Chapter 42: If You Can Defeat Me!

Lu Chuan glanced at the man with a trace of curiosity.

Although the man appeared rugged, there was a clear contrast in skin tone around his neck and shoulders.

In other words, he must have been in disguise.

But… why disguise himself just to eat at a tavern?

Could he be some notorious outlaw?

Lu Chuan lightly shook his head, deciding not to waste energy thinking about it.

He was just a passerby.

Lu Chuan sat there and continued eating.

“Brother Chuan, what are we doing today?” Sun Laizi asked.

“We’re going to the Cui family’s grain shop to stock up,” Lu Chuan replied while eating.
“Then we’ll head back to the village.”

The two chatted casually over their meal.

“Uh, Brother Chuan, can I ask you something?”
This time, Sun Laizi seemed to have mustered up some courage. He looked at Lu Chuan a bit awkwardly.

Lu Chuan nodded. “Go ahead.”

“What exactly did you learn? How were you able to take down the people from Zhao Family Village so quickly?”

As he spoke, stars practically sparkled in Sun Laizi’s eyes.

“Back when I was still in the village, I met an old man under the big locust tree—probably a beggar. He said I had natural talent and a strong build, so he taught me a move or two,” Lu Chuan said with a grin.

“Said it would strengthen the body. It’s called Xing Yi Quan (Form-Intent Boxing) or something like that.”

Lu Chuan chuckled as he spoke.

There was no way to verify such a story anyway. As long as he gave a reason, he wasn’t worried even if someone came to investigate.

“Hiss… Brother Chuan, your luck’s really something!” Sun Laizi quickly added, “No wonder you’re so good at hunting. But, um…”

“Is your kung fu hard to learn?”

Lu Chuan looked up with interest and stared at Sun Laizi for a moment.

“You want to learn?”

“I’ll teach you…”
“Starting tomorrow, come stand outside my courtyard at dawn every day. I’ll teach you the basics.”

Lu Chuan said with a smile.

“Deal!”
Sun Laizi nodded eagerly, then solemnly stepped to the side and knelt down, kowtowing three times with loud thuds in front of Lu Chuan.

“From today on, you’re my master. As the saying goes, ‘A teacher for a day is a father for life!’”

“I’ll honor you like my own father from now on!”

“Enough already,”
Lu Chuan waved his hand dismissively, his eyes full of mock disdain. “If I were your real father, I wouldn’t want a son like you!”

At that, Sun Laizi scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Yeah, I was a bit of a mess before… but I promise to turn over a new leaf!”

Lu Chuan didn’t say anything more.

There wasn’t much point.

Getting started with Xing Yi Quan wasn’t particularly difficult. As long as someone had perseverance and dedication, they could pick up the basics in a few months. But to truly master it, one needed both talent and a good foundation.

If Sun Laizi actually had that kind of talent, Lu Chuan wouldn’t mind teaching him more.

“Hmph…”

Just then, the man from before let out a scoffing laugh, full of disdain.

“With skills like that, you dare take on disciples in public?”

“People might think you’re some great master from a martial arts school!”

His voice was sharp and mocking. Despite his bold demeanor, he wasn’t the kind of person that left a good impression.

“Hey…”

“You done yet?”

Sun Laizi stood up. “You don’t know my master’s skills. He once went into the mountains alone and took down a wild boar!”

“If You Don’t Know Any Real Skills…”

“If you don’t have even a shred of real skill,”
“Then how could you possibly manage that?”

The man chuckled. “Trying to bluff me, are you? If you really had that kind of ability, would this tiny tavern even run out of wild pheasant? Because of that, I didn’t even get to eat the famous Roasted Whole Phoenix!”

“Hmph!”

With that, *** stood up and said, “Boring. I’m leaving.”

Then he turned around and walked away.

“Tch! My bad temper’s about to flare up!”

Sun Laizi was just about to step forward and argue when Lu Chuan stopped him.

Lu Chuan paused for a moment and said,
“You’re no match for him. His palms are full of calluses, especially around the web of his right thumb—clearly the hands of a trained fighter.”

“His knuckles are thick and slightly raised, and his fingers naturally curve inward. Judging from that, he probably uses a blade as his weapon of choice.”

Lu Chuan spoke in a calm, steady voice.

At that moment, the man suddenly turned back and looked at Lu Chuan.

“You’ve got sharp eyes, I’ll give you that.”

“Mm.”
Lu Chuan nodded, his gaze calm. After a brief pause, he continued,
“It’s not hard to develop that kind of observational skill. But you—your strike just now had tremendous force, yet you managed to absorb it smoothly through the table.”

“You, sir, are definitely not an ordinary man.”

Lu Chuan spoke coolly.

The man walked back toward him, his eyes fixed intently on Lu Chuan.

A moment later, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“Interesting!”

“It’s been a long time since I met someone this interesting!”

He sat down again.

“I’m Yu Tianrui. What’s your name?”

“Tianrui?”
Lu Chuan looked at him and smiled. “Lu Chuan.”

“Wanna spar a little?”
Yu Tianrui’s eyes glinted with excitement—at this moment, he genuinely wanted to test Lu Chuan’s abilities.

Lu Chuan gently shook his head. “I’m not your match.”

To be precise, right now Lu Chuan wasn’t a match for Yu Tianrui.

He had only arrived in this world less than a week ago. His body had originally been quite frail, and it had only just begun to recover.

If it really came down to a fight, he’d be at a clear disadvantage.

In a life-or-death battle, he might have a chance—
Because what he knew… was how to kill.

“Heh…”

Yu Tianrui nodded. “I have to say, the more I talk to you, the more curious I get.”

“You practice boxing, but there are no calluses on your knuckles—so you haven’t trained long. Don’t worry, I’ll hold back.”

Excitement shimmered in Yu Tianrui’s gaze.

Lu Chuan frowned slightly.

Looking at the man in front of him, he shook his head again.
“Sorry, I have more important things to do.”

“I have two wives at home, and the annual grain tax is due soon. I need to go buy food,” Lu Chuan said.

“Heh…”
Yu Tianrui nodded. “How much is your tax?”

“One stone of grain per person.”

Yu Tianrui thought for a moment, then nodded. “Not too bad. But you’ve got three mouths to feed at home—so that’s three hundred jin of grain. Not exactly a small sum.”

“Exactly.”
“That’s why I don’t have time to spar with you.”

Lu Chuan replied calmly.

“If you beat me, I’ll give you 20 taels of silver,”
Yu Tianrui said with a glint in his eye and a barely noticeable smile curling at his lips.