Volume 2 Chapter 35: An Unexpected Surprise - Martial God

**Chapter 35: An Unexpected Surprise** When He Yi Ming emerged from the alleyway, his appearance had completely transformed. Now, from any angle, he resembled a robust man in his forties, and even his height had inexplicably increased. As he left the shop, He had casually made off with a set of robes, and had adjusted his height specifically to match this attire, making him appear perfectly fitted. Although he had practiced the art of Bone Transformation, his ease in achieving this transformation was largely due to his attainment of the innate realm. Fan Hao Yue and his two companions were walking down the street without any sense of danger. Even if somehow they knew of the impending threat trailing them, escaping the pursuit of an innate expert was out of the question. Quickening his pace, it took He Yi Ming only a few moments to get in front of the trio. He turned into a small tavern at another street corner to buy a bottle of cheap liquor. Sprinkling some onto his garments, he staggered off in the opposite direction. Stopping with a belch at one street corner, his eyes appearing slightly unfocused, He started keeping count in his head while listening intently to the footsteps of the trio speeding along. With his strength at its current level, merely listening allowed him to discern a great deal about his surroundings. Although He Yi Ming didn't know the trio's exact intentions, he could predict their next movements from their footsteps alone. The subtle differences in footfall when someone intends to turn compared to walking straight were imperceptible to most people, but an innate expert only needed a bit of attention to distinguish them. Some who had undergone specific training might also achieve this level of perception, but to an innate expert, it was a trivial task. Such an ability was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. At this moment, He Yi Ming calculated precisely when Fan Hao Yue would walk straight. Finally, a mischievous smile crept onto his lips, and he staggered out from the corner of the street. "Bang..." As Fan Hao Yue was walking past a street corner, a clearly drunken man stumbled out right in front of him. He frowned, instinctively trying to sidestep, but for some reason, found that whichever way he tried to avoid, he couldn't seem to do so. This thought flashed briefly in his mind, but didn't cause him special concern. Lifting his leg, he intended to kick aside, but his supporting foot unexpectedly slipped, and the other foot naturally kicked into thin air, causing him to slam into the drunkard. Fan Hao Yue's vision blacked out briefly, feeling as though he'd hit an iron wall, golden stars dancing in front of his eyes. Fortunately, his two attendants reacted promptly, catching him just as he was about to fall. "Young Master, Young Master..." The two attendants called out worriedly, understanding it was quite a heavy collision. Meanwhile, the drunken man was clutching his head, moaning in apparent pain, seemingly faring no better than their Second Young Master. Fan Hao Yue shook his head, clearing his thoughts, but immediately regretted doing so. The collision had left him sore all over. Fury rose within him as he glared forward, only to see the drunken man had already staggered to his feet with an expression of utmost innocence. "You, you all...why, why did you bump into me?" Fan Hao Yue felt his anger surge, usually the one to accuse others, it was a rare occurrence for someone to accuse him. "Hit him, hit him hard..." He ground out through clenched teeth, filled with ire. The two attendants exchanged looks; one continued to support Fan Hao Yue while the other stepped forward with a resigned smile. Noticing something was amiss, the drunken man quickly waved his hands, exclaiming, "Don't mess around, I'm really...strong." The commotion had already piqued the curiosity of onlookers on the street, and seeing the drunkard's antics provoked a bout of laughter. The attendant sneered, then swung his fist without a word. The man had offended their young master, although unintentionally, he had angered him nonetheless. If Second Young Master got upset, they as his attendants would be in trouble too. His punch, however, packed a proper wallop short of causing death; teaching the fellow a lesson felt justified. The punch landed heavily on the drunkard’s stomach; the attendant held back from causing severe harm. Otherwise, a punch to a vital spot would spell danger. Immediately, the drunkard was sent flying backward, spurting blood that painted the ground. Surprised and elated, the attendant found it odd that his punch had floored a seemingly sturdy drunkard who had struck their young master. Since when had his punch grown so powerful? Unexpectedly, the fallen drunkard sprang up almost instantly, seemingly unhurt, and bellowed fiercely, "How dare you hit me, I'll fight you!" The drunkard, lowering his head and charging like a bull, suddenly exuded a frightening aura. The attendant barely had time to react before he was locked in an unyielding embrace and hurtled backward. A chorus of pained cries followed; when the attendant came to his senses, he found himself sprawled on the ground, pinned underneath by their Second Young Master and the other attendant. Somehow, they had ended up piled together, utterly unresisting. By the time the trio had disentangled themselves amid the amused laughter of onlookers, the drunkard had long vanished. Although arrogant, Fan Hao Yue wasn't foolish; realizing a drunkard capable of knocking him down was odd enough, more so that his attendants were so effortlessly toppled, entangling him; something here was clearly abnormal. One attendant's face turned pale suddenly, "Not good, my package." Fan Hao Yue and the other attendant looked towards the opened package, noticing the cloth wrapping the black stone was indeed missing. The three exchanged a look, and Fan Hao Yue barked, "Chase him." Yet deep down, they knew the chances of catching up with the drunkard were slim. ※※※※ As He Yi Ming leisurely walked out of a street corner, his face had reverted to its original appearance, his height normalized, and the robe he wore was discarded, possibly pushed away into some corner without a trace. In a swift motion, he found himself inside one of the Yuan family’s shops. The shopkeeper, recognizing He Yi Ming, quickly greeted him warmly. He Yi Ming requested a room to rest in and instructed someone to go to the antique market to inform his older brother, He Yi Tian, that he would wait there. The attendants of the Yuan family, not daring to delay, quickly handled everything, offering him a room. Once inside, He Yi Ming's first activity was to unwrap the package. Inside was a metal box, bound with a delicate chain. He snorted softly, gripping the chain and lightly pulling; the chain snapped easily. For an innate expert like him, such locks were but minor obstacles even without a key. Upon opening the box, a round object wrapped in cotton was revealed. With a slight frown, he tore the fabric away, revealing a black stone devoid of any color. The sight of the stone drew disbelief to He Yi Ming’s face. His encounter with Fan Hao Yue had been purely coincidental. He Yi Ming had no intention of claiming the valuable item—he merely sought to teach the troublesome fellow a lesson regarding the principles of karma. Unexpectedly, within the box lay such a precious item. His actions immediately slowed, becoming more cautious. Before knowing what the item was, his expectations had been low. For an innate master, common items rarely piqued interest. However, upon identifying the object, He Yi Ming proceeded with the utmost care, understanding why it had been treated as a most treasured item, worthy of entombment. The seemingly inconspicuous black object turned out to be refined steel magnetite that He Yi Ming had once acquired from Ting Shi Guang. This item held little value for most people, and its scarcity meant it wasn't something the average person could recognize. However, for an innate expert, especially one without a suitable weapon, this item was priceless, worth more than gold. Weighing it in his hands and measuring its volume, He Yi Ming's face lit up with joy. The piece was unexpectedly large, nearly double the size of what Ting Shi Guang had gifted him. Taking a deep breath, He Yi Ming carefully stored the item back into the iron box, his mind racing with possibilities. This unexpected find had rewarded him with such a substantial piece of refined steel magnetite. It left him curious about the deceased who had such a precious item buried with them. Whoever recognized its value surely wasn't an ordinary individual. A piece of refined steel magnetite this large could definitely be used to remelt and refine the remaining segments of the steel rods of his Guan Dao. However, the biggest problem now was that he didn’t have the appropriate Wenli stone furnace. Alone in the room, He Yi Ming didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard hurried footsteps approaching. Instantly, an image of his older brother He Yi Tian flashed in his mind. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing that He Yi Tian and Yuan Li Xuan had arrived. The duo laughed and conversed, and as He Yi Ming listened briefly, his expression turned amusing. From their conversation, he realized that word of his prank on Fan Hao Yue had spread. Even more amusingly, he discovered that Fan Hao Yue was indeed from the Fan family, enemies of the Yuan family, which explained Yuan Li Xuan’s schadenfreude. Greeted by He Yi Ming, the group set out to return to the Yuan family estate. As for the small package He Yi Ming carried, no one paid it any heed. No one would connect the over-forty drunkard with the sixteen-year-old He Yi Ming. ※※※※ "You fool! How could you mess this up? Who told you to go to the antique store?" A furious voice rang from within the Fan family estate, carrying authority and intimidation, clearly from someone accustomed to giving orders. In the Kingdom of Jinlin, the Fan family was a recently risen minor clan. However, because they were backed by an expert with ten levels of inner power, they garnered much attention. Inside the Fan family’s main hall, Fan Hao Yue knelt with a dejected face. Beside him, the two attendants were equally miserable, as they dared not speak in the presence of their enraged patriarch. Fan Hao Yue glanced up and then quickly lowered his gaze, saying, "Father, Eldest Brother wasn't home at the time. I merely wanted to help him." "Help?" Fan Shu He sneered, "More like you wanted to show off, didn't you?" Fan Hao Yue kept his head down, but his fists clenched involuntarily on his knees. Fan Shu He took note of his son's actions, and his urge to continue scolding faded. What saddened him was the stark contrast to his eldest son; this second son was far more prone to failure than success. "Father, please don't be angry." A gentle voice interjected as Fan Hao Ri entered quickly, "I've heard about it already. Second Brother meant well, but the person he encountered was too cunning, leading to the loss." Fan Hao Yue looked up again, casting a quick look at his father and brother. Yet, when he lowered his head, his eyes held no gratitude but were full of resentment. Still, he knew now was not the time to express such feelings, as he couldn't predict what punishment awaited if he did. "Sigh." Fan Shu He shook his head, feeling too exhausted to continue disciplining this son. "Tell me, what exactly did you lose?" Before Fan Hao Yue could speak, his brother interjected, "I've sent someone to inquire at the antique shop. The item was a valuable object used to weigh down a coffin, said to have been retrieved by the infamous Tomb Raider Mouse from the tomb of a prominent figure from a previous dynasty. Yet, from appearances, it was just a black stone." Fan Shu He frowned slightly. Such an object, even if seen, could easily be overlooked or not recognized. "Forget it. Since no one knows what it was, there's no need to mention it," Fan Shu He suddenly hardened his tone, "But find the person who dared rob the Fan family. I want him turned to dust." Fan Hao Ri chuckled wryly, "Father, from what I've heard about today's events, the individual might be quite skilled. Moreover, he's unfamiliar to us, and finding him will be challenging..." Fan Shu He snorted again, understanding his son's implication. This unsolvable case was something they had to swallow bitterly. After all, the vast sea of people and their current power offered them no way to find such a person throughout the entire county city. After reprimanding Fan Hao Yue a few more times, Fan Shu He finally rose and left. The two attendants beside Fan Hao Yue secretly rejoiced, considering it an incredible stroke of luck to escape punishment this time. Fan Hao Ri waved his hand, allowing the two to leave hastily, not daring to linger under Fan Hao Yue's resentful gaze. The affairs between these brothers were beyond anyone's meddling. With a soft sigh, Fan Hao Ri said, "Second Brother, I've had people investigating. The Yuan family has brought in an expert of ten levels of inner power. With this person backing them, Yuan Zeyu's attitude has shifted, showing he’s ready for an intense confrontation with us." Fan Hao Yue snorted coldly, "Elder Brother, matters like these should be discussed with Father, not with someone like me who's considered useless." Fan Hao Ri frowned, "Second Brother, remember the last time you coveted another's mount and ended up getting taught a lesson?" Fan Hao Yue abruptly raised his head in anger, "Why bring that up? Do you wish to humiliate me again?" Fan Hao Ri helplessly waved his hand, "Second Brother, according to Fan Qi, that red horse and its mysterious young rider with unclear intentions have also come to the Yuan family's invitation." A flicker of murderous intent crossed Fan Hao Yue's face. "Second Brother." Fan Hao Ri's expression finally hardened, "The Yuan residence received no other assistance, yet someone from the distant Tianluo Kingdom came eagerly. Doesn't that seem odd to you?" Fan Hao Yue's eyes gleamed with malice, "Elder Brother, do you think those people came because of me?" "Not necessarily related to you, but it's a lesson to act with more caution in the future," Fan Hao Ri advised earnestly. Fan Hao Yue laughed loudly, yet his laughter lacked any respect, "Elder Brother, your advice is noted. As for that horseman, if he causes you trouble, I'll see to it that I deal with him." With that, he flung his sleeves and marched out, leaving Fan Hao Ri to stare intently at his departing back, frowning in silence.