He changed Tiwat

"Brother Xingqiu, Brother Xingqiu?" Han Fulai called out several times, but Xingqiu seemed oblivious to everything around him, engrossed in his reading and ignoring him completely.

As the two reached the platform at the bottom of the mountain, Xingqiu remained engrossed in his book. Han Fulai couldn't help but remind him to watch out for the steps ahead, but Xingqiu simply stood still, as if he wouldn't go home until he finished reading.

Han Fulai couldn't help but chuckle, knowing that Xingqiu must have already made up his mind. He said, "Brother Xingqiu, why hide it from me? You are not an impolite person. You forced your way into borrowing this book under the circumstances because you thought that Master Chang was desperate and would eventually pawn it. Master Chang also saw this and that's why he lent you the book. You may not be able to redeem something you've pawned, but you can always get back what you've borrowed later."

Xingqiu finally put down his book and smiled, "Brother Han has a good eye; you hit the nail on the head."

Han Fulai smiled but remained silent.

"However, I didn't just say what I told Master Chang. Since he has been kind to me, I will definitely repay him. That's chivalry. I will keep this book safe, and I will also help him redeem his other books."

"Oh? It seems Brother Xingqiu already has a plan?" Han Fulai asked.

Xingqiu nodded. "I already have an idea, but it's still lacking a bit of finesse."

"As people often say, it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. Brother Xingqiu and Master Chang Jiu were complete strangers, yet he stepped forward to help him simply because of the word 'chivalry,' even offending the wealthy merchant Maocai Gong and the foolish people of Zhidong Kingdom for it. I am ashamed to admit that I am not as chivalrous as he is," Han Fulai sighed.

Xingqiu seemed a little embarrassed and waved his hand. "Brother Han, you flatter me. If I can't lend a helping hand to the weak in dire straits, how can I call myself a chivalrous knight? By the way, I expect that Maocai Gong's servants will come back for revenge. Brother Han has nothing to do with this matter, so it's best to retreat as soon as possible."

Han Fulai smiled and shook his head. "Since Brother Xingqiu is willing to call me 'Brother Han,' how can I abandon you and run away alone? We came together, so of course we should leave together."

As the two were talking, several more people appeared at the intersection. Besides a few burly men dressed as servants, there was even a Thunderfire sorcerer from the Fatui sect. And the one leading them was none other than Lü Hu from before.

His purpose in coming to see Master Chang was to forcibly buy the batch of amber from Master Chang, so he naturally brought several servants with him to move it. In order to supervise Lü Hu and his group, the Fools also sent a representative to accompany them, who was conveniently invited up by Lü Hu.

Upon seeing Xingqiu and Han Fulai, Lü Hu burst into arrogant laughter.

"Oh, you actually dare to stay here? You think I was just bluffing? The Douhua faction has no one to rely on, no skills, but they've got some nerve. Oh, I got it wrong, it's the Guhua faction, right?"

After saying this, he looked around a few times, and the servants beside him understood and joined in the laughter.

Xingqiu turned sideways, tucked the book into his arms, and gave Lü Hu a cold glance.

As the saying goes, "An ant trying to shake a tree is laughable and shows a lack of self-awareness."

"Huh? What's with the fancy words?" Lu Hu curled his lips in disdain.

Xingqiu shook his head, raised his left hand, and gestured for the guest to leave.

"Please leave. I will not tolerate forced buying and selling, especially since it is Master Chang Jiu who has been kind to me."

"You little brat, looks like you're trying to stick up for Old Chang again? You've come to the wrong time." Lu Hu grinned, showing off his treasure by stepping aside to let the Thunderfire sorcerer who had followed him up the mountain go first. "Look, today I have the 'Fool's Clan' backing me up. Even dozens of Ancient Hua Sect members combined can't afford to offend me!"

Xingqiu drew the sacrificial sword from his waist and casually twirled it.

"Although I am young, I have been traveling the world for several years. When I face evil, have I ever been afraid?" He looked up at Lü Hu, his gaze as cold as a sword, which made Lü Hu involuntarily take two steps back.

Realizing he had lost face by being intimidated by Xing Qiu, Lü Hu thought of Han Fulai, who was standing silently behind Xing Qiu with his head down. If he could scare Han Fulai away, he could also regain some of his prestige.

"Hey kid in the back, who are you? Still hanging around here? Don't blame me if you end up with a broken arm or a broken leg!"

Han Fulai was rummaging through his satchel, pulling out bottles of liquor and oil paper packets, looking like he was about to set up a popcorn stall. Hearing Lü Hu's words, Han Fulai looked up and smiled.

"I am a passing martial arts novel enthusiast, a member of the Guhua School, Han Fei."

Chapter Ninety Ancient Hua Secret Techniques

"Another Gu Hua Sect member! Hey, what's going on today? Did I stir up trouble in the Gu Hua Sect's territory?" Lu Hu looked Han Fulai up and down, feeling that Han Fulai looked refined and unarmed, and did not seem like a martial artist at all.

Xingqiu was also secretly surprised. Although he had chatted happily with Han Fulai along the way, their conversations had only revolved around novels and poetry, never touching on martial arts. Could this Han Fei actually be a hidden senior brother from the Guhua Sect?

He had only joined the Guhua Sect four years ago, by which time many disciples had already left, and he couldn't recognize all his fellow disciples. Although he wanted to confirm with Han Fulai, the situation on the field was about to erupt, so he simply assumed that Han Fulai was a disciple who had left the Guhua Sect in the past.

Xingqiu had been worried that Lü Hu would bring his men back to cause trouble, and that if anything went wrong, Han Fei, his newly acquainted friend, might get hurt. Han Fulai's revelation of his Guhua Sect identity at this moment put Xingqiu at ease. Although the Guhua Sect disciples weren't well-known in the martial arts world, they still possessed some martial arts skills and could at least protect themselves against these servants.

Lu Hu spat on the ground and waved his hand menacingly: "Then I'll teach you a lesson today! Get them!"

The servants behind him were all menacing-looking, carrying long sticks and clubs, and were already eager to fight. The servants hired by Mao Cai Gong were not ordinary laborers; most of them were trained fighters from various sects in Liyue. In addition to being strong and powerful, they were also skilled in martial arts and usually served as bodyguards when accompanying Mao Cai Gong on his travels.

As far as Lü Hu knew, there used to be a sedan chair bearer in the Duke of Maocai's mansion who came from the Guhua School and had even learned a unique skill of the Guhua School called "Ci Ming Fa" (刺明法). However, when this person practiced with servants from other schools, he was beaten so badly that he was powerless to resist. The only reason he was assigned to be a sedan chair bearer by the Duke of Maocai was because he was fast enough to escape.

Therefore, in Lü Hu's eyes, dealing with Xingqiu and Han Fulai, who came from the Guhua faction, was a sure thing with these servants.

But just as the two servants wielding long sticks approached Xingqiu, before they could even unleash their staff techniques, the dark blue figure flashed and vanished without a trace.

Before the two servants could react, a sharp shout suddenly rang in their ears—"It's easy to slay a dragon, but difficult to draw a line of rain!"

With two sharp "smacks," each of the two servants was kicked in the chin, their burly bodies flying several meters away, unable to get up for a long time.

Xingqiu then somersaulted in mid-air and landed gracefully. This move was Xingqiu's unique skill, created by combining the secret technique of "Rain-Cutting Method"—Ancient Hua Sword: Painting Rain Over the Mountain.

Han Fulai, who was watching the fight from behind Xingqiu, secretly cheered. It was the first time he had seen such kung fu outside of movies, which was comparable to the legendary "Shadowless Kick of Foshan".

When Xingqiu unleashed those two kicks, he had already sheathed his longsword behind him. Now, he brought it back to his front, making two empty gestures in the air, pointing it at the throats of the two servants on the ground. Xingqiu's meaning was clear: he had held back, not wanting to kill anyone. If he had used his full power, the men on the ground would now have not only footprints on their chins but also sword marks on their throats.

"This is a tough one, Lord Lei Ying. Could you please lend a hand?" Lu Hu had been a street hustler for many years and had participated in many street fights. He could easily see through Chu Qiu's strength and had no choice but to ask the Lei Ying sorcerer of the Fools.

The hooded lightning mage let out a giggle, and the purple rabbit-ear-shaped hat jiggled, making him look rather cute.

She took a few steps forward, waved the magical artifact in her hand, and a purple ball of electricity formed in the air.

"Since we're going to play, let's invite more friends!" The lightning mage laughed as he threw a lightning ball at Xingqiu, as if he were playing a game of catch with his friends.

Xingqiu had already mastered the "Thorn Brightness Method" and silently recited "Moving like a dragon or snake, impossible to catch." He unleashed his movement technique, and the lightning ball struck the ground where he had just stood, leaving only a scorched mark.

Before the Thunderfire Sorcerer, a dark blue figure and a longsword gleaming with cold light suddenly appeared.

"Are you here to play hide-and-seek with me?" The Thunderfire Sorcerer remained calm, his figure fading away, and Xingqiu's sword only managed to pierce a purple afterimage.

The lightning mage appeared in the distance, and with a wave of her hand, several enormous lightning fireflies crackling with purple lightning appeared in the air. "Let these children liven things up!"

The fireflies obeyed their master's commands and pounced on Xingqiu at an extremely fast speed.

Xingqiu silently chanted an incantation: "Free from all things, weightless, the one who cuts rain is rain, the one who pierces light is light." Suddenly, four blue longswords formed from water elements appeared beside him. The fireflies that rushed towards him were blocked by the protective water swords and could not break through.

Xingqiu brandished his longsword and shouted, "Cutting Rain, Leaving Rainbows!" With a flick of his arm, several water swords materialized and flew towards the fireflies. Although the fireflies tried to dodge, they were no match for the eyesight honed by the "Cutting Rain Technique," and were all struck down by the water swords.

"Blue eyes are swords, side glances are spears, Brother Xingqiu, what excellent skills!" Han Fulai shouted in approval. Now he had finally witnessed the practical effects of the three secret techniques of the Guhua Sect. No wonder the former leader of the Guhua Sect left a message saying, "The three secret techniques are actually pupil techniques." The meaning of "pupil techniques" refers to "the eye of the gods."

The three secret techniques are essentially training methods for "melee mages," which are skills for attacking with elemental power. If a mortal does not have elemental power or the Eye of God, he will not have much combat power even if he learns the secret techniques.

As a servant and follower of the Duke of Maocai, Lü Hu was quite knowledgeable and also noticed the anomaly.

"I thought that was just an ordinary jade stone on his waist, but I never expected it to be the 'Eye of God'!" Lu Hu was secretly shocked, knowing that Xing Qiu's combat strength was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Just now, Han Fulai's loud cheers had caught his attention.

Lu Hu carefully observed Han Fulai's body, confirming that he had neither weapons nor the Divine Eye. He turned around and angrily shouted at the few servants behind him who seemed somewhat timid, "What are you waiting for? Seal that brat's mouth shut!"

The four servants behind him were used to bullying the weak and fearing the strong. They couldn't get involved in Xingqiu's battle with the Thunderfire sorcerer, but Han Fulai looked very weak. The four men exchanged glances and charged at Han Fulai with their clubs raised.

Han Fulai opened the oil paper package he had been holding, and continued speaking: "I'm warning you! It's illegal to hit someone with a blunt object!"

At this moment, three servants wielding short wooden sticks rushed up to Han Fulai, one of them shouting, "We're here to beat you up!"

Han Fulai closed his eyes, covered his face with his left hand, and with a flick of his right hand, the grayish-white powder in the oil paper package flew everywhere.

With a few "bangs," the sound of the wooden sticks in the servants' hands hitting the ground was heard.

"Ouch!" "Ah!" "My eyes!" These were the cries of pain from the servants.

Han Fulai waved his hand in front of his face twice, opened his eyes a crack, and made sure the grayish-white powder didn't drift back onto his face before fully opening them. The three servants were already rolling on the ground, groaning in pain.

Han Fulai clapped his hands and, with the air of a grandmaster, recited the name of the move: "Ancient Hua Secret Technique - Gray Powder!"

Chapter Ninety-One: The Mind Method is the Criminal Law

When Han Fulai returned to Yuehaiting last night, he made many preparations for various contingency plans—such as the bag of quicklime powder he had just scattered.

During the Immortal Ascension Ceremony, Zhongli's Immortal Ancestor's physical body damaged many floor tiles. Although repairs were made to ensure the ceremony's completion, they were only for emergency use. Now that the ceremony is over, the Jade Capital Terrace Square is undergoing renovations again. This bag of quicklime powder was smuggled by Han Fulai from the renovation site of the Jade Capital Terrace Square, and its effectiveness today is remarkable.

"What...what did you do?" A servant wielding a long stick, lagging behind his three colleagues, asked in a trembling voice.

He had thought that the three servants would be enough to deal with Han Fulai, a weak scholar, but he did not expect that after only a few words, the three of them were lying on the ground and incapacitated. Moreover, their fate seemed to be much worse than when Xingqiu kicked them twice. He hesitated in his steps.

By stopping, he luckily avoided the lime dust.

Han Fulai's heart tightened when he saw that there was still one enemy left. He knew that he had run out of lime powder, but he smiled and said, "Brother, are you just going to watch your three comrades suffer on the ground? I advise you to take them to the hospital as soon as possible, otherwise they may be left with disabilities."

"Don't be afraid, take them away, I won't hit you." Han Fulai said, beckoning the servant over with a very friendly smile.

The servant, holding a long stick, hesitated, staring at the horrific sight of his three companions howling on the ground. The more amiable Han Fulai appeared, the more terrifying he seemed to the servant—this was the ruthless man who had just taken down three burly servants skilled in martial arts in seconds; who knew what other terrifying tricks he might have up his sleeve?

Seeing this, Han Fulai leisurely took out a white hemp paper package and a thin, green bamboo tube from his satchel.

He flicked his wrist to open the lid of the bamboo tube, and with a gentle breath, the tube burst into flame.

This is an essential tinderbox for adventurers when they go on expeditions. Han Fulai bought quite a few things at the general store yesterday.

At this moment, Lü Hu, who was watching from a distance, shouted anxiously, "Idiot! Use a stick! As long as you don't get close, this guy can't do anything to you!"

The servant wielding the long staff steadied himself and gripped it tightly. Seeing that Han Fulai seemed to have no intention of attacking, and hadn't even opened the white paper package in his hand, the servant grew bolder. He shouted loudly and took a few steps forward, about to enter the staff's attack range.

Han Fulai brought the white hemp paper package to his mouth and aimed it at the tinderbox.

Seeing Han Fulai make a move, the servant was prepared and immediately changed his move, twirling his long staff in a "coiling dragon" style to protect his vital points.

But then Han Fulai took a deep breath and blew it sharply towards the white hemp paper package.

The hemp paper package had small holes at the front and back. When Han Fulai blew on it, a stream of brownish-yellow powder shot out in a thin line towards the tinderbox. The spark on the tinderbox ignited upon contact with the brownish-yellow powder, suddenly bursting into flames that transformed into a fire dragon several meters long, rushing towards the servant.

"Ouch! It's so hot!" The servant's hair was set ablaze by the fire dragon. He hurriedly dropped his long stick, patted the flames on his head and face with both hands, and ran towards the nearby stream with a howl.

"This is my ancient Chinese secret technique, Fire Dragon." Han Fulai calmly extinguished the tinderbox and faced Lü Hu in the distance. "Who said I can't do anything to him as long as I don't get close?"

Wrapped in this white hemp paper is rosin powder that Han Fulai bought from the general store. It's powder made from ground pine resin, a common item used by adventurers for catching fire, usually applied to sticks, torches, or similar objects.

These things were all recorded in the notebook in Wangshan Hall as "Guhua School Minor Techniques," which were acrobatic performances used by Guhua School disciples when they traveled the world. Han Fulai had a good memory, and after flipping through the notebook once, he had memorized a lot of it. Combining this with his familiarity with basic physics and chemistry from middle school, he quickly found ways to apply these "minor techniques" to self-defense.

The satchel he carried contained many miscellaneous items, all of which he had practiced beforehand to perform for Xingqiu, originally intended to build a closer relationship with him. Using them to repel the enemy, though not part of Han Fulai's plan, was still perfectly timed and further demonstrated his deep connection with the Guhua faction.

A short distance from Han Fulai, Xingqiu's battle was also coming to an end.

Xingqiu shouted, "Ancient Hua Deep Secret - Judgment!" His sacrificial sword drew a circle of light, and several water swords attacked the Thunderfire Sorcerer from all directions, causing ripples to appear on her lightning elemental shield. Xingqiu did not give the Thunderfire Sorcerer a chance to repair her elemental shield. He turned around quickly and used "Painting Rain Cage Mountain" twice in a single second.

With each kick, the elemental light shield weakened, yet Xingqiu delivered four kicks in a row. Hua Yulongshan, exerting her full power, broke through the Thunderfire Sorcerer's elemental light shield with the four water blades unleashed by Xingqiu.

"The fireflies... no longer flicker..." The Lightning Firefly mage's elemental power was exhausted as the elemental shield shattered, and he slumped limply to the ground, unconscious.

"I'll let you off this time, but we'll see. This isn't over yet." Seeing that he was no match for him, Lü Hu uttered a villain's exit line and quickly made his escape.

"He also forgot to say one thing—'I will definitely come back!'" Han Fulai laughed at Lü Hu's retreating figure.

"Sigh, it's impossible to expect them to learn their lesson." Xingqiu sighed and walked towards Han Fulai. "Brother Han is indeed very skilled. However... I'm really sorry to have dragged you into this conflict with me."

"Brother Xingqiu, you flatter me. We are both members of the Guhua Sect, and we share the same ambition to uphold justice," Han Fulai said modestly.

At this moment, the servant who had run to the nearby stream returned to the scene and helped up the two servants who had been kicked away by Xingqiu. They found that their leader, Lü Hu, was gone, and their greatest asset, the Foolish Clan, was also lying on the ground, having long lost their will to fight. They looked bewildered in the face of the mess.

Han Fulai pointed to the three servants on the ground whose eyes had been burned by lime and ordered, "Take them to wash their eyes quickly, or they may really go blind."

The three servants who were still able to stand quickly thanked Han Fulai and helped their companion up to head towards the stream.

During the lull in the fighting, Xingqiu had also been keeping an eye on Han Fulai's battle. He had witnessed Han Fulai's two "Ancient Hua Secret Techniques" and couldn't help but exclaim, "I originally thought that our sect's 'minor skills' were just embellishments outside of martial arts, merely techniques for making a living while traveling the world. I never expected that they could be so powerful in Brother Han's hands."

“This is like the three secret techniques of our sect. Most disciples only know the moves, but not the inner workings, so they can’t unleash their full power.” Han Fulai stood with his hands behind his back, his demeanor like that of a grandmaster, profound and majestic.

"Oh?" Xingqiu became interested. "May I ask what kind of mental cultivation method Brother Han is referring to?"

Han Fulai smiled slightly and said, "Naturally, it is the Liyue Codex."

Chapter Ninety-Two: Perfect Self-Defense

"The mental cultivation method is... the Liyue Criminal Code?" Xingqiu frowned, feeling that Han Fulai's words seemed to have a deeper meaning, but he couldn't figure it out for a moment.

"Yes." Han Fulai nodded and said, "Brother Xingqiu, do you still remember what Lü Hu said before the fight?"

"Hmm?" Xingqiu tilted his head. The two had exchanged quite a bit of information, but Xingqiu didn't know which sentence Han Fulai was referring to.

"Lu Hu threatened me, saying 'Be careful you don't lose an arm or a leg later,' and also said 'I'm going to teach you a lesson today,' which means that the worst outcome he expected was to break our arms and legs. The so-called lesson was really just a beating. In other words, he didn't intend to kill anyone," Han Fulai said.

"Of course, there's no deep-seated hatred between us, so of course we wouldn't kill each other. That Lü Hu was just trying to bully others by taking advantage of his power. My counterattack just now was also restrained; it was just a lesson to be learned," Xingqiu replied.

"Moreover, the weapons carried by the thugs were all short wooden sticks and clubs, without any sharp edges. Since there are monsters causing trouble in the wild, the laws of Liyue do not prohibit residents from carrying weapons for self-defense, so these people should have their own weapons. The reason they used sticks and clubs was to avoid killing people. This shows that the other party is a veteran in this line of work and has a lot of experience."

Han Fulai spoke eloquently, “The Liyue Code prohibits private fights. Such street fights with wooden sticks are generally classified as ‘fighting’ by the General Affairs Department. Even if the other party gangs up on you, if you fight back, it is considered ‘mutual fighting’. In that case, not only will you be beaten, but you will also be arrested by the Thousand Rock Army and taken to the General Affairs Department’s detention room for administrative detention. If you are skilled in martial arts and injure the other party, you may even have to pay for their medical expenses.”

"...Sigh. This is one of the reasons why the martial arts sects in Liyue have declined. The purpose of practicing martial arts is to enable the weak to protect themselves, but according to the current laws of Liyue, once someone takes action, they often have to bear the consequences..." Xingqiu shook his head and sighed.

"To be honest, Brother Han, this is not the first time I have acted as a chivalrous knight-errant, but each time I have always 'disappeared after the deed is done, keeping my merits and fame hidden,' which is due to this concern. However, this time I can leave, but Master Chang Jiu cannot escape, so I had no choice but to reveal my name, hoping that these people will hold me accountable."

Han Fulai smiled slightly and said, "That's why I said that the core teachings of our Guhua Sect should be the 'Liyue Criminal Law'."

He pointed to the intersection, "If I'm not mistaken, the Thousand Rock Army soldiers should be arriving by now."

As soon as he finished speaking, a squad of Qianyan soldiers escorted Lü Hu, who had just slipped away, forward. A Qianyan army officer, who appeared to be the leader, stepped forward and loudly asked Han Fulai and Xing Qiu, "The Qianyan army received a report from the people of Qingce Village that there was a fight here. Is this you?"

Seeing the excitement, many nearby residents gathered around.

Just as Xingqiu was about to speak, Han Fulai stopped him with a gesture, stepped forward, and replied, "Young man, you've probably made a mistake. There was no brawl. It was clearly a violent gang that was oppressing innocent people and deliberately committing violence. We were forced to act in self-defense, which is legitimate self-defense."