yangzhou. Yun Zhonghe was overjoyed and generously shared his secrets of lightness skill with you, allowing you to raise your "Three-Layered Clouds" skill to the minor mastery level.
You visited many famous teachers, spending a hundred taels of silver, but gained nothing.
[Your silver has been exhausted; this upgrade is now complete.]
Another thousand taels.
Lin Pingzhi felt a pang of heartache.
It can be seen that the cost of "Treading on Three Layers of Clouds" was significantly higher than that of "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual".
But it's worth it!
At this moment, a series of experiences flashed through his mind: purchasing elixirs to cultivate internal energy, discussing lightness skills with Li Mochou, and getting to know Yun Zhonghe...
The injury to his right arm that was previously slashed by Tian Boguang has healed.
He stood up, circulated his internal energy slightly, and felt as light as a swallow. He moved around the room, darting and shifting, without making a sound.
This "Reverse Stepping on Three Layers of Clouds" technique truly lives up to its reputation as an essential skill for both home and travel, and even for killing.
-----------------
When they set off again, Cui, the head镖师 (bodyguard), and his men were noticeably more respectful towards Lin Pingzhi.
If the previous respect was due to Lin Pingzhi's status, now it's more because of Lin Pingzhi's martial arts skills and way of doing things.
"Chief镖师 Cui,镖师 Lin, may I ask which sect you two belong to?"
Lin Pingzhi asked curiously.
The staff of Fuwei Escort Agency are divided into two categories.
One type consists of those trained by the Fuwei Escort Agency itself, such as Chief Escort Shi, Bai Er, and Chen Qi; this group constitutes the majority. The Fuwei Escort Agency has spanned three generations, cultivating numerous personnel. The defining characteristic of this group is loyalty; there's no need to worry about betrayal during escort missions. However, their martial arts skills are relatively weaker.
After all, his father Lin Zhennan's martial arts skills were only considered third-rate in the martial arts world, so the number of disciples he could teach was naturally limited.
Another type consists of skilled individuals hired from outside, such as Chief Escort Cui and Master Escort Lin, whose martial arts skills are relatively high.
Chief镖师 Cui replied, "Young镖师, I am from Nanyang, Henan, and I come from the Funiu School."
Lin, the bodyguard, replied, "Young Master Lin, I am from Suzhou. I studied swordsmanship at a local martial arts school for a few years in my early years. Later, I longed to become a disciple of the Hengshan School, but unfortunately, I have never been able to achieve this." He then looked wistful.
Lin Pingzhi shook his head inwardly. Although Fuwei Escort Agency had some reputation in the Jiangnan region, in the eyes of sects like the Five Mountains Sword Sect, it was ultimately just an ordinary escort agency. Naturally, the disciples of the Five Mountains Sword Sect were unwilling to come.
Thinking of this, Lin Pingzhi said loudly, "Chief Escort Cui, Chief Escort Shi, and all the brothers, if you don't mind, we can spar with each other and exchange martial arts insights when we rest during our journey in the future."
Upon hearing this, Lin, the bodyguard, was overjoyed and said, "Thank you so much for your kindness, young master! It's no problem at all!"
Having witnessed Lin Pingzhi's swordsmanship firsthand, he knew perfectly well that Lin Pingzhi was instructing him.
In the martial arts world, sectarianism is common, and few people are willing to give guidance to others without a reason.
After all, it was common for disciples to starve to death or kill their masters.
Lin Pingzhi continued:
"From now on, when we take a break from our escort missions, we can practice and learn from each other."
The crowd cheered and applauded.
Lin Pingzhi also had his own considerations.
A hero with three gangs.
If Fuwei Escort Agency wants to establish itself in the martial arts world, or even grow stronger, it cannot rely on his own strength alone.
What he needs to do now is to make many friends in the martial arts world and cultivate the strength within the escort agency.
-----------------
Time flies, and more than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.
They spent the day camping out in the suburbs.
The group found a wide-open flat area and lit a campfire.
The firelight illuminated each face, and the firewood crackled and popped.
Bai Er lowered his long sword in dejection and asked in confusion:
"Young Master Escort, my strike was clearly about to hit you, how come you always managed to dodge it so easily?"
Lin Pingzhi explained with a smile, "Bai Er, when you slashed out, the force was strong and heavy, but the mistake was that you were 'too hasty'."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears: "Before you drew your sword, you were focused on 'hitting the target,' and that obsession caused you to reveal your weaknesses. What I need to dodge isn't your sword, but these weaknesses you exposed before you drew it."
After exchanging and sparring with Tian Boguang, Li Mochou, and Dongfang Bubai, his understanding of martial arts has far surpassed that of Bai Er, Chen Qi, and others.
When he was teaching everyone martial arts techniques, he did not directly teach knife or sword techniques, but started by imparting basic theories.
After observing for several days, he discovered that Bai Er and Chen Qi were the most talented, so he intended to focus on cultivating them.
Bai Er was stunned for a moment before scratching his head and saying, "A flaw? I didn't sense it..."
Chen Qi chimed in, "Bai Er, if you could sense things, you wouldn't have been toyed with like a spinning top by the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort).
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
After spending these past few days together, everyone truly witnessed how terrifying the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was.
Take Tian Boguang's "Stepping on Three Layers of Clouds" as an example. Cui Biaotou, Shi Biaotou, and others also practiced it, but their progress was far behind Lin Pingzhi's.
What's even more frightening is that the young镖头's understanding of martial arts far surpasses theirs.
A few simple words of guidance can enlighten someone.
Not far away, Chief Escort Cui looked in this direction and exclaimed sincerely, "Genius! I've witnessed another genius."
He seemed to remember something, and a pained expression appeared on his face.