Chapter 022: Not Interested
Swish!
The white light faded, space shattered.
Su Jingxing's consciousness returned to clarity, his spirit re-entered his flesh.
He twitched his ears, and instantly, the myriad sounds around him became sharply distinct.
Comparing with reality, Su Jingxing scanned his surroundings one by one, committing the precise details to memory.
He then tested the range and drew his conclusion.
A hundred meters!
With the help of the Martial Arts Card, Su Jingxing had successfully mastered the secret technique “Sound Reaches the Ear Realm,” and extended his listening range to a full hundred meters.
Within this sphere, centered on himself, Su Jingxing could perceive every ripple of sound. He could walk unimpeded with his eyes closed, and any presence—human or otherwise—entering this area would be instantly sensed by him.
Even a mouse. Even a fly!
It had to be said—this ability was exceedingly cool.
“What a fine fellow.”
Su Jingxing ceased employing the secret technique, silently expressing gratitude to the young man who’d been brutally slain by the burly brute.
Who was he, truly?
A secret art like “Sound Reaches the Ear Realm” was not something any ordinary power could obtain, much less preserve.
Not only had the young man acquired it, he had mastered it. The faction behind him was surely formidable.
Indeed.
Without such strength, they could never have captured a barbarian.
Shaking his head, Su Jingxing suppressed his idle thoughts and turned his focus to refining the “Seven Steps Fist” at the sublime level.
...
The next day, he resumed work, diligently moving corpses.
The cards he collected were, as always, primarily Strength Cards and Vitality Cards.
Amid his grim labor, Su Jingxing kept an ear out for any disturbances in Qinghe City.
Yet, as the day wore on, the expected tumult never arose.
On the second day, still nothing of note. The third day passed as quietly as the others.
So...
Had the barbarian corpse not been exposed?
Had the powers behind the young man immediately suppressed all news of the incident?
Turning it over in his mind, Su Jingxing could find only this explanation plausible.
“To have contained it so swiftly—who, I wonder, is pulling the strings?”
He sighed, then paid it no further heed.
After all, matters concerning barbarians were far removed from his humble existence. As an insignificant nobody, it was best not to become entangled.
...
Whish, whish, whish—
Behind the crematorium, atop the hill.
Su Jingxing’s fists swept like the wind, his steps as agile as a dragon’s, his figure shifting restlessly as he moved.
His fists were sheathed in intangible, colorless inner force.
The energy unleashed by his strikes stirred his robe and tossed his hair.
Now that “Seven Steps Fist” had reached a level of mastery bordering on the divine, Su Jingxing had finally secured his footing here.
He had come to the hillside to test the extent of his command over inner force.
Bang!
Suddenly, he smashed his fist into a towering tree.
As he struck, Su Jingxing swiftly retreated, gaze fixed intently on the trunk.
One second, three, five...
At last, on the tenth second, the trunk where his fist had landed abruptly exploded. The tree, over half a meter thick, split in two at the point of impact, splinters flying in all directions.
“Success!”
The projection of inner force!
Su Jingxing withdrew his fist, a look of delight blooming as he gazed at the fallen trunk.
Projecting inner force outward—the true mark of an eighth-rank martial artist!
Compared to others, Su Jingxing’s projected inner force lingered much longer.
A full ten seconds!
In actual combat, a punch like this could send force burrowing into an opponent’s body, destroying tendons and blood vessels with ease.
Eighth rank—one step closer to avenging himself against Wan Rong.
Exhaling, Su Jingxing relaxed his body.
After a brief survey of the site and a quick tidy-up, he slipped away before anyone else could arrive.
...
The days slipped by.
By day, he moved corpses; by night, he honed “Sound Reaches the Ear Realm.”
Each evening, on his ride back to his small rented courtyard, Su Jingxing would train his hearing, memorizing the myriad fluctuations of sound along the way.
A hundred meters was only the beginning for this secret art. With relentless training, a thousand, even ten thousand meters might be within reach!
With greater range, however, came greater strain—his endurance would need to keep pace.
This training had led Su Jingxing to overhear many little secrets.
And, well, a few bouts of passionate activity.
Ahem...
On this night, after his shift ended, Su Jingxing rode home at his usual leisurely pace, training his hearing all the while.
At first, the sounds along the route were familiar, unremarkable.
But as he passed through a narrow alley, a new heartbeat emerged.
At first, Su Jingxing paid it no mind, assuming it was a passerby.
But minutes later, the owner of that heartbeat was still present, still trailing behind him.
He was being followed?
Su Jingxing’s heart skipped a beat.
He didn’t veer off or speed up, but continued on for some distance.
Listening closely, he confirmed—the heartbeat remained.
Change route!
Deciding instantly, Su Jingxing stopped his training and took a sharp turn.
A few minutes later, his listening confirmed—the heartbeat still trailed him!
He was truly being followed!
Su Jingxing’s eyes turned cold. He abruptly accelerated, darted down a side street, stopped his bicycle in a corner, and then, after running ahead some distance, concealed himself in the shadows.
He waited.
Soon, urgent footsteps echoed down the lane.
“Let’s see who you are,” Su Jingxing murmured, squinting from his hiding place as he watched the figure emerge from the alley’s mouth.
And then—
“It’s her?”
Su Jingxing raised an eyebrow, plainly surprised. His pursuer was Wei Jiajia—the daughter of Wei Zhongting, the young woman he had saved once before.
“Has she recognized me?”
“Does she know I was her rescuer?”
Wait!
Su Jingxing’s mind raced, analyzing the situation.
If Wei Jiajia knew he was her savior, she wouldn’t have chosen to tail him. She’d have gone straight to the crematorium, or waited outside for him to leave alone and confronted him directly.
But she hadn’t done any of that. Clearly, she didn’t know who he was.
She must have only recognized his silhouette!
From behind, she had noticed a resemblance to her rescuer.
But “resemblance” implied uncertainty—Su Jingxing guessed she had yet to be sure.
She’d merely marked him as one possible suspect.
She had tailed him to confirm her guess.
Understanding this, Su Jingxing’s eyes flickered. He drew out a mask and put it on before stepping from the shadows.
The cloak was too cumbersome to carry around, but a mask sufficed.
...
Beneath the streetlights—
Having lost track of her quarry, Wei Jiajia stood fuming, sighing in frustration.
Suddenly—
“Do you need something from me?”
Su Jingxing’s deliberately lowered voice echoed through the quiet street.
Swish!
Wei Jiajia’s head jerked up, her gaze locking on Su Jingxing ten meters away.
More precisely, on his face.
The same silhouette, the same height, the same mask.
She was sure!
“Yes, yes, I do need to speak with you.”
Wei Jiajia’s face lit with delight as she hurried toward him.
“Stop.”
Su Jingxing’s tone was cold. “If you have something to say, say it from there.”
“...”
Wei Jiajia halted, took a deep breath, and spoke: “First, thank you for saving me last time. And then—I’d like to propose a deal...”
“Not interested.”
...
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