Chapter 297: Martial Artists in the Real World

Caobang — Sanhe Commandery Hall.

Yin Xingtian had been having a difficult time lately.

He had originally been sent from above to reclaim the position of presiding hall master of Sanhe Commandery. Yet during the disastrous Blood Moon Incident, the Caobang had suffered enormous losses.

Across the three waterways, more than twenty dock halls were attacked. Of the four branch helms, three had been destroyed. What had once been a stable situation was now torn apart, riddled with holes on every side.

Yin Xingtian spent large sums of money recruiting martial artists from the Jianghu, expanding his forces, yet he still could not change the current predicament.

On the first day after the Blood Moon Incident ended, they worked with full effort to clean up the branch helms and dock halls, eliminating negative influences and stabilizing morale.

On the second day, shipping operations were hastily resumed.

Yet there were at least seventeen cases of water bandits hijacking cargo ships that very day.

More than a hundred men were thrown into the river to feed the fish, and all the cargo was lost.

The Caobang possessed deep financial reserves. Compensation was immediately paid out, and pensions were distributed.

But by the third and fourth day, they had no choice but to offer higher prices to recruit more manpower, reinforcing the escort forces at the dock halls to maintain the Caobang’s foundations and preserve the trust of the merchant families.

Even so, the bandit attacks never stopped.

Every day, cargo ships were hijacked.

Every day, brothers were thrown into the river to feed the fish.

As income shrank further and further, compensation payments, pension funds, and recruitment costs continued to rise.

Yin Xingtian, Old Seven, Lin Cunxin, and Zhao Jinshan were so busy that their feet barely touched the ground. They even lowered themselves to seek assistance from the major families of Sanhe Commandery, hiring their martial artists as escorts.

Yet even this failed to change the situation.

Over the next two days, more cargo was lost.

Every day brought new financial losses.

“Hall Master!”

“One of our informants discovered something. Among the people we recently recruited, there are spies planted by outsiders.”

That night, Yin Xingtian received a report from his subordinates.

“They know exactly how much cargo our fleets carry and which ships are transporting valuable goods. The bandits know everything because there are traitors among the escorts.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Xingtian’s eyes turned cold and sharp.

“Traitors!”

“I despise such people the most!”

“Investigate!”

“Find them and kill every last one!”

“I do not care which family or faction is involved. This blood debt will be placed on their heads!”

The fury that Yin Xingtian had suppressed for days had already condensed into boundless killing intent. He desperately needed an outlet.

That very night, a powerful group stormed into a certain family residence in Sanhe Commandery.

More than one hundred members of the family were slaughtered without mercy.

Every piece of wealth in the household was taken.

But the news still leaked out.

The Six Doors began investigating the case.

The many families of Sanhe Commandery immediately withdrew the martial artists they had lent to the Caobang.

Overnight, the Caobang became the target of public condemnation.

The shipping business collapsed even further.

When the upper leadership of the Caobang learned of the turmoil in the Sanhe Commandery Hall, a carrier pigeon message arrived, transferring Yin Xingtian away and appointing Old Seven as the acting leader of the Sanhe Commandery Hall.

…

Su Wangchuan’s shipping business remained stable and was not affected.

Patrol ships from the upstream waterways regularly returned with reports about the situation in Sanhe Commandery.

When Su Wangchuan heard that Yin Xingtian had been transferred away, he was surprised—and felt even more pressure.

Yin Xingtian had been the only Fourth-Rank Martial Artist of the Caobang in Sanhe Commandery.

Now that he was gone, the Caobang’s power there had become even weaker.

“I hope nothing worse happens.”

Su Wangchuan knew that the Sanhe Commandery Hall was now like a sieve riddled with holes.

From the hall itself to the branch helms, the three islands, and the dock halls scattered throughout the region, defensive strength and escort forces had dropped to unprecedented lows.

Anything could go wrong.

Even Su Wangchuan could do little.

Over the past few days, he had recruited more than a hundred probationary disciples and several dozen branch helm disciples to strengthen his forces, but he was powerless to help the other two waterways.

Every day, aside from carefully monitoring the dock halls and maintaining intense patrols to ensure the shipping routes of the Sanhe River remained safe, he could only remain in the training grounds and continue cultivating.

Four days passed.

The 《Water-Splitting Blade Technique》 reached “Practice Makes Perfect,” granting +3 Agility.

The Beggar Sect’s Second-Rank martial art 《Snake-Driving Staff Technique》 also reached “Practice Makes Perfect,” granting +3 Agility.

Meanwhile, the 《Qingcheng Heart Method》 had steadily accumulated experience through auxiliary training, reaching 1563/2000 and approaching the “Integration” stage.

That day,

Su Wangchuan immediately began preparing to cultivate a niche martial art—the 《Snake Fist》.

Unlike ordinary fist techniques, Snake Fist imitated the movements of snakes.

It emphasized serpentine motion, combining footwork with a trembling vibration of the body. In actual combat, it was unpredictable and flexible, advancing and retreating swiftly.

During attacks, softness concealed hardness, striking suddenly and swiftly.

Following the manual’s instructions and descriptions, Su Wangchuan circled the Iron Dummy Stake.

His steps landed lightly on half a palm’s width, his upper body swaying like a snake. His hands formed claw-like shapes, alternating between feints and real strikes.

It took more than an hour before he gradually became familiar with the footwork.

His gaze remained focused.

His movements became agile and ever-changing, ready to exploit any opening.

After circling the dummy for some time, he began launching pecking strikes.

SLAP!

SLAP! SLAP!

He unleashed a series of relatively nimble attacks. Su Wangchuan felt he had already captured the essence of Snake Fist.

Yet the experience value did not move at all.

When he had trained the 《Snake-Driving Staff Technique》 before, he imagined himself surrounded by venomous snakes.

By focusing attacks on the lower section of the dummy stake, he had discovered the trick and quickly raised the technique to “Practice Makes Perfect.”

Snake Fist was also a niche martial art.

To enter the technique quickly and gain experience, he needed to discover its key principle.

But after several hours of trying every possible method, nothing worked.

The experience value remained completely unchanged.

Just as he was about to lose patience, he suddenly thought of Bai Jingtang.

“A stone from another mountain can polish jade.”

“I should ask Captain Bai.”

Since his own experience was not enough to unlock the secrets of Snake Fist, Su Wangchuan naturally sought help from outside.

He made a phone call.

There was no answer.

A few minutes later, Bai Jingtang called back. Her voice sounded slightly tired.

“Hello.”

“Captain Bai, you left without even saying goodbye to everyone. That is not very fair.”

“Oh? After all these days, you finally remembered me?”

Bai Jingtang spoke in her usual indifferent tone, teasing him.

“You only call when you need something. Tell me—did you run into another cultivation problem?”

Su Wangchuan rubbed his nose awkwardly and laughed.

“As expected of Captain Bai. Nothing escapes your eyes.”

“It is like this.”

He explained the obstacle he had encountered while cultivating Snake Fist and asked if she had any advice.

“Snake Fist…”

“For other niche martial arts, I might not be able to help. But Xingyi-style techniques are not a problem.”

“You might consider consulting a martial artist in the real world… I happen to know someone like that. I will ask for you.”

The moment Bai Jingtang said this, Su Wangchuan’s eyes lit up.

A martial artist in the real world?

A bolt of lightning seemed to flash through his mind.