561: Chapter 561 How can one practice martial arts without understanding bone setting? The mindset of a strong person

Jiuchang Street, Tubular Building.

The midnight street was exceptionally quiet, and most nearby residents had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep.

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Occasionally, from a certain window, a few cries of an infant would drift out, immediately coaxed down and hushed by an adult.

Inside room 980 on the top floor, the lights were not turned on, and it was pitch black.

The neon halo from outside the window projected in, barely outlining the contours of the furniture in the room.

The old-fashioned wall clock emitted a rhythmic "clack, clack" ticking sound, and the hour hand had quietly passed twelve o'clock.

A-Le sat on the wooden chair by the window, his complexion as pale as paper.

Although the wound on his abdomen had been simply bandaged, the dizziness from excessive blood loss still washed over him in waves, and his eyelids felt as heavy as if they had lead weights hanging from them.

But he did not dare to sleep, nor did he want to sleep.

He forced his eyelids open and occasionally looked out the window.

In the direction of the distant city center, neon lights dyed the night sky crimson.

A-Le's heart was filled with anxiety, wondering how the situation over there was truly going and whether the operation went smoothly or not.

Clack, clack, clack.

A faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from the corridor.

A-Le's heart gave a violent thump, and his previously somewhat unfocused pupils instantly focused.

Enduring the excruciating pain in his abdomen, his left hand pressed against his wound, while his right hand grabbed the dagger on the table, gripping it in a backhand hold.

His whole body tensed like a fully drawn bow, staring dead at the security door.

Click.

The key inserted into the keyhole, the sound exceptionally piercing in the silent night.

Immediately afterwards, the lock cylinder turned, and the door was gently pushed open.

"Who?!"

A-Le let out a low bark, the dagger in his hand involuntarily gripping even tighter.

"It's me."

A familiar voice came over.

Pat.

The living room light was clicked on, and the warm yellow light instantly filled the entire room.

A-Le saw the figure at the door clearly, his whole body trembling violently, and the dagger in his hand dropped to the ground with a "clatter" sound.

At the foyer, Fang Cheng was supporting an old man in a disheveled state as they walked in.

That person was precisely Shen Wei.

Although his clothes were tattered, his hair messy, and his face stained with dust, those falcon-like eyes still exuded a fierce ruthlessness.

"Chairman! You… You're back?!"

A-Le's eye sockets turned red, struggling to stand up, but it pulled at his wound, hurting him so much that he bared his teeth and grimaced.

"Don't move around, sit."

Fang Cheng casually closed the door, helped Shen Wei sit down on the living room sofa, and then turned around to pour a cup of hot water.

Shen Wei received the enamel cup with both hands, the warm feeling spreading throughout his body along his palms, allowing him to let out a long breath.

He surveyed the small cabin of less than sixty square meters.

Yellowed wall skin, an old ceiling fan, and a few aged pieces of furniture arranged in an orderly manner.

Although the indoor furnishings were simple, they were tidied up exceptionally neatly, and not even a trace of dust could be felt on the tabletop.

When his gaze fell on the severely cracked and even downward-sunken red pine wood floor in the center of the living room, Shen Wei's pupils shrank slightly.

That was obviously cracked alive by someone's sole.

Recalling the scene of jumping down from the building's rooftop earlier, and that figure walking out of the sea of fire from the crashed helicopter, Shen Wei shook his head with a bitter smile.

Who would have thought that such a top-tier expert of the Devil King level would ordinarily be willing to nest in such a place?

The so-called club gold-medal sparring partner was indeed just a disguise to experience life.

Perhaps this was called "the greatest hermit hides in the city", a state of mind that only the strong possessed?

Shen Wei held the cup and took a sip of hot water.

Raising his head to look at Fang Cheng, besides gratitude, his eyes added a bit of awe and admiration.

He turned his gaze to the bodyguard beside him, only then noticing the blood seeping out from the bandages on the other's abdomen, his brow involuntarily furrowing slightly:

"A-Le, how is your injury?"

"Won't die."

A-Le shook his head, his gaze eagerly looking at Shen Wei:

"Chairman, have terms been agreed upon with those kidnappers? How much blood did we lose this time?"

As he spoke, he sighed heavily, his face full of anger:

"Alas, I am really unconvinced, so many brothers died…"

In his view, although Fang Cheng was powerful, he at most relied on agile skills to sneak in, secretly rescue people, or negotiate with the other party to ransom people.

After all, the Blood Thorn Mercenary Group were all a group of terrifying monsters, each possessing supernatural abilities; how could they be so easy to deal with?

Shen Wei put down the cup and smiled bitterly:

"Didn't spend money."

"Didn't spend money?"

A-Le was stunned upon hearing this:

"Can that bunch of monsters be so easy to talk to?"

"Dead people don't need to spend money."

Shen Wei took a deep look at Fang Cheng, his tone quiet:

"The Blood Thorn Mercenary Group, along with their leader the Masked Man, have all gone to see King Yama. Mr. Fang wiped them all out by himself."

"Wh… What?!"

A-Le suddenly widened his eyes, his mouth wide open, his jaw almost dropping to the ground.

He dazedly turned his head to look at Fang Cheng, who was rummaging through the cabinet.

That back looked ordinary, just like a big boy next door, where was there any trace of a murderous Devil King?

A single person alone wiped out a mercenary group composed of powerful awakened beings?

Thinking of his own pathetic appearance with no power to fight back when facing those monsters, stormy seas couldn't help but rise in the bottom of A-Le's heart.

Is this still a human?

The indoor air was quiet for a few seconds.

Shen Wei fished out a flattened cigarette pack from his clothes pocket.

Just as he wanted to borrow a fire to smoke a cigarette, he glanced at Fang Cheng and silently stuffed it back.

"This time's matter is not that simple."

Shen Wei, as an underworld overlord, quickly regained his calm and said in a deep voice:

"Only a few core high-level executives knew about going to the warehouse."

"Our motorcade had just left Jiangdong District when we were bitten onto; being A-Le to track our whereabouts so precisely, there must be a mole at home."

"Chairman, I think so too."

A-Le gritted his teeth and recounted all his experiences along the way:

"At that time, I escaped alone, not daring to return to the gang to fetch reinforcements, for fear of running right into the hands of that mole and walking into a trap."

"Having really no choice, I made a trip to the Shen Family ancestral home, but as a result, I couldn't even enter the main gate, and was directly driven out by the butler there…"

Hearing the four words "Shen Family ancestral home", Shen Wei's eyes instantly dimmed a bit, lowering his eyelids, silent and wordless.

Seeing Shen Wei's expression a bit desolate, A-Le quickly changed the subject:

"I was at my wit's end and burning with anxiety at that time, suddenly thinking that you usually value Mr. Fang very much, saying he is a Dragon and Phoenix among men."

"So I ran over to ask for help with the mindset of giving it a try. Fortunately, Mr. Fang chivalrously lent a hand… Otherwise, the consequences this time would really be unimaginable."

Shen Wei took a deep breath, pressed the loss back into the bottom of his heart, raised his head again, his tone turning icy:

"There is another matter, the backing behind the Flying Crane Gang has been investigated clearly—it is the Blood Thorn Mercenary Group."

"It's them?"

A-Le was stunned, then suddenly enlightened:

"No wonder this group of bastards has become so arrogant recently, snatching our Dongcheng Association's territory everywhere; it turns out they hugged Blood Thorn's thick thigh!"

A-Le's eyes were filled with Killing Intent, clenching his fists:

"Damn it, this group of fox-pretending-to-be-tiger dogs, when my injury heals, I will definitely kill their gang leader with my own hands, and then drag out that traitor who eats inside and outside to tear them to pieces!"

"Don't rush."

Shen Wei sneered, forbearance of anger rolling in the bottom of his eyes:

"Since I came back alive, some accounts can be settled slowly."

"In the last two days, that mole will definitely take advantage of my absence to make trouble. As long as he dares to act, the fox's tail will naturally show itself…"

Just as he was speaking, Shen Wei suddenly let out a muffled grunt, a layer of fine cold sweat seeping from his forehead, his face turning pale instantly.

"Chairman, what's wrong?"

Seeing this, A-Le was suddenly greatly alarmed.

"The leg… is a bit troublesome."

Shen Wei bent down and rolled up the pant leg of his left leg.

A-Le looked intently and gasped a breath of cold air.

He saw that Shen Wei's calf was already swollen like a purple-black leavened steamed bun.

The leg bone presented a twisted angle, obviously a severe closed fracture.

Along this escape and jolting journey, the soft tissue around the broken bone had already severely congested.

If not dealt with in time, once it compresses the blood vessels and causes necrosis, this leg would have to be amputated.

A-Le's eye sockets turned red again, propping up his body to get up:

"Let me take a look, I know a bit of first aid…"

"That's enough, your own injuries aren't healed yet, let me do it."

Fang Cheng walked over at this moment, carrying a medical kit just found from the cabinet.

He squatted in front of Shen Wei, taking out iodophor, gauze, medical cotton swabs, and splints specially used to treat fractures from inside.

Then he glanced at that injured leg, nodding inwardly.

Such a heavy injury, this old man didn't utter a single sound along the way, he is truly a hard bone.

"Bear with it a bit, it hurts a bit."

Fang Cheng said in a deep voice, holding a cotton swab dipped in iodophor, carefully cleaning the dirt and seeping blood at the wound.

"Mr. Fang, go ahead, this old bone of mine can still hold up."

Shen Wei nodded without changing his expression.

After the wound was cleaned, Fang Cheng reached out and gently pressed on Shen Wei's calf.

The feedback from the fingertip touch made the position of the bone fracture clearly emerge in his mind.

Tibia bone fracture, slightly displaced, fortunately not shattered.

"Mr. Fang, you also know medical skills?"

Seeing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Shen Wei's eyes.

"Prolonged illness makes a good doctor, who learns martial arts without knowing Bone-setting."

Fang Cheng explained casually, his expression suddenly condensing, his hands gripping Shen Wei's ankle and below the knee like iron pliers.

Immediately after, rotating, pushing, lifting, the movements were crisp and neat.

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone joints closing sounded.

"Mmph!"

The veins on Shen Wei's neck bulged, a painful muffled grunt came from his throat, forcibly biting his teeth tightly without crying out.

"Done."

Fang Cheng's movements were extremely fast, taking advantage of the moment of bone reduction, quickly fixing the injured leg with splints, and then wrapping it tightly with bandages layer by layer.

A-Le on the side watched dumbfounded.

This technique was veteran and skilled, just like an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who had practiced for decades.

It was simply more professional and deft than the doctors in their gang's designated underground clinic.

Fang Cheng supported Shen Wei's leg, lowering his head to check the fixation effect, a faint light suddenly flashing before his eyes.

[ Bone-setting Experience + 5 ]

[ Bone-setting lv1 (62/250) ]

Looking at the prompt message that appeared, the corners of his mouth slightly rose, patted his hands and stood up, packing up the medical kit while earnestly admonishing:

"Honestly recuperate during this period, don't put weight on the ground."

"The bones have just been set, if it recovers fast, in a little over two months you should be A-Le to walk around slowly."

"Many thanks, Mr. Fang."

Shen Wei wiped a cold sweat, looking at his leg injury that had been properly treated, the gratitude in his heart was beyond description.

"Stay here for tonight first."

Fang Cheng then pointed to the room and said:

"My mom went back to my grandfather's house to visit relatives and won't be back recently. No one will disturb us, and it's relatively safe here."

"Pardon the intrusion."

Shen Wei didn't put on airs either, nodding and saying:

"A life-saving grace needs no thanks; after I purge the clan and catch that traitor, I will definitely repay Mr. Fang well."

"Tomorrow I will go find 'Rat Strong'."

A-Le chimed in, his voice weak but revealing a fierce intent:

"That kid is a bottom-layer minor boss, with little interest connection, and he has received my favors, so his mouth is very tight."

"It's most appropriate to let him go scout out the gang's news, and by then we'll naturally know which bastard betrayed us."

The three briefly chatted a few more words about subsequent arrangements.

The night was already deep, and the entire Tubular Building fell into silence.

Fang Cheng carried out a mat and a blanket from the cabinet, laid them out on the living room floor, and spoke:

"The bed is too small, can't squeeze. President Shen, you sleep on the sofa, prop your leg higher, A-Le sleeps on the ground, make do for a night first."

"How is this making do? For us, this place is a safe haven."

Shen Wei sighed sincerely.

Fang Cheng nodded, said nothing more, and turned into his own bedroom.

Shen Wei leaned against the sofa, watching that young figure disappear behind the door, his eyes full of complexity.

Recalling the group of awakened beings respectfully calling him "Chairman" earlier, curiosity scratched his heart like a cat's paw.

But Shen Wei was a smart person, knowing what should be asked and what shouldn't be asked.

"Chairman, I'll help you lie down."

A-Le moved over with difficulty, carefully helping Shen Wei adjust his lying posture, covering him with a blanket, and whispered:

"You've been startled these past two days; you need to rest well."

"Mn, sleep."

Shen Wei responded softly and closed his eyes.

Pat.

The living room light was clicked off.

In the darkness, the compressor of the old-fashioned refrigerator was still humming and running.

Listening to the occasional tire noise of cars from outside the window, smelling the faint lingering scent of iodophor in the air.

For some reason, in this simple and cramped small cabin,

the two Jianghu men who were accustomed to living in luxury mansions and villas unexpectedly felt an unprecedented sense of peace of mind.

...

Inside the bedroom, it was pitch dark and quiet.

Fang Cheng did not rest immediately, but walked to the window and gently pushed aside a corner of the curtain.

The night sky was deep, and the outlines of the city's high-rises undulated in the darkness.

In the direction of the distant Jiangdong District, several red points could be faintly seen hovering and flashing in the night sky.

That should be the military's armed helicopter formation.

Obviously, the commotion caused by the Silver Wing Building earlier was too big, and had already alarmed higher-level forces.

Fang Cheng's gaze flickered slightly, staring at those red points for a few seconds.

Then he calmly pulled the curtains closed, isolating all outside disturbances.

He turned and lay on the bed, his hands resting behind his head, his mind stirring.

A light blue translucent light screen unfolded on his retina:

[ Boxing Experience + 30 ]

[ Boxing lv3 (483/1000) ]

[ Sanda Experience + 15 ]

[ Sanda lv3 (172/1000) ]

[ Jiu-Jitsu Experience + 30 ]

[ Jiu-Jitsu lv2 (449/500) ]

[ Qigong Experience + 20 ]

[ Qigong lv2 (487/500) ]

Looking at those rows of refreshed data, the corners of Fang Cheng's mouth curled into a satisfied arc.

Although the process of this battle was much easier compared to the previous few times, the skill experience gained was truly not a few.

Especially the two skills "Jiu-Jitsu" and "Qigong", their progress bars were almost maxed out, only a hair's breadth away from a Breakthrough upgrade.

Recalling tonight's rescue operation, Fang Cheng couldn't help but feel some emotion in his heart.

Before setting out, he still held twelve-part caution, made various contingency plans, and collected related intelligence.

Even organized new members of the Illuminati to act together, preparing himself psychologically for a bitter battle.

After all, that was an awakened team notorious for its fierce reputation in the intelligence provided by Naihe Bridge, and the leader was even an S-rank powerhouse.

Yet Fang Cheng didn't expect that the combat process would be so crushing and effortless.

The S-rank ability users that once made him wary were as fragile as paper-mâché in front of him, simply vulnerable at a single blow.

For instance, that Masked Man, similarly using psychokinesis, the offensive and defensive moves were also quite similar.

But the threat brought to Fang Cheng was instead much smaller than Minister Luo Lie of the Noah Organization encountered previously.

This cannot entirely blame the Masked Man for being too weak.

But rather his own growth rate during this period was simply too fast.

With the continuous Breakthrough of various skills and the comprehensive transformation of physical fitness, his current strength was long no longer what it used to be.

Fang Cheng clenched his fist, feeling that surging power within his body.

If it were his current self going back to the past, even if Minister Luo Lie were resurrected and stood before him, it would just be a matter of throwing a few more punches.

Of course, this incident also gave Fang Cheng a reminder.

In this world, apart from those awakened beings with extraordinary powers, the heavy war weapons mastered by the military still possessed a devastating deterrent force.

Just like tonight's armed helicopter, if it weren't for himself, replaced by ordinary ability users, they probably would have been blasted into slag long ago.

But Fang Cheng did not fear.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the golden palace in the depths of darkness, bathing under the brilliant sunlight.

As long as he continued to grow stronger.

Strong enough for his Physical Body to resist nuclear bombs, strong enough to ignore all rules.

By then, all threats would no longer be threats.

(End of Chapter)