Chapter 18

Xiang River is a tributary of the Yangtze River, and Xiaoshui River is a tributary of the Xiang River.

Although it is a tributary of a tributary, the Xiaoshui River is quite wide, about thirty to forty meters, and the water flow is abundant and swift.

Two li downstream from the small village by the river, there is a sharp bend, where the north bank has formed a stretch of mudflat due to sedimentation.

When the water level is high, the entire mudflat is submerged, but now the water is low, making it a small valley surrounded by mountains on three sides and the river on one side, extremely hidden.

How did Dugu Fu know about such a hidden place? It's simple; he had been here before.

Just before he discovered the bridge on the river and encountered that group of players, he had stopped here for a rest and even took a nap, so it left a deep impression on him.

However, this time he came not for a rest.

Facing the rising sun, he stood at the northern end of the mudflat, sweeping his legs, swinging his fists, bouncing his steps, and lunging forward, making loud sounds.

He was practicing Xingyi Wuxing.

The Wuxing here does not refer to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, but to the five types of force: Pi (split), Beng (crush), Zuan (drill), Pao (cannon), and Heng (cross).

Xingyi Quan is said to have evolved from Yue Wumu's spear techniques, all short and direct strikes, with no flashy moves, making it most suitable for use in battle formations, as can be seen from the basic skills.

"Alas, in the past, not to mention the Wuxing Quan, even the more advanced twelve forms of dragon, tiger, monkey, horse, chicken, kite, swallow, snake, alligator, mackerel, eagle, and bear would not have caught my eye."

"Unless it was the Half-Step Beng, or Wang Xiangzhai's Dacheng Xin Yi, or Xue Dian's Five Methods and Eight Images, perhaps I would have glanced at them."

"Alas, the dragon is trapped in a shallow stream, the tiger has fallen on a sunny day!"

As he sweated profusely, Dugu Fu muttered to himself.

This was a habit he had developed recently. There was no way around it; the world of a single person was too lonely, and this was the only way to entertain himself.

He could only improve through practice.

He was no longer a player and no longer had the privilege of mastering a skill with just a tap of a book.

Fortunately, being an NPC had its advantages. NPC skills were earned through practice, not granted by the system. If he had been transported to another game world, he would have faced fewer restrictions than players.

This was also one of the main reasons why awakened NPC heroes were powerful and could challenge players.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, thinking too far ahead. Let's focus on the present for now... Dugu Fu shook his head and continued to practice diligently.

First, he performed a set of San Ti Shi, and after standing the桩功 (zhuang gong), he was drenched in sweat. Without stopping, he performed several sets of Wuxing Lianhuan.

Continuing one after another, his muscles ached, and his limbs felt as if they were tied with lead, heavy and sluggish. White mist rose from his head, dispersing in the wind, and his stomach rumbled like thunder.

He looked down at the shadow of the sundial he had made and compared it with the position in his memory.

"One and a half hours. According to the data, few people can complete the initial practice of Xingyi San Ti Shi and Wuxing Lianhuan in one go. Most gradually increase the amount until they can complete it after ten to fifteen days. This body seems to have good potential."

"However, one and a half hours of practice is more exhausting than the two hours of intense exercise to eat the snake gallbladder..."

"Right, almost forgot. In the world of the Republic of China's grandmasters, the martial arts setting allows for higher efficiency in the same amount of time."

"The consumption and output are proportional. The proficiency of the skill affects the output, but not the consumption. This can be used to judge the enhancement effect of a martial art."

"In that case, the basic Wuxing Quan has a 30% enhancement."

Feeling that his body had reached its limit, Dugu Fu stopped and took out a Kung Fu Fruit to eat.

Kung Fu Fruit is a general term; apples, pears, bananas, cherries, and even grains can be used, as long as they are infused with sufficient heavenly energy.

This is a common spiritual item in the world of the Republic of China's grandmasters, which can be collected from the mountains and forests or planted.

After eating one Kung Fu Fruit, he felt the warm current in his stomach replenishing his strength and nourishing his body, but he frowned.

"This warm current is not even one-tenth as effective as the snake gallbladder. Is this fruit too weak, or is the snake gallbladder too strong?"

One was not enough, so he ate another one. However, as soon as the second one went down, Dugu Fu immediately felt something was wrong.

This one was a waste; it contained several times the amount of heavenly energy as the first one, and they were not of the same level.

But there was no way around it; NPCs were not players and could not judge the level of Kung Fu Fruit with the naked eye unless they were experts in planting or appraisal. They could only judge by eating.

Realizing the situation was not good, Dugu Fu quickly started a new round of training.

Time passed as he neglected sleep and meals, sweating profusely.

When he was in the middle of the third round, Dugu Fu perked up his ears and suddenly stopped: someone was coming.

At the same time, on the riverbank outside the sharp bend, Ride and Slash was galloping furiously, gritting his teeth.

As he approached, the system map quickly displayed the surrounding terrain.

"Good boy, you really have the guts to kill a Celestial and not run away, hiding in a place like this... quite hidden."

"But you little ants don't know, do you? It's not that easy to get away with murder. This is called PK, and you get marked red!"

Ride and Slash viciously whipped his mount, fantasizing about charging into the valley and seeing the people there panic when they saw him come back to life.

Most NPCs in the game world were naive and unenlightened, except for a few resistance members.

He enjoyed seeing the fear in those ants, which gave him a sense of extraordinary pleasure.

As he thought, his eyes swept over the Xiaoshui River, and his heart stirred again.

The Xiaoshui River was clear and transparent, and it was currently the season of low water. It wound through the mountains like a jade belt, poetic and picturesque.

"After I deal with those ants and brutally torture that hateful savage, I must take that beautiful girl to the river for a good time. She is so fair and beautiful! So beautiful!"

His heart was on fire, and he spurred his horse to the riverbank, turning sharply into the valley.

Seeing Dugu Fu from a distance, he was triumphant and shouted, "Good boy, did you think hiding here would make me not find you? What a naive... splash!"

The first part was his confident shout, and the second part was the sound of him and his horse falling into a pit.

Good, good, what a big pit!

Falling into the pit, the world spun around him, and when Ride and Slash regained his senses, he looked around, his eyes almost popping out.

He saw that the pit was about five meters wide, almost the entire width of the path from the shallowest part of the mudflat to the small valley.

It was also five meters long, and as for the depth, he didn't know, but his feet didn't touch the bottom.

It was like falling from heaven to hell!

As a thousand grass mud horses galloped through his mind, Dugu Fu's face appeared at the edge of the pit, grinning maliciously, "How did you fall into my pit again? Did you not check the almanac before you left home today?"