Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

That's how it is.

Inside the house, Fang Xue tearfully explained the whole story to Qin Pi: "My sister, in order to get Na Luo Xiong to save her brother, took it upon herself to betroth me to Na Luo Xiong."

"I refused, and we had a huge fight, severing our sisterly ties." Fang Xue took out a letter of severance from her bosom. "But even so, since returning to the mountain stronghold, I've been frequently harassed by Luo Xiong's men. I beg Brother Qin for help!"

Qin Pi, enraged, slammed his fist on the table: "That Fang Yu is truly a shameless woman, using her own sister's body to seduce that scoundrel Luo Xiong! Sister, don't worry, I'm definitely helping you out!"

Shen Chen glanced at Qin Pi. He remembered that Qin Pi had just said that women should not be trusted, but now he had taken on a woman's troublesome matter.

"Sigh..." He sighed almost imperceptibly, and with a thought, he began to draw lots.

Fang Xue proactively sought your help. What is your choice in this situation?

[The worst possible outcome: Refusing to offer help, Fang Xue ultimately submits to Luo Xiong. You previously dissuaded Qin Pi from helping with the prison break, and this time you dissuaded him from helping her. Her hatred for you has reached its peak. On an ordinary night, you inexplicably die in your room. A very bad omen.]

[Bad omen: Offering help will incur Luo Xiong's hatred, and he will make things difficult for you in every way thereafter.]

"We must help, we absolutely must."

Shen Chen reacted just like Qin Pi, angrily exclaiming, "Your sister doesn't treat you like a human being at all! How can a life-long commitment be treated like a business transaction! Miss Fang, if you don't mind, you can stay here with us for now. Do you think Luo Xiong's men would dare to come to Brother Qin's house and snatch someone away?!"

"Thank you, thank you both!" Upon hearing this, Fang Xue wiped away her tears, a complex smile appearing on her beautiful face.

Qin Pi then cleared out a room for Fang Xue. After settling her in, he returned to the courtyard and whispered to Shen Chen, "Brother Shen, guess why I helped Fang Xue?"

After a moment's thought, Shen Chen asked, "Do you have a grudge against Luo Xiong?"

"You're like a tapeworm." Qin Pi gave a thumbs up.

He said, "Naro Xiong and I went together to rob a wealthy family. The family made their fortune through business, their money was relatively clean, and they had a good reputation in the area."

"At the time, I just wanted to ask them for some money, without hurting anyone. When I was there, Luo Xiong agreed, but that damn son of a bitch..." Qin Pi spat, his expression gloomy. "Later, when I returned to the mountain stronghold, that bastard went back to that family and raped their beautiful daughter. Afterwards, he even killed them all."

"What a villain!" Shen Chen couldn't help but curse.

"Right? I warned him beforehand, but this bastard ignored me completely." Qin Pi sneered, his eyes filled with rage. "If the chieftain hadn't intervened, I would have skinned him alive that day..."

After recounting his grudge against Luo Xiong, Qin Pi said to Shen Chen, "I'll take you to Wang Er's place at noon and have him teach you martial arts."

Shen Chen recalled that on the first day he and Qin Pi returned to Quanya Mountain Village, they encountered three leaders on the road. One of them was nicknamed "Mighty Fist" Wang Er, and the other two were "Vajra Body" and "Skyrocket Monkey".

"Is Wang Er skilled in boxing?" Shen Chen asked.

"You have a good memory," Qin Pi said. "First practice fists, then legs, and then body training. Fist techniques are the foundation of martial arts. Practice fists with him for two months. If you can do well in fists, then practice legs with the monkey. Practice legs for another six months, then practice body techniques with Chen Tie. After a year, you should be able to reach the third level of Refining Essence."

"If we're both still alive by then, I'll teach you swordsmanship," Qin Pi said.

Shen Chen laughed and said, "Evil lives on for a thousand years, but the two of us brothers will definitely live to be a thousand."

"Haha, that's right."

The two then arrived at Wang Er's residence. Wang Er had obviously made preparations in advance, with a scarred wooden dummy and sandbags placed in the yard.

"You're here." Wang Er squatted on a smooth rock. When he saw Shen Chen and Qin Pi, he jumped off the rock and greeted them.

Without wasting any more words, Wang Er immediately said to Shen Chen, "Show me a set of punches first."

Shen Chen had only practiced Tai Chi with his PE teacher for a few days when he was in elementary school. He hadn't really trained much before. After finishing a set of Tai Chi, Shen Chen looked at Wang Er and Qin Pi, both of whom had a slight smile on their faces.

"Laugh if you want to," Shen Chen said helplessly.

Qin Pi grinned: "Brother Shen, your punches are really... haha, like a girl's."

"Ahem, your punches are so weak, they'd be hard enough to hit a woman with." Wang Er coughed, his expression turning serious. "I've never been to school, but I know fists are for hitting people, and you need to put some force into your punches!"

Wang Er suddenly threw a punch, which struck the wooden dummy opposite him, leaving a fist-shaped dent on the surface of the dummy.

"You should imagine your hand as a bow," Wang Er said. "The more fully the bowstring is drawn, the farther the arrow will travel!"

He then demonstrated his punching motion to Shen Chen, pulling his elbow to his latissimus dorsi, clenching his fist, and making the veins on his forearm bulge, just like an arrow on a bowstring.

"Punch, and be quick!" Wang Er suddenly threw a punch, his fist turning into a blur as it struck the sandbag. The entire sandbag tilted backward dramatically, swinging like a pendulum.

"Try it again now," Wang Er said.

Shen Chen repeatedly pondered what Wang Er had just said. He tensed his muscles and threw a punch at the sandbag, but the sandbag did not budge.

"Not bad, your movements are much better than before," Wang Er praised, then corrected Shen Chen's mistakes in his punching motion.

At this moment, Shen Chen had a sudden thought: why not draw a fortune stick for himself before throwing a punch to determine if his movements were correct?

[Below average: You decided to use your wrist to generate power before throwing a punch, but your wrist is injured. Minor misfortune]

[Good to Medium Fortune: You adjusted the degree of elbow tilt before throwing the punch, which increased the power of your punch. Minor good fortune.]

I'm such a genius!

Shen Chen's eyes lit up, and he gradually adjusted the movement and frequency of his punches.

Half an hour later, Shen Chen's movements were already incredibly precise.

Wang Er and Qin Pi were both extremely surprised. They had never expected that Shen Chen had grasped the essentials in such a short time.

Generally speaking, a person who has never been exposed to martial arts would be considered a genius if they could punch the correct way in three days, but Shen Chen actually did it in half an hour!

After observing for a while, Wang Er slowly said, "Brother Shen is the most insightful person I've met in recent years, but why do I always feel he's a bit weak? Could it be that he was with a woman last night?"

Qin Pi slapped his forehead: "You've reminded me!"

He shouted, "Brother Shen, hold back a bit!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shen Chen, who was not far away, suddenly lay down on the ground.