Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted.

If the dragon's ascent fails, the consequences will be severe.

Almost the instant she realized she had been tricked into using the Heavenly Wheel, Han Zhuli realized she was in a completely disadvantageous position.

Even if he immediately interrupted the flow of energy and forcibly changed his move, he would become a sitting duck for this guy in the air, with nowhere to gain leverage or dodge.

Just as Han Zhuli had expected, Yuan Chen reached out his palm the instant her strength dissipated, grabbed Han Zhuli's ankle in mid-air, and then flung her in an arc with a "whoosh!"

Han Zhuli thought she was about to be battered and bruised, but what she felt next was a firm yet soft sensation.

With a soft thud, Han Zhuli was thrown onto a makeshift sofa used to store miscellaneous items.

Although it was a sofa, the centrifugal force that slammed down on her still made Han Zhuli feel a jolt of energy throughout her body, and she felt dizzy for a moment.

But... it was just a fluctuation in blood and qi, causing dizziness and lightheadedness.

"..."

After a brief silence, Han Zhuli quickly got up, looking at Yuan Chen with wary eyes.

"...What exactly do you want!"

"So why did you suddenly exhale?" Yuan Chen asked.

Han Zhuli frowned and said, "Didn't you drug me first? Don't think I didn't feel it. After eating your food, I felt a warm current in my body—I drank alcohol! That warm current wasn't from the alcohol, it was from the food you made!"

Upon hearing Han Zhuli's words, Yuan Chen expressionlessly rummaged through his clothes and then tossed over his pre-prepared ID card.

Why don't you take another look?

Upon hearing this, Han Zhuli raised her eyebrows in suspicion.

She was still wary, but Yuan Chen could have easily defeated her while she was in mid-air and unable to fight back—at the very least, he could have grabbed her ankle and slammed her hard onto the ground, causing more serious damage, instead of just throwing her onto the old sofa, where she would have been left looking rather disheveled and barely affected.

Thinking this, Han Zhuli kept a close eye on Yuan Chen while carefully squatting down to pick up the ID card that had fallen on the sofa.

Han Zhuli glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and raised an eyebrow.

"Yuan Chen... Teaching area, freshman year, physiotherapy department?"

Han Zhuli looked up at Yuan Chen in surprise.

Yuan Chen pointed to Han Zhuli's stomach and said:

"I can tell you've just been through a battle, and your body is covered in bruises. The life force in your left eye is almost completely stagnant, so I did some simple processing... well, something like medicinal cuisine? You should understand, right? After all, we're all from the Tang Dynasty cultural sphere, so dietary supplements should be something we all understand."

"...Medicinal cuisine?"

Upon hearing this, Han Zhuli blinked belatedly.

Korea borders the Tang Dynasty and already has a theory of food and medicine originating from the Chinese medicine concept. Based on this, Korea's understanding is more complete and comprehensive than that of Japan, which belongs to the same cultural sphere as Tang but is separated by the sea. Korea has also developed its own theory based on its local medicines.

Thinking this, Han Zhuli calmed down and felt the warm current that had been flowing through her body.

Han Zhuli then discovered that, just as Yuan Chen had said, although the heat was present, it did not cause any harm. Instead, it melted away the stagnation left in her body due to the battle, much like warm water melting ice.

Realizing this, Han Zhuli was slightly taken aback, then an embarrassment appeared on her face. After hesitating for a moment, she relaxed again.

Then, instinctively avoiding Yuan Chen's teasing gaze, after a while, she seemed to remember something and handed her student ID back to Yuan Chen with both hands.

"Um...sorry, I'm a little...too nervous..."

As she said this, Han Zhuli seemed to remember something and took out her bank card again, saying, "Yes, I have money. I'll pay you back, okay..."

Upon hearing Han Zhuli's words, Yuan Chen fell silent, but just then...

"Your account has received 30 million yen."

"...Hmm?" Sensing something was wrong, Yuan Chen frowned slightly, then took out his phone and checked it; it was indeed a bank account notification.

This was done when I was at Hanyuanting, to prevent miscalculations or omissions.

But now it seems they forgot to turn it off when they left, and it was still broadcasting loudly.

Feeling puzzled, Yuan Chen directly dialed Sakura Ibuki's number and asked on speakerphone:

"Why did a sum of money suddenly arrive in my account? Wasn't the auction supposed to be in three days?"

"Oh, is that so?" Sakura Ibuki replied upon hearing Yuan Chen's question.

“The situation in the old town is quite complicated. Opening a shop might require bribing officials at various levels and purchasing other equipment. So I’ve transferred some money from the company’s account to you first. I’ll deduct it separately when the auction proceeds come through. For now, you can use it. If it’s not enough, I have more.”

"Oh, okay then, thank you for your help," Yuan Chen replied.

"You're welcome~" Sakura Ibuki replied, and then Yuan Chen hung up the phone.

There's absolutely no need to worry about Sakura Ibuki's financial resources—she comes from a science-themed slice-of-life comedy manga. Although Sakura Ibuki's fighting ability is quite average in the Kengan world and she didn't even participate in the Kengan Association, as a family business, the cash flow she can control is quite considerable.

In the manga, she was able to spend ten million yen to sponsor a muscle competition simply because the muscular daimyo at the Shirogane Gym was her college classmate.

For someone like Sakura Ibuki, it's not a problem to simply take out 30 million yen to make things easier for opening a store, and to be certain that she'll get the money back in a few days.

Then, Yuan Chen also turned his gaze to Han Zhuli.

Holding the bank card in her hand, Han Zhuli's expression showed a hint of embarrassment.

The young man in front of me, who is the same age as me... seems to have really not opened the shop to make money.

Thinking this, Han Zhuli awkwardly took back her bank card, but still forced herself to say, "I... will pay."

"So, I really didn't open this shop to make money," Yuan Chen said casually. "It's just to help people in need... Hmm, do you still want some?"

Yuan Chen pointed to the food in front of him.

After all that had happened, Han Zhuli had initially intended to force herself to say she wouldn't eat. But looking at the spicy beef and seafood stew, and then at the already served mixed grain rice, she realized she hadn't had a proper meal of her hometown food for several months, and Han Zhuli couldn't help but swallow hard.

Seeing Han Zhuli struggling with her thoughts, Yuan Chen didn't urge her. He simply picked up his beer and raised it casually, as if waiting for something.

Seeing this, Han Zhuli pursed her lips helplessly, then got up, walked over, sat down, picked up a bottle of liquor, and clinked it against Yuan Chen's.

The chilled soju, combined with the spiciness of the stewed beef and seafood, accelerated her blood flow. Han Zhuli, who had only recently started drinking, also developed two flushed cheeks as the alcohol evaporated.

"Wow! Haochi, it's been so long since I've had this kind of home-cooked food...it must have been several months...thank you..."

At first, she felt a little awkward, but after a couple of sips of wine, Han Zhuli quickly relaxed and began to smile with her eyes narrowed:

"At this time of year, the hibiscus flowers in my hometown should be in bloom, right?... In the past, my parents would take me to the Hibiscus Park in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, to see the flowers around this time..."

Although she started off lively, Han Zhuli's voice gradually lowered as she spoke.

Hibiscus, the national flower of South Korea, has a single flower that blooms for only one day, but new buds continuously open, hence its name "Mugunghwa" (meaning "flower of endless possibilities"). Koreans consider it a symbol of perseverance and it carries many beautiful meanings.

Yuan Chen wisely refrained from asking any questions.

After all, judging from the current situation, anyone who isn't a fool can be certain that Han Zhuli's parents have met with misfortune.

Thinking this, Yuan Chen changed the subject, "Speaking of which, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling any better?"

Upon hearing this, Han Zhuli was taken aback for a moment, then calmed herself down to assess her physical condition. Immediately afterward, a hint of surprise appeared in Han Zhuli's eyes as she looked at Yuan Chen and said:

"It's...it's much better! No, although I could feel my body recovering before, it didn't seem to be recovering this quickly?"

As she said this, Han Zhuli hesitated for a moment before turning her gaze back to the food in front of her. After a moment, she said suspiciously:

"Uh... is it because of these foods? Like, food therapy or something? But can food therapy really cure so quickly?"

Unlike traditional Chinese medicine, which often focuses on post-illness tonification, Korean cuisine, while also based on the concept of food and medicine sharing the same origin, emphasizes both treatment and health maintenance. In contrast, Korean cuisine, based on local medicinal herbs, places more emphasis on prevention.

"Haha, this is life therapy." Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen said with a smile:

"By transforming the nutrients in food into a purer form, it can activate the body of the user, making the nutrients easier to absorb and enabling faster healing."

“…Never heard of it.” Han Zhuli blinked, then said frankly, “But it sounds pretty impressive…”

“You can think of this as the topic I should really be researching,” Yuan Chen replied.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's explanation, Han Zhuli nodded thoughtfully, then instinctively touched her left eye.

I don't know if it's just my imagination...

But she could feel it. She could hardly feel it before, and even if she could feel it, it could only affect her own senses and even attack her other healthy eye, her left eye. Now, it felt... quite good?

Thinking about it, Han Zhuli's breathing became slightly more rapid.

No one wants to lose their eyes, not even Han Zhuli. And now… her left eye, which those quacks had declared completely necrotic, seems to have a chance to recover?!

Volume 1: Chapter 88 - Iori Ichika, Shadow's Identity

Thinking this, Han Zhuli also felt a surge of excitement.

Although she has gradually accepted reality, if she had a choice, Han Zhuli would not want to lose an eye... Even though the medical technology in this world has greatly improved with the rise of martial arts, and even a twisted head at eighty degrees can be classified as a minor injury and treated, losing an eye would still have a serious impact on a martial artist.

Whether in the outer world or the inner world, many martial artists may be forced to retire as a result.

Han Zhuli now desperately craves power and naturally won't easily accept the fact that she has become weaker.

Or perhaps, Han Zhuli's current extremes, sensitivity, and mental breakdown, besides the deaths of her family members and her own incompetence, are largely due to her severely injured left eye.

Despite her burning desire for revenge, her own power was waning... This despair was slowly eroding Han Zhuli's heart.

And now... although she doesn't know what life therapy is, Han Zhuli does feel that her eyes are much better.

Even if it's not good... as long as you don't continue to attack your right eye.

Han Zhuli knew that an injured eye could 'attack' a healthy eye.

This is because the optic nerves of both eyes have complex intersections in the brain.

Long-term damage to the left eye may affect the coordination and function of both eyes through nerve conduction. In addition, due to the connection of blood vessels, it is very likely to cause redness, swelling, pain, photophobia, blurred vision, floaters in the right eye.

At least from a medical perspective, preventative removal is the best option.

However... Han Zhuli was unwilling to lose an eye and diminish her power.

Therefore, over the past few months, Han Zhuli has spent a considerable amount of money acquiring information and trying any method that might potentially restore her left eye. Unfortunately, this has only allowed Han Zhuli to live with her damaged left eye until now, and that's all…

I had already resigned myself to this hopeless reality, but now it seems my luck is actually pretty good? Perhaps there's still a chance for things to turn around?

Thinking this, Han Zhuli didn't say anything more, but just silently lowered her head to eat, carefully feeling the heat flowing through her body.

Looking at Han Zhuli in front of him, and guessing what Han Zhuli was thinking, Yuan Chen was not impatient. He was just thinking about how to deal with Han Zhuli.

fight?

It's meaningless...

Although the battle was brief, it was only a short exchange, and Yuan Chen was able to confirm that Han Zhuli was not as powerful as he had remembered.

This strength is not just about power, but more importantly, about will.

If the future Han Zhuli, who lost an eye and replaced it with a feng shui engine, is a revenge machine who revels in cruelty, is loyal to power, enjoys violence, and whose heart is filled with hatred and vengeance...

So now... it would be good if it had even half of its hatred and fanaticism.

Having lived in this world for so long, Yuan Chen was quite clear that the power of martial artists in this world all originated from 'intention' and 'qi'. Apart from that, whether it was classic or modern, the only difference was the proportion of these two elements.

Whether they are strong in a modern style or a strong in a classic style, anyone who has the idea of ​​becoming the 'strongest' will not be able to ignore another style.

In all of this, the purity of intent influences the limits a martial artist can reach in the future in every aspect.

As for Han Zhuli... she certainly has the talent to become a top-tier expert, but unfortunately, her intentions are not pure.

Even during the recent 'battle', Han Zhuli's hatred and killing intent did not reach the standard that Yuan Chen approved.

If it's just a matter of insufficient strength, giving it some time to grow will suffice. However, if one's 'intention' is not pure enough, even with great power, one cannot obtain anything desired.

Conversely, if Han Zhuli's intentions are pure enough, then whether it is hatred or killing intent, and regardless of whether her current power is strong or weak, Yuan Chen will gain something from the battle.

As for now...

Let's eat first.

But just as the two were finishing their meal, a voice filled with displeasure, tinged with a hint of irritability and aggression, came from behind them.

"Han Zhuli! You're causing trouble again, aren't you?! Go back to school and study properly when you're eighteen, you bastard! Don't cause me any more trouble!"

Upon hearing the voice, Han Zhuli's face showed a hint of annoyance: "Damn that derelict cop... how did she know I was here?"

Curious eyes turned to the door, and what came into view was a woman who was 1.71 meters tall, wearing a white T-shirt, a black leather jacket, blue jeans and leather shoes, with a cigarette in her mouth and a mouthful of shark teeth.

In response, Yuan Chen pointed to the 'No Smoking' sign next to him.

Although she seemed difficult to talk to, the woman, who looked quite nasty, nodded understandingly and put out her cigarette after noticing the sign.

Noticing Yuan Chen's gaze, Han Zhuli rubbed her temples and said somewhat irritably: