"I'm one of Hall Master Zheng's men from the Green Snake Gang... You... If you kill me, Hall Master Zheng won't let you go!"
The punch flew fiercely, aimed straight at Zhao Tai's face.
Zhao Tai cried out in terror!
"Fuck your mother!"
One punch.
Blood flowed from Zhao Tai's ears and nose.
Jiang Shu closed in. His eyes were fierce like a tiger's, his arms taut like a drawn bow. He wrapped his arms around Zhao Tai's neck and twisted violently!
THUD... So that was the true pounce of the Tiger Form Three Techniques! The Tiger Form Three Techniques were methods of killing. If you don't kill, how can you grasp their subtleties!
The Green Snake Gang, Hall Master Zheng, Lord Rabbit... Recalling Zhao Tai's predatory gaze earlier today... A suspicion surfaced in Jiang Shu's mind.
"Damn, bad luck."
Picking up the stun baton from the ground and tucking it into the back of his waistband, he randomly grabbed a few pieces of broken silver from a cloth-wrapped bundle on the table, then tipped the candle, setting their clothes on fire.
Amidst the flames, Jiang Shu turned and walked to a low-roofed house he had scouted earlier, lightly stepped on a few mud bricks, and vaulted over the wall.
Behind him.
"Who the hell started the fire!"
"Fire! Fire!"
"Quick, bring water."
"Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"
"That's Zhao Tai from the Green Snake Gang! The killer was a short-haired, masked man! Go inform the Hall Master, quickly!"
Hearing the chaotic shouts from Bicao Lane, Jiang Shu returned to his small room in Qu She Alley. A thought flashed through his mind.
His figure vanished as if he had never been there.
「Qingjiang Gardens.」
Jiang Shu pulled back the curtains. The sunlight was dazzling. The occasional honk of cars traveled through the air to his ears.
He didn't know if it was due to practicing the standing meditation and breathing techniques from the Hungry Tiger Martial School or if it was just his nature.
It was his first time killing someone.
Far from feeling any discomfort, a sense of relief spread throughout his body. His blood surged, and every pore seemed to tremble with excitement.
No wonder in my previous life, books said that heroes with martial prowess often broke the law. With martial arts skills, one couldn't tolerate even the slightest grievance. If one endures too much suppression, their thoughts become blocked. With a mind obstructed, how can one climb high mountains or traverse deep waters? How can one become a person of great perseverance, of great spirit!
Pounce! Lift! Slice!
Within the small room, Jiang Shu took off his jacket and began to move, his form dynamic.
What a pity, what a pity! If only that trash Zhao Tai had been at the Qi Blood Sensing Realm, he could have forced a few more moves out of me!
Repeating the pounce several times, Jiang Shu sighed deeply. The Tiger Form Three Techniques were truly methods of killing.
Unfortunately, I'm only truly proficient with the pounce; both the lift and the slice still lack sufficient killing intent.
After finishing his practice, Jiang Shu calmed his Qi Blood, stripped off his clothes, and got into bed.
Since waking up in the school dormitory early yesterday morning until six o'clock this morning, he hadn't slept for over twenty hours.
He needed to rest properly.
Jiang Shu slept straight until his eleven o'clock alarm rang. After practicing martial arts, his mind was as clear as crystal, free of distractions. He always entered deep sleep when he went to bed.
Three hours were enough to match an average person's six hours of sleep!
He hadn't paid much attention to his phone, but now several messages popped up on Weixun.
"Jiang Shu, you've taken a leave of absence, so I've borrowed your chair, okay?"
"Jiang Shu, if you're not coming, let me put some books on your desk."
"You're not staying in the dorm anymore, right? The utility bill reimbursement from last semester came through. It's a total of fifty-three point eight yuan..."
"Jiang Shu, if you're taking time off from school, are you still using your meal card? Lend it to me."
He swiped away all the messages, not responding to a single one.
He had been in a liberal arts class in his junior and senior years, where there were only seventeen boys. Yet even among these seventeen boys, factions had formed, and they paired off as if they were in relationships.
Throughout his entire junior year, he didn't have a single friend to talk to, always eating and reading alone.
In his senior year, after breaking through a prenatal enigma, he became even less inclined to interact with others.
It was also for this reason, as an observer, that he could see more clearly what kind of people his classmates were.
Those asking about my chair and desk have probably already taken them. Sending a message was just a formality, a way to inform me. As for the one asking about dormitory utilities, they probably never intended to pay; otherwise, they would have sent the money directly via a Weixun Red Packet—simple and clear. And the one asking about the meal card? They probably just want the balance left on it.
Without closing Weixun, Jiang Shu scrolled to the pinned conversations and clicked on a profile picture of a grass-haired dumpling, sending a message: "Up yet? Let's go out to eat."
"Haven't gotten up, no money, planning to starve to death in bed."
"My treat," Jiang Shu typed swiftly. "Barbecue or hot pot?"
"Barbecue! Buffet-style!"
"Get up."
"Okay-dokey."
Pocketing his phone, Jiang Shu left his room and stopped by his sister's door. "I'm going to take a shower. Wait ten minutes before coming out."
"Got it, got it. Jiang Shu, can I wear my pajamas? It's freezing."
"Go ahead. I'm off to shower."
"Showering is all you think about! Idiot! I meant you should wear your pajamas later too."
"Why?"
"That way, I won't look so weird."
"Oh."
Jiang Shu went back to his room and took out the blue fleece thick cotton pajamas Jiang Yanyue had picked for him during the New Year. He headed into the bathroom, spent a few minutes showering, used the toilet, and brushed his teeth. Finally, he put on the pajamas and opened the door.
At her door stood Jiang Yanyue, dressed in a similar set of blue fleece thick cotton pajamas. The pajama hood, complete with long rabbit ears, looked adorable on her. She rubbed her hands together, breathing on them. "I'll be ten minutes too!"
Got it. She'll be about an hour.
"Nonsense."
Watching his sister puff out her cheeks and head to the bathroom, Jiang Shu went to the living room. He started practicing his Horse Stance while turning on the TV to watch the news.
His proficiency in the Horse Stance was gradually ticking up on the panel.
Although its upper limit isn't as high as the Hungry Tiger Stance, the Horse Stance currently has two excellent advantages for me. First, it doesn't have any side effects; unlike the Hungry Tiger Stance, practicing it for one or two hours doesn't leave me ravenously hungry and in dire need of secret medicine or meat for replenishment. Second, I've already cultivated the Horse Stance to small success. Bringing it to Great Success will be easier than getting the Hungry Tiger Stance to small success, allowing me to reach the Qi Blood Transport stage more quickly.
As it turned out, Jiang Shu knew his little sister very well.
His prediction of an hour was spot on.
The siblings left their apartment complex and walked to the bus stop.
"Jiang Shu, once I become a CEO, I'm definitely buying a big and beautiful car! It's too cold! Boo hoo."
Jiang Yanyue glanced at her phone, which showed that the bus would arrive in ten minutes. Her little face was pale from the cold.
If it weren't for the allure of barbecue, she would want to go straight home.
Air conditioning and a blanket were better than any fairyland.
"Yeah, buy a domestic one. Just go for the 'fridge, color TV, big sofa' package without thinking. It's not like you know anything about engines anyway," Jiang Shu said, taking off his pajama top and handing it to Jiang Yanyue. "Put your arms through here."
"Are you crazy, Jiang Shu? Aren't you cold?"
"Don't you understand the caliber of a Martial Arts genius? You think a little cold wind can freeze me?"
Jiang Shu wore only an undershirt. He was not yet in the Qi Blood Transport Realm. However, with one stance and breathing technique at entry-level and another at small success, the Qi and Blood in his body were even more robust than before. He might not be able to withstand prolonged exposure to the cold, but for just ten minutes or so, he only needed to activate his breathing technique.
"Brother, you're so good to me."
Jiang Shu, focused on the Hungry Tiger Stance and circulating his breathing technique, didn't respond immediately.
However, Jiang Yanyue's next words nearly made him lose his composure; even his entry-level Hungry Tiger Breathing technique faltered for a moment.
"When I become a CEO and buy a luxury car, I'll definitely hire you as my driver so you can enjoy it too."