Chapter 93

"Wh-what kind of situation is this?" The two women, now aware of the truth, shed tears. They had risked their lives and reputations, only to save a bunch of people who willingly degraded themselves?

"Did you see that? The matters of this world are complex. What you see with your eyes may not be true, and what you hear with your ears may not be the truth. You must be careful in your judgment, remain calm in your analysis, and act only after careful planning." Dugu Fu took the opportunity to give a lesson.

"Be careful in your judgment, remain calm in your analysis, and act only after careful planning..." The innkeeper chewed on Dugu Fu's words, then suddenly looked up, "Xiao Fu, when did you find out the truth?"

Guo Xingxing also showed curiosity.

"From... the moment I opened the door. Didn't you notice that the layout of this carriage is different from the others? Human trafficking is not uncommon, but to modify a carriage to transport people is not the work of human traffickers."

"Moreover, you should know that human trafficking is not a highly profitable industry, and few people get rich from it. Look at these thugs; they are all dressed in cotton or silk, and their faces show no signs of hardship..."

Dugu Fu spoke calmly and steadily.

"What you said... seems to make some sense." Squinting her big eyes, Guo Xingxing nodded, then suddenly fixed her gaze on Dugu Fu, "But... why do I feel like you're not being entirely honest and are hiding something?"

Dugu Fu's explanation suddenly paused, and he laughed dryly, "Not being entirely honest? How could that be? Is there a need?"

Guo Xingxing touched her ear, which was as white as jade, and her eyebrows furrowed, "No, there isn't, but..."

A woman's intuition is truly terrifying! Dugu Fu wiped his sweat.

Guo Xingxing's feeling was right; he indeed had something to hide, specifically the time he discovered the truth. He actually found something was off before they even reached the last carriage, just by seeing the door from a distance.

How did he discover it? It was simple: the number of carriages was wrong. When they got on the train, there were only four carriages in this direction, but the last carriage was the fifth, which appeared out of nowhere. Why was there an extra carriage? And why did the traffickers happen to enter this one? By connecting these two events, it wasn't hard to make a judgment in advance.

But why did he hide it?

Because he knew how to be a person and understood that showing off in every situation wasn't truly smart.

Being one step ahead is clever, and people like it; being two steps ahead is genius, and people respect it but keep their distance; being three steps ahead is monstrous, and people will try to eliminate you... True intelligence is called wisdom in simplicity.

After tidying up the room and receiving their lesson, Guo Xingxing and the innkeeper looked at each other and smiled bitterly, "So, we've been working for nothing, taking unnecessary risks, and those scoundrels died for nothing..."

"How could it be for nothing?" Dugu Fu wagged his finger, "First, you took revenge. These people were going to sell you two, remember? Second, you found us a great spot!" He shrugged and spread his hands, gesturing to the carriage.

"A great spot?" The two women were puzzled.

"Exactly. The train from Changsha to Shanghai takes two days and two nights. We thought we'd have to squeeze into seats and take classes, but now we have a spacious place to train! It's even soundproof, so no matter how much noise we make, no one outside will hear."

Hearing Dugu Fu say this, the two women were enlightened.

Upon careful reflection, they realized that their misadventure not only spared them the fatigue of a two-day, two-night journey but also provided an opportunity to enhance their strength. It wasn't for nothing.

What is the most precious thing in this world? Time is the most precious!

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With a goal in mind, they were motivated to work hard! They demolished all the useless partitions to create space for martial arts training. Wall hangings and carpets were repositioned and nailed in place; they would serve as training dummies.

The小白脸's (young man's) private room had a small red clay stove, even with rice, flour, vegetables, and meat, and a fairly large refrigerator... After putting the charcoal in and lighting the fire, he cooked the rice and a hundred-year-old ginseng. Before long, an incredible aroma wafted out!

The four of them thus began their seclusion.

Li Shier continued to refine the 46 Flipping Heaven Kicks. After this period of exploration, the kicking techniques and power generation were basically mature, but the footwork still needed improvement, and the桩功 (zhuanggong,桩功) needed a breakthrough.

Dugu Fu continued to strengthen his basic training, aiming to reach a higher level of Mingjing. During breaks, he carefully studied Li Shier's insights and integrated them into his own practice.

As for Guo Xingxing and the innkeeper, they could only start from the basics. Just the桩功 (zhuanggong) alone made them sweat profusely and pant heavily.

Time passed unnoticed in the monotonous training...

Quietly, Guo Xingxing, who had been standing in a桩 (zhuang) position with her eyes closed, opened her eyes and looked around. Li Shier, Dugu Fu, and the innkeeper were all focused on their own training, not paying attention to her. She tiptoed and slightly relaxed her stiff, wooden-like legs.

However, just a slight movement, and she stood still again...

On her left, the innkeeper was in the same position, one leg supporting her on the ground and the other raised high, her long leg trembling continuously, a sign of her waning strength. She gritted her teeth and endured. Sweat soaked her clothes, creating alluring curves that made one's blood boil, and her hair was so wet it could be wrung out.

On her right, Dugu Fu was doing a handstand, his legs split wide open, bending and stretching... He made mysterious, indescribable movements, and although it looked easy, the constant trembling of his arms and the twitching of his muscles revealed the immense effort he was putting in.

The大开翻天桩 (Da Kai Fantiang Zhuang) was the basic桩功 (zhuanggong) for the 46 Flipping Heaven Kicks, derived from the Ba Ji Quan (Eight Extremes Fist) framework and combined with its breathing techniques, which could rapidly increase strength. In this aspect, Ba Ji Quan is second to none.

In a more open area, Li Shier was also standing in a桩 (zhuang) position, but it was more like he was lying down. It resembled a push-up position but also looked like he was about to launch a Frog Technique. The difference was that his back was weighed down by three full rice bags from the cargo hold, nearly obscuring his robust figure.

The rice bags moved slowly with his movements, and his body trembled continuously, but his trembling was different from that of the innkeeper and Dugu Fu. It was a controlled, conscious tremble.

The weight of the rice bags seemed to become light and airy with his trembles. Only the steady stream of sweat trickling down his body indicated that the exercise was far from easy.

This was called the巨象桩 (Ju Xiang Zhuang), the advanced桩功 (zhuanggong) for the 46 Flipping Heaven Kicks, and currently, only Li Shier could perform it, not even Dugu Fu.

Everyone was working so hard, everyone was pushing themselves to the limit. What reason did she have to slack off here?

Looking left and right, Guo Xingxing's face turned red, and the thought of slacking off vanished instantly. She closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and focused on the rhythm of her body.