I Can Replicate Martial Arts

It was the kind of fondness a man has for having many wives and concubines.

"I’m getting old!"

Zhao Rui shook his head with a wry laugh, his gaze traveling far into the distance toward the line of camels.

There were several dozen camels, each carrying a passenger.

These passengers were a motley crew of all sorts, but most were traveling from the Central Plains to Central Asia.

Aside from a few bold and adventurous souls out for sightseeing, the majority were merchants.

Since ancient times, merchants have always pursued profit. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

Never mind a military standoff—even when two armies were clashing, you would still find merchants doing business.

"This desert is often frequented by fierce bandits, but don’t you worry. Our Camel Gang is one of the best around here. No one’s foolish enough to try and stop our caravan."

A Martial Artist from the Camel Gang circled around to the couple’s side. His gaze raked over the woman with a hint of lewdness as he smiled and tried to strike up a conversation.

The man had a scar on his face like a centipede, making for a terrifying sight upon closer inspection.

"Oh, wow. You’re really something else."

The man replied perfunctorily.

"Are you two a couple? Your girl’s a real looker. Where’re you from?"

"She’s my girlfriend. Hey, buddy, we’re fine over here. You can go on about your business," the man said, his expression awkward.

"Hey, now. I’m a helpful guy. When I see a young lady like her, I just feel a sense of kinship, like she’s my own little sister. Alright then. Call me if you need anything. There’s no problem I can’t solve around here."

A smirk played on the lips of the scar-faced member of the Camel Gang. He gave his eyebrows a slight twitch, said no more, and turned his camel to ride away from the couple.

In the scorching desert, aside from the people and camels of the caravan, there were basically no other animals to be seen.

Not only were there no animals, but there was also no trace of any plants or buildings.

The caravan traveled for the better part of the day. It wasn’t until the sun began to set in the west that a tavern, built from packed earth and stone, appeared before their eyes.

The tavern was not small, but it was rather crude and plain.

A massive sign stood out front, but it was so weathered by the wind and sand that more than half of it was buried.

Led by their guide, the camel train headed straight for the tavern.

Before they even reached the door, an eager attendant rushed out to greet them, arranging a place for the camels to rest and guiding everyone inside the tavern to dine.

The service was impeccable.

Zhao Rui followed the others inside and found the main hall already bustling with people.

There were Martial Artists in traditional garb, travelers in modern attire, and even foreigners in clothing from the Central Asian ’Stans’.

The whole tavern seemed quite lively.

"Excuse me, mind if we join your table?"

Zhao Rui had just found a place to sit down when the young man and woman walked over and asked politely.

"Go ahead."

Zhao Rui smiled and glanced around, only to see that there were no empty tables left in the main hall.

"Thanks, man. In this whole caravan, I gotta say, you seem like the smartest and coolest guy."

"Is that so?"

Zhao Rui gave a noncommittal smile and went back to eating his food.

Seeing that Zhao Rui wasn’t much for conversation, the young couple turned back to each other and resumed their affectionate cuddling.

Zhao Rui simply smiled, unconcerned, and paid them no mind.

After a while, the attendant finally brought over three bowls of steaming hot noodles and placed them before them.

A single bowl of these noodles cost several hundred yuan, enough to buy dozens of servings back in the city.

But the high price made sense. Who would complain about the cost when you could get a bowl of hot noodles in the middle of the Gobi Desert?

After all, scarcity creates value.

Zhao Rui had ordered noodles with a simple tomato sauce—he had a particular craving for it.

Just as everyone was eating, Zhao Rui’s ears suddenly picked up the sound of approaching footsteps.

A group of eight.

Their footsteps were light and nimble, a clear sign that they all possessed exceptional Martial Arts.

’Are all these people really heading for this little outpost?’

Zhao Rui was a little surprised; after all, he himself had only joined the caravan by chance after running into it on the road, wanting to experience the journey.

Just as he was lost in thought, the group of seven or eight people pushed the door open and swaggered inside.

The eight of them were dressed however they pleased, some in traditional garb and others in modern clothes.

Everyone’s attire was different, but the tattoos on their shoulders were all identical.

The group carried themselves with extreme arrogance. Upon entering the tavern and scanning the room, one of them kicked a portly man eating at a nearby table to the ground.

"Are you blind? You’re in my seat."

The man didn’t say a word. He just silently picked himself up and scurried to the other side of the room.

With him gone, the table was now empty.

Seeing this, the attendant immediately hurried over to greet them warmly. Unfortunately, the eight men showed him no courtesy, shoving him aside with a wave of a hand.

"You’re noisy! Where’s your boss? Get her out here," one of the Martial Artists yelled.

"Unfortunately, our proprietor has gone to the Central Plains for training. She isn’t here," the attendant said hurriedly, forcing a smile.

"She’s not here? Then what are you standing around for? Get to serving."

"Yes, yes!"

The attendant quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and scurried into the kitchen.

Despite the group’s arrogance, the other patrons didn’t seem surprised. Instead, they all just steered clear of their table.

Seeing this, the men roared with laughter. They pulled out cigarettes, lit them, and took a few drags. Then, a bald, broad-nosed brute stood up and suddenly slammed his palm toward the floor.

With a loud BANG, a crater the size of a washbasin appeared in the floor.

"Same old rules. Three thousand a head. Pay up now, no tabs."

As soon as he said this, everyone in the tavern seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Before long, people started walking up and handing over the three thousand yuan.

"How can they just charge people like that? Isn’t this robbery? I’m going to call the Patrol!"

The young woman sitting next to Zhao Rui couldn’t help but cry out in anger and shock.

Her boyfriend immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to stop her from speaking rashly.

However, the woman’s strength was immense. She was clearly a practitioner herself. With a single shrug, she sent the man flying.

"This is still the territory of the Central Plains! Is there no law here?"

The girl, furious, pointed at the eight men and spoke coldly.

"Oho, this little lady’s got a sharp tongue. Let’s see if you’re as ’talented’ in other areas. If not, you might be in for a spanking!"

Hearing her words, the bald man, far from being angry, stood up with a look of great interest and started walking toward her, he taunted as he went.

At his words, the other men burst into laughter.

"Stop it, Fei’Er! Sirs, my girlfriend isn’t thinking straight. Please, just ignore her, please."

The man she’d thrown off scrambled forward, bowing repeatedly to the bald man and his thugs in apology.

"You’re no man at all."

The woman finished with a frown, then snatched up the square table and hurled it straight at the bald man.

Her wide, powerful movements were more masculine than any man’s.

"We’ll see just how ’talented’ you are after I’m done knocking you around a bit."

The woman’s actions gave everyone present a real shock.

No one had expected a seemingly gentle girl to use such a violent Technique.

And a rather impressive one at that.

"Interesting!"

The bald man’s figure blurred as he dodged her attack. With a loud CRASH, the table slammed into the ground and shattered to pieces.

"You dare collect protection money? Have you forgotten what century it is?"

Her first strike having missed, the woman spun into a back kick. She moved so quickly that the bald man had no choice but to throw up his hands in front of his chest to block the blow.

Even with his sturdy build, the bald man was forced back two steps.

He was clearly no match for her in terms of pure strength.

"Boss!"

"It seems we have a friend from the Jianghu. Her strength isn’t bad, but..."

"This is the Northern Desert, not a place where you get to act high and mighty! Brothers, get her!"

At the bald man’s command, the other seven instantly closed in around her.

Each of the seven men employed a unique footwork, their bodies taking up specific positions around her.

The seven formed a pincer attack, moving like a battle formation as they assailed the woman.

The woman stood her ground fearlessly. She threw a punch, and the faint, thunderous roar of a great cat echoed in the air.

Though her power was immense, her seven opponents were no pushovers. Their combined formation actually managed to steadily suppress the young woman.

"Fei’Er, I’m coming to help you!"

Seeing this, the man rushed forward, intending to shield the woman with his own body.

Unfortunately, his skills were lacking. He only managed to block two of the bald man’s techniques before being sent flying with a kick.

He landed right on top of the table where they had been eating.