I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 39 - 38: Want to Hit Me? Just Pay Me

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing stared straight ahead, their eyes fixed.

They saw Li Qingxue delicately holding the wild mountain ginseng between two fingers, her expression as placid as if she were picking up a common radish.

The ginseng was priceless, a treasure in the eyes of others, yet in her hands, it seemed as insignificant as a blade of grass.

In her other hand, a Small Jade Knife, as thin as a willow leaf, had appeared at some point.

With a flick of her fingers and a cold glint of light, she deftly sliced off a small piece of the ginseng, about a third of a finger-joint in length.

Then, she placed the small piece into her mouth, chewed it a few times, and slowly swallowed.

The entire process was quiet and elegant, possessing a detached, ritual-like grace.

From the next table, three loud "GULP" sounds suddenly rang out.

It was the sound of swallowing saliva, perfectly clear and simultaneous.

Li Qingxue put away the wooden box and departed gracefully without a sideways glance.

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing tore their gazes away and looked back at the roasted chicken on their plate.

What had seemed like a delicious feast just moments ago now looked cheap and pathetic.

A desperate desire to grow stronger, to earn money, flared up in their hearts like a raging fire.

In the face of that wild mountain ginseng, the dangers of the Mist Marsh suddenly didn’t seem quite so terrifying anymore.

...

After lunch, Zhao Tianxing went to the training grounds.

Chu Fan, however, returned to his quarters to continue studying the first level of the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber’s Sword Force.

He was going to condense his third strand of qi and blood tonight, so he only practiced the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber for two hours in his quarters and skipped the Twelve Forms Fist.

For the rest of the time, besides chopping firewood, he was in the Library Pavilion, devouring books.

When 1:00 PM arrived, he followed the crowd to the Martial Arts Arena.

The Martial Arts Arena was already bustling with people, all craning their necks in anticipation.

Cao Feng, however, was still lying on a chair in the pavilion, staring blankly at the sky.

Zhao Tianxing walked up to Chu Fan’s side and followed Cao Feng’s gaze. He only saw a few wisps of clouds in the sky and couldn’t help but mutter, "What do you think Master Cao is looking at? Just a few clouds, what’s so interesting about that?"

"What do you know?" Chu Fan raised his voice slightly. "Unhindered by honor or disgrace, he watches the flowers bloom and wither before the courtyard."

"With no thought of staying or leaving, he watches the clouds gather and scatter in the sky."

"How could you possibly fathom the depth of Master Cao’s Realm?"

In the pavilion, Cao Feng quietly perked up his ears.

He felt as if he had drunk sweet wine, an indescribable sense of relief spreading through his chest.

His current state of mind was nothing like that at all.

As a Guardian of the gang, he was being marginalized and suppressed. He had strength he couldn’t use and words he couldn’t speak. He was frustrated and resentful, his state of mind truly at rock bottom.

But unexpectedly, Chu Fan’s two sentences had enlightened him.

’Unhindered by honor or disgrace, with no thought of staying or leaving...’

’Neither pleased by gain nor saddened by loss.’

’Not finding joy in possessions, nor sorrow in oneself.’

’That’s it!’

’It’s that I disdain to even compete!’

It was as if a shackle had audibly snapped.

Cao Feng felt a sense of ease wash over him, even more delighted than when he had first discovered Chu Fan’s talent.

’This kid’s talent is supreme, and his words truly resonate with me.’

’I must memorize those two lines.’

...

The surrounding youths all stared at Chu Fan, dumbfounded.

Before, they could rack their brains and still not understand why Chu Fan had earned Instructor Cao’s favor and received the same treatment as Zhao Tianxing.

Now they finally understood...

Flattery will get you everywhere.

This guy was a master of bootlicking!

On the outskirts of the crowd, Li Qingxue stood with her hands behind her back, and she too couldn’t help but give Chu Fan a second look.

At that moment, Cao Feng walked out of the pavilion, his face glowing. "Today, you will all find an opponent for practical combat sparring."

"I will observe and offer guidance from the side."

The previous silence was broken.

The arena instantly became lively.

Many found their friends, marking out makeshift rings on the Martial Arts Arena to test their skills against one another.

Just as Chu Fan turned, he was blocked by several unfamiliar youths.

They were the same ones from the dining hall who wanted to "teach him a lesson."

Chu Fan’s gaze passed over them and landed on the girl standing behind them.

Recognizing the girl, he couldn’t help but chuckle, the reason for all this becoming clear.

This was the very girl Zhao Tianxing had scolded until she ran off the other day.

That day, Chu Fan had been sitting at the table next to Li Qingxue when this girl had mocked him and tried to stir up trouble between him and Zhao Tianxing.

But she had been harshly berated by Zhao Tianxing and had fled.

’To think she’d redirect her anger toward me and bring people to cause trouble today!’

The youth in the lead, a head shorter than Chu Fan, wore a mocking expression. "Chu Fan, how about a sparring match?"

Chu Fan tilted his head. "How long have you been training?"

The shorter youth’s lips curled. "I joined the Seven Stars Gang a little over three months ago."

"In that case... no." Chu Fan turned to leave but was blocked by the others.

"What do you think you’re doing!" Zhao Tianxing shoved one of them aside. "Looking for a fight? Simple enough. I’ll fight you!"

The youths were clearly afraid of Zhao Tianxing and subconsciously took a few steps back.

How could they dare to fight Zhao Tianxing?

When Zhao Tianxing joined the Seven Stars Gang, his qi and blood were already comparable to a Blood Nourishing Martial Artist.

Moreover, he had been fighting beasts in the mountain forests since he was a child. How could his combat experience compare to that of rookies like them?

"Are you scared?" The shorter youth ignored Zhao Tianxing, staring only at Chu Fan. "It’s just a sparring match. No need to be this afraid, right?"

At this point, more and more people were gathering to watch.

People love a good spectacle. As soon as they noticed the commotion, many forgot about their own "practical combat sparring" and gathered around to watch the show.

"Even if I am scared, there’s no shame in it," Chu Fan said calmly. "Isn’t it perfectly normal for someone who’s only been training for twenty days to be afraid of someone who’s been training for over three months?"

"If we’re talking about shame, isn’t it more shameful for someone who’s trained for over three months to challenge someone who’s only trained for twenty days?"

"So young, and the hair on your chin hasn’t even grown in, yet you already know how to use the Provocation Technique?"

"You!" The shorter youth was rendered speechless.

"What is it you people really want?" Zhao Tianxing demanded coldly.

"Can’t you see?" Chu Fan said. "Your simp ran off after you yelled at her, and now she’s brought a pack of simps to cause trouble for me... But what did I do to anyone?"

"Honestly, I’m surprised too. Why are all these simps so united?"

"Shouldn’t they be fighting each other out of jealousy for that girl? Why are they all scrambling over each other to cause trouble for me, just to curry favor with her?"

The shorter youth was taken aback. "What does ’simp’ mean?"

"It describes the act of being in a one-sided relationship where you know the other person doesn’t like you, but you’re still willing to give everything without any dignity," Chu Fan explained. "To put it bluntly, it’s when you grovel like a dog for a woman who isn’t into you."

"I see... Ptui! You’re the simp! Your whole family are simps!" The shorter youth and his friends exploded with rage.

But with Cao Feng and Li Qingxue present, they didn’t dare to act rashly.

Besides, Zhao Tianxing was right next to Chu Fan.

If a real fight broke out, Zhao Tianxing could take on all five of them without a problem.

But then, Chu Fan spoke again. "If you want to fight me, that’s fine. Give me three maces of silver." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"What did you say?" The shorter youth was stunned. "Have you gone crazy from being poor?"

"Yes, I have indeed gone crazy from being poor," Chu Fan nodded earnestly.

The group surrounding Chu Fan was so angry they started to laugh.

’We have to pay you to beat you up?’

’This guy is truly shameless!’

"No money, no fight... I’ll just let Tianxing fight you instead." Chu Fan put on a defiant expression, like a dead pig that doesn’t fear boiling water.

"Fine, I’ll pay!" The shorter youth gritted his teeth and pulled out three maces of silver.

Zhao Tianxing’s eyes widened. "You can make money like this?"

The shorter youth’s eyes were cold. "Remember this, my name is..."

"That’s not important." Chu Fan took the silver, cutting him off. "As long as you paid."

The youth’s face flushed crimson, and his voice rose an octave. "I’m telling you, my name is..."

"That’s not important at all." Chu Fan’s tone hardened as he cut him off again. "I’ll remember you anyway. I’ve already labeled you ’Simp Number One’ in my head."

"My fucking name is Jiang Yuanfan!" Jiang Yuanfan was livid. "Not Simp Number One! You remember it! The one who’s going to beat you today is named—Jiang—Yuan—Fan!"

By the end, he practically squeezed the name through his gritted teeth.

His hoarse roar in the cold wind was filled with frustration and helplessness.