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Baihua County, Jiujiang Dock.
The sky was slightly flawed as a dilapidated multi-storied boat docked at the shore.
"This is Baihua County, I wonder what’s so special about it. It’s really an overkill to send the two of us brothers here to spy," said Zhou Hu, blending in with the crowd, dressed in a tattered robe patched all over, his hair disheveled and his face covered in dirt.
At a glance, he seed nothing out of the ordinary, barely distinguishable from the refugees on the dock.
He stretched lazily on the wooden steps, hearing a crisp crack.
That made him feel much more comfortable.
He jumped off the steps with a relaxed posture, landing firmly on the ground.
"Look more, do more, talk less," said a middle-aged man next to Zhou Hu. Dressed in a dark yellow cloak and wearing a small black cap, he looked like an accountant. Below his chin, a mole sported three black hairs.
This man was Ding ng, Zhou Hu’s companion.
Compared to the bright-eyed and carefree Zhou Hu, Ding ng had a numb expression and was quite reserved, seemingly more collected.
"I know, I know," Zhou Hu waved his hand, dismissing his companion’s advice.
The two had braved life and death and executed many dangerous missions, making it through to this point. In Zhou Hu’s view, the task assigned by the Yiluan Bureau to spy in Baihua County was more like a holiday, a paid vacation, so he felt no tension.
"Now that we’ve successfully reached our destination, what’s the plan next?" Zhou Hu casually asked while moving along with the crowd.
Ding ng’s gaze swept over the various stalls on both sides of the street, "I had thought the Jiang and E regions were impoverished frontiers, but this small border city turned out to be bustling, beyond expectations."
Gathering his attention back, Ding ng said, "Anyway, the higher-ups didn’t give a specific task."
"There must be more than just us here in Baihua County. Let’s walk around and see if we can find anything new."
"Are there other experts here? It seems the higher-ups hold this matter in high regard, but why?" Zhou Hu asked, surprised.
"I heard it was Great General Yuan Hong who gave the orders," Ding ng replied.
"That Great General is a small-minded man, lacking magnanimity, so him issuing such an order isn’t surprising," Zhou Hu laughed heartily, his expression even more casual.
Ding ng shook his head, just about to admonish him, when he saw Zhou Hu’s attention get captured by a group of people in the distance.
"That is..." Zhou Hu suddenly said eagerly, "With such a large crowd gathered, sothing must have happened; let’s go check it out first."
"Alright." Ding ng nodded, hurrying to follow.
When they arrived, they realized what lay before them was a square paved with bluestone.
On the square, a group of brawny n stood, their skins bronzed and muscles oiled, faces flushed, muscles swollen, veins visibly bulging. Their sweat evaporated due to their body heat, emitting a white mist that rose gently.
It also caused the temperature around to rise significantly.
Each martial artist, their bodies like furnaces, were generating heat waves while they exercised their energy, rolling in through the square.
"Hiss..." Zhou Hu’s relaxed expression vanished, replaced by shock.
"Such an unheard-of small place, yet it holds so many martial artists," Zhou Hu was astonished, "And although these martial artists are not of high realm, each one’s innate physique is robust, and their foundations are extraordinary. Given enough resources for nurturing, their potential would be limitless."
"There’s also a stone stele on the square," Ding ng followed closely and frowned, "Let’s see what’s engraved on it."
Zhou Hu was slightly taller than Ding ng.
At that mont, he tiptoed, his gaze passing over the crowd, landing on the stele in the center of the square.
Engraved on the stele were scriptures, and below the scriptures were corresponding stances. At the very top of the black stele, there was a design of a dragon rising into the clouds, wings sprouting from its back. Though it was only a simple sketch, the majesty of the winged dragon was vividly portrayed.
Caught off guard, at first glance, Zhou Hu saw the dragon design on the stele as if roaring explosively, then seeming to whirl over energetically towards him.
This was incredibly startling, unprepared as he was. Zhou Hu’s muscles tightened instantly, his pupils constricted, he opened his mouth wide, almost letting out a scream.
"Snap!"
A big hand reached from behind, covering his mouth.
"What was that just now, making such a fuss, what a sight you are!" Ding ng said displeased.
His emotions swinging from high to low, Zhou Hu felt his heart pounding rapidly. Recalling the image he had just seen and felt, he panted, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, yet there was a lingering thrill. Zhou Hu savored the mont quietly and, without arguing with Ding ng, simply said, "Check the stone stele, and you’ll see what’s engraved."
"But by then, make sure you don’t embarrass yourself like I did." Zhou Hu crossed his arms, laughing coldly.
"Ha, you think everyone reacts as blatantly as you." Ding ng dismissed, patting Zhou Hu on the shoulder. Zhou Hu squatted down, hugged Ding ng’s legs, and gently lifted him up, following imdiately with—"This can’t be possible, absolutely not!"
Snap!
Zhou Hu’s hand trembled, almost dropping Ding ng.
"You’re handling this worse than ," Zhou Hu remarked, seeing Ding ng’s incredulous face.
"I know, but—" Ding ng vehently scratched his head, his reddened face slowly calming down. Clenching one hand into a fist and covering his heart with the other, even though he lowered his voice, his tone still carried an undertone of horror, "That’s the Domineering Dragon Secret thod, complete with the andnts from the Five Elents and Eight Trigrams. It’s the fully supplented Domineering Dragon Thirteen Forms Secret thod."
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