The fat man turned to look at Li Yan, the expression on his face mysterious and difficult to interpret.
“There are some unexpected matters I have to handle immediately. Ask whatever questions you need to, and ask quickly. You may not have a chance to meet me again.”
“Can you elaborate on the ways to strengthen oneself in the Yanfu world? Things like Inheritance, Specializations, and Skills.”
Li Yan got straight to the point.
“Let’s start with Inheritance. Within the Yanfu, with the exception of a few rare types, all Inheritance falls under ten categories: Heaven, Earth, Human, Deity, Demon, Bare, Scaled, Feathered, Furred, and Armored.”
“The first five sound leagues above the last five.”
“Not necessarily.”
Mo Tapir shook his head. He looked Li Yan in the eye and said, “There are superior and inferior Yanfu Inheritances, but no such distinction exists between the types.”
“For instance, the Vermilion Bird belongs to the Feathered category whereas the Mo Tapir belongs to the Demon category. But the Vermilion Bird is superior to the Mo Tapir.”
“What about the Ubume Bird?”
Li Yan asked.
Mo smiled and did not reply. He said instead, “But for now, this particular Vermilion Bird is still no match for me, which is why you do not need to be too troubled about your type of Inheritance and whether or not it is superior.”
After a short pause, he continued, “As an Inheritance’s degree of awakening increases, so will the Walker’s physical capabilities, and even lifespan. However, each of the ten different types will have a different point of focus. If we look at the Kaiming Tiger, as a Furred type, the increase in regenerative abilities and the ability to withstand damage would be more prominent.”
Mo tapped the air with his finger and Li Yan and Zhang Mingyuan’s deadly match in the ring played before their eyes. In the footage, the young man suffered multiple setbacks and wounds but managed to stay standing.
“The Ba Serpent belongs to the Scaled category. It is slow to increase its own abilities, but against any living being weaker to it, it can easily oppress its foe.”
He tapped the air again, but the thing unexpectedly failed to play.
“Strange, your fight between Li Jiangyu was clearly recorded. Oh well, these things happen often.”
Mo didn’t let it bother him. He continued, “As for your Ubume Bird, it belongs to the Feathered category. Hence the rate of increase in your abilities is very prominent.”
“The Armored type has a more balanced rate and increase in abilities, whereas the Bare type is adept with weaponry.”
“Of course, what I’ve described is only the norm. All sorts of freaks exist within the Yanfu, so if you happen to run into someone with a Feathered Inheritance who is unusually good at taking a hit, don’t be surprised.”
“What about the characteristics of the first five Inheritances?”
“We’ll talk about those when you actually run into them.”
Mo gave a short, “Ha ha.”
“From this, you can see that if you possess a Feathered type and a Furred type inheritance at the same time, you will see a significant increase in your speed and power in a short amount of time. If you possess a few different Armored types of Inheritances, you could become a literal Superman. Of course, the more Inheritances you have, the more you have to invest in them.”
“How do I increase the awakening of my Inheritance?”
“Consume Yanfu Mementos that possess the power of Inheritances. These are the fruits that the Yanfu provides us mere ladybugs.”
Mo put on a priestly expression.
“However, while you may own multiple Inheritances, you can only become the Agent of one Inheritance. When I first entered the Yanfu, I was given the Inheritance of the Huodou Hound, a mythical beast recorded in the Classic of the Mountains and Seas that had the ability to control flames. But in the end, I found that the Mo Tapir was better suited for me.”
A ball of flame appeared at his fingertip which was quickly put out afterwards.
“How did you get your hands on the title of Mo Tapir?”
“After six Yanfu Cases, or when the awakening of your Inheritance has reached 100%, you will earn the right to fight for the title of you Inheritance. The more precious the Inheritance, the more competition you will face.”
“That means I will have to call myself Ubume Bird in the future? Sounds like a terrible name.”
“If I remember correctly, the woman who had last gained the title called herself Summer Bird. However, the titles of Taowu Beast or Taotie Beast clearly suit you better. Provided you can get them, of course.”
“Let’s talk about Skills next. Skills can come from two sources. One is from the different stages of awakening your Inheritance, and the other is from purchasing within your purchasing limit. But there is one thing to note: there may be conflict between Skills or between Skills and Inheritances. When that happens, the Yanfu will give you a warning message, so you will have to take note.”
“Lastly, we come to Specializations. Let’s put it this way, the level of one’s Specialization represents how well a person can unleash their own abilities. Let’s say that two people fall to a bottom of a cliff after honing their internal Chi for sixty years. One is an international fighting champion, the other is the head of a nursing home. Who do you think will win?”
“So inheritance is like your job in a game, whereas Specialization is like the operation controls,” Li Yan summarized.
“That is roughly what it means.”
“What is a Deserter?”
“A pest.” Mo Tapir’s expression was calm. “Anything else?”
Li Yan thought for a while.
“If you have nothing else to advise me on, then no.”
Mo Tapir looked rather surprised.
“Nothing? Don’t you wish to ask what the purpose of going through one Yanfu Case after another is? And who controls all of these?”
“I’m only concerned about what it can give me. Of course, if you’re willing to tell me, I’d be happy to listen.”
Li Yan’s words were half-true and half-faked.
Mo gave him a deep, probing look, and then he got up and stomped on the ground, hard.
“I have uncovered many new talents but amongst them, those who can get a “Great” evaluation on their first try are extremely rare. My luck has been pretty good recently. I hope that this luck can last for a while longer.”
He turned to face Li Yan. “Let me tell you the rules.”
“Number one, any grudges between Walkers must be settled within Yanfu Cases only. You are not allowed to use any means to interfere with the lives of other Walkers in their reality.”
“Number two, you are not to reveal any of the information regarding a Yanfu Case.”
“Number three, to the best of your ability, avoid using your Inheritance or any ability or tool that clearly does not belong in this world. If you must use it for self-defense, someone will help clean up after you. But at the same time, you would have to face an inquiry.”
“Number four, a Yanfu Case will be activated once every two months. Find some place with no one around and don’t scare little kids. If you wish to go back to that room all you have to do is find a place with nobody around and meditate. That’s all.”
“For the rest of my life, I’ll have to fight for my life six times a year?”
Mo looked him in the eye.
“No matter how negative of a light you put this in, the Yanfu will not take away the life of any being. But if you wish to break the chains of your own fate, you must fight with your life. Am I right?”
“Well, hope to see you in the future then.”
“Likewise.”
The two of them smiled as they faced each other.
…
“Clang!”
Li Yan was shirtless. Sweat dripped down his arms, lined with clearly defined muscles. The metallic clanging sounds of his Han Sword, The Ring of Dragon slowly came to a rest.
On his chest was a tattoo of a strange half-wolf, half-bear creature lying at rest. Blood flowed from all seven orifices of its face, and for some strange reason, the fur on its body seemed to move slightly.
Li Yan exhaled gently and put the Han Sword back on its rack. He wiped the sweat from his neck with a warm towel.
When he swung The Ring of Dragon, Li Yan felt as though he could split a bullet.
A person who could run fast may not have a lot of strength, but a person capable of explosive acceleration must have a good degree of strength.
The Hooked Star gave Li Yan an unbelievably hearty amount of strength. Earlier, when Li Yan was swinging around his sword, he could execute five slashes in one breath. It was so quick that the sound of the sword humming through the air could still be heard even after he had stopped swinging.
This was the most confident Li Yan had been about his own physical condition in all twenty-five years of his life. But at the same time, he had never worried about his future.
Li Yan had already closed up his studio and returned to his old home in Cangzhou City, training in the training hall of his ancestral home. The Li Family of Hejian was a large family, but they had already split up their assets by the time they reached this generation. Li Yan still had pretty good relations with his cousins, but they had pursued other areas of development on their own, leaving not a single person in their ancestral home. The gates here had been locked for a long time.
After his return home, he had spent a good deal of time moving his belongings and re-opening the training hall.
In front of him was a Colt pistol with 10 magazines, as well as 20 hand grenades.
As of tonight, two months would have passed.
His cell phone rang. Li Yan took a look and then answered the call.
“Hello?”
“…” There was a long exhale from the other end before a voice came over, “Ahem, your voice seems to be full of vitality. It seems you still have longer to live.”
It was the voice of a young man.
“I found an old traditional medicine practitioner. My illness is getting better.”
Li Yan smiled as he replied.
“I went to your shop and you weren’t there. Where are you now? I’ll come find you.”
Li Yan looked at his watch.
Four more hours to go…
“I’m still going to live. You won’t have to cry over me yet.”
“Is it really getting better?”
“Mm.”
“How much did it cost?”
“Don’t worry.”
Li Yan took a seat on his sofa. “Oh right, how has Zhang Daojing been? I don’t think I’ve seen her in many years.”
Li Yan’s mouth curved into a smile as he thought of Zhang Mingyuan, who looked rather like his sister.
“Daojing? I’m not sure either, I heard she moved to Shandong quite a while ago.”
“What’s she doing in Shandong?”
“Must have married someone there. Is there even a need to ask?”
“Oh.”
Li Yan replied, looking rather absentminded.
“Hey, tell me honestly. Can the traditional medicine really cure you?”
On the other end, the voice sounded overjoyed, but also carried a hint of doubt.
“Tell me the guy’s address. I’ll rush over to see him tomorrow.”
“He’s a master who has renounced the world. You think you can just see him whenever you want to?”
“Yan, don’t mess around with your big brother here. Are you actually…”
“I’ll come over to see you in the next few days.”
Li Yan suddenly blurted out.
“Alright, that’s settled then. I’ll have your sister-in-law cook you a good spread.”
On the phone, the man talked on and on. Li Yan sandwiched his phone between his neck and shoulder and listened attentively, occasionally replying a sentence or two, while his hands slowly loaded bullets into the gun. His fingers ran across the pistol as he listened.
…
Hong Kong, 1986.
“No strength to even punch properly. What’s wrong with you? Legs jelly from screwing girls?”
Red Ghost was shouting roughly at his fighters, cigarette in his mouth.
“Punch harder! You got me?” He complained, “Kowloon Walled City must be facing a shortage right now if they allow all sorts of trash in the fighting ring. Wake up, you lot! Fuyi isn’t a place where a fighter is irreplaceable, you understand?”
Liao Zhizong walked over with a dark expression, and with one sentence caused Red Ghost’s expression to change.
“Red, Grand Duke is in trouble.”
…
It was night. Rain had poured into Kowloon Walled City and submerged half of Longjin Road. The flooded areas were less than waist deep.
Yu Shu stepped in the rainwater that reached her ankles. She looked at the nervous Mei who was standing in front of a long line of men.
She said gently, “Where’s the person that you spoke of?”
“Over there. In that building in front.”
“Alright, lead the way.”
She nodded.
Suddenly, fiery red lotuses exploded out of the pouring rain as gunfire rained thousands of bullets at them in the blink of an eye. It was like an unstoppable wave of metal, crashing into the crowd of men.
…
Blood dyed half of the long street with a mound of over a dozen corpses in the middle. Yu Shu, Grand Duke, stood there under her umbrella in her black jacket. Her brows were knit.
“Grand Duke, I really don’t know what’s going on?”
Mei was kneeling in the rain. There was blood across her face and her eyes looked frantic. Her two slender legs were trembling uncontrollably.
Red Ghost’s face was cold and hard.
Yu Shu squatted down and grabbed Mei at her chin.
“We’re all family. Of course I believe what you say. Remember when you first came to Hong Kong. Back then, any man could have you for just two hundred dollars. You said you would follow me and I believed you then. Now that you’ve followed me for so many years, how could I not believe you?”
“Grand Duke…”
She opened her mouth, only to swallow a mouthful of rainwater.
Yu Shu put her jacket over her and helped her to her feet.
“Drink a bowl of ginger tea and have a good sleep. Raising your little brother on your own is tough, I know. If you encountered any difficulties and told us, would I not help you?”
Mei dropped to her knees with a thud.
“Grand Duke, I was forced to do it. They kidnapped my brother…”
“That means you admit it now?”
Yu Shu’s tone of voice did not change.
Mei raised her head with a look of confusion. A bright flash of a knife’s reflection flashed across her eyes.
The knife stabbed right into her temple, leaving only the handle on the outside. Her dead body collapsed with a thud on the ground. Blood flowed from her body over a long distance.
“Red, dispose of her somewhere further away. Uncle Liao, you take the rest of the men back first.”
Liao Zhizong glanced at Red Ghost and nodded.
Red Ghost picked up the body and left for the time being.
It was a long street. Besides the pouring rain, blood and corpses, Yu Shu was the only living thing there.
“Still not coming out? Are you waiting for me to kill myself?”
One by one, the sound of footsteps came closer and closer.
Tall, short, fat, skinny, all of these people came in different shapes and sizes. Although they were all in raincoats, if one looked carefully, one would notice that not a drop of water actually landed on their heads.
One, two, three, four, five… eleven of them.
A burly man stepped ahead of the group.
He lowered his hood to reveal a face covered in scars.
“One who abandons the Yanfu will eventually be abandoned by the Yanfu…”
“How old are you. Don’t you feel embarrassed saying things like that?”
Yu Shu scoffed.
Her gaze fell onto someone in the group.
“Damned fatty. You’re quite capable, eh? Even Dijiang Bird can’t find me, but you’ve managed to find a loophole.”
Mo Tapir stepped forward with a complicated look on his face.
“I actually just wanted to train a newcomer, but I ended up finding a big fish instead. There are so many fruits within the Yanfu. I must be really lucky to actually end up finding the Grand Duke…”
“Even if you’ve found me, what can you do with just eleven Agents?”
Yu shu said while tilting her head.
“We’ll only know if we try.”
Another person stepped forward. The voice was a woman’s.
“HAHAHAHAHA!”
Grand Duke laughed out loud.
A giant black moon rose into the air. Lightning danced like wriggling snakes in the storm, and her hair danced in the wind.
“Grand… Grand Duke.”
The wind and rain stopped.
Yu Shu turned around, only to see Red Ghost staring dumbfounded at her.
“Didn’t I tell you to dispose of the body further away…”