Moonlit Pavilion.
Third-floor private room.
After a moment of contemplation, Cao Bin spoke: "This matter must be resolved quickly! Once that esteemed official arrives, the Inspection Bureau will loom over Luoshui County like the heavens, and we won't be able to act recklessly for the time being."
"Frame Jiang Li with a crime, then arrest his entire family and throw them into prison!"
Xu Yunfeng immediately bowed in acknowledgment.
"Understood!"
He then asked, "What crime should I frame him with?"
"Do I need to teach you this?" Cao Bin looked up, his gaze calm as he stared at Xu Yunfeng. "Have you heard of the Worship Sect?"
"I understand now!" Xu Yunfeng bowed again. "Thank you for your guidance, Chief Cao!"
"Hmm." Cao Bin nodded slightly, then waved his hand. "Go and make the arrangements. Remember, I want results within a week!"
"Yes!" Xu Yunfeng responded, then hesitated before asking, "Chief Cao, what about Jiang Ning? He's Wang Jin's disciple. Should we include him in the plan?"
"Include him," Cao Bin said without hesitation. "He's only been at the Canglang Martial Arts School for a few days. He doesn't count as Wang Jin's disciple yet. I'll personally lead the team to demand his handover. I believe Wang Jin is a man who knows how to weigh his options and act with discretion."
"When you cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots!"
"Besides, if he's allowed to stay at the school long-term, his martial talent must be decent. That's why Wang Jin is taking care of him. We can't let someone like that live!"
"Understood!" Xu Yunfeng bowed again, then slowly exited the room.
Canglang Martial Arts School.
In a corner of the school's courtyard stood a massive iron cage.
The cage covered an area of about one acre.
Its front, back, sides and even the top were enclosed by interlocking iron bars, completely sealing off the courtyard.
The gaps between the iron bars were no wider than seven inches, just enough for a person to squeeze through.
Outside the cage, several elevated viewing platforms had been erected.
At this moment, Wang Jin and Shen Congyun stood together on one of the platforms.
The other platforms were occupied by the school's true disciples and Liu Zhixiang from the Sihe Chamber of Commerce.
"Let's begin," Wang Jin announced.
Time passed.
By evening, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and night was about to fall.
In Jiang Ning's courtyard.
"Pah!"
Cheng Ran spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, along with some remnants of the medicinal broth he had just drunk.
"That beast is fierce!"
He grimaced, clearly aggravated by his wounds.
Jiang Ning handed him a bowl of clear water. "Senior Brother Cheng, you're pushing yourself too hard! You're still injured, yet you went into the cage to fight that tiger!"
Cheng Ran took the bowl and gulped down the water, then wiped his mouth.
"I have no choice! I've already fallen behind Xiao Peng in my fist techniques. If I don't face the tiger head-on, if I don't fight it and experience its spirit and form up close, I'll never master the Tiger Fist, let alone meet Master Wang's condition of mastering two fist techniques."
"Besides, that esteemed figure, Master Shen, was also watching. Performing well might earn me his favor."
"The chances are slim, but it's worth a shot. I had to take the risk."
"I admire your determination," Jiang Ning said, cupping his hands in respect.
At this moment, Jiang Ning gained a deeper understanding of Cheng Ran's earlier words: "To achieve greatness in martial arts, one must strive relentlessly."
Cheng Ran's attitude had undergone a dramatic shift in just a few days.
In Jiang Ning's view, this change was due to two factors.
First, the emergence of Xiao Peng as a rival spurred Cheng Ran to improve.
Second, the arrival of new opportunities had given Cheng Ran a glimpse of a different future and a chance to leap over the dragon gate.
The Inspection Bureau, a new power structure in the Great Xia Dynasty, had shown Cheng Ran a path to success.
And Shen Congyun's presence further fueled Cheng Ran's motivation.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jiang Ning asked, "Senior Brother Cheng, did you gain anything from the fight?"
Cheng Ran shook his head, then nodded. "A little, but not much. I'll need to reflect on it further."
He then added, "Could you get me another bowl of water, Junior Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Ning smiled, took the bowl, and fetched another serving of clear water from the water jar.
Cheng Ran drank it all in one go, then stood up.
"It's getting late. I should head back."
Jiang Ning also stood. "Let me walk you out, Senior Brother Cheng."
"Sure," Cheng Ran agreed, then added, "Tomorrow evening, I'll come to pick you up for the Chamber of Commerce's banquet. But I won't be at the school during the day. I need to meditate on today's fight with that beast and see if I can capture that fleeting moment of insight to master the Tiger Fist."
"No problem," Jiang Ning nodded, then cupped his hands again. "Thank you, Senior Brother Cheng."
Cheng Ran smiled.
The two then walked out of the martial arts school together.
After seeing Cheng Ran off, Jiang Ning returned to his courtyard.
Entering his room, he saw ten brocade boxes placed on the table.
Inside the boxes were ten wild ginseng roots.
That afternoon, Zhou Xing had sent someone to deliver the ginseng to the school.
Jiang Ning had finally obtained the precious medicinal herbs he had been longing for.
"Ten wild ginseng roots should last me for a while!"
He opened one of the boxes and gazed at the ginseng root lying inside, his eyes filled with delight.
Since running out of ginseng, his daily training sessions have decreased by nearly 30%.
This not only slowed the fermentation of his liver's energy but also reduced the rate at which he accumulated vital energy.
At the same time, the rate at which he gained energy points had also dropped significantly.
Previously, on the day he had consumed a third of a ginseng root, he had gained 0.6 energy points.
But without ginseng, even with the school providing three bowls of medicinal broth daily and three meat-filled meals, his daily energy point gain had dropped to just 0.4.
"It's different now! With these ten wild ginseng roots, my progress will undoubtedly accelerate!"
Jiang Ning picked up one of the boxes and walked out into the courtyard.
Under the glow of the setting sun, Jiang Ning stood still, unmoving.
In his mind, he replayed the scenes from that afternoon's battles between the disciples and the tiger.
Earlier that day, apart from Cheng Ran, Li Qing, Zhou Xing, Zhao Hu, and Zhang Tiesheng the school's true disciples had all entered the cage to fight the tiger.
Jiang Ning had watched the entire spectacle. It was the first time he had witnessed a tiger battling humans up close.
Thanks to his photographic memory, the scenes from the fight were etched into his mind like frames from a movie.
The tiger was the best teacher for mastering the Tiger Fist.
After watching the battles, Jiang Ning gained many insights.
Now, he continued to deepen his understanding of the tiger's spirit and form.
Only by mastering both spirit and form could he achieve mastery in the Tiger Fist of the Five Animals Fist.
Once he mastered the spirit and form of a fist technique, Jiang Ning had already discovered that each practice session would yield at least two experience points.
This was a fact he had confirmed through repeated experimentation.
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