Chapter 106: Not a Single Truth

After paying the one-yuan entry fee, Lu Yu slowly walked into Zhou Family Fort, following the bustling crowd.

At dawn, Zhou Family Fort was slightly quieter compared to the hustle and bustle of the day, but people were still coming and going, and the lively atmosphere remained undiminished.

In the air, wafts of an enticing fragrance drifted over; it was the aroma of meat buns.

Following the scent, he looked ahead to find a breakfast stall just five or six meters away, where a few tables were scattered about.

Lu Yu pondered for a moment, then lifted his feet and walked over, ordering a steamer of buns and a bowl of thin porridge, which cost three yuan.

The cost of living here was quite high, but fortunately, he was no longer who he once was; a mere three yuan was nothing to him now.

He sat on a stool, holding a bun, appearing to be in a daze, but in reality, his gaze was fixed on the direction of the city wall, staring intently at that figure.

"What exactly should I do next?"

Another difficult problem loomed before him.

The most straightforward method was undoubtedly to find the person named Su Chungui and ask him to explain clearly.

Judging from the person's various behaviors earlier, he was definitely not an honest sort and possessed a certain degree of craftiness.

A crafty person likely had poor character. To deal with such people, being amiable would likely be of no use; only by using tough methods, or even holding a blade to their throat to make them feel threatened, might they cooperate obediently.

However, doing so also carried hidden risks. What if Su Chungui was actually a decent person?

Perhaps he really didn't know their identities and had lied to his companions simply to avoid getting into trouble.

In that case, such a forceful approach would seem a bit reckless and inappropriate.

Lu Yu could not help but knit his brows.

Within his line of sight, Su Chungui was taking a Telescope out of his pocket and beginning to look around, while others nearby were either standing and chatting or looking down at the passing crowds.

After repeated consideration, Lu Yu felt that finding Su Chungui and asking him clearly was the most convenient path.

He would just pretend to be a vicious thug and force him to reveal where the horse bandits' mounts were hidden.

He must act fierce and menacing, then decide on his next move based on the other person's reaction.

It was truly helpless; he did not possess extraordinary abilities like Sister Meng Yu, so he could only take things one step at a time.

He sat in the same spot for nearly an hour, and only when the stall owner prepared to pack up did he have to stand up and leave.

Fortunately, by this time, the number of people around had increased, and among them were quite a few peddlers setting up street stalls.

"Is he planning to stand on the city wall all day?" Lu Yu's expression changed slightly.

He had to leave here by around five in the afternoon; otherwise, he would very likely be caught by the Guard Team.

Even worse, if there was no suitable opportunity today, he would have to come back tomorrow, and if tomorrow didn't work, he would have to continue the day after.

This was all incredibly precious time! If he used this time for martial arts training, he would likely have already broken through to the middle stage of Flesh Refining.

But besides waiting for an opportunity, what other way was there?

Lu Yu racked his brains, thinking bitterly.

Should he find a way to lure the other person over? But who should he find to lure him, and what excuse should he use?

Moreover, he and Su Chungui were complete strangers; wanting to bring him to a secluded place was truly unrealistic.

It seemed he could only hide first and wait until nightfall to see if there was a chance. Even if he were caught because of it, paying a fine seemed worth it if it could solve the problem.

With his mind made up, he decided to go find that old man who sold Cultivation Methods first.

Although it had been less than a day since they last met and he didn't know if the old man had added any new Cultivation Methods to his stall, there was no harm in taking a look.

As for buying Blood Rice and weapons, he might as well put that aside for now; it wouldn't be too late to buy them when he returned.

Lu Yu walked through the bustling main street and turned into a small alley, where shouts and cries echoed in his ears. He walked straight ahead and soon saw that familiar figure.

He saw the old man sitting on a stool, and whenever someone passed by, he would immediately stand up and shout his wares energetically.

However, the passersby didn't even have the interest to give him a proper look.

Every time this happened, the old man would grumble and sit back down, but as soon as someone else passed by, he would jump up again, repeating the cycle.

It had to be said, this old man's skin was truly thick enough.

"Sigh."

The old man sat on the stool again, looking at the few Secret Manuals scattered in front of him, and sighed helplessly.

It seemed that no one was willing to buy his things.

"It's all that bunch's fault."

Thinking of this, the old man thought indignantly that they were the ones who had ruined his reputation.

If this continued, he would probably have to find another place to set up his stall.

But in this day and age, having a place to settle down was no easy task! People from those small Zhai outside dreamed of living in Zhou Family Fort.

"Wait!"

The old man's eyes suddenly lit up; there were still good people in this world, just like that silly boy who, a few days ago, was the only one willing to spend money on his things, and he had even bought them all.

If he moved away, where would he find someone so easy to fool again?

"Sigh."

The old man let out a long sigh, his heart full of longing for the silly boy.

"Old man."

Just then, a voice came, nearly scaring the old man into jumping off his stool.

"Young man, it's you?"

The old man's eyes widened like copper bells, his lips trembling slightly as he looked at Lu Yu before him.

"Hehe, it's me."

Lu Yu smiled, his gaze sweeping over the five Secret Manuals on the stall, and he asked with some disappointment: "Are these the only ones?"

"It's just that I didn't expect you to come so soon."

The old man smiled exceptionally brightly, "Little brother, don't look at the small quantity; every single one is a masterpiece."

"Is that so?"

Lu Yu looked carefully; these few Secret Manuals were, respectively, 【One Yang Finger】, 【Nine Palaces Sword Art】, 【Seven Kill Palm】, 【Innate Skill】, and 【Heavenly Blade Saber Art】.

Unfortunately, the Thirteen Taibao Hard Qigong and Golden Bell Shield he wanted were not there.

Lu Yu was increasingly disappointed, but it was also within reason; after all, he had come too quickly.

Besides, just looking at the names of these five Secret Manuals, they were quite intimidating; if even one could be real, it would be a pleasant surprise.

"Old man, just like last time, can you let me take a look through them? Don't worry, I'll only look at half, I promise not to look at more."

Lu Yu said with a smile.

"No problem, look at what you're saying; if you want to look, could I, this old man, stop you? But we have an agreement, you can only look at half, alright."

The old man rubbed his hands excitedly.

He truly hadn't expected Lu Yu to come back the very next day; if he had known, he would have risked his life to write a few more.

But then again, for this kid to come so quickly, could it be that he lived near Zhou Family Fort?

Did that mean he wouldn't have to worry about having no one to buy his things in the future?

"That kid again?"

"Why is he here again?"

"No way, how can there be such a foolish person? Getting scammed once wasn't enough, and he wants to come back for a second time?"

The people around all felt it was inconceivable.

Some of the stall owners were even green with envy; if only they could have a customer as "dim-witted" as Lu Yu, how good that would be!

"Go, go, go, what are you all shouting about over there?"

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately became displeased, "These are all the real deal; if you don't understand, don't blather on here, honestly."

Then he looked at Lu Yu with a face full of smiles, spread his hands, and pointed at the Secret Manuals in front of him, saying: "Little brother, don't mind them, feel free to look, as long as you find something you like."

Lu Yu squatted down and picked up the Secret Manual closest to him to flip through it.

"Oh my, little brother has a great eye! You picked the most powerful one here right away."

The old man slapped his thigh and said with a fawning face: "This One Yang Finger is no simple matter; it can strike an enemy's acupoints at close range, and it can also cleverly close in from a distance. Strike once and retreat, attack once and leave; it is absolutely a marvelous technique for defeating enemies and protecting oneself!

Of course, such a powerful Cultivation Method is bound to be a little more expensive, hehehe."

However, Lu Yu turned a deaf ear to the old man's words; he knew clearly in his heart that if one could believe the words from this old man's mouth, it would be nothing short of a fairy tale. He flipped through several pages in succession, and a faint, ominous feeling arose in his heart.

This 【One Yang Finger】 seemed to be a fake?

When he had flipped through about half, he put down this Secret Manual and picked up the second one.

"Oh my, this is the Nine Palaces Sword Art!"

The old man's voice suddenly rose by several decibels, "Little brother, if you buy this sword art, you'll be making a huge profit! Do you know why?"

Before Lu Yu could respond, the old man continued on his own: "This set of sword art has a total of eighty-one moves, and it also contains the Nine Palaces Movement Technique and the Nine Palaces Palm Technique. In other words, you spend the money for one, and you can learn three martial arts. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that we are fated, I wouldn't sell this set of sword art to just anyone."

"Is that so? Then I really must thank you properly."

Lu Yu sneered.

He had only flipped through about a quarter, and there was still no display on the Skill bar.

This indicated that the Secret Manual in his hand was also likely fake. No matter how much the old man bragged, what use was it?

He flipped through two or three more pages, and after confirming it without a doubt, he put this one down and picked up the third Secret Manual.

It was still fake.

This made Lu Yu's expression turn somewhat ugly.

He put down the third one, picked up the fourth, and flipped through nearly half; the Skill bar still had no changes.

Clearly, it was still fake.

Lu Yu put it down helplessly and cast his gaze toward the last one, 【Innate Skill】.

Judging by the name alone, it should be a martial art for cultivating the True Qi within the body. Although his body had not yet reached the stage of producing True Qi, it wouldn't hurt to make some preparations in advance.

Out of five Secret Manuals, four in a row were fake; this last one, it had to be real, right?

Thinking of this, he looked up at the old man.

The old man's eyes drifted to the side, and then he said with great enthusiasm: "Little brother, you aren't satisfied with the first four? That's true, the first four are all external arts; only this Innate Skill is an Internal Energy art.

Once you master this technique, it can cure a hundred illnesses and regulate the body's balance; even the most severe internal injuries can be healed. It really is a must-have good Cultivation Method for home and travel."

"Then let me take a look."

Lu Yu didn't dare to hold too much hope, but he also felt that the old man wouldn't be so extreme as to have not a single real one out of five.

However, facts proved that there really wasn't a single real one.

Lu Yu's expression turned gloomy in an instant.

"Old man, if I buy all five of these at once, how much will it cost?"

"Ahem."

The old man cleared his throat and said: "Little brother, surely you can see that although these five Secret Manuals are few in number, they are all unique manuals, especially that Nine Palaces Sword Art—one is worth three. So, if you want to buy them all, I'll give you a discount; one hundred yuan will do."

"One hundred yuan."

Lu Yu repeated it word for word, then sneered and said: "Old man, your price has doubled compared to when I came last time."

"Hey."

The old man looked aggrieved, "Little brother, I already said, this time the Cultivation Methods are much better than last time; charging you one hundred yuan for five is really a bargain.

If you don't believe me, go to the Gale Martial Hall nearby and ask around; how much does it cost to learn one of their Fist Techniques? Several hundred! And that's not even counting the food expenses."

Lu Yu was almost angered to the point of laughter.

He had originally thought that the previous transaction was pleasant for both sides, and coming back this time, the other party should at least show some sincerity. After all, anyone with eyes could see that he intended to be a long-term buyer.

As it turned out, this old man really took him for a sucker? Not only were they all fakes, but he also wanted to double the price.

This is just too bullying!

The old man also sensed that Lu Yu was unhappy, hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fine, considering you are a regular customer, I'll give you a discount of twenty; eighty yuan, and you can take them all."

Eighty?

You actually have the nerve to ask for eighty?

Why don't you just go rob someone!

Lu Yu was so angry he almost couldn't help but punch the old man, but fortunately, he held back in the end.

For one, if he hit this old man, he would definitely be extorted for money, which really wasn't worth it.

For another, and most importantly, the old man definitely still had quite a few genuine items on him, so he could not let their relationship turn sour.

Otherwise, it would be one thing to not be able to buy cheap genuine items, but he feared that when the time came, he wouldn't even have a place to buy them at a high price, and that would be a truly heavy loss.

However, he also had to let the old man know that he was not someone who could be easily fooled.

How exactly should he say it?