Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

A moment later, a hunched-over, pockmarked pirate with a limp appeared in the back alley of the fish market.

He was carrying two jars of wine, which he had just smuggled from the tavern at the alley entrance.

[Disguise and Bone-Shrinking Techniques (Fragment)]

Xu Hao endured the aching and numbness from the misalignment of his bones, his facial muscles contorted. Even if Chen Yuanzhi stood in front of him, he would never recognize this as the boy who had carried him on his back for three days through the mountains.

He swaggered in through the back door and bumped right into two pirates who came out to urinate.

"Hey? Which gang are you from? You look unfamiliar." One of the pirates pulled up his pants and looked Xu Hao up and down suspiciously.

Xu Hao grinned, his voice hoarse and unpleasant: "I just came here with the leader. He was worried that the brothers would be thirsty, so he asked me to bring over two jars of good wine."

As he spoke, he shook the wine jar in his hand, and the aroma of wine filled the air.

The pirates on the other side swallowed hard, not thinking much of it. After all, everyone in the fish market was one of their own. Who would have thought someone would dare to sneak in?

"You're a smart kid, put it down."

Xu Hao bowed and scraped as he placed the wine jar next to the large water vat in the corner of the courtyard. Taking advantage of the moment when the two turned around, he flicked his finger.

A few drops of pale blue liquid slid down between his fingers and silently dissolved into the open water tank next to him.

After doing all this, he didn't rush to take action. Instead, he scurried into the woodshed like a mouse and quietly waited for night to fall.

As night fell, the sea breeze grew stronger, making the old doors and windows rattle loudly.

The pirates in the courtyard, having eaten and drunk their fill, were all slumped over.

The burly man who was leading the group seemed to be tired as well. He cursed and went back to the main house, leaving only a few henchmen to guard the yard.

The opportunity is here.

Xu Hao emerged from the woodshed, the hundred-refined steel knife in his hand gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light under the moonlight.

"Cough cough..." One of the pirates guarding the wooden stake suddenly coughed violently, feeling weak all over and unable to muster any strength. "This wine... it's getting a little intoxicating..."

Before he could finish speaking, a hand covered his mouth from behind.

puff.

The blade sliced ​​across his throat with precision and swiftness, without even a drop of blood spurting out.

Xu Hao gently set the body down, then his figure darted like a ghost to his next target.

Although the bone-dissolving powder was diluted and wouldn't kill people, it was enough to cause the pirates' blood and qi to stagnate and their reactions to become sluggish.

For a "butcher" like Xu Hao, this was simply a one-sided harvest.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all seventeen or eighteen henchmen in the courtyard had turned into corpses.

Xu Hao walked to the wooden stake and cut the rope with a single stroke.

Old Ma's body went limp, and he collapsed into Xu Hao's arms.

He struggled to open his swollen eyes, staring at the unfamiliar, pockmarked face with a murky gaze.

"Don't speak, I was invited by Chen Yuanzhi," Xu Hao said in a low voice.

Just then, the main door of the house suddenly exploded.

"Where did this rat come from, daring to mess with your Sea Shark Gang grandpa's head!"

The burly man leading the group charged out shirtless, exuding a menacing aura. His skin gleamed with a bronze sheen, clearly indicating that his external martial arts skills had reached a high level.

He spotted the corpses all over the courtyard at a glance, roared, and the bluestone slabs beneath his feet cracked inch by inch. He charged straight at Xu Hao like a raging bull.

The punch was powerful and heavy, compressing the air and creating a loud popping sound.

Xu Hao pushed Lao Ma aside and instead of retreating, advanced.

Instead of using a knife, he formed his five fingers into a claw and rammed into the burly man's fist.

"You're asking for it!" The burly man's eyes flashed with contempt when he saw that this skinny monkey dared to confront him head-on.

He's trained his body for twenty years, making him invulnerable to swords and spears; this kid is practically throwing an egg against a rock.

The power of the Yi Jin Jing erupted, attempting to shatter Xu Hao's arm.

However, the moment their fists clashed, the burly man's expression changed. His internal energy seemed to have been disrupted, leaving him powerless.

There was no sound of bones cracking as I had imagined.

Xu Hao's palm seemed boneless, wrapping around the strong man's fist. Then, an extremely soft and spiraling force drilled into the strong man's arm through his pores.

"The Power of Overturning Rivers!"

This force was like countless tiny drills, ignoring the strong man's hard skin and directly churning wildly within his meridians and flesh.

"Ah—!" The burly man screamed in agony as his entire right arm went limp instantly, the bones inside twisted into several pieces by the hidden force.

Xu Hao seized the initiative, his figure blurring as he pressed forward.

With his left hand gripping the burly man's right shoulder, he clenched his right fist, his middle finger sticking out, and stabbed it hard into the man's heart.

puff.

A muffled thud, as if striking rotten leather.

The burly man's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes bulged, and a large amount of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spilled from the corner of his mouth.

His heart had been shattered into a pile of mud inside his chest cavity.

Its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Xu Hao took a deep breath and shook the blood off his hands.

This "Overturning River Force" is indeed domineering, specifically designed to counter these thick-skinned, physically tough martial artists.

"Come in."

As Xu Hao spoke, a figure climbed over the wall; it was Chen Yuanzhi.

He looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he rushed to Old Ma's side.

"Old Ma! Old Ma, wake up!"

Looking at his young master, a glimmer of light finally appeared in Old Ma's cloudy eyes.

He shakily raised his only remaining hand and pointed to a well in the corner of the backyard that had long since dried up.

"Spinning scales...locking ring...clockwise...three...scales...press three..." Old Ma's voice was as weak as a mosquito's buzz, "It's...the master left it for the young master..."

Before he could finish speaking, his hand fell to his sides.

Chen Yuanzhi held the old man's body, his teeth almost grinding to powder.

Xu Hao patted him on the shoulder, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the dry well.

Xu Hao landed in the dry well, feeling the soft, sticky texture of the mud beneath his feet, while the stench of decay in the air assaulted his senses.

Using the moonlight filtering through the well, Xu Hao reached out and felt around on the well wall.

The "spiral scale locking ring" that Old Ma murmured before he died sounds mysterious, but it's actually just a directional guide.

When Xu Hao's fingers touched a piece of blue brick with cracks, his heart stirred. He pried open the brick and found a brass ring about the size of his palm, with the ring carved into the shape of a dragon holding its tail.

The ring is fixed to the stone base and cannot be removed, but it can slide clockwise. The dragon's body has twelve protruding scales.

Xu Hao pushed the ring with the dragon's tail three steps clockwise, and with a series of soft "clicks," three scales popped up.

He pressed the three scales in order.

With a crisp "click," a hidden door popped open at the bottom of the well wall, and dust fell down, covering Xu Hao's face.

"...Found it?" A head popped out of the well, Chen Yuanzhi's voice was tense.

"What's the rush? Do you think you can grow legs and run away?" Xu Hao wiped the dust off his face, bent down, and went into a secret room.

The interior space is quite large, but there are only three small mahogany boxes in the center.

Xu Hao didn't stand on ceremony and reached out to lift the leftmost cover.

The golden light almost blinded him.

A whole box full of small yellow croakers, neatly stacked.

"Good stuff!" Xu Hao grinned from ear to ear; this was the only truth in chaotic times.

He opened the second opening and found some jewelry and jade. Although they were not as easy to circulate as gold, they were valuable.

By the third box, the weight had decreased considerably.

Upon opening it, it was completely empty, containing only a roll of something wrapped in layers of oilcloth.

Xu Hao's heart skipped a beat. This treatment was better than gold; it must be something extraordinary.

Uncovering the oilcloth revealed a yellowed sheepskin book with only three large, wildly cursive characters on the cover—"Stepping on the Waves"—and underneath it was a token that was neither gold nor jade, but entirely dark blue.