Chapter 53: The Art of Balance

Luan Bao suddenly leaped, clearing the tea table in front of him; as his right toe touched the ground upon landing, his body tilted and surged forward again like a great bird taking flight, and while still in mid-air, he struck a palm downward, aiming straight for Duan Rong's face!

"What incredible speed!"

The moment Duan Rong saw Luan Bao leap into the air, a chill struck his heart; this was not Lightness Skill, but speed born of raw, solid power, without any flourishes!

Duan Rong was already unable to dodge in time; if he turned to the side, he would leave his defenses wide open, exposing his entire back to Luan Bao's strike!

But if he took this palm strike head-on, he lacked the confidence to survive it!

Just as Luan Bao struck down from the air, Duan Rong suddenly tucked his head and lowered his body, rolling right under Luan Bao's crotch!

The moment Luan Jingfu saw Duan Rong do this, he immediately cursed in anger!

"Street thug!"

Luan Bao landed on both feet, his palm striking empty air, when he suddenly felt a wind at the back of his head—Duan Rong was actually slashing a palm-blade toward the back of his head!

Luan Bao was greatly alarmed, immediately turning to dodge and flipping his palm to counter-attack!

Duan Rong's sudden, thuggish move of rolling on the ground truly caused the expressions of the three people in the hall to change; not only did Luan Jingfu curse out loud, but even Xiao Zongting felt it was beneath one's dignity!

But just as Duan Rong rolled past Luan Bao's crotch, he suddenly leaped up and slashed a palm-blade toward the back of Luan Bao's head!

Saber techniques and palm techniques are, by nature, of the same origin and principle.

This palm-blade strike of Duan Rong's was an adaptation of a move from the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber—Black Tiger Climbs the Mountain!

Yet, using this move here was not only a thorough understanding, but it was also used with extreme ingenuity!

It could be called ruthless and clever, unpredictable as a ghost!

It was even more seamlessly integrated with the previous roll on the ground, without the slightest hesitation, as if this Black Tiger Climbs the Mountain move was originally meant to be performed by rolling on the ground and then leaping up to slash.

But the three people present all knew this was not the case; this was Duan Rong's improvisation on the spot!

Setting aside the Internal Cultivation Method, in terms of the mastery of Martial Technique alone, although Duan Rong was still an Apprentice Escort, he was able to remain calm in the face of change and create his own path.

He truly had a natural talent for adapting and flexibly applying the moves he had learned!

Luan Bao twisted his waist and hips, stepped diagonally with his right leg to dodge Duan Rong's palm-blade, and as his body turned, he struck another palm toward Duan Rong's chest!

The two figures crossed, nearly inches apart.

It was just that Duan Rong's move was already spent, while Luan Bao's palm power was newly unleashed!

Duan Rong's heart sank slightly; he absolutely could not dodge this palm!

Luan Bao's palm carried wind at its edge; if it landed solidly on his chest, it would certainly not be a minor injury!

A ruthless look appeared in Duan Rong's eyes as he gritted his teeth; he suddenly followed the downward momentum of the Black Tiger Climbs the Mountain palm-blade that had already been spent!

With his forearm swinging down and his upper arm raised sharply, using the force of his shoulder and hip, he struck an elbow blow diagonally into the center of Luan Bao's palm!

As the two connected, Luan Bao remained as steady as Mount Tai, not moving a single bit!

Duan Rong, however, retreated several steps, his legs turning to jelly, and it was only with great difficulty that he managed to stand firm!

His face was deathly pale, looking extremely wretched!

Luan Bao's Internal Breath was thick and surging; the moment they connected, it instantly shattered Duan Rong's Internal Breath, shaking his internal organs, and a sweetness rose in his throat, nearly making him vomit!

Luan Bao stood where he was, but his heart was greatly shocked; he had originally expected Duan Rong to be sent flying backward!

He had not wanted to kill Duan Rong with one palm, so he had suppressed his Internal Breath to the Second Layer.

If he had truly used the power of the Third Layer of Internal Breath, he could have shattered Duan Rong's internal organs in one blow and killed him right there in the hall!

But if he had done that, it would have been a slap in the face to Ruan Fengshan in public!

He naturally could not kill Duan Rong, but since he had already made his move, he could not let Duan Rong retreat so easily and unscathed; wouldn't that also be a slap in the face to him and his father?

Duan Rong barely suppressed the urge to vomit, only to see Luan Bao attacking him again!

At this moment, his energy was in chaos and his Internal Breath was shattered; how could he have the strength to fight again!

Duan Rong immediately took the opportunity to rush behind Xiao Zongting, grabbing the backrest of the grand armchair behind Xiao Zongting with both hands, and looked at Luan Bao with pleading eyes. "I surrender!"

"You... come out!" Luan Bao was stunned, and seeing Duan Rong's thuggish behavior, he was suddenly furious.

"I let you try me! I didn't tell you to beat me to death! Why are you still chasing me relentlessly?"

Duan Rong's words left Luan Bao stunned, unable to answer for a moment.

"Bao'er, come back!"

Luan Jingfu suddenly spoke, his face as gloomy as a venomous snake.

Luan Bao glared at Duan Rong and retreated behind Luan Jingfu with a look of shame.

Luan Jingfu was the Chief of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, and in this agency, no one dared to provoke the father and son.

But he had not expected that today, his only son would be teased by an Apprentice Escort in this Gathering Justice Hall with such clever and thuggish tactics; one could imagine the anger in his heart!

Luan Jingfu looked at Duan Rong with venomous eyes, wishing he could eat his flesh!

Seeing Luan Bao retreat, Duan Rong immediately relaxed, let go of his hands, and stood straight behind Xiao Zongting!

The three people in the hall had seen it clearly; the speed and power of Luan Bao's palm just now had clearly been infused with the strength of the Second Layer of Internal Breath!

Yet Duan Rong had taken that palm head-on and only retreated a few steps!

He had neither vomited blood nor been sent flying!

It was evident that although Duan Rong had not been practicing the Second Layer for long, his Internal Breath already possessed a certain level of combat power!

One had to know that he had been an Apprentice Escort for less than a month.

Such progress was undoubtedly monstrous!

The words Xiao Zongting had said earlier, which sounded like flattery, now seemed somewhat conservative when thought about!

It was indeed as the people in the hall had seen; Duan Rong's Second Layer of Internal Breath already possessed a certain level of combat power!

The Internal Breath in his dantian was already like a small snake, able to coil and connect head to tail; otherwise, it would have been impossible to take Luan Bao's palm head-on without being injured!

At this moment, Xiao Zongting could no longer hide a slight smile on his face and said, "I originally wanted to apply for a budget from the Chief Accountant to be used for Duan Rong's training. But that old man Xu Shouxian has always been a stingy miser..."

"No matter, I will speak to Old Xu about this matter." Ruan Fengshan also had a faint smile on his face as he said, "Talent is hard to come by! However, you know how Old Xu is. My words might not always work on him; I cannot guarantee how much can be approved!"

Ruan Fengshan smiled as he looked at Duan Rong, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye the more he looked.

"As for this kid selling paintings on the street, since he is your Apprentice as Chief Instructor, you may decide this matter yourself. For exceptional talent, I think we can teach according to their aptitude, can't we? Being too rigid with old conventions will only lead to clinging to the past!"

With these few words, Ruan Fengshan had already sided with Xiao Zongting and Duan Rong.

After all, Duan Rong's talent was plain for all to see; once he matured in the future, he would be another strong arm for the Yuanshun Escort Agency.

Moreover, he grew up here and studied here; is this bond not significant enough?

Duan Rong had been anxious about his current situation, but upon hearing this, his heart finally eased.

Standing behind Xiao Zongting, Duan Rong suddenly understood some of the subtleties within the Escort Agency!

Although Luan Jingfu was the Chief Escort Head, he oversaw the overall business of the Escort Agency.

But among the six Escort Heads, three were Xiao Zongting's old subordinates, and two other Escort Heads had been personally trained by him, the Chief Instructor!

This status was almost identical to the role of the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy held by Old Jiang!

How could Luan Jingfu not be wary?

And this situation was likely intentionally created by Ruan Fengshan, who sat upon that tall, wide chair!

By letting Xiao Zongting and Luan Jingfu keep each other in check, he only needed to unite with the Chief Accountant Xu Shouxian to control the financial power, and he could sit securely on the fishing platform and sleep without worry!

This is what is called the art of balance!

Ruan Fengshan's background and resources were top-notch, but limited by his martial arts talent, he was still only at the Inner Breath Realm Fourth Layer.

It seemed that in this life, he would be unable to break through to the True Qi Realm!

Yet, relying on his schemes and strategies, over twenty years had passed, and not only had the Yuanshun Escort Agency become increasingly prosperous, but the supreme power remained firmly in his hands without the slightest slippage; he could well be called a formidable leader!

(End of this chapter)