Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

Su Derong led Chen Jianghe through the noisy courtyard of the escort agency to a quiet tea room in the east wing.

As soon as the two sat down, a waiter served them hot tea.

Su Derong took a sip of tea, twirled his fan in his hand, and suddenly asked, "Jiang He, are you familiar with the 'Green Dragon Gang'?"

Chen Jianghe was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "The Azure Dragon Gang? I've only heard of the Black Tiger Gang, Iron Hand Gang, and Canal Gang in the outer city, and the Sun Moon Sect... Is the Azure Dragon Gang a force in the inner city?"

"It's not the inner city." Su Derong shook his head and said with a wry smile, "That's true. You've been training hard at the martial arts school for the past six months, completely oblivious to what's going on outside. The Azure Dragon Gang is a ruthless new force that has recently emerged outside the city."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Thirty miles outside the city, there used to be a Lin Family Fortress. You've heard of it, haven't you?"

Chen Jianghe nodded: "I've heard a little about it. I've heard that the Lin family is extremely wealthy, and even the five major families in the inner city have to give them some face."

"That was before." Su Derong sneered. "Three years ago, the Lin family took in a son-in-law named Xiao Qing. It is said that he has excellent martial arts talent and was already at the level of internal strength when he married into the family. He is highly valued in the Lin family."

Chen Jianghe listened quietly.

"Who would have thought that Xiao Qing is an ungrateful wolf?" Su Derong toyed with the fan ribs, his tone growing colder. "He used the Lin family's resources to advance his cultivation by leaps and bounds. Some time ago, he even broke through to the Transformation Realm in one fell swoop. While Old Master Lin was in seclusion, he joined forces with several elders from other clans in the fortress and wiped out the Lin family's direct descendants overnight, seizing the position of fortress lord."

Chen Jianghe's pupils contracted slightly: "Transformation Realm?"

"Absolutely true." Su Derong's expression was solemn. "This man is extremely ambitious. He didn't stop after swallowing up the Lin family. Recently, he has been frequently setting up checkpoints on the main roads outside the city, imposing heavy taxes on passing caravans. Several families in the city, including my Su family, have sent people to sound him out, but he is unmoved and only said, 'Let the Jianghu settle its own affairs in the Jianghu,' telling everyone to 'take care of yourselves.'"

He turned to Chen Jianghe: "The meaning behind those words couldn't be clearer. Right now, everyone is still watching and seeing whether his next move is to maintain a stable separatist regime, or... to extend his reach into the city."

Chen Jianghe felt a chill run down his spine.

In chaotic times, the strong rule, and the rise of such a powerful figure often means a new round of bloodshed. I must become stronger even faster.

Today it's the Green Dragon Gang, tomorrow it might be some other gang. The only way to protect myself and my mother is to keep getting stronger.

His greatest asset is his destiny of being rewarded by Heaven for his diligence.

Given enough resources, internal strength and external strength will naturally develop.

But all of this is contingent on him first saving his life and surviving in this treacherous world.

"And then there's the 'Sun Moon Cult,'" Su Derong continued, his tone tinged with disgust. "Recently, a plague has been rampant outside the city, killing many people. This cult has taken the opportunity to grow stronger, using the guise of 'saving people from suffering' to recruit followers everywhere, but in reality, they are extorting money and killing people. Now, many slums outside the city are their territory."

He sighed, his fan waving weakly: "This world is getting more and more turbulent. We who struggle to survive in the cracks live in constant fear, never knowing which storm will sweep us away one day."

He then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Alright, just keep these things in mind. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Let's focus on making a living first."

As the two were talking, footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

A middle-aged man, around forty years old, strode over. He wore an indigo silk robe and a jade belt. His face bore a striking resemblance to Su Derong, though his features were more composed, and he sported a short beard. This was Su Derong's uncle, Su Jingming, one of the current managers of the Su Family Escort Agency.

"Uncle." Su Derong stepped forward and bowed.

Chen Jianghe also bowed: "Junior Chen Jianghe greets Senior Su."

Su Jingming glanced at Chen Jianghe and nodded slightly: "No need for formalities, please sit."

The three of them sat down again.

Su Jingming picked up his teacup but didn't drink it immediately. He looked at Su Derong and asked, "Derong, is this the junior brother you mentioned?"

"That's right," Su Derong said with a smile. "Chen Jianghe is my junior brother from the Xingyi Martial Arts School. He has been a student for more than half a year and just broke through to the Ming Jin level yesterday."

Su Jingming's eyes lit up with even greater joy. He patted Chen Jianghe on the shoulder: "Master Li has been quiet for many years, and now he has finally found a good prospect! Excellent!"

He looked at Chen Jianghe: "How is your master doing lately?"

Chen Jianghe respectfully replied, "Master is well and enjoys drinking wine every day, living a carefree life."

"Carefree and at ease..." Su Jingming repeated these four words, then suddenly smiled, a hint of emotion in his smile. "Master Li is still the same as always. If it weren't for him back then, my Su family might not be where we are today."

Chen Jianghe's heart stirred slightly, knowing that this was about to bring up the past, so he listened attentively.

Su Derong picked up the conversation and said to Chen Jianghe, "Jianghe, this is a long story. My Su family was originally not in Yilin County, but in Yongchuan County, which is three hundred miles to the north."

Su Jingming nodded and continued, "Yongchuan County is located on the frontier, where various forces are mixed and constantly fighting. My Su family runs a security escort agency there, and although we have some foundation, we are ultimately weak. Twenty years ago, a great battle occurred, and the three major gangs in Yongchuan County suffered heavy casualties, plunging the county into chaos. My father, who is also Derong's grandfather, made a decisive decision to move the whole family south."

He paused, gazing out the window as if recalling: "At that time, Derong was still young, and I was just over twenty. The Su family, more than thirty people, with their valuables and belongings, traveled south in a grand procession of more than a dozen carriages. We thought that by staying away from trouble, we could live a peaceful life..."

"Who knew our enemies had been watching us all along. When we reached Black Wind Ridge, a group of masked men attacked us. The leader was none other than the second-in-command of the Blood Wolf Gang from Yongchuan County. That bastard had an old grudge against my Su family and wanted to wipe us out while we were away from our base."

The tea room fell silent for a moment.

"That battle was incredibly fierce," Su Jingming said slowly. "At that time, more than half of my Su family's bodyguards were killed or wounded, and my father was also seriously injured. It seemed that the entire army was about to be wiped out when Master Li happened to pass by."

He looked at Chen Jianghe, a look of reminiscence in his eyes: "Your master was only in his thirties then, dressed in a dark blue robe, carrying a wine gourd on his back, looking like an ordinary江湖客 (jianghu kè kè, a wandering swordsman). He paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his voice and asked: 'Are those surrounded on the road the Su family of Yongchuan?'"

"My father was too weak to answer at the time, and could only nod with difficulty. Master Li then said: 'Does Master Su still remember that three years ago outside Yongchuan City, you treated a drunkard passing by to a pot of "Shaodaozi"?'"

Su Jingming suddenly smiled as he said this: "Master Li made a move just for the sake of this pot of wine."

"I was young then, but I remember it clearly!" Su Derong couldn't help but interject, his eyes gleaming. "Master just walked into the fray, bare-handed. The Blood Wolf Gang's second-in-command was a veteran expert in the Transformation Realm, wielding a nine-ringed broadsword, his ferocity terrifying. But Master only threw three punches—"

He gestured with his famous hand: "The first punch, a collapsing fist like an arrow, sent the broadsword flying; the second punch, a cannon fist that exploded, shattered his sternum; the third punch... wasn't even thrown. The second-in-command coughed up blood and fell to the ground, and the rest of the bandits scattered in a panic."

Su Jingming nodded: "He defeated the enemy with three punches and saved my entire Su family. Afterwards, my father wanted to reward him handsomely, but Master Li only accepted a jar of wine, saying, 'The debt of wine is repaid with wine, and we are even.' When asked about his name and lineage, he just smiled and said, 'Xingyi Quan, Li Chengyue.'"

Chen Jianghe was deeply shaken.

The image of his master, slumped in a bamboo chair with bleary eyes, flashed through his mind, a picture of dejection that was hard to reconcile with the image of the righteous and powerful Xingyi master described by Su Jingming.

"Later, my Su family settled down in Yilin County and always wanted to repay Master Li." Su Jingming shook his head with a wry smile, "But he... was so nonchalant. He wouldn't accept money; he wouldn't take a house. He just said, 'It's just a small favor, don't worry about it.'"

Su Derong rubbed his nose and chuckled sheepishly, "Back then, I thought Master was amazing, suppressing a group of enemies with a single punch...how impressive!"

Su Jingming glared at him: "You think that's impressive? You just think that's what a carefree life is like because you see Master Li drinking so elegantly!"

Su Derong didn't refute, he just chuckled.

Su Jingming shook his head, looked at Chen Jianghe again, and said solemnly, "Jianghe, since you are Master Li's disciple and have outstanding talent, my Su family will do its best to take care of you. The reason I called you here today is to discuss the matter of your temporary post."

Chen Jianghe composed himself, bowed respectfully, and said, "This junior will heed your instructions, senior."