White-Robed Chief

Su Ru said, “I’ll lend you the book for several days. But no one can know about it, because it belongs to the Lady!”

“I’ve already noted all of it down.” Chu Li smiled and passed the book back to her. “Thank you Chief, and to the Lady too.”

Su Ru reached out and took the book back, keeping it in her sleeves. “Ah, I forgot that you have a photographic memory. The Lady has asked me to convey to you that cultivation should be done promptly. So don’t mess up your priorities, focus on mastering the Sentient Menace technique.”

“Of course.” Chu Li nodded slowly.

He pictured the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait once again, as the six postures of the tigers vividly presented itself in his mind.

However, when he used the Omniscient Mirror this time, he noticed a large surge of invisible energy that diffused from out of nowhere. It was as if there were countless of invisible needles piercing into his body.

After these needles had pierced through his flesh, his body started to experience changes. Although very minute, these changes could not fool the Omniscient Mirror. His flesh became increasingly dense and compact, as if the impurities were purged from his body.

Su Ru saw him close his eyes. She shook her head as she knew that he was trying to picture it again.

It would always be frustrating when you compare yourself with others. She had tried to cultivate the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait before, but it was to no avail. She could not even visualize the pictures; when she closed her eyes, all she saw was darkness.

When Chu Li opened his eyes suddenly, the spark in his eyes flashed once before it vanished.

“How was it?” Su Ru asked.

Chu Li shook his head. “It was a little weird.”

“What is it?”

“It felt like something was missing.” Chu Li frowned and said in a lowered voice, “This Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait manual is incomplete, isn’t it?”

“You could make that out?” Su Ru was surprised.

Chu Li said, “Don’t tell me that it’s really incomplete, is it?”

“Yes, this is only the first half of it.” Su Ru nodded and said, “Everyone out there thought that the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait was lost forever. To be able to recover the first volume was already considered very lucky, but we’ve never heard of the second volume.”

Chu Li creased his brows.

Su Ru said, “The Lady mentioned that this volume is so powerful that it would be sufficient for you to cultivate the Sentient Menace. There is no need to seek for the other half.”

Chu Li remained silent.

Su Ru rolled her eyes and said, “What? You still want to look for the second volume?”

Chu Li replied, “Without the second volume, I don’t feel protected.”

Many ancient techniques were treacherous to learn, and they had hidden traps all over them. For some of the better ones, it could end with an obscure sentence. If one did not notice it, they could be steered away, and the cultivation would fail. While many others had embedded meanings, which were extremely hard to make out, some of the worse ones did not even mention any hidden information. It was not noted on paper, but passed down orally from generation to generation — a precaution to prevent outsiders from stealing their secret techniques.

Although the Nan Zheng barbarian tribes were straightforward in their ways, they should not be underestimated as the precautionary traps could be there.

“Geez, Chu Li…” Su Ru shook her head. “That’s the problem with smart people, always full of doubts!”

Chu Li smiled as he said, “There’s no news about the whereabouts of the second volume at all?”

Su Ru shook her head. “Nope.”

Chu Li creased his brows, speechless.

Su Ru said, “Things like these are always hard to investigate. Just think about it, if someone obtained a secret technique, will he tell somebody else about it? Besides, if that certain someone only possesses a half of the art, just like you, would he dare to cultivate it? If he doesn’t, then how would people ever find out that there is a second volume?”

Chu Li shook his head. “Not necessarily.”

The Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait was very mythical. If someone had obtained this ancient technique, chances were that they could not resist the temptation. However dangerous it might be, they would attempt to cultivate it, and under such a huge temptation, many would rather gamble with fate.

Su Ru rolled her eyes again and said, “Whatever it was, I did not hear anything about it.”

Chu Li replied, “Then, who in the martial arts world is well known for body cultivation? If that guy had cultivated the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait, it would be hard for him to maintain a low profile.”

“Body cultivation is arduous, and nowadays there are only a few.” Su Ru frowned. As she thought about it, she picked on her fingers and said, “Let me recall: ‘Iron Skull’ Hu Jing, ‘Iron Fist’ Little Bai, and ‘Three-Eyed Dragon’ Cheng Wenhui. These three should be the only ones who are famous; the rest didn’t make the cut.”

Chu Li proclaimed, “The hidden technique should be in the hands of one of these three.”

“Your imaginations have gone wild!” Su Ru shook her head, and her smile disappeared.

Chu Li spoke, “Do you have intel on the three of them?”

Su Ru watched how serious his face was, and so she replied helplessly, “Alright, let me retrieve them for you.”

“Thank you, Chief!” Chu Li gave her a fist salute.

Su Ru rolled her eyes at him and slowly walked away. After a while, she returned with three notebooks and handed them to Chu Li. “There you go!”

Chu Li took the notebooks and flipped through all of them. Very quickly, he had read all the contents of the books, and the newfound information was photocopied into his mind. He gave the books back to Su Ru as he asked, “Are they all assassins?”

“Body cultivators are skilled at killing. Furthermore, the cultivation requires a lot of money. If one was not born into a rich family, they can only rely on criminal ways to fund themselves. That way, they’ll be able to make a fortune out of whatever they do!”

“That’s true…” Chu Li nodded.

Body cultivators and martial artists differ in their appearances. The latter would look more energetic in person, with eyes that glow brightly. Especially with those who had achieved Innate Mastery, their temples and the top of their heads would appear differently.

For body cultivators, instead of cultivating their inner energy, they could only cultivate their physical form. They may look unhealthy from the outside, like a patient with malnutrition. In fact, they were especially tough to expect because their appearances were so deceivable, making you believe that they were not a threat.

Moreover, martial artists typically looked down on a body cultivator, thinking that they were far more superior than their counterparts.

Body cultivators had lightning speed and immense strength, but the potentials of their powers were limited — their powers would not match a martial artist as time progressed. However, they would have the upper hand over their counterparts at the earlier stages. If they mastered a skill that would kill someone in one hit, they were extremely dangerous, and it would be very difficult to defend against them.

“The second half of the manual could be in Cheng Wenhui’s hands,” Chu Li said in a low tone.

“Why would you say so?” Su Ru smiled.

She did not buy his words at all as it was merely a speculation. It was foolish of him to think that it would be so easy to predict who had possession of the second manual.

“Hu Jing cultivates his head, while Little Bai cultivates his hands. Ding Weisong is the only one who is different. He has quick speed and mighty strength; there’s not one part of his body which stands out. So by this rationale, he should have cultivated the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait.”

“What if he had cultivated something else instead?”

“I’ve seen all the secret techniques in the Martial Arts Halls. Of all the body cultivation techniques, they hardly pose any threats to a martial arts master. So the body cultivation is indeed arduous, but for Ding Weisong, his body cultivation technique is far more powerful than all the other techniques I’ve read about. There’s a high chance that it could be the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s assume that it’s him.” Su Ru waved her hand about in the air. “But you will not be able to locate this guy because he’s an assassin. He would be extremely stealthy in his whereabouts.”

“With the resources of our Public House, we still won’t be able to?”

“We really can’t do it.” Su Ru shook her head helplessly.

Chu Li burst into laughter.

“What are you laughing about?!” Su Ru sneered in annoyance. “If we’re talking about Hu Jing or Little Bai, they can be found with just a little effort. But for Ding Weisong, he’s a very mysterious and cunning person. Till today, no one really knows how he actually looks like in person!”

Chu Li smiled. “Then, I’m more convinced that he has the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait manual now. Even if he doesn’t, the technique that he has cultivated is still worth a learn since it’s so powerful.”

“You want to find him and kill him?” Su Ru tilted her head and looked at Chu Li. “Just for a cultivation technique?”

“If he’s a righteous person, I wouldn’t do that. But he’s an assassin, so I shouldn’t hold back.”

“Then it’s a shame that we won’t be able to find him.” Su Ru rubbed her lips. “Don’t waste your time, alright?”

Chu Li smiled.

As Su Ru saw how confident he was, she added, “What thoughts are you having again?”

Chu Li replied, “With such a notorious person, you shouldn’t approach him, but allow him to approach you instead.”

“Nonsense!” Su Ru shook her head.

“Although he’s an assassin, his clients should have a way to find him, am I right?”

“I’ve only heard of how he does his business. It works in a way that the clients will write down the name of the person they want to kill at the back of a bank note, and they’ll deposit it into the Flying Dragon Bank. If the banknote is refunded, it means that he has rejected the job. But if the banknote is accepted, he’ll do the job.”

“Flying Dragon Bank…” Chu Li creased his eyebrows and said, “Hmm, it looks like he has connections everywhere.”

Su Ru nodded her head. “The Flying Dragon Bank has branches all over the world. Not only are they here, they have branches in the Bei Li and Nan Zheng districts as well. They are a force to be reckoned with, so don’t even think of messing with them!”

Chu Li caressed his chin.

“So, you still want to go after him?”

“I will offer ten thousand taels for him to assassinate me.”

“This method had been used before, by people who wanted to seek revenge for their associates who were assassinated by Ding Weisong. But in the end, they ended up losing their lives!” Su Ru scoffed. “That is why nobody dared to pull off the same trick again. Ever wondered why Ding Weisong is called the ‘Three-Eyed Dragon’? It’s because he has always managed to spot out the traps his enemies have laid out for him, which is why nobody could capture him!”

“That makes me want to try it even more,” Chu Li said.

Su Ru rolled her eyes and said, “Chu Li, if you really insist, then I’ll have no choice but to tell the Lady about it.”

Chu Li looked at her.

Instead, Su Ru watched him calmly.

Chu Li could see how resolute she was, so he smiled. “Fine, I’ll reconsider.”

Su Ru gave him a death stare.

Chu Li waved his hand and smiled, “Right, I should get going then. I need to cultivate the upper half of the manual, and I won’t be looking for Ding Weisong!”

Su Ru scoffed, “If you lie to me, you know what’s going to happen!”

“For sure!” Chu Li quickly nodded.

To tell the truth, he had not put away his desire to look for Ding Weisong even though it was currently not the right thing to do. He could not turn a deaf ear on Su Ru’s warning, as she did it for his own good.

With the Omniscient Mirror, he should be able to detect any danger amid cultivating the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait. He would then be able to stop the cultivation in time. Besides, the six pictures from this first manual were already intriguing enough for him. It was enough to keep him at bay for a long while.

However, once he had the chance, he would go out and search for Ding Weisong. By that time, Su Ru would not be able to stop him either.

…

The East Garden looked picturesque at dusk.

The waning sunlight showered the flora in a rosy red hue. The lake was tinted in a reddish-orange color, which occasionally shimmered with golden streaks of light. The willows by the lake danced with the breeze, looking graceful.

Chu Li was sat beside the lake while he cultivated the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait under a willow tree.

Through picturing the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait, streaks of energy surged into his body from the surroundings. He felt his body change, and the changes became increasingly prominent as he cultivated further. Moreover, his flesh and blood felt more pure and elegant.

Suddenly, he felt something. When he opened his eyes, he saw a boat coming from a stone’s throw away. He saw the beautiful Zhao Ying, who was wearing a green dress on the boat. From afar, she raised her arm and waved towards him.

Chu Li smiled and waved back at her.

Zhao Ying was soon in front of him, and she carried with her a soothing fragrance. She asked, “Brother, since when were you back here?”

“I just arrived.” Chu Li smiled. “I haven’t congratulated you yet, Junior Sister.”

Zhao Ying smiled as she replied, “You can see it, Brother?”

“Innate Mastery.” Chu Li studied her and smiled again. “That’s something worth celebrating.”

“All thanks to your Tendon-Clearing Pill, Brother.” Zhao Ying giggled sheepishly.

Chu Li waved his hand.

“Brother, let’s go downtown for a walk.” Zhao Ying smiled. “How about we make a visit to the New Moon Brothel?”

Chu Li raised an eyebrow.

Zhao Ying grinned. “You’ve never been there?”

“How would you know if I had been there?” Chu Li laughed.

Zhao Ying made a face and scoffed.

Chu Li answered, “I was there for some serious business at that time.”

Zhao Ying pouted her tiny lips.

She was jealous. The first thing he did when he returned was not to meet her, but to visit the New Moon Brothel instead? Sigh…

When she thought about it, she felt angry and disappointed at the same time.

Chu Li let out a deep breath. “You can’t tell anyone else about this!”

“Your secret is safe with me!” Zhao Ying quickly explained.

Chu Li smiled back at her. “I was there under Chief’s orders, it was a secret mission.”

Zhao Ying pouted again as she stared at him.

Chu Li waved his hands as a sign of helplessness and was speechless. Zhao Ying scoffed, and she did not probe him further. She knew that he could not tell her more.