Chapter 66: Shallow Application

In the morning, before the sky had even brightened, Duan Rong climbed out of bed.

He first went to the Martial Arts Arena to practice Standing Stake, and he stood there until the cafeteria served food. After eating breakfast, he still felt unsatisfied, so he strolled out of the Escort Agency and bought four steamed buns by the side of the street.

Four steamed buns, two bites each; before he had even walked back to the Escort Agency, they were already all in his stomach.

"The steamed buns Xiao Qi steams still have the best flavor..."

Duan Rong licked his greasy lips and walked quickly back to the Escort Agency.

He did not go back to the Martial Arts Arena to practice Standing Stake, but instead went straight back to the dormitory!

At this time, the dormitory was basically empty; he planned to spend the whole day today in the dormitory like a mouse!

He had basically mastered the Entry Level Cloud Snake Step after devouring and digesting the Spirit Tool.

Moreover, after practicing for a whole day, his muscles and Internal Breath had basically adapted to the footwork of the Cloud Snake Step!

However, the Cloud Snake Step, besides being a Lightness Skill, was also a movement technique!

A movement technique must be combined with your existing martial arts to be effective!

And this required practice and exploration!

In the Cloud Snake Step Spirit Tool he had devoured, there was no ready-made realm for this aspect!

Duan Rong walked into the dormitory and locked the door behind him. He saw his figure move, and like a ghost, he flashed left and right, arriving before the window.

Duan Rong stood before the window and tightly shut the carved window as well.

Then, he unbuckled the Ox-Tail Saber at his waist and placed it on the bed.

Using his palm as a saber, he began to ponder the method of combining the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber with the Cloud Snake Step!

Duan Rong's martial arts realm in the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber had long since reached the Proficiency level!

His line of thought for the combination was to take the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber as the foundation and borrow the movement and footwork of the Cloud Snake Step to enhance the lethality of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber's Martial Technique.

Not just speed, but through footwork and movement, he could also make the attack angles of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber more bizarre and tricky!

In the cramped dormitory, Duan Rong used his palm as a saber, performing the routines of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber. From time to time, he would suddenly stop, pace back and forth, his eyes filled with a deep look of contemplation!

Duan Rong was like this, as if possessed, pondering for three whole days.

This day, seeing the light in the dormitory growing dimmer and dimmer...

The dormitory was already cramped; if he really started to swing, the routines of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber could not be unleashed at all!

Duan Rong was practicing a move from the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber, Fierce Tiger Leaves Cave, and seeing that his hip was about to hit the bed frame, Duan Rong suddenly moved with fluttering footwork, and his hip bypassed the bed frame with a bizarre posture...

As Duan Rong practiced, he suddenly laughed out loud and mocked himself: "This Cloud Snake Step movement technique, sometimes, is really quite flirtatious and alluring..."

After three days of deep study, Duan Rong was already able to initially apply the movement technique of the Cloud Snake Step into the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber.

But this was only a combination, or rather, a shallow application of initial fusion. It was not a true fusion.

True fusion was equivalent to improving a martial art; it was definitely not something he could complete at his current realm!

After three days, this kind of shallow application had already yielded initial results. However, if he wanted to complete it thoroughly, Duan Rong estimated he would still need to study it intensely for a few more days.

At this time, the dormitory had already grown dim, and twilight was gathering outside the window. Duan Rong washed his face and went to the cafeteria to eat!

If one were to say West Street was the CBD of Xiangu County, then this South City was the tenement house of Xiangu County!

Patch after patch of low, dilapidated houses!

The cramped and narrow filthy alleys, where sewage flowed, crisscrossed between them, just like the dirty, twisted intestines of this South City.

South City had two intersecting streets. The storefronts facing the street were mostly dilapidated. From time to time, there were restaurants at the entrance killing cows and slaughtering sheep; blood flowed everywhere, piles of dung were overturned on the ground, and all kinds of fishy and foul odors permeated the entire street...

But there were quite a few people on this street, bustling with noise, and all kinds of hawking sounds were endless to the ear...

And Swallow Pavilion was located at the southeast corner of this intersection!

It was a two-story wooden structure with upturned eaves, and swallow wind chimes hung from the four corners. When a breeze passed, there was a tinkling sound, which was quite pleasant to the ear!

It was already the Hour of the Bo, and they were in the 'Xuan' character private room on the second floor.

In a corner of the private room, a red candle shone brightly, illuminating four faces beside a wine table cluttered with cups and plates.

Zhou Shoushan was nearly forty, his temples slightly gray. His life had also been quite full of ups and downs; in his early years, he had learned some fisticuffs, but later, because he had a criminal case on his back, he had almost ruined himself.

However, fortunately, Heaven does not cut off all paths; later, he started the Whale Tiger Gang and unexpectedly lived quite prosperously for a few years.

Back in the day, he was considered a regular at this Swallow Pavilion!

Swallow Pavilion had been open in this South City for decades, renovated several times, and even the owners had changed several times.

In the past few years, the owner had changed again. Zhou Shoushan had been lying low for several years, and only upon arriving today did he realize he no longer recognized this owner.

Zhou Shoushan was already slightly tipsy. He poured another cup of strong liquor down his throat, the spicy hot current traveling from his mouth and tongue all the way to his stomach. Looking at the quite familiar furnishings in the 'Xuan' private room, he sighed: "It really is... things are different, and people have changed!"

"Wu Hui, do you still remember? Back then, when we ate here, everyone would drink wine while slapping the railings and singing, so carefree!"

"How could I not remember? Back then, Gang Leader, if you stomped your foot, this South City would have to tremble three times!" Wu Hui smiled and said.

Wu Hui was also in his thirties, lean and thin, like a skeleton covered in skin, but he was clever and had a meticulous mind, and was highly valued by Zhou Shoushan.

That the two of them were able to survive that wave of purges by Shen Yanliu was due to Wu Hui's proper planning!

Zhou Shoushan chuckled, but his expression suddenly darkened, and he said: "At that time, every time we ate, wouldn't the boss come over personally to refill wine and serve dishes, asking after our well-being! Now it's great! Damn it, there isn't even a waiter to serve us! It's really fucking bullshit!"

"Gang Leader, why bother with these small-minded people who judge others by their status?" Wu Hui also said with hatred on his face; his life had not been easy these past few years either.

"That's right, a dragon lying in the wild, how can there not be a time to fly again? Gang Leader Zhou, why worry about these trifles! Come, I will toast Gang Leader another cup!"

Kong Bin stood up, respectfully picked up his wine cup, and raised it toward Zhou Shoushan.

Neither Kong Bin nor Zhang Zheng had a very good tolerance for alcohol; after three taels of wine, their faces began to flush, and Kong Bin's eyes were even redder than a rabbit's at this moment.

But he knew he could not get drunk yet; the most important words had not been said.

Just now, they had only been reminiscing, and he had been forced to drink several cups in a row by Zhou Shoushan and Wu Hui; he had no choice but to drink!

Zhou Shoushan smiled, his eyes emitting a joyful light. "Little Brother Kong is still the one who knows how to talk. However, this dragon of mine is already old and can't stir up any waves; the future depends on you young people!"

"Gang Leader Zhou, you are joking. Only when you eat meat in the front can we follow behind and drink the soup. In the future, if there are any errands, Gang Leader Zhou just needs to speak!"

Kong Bin said this with quite a bit of courage. Zhou Shoushan's expression changed, and he looked at Kong Bin and said: "Little Brother Kong is righteous! A tiger father has no dog for a son! Come, let's have another cup!"

After a few sentences, the two of them drank another three cups.

"Gang Leader Zhou, I have a path to wealth right now. But for this matter, I still need you to lead us in doing it so that it can be foolproof!" Kong Bin was truly a bit drunk, but he felt that this moment was the best time to speak.

(End of this chapter)