After taking the inner core with Luo Xiu's help, Lin Xiyue remained unconscious until the next morning.

When she awoke, she found herself reclining in a bathtub. The tub was filled with a light-green liquid that emitted a scent that, while not foul, was still pungent. She also discovered that she was stark naked.

"Luo Xiu!" she called out.

A short while later, a yawning Luo Xiu ambled into the bathroom. "Awake?"

"What is all this?"

Luo Xiu looked away and explained, "This is a body tempering medicine I brewed for you. Soaking in it is good for your body."

Lin Xiyue's cheeks flushed as she said coyly, "I'm asking if *you* were the one who took off my clothes!"

Luo Xiu touched his nose. "It's not like I haven't seen everything before. What's the big deal? You're acting as if someone actually took advantage of you. It's just the two of us here. If I didn't take them off, did you think I asked the security guard to come help?"

Her face flushed with shame and anger, Lin Xiyue cupped her hands and splashed water at him. "Get out! Don't look!"

Luo Xiu bolted from the bathroom. "Compared to this, you should be more concerned about the changes in your body!"

Lin Xiyue paused, then stood up and carefully felt the changes within herself. Gradually, a look of joyful surprise spread across her face. She could clearly feel a significant improvement in her physique, though she found it hard to put the sensation into words. She just felt a lot stronger than before. A sudden wave of confidence washed over her, and she felt like she could easily thrash Luo Xiu.

「Some time later.」

On the lawn in the courtyard, Lin Xiyue had changed into a set of aqua yoga clothes and was now practicing the Fist Technique Luo Xiu had just demonstrated. Although she often worked out, practiced yoga, and had even learned Taekwondo, giving her great flexibility, her movements now looked somewhat clumsy and stiff.

Luo Xiu sat on a wooden chair to the side, holding a large bowl and seriously eating the egg-fried rice he had cooked early that morning.

After Lin Xiyue finished the Fist Technique, Luo Xiu pursed his lips and shook his head, mocking her mercilessly. "The grannies practicing Tai Chi in the park have more standard forms than you. Seriously, your cat cat fist is just too ugly to watch."

Hearing this, Lin Xiyue clenched her fists, but a polite smile graced her lips as she asked, "Did I force you to watch?"

Luo Xiu shrugged and ignored her, continuing to eat from his large bowl. He even muttered softly, "Wasn't I watching every night before? Heh, and she's asking if I was watching. I remember everything about you clearly, down to every last hair."

Just as she was about to resume her practice, Lin Xiyue froze. Her expression turned cold as ice as she slowly turned to glare at Luo Xiu. Clearly, she had heard his muttering.

Luo Xiu shuddered and met her gaze, smiling sheepishly. "What's up?"

Without a word, Lin Xiyue snatched a cup from a nearby table and hurled it at him. Luo Xiu dodged it with a casual lean.

"Luo Xiu, are you looking to die?!"

Startled, Luo Xiu scrambled to his feet, hiding behind the chair with his bowl. "Lin Xiyue, what are you doing? I'm telling you, a gentleman uses his words, not his fists! I taught you martial arts to strengthen your body, not for you to hit me!"

However, Lin Xiyue was already blinded by rage. How could she possibly listen to reason? She charged, chasing after Luo Xiu to beat him!

Suddenly, she threw a high kick, lashing out violently at him. But Luo Xiu simply reached out and caught her by the ankle.

"Let go!"

"Damn, you really can't take a joke, can you!"

Furious, Lin Xiyue tried to retract her leg for another kick, but in doing so, her right sneaker slipped off.

"Give me back my shoe!"

Luo Xiu ignored her, snatching her shoe and running off with it. Lin Xiyue gave chase, cursing loudly. With her small, fair foot clad in a thin, cute ankle sock and the other still shod, she couldn't run fast.

"Luo Xiu, give me back my shoe!"

"You scumbag! You jerk! Return my shoe!"

"You're dead meat today! Not even Jesus can save you, I swear it!"

"..."

The two of them ran around the lawn several times, one chasing and the other fleeing. Finally, tired of running, Luo Xiu decisively subdued her with a grappling hand technique.

Lin Xiyue ended up facedown on the grass with a mouthful of it, her hands twisted behind her back by Luo Xiu. She was in a utterly pathetic state.

Luo Xiu pressed a knee into her back, pinning her firmly to the ground. "Do you submit?" he asked.

Lin Xiyue struggled to turn her head, her cheek pressed against the grass. She ground out through her teeth, "Never!"

Luo Xiu pressed her head down with his other hand. "Are you going to submit or not? You still dare to act up with me?"

"Luo Xiu, if you have any guts, let me go and we'll fight one-on-one!"

"One-on-one? You think you can handle it?"

"Let go!"

Luo Xiu started tickling her. "Do you submit?"

"HAHAHA… I submit! I submit! I surrender, just let me go!" Lin Xiyue laughed until she cried, begging for mercy.

Only then did Luo Xiu stop, satisfied. He stood up, dusted the grass from his clothes, and said with a cocky air, "From now on, in my presence, you'd better behave yourself…"

He hadn't even finished his sentence when Lin Xiyue, who had already scrambled up, rushed at him and began kicking him wildly.

"Damn it… Lin Xiyue, you don't fight with honor!"

Lin Xiyue pinched a piece of flesh on Luo Xiu's waist, her long nails digging in so hard they nearly broke the skin.

Luo Xiu winced in pain. "Let go! Are you a shrew?"

She ignored him, then bit down hard on his arm.

"OW! THAT HURTS!" Luo Xiu let out a wail. "AHHH… Sister Yue, I was wrong! You're the boss, I was really wrong!"

"Will you dare to provoke me ever again?"

"Never again! I swear!"

"Put my shoe on for me!"

"Okay, okay, I'll put your shoe on."

"..."

When the battle was over, Luo Xiu was left with torn clothes. His body was covered in fresh scratches and his arms were riddled with bite marks. He looked utterly miserable.

He decided then and there never to provoke this shrew again. She was simply too terrifying when she got angry!

"You woman, you seem so docile normally. Why are you so aggressive?" he complained. "It was such a trivial matter! I only cracked one joke, and you chased me relentlessly, acting as if you wouldn't rest until I was dead."

Lin Xiyue shot him a disdainful look. "So I should just let you bully me?"

"Sigh!" Luo Xiu sighed. "You venomous woman, look at what you did to me. A tigress like you will never get married. Whoever marries you must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck."

"None of your business!" Lin Xiyue glared at him, forcing the words through her clenched teeth. "Right now, I just hope these six months pass quickly so I can finally be rid of a scumbag like you!"

Luo Xiu retorted, "I should be the one saying that!"

"Luo the dog, you jerk!" Lin Xiyue cursed.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Xiu decided not to get entangled with her any further. He slowly walked to the side and struck a pose. "Playtime is over. We still have serious business to attend to. Lin Biao, watch carefully. Young Master will demonstrate the Asura Fist for you one more time. After this, you're on your own to practice. I'm not teaching you again."

Lin Xiyue watched him seriously, saying nothing.

Luo Xiu continued, "The Asura Fist is a Fist Technique I've practiced since I was a child. It's the most basic one I know. However, I can promise you that once you master this Fist Technique, you'll be able to walk sideways in the martial artist community."

She looked skeptical. "Yeah, right. Keep boasting."

"Of course," Luo Xiu said, "no martial art is just about the form. The foundation of any martial art is strength and speed. So, if you don't have enough strength and speed, it doesn't matter how beautiful your moves are. Any beefed-up guy from the gym could knock you out with a single punch. That's why, while you're practicing the fists, you have to prioritize basic physical training to improve your strength and speed."

Lin Xiyue nodded, showing she understood.

Luo Xiu took a deep breath, then began to demonstrate for her again, moving at a much slower pace. As he moved, he chanted:

"Barehanded I grip the hoe's head, a man's fate fears the coming dread.

Walking the water buffalo in stride, from stone a living tiger is pried.

As people cross the bridge on high, the river flows, but the bridge stays dry.

Xihe lashes the sun so white, Shao Hao strolls in autumn light."

After a long while, Luo Xiu stopped and turned to Lin Xiyue. "Did you learn it?"

Lin Xiyue: "..."

Just then, his phone rang. He walked over, picked it up, and saw it was a call from Boss Huang. Boss Huang said he had something urgent to discuss and needed him to come over immediately.

Luo Xiu put his phone down and said to Lin Xiyue, "So, uh… you work on that here. I have to step out for a bit. I'll check on your progress when I get back."

"..."

「Meanwhile.」

In Boss Huang's villa in the East District.

"Will this poisoned wine really work on an expert like Luo Xiu?" Zhu Hongmo asked, looking worriedly at the bottle in Boss Huang's hand.

Boss Huang grinned with confidence. "Don't you worry, Old Sir. One glass is all it will take. He'll lose his ability to resist, and then he'll be completely at our mercy."

"..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.