Martial Saint through Reading-Chapter 41: Can Young Master Chu Help You Copy It?
"Don’t look around, Chu Ming can’t help you transcribe. Look at me, Kid Hou. As long as you tell me where you got this cultivation technique, I’ll take you in as my disciple," Shao Pengshu said.
"Really?" Hou Wuchun was instantly excited. "If my mother knew I could have Lord Shao as my teacher... Master, just wait."
Shao Pengshu pulled Hou Wuchun back, "Why are you running to Chu Ming? Can’t write? Want Chu Ming to help you transcribe?"
"Though Chu Ming can write, he’s not a martial artist. His transcription of the cultivation technique lacks the essence; it’s just form without intent."
"Tell me where to transcribe it, and I’ll personally go."
Hou Wuchun shook his head, "I can write, Master. Let go of me, I’ll go ask Brother Chu."
"You can write, then transcribe it yourself. What’s the point of begging Chu Ming? You’re talking gibberish!"
Hou Wuchun, sweating from anxiety, said, "Master, Brother Chu, Brother Chu."
"Kid Hou, calm down, take a deep breath, and then speak clearly. Young Master Chu definitely can’t transcribe it," Tan Hong said from the side.
Hou Wuchun took a deep breath, calmed himself, and pointed to Chu Ming’s carriage. "I bought the cultivation technique from Brother Chu. Brother Chu is the expert Master referred to. If I want the subsequent techniques, I must buy them from Brother Chu."
He spoke seriously, word by word.
Chu Ming? Expert?
"Kid Hou, look into my eyes. This is your last chance. If you continue to babble, you’ll be sent back to Liuu Town," Shao Pengshu said sternly, his voice soft but evidently angry.
"Is it your father who doesn’t allow you to speak?" Tan Hong also tensed his face, his voice slightly cold: "Lord Shao is your Master. From the day you become his disciple, you must treat him as your father."
"..." Hou Wuchun shrank his head, fearfully looking at the two, with a sobbing voice, "Master, Lord Tan, Brother Chu really is the one who sold me the cultivation technique."
"Alright, go find Chu Ming. If you can’t bring out the subsequent techniques, I won’t send you back to Liuu Town. I’ll send you to the Ministry of Justice’s dungeon, where you’ll serve meals to those vicious criminals every day."
"Then... if I bring out the techniques..." Hou Wuchun muttered under his breath.
Shao Pengshu frowned, saying, "If Chu Ming can transcribe five points of martial intent from your cultivation technique, I’ll cover your three years of medicine fees at the Criminal Defense Bureau and Chu Ming’s entire expenses at Baiyuan Academy for three years."
"If you transcribe the subsequent techniques from Chu Ming, I’ll call you—no, I’ll call Young Master Chu my teacher!"
"Tan Hong will also call him!"
Tan Hong: "..."
Three years of medicine fees?!
Hou Wuchun’s eyes lit up and he dashed towards the carriage.
Shao Pengshu’s voice was loud enough that Chu Ming inside the carriage heard it. He slowly reached for the pen, ink, and paper in the bundle beside him and began writing.
Hou Wuchun ran to the front of the carriage, impatiently stretching out his hand to lift the curtain, but hesitated the moment he touched it.
"I call Lord Shao Master, Lord Shao calls Brother Chu Master, Master’s Master... what should I call Brother Chu?"
"Master Ancestor?"
Pondering for a moment, he couldn’t figure out the relationship, but he still lifted the curtain, letting out the familiar fragrance of ink.
"Master Chu... Brother, I have something to discuss with you."
"Come in and speak," Chu Ming said without lifting his head, dipping ink and continuing his writing.
"The subsequent technique for Tiger and Python Strength..." Hou Wuchun pulled out the ten taels of silver he had just exchanged for a book, dividing it into two parts, three taels in his left hand, and seven taels in his right.
He stretched out his right hand, smiling, "Brother Chu, could you write a little more?"
At that moment, Hou Wuchun suddenly felt uncertain. He wasn’t sure whether Chu Ming really knew the subsequent techniques.
"Just leave it there," Chu Ming glanced at the silver, then refocused on the paper, "I’m writing."
The optimized Tiger and Python Strength is only the first strength of the Body Refining Technique, it is quite effective for someone like Hou Wuchun who is just starting martial arts, but its efficacy is limited for someone like Shao Pengshu who is already at the mid-to-late stage of the Blood Circulation Realm.
He was transcribing a version that was discarded long ago, but selling it for a few pieces of silver wasn’t a bad deal.
"Really know it?"
"Yes."
Outside, Shao Pengshu and Tan Hong stood shoulder to shoulder, looking inside the carriage derisively.
"Chu Ming doesn’t even dare perform Tiger and Python Strength in front of us, and Hou Wuchun still hopes that this Young Master will save him."
To him, Hou Wuchun crawling into Chu Ming’s carriage was just to avoid them.
"Lord Shao, this cultivation technique is significant, should we report it and get Hou Ping arrested... interrogate him at the Criminal Defense Bureau?" Tan Hong whispered.
"Report? Arrest Hou Ping?" Shao Pengshu turned his cold eyes, "Are you foolish or crazy?"
"Getting a good cultivation technique and reporting it? Even if we report it, we should at least learn it ourselves and rise to high positions, right?"
"Reporting it now means they would just give you a little silver and dismiss you."
"As for Hou Ping, unless you want to anger Instructor Fang and Chief Instructor Lin, go ahead and arrest him."
Shao Pengshu weighed the cultivation technique in his hand, stretching out his hand coldly, "This cultivation technique is currently limited, but its potential is extraordinary. If the complete Body Refining Technique could be obtained... This technique is known by me, known by you, known by Kid Hou, and Chu Ming only knows half of it."
Tan Hong nodded, "Don’t worry, my Lord, I won’t tell anyone."
"Hmm," Shao Pengshu closed the cultivation technique, touched his empty pouch, "If you want to continue viewing it, bring out twenty taels of silver."
"Huh?" Tan Hong froze, "Lord Shao, wasn’t it just ten taels..."
"What ten taels? Kid Hou wants twenty taels, didn’t you hear?"
"Lord Shao, I still think the Tiger and Python Body Refining Technique is better; this cultivation technique, I won’t learn."
Though the technique is good, it’s just a small part of Tiger and Python Strength, it only means the Qi and blood condenses a little, but it won’t let him condense new Qi blood in the short term, which is of limited use.
More importantly... Tan Hong’s peripheral vision glanced at the carriage behind, Kid Hou said he transcribed several copies, why bother spending twenty taels.
"For the rest of the journey, I’ll take Hou Wuchun, you take Chu Ming," Shao Pengshu coldly said, seemingly seeing Tan Hong’s thoughts.
"... Isn’t it inappropriate?"
"What’s inappropriate? I’m his Master." Shao Pengshu put the cultivation technique in his pocket, "About two hours have passed; that kid can’t run away, let’s return to the Criminal Defense Bureau first."
"Alright."
The two walked towards the carriage just as Hou Wuchun climbed out of it, carefully holding a sheet of paper.
"Finished transcribing so quickly? Although Young Master Chu isn’t great in martial arts, in terms of reading and writing, he has some talent," Shao Pengshu casually reached out, "Let me see if it has any martial intent."
"Master, the ink isn’t dry, be gentle." "What’s dry or not, it’s just a copy... hmm?" Shao Pengshu yanked the paper, glanced at it, expecting a mimicry of Hou Wuchun’s three pages, but the content on the paper...
At a glance, he recognized its extraordinariness.
Moreover, it was precisely transcribed with the continuation of prior moves!
He quickly raised his head, looking into the carriage, "Did Young Master Chu just write this?"
Though lacking martial intent, the moves on it stunned him.
"Yes, the ink isn’t dry yet." Hou Wuchun pointed at the sheet, "Master, if you’re not careful, those diagrams will smudge."
Shao Pengshu froze, abruptly snapped back, and stared intently at the sheet.
Beside him, Tan Hong was stunned, looking at the moves illustrated on the sheet.
Chu Ming’s voice came from the carriage, "Housekeeper Fang said this cultivation technique is only passed to trusted individuals..."
Of course, the origin of the cultivation technique was attributed to Fang Xiao.
"Rest assured, Young Master Chu, we are trustworthy!" Shao Pengshu hastily answered.
The match, the match!
The two transformed into obsessed individuals, practicing the moves depicted on the sheet.
With the moves on this sheet, they had a complete set of the optimized Tiger and Python Strength.
"Um, Master, about what was said just now..." Hou Wuchun crouched on the carriage, face tense, softly reminded, "Does it still count?"
"It counts, it counts, your medicine fees are all covered by Tan Hong." Shao Pengshu, focused entirely on Tiger and Python Strength, answered instinctively.
"Yes, it’s covered, I’ll cover it all," Tan Hong, likewise, agreed.
"Anything else?" Hou Wuchun added.
