I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1167 - Chapter 1167 Chapter 461 Upper House

Chapter 1167: Chapter 461: Upper House Chapter 1167: Chapter 461: Upper House The ferocious Devil Lord Gou Chen made Xiu’er keep her distance as if from a venomous lizard, yet it was the weakened, injured patients that nudged their relationship forward by a significant step.

Even though he had been dumped outside the city, Tang Luo sharply felt that between him and Yun Xiu, an element known as ambiguity was starting to ferment.

It seemed that those days spent tirelessly pounding meatballs were not in vain; whistling a tune while leisurely walking back to the city, Tang Luo glanced at his left hand from time to time, chuckling to himself.

Of course, he wasn’t a naive young man; he couldn’t just laugh without thinking.

As an outstanding martial arts researcher, Tang Luo was especially adept at discovering the internal principles of martial arts. There was a saying: one law understood makes all laws clear. The operation of all things in the world generally follows traceable patterns.

Although his experience with romance was indeed limited, Tang Luo was well-experienced in researching martial arts. Since all things shared commonalities, pursuing a woman with the attitude of studying martial techniques should also be feasible, right?

“I really am a genius!”

Praising himself, Tang Luo scratched his chin while casually making his way back to the city, contemplating how to further their relationship.

From the time he had spent with Yun Xiu, he saw that some things, which might seem impressive to others, didn’t catch her attention at all.

For instance, stipulations like martial prowess or family background did not intrigue her, but demonstrating weakness at the right time could elicit her sympathy.

With that judgment, to advance the relationship, one couldn’t appear too dominant. Pursuing her as the Devil Lord Gou Chen was definitely a lost cause!

“Pfft~”

Spitting a brand-new notebook from the Void Stomach, Tang Luo picked up a pen and wrote a new title, “The Rules of Courtship Behavior”.

Vastly satisfied with his ability to name, Longxi’s Pride began, for the first time in his life, to consider how to win a certain woman’s favor.

The methods of handling affairs in the world were mostly similar–simply put, set a policy and then begin to implement it.

So why were there still people who failed to achieve their goals? While luck and misfortune played their parts, more often, it was because they couldn’t adhere to their plans.

I want to achieve astonishing cultivation, so I must carve out time for daily practice. Completing the daily cycle of qi is fundamental; I also need to practice Spirit Arts and martial techniques, and even find time to contemplate.

Most people’s dreams are merely fantasies. The image in their goals only includes fame and success, or rather, that’s all they really want–the moment of glory without bearing its cost.

This envious longing that wishes for the result without the willingness to sacrifice for it–rather than calling it a dream, it might be more fitting to label it as greed.

This is also why most people, even with the goal of becoming strong, ultimately remain mediocre and accomplish little.

Tang Luo’s greatest attribute, perhaps, is his ample self-discipline, which allows him to strictly follow his own plans.

He had traversed the vast ocean of martial arts several times; could understanding the heart of a woman be more difficult than Spirit Art models? Impossible!

…

The Luo Family Midnight Snacks Shop had gained a bear-like, robust helper.

Anyone with discernment could tell that this pot-bellied man possessed martial skills. To stoop to help out, he likely had his eyes on the meatball recipe.

Although the Luo Family Midnight Snacks Shop had only recently reopened, the outstanding cooking still attracted quite a few loyal customers.

When settling the bill or placing orders, they would subtly hint to Tang Luo and Yun Xiu, either openly or secretly, to watch out for this helper.

In a place like Chaochang, such subtle reminders already contained great kindness, but he didn’t know whether the other party couldn’t understand or was genuinely confused.

Far from becoming wary, the two of them even let the robust apprentice help make the meatballs.

In the first few days, the meatballs had lost the Luo Family Midnight Snacks Shop’s authentic essence, but after a few days, they had picked up some of the tricks. Although they hadn’t reached the standards of the two proprietors, they were already several notches above ordinary eateries.

Even though they had an extra pair of hands, the Luo Family Midnight Snacks Shop’s business didn’t grow larger because the amount of meat used for the meatballs was still the same bucketful each day. The diligent lad, now that he had help, would run off to the inner street every now and then.

That place was one of the four major streets in the inner city, frequented by nobles and the wealthy, and also home to many places of pleasure.

As a country boy who had never seen much of the world, how could he resist such alluring beauties? But since the price for seeking pleasure was not cheap, most could only pretend to pass by, strolling up and down the street countless times a day, gazing up at the beauties in the buildings.

To outsiders, the diligent young man from Nan Market seemed to have lost his way in lust, and they secretly thought it was a pity.

Another day went by, and Tang Luo returned to the shop, swinging leisurely. He sat down next to his boss and whispered something.

“The Xiang Family along with twelve merchants from the inner city have set up a grand feast at Nuanxue Pavilion, a high-profile event. It seems they’re meant to welcome the patrol from the Wind Department. It looks like the disciple from Fen Island must have succumbed to the torture,” he said.

“You need to send a message back quickly, let your people know about this situation, then give Fen Island a chance to relocate,” the boss replied.

“If this favor is well managed, there will be great opportunities in the future, and it might even make up for the loss suffered in the recent Chaochang debacle,” Tang Luo suggested.

…

Longzhou Calendar 1786

9th day of the second month

Fuling City, Upper House

Fuling City, situated at the junction of Lingjiang and Longjiang, is currently the headquarter of the Longxi Alliance.

The once insignificant town has become one of the largest cities in Lingjiang after the migration of several member clans of Longxi.

The Upper House is even more a landmark of Fuling City, from where numerous effective policies are issued daily in all directions.

With a transparent reward and punishment system and impartial policies, every family within the Longxi Alliance, big or small, is full of drive. Under the leadership of Tang Zhi, the alliance has already become the largest force in Longzhou West and is still developing at a jaw-dropping speed.

Every day, there are refugees, displaced clans, and craftsmen who failed to make a living in other cities, all coming to join, attracted by the alliance’s reputation. The alliance, which has already established a full set of reception mechanisms, welcomes all comers, continuously spreading the benevolent name of the Longxi Alliance even further.

However, as the alliance grows, its profits are slowly saturating. More and more member clans are joining, but the spots on the Wancheng Treasure Ship remain fixed.

Like all large powers, when development reaches a certain level, it inevitably means making tough choices, whether to halt expansion or to potentially disintegrate due to internal resource conflicts.

Now facing its first challenge from rapid expansion, the Longxi Alliance is holding a sudden assembly at the Upper House to address the situation.

All the attending members were contemplating what kind of clever policy Tang Zhi, the alliance leader, would come up with this time to navigate the crisis.

Under the scrutinizing eyes of the attendees, several councilors accompanying Tang Zhi unfurled a massive sea map on the wall for everyone to see clearly.

The map extended from Longxi’s Southwest to the South Sea, and as people looked on in confusion, Tang Zhi stood up and spoke indifferently to the crowd, “The next step for the alliance is to take over Chaochang. By controlling Chaochang, we will have the entire Southwestern Longzhou and the endless South Sea at our grasp!”