Chapter 38
"Are you sure you're giving me such a precious item?" asked Ray in disbelief.
Ray had previously been overwhelmed with thoughts on how to acquire true martial arts.
Good things were often hard to come by. They might be available on the internet and easy to find, but the cost to obtain even the lowest-grade martial arts would likely deplete his entire savings.
Hence, Ray now felt a mix of excitement and disbelief at what was transpiring.
Hou Yunfei was hesitant about giving Ray the martial art, but since she had already made the promise, she couldn't back out now.
Hou Yunfei secretly hoped that Ray would say something nonsensical so that she could finally undo her foolishness.
"Y-yes, this is for you..." Hou Yunfei reluctantly replied.
Upon receiving affirmation from the other party, Ray couldn't help but exclaim.
"Hmmm, why does this seem so suspicious? Are you deliberately giving me something valuable to bribe me? Do you think a lowly martial art can serve as a dowry to marry me?"
Hou Yunfei, upon hearing this, widened her eyes in surprise.
"Ahh, got you!" shouted Hou Yunfei excitedly in her mind.
With that, Hou Yunfei hastily interjected.
"If you don't—"
Before Hou Yunfei could finish her sentence, the martial arts book in her hand disappeared.
The martial arts book had changed hands.
"While this may not be a dowry, you can at least lend me this for a while. After I take a look, I'll return it to you! Maybe in the future, I'll be generous enough to marry you even without a dowry," Ray said with a nonchalant expression, shamelessly.
Hou Yunfei, upon hearing this statement, could only feel like coughing up blood.
How did she befriend such a shameless person?
What kind of skin did this young man possess? It seemed thicker than a cow's hide.
Ray, now in possession of a low-grade true martial arts book, completely disregarded Hou Yunfei's condition. He was intensely curious about the object in his hands.
He had no interest in anything else.
With that, Ray began skimming through the book.
"Human true martial arts..."
"What does this mean? Why is the name so peculiar?" Ray was perplexed.
Hou Yunfei, upon seeing the expression on Ray's face, felt a glimmer of hope once again.
"What? Is this martial art not suitable for you? If you don't want it, you can return it to me right away!"
Ray, upon hearing this, could only roll his eyes in front of the other party. Even though the Tesseract in his sea of knowledge could effortlessly copy the contents of every page in the book, he didn't want to do that at all.
Besides being afraid that the other party would grow suspicious and discover his unusual talent, he also wanted to learn from the book at his own pace.
After placing the martial arts book into his storage ring, Ray looked at Hou Yunfei with pleading eyes.
"Is there anything else you can tell me? I'm truly pitiful, after all. I have no teacher, no martial arts manual. I've created and researched everything on my own... sigh, it's really unfortunate for me..." Ray spoke in a pathetic tone.
Hou Yunfei, who was observing the spectacle put on by Ray, couldn't help but feel disgusted.
If Hou Yunfei didn't know the real Ray, perhaps she would have been fooled by his pitiful appearance.
Despite her annoyance, Hou Yunfei still defended Ray's actions.
"There are numerous martial arts in the world. I can't claim to know them all, but I have a general understanding. Talent alone is not all-powerful; sometimes we need appropriate martial arts to achieve high combat effectiveness.
Martial arts can complement talent and even replace it. If someone has the talent to strengthen their fists, martial arts can enhance their punching power. If others have the talent to see in the dark, martial arts can provide them with night vision.
The key is that learning proper martial arts is crucial, whether it is to enhance our existing talents or compensate for our lack of talent."
Upon hearing the explanation, Ray felt enlightened and couldn't help but feel immense gratitude towards Hou Yunfei. Despite his annoying behavior and constant taking advantage of her, she never neglected him.
"I will repay this debt many times over," Ray promised himself.
"Well, thank you, beautiful upperclassman! If you ever need help, just let me know. Ray will assist you unconditionally when needed."
Hearing this, Hou Yunfei was taken aback.
"Ah, who needs your help!" Hou Yunfei retorted while sneering.
However, despite not appearing to expect any help from Ray in the future, Hou Yunfei somehow believed that the young man before her could become a great ally in the future.
This is what they call female intuition!
...
In the outskirts of town, within a forest, Ray was immersed in camping, accompanied by the warm glow of a bonfire against the night sky.
It was Friday, and he was camping as usual, but this time the atmosphere was more relaxed. Ray didn't have any plans for hunting or engaging in anything serious. He simply wanted to meditate and calm his restless mind.
Lately, he had been feeling a sense of loneliness and longing. Despite Earth not being his true home, he couldn't help but miss it.
Feeling helpless, Ray decided to proactively practice the martial arts given to him by his seniors.
Human true martial arts were the most fundamental form of martial arts. They focused on the natural flow of aura within the body, followed by the specific momentum generated during attacks, and finally, the intention of self-defense.
The more Ray practiced, the more he believed that this martial art was exceptional. While others may view human true martial arts as mediocre, he considered it a treasure of immeasurable value.
After all, Ray did not know the aura flow, momentum, or intentions of earth martial arts. However, with the manual in his possession, Ray felt optimistic that he could create his martial art by merging it with the principles of earth martial arts.
Until midnight, Ray diligently followed the true manual of human martial arts. His movements were slow and relentless as if he wanted to etch every technique into his bones and blood.
Satisfied with his intense training session, Ray fell into a deep sleep. A faint smile graced his lips as he wandered through his dreams.
The following day, Ray went about his usual mandatory activities and then prepared to leave. As he walked towards the city wall, his mind was filled with various thoughts.
Ray couldn't help but feel a longing for the dishes and arts of Earth. He also yearned to engage in the activities he used to enjoy back on his home planet. Furthermore, he couldn't help but think about his new family in this fantasy world.
When he initially left for the camp, his mother was slightly annoyed and hesitant to let him go. After some persuasion, she reluctantly allowed him to leave, hoping that he would return unharmed as he did the previous week. Ray himself felt worried and reluctant about leaving for camp. Unbeknownst to him, he had gradually become integrated into his new family in this enchanting world.
Taking a deep breath, Ray's thoughts turned to his younger siblings, and suddenly, an idea struck him.
"Ah, I should add some gifts for the two little ones," Ray exclaimed with excitement sparkling in his eyes. He found great joy in seeing the smiles on their faces.
Unaware of the passage of time, Ray found himself on the outskirts of town. He smoothly completed the necessary administrative tasks, having become familiar with the procedures and the people involved.
Once finished, Ray hurriedly made his way to the house of the skinny thief. There was hope shining in his eyes as he approached the residence of the young thief.
"Case... case..."
"Yeah, wait!" a child's voice replied from behind the door.
After a moment, the door opened, revealing a child.
"Where's your brother?" Ray inquired.
"Oh, brother is out buying something. He'll be home soon," the child responded.
After a short wait, the figure Ray had been waiting for finally arrived. The exchange between Ray and the thief went as smoothly as before.
As the thief offered to accompany Ray back home, he was taken aback by the unexpected request that came from Ray's mouth.
"Can you show me your talent for stealing?"
The skinny youth gasped in surprise, their eyes widening in disbelief. With a fearful expression, they looked at Ray, unsure of how to respond.