CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: SECRET TECHNIQUE (PART 1)

The Jia Family Manor does not strictly restrict the personal freedom of its guards.

As long as they do not make mistakes during tasks, do not stay out overnight frequently, or leave mid-way without permission, they are generally not constrained too much.

Lou Yi, with an axe tucked in his chest, went separately to offer condolences to two families in Wulao Village and Linhai Village, taking out ten wen for funeral contributions, gaining a bit of precious energy.

The old lady in Wulao Village had a dark complexion and an ambiguous smile, clearly indicating an unnatural death.

The centenarian in Linhai Village appeared serene, looking like he died of natural causes, which was also verified by the Attribute Panel, yielding no further gains.

’I’ll visit the graveyard again at night,’ Lou Yi thought.

His foundation still depended on the stable output of the graveyard.

...

Xinxiang, Inspection Office.

Outside the hall, blue-tiled eaves stretched, and a vermilion iron door stood tall, flanked by two fierce-looking stone lions, exuding an aura of majesty.

Inside, the hall was spacious and bright, with a white stone-paved floor. On a purple sandalwood painting table were placed various items like a sign tube, brush, paperweight, and inkstone.

A stern-looking middle-aged man in a green robe sat behind the table, a displeased expression on his face.

"Qi Hu, how dare you, without my orders, privately lead a team to arrest people at the Jia Family Manor?"

Qi Erlang knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, "My subordinate’s entire family of ten, including my elderly father, wife, and children, all died tragically. I plead for the lord to seek justice for me!"

Upon hearing this, the man’s gaze softened slightly, "I understand your feelings; it must be incredibly painful.

But the country has its laws, and families have their rules. If you want to arrest someone, you need solid evidence; otherwise, it’s a violation of the Great Wei law."

"That Jia Rong is no simple person; he has quite a few private connections in Tai City. Without full evidence, even I would face impeachment if I acted rashly."

Qi Erlang just kept kowtowing on the ground, "Please issue an arrest warrant, Inspector!"

Saying this, he even grabbed Inspector Cao’s leg.

"Nonsense! You treat the law as a child’s play! I, Cao, have always upheld the law impartially; how could I break the law for personal reasons?" the inspector coldly shook his head, ordering someone to drag Qi Erlang away.

Afterwards, he looked at Qin Yun inside the room, his expression much more relaxed, "There’s a monster appearing in Xinxiang, causing problems everywhere. My subordinates are not skilled in tracking, so I’ll have to trouble Young Hero Qin to eradicate the menace."

"Hunting monsters is the duty of us martial artists; there’s no need for politeness, my lord," Qin Yun said, cupping his fists.

He walked out of the hall and found the slumped Qi Hu in a corner of the courtyard.

Qi Hu’s cheeks were still tear-stained, his eyes full of hatred, with even traces of blood at the corners of his mouth.

"The inspector is too timid, not daring to send people even after a minor citizen; in vain, I followed him for so many years!"

"Those Man Slaughter and Iron Hand always look down on me. When I go to them, they don’t even bother to acknowledge me! Damn it!"

"Silence!" Qin Yun frowned.

Qi Hu said grimly, "Since we can’t take him to the office, we’ll take him secretly!"

He looked at Qin Yun, "Brother Qin, are you willing to help me?"

"Why not?" Qin Yun’s handsome face showed a faint smile, "I want to know if the culprit is really him."

"A commoner who isn’t a martial artist could overturn a Blood Bull. Is it possible that this small place really hides someone with Innate Divine Power? Interesting, very interesting indeed."

After speaking, Qin Yun casually struck a nearby large tree.

Several shallow imprints instantly appeared on the trunk, and the bark fell like powder.

Qi Hu’s pupils constricted at the sight.

...

Three days later.

Lou Yi dug up a new grave, gaining one point of energy, bringing his total energy to two points.

He looked at the Attribute Panel, and a thought crossed his mind.

The state of Basic Spear Technique changed from (Not Initiated 0/2) → (Initiated 0/6):

[Name: Lou Yi]

[Age: 19/55]

[Realm: None]

[Skills: Lou’s Axe Skill (Proficient 0/30), Stone Throwing (Mastered 0/30), Basic Boxing Technique (Initiated 0/3), Basic Spear Technique (Initiated 0/6)]

[Energy: 0]

New memories appeared in Lou Yi’s mind.

In this dreamlike memory, he seemed to transform into an eleven or twelve-year-old child, surrounded by a dozen peers.

Each held a long bamboo stick, standing in a horse stance with feet apart.

A green-clad elder was teaching from the front, his loud voice resounding across the scene.

"Hold the spear steady, head level, shoulders level, feet level, spear level."

"Three tips aligned, nose tip, toe tip, spear tip, in the same direction!"

"Block, grip, thrust are basic skills! Only when the basic skills are well-practiced can one learn the spear technique; otherwise, it’s just flashy moves!"

"Practice, practice well!"

After the elder shouted, the children began their tedious basic skill training.

Holding the stick with both hands, with the stick’s middle against the belly, expanding shoulders for blocking, contracting shoulders for gripping.

Thrusting was more intricate, requiring the legs, waist, and arms to exert force simultaneously to the spear tip.

Starting with two hundred repetitions a day, then four hundred daily a month later, and six hundred daily after half a year.

After a year, eight hundred daily.

Persistent practice, without interruption.

Repeating this for two years, they could manage the spear and horse stance as one.

By then, the spear technique was truly initiated, gaining the elder’s recognition, allowing further training...

The memory broke off here, and a familiar energy from the void poured into Lou Yi’s body, continuously enhancing Lou Yi’s physique.

His body was exceptionally strong now, and this breakthrough into the initial realm of spear technique only caused his skin to turn slightly red, far from reaching a transformative state.

Of course, his strength had certainly increased a bit.

Exactly what level he had reached was unclear to Lou Yi due to the lack of a strength testing device.

All he knew was that he was much stronger than when he overturned the Blood Bull previously.

He picked up the long wooden stick, usually used for training, and a familiar sensation surged in his heart.

Gripping the bottom of the stick with his right hand, and the middle with his left, with the middle portion pressed against his waist, he pushed forward with a kick of the leg, a twist of the waist, and a thrust of the right hand.

’Whoosh!’

A sound comparable to a crossbow arrow leaving the string echoed, blasting apart several clumps of earth on the grave mound ahead.

If equipped with an iron spearhead, and thrust into someone, it could even pierce through armor, chilling to the bone...

Truly the king of all weapons, unparalleled in piercing ability.

An equal level of axe skill would likely be at a disadvantage.

Lou Yi continued to practice with his spear, from the most basic block, grip, thrust to sweep, point, press, and chop moves.

He realized his current spear technique might not be inferior to Cui Yuan’s, maybe even stronger.

The most skillful spear instructor in Jia Family Manor, Cui Yuan, was also considered just at the initiated level by the Attribute Panel.

The ease of learning yet difficulty in mastering spear techniques was evident in this.

Therefore.

Lou Yi swung his stick at the nearby big tree, and with a ’crack,’ many leaves fell from the tree.

Lou Yi shifted his steps lightly, maneuvering his body flexibly, drawing circle after circle in the air with his long stick, encompassing nearly all the falling leaves...

After practicing for several hours, Lou Yi was full of confidence.

It’s time to find Instructor Lin!

...