Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

"Who are you.."

Chapter Thirty-One: I'll Always Remember

When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Fu Hanwen felt that Ying Qin Guan looked familiar, and Ying Qin Guan felt the same way. He felt that she looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was. So the two of them must have met a few times, but they didn't have much in-depth communication.

Ying Qin Guan thought carefully for a moment... and finally remembered.

"It's you..."

His expression became complicated.

For Ying Qin Guan, encountering someone he knew from the first half of his life anywhere, at any time, in any place is quite a poignant experience, because so much has happened in the process.

"You are..." Fu Hanwen began tentatively, "I feel like you look familiar, but I can't quite place you."

“It’s normal that you don’t remember me.” Ying Qin Guan said softly, “I was that poor boy who wanted to buy a Qi Cultivation Manual for seventy-nine coins not long before the Black Dragon arrived. But a Qi Cultivation Manual costs one hundred coins, not a penny less… You lent me, or rather, gave me twenty-one coins, and I never had the chance to pay you back. Perhaps we all thought we were dead.”

Why is it said that the Southern Qin region is martial, yet it produces almost no top-tier masters?

The reasons are somewhat complicated, but they can be summarized in one simple word: poverty.

In the Southern Qin state, there was no widespread control over the spread of the "Nurturing Method." Firstly, Southern Qin was not particularly powerful at the time; secondly... other states controlled it because they had nine years of compulsory education, everyone was literate, and they could learn the Nurturing Method as soon as they received it, but in Southern Qin...

According to incomplete statistics, the literacy rate is no more than five percent.

Moreover, the saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" is no joke. The Southern Qin region lacked the technology to raise free-range fish and civets, making meat, eggs, fish, and milk very expensive, and the cost of martial arts training extremely high. But not eating wasn't an option; it would ruin one's training. For various reasons, the Southern Qin didn't regulate the methods of raising and using these animals in the market—but frankly, anything that made it to the market couldn't possibly be anything high-end.

The problem with Southern Qin lies in this: there, "only those who are qualified to practice martial arts can practice martial arts," but among these martial arts practitioners, how many are truly talented? It's hard to say, but there are certainly not many, because truly talented people have never been numerous.

Comparing the Seven Luminaries, Nephalem, Jiu Yi, and even the previous Ju Qiuming, they are basically all from families with little money. If they were placed in Nan Qin, they would be basically out of luck and would never have the chance to learn the breeding method in their lives. Even if they did, it would be basically useless. Although Nephalem and Ju Qiuming have good talents, they are far inferior to Ying Qin Guan. To achieve results without meat, eggs, fish, and milk is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Therefore, although the Southern Qin Dynasty valued martial arts, its practitioners were mostly ineffective fighters.

True, effective martial artists, like Ying Qin Guan, would be hampered by all sorts of things; in short, they were poor.

At that time, the Black Dragon had not yet truly attacked Southern Qin, but there was already a hint of impending doom. Ying Qin Guan wanted to buy a book on cultivating qi. However, he only had seventy-nine coins. He lived in the most rural part of Southern Qin, where people were self-sufficient and rarely needed money. Ying Qin Guan had a little money because he occasionally went to town, but it was only a little.

At that time, Ying Qin Guan was trying to persuade the martial arts school owner... Thinking back now, he probably wasn't the owner, but just a handyman at the school. Ying Qin Guan tried to buy a copy of the Qi Cultivation Manual for seventy-nine coins. But he ultimately failed, and the commotion from their argument reached outside. At that moment, Fu Han Wen happened to be passing by. After learning what had happened, she lent Ying Qin Guan twenty-one coins... But to be honest, in that situation, calling it a loan was practically giving it away.

Ying Qin Guan naturally said he would repay the money, but soon after, the Black Dragon arrived and everything was buried. Unexpectedly, there was a day when they would meet again.

"It was you... You're alive too, that's great."

After Ying Qin Guan's reminder, Fu Hanwen finally remembered and sighed softly.

The Southern Qin was utterly destroyed by the Black Dragon, countless people perished there, and the survivors were forced to leave their homes. In this situation, the remaining people of Southern Qin were scattered far and wide. If they could see someone they knew before again, it would be a blessing from heaven. Even former enemies could now forgive and forget, especially since Ying Qin Guan and Fu Hanwen were not enemies.

Ying Qin Guan was not the only one who felt this way. The people of Southern Qin had experienced the hardship of national subjugation, and anyone they had known before was an old friend to them.

"Huh? A creditor?!"

The mood-breaker, Shenxin, raised her small blackboard. Her unique thinking and sharp perspective revealed the true nature of the relationship between the two—one was in debt, and the other was a creditor.

That's absolutely true; Ying Qin Guan owes them twenty-one coins. But now, what difference does it make if it were twenty-one taels of silver, let alone twenty-one coins?

When Fu Hanwen saw the words on the small blackboard, he couldn't help but chuckle, but then he felt it was a bit indecent and covered his face with his sleeve.

Shenxin caught her attention. Most people, upon seeing Shenxin and her small blackboard, would assume that Shenxin was mute, but Fu Hanwen's focus was on...

Shenxin looks very similar to Shenzhou-9.

Of course, after all, they are two sisters, and they are even wearing similar clothes. Fu Wenhan didn't recognize them at first glance because of Ying Qin Guan.

Ying Qin Guan and his group also noticed Shen Jiu at this time. Although her presence was not as low as Ju Qiu Ming's, she did not speak or move, so she would not usually be noticed.

"You've arrived... Where's Himura Tanzakura?" Yu Xietian looked around but didn't see Himura Tanzakura. The two should be together, but now Himura Tanzakura was nowhere to be seen. He wondered what had happened to her.

"He's gone out. He should be back soon."

"This guy is so unreliable, what is he doing..." Yu Xietian couldn't help but complain.

"Is this the person Mr. Himura was waiting for?" Fu Wenhan spoke softly, "Mr. Himura had important business to attend to and was temporarily delayed. It's really my fault for troubling him..."

During their earlier conversation, Hisumura Danzai had mentioned that he was waiting for someone here, and now it seems he was waiting for these three...

At this thought, Fu Hanwen suddenly remembered that when she first met Ying Qin Guan, he had asked her name and loudly proclaimed that his name was Ying Qin Guan and that he would come back to repay her money. So, did he still remember her name now?

With this thought in mind, she chuckled softly, "Mr. Ying, do you still remember my name?"

"Hmm... Rune contains." Ying Qin Guan said softly, "I'm very grateful for your twenty-one coins..."

"So, I'll always remember."

Chapter Thirty-Two: I've always been one to show off.

"Quickly! Go and inform the boss!"

"what!"

With a kick, Hiyoma Tan's inner energy gathered at his toes, flowing like a silver river. He kicked out, and the violent inner energy exploded, smashing open the gate of the Sea Sand Gang and scaring the two henchmen guarding the gate into a hasty retreat.

He didn't chase after them, but simply stood leisurely at the door, remarking, "The Sea Sand Gang, how impressive."

The boy didn't come along. Hishimura Tan's mother told him not to come to the battlefield. She said he was already exhausted from protecting Shin-Kyu all day long, especially during the last attack. If he were alone, it would be impossible for him not to kill or break his vows. But he definitely wouldn't have been seriously injured; a minor injury would have been fatal.

It's important to understand that even someone of Ying Qin Guan's strength needed to carry a weapon when facing Fei Cun Tan Ying. It wasn't that he was afraid he couldn't defeat him, but rather that he feared Qin Guan might attack Shen Xin and Yu Xie Tian. For martial artists, protecting others can significantly impact their own performance. Only a show-off like Ji Li would spend his days in a wheelchair, being pushed around by others to show off.

Zhao Yunxian is just a lousy novelist; what does she know about martial arts?

As for the comment about its grandeur, it was just a casual remark. Over the years, Himura Tan's daughter has traveled all over the country and seen all sorts of places. How could she possibly praise a building that is a hundred years behind the times?

A group of henchmen scattered and left, while a small group of the braver ones rushed forward. However, they didn't dare to attack Himura Tan's character; they simply surrounded him, seemingly heading to call for reinforcements.

After waiting with a smile for a moment, a loud shout rang out.

"Who dares to cause trouble for my Sea Sand Gang?!"

Upon hearing the sound, Himura Tan's gaze turned and saw two iron hammers fly out from the inner room, landing heavily on the training ground in front of Himura Tan's gaze. With a loud bang, the ground cracked open, and the two iron hammers actually smashed directly into the ground.

—This entrance takes up a lot of ground space.

Then, a fat man with a lot of fat walked out.

It was January, and the weather was bitterly cold. However, the fat man was shirtless, wearing only shorts, with Buddhist beads around his neck and abundant chest hair. Although he was about 1.8 meters tall, his waist was at least 1.5 meters, making him physically deformed. However, his jumping ability was remarkable. With a sudden leap, he jumped over a distance of at least ten meters. If nothing went wrong, he would land right next to the iron hammer. After finishing, he would pick up the hammer, strike a pose, and say a few trash words, creating a classic early-to-mid-game mini-boss entrance CG.

But barring any unforeseen circumstances, something unexpected is likely to happen.

No one can completely show off in front of Himura, just as everyone who tries to show off in front of Hime will be thoroughly humiliated.

I've always been one to show off whenever I feel like it, but I only allow myself to do it and no one else is allowed to. That's my way of showing off!

Himura Tanzaku looked up calmly.

This is... the Consciousness Slash he learned from Ying Qin Pass!

The "Consciousness Slash" skill sounds quite fantastical. Ying Qin Guan directly explained the technique, but Nefertari, despite pondering it for a long time, still had no clue how to execute it. However, Himura Tan Sakura, after only taking three hits, was able to apply this move in actual combat against a Sword Saint of that caliber...

So much time has passed, has his mastery of this move improved?

In the fat man's eyes, the world suddenly darkened, and Hisumura Tan's Sakura drew a sword gleaming with a cold light from thin air.

Do not!

More than just a cold glint!

The crimson gold color exploded, revealing veins like lava. The aurora stretched to the horizon, illuminating the entire world in crimson gold. Countless lightning bolts danced wildly, as if it were the end of the world, a goddess destroying the world.

Himura Tanzaku draws her sword!

The knife severs the flesh, the heart severs the soul!

With a single slash, its power was unparalleled!

The fat man jumped halfway when his eyes suddenly lost their luster, becoming completely empty. His body was propelled forward by inertia. But without his master's control, tragedy was inevitable. His body lost its balance in mid-air and finally crashed headfirst into his own large iron hammer. His face was covered in blood, he lost several teeth, and he fainted on the spot, but his life was not in danger.

In reality, Himura Danzai simply stood there and glanced at him.

This scene stunned the minions who were about to help the mini-boss fight. Someone shouted "Sorcery!" and then fled in panic.

"Shut up! What kind of behavior is this!"

Just as Hiyomura Tan's sword was about to move forward, another man who looked like a mini-boss stepped out. He was muscular and tall, a common trait among low- to mid-level martial artists. Because their cultivation methods were rather rudimentary and their techniques rather crude, many things were directly displayed on their bodies. They appeared strong, but in reality, they weren't. Take Ju Qiuming as an example. If he were here, shaking hands with these people would make them cry for their parents.

"Second-in-command!" The henchman's face lit up with joy, and he pointed at Himura Tan's figure, saying, "This person knows sorcery, you should..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hisumura Tanzakura strode over, and the second-in-command's massive body collapsed without warning, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Be... careful..." The henchman's face stiffened, but he still finished the last half of the sentence with great professionalism.

"As for sorcery, I truly do not know it." Hishimura Tanzaku smiled and patted the other's shoulder. "If you insist on calling this sorcery, then there are many people who are far more sorcerous than I am... Where is your leader?"

The other person's body stiffened, and he pointed out the direction to Himura Tanzakura, trembling as he said that it was the chief's study. The only thing that made both of them feel relieved was that he didn't urinate.

Himura Tanzakura strode in. This Sea Sand Gang wasn't even a third-rate organization. Not only were the two leaders weak, but the organization's cohesion was also like dog shit. When a fight broke out, the underlings would run away as fast as they could. It seemed that the leader wasn't any decent person either. They should deal with this matter as soon as possible.

He strode toward the chief's study, but as he approached, he suddenly stopped and slightly opened his eyes.

".."

Himura Tanzakura smelled blood.

It smelled very strong, a very strong, bloody stench.

Normally, unless someone has a mental problem, even in a life-or-death battle, it's impossible for a fight to turn out like this, with such a strong smell of blood.

Unless the person who committed the act has some kind of mental illness, or has some deep-seated hatred towards the other party...

Of course, Himura prefers another possibility.

He stopped, flicked his finger, and unleashed a divine light that smashed open the door.

Inside was the leader's corpse, his stomach ripped open, his intestines spilling out onto the ground. On the ground was a totem of the Earth Mother Goddess. Nourished by blood, the Earth Mother Goddess on the totem had a ferocious and terrifying face, yet remained lifelike.

Himura Tanzakura narrowed her eyes.

"really.."

Chapter Thirty-Three: You thought he was an unknown swordsman from Southern Qin, but he was actually Ying Qin Guan!

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, even if he is a creditor, doesn't matter at this moment.