Chapter 275: Captain Bai Returns

When Wangchuan first arrived at the Sanjiang Branch Helm, its personnel had been loose, restless, and undisciplined. After three Deputy Helm Leaders were killed by a Crimson Pavilion assassin, it could be said that those were the days when the Sanjiang Branch Helm was at its most isolated and helpless.

But things were different now.

The Sanjiang Branch Helm was now powerful and well-manned. On the surface, it had six Second-Rank Martial Artists. Hidden in the infirmary was also the old fox Yang Feiyue, another Second-Rank Martial Artist.

There were more than thirty First-Rank Martial Artists, and the number of full-fledged Martial Artists had already surpassed one hundred. With its current foundation, it was second only to the Caobang hall.

At this point, it made almost no difference whether the branch helm had its helm leader personally present or not.

Chen Ergou, Wang Yuehui, and Zhao Heiniu alone could manage the branch helm in perfect order.

Li Qing’s team was responsible for identifying unfamiliar faces at the dock.

The Qingfeng Escort Agency under Fei Zai’s management also had Yang Feiyue there to advise him.

The Sanjiang Branch Helm had now become a precisely operating machine, with everyone performing their own duties and everything running smoothly.

The current situation of the Warring States Game Studio was very similar to that of the Sanjiang Branch Helm.

Under Su Wan’s coordination, half of Red Moon Studio’s people were sent into Hejiang Town to work as laborers loading and unloading cargo at the docks. The other half were split between the coal mine and the dock in Huishui County.

After a period of ideological conditioning, those three hundred or so people were finally stabilized.

However!

In order to completely control Red Moon Studio, Su Wan had specially added three hundred security robots at Red Moon Plaza…

Although the authorities had already issued their official conclusion,

some people in the local area still retained seeds of suspicion. They were probing Red Moon Studio by every possible means, trying to get inside and learn the truth.

Security robots that cost one million RMB each…

Su Wan casually purchased five hundred of them.

Three hundred were deployed at Red Moon Plaza to protect Red Moon Studio’s side;

the rest were used to protect the Warring States Building.

Half a month later, Bai Jingtang came to find Wangchuan.

“How much money do you have? Lend me some. I will use a Green Grade weapon as collateral.”

Bai Jingtang got straight to the point.

Wangchuan was briefly taken aback, then said,

“With a Green Grade item as collateral, I could lend at most three hundred taels of gold. But since Captain Bai is asking personally, I can lend you one thousand taels of gold… Will that be enough?”

He knew Bai Jingtang would never ask lightly. She must have run into something she truly needed.

Bai Jingtang nodded and revealed a faint, appreciative smile.

“One thousand taels of gold will be enough.”

“Oh, right.”

“Let me tell you something.”

In a calm tone, Bai Jingtang said,

“A batch of items that failed to sell at an auction in the capital will be escorted to Sanhe Commandery in two days. They will be exhibited there on the spot. The location is the Hall of Master Artisans. You can go take a look. You might find something useful.”

“The Hall of Master Artisans?”

Wangchuan asked, “Will there be martial arts manuals?”

“Not just martial arts manuals. There will also be weapons and clothing made by famous craftsmen from various regions. In any case, even if you do not buy anything, you should still go and take a look. Familiarize yourself with them, understand this Jianghu, and understand the strength of higher-ranked martial artists.”

There was a hint of guidance in Bai Jingtang’s words.

Wangchuan fell into thought.

She probably knew that among the items exhibited in the Hall of Master Artisans, there was something she needed. That was why she had come to borrow money from him.

He nodded.

Since Captain Bai had said so, then he had to go!

“I will come to Hejiang Town later to get the money. When I arrive, I will have Bai Yuhui notify you.”

Bai Jingtang said.

Wangchuan smiled.

“Alright!”

…

When they met in the game, Bai Jingtang had already been away for three months.

She was now a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist, dressed in a cyan Qingcheng Sect disciple’s outfit. She carried an air of elegance and otherworldly chivalry. A longsword in a white scabbard was slung across her back, and her steps were nimble, gentle, yet faintly imposing.

Captain Bai had indeed grown stronger!

But when Bai Jingtang saw Wangchuan, she also sensed from him a blazing current of internal energy—long, steady, and unmoving like a mountain, giving off the feeling that he would be incredibly difficult to bring down.

“You have cultivated 《Xuanwu Art》 to ‘Practice Makes Perfect’?”

After taking the Gold Notes, Bai Jingtang could not help asking.

Wangchuan nodded.

“Yes.”

Shock flickered in Bai Jingtang’s eyes as she looked him up and down several times.

“Inner cultivation methods are very difficult to train. Going from Entry-Level to Minor Mastery requires nearly twenty days of closed-door cultivation! Going from Minor Mastery to Practice Makes Perfect takes at least two months. Since I left the Sanjiang Branch Helm, have you been cultivating 《Xuanwu Art》 every single day?”

Then she immediately shook her head.

“No.”

“That is not right.”

“Your realm in 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 is not low, and Bai Yuhui told me that you also spent a great deal of time training 《Water Strider》… How did you manage that?”

“You could not have found a shortcut for cultivating inner methods, could you?”

After analyzing the situation in one breath, Bai Jingtang fixed her eyes on Wangchuan, her gaze full of inquiry.

Wangchuan could not help laughing when he heard that.

“As expected of Captain Bai. Your eyes are indeed sharp, and you are astonishingly perceptive.”

Then he frankly told her about his discovery that cultivating 《Xuanwu Art》 in the pool accelerated his training.

Bai Jingtang was utterly shocked.

“It cuts the cultivation time in half! You actually found a shortcut for training inner methods! Wangchuan, you are truly fortunate. A shortcut for cultivating inner methods will give you an astonishing advantage in the future! Based on this alone, your future achievements will not be below mine! It is even possible that you could become Warring States’ strongest expert second only to the boss!”

“You are praising me too much, Captain Bai. 《Xuanwu Art》 is not some profound inner cultivation method. It is only Third Rank, and its attributes are not powerful enough. Trying to surpass everyone with just one cultivation method… that is not very realistic.”

Wangchuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

“To cultivate 《Xuanwu Art》 to ‘Entry-Level Mastery’ would require more than thirty days. To reach ‘Integration,’ it needs two thousand points of experience, which means over a hundred days of closed-door cultivation… I do not even have the confidence that I could sit still that long.”

“The further inner cultivation methods are trained, the more obvious and powerful their effects become! If it were me, I would go into closed-door cultivation for more than a hundred days.”

Bai Jingtang stared at Wangchuan as she spoke with complete seriousness.

Wangchuan froze.

Bai Jingtang continued, “Back then, I remained at the Third Rank for an entire year. Without other Third-Rank martial arts, I could only spend my days cultivating inner methods. It was indeed difficult to endure, but it was also that experience which allowed me to firmly establish myself among Third-Rank Martial Artists.”

Bai Jingtang clearly placed great importance on inner cultivation methods.

She warned Wangchuan,

“So long as you do not have a higher-grade inner cultivation method, I believe spending more time cultivating 《Xuanwu Art》 is your greatest advantage. In the future, it may even become your greatest trump card!”

“Come in.”

“Let us exchange a few moves in the training grounds.”

It seemed she was in a hurry to convince him and directly proposed a spar.

Wangchuan’s eyes lit up.

He had never fought a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist before!

This was a rare chance to learn!

“Alright!”

The training grounds were quickly cleared.

All the disciples stepped aside to watch.

Wangchuan and Bai Jingtang stood facing each other in the field.

Wangchuan held a Hundredfold Steel Longsword in his hand;

when Bai Jingtang’s white longsword came into her grasp, her entire bearing changed.