Universe Infinite Canteen

Under Ma Lu's persuasion, Chu Qianyuan played "Playing with Snakes" and "Singing a Little Tune," which together provided him with 83 points of parry.

However, Ma Lu still said, "Senior Brother, do you have any Body Protection Cards left? Play another one."

But Chu Qianyuan was already getting impatient, "Stop the nonsense and attack already!"

"Alright."

Upon hearing this, Ma Lu, no longer urging, played a "Minor Eternal Spring Technique" card. Combined with the previous two cards, he now had 18 points of True Qi within him.

After that, Ma Lu finally played the "Three Yang Start-up" card, summoned his Inner Strength, and struck a palm towards Chu Qianyuan.

His presence arrived even before he did.

The fierce palm wind caused Chu Qianyuan's cheeks to sting, momentarily making it difficult for him to open his eyes.

But Chu Qianyuan, true to being a martial arts expert of the martial arts circles, managed to bring his hands together in a rush to block Ma Lu's palm.

When their fists and palms collided, they made a muffled thud.

Chu Qianyuan was then forced to retreat three steps back, leaving three footprints on the ground.

Only then did he clearly see the card that Ma Lu had thrown and the power written under that card

—97!

This palm cost Ma Lu 16 points of Inner Strength, and its power nearly broke 100. It obliterated Chu Qianyuan's 83 points of parry and, with the augmentation of the Chef's Knife, also caused 21 points of damage to him.

Chu Qianyuan's health dropped from 164 to 143.

"Three Yang Start-up, it's really the Innate Pure Yang Palm!" Chu Qianyuan's eyes widened, then he noticed the number at the top right corner of the card.

The next moment, his face was filled with disbelief.

"You've cultivated this martial art to the 8th Level, the same realm as our master? How is that possible at your age?!"

"Uh... Maybe it's because Master only taught me half of the Palm Technique, so I was able to practice it faster," Ma Lu said. "Also, to train this palm technique, I didn't really focus on my Inner Strength, Qinggong, or my protective martial arts."

"Junior Brother, you don't have to be modest. Being able to cultivate the Minor Eternal Spring Technique to Great Perfection at your age, you can already be called a martial studies prodigy."

Lies can be fabricated, but martial prowess cannot be faked.

Since Ma Lu was able to use the Innate Pure Yang Palm, a technique only previous Gang Leaders of the Beggars' Sect would know, this confirmed that Deng Youtai had indeed taught him martial arts.

And his ability to cultivate the Innate Pure Yang Palm to such a level indicates not only exceptional talent but also that he must have put in hard work and dedicated a lot of time to it.

This indeed matched his previous statement about trading roasted chicken for palm techniques.

By now, Chu Qianyuan was eighty percent convinced, even changing the way he addressed him.

Even though Deng Youtai did not publicly acknowledge this disciple, in the martial arts circles, the fact of having been taught already signifies a mentor-disciple relationship.

Moreover, what Deng Youtai taught was the secret techniques of the Beggars' Sect, ones which none of his other six disciples had learned.

If anyone were to claim that Deng Youtai did not consider this young man his disciple, it's likely that the former gang leader of the Beggars' Sect would be so enraged that he'd jump directly out of his coffin and slap the person to death.

At the thought of this, Deng Youtai couldn't help but feel both embarrassed and ashamed. His master had more than once said that his temperament was too hot-headed and had advised him to think thrice before acting.

As a result, tonight, when he saw someone standing in front of his master's grave with an iron shovel in hand, he assumed they were a despicable tomb robber and attacked without hesitation, nearly harming his junior brother and a friend from the Iron Clothes Sect.

However, Chu Qianyuan did have his virtues. He was always upright and would readily admit his wrongs. He immediately apologized to Ma Lu.

"Junior brother, I truly wronged you this time. I had no idea that our master had secretly taken another disciple, and with my mood already sour this evening, I almost made a terrible mistake."

As he spoke, he was already rapidly undoing the unlucky coincidence, and after Ma Lu and Gu Qingyi both agreed, he even gave Ma Lu a solemn bow.

Seeing this, Ma Lu hastily stepped forward and helped him up with both hands, "Ignorance is not guilty; Senior Brother Chu, you needn't take it to heart." He paused then curiously asked, "I wonder why were you upset earlier."

"Ah, it's all because of the selection of the Gang Leader. Originally, your second senior brother had already won the approval of most of our brothers. But who would have thought that the Lotus Bowl would go missing at the last minute?"

"Hero Chu, how much do you know about the theft of the Lotus Bowl?" Gu Qingyi, true to his role as an investigation addict, immediately remembered the case at hand as soon as he escaped danger.

However, Chu Qianyuan shook his head and said, "I was not there on that day, and I only heard about the theft of the Lotus Bowl from others. I don't know much more than you do."

He paused there, then sighed deeply, "I'm just worried that if this drags on, the situation will become unfavorable for Xiao Yun."

"As for Elder Bai Baoyu, who is competing with him for the position of Gang Leader, he is a well-known wealthy merchant from Leizhou, with vast family assets. I've heard that these days, he's been handing out money to win over the hearts of the gang members. If this continues, I think there really is no need for an election; we might as well just hand it over to someone with the surname Bai. After all, even if someone else is chosen, the men below will not be willing."

"Wow, that's so despicable," Gu Qingyi felt a sympathetic outrage.

Ma Lu seemed somewhat indifferent; who wouldn't want to hang out with a wealthy boss? Giving away money directly is much better than a stingy boss who only makes promises but never delivers.

But at this moment, he had already presented himself as a brother of Chu Qianyuan whom he had never met, so naturally, he sided with the disciples of Deng Youtai, offering comfort.

"It's alright, I heard that the three candidates agreed that whoever finds the Lotus Bowl will become the Gang Leader. All of Elder Bai's heart-winning will be in vain."

Chu Qianyuan still looked troubled, "As for the Lotus Bowl, who knows who stole it. Although Xiao Yun's martial arts skills are outstanding, finding the bowl is not really his strong suit. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire

"On the contrary, Deputy Gang Leader Jiang has already enlisted the help of two Divine Detectives from the Iron Clothes Sect..."

So, of the three candidates, one is frenziedly throwing around money to win hearts, one has enlisted professionals to solve the case, and only this Xiao Yun has yet to make a move, no wonder Chu Qianyuan is worried on this side.

Gu Qingyi saw this as an opportunity and boldly volunteered, "We... we can help Helmsman Yuan retrieve the Lotus Bowl!"

Chu Qianyuan was taken aback at this offer.

Gu Qingyi then took out his own token from his waist and passed it over, "This is my Iron Clothes Order."

Chu Qianyuan, after examining it carefully, was surprised and asked, "Are you really a Divine Detective?"

"Mhm, but my identity is a bit special. I'm currently investigating a major secret case, so I hope that Hero Chu won't reveal my identity to others. Ah, and it would be best not to mention it to those two detectives either."

Gu Qingyi repeated the excuse he had used previously in the Ruined Temple.

It was uncertain how much this would work on others, but Chu Qianyuan, being a straightforward man, believed it. He then asked, "You're investigating another case. Will you have time to help the Beggar's Sect find the Lotus Bowl?"

"Certainly, certainly," Gu Qingyi nodded hurriedly. "The other case will take some time to yield any results. I'll take care of this one first."

Chu Qianyuan thought about it and eventually could not resist the allure of the Iron Clothes Sect's prestigious reputation. He took a copper ring from his chest and handed it to Gu Qingyi.

"Then I'll leave it to you. This is my token. If you need help while investigating the case, you can show this ring to any nearby Beggar's Sect disciples."