A day had passed.
Tang Wen did not waste the five thousand taels of silver he spent, nor did he take on the fifty thousand taels of debt in vain.
Through repeated attempts at visualization, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Dark Night Divine Fist, discovering many new variations within its force.
Chill!
Killing intent!
Fear!
Bang!
Tang Wen threw a punch, and a sudden mist of ice appeared, causing the temperature to drop sharply.
When the time came, he opened the door, only to find that Li Miao, the shopkeeper, and the two-headed nightmare dog were already gone.
Waiting for him underground were two attendants.
Tang Wen first returned to his room, where he applied wax to his face and attached a fake beard, making himself look like a man in his twenties or thirties.
Just as he finished, there was a knock at the door.
"Shopkeeper Li?"
Li Miao slipped inside, followed by two maids carrying wine jugs and two attendants with food boxes.
The food and wine were laid out on the table.
The maids and attendants left, closing the door behind them.
Li Miao pursed her lips and said, "There's no one else here. Hurry up and wash that stuff off your face. It's making me lose my appetite."
Tang Wen didn't like the stiff feeling on his face either, so he quickly removed the disguise.
Meanwhile, Li Miao began to ramble about a friend of hers.
On the table were various types of game meat, their exotic aroma filling the air. Tang Wen, who had been starving all day, listened while he ate.
After a while, Li Miao finally stopped and looked at Tang Wen's face.
He asked, "Shopkeeper Li, does your friend want to marry this woman, or just sleep with her, uh, or spend some quality time together?"
Li Miao picked up her wine cup and sighed, "Just getting close to her would be enough! Marriage is out of the question."
Tang Wen secretly scoffed: So it's just about having fun, but she's making it sound so sentimental!
"What's the deal with this woman and her husband?"
"It's just a marriage of convenience between powerful families. They're from the branches of prominent clans. Even if there's no love, they have to maintain appearances."
"Powerful families?"
Tang Wen immediately wanted no part of this mess.
"Don't worry, I'm the shopkeeper of the Four Seas Inn. What can they do to me? Well, I mean, I'll take care of my friend!"
After saying this, Li Miao coughed lightly, "Don't worry, it won't involve you either."
Tang Wen nodded, though he didn't believe a word of her assurance that he wouldn't be implicated.
"Does the lady know that your friend likes her?"
"Not yet," came the sullen reply.
Speaking of this, Shopkeeper Li's heart ached!
She didn't dare express her feelings, knowing that if she did, she might never see her again.
But the pain of being able to see her yet not have her was even more unbearable.
Why was she born a woman?
If only she were a man, how much better it would be!
She glared at Tang Wen's face.
If I had a face as handsome as his, I could fill a five-story building with wives and concubines!
Tang Wen thought this might actually work in his favor.
Since this wasn't about breaking up a relationship, and it could save him fifty thousand taels of silver, there was no reason not to proceed.
He asked, "If I help you win over this lady, what about my compensation?"
"Consider it settled!"
"Wait, what do you mean by 'help me win over'? It's for my friend!"
Li Miao's face turned red as she quickly corrected herself.
Tang Wen looked at her and pressed, "How exactly will it be settled?"
"It's just a small matter. Can't I handle it?
Wait, what do you mean?
Have you already thought of a way?"
Li Miao caught on and stared at Tang Wen.
After a moment of contemplation, Tang Wen laid his cards on the table, "Let's be honest, Shopkeeper Li. Isn't it you who wants to win over that lady?"
Swish!
The room fell silent in an instant.
Li Miao froze, her face alternating between red and white.
Tang Wen hadn't intended to expose anything, but the only solution he could think of required the woman's cooperation:
"Shopkeeper Li, don't misunderstand. I've seen a lot in my time, even men who prefer other men, and even cross-species relationships!
Ahem!
What I mean is, hypothetically, if it were you who wanted to win over that lady, it would actually be easier to handle!"
Hearing his confident tone, Li Miao set aside her embarrassment:
"Really? Hypothetically, if it were me, what should I do?"
Tang Wen looked at her: "Could we settle my debt first? It's not like I'm going anywhere."
"Debt, debt, debt! That little debt is nothing! Someone?"
Tang Wen was startled, his muscles tensing up.
A servant pushed the door open: "Shopkeeper, your orders?"
"Today, over at the Dark Well, a lid broke. Have the accountant write up a report and process it as a loss."
"Yes, what should we list as the cause of damage?"
"Just write natural wear and tear."
"Understood! Please wait, I'll be quick."
With that, the servant backed out of the room.
Not long after, he knocked and entered, bringing a receipt.
Li Miao gestured with her chin, signaling him to hand it to Tang Wen.
The latter took it and saw it was a signed and stamped loss report.
The applicant was Li Miao, stamped by the Four Seas Inn.
Moreover, it had been approved for use.
Waving the servant away.
Li Miao sneered: "Now can you talk?"
The Four Seas Inn was powerful and influential. If they really wanted to deal with him, they wouldn't need to fake a report.
They could just send another shopkeeper to take him down.
Realizing this, Tang Wen smiled broadly and personally poured Li Miao a drink:
"Shopkeeper Li, my method is simple, has a high success rate, and works on more than one person."
"Speak quickly!"
Li Miao was more eager than a lecher.
"First, become friends, then besties."
"And then?"
Tang Wen whispered: "Try on clothes together, study makeup together, then take a bath together."
Li Miao's eyes grew brighter and brighter, finally shining like light bulbs:
"Brilliant! You men are so cunning!
Why didn't I think of that?
This way, my being a woman actually becomes an advantage!"
She downed her drink and immediately stood up: "Enough talk, I have things to do. See you later."
"Wait, wait, Shopkeeper Li, hold on."
"What? Something else?" Li Miao was already focused on trying out this method.
Tang Wen: ...
Why did her tone make it feel like she was saying "Who are you and why are you in my house?" after pulling up her pants.
"I heard our Four Seas Commerce Guild deals with assassins?"
"Assassins? That's the old term. Now they're called hunters, hired to settle matters. What, you want to be one?"
"Is it easy?"
"Sure. I'll get you a badge later!" With that, Li Miao waved her hand and left eagerly.
Tang Wen was speechless: This woman, chasing after a girl, is so decisive.
He sipped his drink, suddenly finding it tasteless.
Even a woman lives such a colorful life!
And here I am, with all the qualities of a perfect man, yet nowhere to use them.
He sighed deeply and drank from the jug.
After eating and drinking his fill, the maid outside cleaned up the room.
Tang Wen, feeling slightly tipsy, quickly fell asleep.
Over the next few days, he spent money like water, learning the other moves of the Dark Night Divine Fist.
He hadn't fully mastered the techniques of the Dark Night Divine Fist.
Just like when he first learned the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Tang Wen merely memorized the visualization diagrams of various fist techniques in his mind.
He was still far from being able to use them flexibly and unleash their full power in actual combat.
The Dark Night Divine Fist was indeed much more difficult than the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist.
Each fist technique was not just a single move but had many more variations.
For example, the second form of the Dark Night Divine Fist—Night Battle in All Directions.
If practiced averagely, it was merely a group combat technique.
If mastered well, it became a battlefield control technique.
It also incorporated elements of footwork.
Even for a genius, it would take considerable time and insight to fully grasp it.
Tang Wen was no genius, but he had his panel.
With the expert-level Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist as a foundation, he quickly progressed through the initial stages of the Dark Night Divine Fist in just a few days.
After all, Tang Wen was no stranger to fist techniques.
Although the Dark Night Divine Fist was vastly different from the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, as both were fist techniques, they shared some similarities.
[Meditation Martial Art: Dark Night Divine Fist, Beginner (771/1000)]
[Martial Arts Realm: Peak Martial Master (Transforming)]
[Transcendent Ability: Darkness (Awakening Progress: 0.97%)]
In Room Bing.
Tang Wen was packing his belongings.
Li Miao knocked a
nd entered: "Leaving already?"
"Your Four Seas Inn is too expensive for me to afford."
"Tsk! You're hiding your identity and your strength. I can't believe a single word you say."
Li Miao snorted and tossed over a small, round token—
"Four Seas: One-Star Hunter, 90037."
Seeing the number, Tang Wen's eyes widened in surprise: "You have over ninety thousand Martial Masters?"
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