Steam-powered martial arts: My virginity cultivation technique has been broken.

In this small town, every necessities for the residents can be purchased on this one street. At the end of the street, the ironware and carriage shops belong to the Li family, the financial backers of the bandits we encountered earlier. This kind of small place lacks the unspoken commercial practices of Taizhou; funding bandits is purely for the purpose of robbery and profit.

The three of them drove along, their luxurious configurations—Hongyun and Xiaoheima—like expensive sports cars, making the surrounding shop owners and customers green with envy.

If it weren't for the gleaming, menacing sword on Ku Ning's back, they would have definitely dared to rob him. The fierce nature of the people here is no joke; they are not ashamed of being descendants of criminals, but rather proud of it, mistaking ignorance for simplicity and cruelty for courage.

In the carriage shop, Ku Ning inquired about the prices, which were more than three times higher than those in Shannan. Most of the carriages were dilapidated, with many marks from being hacked and chopped, making it clear at a glance that they came from dubious sources and were at least accident vehicles.

Ku Ning tried to bargain, but to no avail. The innkeeper was loud and rude: "Buy it or leave it."

Some people just can't learn to make money through harmony. Perhaps it's because under the red light, these residents' emotions fluctuate more intensely than a roller coaster, and they all speak like loudspeakers.

He rubbed his ears, which were itchy from the vibration, and smiled, "Don't get excited, shopkeeper. We are genuinely interested in buying." His smile was like a gentle spring breeze, extinguishing the shopkeeper's agitation.

This was Ku Ning's first attempt at using his divine sense since breaking through to the first rank. Generally, martial artists develop divine sense after breaking through to the fourth rank, enabling them to observe movements in all directions and accurately pinpoint sounds. However, truly being able to use divine sense as an offensive tool requires reaching the first rank.

As the saying goes, one can't hit a smiling face. The shopkeeper felt pleased and refreshed, and surprisingly relented: "At most, I'll offer a 20% discount."

Ku Ning glanced at the four carriages behind the shop. One of them was quite nice, a recent model made of pine wood, covered with light steel, and equipped with shock-absorbing bearings. He pointed to it and said, "That single carriage, no horse, 320 silver dollars, I'll take it. That can buy a new one where we live."

The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "Four hundred silver dollars, that's the lowest I can offer. I can also provide matching saddlery, as I need to give my employer an explanation."

Ku Ning didn't haggle anymore, paid, took the cart, and left. The shopkeeper, while collecting the money, slapped his own face. He'd sold it at a low price, so why did he still feel guilty? He must be possessed.

A single-person carriage can be pulled by one horse. Hongyun is the best choice, but Ku Ning's size is not a good match for the little black horse, and it is uncomfortable to ride. So, Ku Ning can only be used to pull the carriage.

This little black horse is an anomaly among monsters, with snake eyes and scales on its hooves. Its strength is only at the lower seventh rank, but it is an artificial monster with the bloodlines of a black dragon, a wind spirit, and a horse monster. It is fast and can walk on water.

Yang Huanxi naturally became the coachman, and happily picked up the whip: "Master, when shall we set off?" He was eager to show off his driving skills.

Ku Ning was buying food in front of a grain store. Looking at the sky, he figured it would be dark in about four hours. "I'll leave after I'm done shopping!" he said.

As soon as he finished speaking, a large group of people swarmed towards them. The leader, dressed in blue with the character "Li" embroidered on his chest, said menacingly, "Outsiders, a murder has occurred in the mountains outside the city. Did you commit it?"

Ku Ning was surprised that someone would come knocking on his door so soon: "Those bandits? They were trampled to death by a divine steed."

"A divine steed? A horse? A monster?"

The leader looked at the little black horse, which was short and didn't seem to have any strength. He then looked at Hongyun, whose eyes were vacant. Hongyun stood quietly beside Ku Ning and didn't seem like a ferocious creature.

"What kind of horse?"

"A red horse, tall and beautiful."

He was still pondering whether there were any demonic horses of that power nearby. All eyes were already on Hongyun. One of his underlings couldn't stand it anymore and patted him on the shoulder: "Boss, he's playing you."

He realized what was happening and angrily shouted, "You little brat, you dare to play me!"

Ku Ning said helplessly, "You're only just realizing that? Some damned bandits have died, yet they still dare to come looking for trouble. Do they really think there's no law in Great Chen?"

The leader looked terrified and cautiously asked, "Are you someone from the imperial court?"

Ku Ning shook his head: "Just passing by."

The leader felt another wave of shame and pointed at Ku Ning's nose, cursing, "How dare you! What law are you talking about on Red Lantern Sect territory? Here, the Red Lantern Sect is the law! You call them bandits, but I say they are the people of our Bitter City. A life for a life, you won't be leaving the city."

The grain store owner also stopped packing food and looked greedily at Ku Ning's money bag. He had just bought food worth thirty silver dollars without even blinking.

Seeing the growing number of people around him, Ku Ning mocked, "Looks like I've really fallen into a wolf's den."

The sword hummed, and its icy aura spread out, making everyone feel a bone-chilling cold despite it being the hottest part of the afternoon.

Normal people would weigh the implications of such a strange phenomenon, as if someone were holding a Maxim machine gun with the safety off. Whether these people were too stupid or influenced by the red light, they were not afraid at all, but their greed only intensified.

"Treasure! The weapon behind him is a treasure. If we just rob it, we'll have enough to pay our taxes and won't be kicked out of the city."

"Nonsense, it's more than enough to pay taxes. One treasure would allow me and my family to join the temple without worrying about monster attacks!"

"Kill! Rob!"

The surrounding crowd was even more impulsive than the Li family, rushing forward to snatch it. At this moment, Ku Ning was choosing a martial arts move in his mind, and finally chose the Arhat Fist. His fist energy swirled, and with one strike, it turned into a sky full of fist shadows. The crowd's angry roars turned into a muffled groan, and they fell to the ground, unable to get up.

He showed mercy, not out of kindness, but because he noticed that as the crowd's emotions rose, the kerosene lamp oil burned rapidly, and the red light became even more eerie. His intuition told him that killing them might cause strange changes, so breaking a few of their ribs would suffice.

"Murder! Quickly, go and ask the cult leader for help!"

Someone screamed in terror. The Li family members were also stunned by Ku Ning's martial arts. They were the Li family's guards and knew a little about martial arts. Before Ku Ning even made a move, they knew he was no match for them from the strange phenomenon of the horse-slaying saber. Now, they were even more terrified by the fist shadows they had just witnessed, too afraid to move. Could martial arts be cultivated to this level? It was even more powerful than the magic of the Divine Cult!

"Sir, spare us! We were forced by the Li family to come here and cause trouble. You just spent four hundred silver dollars at the carriage shop. The Li family thinks you're a fat sheep, so they sent us to rip you off."

Ku Ning was speechless. Wasn't it all because of the bandits? Just because he flaunted his wealth, attracting thieves? Had the Li family never seen money before? Ku Ning thought about it and realized it made sense. Most carriages were rented; a carriage and a driver could get you out of the province for fifteen silver dollars. He bought it directly, which was a truly extravagant purchase. Therefore, it was normal for him to be targeted.

"How infuriating! I have a conscience; doing business requires honesty. Otherwise, I'd just rent a car, chop up your driver, and take the car. What can you do about it? You're a rebellious area that even the government doesn't care about; you think you can issue a warrant for my arrest?"

"My heart is still too soft, which is why you hurt me time and time again."

The person who betrayed his kindness and hurt his conscience last time has already lost his hands and feet!