Chapter 180 The Art of Hypocrisy

"Alright..." Cao Qin said, stepping closer with rapid strides, "But before I do... how about you take a few punches from me first?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Bujue indeed stopped dodging and instead unleashed the Nan Dou Flying Dragon Fist to meet the challenge.

In that instant, both men let out soft shouts in unison, their fists flying as turbulent fighting qi erupted.

This round of attacks marked the first close-quarters combat between Feng Bujue and Cao Qin.

They saw their fists collide, blossoming into a sky full of fist shadows.

Their four hands exploded in the air with the rapid-fire bursts of a machine gun; this was clearly not the speed of combat that humans should possess.

"Actually, it's not bad... isn't this pretty much the same as the Nan Dou Flying Dragon Fist..." During the exchange of blows, Feng Bujue internally assessed the power of his opponent's fist techniques.

That's right, for the first few seconds, that was indeed the case...

However, after a few breaths, Feng Bujue's skill power was exhausted, but Cao Qin's fists remained undiminished in their imposing momentum.

At this point, Brother Jue realized where the wonder of this ultimate technique lay...

"Fine... you win!" This was the second time that Brother Jue had used these three words to comment on Eunuch Cao, demonstrating just how admirable this old eunuch's cultivation truly was.

As the words fell, he moved.

Seeing the approaching fist shadows bearing down heavily, Feng Bujue, while the momentum of the Nan Dou Flying Dragon Fist had yet to dissipate, leaped aside, taking a step and flashing several zhang away.

"This Crosswise and Lengthwise Fist..." Seeing his opponent retreat, Cao Qin had no intention of pursuing, instead starting his explanation in his usual indifferent tone, "...is the foundational martial art of the Western Region's Zen sect. It's the first martial art that Zen sect disciples there learn after entering the sect."

"Oh?" Feng Bujue raised an eyebrow. "Then their sect is quite strong; surely there are experts everywhere in the sect?"

"Uh..." Even with Cao Qin's exceptional mental fortitude, he couldn't help but retort at this wording, "Shouldn't you say 'experts are as numerous as the clouds'..."

"Are the clouds in the sky as numerous as the shit on the ground?" Feng Bujue immediately shot back without thinking.

Cao Qin's face froze, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, then he fell silent for two seconds, deciding not to discuss this topic further with Head Feng: "In short... the Crosswise and Lengthwise Fist is a skill that's very easy to learn, but... that doesn't mean everyone can rely on it to dominate the martial world."

"I know..." Feng Bujue actually understood what the other party meant from the start, he was just deliberately making fun of him, "Presumably... this martial art is easy to learn but difficult to master; the further you progress, the harder it becomes to practice, so that most people never reach the level of skill you possess, Eunuch... and have long since passed away."

"Heh... Head Feng is indeed quick-witted." Cao Qin laughed. "That's right, the mental cultivation method for the Crosswise and Lengthwise Fist is very basic; even someone with dull aptitude and no martial arts foundation... can learn it. But cultivating this martial art has no shortcuts to take; regardless of the cultivator's aptitude... to improve, you can only rely on the word 'diligence'. But the progress of this martial art is very slow, and unlike other supreme divine arts that divide realms by 'layers'... the Crosswise and Lengthwise Fist only has one realm from beginning to end; the longer you practice, the faster and fiercer your fists become, without end."

"But a person's lifespan is limited, and... people's hearts are restless..." Feng Bujue continued, "Compared to painstakingly practicing for thirty or forty years to unleash the power of a supreme martial art, they'd rather spend their time on skills that can make them second-rate experts in five to ten years." He shrugged and smiled, "Heh... no wonder it's a Zen sect's martial art..."

"Alas..." Cao Qin sighed in response, "Head Feng is absolutely right... nowadays, even within the Zen sect, there are few people who can endure practicing this." He shook his head. "Many good skills... are lost and become extinct in this way."

Having said that, Cao Qin tapped lightly with his foot, his figure suddenly disappearing.

"He can actually disappear from my sight?" In a flash of thought, Feng Bujue wondered, "What's going on?"

Before he could settle his thoughts, a palm wind arrived.

Sensing the fluctuation of the air, Feng Bujue turned his head sharply and saw Cao Qin already attacking with his palm.

"Trying to trick me?" Brother Jue glared at Cao Qin and asked in a rhetorical tone. His expression seemed to say... I'm the only one who tricks others, there's never a story of others tricking me.

*Chi-*

Facing the rapidly approaching enemy, Feng Bujue drew his cleaver with even faster hand speed, wielding it to meet the attack.

*Clang!*

The next second, a metallic sound rang out between them.

After their figures passed each other, a dark object flew into the sky, arcing in a parabola before falling into the distance.

"You must think that I can't match your weapon with my bare hands..." Cao Qin, who had attacked to the rear of Brother Jue, faced away from Feng Bujue, eyes closed, and said confidently, "But my Mountain-Moving Iron Hand is a bare-handed skill that can break all the world's weapons. Those who achieve mastery of the Iron Hand Skill have hands as hard as black iron and as heavy as Mount Tai when they exert their power... Never mind a cleaver, even if you were holding a hundred-pound iron hammer, it would still be shaken out of your hands and sent flying."

"Hehe..." On the other side, Feng Bujue also faced away from his opponent, smiling sinisterly, "Are you talking about..." He slowly raised the cleaver still in his right hand, "...this cleaver?"

"What!" Cao Qin was shocked; this was the first time he had been shocked since the fight began.

After a two-second daze, he looked down... and only then did he realize that his right hand was gone.

At this point, he belatedly realized... that the black shadow that had just flown out wasn't his opponent's weapon, but his own hand...

"How is that possible!" Cao Qin quickly used his left hand to press on two acupoints on his right shoulder to stop the bleeding, then turned around in shock.

This unexpected result undoubtedly made his earlier "confident eyes-closed" action seem extremely shameful...

"Eunuch, you wouldn't think... that the weapon I, Feng Bujue, use is just an ordinary cleaver, would you?" Feng Bujue raised the Must-Break Defense Blade and smiled, "Heh... I might as well tell you. The harder something is, the more fragile it becomes in the face of my blade."

Cao Qin's body trembled slightly, then the calm look returned to his face: "Yes... I was careless."

As he spoke, he secretly urged his true energy, activating another ultimate technique.

"But... this is also a good opportunity." Cao Qin raised his bloody right wrist, "It just so happens that I can show you a miraculous art of 'restoring what's lost and mending what's broken'..." As he said this, many living flesh sprouts grew out from his wrist, constantly secreting a red, gelatinous substance. These things rapidly grew and took shape, evolving into bone marrow, blood vessels, muscles... and finally, skin...

Before long, Cao Qin's hand had "grown" back, the newborn right hand having a complexion as white and tender as a baby's, clearly different from the rest of his arm.

"Eunuch..." Seeing this scene, Feng Bujue's first reaction wasn't to ask the name of this martial art, but to ask, "Since you've displayed such a martial art, then I have to ask... are you really still an eunuch?"

Hearing this, Cao Qin laughed: "Head Feng's focus is truly rather peculiar..." His expression changed slightly, "But... there's no harm in telling you..." He paused, "I... was castrated at a young age, and I mastered this 'Rama Heart Sutra' after the age of sixty. Restoring what's lost and mending what's broken also has a time limit; after many years, the body has already adapted to the change, and even divine arts are powerless."

"Alright... Eunuch, please accept my condolences..." Feng Bujue actually looked at the other party with sympathy.

"There's nothing to mourn, this is all fate." Cao Qin replied with an indifferent expression, "If I really had the mind, I could find a *caihu* (a term for eunuchs in the Ming dynasty who paired up with other eunuchs due to childlessness), there have been quite a few women who have approached me over the years... but in my view, the feelings between men and women are too superficial. Not to mention blood relations, even the bond of sworn brotherhood is more lasting and solid."

"Hmm... 'bro-mance' then... so you're into that..." Feng Bujue said, looking askance at Cao Qin.

"Alright, we're getting off-topic." Cao Qin didn't understand what Brother Jue was saying, but continued, "Let's talk about martial arts..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved again.

The Heavenly Extinction Step was activated, his figure flickering, appearing and disappearing...

The qinggong was so fast that it reached the pinnacle of perfection.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Qin once again charged to Brother Jue's side.

"The Mountain-Moving Iron Hand from earlier was created by a tomb raider of the previous dynasty. In his life, he had three ultimate techniques: the Mountain-Moving Iron Hand, the Bone-Shrinking Skill, and the Turtle Breathing Method. With these three skills, he could enter tombs and steal treasures as easily as reaching into a pocket." As Cao Qin said this, he was already circulating his true energy again; suddenly, seven or eight purple light beads floated around him, circling and coiling around his body.

"As for that Rama Heart Sutra, it's said that it was created by Rama after crossing the river and facing the wall for nineteen years on Mount Jiuhua. Those who master it have unparalleled inner breath and can regenerate creation." Eunuch Cao fought as he spoke... his strikes were swift and merciless, but his tone was steady and relaxed.

On Feng Bujue's side, he seemed a little flustered, able only to dodge and parry. However... he remembered everything the other party said word for word, and was instantly thinking and analyzing.

"As for the Violet Radiance Divine Art I'm using now... it was created by me fifteen years ago." Cao Qin controlled the light beads, coordinating them with his fist techniques to form a dense encirclement attack, constantly compressing Feng Bujue's space, gradually pushing the latter into a desperate situation, "The Violet Radiance Soul-Departure realm that I've currently cultivated, as you can see... can materialize true qi, condense it in mid-air, and assist me in attacking or defending as I wish."

Hearing this, Feng Bujue quickly took out a water gun from his bag, that is, the Stellar Cooling Cannon (not really)... and then shot it at the close-at-hand Eunuch Cao.

Having witnessed the slingshot and experienced the cleaver, Cao Qin didn't dare to be careless with the strange toys that Feng Bujue took out...

As soon as the toy water gun appeared, Eunuch Cao quickly manipulated the purple light beads to strengthen the suppression, while he swung his sleeves, using the Black Tortoise Force (Cao Qin could use this move while moving, but releasing it would affect his speed), just in case.

*Biu--Biu--Biu--*

As a result... the gun only fired water, which made Cao Qin feel quite puzzled.

"What?" He flicked his sleeves, asking as he chased, "Does Head Feng intend to use poison water or something?"

"What if I do?" Feng Bujue didn't answer his question, but used a question to answer a question, testing for more information.

"If that's the case, then I don't need to block anymore." Cao Qin said, stopping his defense, "Many years ago, I was rewarded with a thousand-year-old snow frog by the late emperor, and used it to master the strongest martial art in the Poison Compendium, the Poison Cocoon Body. Now... not only am I immune to all poisons, but I can also absorb poison and return it to its source. If the hidden weapon in your hand is really spraying poison water, then just spray it on me."

"I see..." Feng Bujue said in a feigned manner, "Phew... good thing what I'm using isn't poison..."

"Oh?" Cao Qin asked suspiciously, "Then what is it?"

"Just something that can make you 'a little slower'." Feng Bujue replied.

"Hmm..." Cao Qin immediately groaned, because at that moment, he already felt himself slowing down, "Heh... Head Feng, your methods... truly open my eyes every time."

"You flatter me." Brother Jue used the item's effect to temporarily create some distance from the other party, defusing the crisis of defeat once again, "Compared to Eunuch Cao's abilities, what are my petty tricks?" He used his left hand to attack with the water gun, while his right hand's cleaver was used to defend against the purple light orbs, "Speaking of which... if I'm not mistaken, you've already shown me the Destiny Star Profound Art, Breathless Skill, Woman's Heart, Crosswise and Lengthwise Fist, Four Symbols Divine Art, Heavenly Extinction Step, Mountain-Moving Iron Hand, Rama Heart Sutra, Violet Radiance Divine Art, and Poison Cocoon Body, these ten supreme martial arts, right?"

"Good memory." Cao Qin gave an affirmative response.

"Then there are two more..." Feng Bujue continued.

"The remaining two..." Cao Qin's expression changed slightly, "Are both 'untransmitted skills'."

"Oh?" Feng Bujue asked with interest, "Those are..."

*Bang--*

A gunshot interrupted Brother Jue's words.

Feng Bujue, who had focused his attention on the battle and on thinking, hadn't noticed that three enemies had arrived at his side and rear...

So, he was shot.

It was a sniper rifle bullet, and special ammunition at that. Even with Feng Bujue's high defense and the help of the 1320's Mean Armor's special effect, this shot... still injured him very, very badly.

Fortunately, because Tie Haitang's shooting specialization wasn't fully trained, this shot didn't hit his head... If it had been a headshot, then there was nothing to say, he would be dead for sure.

Of course, "death" was also acceptable; because as early as shortly after the script started, before entering Burial Heart Valley, Huajian had already cast the Staff of Asclepius' special effect "Immortal Power" on Feng Bujue, which meant... that Brother Jue actually had another life.

"Shot in the back... damaged lung... corrosive special bullet... bullet didn't penetrate and exit... internal bleeding... continuous damage to internal organs... health value 15%... 13%... 10%..." In that less than half a second, pieces of information flashed through Feng Bujue's mind, "Unable to breathe... losing blood too quickly... death within four seconds... health supplement... drink within two seconds... continuing to lose blood... no means to heal the wound... Cao Qin's movements can't be determined... the gunman's subsequent attacks..."

Phenomena, reasoning, conclusions, strategies... the amount of information that Feng Bujue's brain processed in a short time had even surpassed the derivative's tactical control analysis program.

"Option one, give up struggling, use the surprise of the enemy team members and Cao Qin after the resurrection to seize the initiative..." Soon, he came up with two plans, "Option two... rewrite!"