Chapter 20

Take a look, have a look—out-of-print martial arts secret manuals, you deserve to own them!

Walking by, don't miss it!

Past this village, there's no such shop! Twenty martial arts manuals, sold out and done!

A ragged old man resembling a beggar sat in the midst of the crowd, with two tall piles of books on either side, shouting at the top of his lungs, drawing so many people.

The ragged old man held two books in each hand: left hand had 'Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms' and 'Cloud-Repelling Palm'; right hand had 'Dragon Fist' and 'Huashan Sword Art'. 'These are lost supreme arts from the jianghu, everyone come take a look—genuine, no deception, old and young alike! Guaranteed to teach and make you learn! Fixed price, one hundred taels each!'

One hundred taels for a tattered book? Are you crazy?

Would jianghu supreme arts really be sold? You're trying to fool ghosts!

Tch, who knows if it's real? Demonstrate a set for us to see!

Young man, I'm old, just an old bunch of bones, I have no interest in fighting and killing, don't make things difficult for me.

Heh. Obviously a con artist." Looking at the flamboyant ragged old man, Long Wang said.

Chen Yi He couldn't stand such jianghu swindlers, especially those who deceive ordinary commoners. Although he wasn't a highly respected great hero, he still had at least a basic sense of morality.

Heh heh, you're the con artist!" A young man sprang from the crowd, pointing at the ragged old man and shouting, "Old man, you're deceiving people! Get lost!

Young man, otherwise try taking one of my palms?" The ragged old man asked the young man, slowly rising and walking up to him.

Take it then—right in front of all these people, let's see how you fake it!

Boom!" The ragged old man's palm slapped the young man down to his knees!

The young man's legs sank seventy to eighty centimeters into the ground, gravel burying his knees… He trembled, raising his thumb toward the ragged old man: "True… true martial arts, this old man really has martial arts!"

One hundred taels each, grab them quick!" Seizing the opportunity, the ragged old man shouted.

I want, I want!" The front‑row old woman was so shocked her jaw almost dropped.

Give me one! Don't squeeze me!" The peasant behind kept rubbing his disbelieving eyes.

I'll bid two hundred taels! I want the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms!" The third‑row youth was excited enough to jump.

I'll bid three hundred taels!" …

The frenzied crowd surged like a mudslide, burying the ragged old man; in the blink of an eye, over twenty martial arts manuals were sold out… many left empty‑handed.

Friends who didn't get a copy, don't worry—I'll set up a stall here again tomorrow afternoon, with more martial arts manuals for sale; be sure to come show your support then!" the ragged old man said with a grin.

Watching the crowd disperse, Long Wang pointed at the ragged old man and told Chen Yi He, "Let's follow him."

How so? What else could attract you to such a jianghu swindler?" Chen Yi He had already seen through the ragged old man as a fraud, and the young man was his shill.

Just watch and you'll know!

Chen Yi He and Long Wang followed covertly, watching the ragged old man enter the inn where they were staying.

He's actually staying in the same inn as us! And right next door?" Chen Yi He thought it was a coincidence that all the luck in the world had landed on him.

Not long after the ragged old man entered his room, the young man he had slapped into the ground sneaked in after him, furtively.

Sure enough, they're in cahoots! Let's burst into the room!" Long Wang pulled Chen Yi He into their room.

The two pressed themselves against the wall, listening intently.

Hahaha! All along the way, the folks in Upper Valley City are the easiest to swindle!" the young man laughed.

It's a remote place; the locals are ignorant and uninformed. Don't call it a scam—I'm selling genuine, priceless martial arts manuals!" the ragged old man's voice said.

It's not that I'm bad at copying—I just miss bits and pieces when I copy; they won't really cultivate martial arts from it, so I don't betray the sect and still make money!" the young man's voice said.

Tonight we'll work hard, copy nonstop—tomorrow we could sell each manual for three or four hundred taels! Remember to raise the price then.

Chen Yi He gave a thumbs‑up through the wall panel, both annoyed and amused, saying, "This old man has ideas! His business mindset is that of a shameless merchant!" He even recalled those real‑world vendors who sold him pirated martial arts novels.

But since these are genuine martial arts manuals…… then I won't blame myself for being impolite……" A cold look appeared on his face, and he made up his mind.

Just a jianghu swindler." Long Wang obviously also found the ragged old man's petty behavior contemptible.

Long Wang, I have a plan—we can take their money and teach them a lesson." Chen Yi He leaned close to Long Wang's ear and quietly explained his idea.

Long Wang nodded with a smile…… "I have rosemary and knockout drug."

……

At dead of night, all was silent. Outside the inn a few nightingales sang; the light in the neighboring room was still on, and the silhouettes of two busy figures could be faintly seen.

Chen Yi He and Long Wang in this room tiptoed out of bed. They gave each other a thumbs‑up, meaning they were ready.

Chen Yi He gently used a blade to carve a small, concealed round hole in the wooden wall, slipped the prepared rosemary through it…… a thin mist seeped into the neighboring room…… then he turned to Long Wang and made an "OK" hand gesture. Within three seconds, two "thuds" sounded, and the two busy figures collapsed.

Get ready to act!

Long Wang led, Chen Yi He followed; they silently slipped into the neighboring room, blew out the candle, Chen Yi He turned on his phone's flashlight, and the two searched the room like thieves.

Goodness, so many martial arts manuals!" Seeing the piles of books in the room, Long Wang sighed.

There are also many silver notes, necklaces, jewelry……" Chen Yi He held the glittering jewels in one hand in the darkness and a thick stack of silver notes in the other, excitedly telling Long Wang, "I feel my tuition is covered!"

These two scoundrels must pay with their lives!

What a pair of dishonest merchants, deceiving the common folk—they deserve to be hacked to pieces!" Chen Yi He kicked the ragged old man lying on the ground hard, "We've confiscated this money—consider it state property! Consider this a pardon!"

The two stuffed the silver notes and jewels until their pockets were full; fortunately there were plenty of silver notes, otherwise they wouldn't fit.

What should we do with these martial arts manuals? They copy a few pages and leave out others—spreading them would be disastrous. External arts are okay, but internal arts could easily cause deviation!" Long Wang pointed at the piles of manuals on the table and floor and asked.

I have a plan—we just need to work harder. Will you do it?" Chen Yi He smirked, he had his phone, photographed the original manuals, transcribed them, and tomorrow would give them away at a discount on Upper Valley City's streets—would these two dishonest merchants still profit?

They'll only end up losing the wife and losing the troops!

Let's do it—why not?" Long Wang refused to be outdone.

After relighting the candle, Chen Yi He knocked back two large bowls of knockout drug, giving the ragged old man and the young man each a bowl—"Warm and soothing, to warm your stomach… sleep well…"

Meanwhile, Long Wang back in his room leaned over the desk, furiously writing, muttering, "First form of Cloud‑Repelling Palm: wind rolls the lingering clouds……"

Chen Yi He then threw himself into the tense, intense task of copying the martial arts manuals—he didn't need his phone; after reading a manual once, he knew it by heart! He could recite the entire Huashan Sword Art from memory.

How can you recite it without looking?" Long Wang wondered.

"I've had a talent for memorizing texts since I was young; after reading it once I roughly remember it……" Chen Yi He hesitated a moment, then deliberately put on an indifferent expression and said.

The Dragon King then did not pursue the matter further.

After a whole night's effort, they finally succeeded, barely managing to gather twenty martial arts secret manuals.

"Chen Yi He's inscription." Chen Yi He wrote his name at the end of the Hua Shan Sword Method, thinking that if he could someday change the future of the Hua Shan Sect, that would also be a good thing; with a bold stroke, he said, "Done!"

"Your writing is too ugly! Who could recognize it? Hahaha!" The Dragon King looked at Chen Yi He's characters, more twisted than earthworms, and almost spat out the water he had just drunk.

The Dragon King had already returned the original martial arts secret manuals and made slight alterations. The so-called "slight alterations" meant smearing ink on a dozen or so pages inside, so that the two dishonest merchants could not copy them later, and then drenching their incomplete, short-measure copied martial arts secret manuals with water.

In the world of the book, only brush pens are used; being able to write at all is already beyond his limit, "No need for perfection, just accuracy……"

The Dragon King set down his tea cup, extended two fingers toward Chen Yi He, and said, "Everything's settled; the knockout drug still has two shichen of effect."

"Come on, let's go sell books on the street, one copy each, first come first served."

"Then aren't we just like those two swindlers?"

Chen Yi He gave a sly smile and said to the Dragon King, "Dragon King, this one tael of silver is our hard-earned fee, and besides, these are genuine martial arts secret manuals, not a scam!"