Chapter Eight: Strength and Confidence

It was only three days after Wang Gang’s death that his body was finally discovered. He lived alone, and it was only when Pi Liu noticed his absence for several days and sent his underlings to look for him that they found his corpse, already beginning to emit a foul odor.

Given the scene in his home, the authorities treated it as a case of robbery and murder. The news spread like wildfire throughout the neighboring streets. Yet, as Wang Gang was a figure from the underworld, with no family to speak of, no one truly cared about his death.

For those living nearby, his demise was a source of secret satisfaction, though it also deepened their awe and fear of the chaotic times. Many households grew anxious, while others quietly celebrated.

Pi Liu himself was consumed by rage. Yet, it never crossed his mind that the killer might be a boy of thirteen or fourteen—he never even considered Chen Fan as a suspect.

Given the era—lacking forensic tools or surveillance—Chen Fan, who had taken great care to conceal his tracks, had little reason to worry about discovery.

Meanwhile, having played the role of a ruthless, shadowy knight, Chen Fan simply continued his routine as if nothing had happened: rising early to go to work and returning at dusk. With his mastery of the Tiger Fist, his appetite had stabilized, no longer increasing at the alarming rate it once had. After dealing with Wang Gang, Chen Fan found eight or nine taels of silver in his home, alleviating his financial strain for a time. He also used some of the money to buy several more poultry.

One evening, Chen Fan stood by the duck pen, watching the birds shuffle about. His young niece, Chen Xi, crouched beside him, equally engrossed in watching the ducks waddle and quack.

In recent days, both his Great Hand Seal and Soft Cloud Palm had reached perfection. Though his strength was not as overwhelming as when he first mastered the Tiger Fist, it had still improved considerably. All three skills now allowed him to sense internal energy—though each with its own nuances, none seemed particularly extraordinary.

Soon, his vision shifted, and a string of characters appeared before him:

“You observe the actions of the ducks, fall into a moment of insight, and your overall understanding of Duck-Walking Fist improves.”

“So it really works!” Chen Fan’s eyes gleamed.

Without hesitation, he began practicing the Duck-Walking Fist once more.

“Your progress in the first form of Duck-Walking Fist increases by 80%. Idle training efficiency improved.”

In an instant, he completed the first form of the Duck-Walking Fist. The style comprised only four forms, and with his current pace, he would master it in less than ten days.

Yet, as he practiced, Chen Fan couldn’t help but shake his head. Though the style had its unique flair, in terms of power and effect, it paled in comparison to the Tiger Fist. Mastering the Tiger Fist had improved him tenfold more than this new technique.

With some money in hand, Chen Fan once again sought out the slovenly man from the Flying Tiger Sect to purchase more manuals.

The man was puzzled by Chen Fan’s persistence. He had already spent five taels—enough, with a bit more, to pay tuition at a martial arts academy, where the basic skills would be taught for free. Why insist on buying manuals instead?

Chen Fan, however, had his reasons. With Pi Liu’s constant pressure, he couldn’t save money. And without the ability to defend himself, it could take him years to save enough for tuition—wasting his natural talent. Seeing Chen Fan’s resolve, the man stopped arguing. As a regular customer, he gave Chen Fan a discount, selling him six manuals for four taels of silver. He made it clear, though, that these were all of average quality—none could match the Tiger Fist. He had nearly sold out of the sect’s strength-building manuals; the rest were too integral to the sect’s interests to be sold to outsiders.

Chen Fan understood that his method of buying manuals could only last for so long; eventually, he would have to join an academy to advance further.

“It’s a pity—none of these six manuals can compare to the Tiger Fist,” he thought, unlocking two more techniques: the Flowing Wind Palm and the Embracing Origin Fist.

He also noticed that all the manuals he could buy were either palm or fist techniques—none for the legs. Foundational skills were designed to build strength and temper the body, and it seemed fist and palm methods were more suitable for this purpose.

Shaking his head, Chen Fan began practicing the Flowing Wind Palm. Unlike his first attempts at learning, his movements were now much more precise, even when simply following the instructions. These two new techniques were similar in quality to the Duck-Walking Fist—each comprising three or four forms, and none approaching the level of the Tiger Fist.

After practicing, Chen Fan realized that his progress with the Flowing Wind Palm was even slightly faster than when he had first unlocked the Duck-Walking Fist, though both were of similar quality.

“I’ve mastered several strength-building techniques now; my body has grown stronger with each one…” he mused.

It became clear that the efficiency of his “idle training” was influenced by his own martial experience. Having mastered three techniques, his efficiency had increased, though only slightly. Still, this discovery pleased him.

By his calculations, it would take another two months to master all the remaining manuals.

A week later, Chen Fan’s Duck-Walking Fist reached perfection, meaning he had now fully mastered four strength-building techniques. With each one perfected, he began to discern a pattern: as one practiced these foundational skills, the body would steadily strengthen, and upon achieving mastery and sensing internal energy, there would be a small leap in power—but after that, further practice yielded no additional benefit. Nor did mastering multiple techniques significantly enhance the strength of his internal energy, though its nature had become more diverse and accommodating.

Chen Fan surmised that cultivating internal energy must be the next stage on the martial path. Unfortunately, lacking advanced manuals, he could only switch to new strength-building techniques to further solidify his foundation and increase his vitality.

He didn’t know much about martial arts, but he understood the logic of progression. Foundational skills were meant to build a solid base, and with his unique advantage—being able to practice multiple methods simultaneously without expending extra effort—he needed to make the most of it.

However, he was disappointed to realize that the more techniques he practiced, the slower his physical improvement became. The quality of the manuals he could obtain was simply too low, and he had already passed the initial period of rapid growth. Even so, his strength had increased significantly since mastering the Tiger Fist.

“My strength now far surpasses that of ordinary martial aspirants who have only just sensed internal energy—unless they have mastered a technique of much higher quality than the Tiger Fist,” he thought. Of course, this was only in comparison to average martial practitioners. In a county as large as Feiling, there must be countless talents; Chen Fan, who had cultivated for only a few months, did not consider himself outstanding.

Still, as his power grew, so did his confidence. He was beginning to consider dealing with Pi Liu once and for all—Pi Liu’s natural talent likely meant he would not surpass Chen Fan’s strength. Yet, unlike Wang Gang, Pi Liu was a small-time leader, always accompanied by his men. His movements were unpredictable, making it difficult for Chen Fan to find an opportunity for a sneak attack.

Lacking experience and unwilling to provoke the Black Tiger Gang, Chen Fan knew that a covert approach was best. Every night, he donned dark clothing, slipping out to observe Pi Liu’s movements and those of his associates. He took every precaution, always carrying chili powder and lime as defensive tools, never acting unless he was certain of success.

Unexpectedly, an opportunity soon presented itself.

Five days after mastering the Tiger Fist, Chen Fan also perfected the Soft Cloud Palm. Yet this brought little improvement to his strength—he knew that the benefits of basic skills were limited. To progress further, he would need techniques of higher quality or alternative paths to improvement. Nonetheless, his body had grown much stronger—he had not gained much weight, but his muscles and bones were significantly reinforced. Given that he was still in a period of rapid physical development, these changes were not especially remarkable to those around him.

Recently, the Black Tiger Gang had launched a series of actions, apparently searching for someone. Pi Liu was responsible for patrolling and searching the surrounding neighborhoods, and Chen Fan often saw him leading other gang members around Huai Tree Street, wandering about late into the night.