Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Once the noise from next door subsided, Xu Hao finally turned his attention back to his own thoughts.

Looking at the dead Rat King at his feet, a thought struck him.

"receive."

The gray shadow on the ground vanished into thin air.

Xu Hao's consciousness sank into his mind, and he saw the Rat King lying quietly in the corner of the square "Sumeru Warehouse".

This thing's fur is so tough it can withstand a baton, and its claws can tear through cowhide. He figured he could keep it and maybe make it into an arm guard or something.

Most importantly, if the Rat King's corpse were left here, anyone with eyes could see that its spine had been broken by the force of the finger, and his cowardly disguise would be exposed.

After disposing of the body, Xu Hao felt his stomach rumbling with cravings.

Now that we're tied to this blessed land, we can't afford to waste the daily "refined rice" bonus.

With a thought, a handful of rice appeared out of thin air in his hand.

With the faint light filtering through the vent, the rice grains appeared translucent jade-colored and emitted a refreshing fragrance.

Xu Hao stuffed the rice directly into his mouth.

Crunchy.

The raw rice, when placed in the mouth, had no astringency whatsoever; instead, as it was chewed, it transformed into a sweet saliva.

It slid down my throat, and in no time, my stomach felt like it had a small stove inside, with a warm current rushing straight to my limbs.

The energy he had just expended in the fierce battle with the Rat King was mostly replenished in just a few breaths.

"This is good stuff!"

Xu Hao's eyes lit up. This wasn't rice at all; it was clearly a high-grade medicine that didn't need refining!

It's so much better than the greasy braised pork in the cafeteria.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Old Huang, still half asleep, pushed open the warehouse door, one hand holding his waistband.

"Hey, what's going on?" Old Huang yawned, glanced at the corner of the wall, and immediately swallowed half of his yawn back down.

A pile of dead rats was neatly stacked in the corner, each one with its brains splattered out, completely dead.

"My goodness..." Old Huang's drunkenness instantly vanished. He circled the pile of dead rats twice, staring blankly at Xu Hao. "Are you a cat demon reincarnated? Did you kill all of these?"

Xu Hao slumped onto the sack, feigning exhaustion, and waved his hand weakly: "Master Huang, don't even mention it. We used a clumsy method, holding a stick and keeping watch all night, not daring to close our eyes even once."

"Okay, he's someone who gets things done."

Old Huang was indeed a straightforward man. Without asking any questions, he pulled a flat leather wine flask from his pocket and tossed it to Xu Hao, saying, "This is some homemade liquor, have a good rest. Also..."

Old Huang lowered his voice and pointed to the somewhat damaged burlap sack behind him: "This stale rice that rats gnawed through is just spilling out. If we 'accidentally' sweep some into our pockets while sweeping, nobody cares."

"As long as you don't go too far, that's the rule for us warehouse keepers."

Xu Hao took the wine jug, his face beaming with gratitude: "Thank you so much, Master Huang, for your kindness!"

He thanked her verbally, but secretly chuckled to himself: Old rice? I have fine rice to eat, who cares about this stale sesame seeds?

However, one must maintain a good facade; the persona of someone who "steals what they can" is the best cover.

During his subsequent rest period, Xu Hao didn't stay idle either.

The Chen family mansion appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath.

With the Listening Talisman in his hand, Xu Hao wandered around the guards' dormitory and the kitchen area like a lost soul.

In the afternoon, the swill buckets in the back kitchen alley emitted a sour and foul smell.

Xu Hao squatted against the wall, basking in the sun, pretending to doze off, but his ears were always perked up.

"...North wind."

Two extremely soft words entered my ears.

Xu Hao tapped his fingers lightly on his knees, slowing his breathing.

Through the wall, Kui Wu's high-pitched voice, lowered to a whisper, said, "Master Sun has sent word that it's set for the night after tomorrow. A north wind will blow tonight, and the fire will spread with the wind. Once the granary catches fire, the front yard will be in complete chaos."

Another, somewhat unfamiliar voice came from the kitchen purchasing manager: "Where's the medicine? I think I put it in the food..."

"No need," Kui Wu interrupted him. "This time it's a direct robbery. The canal gang will be waiting outside. All we need to do is start a fire and muddy the water. Remember, the vent is the eye of the storm. Throw the tinder in, and even a god can't save us."

"After this is done, Master Sun will guarantee us a place in the Salt Gang's brothel, where we'll live a life of luxury."

Xu Hao slowly opened his eyes, looked at the azure sky above him, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Grandpa Sun, it's Grandpa Sun again.

This person's reach is quite long.

In the past, Xu Hao might have thought about how to protect himself.

But now, this granary is his territory, and this fine rice is his staple food.

Want to burn down his granary? His blessed land?

Did you ask him about the baton he was holding?

Xu Hao did not choose to inform on them.

In this mansion, he was a newly promoted guard with little influence. If he were to make baseless accusations against the senior Kui Wu, he might be falsely accused of slander.

Moreover, the so-called "Master Sun" has even bribed the purchasing manager. Who knows how many other ghosts are in this mansion?

There are no days when you can guard against thieves, only days when you're a thief yourself.

Instead of waiting for them to make a move, we should take this opportunity to remove these thorns completely.

For the next two days, Xu Hao lived a very regular life.

Sleep during the day, guard the warehouse at night.

He swallowed a liter of refined rice every day without fail, and with the "locking" technique, he could clearly feel his body undergoing a qualitative change.

It felt amazing, like repeatedly forging a piece of pig iron.

The skin, which was originally just somewhat tough, now had a faint bronze sheen, and it felt smooth to the touch. With the slightest pressure, the muscles tightened like steel wire.

"collapse!"

Late at night, Xu Hao sat cross-legged on top of a sack when a very faint cracking sound suddenly came from inside his body.

He suddenly opened his eyes, raised his arm, and saw that the skin on his forearm was as tight as a drumhead. He casually rubbed it against a wooden post next to him, and it made a "sizzling" sound as it rubbed against hard leather. A white mark was left on the wooden post, but his arm was completely unharmed.

Skin smoothing mastery.

Xu Hao clenched his fist, feeling the explosive power contained in his palm.

If he were to face the Rat King again now, he probably wouldn't even have a white mark left on his body.

On the evening of the third day, the sky was frighteningly gloomy.

A strong wind swirled withered leaves in the yard, making the window frames rattle.

Just as Kui Wu had said, it was perfect weather for murder and arson.

Xu Hao arrived at the granary early and saw Old Huang looking worried in front of a solitary lamp.

"Uncle Huang, it's windy today. I'm afraid your old leg pain is going to flare up again?"

Xu Hao chuckled and leaned over, handing Old Huang a packet of hot braised beef. "I just saw that Fu Inn is still open, so I got you two ounces of good wine. Why don't you go back and heat up a pot to warm yourself up?"

Old Huang sniffed, his mouth watering at the aroma of the wine, but he still hesitated: "The weather doesn't look right, what if..."

"Hey, I'm here!" Xu Hao patted his chest, waving his baton with a whooshing sound. "I've been on guard for three days, and not a single mosquito has gotten in. You can rest easy and take a break. Come and take over tomorrow morning."

Old Huang was really craving the wine, and seeing that Xu Hao was indeed reliable these past few days, he didn't insist anymore. He picked up the wine and meat, humming a little tune, and left.

After seeing Old Huang off, Xu Hao's smile vanished instantly.