MC Bookstore Chapter 23: Secret Schemes, Great Advancement in Strength
Chapter 23: Secret Schemes, Great Advancement in Strength
"What's wrong?"
Li Xin felt a slight chill, and with a little effort, he darted into the doorway.
Zhuang Hongxiu turned her head abruptly and saw that it was Li Xin. She let out a long sigh of relief. "Young Master, you startled me. Look."
He then handed over the piece of paper.
"The drawing skills are quite good, almost comparable to a camera."
However, the artist lacked artistic talent; they could capture Xiaoyue's appearance, but not her cuteness.
Li Xin chuckled.
A cold glint flashed deep in his eyes.
This time, he was truly enraged.
Because he was so focused on honing his Bagua steps and trying to use medicine to refine his strength through blood, he was too busy to spare a moment for anything else.
He instructed his family members to remain calm in the face of any situation.
Even if someone provokes you, you must first be patient.
Don't go out unless absolutely necessary. If you must go out, find a disciple of the Cheng family's Bagua sect to accompany you.
The results of it?
The people in the shadows first kept watch on him, and then openly provoked him with words.
Later on, they even threw cockroaches and dead rats into Li's mutton soup, doing whatever was most disgusting.
The night before last, someone secretly threw feces at the gate of the Li family, which almost made Li Xin and his companions die of disgust.
Even with such dirty tactics, Li Xin still wanted to delay a little longer.
The other party doesn't dare to openly attack, but instead uses various underhanded tactics that don't cause any real damage; they're just disgusting.
This proves that the title of Cheng's disciple, a direct disciple of Master Cheng, truly served its purpose.
Otherwise, you'll likely be greeted by government officials and constables, which would be a real problem.
However, the other party's behavior today has thoroughly enraged him.
The portraits drawn on paper were fine; at most, Xiaoyue wasn't drawn too cutely.
However, the painting depicts her with bloodshot eyes, an elongated tongue, and a bleeding cut on her neck. What does this mean?
Whether it's a threat or not, let's put that aside for now; it's just too unlucky.
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Li Cheng and Zhuang Hongxiu's expressions softened slightly.
Even the little girl wasn't so sad anymore.
Before they knew it, whenever Li Xin appeared, they felt that there was nothing to worry about in the world.
Nothing is scary anymore.
"Young Master, it's nothing for us to suffer a little grievance. That's just how these local bullies do things. It's like a toad crawling on your foot; just ignore it."
Fearing that Li Xin might act too impulsively, Zhuang Hongxiu frowned and said, "There are two possibilities for what they did. One is that they simply wanted to vent their anger."
While outsiders may not know that the Qing family's Black Snake and others were eliminated that day, their own people certainly did.
Having suffered such a huge loss, failing to seek revenge would damage one's prestige.
Of course, if they just continue to use these methods, we can just tolerate it and it will pass.
The only worry is another possibility...
They wanted to provoke us, or rather, they wanted to make the young master want to retaliate. Then, they'd seize the opportunity to ambush and kill us.
Li Cheng muttered, "Isn't this just taking the beating without fighting back? Do they really dare to lay a hand on my second brother? Aren't they afraid of Master Cheng coming after them?"
"Young Master, you don't know this, but the most taboo thing for people in the martial arts world is to have no master to follow."
No matter how strong you are, you still need to abide by some rules of the martial arts world.
That's how my mother taught me... It's a common practice, and it benefits everyone.
Although Master Cheng was extremely powerful, his seven disciples were also highly skilled. Compared to the Qing family, who operated in shady dealings, they were ultimately outnumbered and outmatched. In a real conflict, even if they killed a thousand enemies, they would also suffer heavy losses on their own.
Therefore, he won't take action without sufficient reason.
If the young master was indeed harmed, and it was because he went to cause trouble, then it would be considered a personal grudge.
It would be acceptable anywhere.
The Qing family might respect Master Cheng's powerful connections, but they wouldn't truly fear him.
Li Cheng still didn't quite understand, but Li Xin understood instantly.
He understood Master Cheng's identity even better than Zhuang Hongxiu.
People in the martial arts world respect not only the name of Cheng's Bagua, but more importantly, the patriarch of Bagua boxing in the palace.
Although Dong Gonggong no longer makes public appearances, he has countless disciples and followers who hold high positions in the palace.
Especially Yin Changshou...
Li Xin's senior martial brother now serves as the head instructor of the Imperial Guards, specifically responsible for protecting the royal family.
With this kind of identity, not just anyone can stage an accident for you.
This is precisely why, even though Li Xin and his family openly run their business, no one would openly come to their door to cause trouble.
Even if the other party hates you to the extreme, they can only resort to despicable means and secretly target you.
This kind of targeting is harmless, to put it mildly.
Even if Li Xin catches the perpetrator, the other party can sacrifice a pawn to save the king, claiming that those people spontaneously avenged the death of the second-in-command of the East Road.
The senior management of Qingzi Company claimed to be unaware of the matter, and the matter was thus dropped.
Zhuang Hongxiu leaned towards the first possibility, believing that the other party was likely just venting their anger.
However, Li Xin, who had lived two lives, would never dare to think that way.
Today, they dared to draw Xiaoyue's image as a dead ghost. Do they really intend to do the same tomorrow?
What about the day after tomorrow? Do you want to wipe out your entire family?
Never underestimate the evil in people's hearts.
Never overestimate the conscience and bottom line of those people; there will always be some who don't know how to weigh the pros and cons...
Commonly known as, incredibly audacious.
"Has anyone taken over the position of second-in-command from the deceased Blackbone Serpent?"
Li Xin suddenly asked.
Zhuang Hongxiu shook her head: "I haven't heard about it. When I was buying groceries, I overheard some idlers whispering that Duan Zhong, the 'Jade-Eyed Eagle,' and Tang Si Niang, the 'Green Bamboo Snake,' under the Black Bone Snake, almost got into a fight."
"Understood."
Li Xin closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's alright, nothing will happen, don't worry."
I've made great progress these past few days... Having a renowned teacher to guide me has truly saved me from ten years of hard work.
"Brother, Hongxiu, why don't you two try attacking me?"
"Young Master has successfully condensed his internal energy."
Zhuang Hongxiu's face was filled with surprise.
Li Cheng temporarily forgot his frustration. "I never expected that today would bring double happiness. I only managed to control my blood energy today thanks to my second brother's reminder, but he was even faster."
"Come on, let's have a friendly competition."
As he spoke, Li Xin assumed a stance resembling a cold chicken step.
Place both palms in front of your chest, lower your waist and sit on your hips, standing as straight as a pine tree.
"careful."
Before Li Cheng could even make a move, Zhuang Hongxiu let out a spirited shout.
With legs slightly clamped together and toes lightly touching the ground, he spread his hands and shot out like an arrow, receiving a Sun-shaped punch.
Below, a leg from under a skirt was kicked out silently.
"Clap clap clap..."
The fists and the kick struck almost simultaneously, a perfect interplay of feint and real attack.
Li Xin, however, did not move an inch, his hands moving as fast as a blur, striking left and right.
One leg was quietly lifted, sealing Zhuang Hongxiu's leg inside her skirt.
"The Qi and blood flow smoothly, and the whole body is united. Good."
Li Cheng watched with envy, and upon hearing the slight cracking sound of the two men exerting force, he strode forward.
With one leg and two techniques, a sweeping back kick... this time, it was Li Xin's supporting leg that was attacked.
"It's no use."
Li Xin chuckled and said, "Your intentions are too obvious."
As he spoke, his right foot moved like a powerful arrow from a bow, striking Li Cheng's legs with a series of thuds.
Furthermore, his upper body seemed to snap, tilting backward at a forty-five-degree angle to dodge Li Cheng's sudden horizontal punch. Simultaneously, he lifted Zhuang Hongxiu and advanced with a powerful palm strike…
"It's my turn to attack."
Li Xin's waist was as slender as a willow branch, and he bounced back after a quick movement.
With a slight movement of its feet, it leaped into Li Cheng's arms and stood up.
Before Li Cheng could retract his arm, he felt a violent tremor in his armpit and a tingling sensation throughout half of his body.
He was thrown backward, flying three or four steps, and then landed with a thud, taking three or four more steps before finally regaining his footing.
While in mid-air, she saw her second brother's figure move like a dragon, his feet forming a circle... his body drawing an arc as he flashed past Zhuang Hongxiu's back.
A hand pressed against Zhuang Hongxiu's waist, paused for a moment, and then withdrew. She crossed her feet, spun around, and returned to her previous position.
It was as if he had never moved.
Zhuang Hongxiu quickly took two steps back, looked down at her waist, and blushed slightly.
He chuckled, "Young Master's strength is as smooth and round as a bead, slippery and impossible to strike with. Has he grasped the essence of hard and crisp power?"
……