Chapter 9

Listen, listen, listen, listen. Standing to one side and listening to the two people talking, the sky gradually brightened, approaching noon.

The time was not early, and Uncle Til and the guest finally got up and walked to the door together. After seeing the guest out,

"Uncle, I should be going back too." Galong took his scarf from the coat rack.

"It's still early, why don't you have lunch before you go back?" Til turned around, "You don't come over often, why don't you stay and play for a while? Lombas will be back soon, and you two can catch up."

"Next time, Uncle. Ying'er is waiting for me at home." Galong smiled, "I promised her I'd come back for lunch."

"You little brat... Alright then. Be careful on your way." Til laughed and scolded, ruffling Galong's hair.

"Okay."

Just as Galong was about to leave after putting on his shoes, he felt a warm piece of paper being pressed into his right palm. Looking down, he saw a hundred-dollar bill. Turning his head, he saw a smile on his uncle's face.

"Take it. I haven't seen you in a long time. It's just some pocket money. Study hard at school."

"Got it, thanks, Uncle." Galong smiled and nodded. "I'll be off then."

"Alright, go ahead. Come over more often when you have time."

"Got it."

Descending the stairs, Galong returned to the first-floor hall. In the center of the hall, among the sparse crowd, a blond boy in a white tight-fitting outfit stood next to a white angel statue. Seeing Galong come down, the boy raised his eyebrows.

"Galong, come here." He waved at Galong casually, holding a white ball in his other hand and occasionally bouncing it while talking to a black-haired girl beside him.

Galong also saw the boy. He recognized him as his cousin, Lombas, his uncle's son. A guy with a bad temper, arrogant, and impulsive. The old Galong didn't like to interact much with this guy.

Frowning, he walked over and stopped about two meters away from Lombas.

"What did my dad say to you?" Lombas asked in a low voice, turning his face.

"Nothing much, just asked about my recent situation. I'll be going now since there's nothing else." Galong replied indifferently.

Lombas raised an eyebrow and glanced at the girl beside him, seemingly feeling his image was being challenged. "What's the rush? I'm your brother, and you can't even talk to me for a few minutes?"

Galong was speechless. "If there's really nothing, I'll be off. I need to get home for lunch with Ying'er." He didn't want to waste time with this guy and turned to leave.

"Hey! I'm your brother! Stop right there!" Lombas's eyes flared with anger, and he raised his voice.

"Lombas, are you really looking for trouble? Don't make things up!" Galong turned around, his brows furrowed, and he raised his voice. The old Galong might have been meek, but he wasn't that weak anymore.

"Heh heh... Not bad? You actually dare to yell at me? I'll make you yell!" Lombas suddenly slapped Galong's face, using a bit of combat technique to increase his strength by half.

The slap whistled through the air and struck Galong's left cheek.

Slap!!

A sharp sound.

Galong's and Lombas's palms collided fiercely.

Their strength was about equal, just barely matching.

Galong was slightly surprised. He didn't expect his playboy cousin to know some combat techniques. But his basic combat skills were already at the beginner level. He slightly increased his strength and pushed back.

With a whoosh, Lombas stumbled a few steps to the side, almost colliding with a middle-aged man. His face instantly turned red, and his hand felt a burning pain. Upon closer inspection, his right hand was already swollen. "Good... Galong... you're really good!!" He glanced at the girl, "You'll pay for this!"

Galong didn't bother to look at him. This cousin had only casually practiced some combat techniques, which couldn't compare to his dedicated training. If Lombas came looking for trouble again, he would be the one getting beaten. And if he tried to bring others, Uncle Til would never allow it.

"Don't look for trouble. If Uncle sees you like this, he'll be very disappointed." With that, he turned and left the hall, walking out through the small wooden door. He could faintly hear Lombas's angry shouts behind him.

Following the same route back, with the increased foot traffic, it took Galong over half an hour to return to Blue Tree Street where his home was.

Entering the neighborhood, the fourth red-roofed building on the right was where he lived now.

At the stairwell, an elderly white-haired gentleman was slowly descending the stairs with a cane.

Galong stood to one side and waited. When the old gentleman was completely out of the stairwell, he prepared to go up.

The old gentleman smiled at him kindly but said nothing, heading directly to the parking lot on the right. Although he didn't walk very fast, he was very deliberate and precise, giving off a sense of solemnity in his neatly dressed black suit.

Galong turned his gaze and entered the dimly lit stairwell, climbing up two flights. He heard footsteps above. Peering through the stairwell gap, he saw Ying'er slowly climbing up, seemingly carrying something heavy.

"Ying'er!" he called out.

"Galong?" Ying'er was still wearing a black waist-cinched dress that only covered her thighs. Hearing his voice, she bent down to put down the object and looked down through the stairwell gap. "You're back? Come help me, I bought some white pears to eat."

Galong was about to respond when his cheeks turned red. From his angle, he could see the view under Ying'er's dress, her long legs wrapped in black cotton tights, with a faint white line visible. "Got it, I'll be right there."

Ying'er seemed to realize something and instinctively closed her legs, her face turning red as she stepped back. "You pervert! Don't be like Lombas!"

"It's your own fault for not being careful!" Galong quickly clarified. He ran up a few steps, bent down, and picked up the yellow wooden frame on the stairs. Inside were about twenty fist-sized white pears.

"What do you mean 'your own fault'?" Ying'er placed her hands on her hips and shouted, but then quickly looked around, "Let's go back and talk about it!"

Galong shrugged and carried the wooden frame up the stairs.

The two quickly climbed to their front door, and Ying'er took out the key to open it. As soon as they were inside and had changed their shoes, Galong put down the pears and ran.

Bang!

Ying'er slammed the door shut, her face flushed as she moved her hands.

"You're dead, Galong!" She shouted and charged over, moving agilely and quickly, even faster than Galong at the beginner level of combat skills.

The two chased each other in circles in the living room. In just a few seconds, there was a thud.

Galong was tripped by Ying'er, who wasn't wearing shoes, and fell backward onto the ground.

"At least at the intermediate level... and probably trained with a secret technique." He looked up at Ying'er standing beside him, speechless. Although he hadn't used any combat techniques or taken it seriously, he could still feel her superior physical attributes and natural movements. Her combat skills seemed to focus on speed rather than the explosive power of the White Cloud Martial Hall, and she might be at the intermediate level.

Different martial halls emphasize different aspects of basic combat skills. Some focus on strength, others on explosive power, speed, physical conditioning, evasion, endurance, and so on. The names also vary. These basic combat skills are temporary techniques used in combat, not secret training methods.

Secret training methods are unique and hidden ways to train the body. They are the true unique martial techniques of a martial hall. While any martial hall has a set of unique secret training methods, these are different from the temporary combat techniques. Only true disciples can learn these secret methods, which can effectively improve basic physical attributes such as strength, explosive power, speed, endurance, and flexibility through long-term training.

Galong had heard that the true disciples of the White Cloud Martial Hall were known for their strength in competitions. Clearly, the hall's secret techniques were used to enhance strength. Now, Ying'er's speed was clearly abnormal, indicating she had also been trained with a secret technique.

Gathering his attention, Galong felt a bit uncomfortable and turned his face away. From his angle, he could see his standing sister's legs, long and round, wrapped in black cotton tights, extending to the black shadow under her dress.

"Great! Why did you have to learn from that idiot Lombas!" Ying'er, slightly out of breath, kicked Galong in the chest. The thick clothing protected him from any real injury.

Galong blinked and suddenly reached out to grab her foot and pull.

Bang!

Another dull thud. Ying'er fell on top of him, and both let out a pained groan.

A faint scent of a young girl filled Galong's nose. Her soft chest collided with his, making his heart flutter. "Alright, stop fooling around!" He rubbed his stomach and quickly got up, "What's for lunch?"

Ying'er, who had been caught off guard and pulled down, was about to get angry but suddenly blushed. She noticed she was completely on top of Galong, and his chest felt much more solid than before. This time, he didn't get angry like before but seemed to take it in stride. Hearing the question about lunch, she blinked and hesitated before reacting. She got up, smoothed her dress, and said, "I made honey bean cake, onion pie, and the leaf melon soup should be ready."

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