Chapter 016: The Objective
Wu Anxun!
The one who dissects corpses with a knife, the captain of the security team in the forest town, was actually the owner of the house.
According to the agent’s explanation, this little courtyard at the foot of the mountain was left behind by Wu Anxun’s parents—it was once his home.
But after both of Wu Anxun’s parents passed away, the house had been left vacant.
A house with or without occupants is a world of difference.
Wu Anxun spent most of his time in the forest town and rarely returned to Qinghe City. Even if he did come back, he would stay in his place in the city, almost never visiting the old courtyard.
For the house’s sake, Wu Anxun entrusted it to an agent to be rented out.
The previous tenant had to leave due to a work transfer out of Qinghe City, so the lease was terminated.
Less than half a month had passed before Su Jingxing came knocking.
The agent, eager to close the deal quickly, kept persuading him enthusiastically.
“Mr. Su, this is the most suitable house that meets your requirements. The others all have one or two points that don’t fit. Please take a good look.”
Su Jingxing remained silent.
He was looking for a place specifically to avoid being noticed by anyone familiar.
Even though Wu Anxun had only met him once, as a seventh-rank martial artist, he might sense something odd if they met again.
However, this courtyard was exactly what he needed.
Not only was it at the foot of the mountain and at the far edge of the western suburbs, but it was also surrounded by a wall. Though not very high—just two meters—it was more than enough for Su Jingxing.
Secluded, quiet, free from disturbances—precisely what he sought.
So, after weighing the pros and cons for a while, Su Jingxing nodded. “I’ll take it.”
“Excellent, Mr. Su! Please wait a moment, I’ll go get the keys and contract,” the agent replied, overjoyed, and dashed out of the courtyard.
Su Jingxing’s agreement saved him a lot of trouble.
But Su Jingxing had his own considerations.
The landlord being Wu Anxun did carry the risk of being discovered, but it wasn’t significant.
Once Su Jingxing’s strength surpassed Wu Anxun’s, the risk would be negligible.
Besides, he didn’t intend to stay here long-term.
With the Vitality Pills he collected daily, after saving enough to buy his own place, he would move.
This old house under Wu Anxun’s name was just a temporary stopover.
...
After reaching an agreement with the agent and receiving the keys,
That evening, Su Jingxing moved from the crematorium dormitory into the courtyard.
The furniture inside was in good condition and hardly needed rearranging.
He gave the place a quick clean, put on fresh bedding and daily necessities, and could move right in.
To commute, he bought himself a bicycle.
It took just five minutes to reach the crematorium.
After some time in this world, he finally had a house and a “vehicle.”
With no need to worry about disturbing others, Su Jingxing began practicing his boxing on the very first night.
He swallowed a Vitality Pill; all fatigue vanished, and his energy surged.
He unleashed “Seven Steps Boxing,” circulating inner strength through his body, channeling it outwards with every punch.
Again and again, over and over.
By dawn, Su Jingxing had finally brushed against the threshold of external force manifestation.
Seeing that it was about time, he stopped practicing, showered, changed into clean clothes, and cycled to the crematorium.
After breakfast in the cafeteria, he met up with Kong Dabao and began the day’s work.
“How was last night? Did you wake up tired? Is your back sore?”
On the way, Kong Dabao waggled his eyebrows and grinned suggestively at Su Jingxing.
Huh?
Su Jingxing was puzzled. “Not tired at all. It was just moving house, why would my back be sore?”
“Keep pretending!” Kong Dabao scoffed.
“What’s there to pretend about?” Su Jingxing replied, exasperated.
“Yeah, right.” Kong Dabao continued with a look of disdain. “Don’t tell me you moved out but not to shack up with your ‘Wanrong’ girl?”
Su Jingxing nearly choked on his words.
Living together with Wan Rong?
I...
He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and forced down his urge to retort. In a sour tone, he said, “What Wanrong? I told you, there’s nothing going on. Can you stop gossiping so much, Brother Dabao?”
“I get it, I get it.” Kong Dabao raised his eyebrows, full of innuendo. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Just a reminder, though—have your fun, you’re young, I understand.”
Su Jingxing couldn’t be bothered to reply and simply ignored him.
“Ha, no need to be shy,” Kong Dabao kept teasing. “I was your age once. Those things can be addictive at first, but after a while, it’s nothing special. Just remember to be careful, though.”
“You’re only in your teens. You don’t want to be a father so soon, do you? Not to mention, if—hey, hey, don’t walk so fast!”
Kong Dabao hurried after him, but Su Jingxing pretended not to hear.
He really had nothing to say to this guy.
That said, everyone in the corpse collection team was good to him—they just loved to joke around.
Su Jingxing knew it was because he was young.
Whenever Kong Dabao, Feng Tiejian, Gu Bo, and the others started teasing, he would either change the subject or walk away. Occasionally, he’d fire back a few lines.
Fortunately, none of them ever went too far.
After the teasing, they were always big brothers again.
...
Hauling corpses, practicing martial arts. Hauling corpses, practicing martial arts.
Su Jingxing’s days returned to their routine.
At work, he moved bodies and picked up card after card.
Most were Vitality Cards or Power Cards, with occasional Inner Strength Cards.
No Skill Cards had appeared again.
Settle-the-Soul Cards and Martial Cards were nowhere to be seen.
The accumulated Vitality Pills soon reached 200 again.
He ate Power Pills like candy every day, and his strength grew steadily.
Half a month later...
Bang!
The numbers on the force tester’s dial flickered rapidly after a dull thud.
When they stopped, the display read: “5223.”
Su Jingxing glanced at it, switched hands, and punched again.
Bang!
Another round of rapid flickering, then the display settled on “5108.”
“Not bad!”
“Left fist, 5,223 catties; right fist, 5,108 catties. Both hands have broken through five thousand catties. Next goal: ten thousand!”
Satisfied, Su Jingxing withdrew his fists and raised his target.
With ten thousand catties of strength paired with Seven Steps Boxing, seventh-rank martial artists would no longer be a concern.
As for sixth-rank and above, defeating them was just a matter of time.
He had already made up his mind: once both hands surpassed one hundred thousand catties, he would seek revenge on Wan Rong!
One hundred thousand catties of brute force, matched with Seven Steps Boxing—even if he could only take five steps, he could unleash five hundred thousand catties of power at full strength!
Five hundred thousand catties should be enough to defeat Wan Rong, right?
Su Jingxing narrowed his eyes.
After half a month, he was just one step away from manifesting external force with his inner strength.
Once he crossed that threshold, he would truly become an eighth-rank martial artist!