62: Chapter 62 Easily Subdued, Livestream Room: "The Streamer is 'Picking Up Kills' Again"

As the morning light climbed the stone railing of the moat, Chen Wu's tactical tablet suddenly vibrated. The livestream icon of the Global Martial Arts System was still glowing red, and the online viewer count, instead of decreasing, had risen from last night's 120 million to 150 million—evidently, countless people were watching the replays, wanting to see the brilliant moment the Shadow Warrior was subdued once more.

"The System has automatically started 'Loop Livestream' mode." Lin Mo's voice carried a heavy sleepiness, the boy's dark circles even darker than the frame of the tactical tablet. "Backend data shows that searches for 'Tomb Guardian' have already surpassed the World Cup final. Someone even set up a fan club for you and just donated 200,000 points as activity funds."

Chen Wu's fingertips swiped across the screen, and the bullet chat refreshed like a waterfall. "Is the streamer awake? Requesting extra training!" "Didn't see enough of the Nine Palace Steps yesterday, can you demonstrate it again?" "I suggest opening a paid course; I'll be the first to sign up!" The most prominent was a pinned comment from the Global Martial Arts System's official account: "Today's Mission: Assist in handling street conflicts. Livestream proceeds will be donated to the Reformer Relief Fund."

Grandpa Wang tapped his tobacco pipe against the threshold of the training hall. The old man held up his reading glasses to study the tablet screen, the sparks in the pipe nearly singeing his beard. "At the 1956 National Martial Arts Showcase, even the best master could only be seen by a thousand people in a single match." He pointed his pipe at the words "Stealing Kills" in the bullet chat. "What does this term mean? It doesn't sound like a compliment."

Chen Wu had just finished explaining that "Stealing Kills" was a joke by netizens about winning easily when an emergency alert suddenly popped up on the tablet. A Qi Energy fluctuation had appeared on a pedestrian street three kilometers away. The intensity was only D-rank, but the System's markers showed thirty people involved in the brawl, five of whom carried the residual aura of the Gray Shadow Organization—clearly remnants of last night's Shadow Warrior, looking to cause trouble amidst the chaos.

"Let's try a different way this time." Chen Wu injected his Qi Energy into the tablet, switching the livestream to a first-person perspective. "Let's show them that traditional martial arts can not only fight but also how to solve trouble with the least amount of effort." His footsteps fell into the rhythm of the Stamping and Grinding Step, his blue-gold Qi Energy leaving faint trails on the stone slabs, as if demonstrating the key points of the footwork to the viewers in the livestream room.

The encrypted channel of the Special Incident Response Department lit up at the same time. The Section Chief sent a wry emoji: "The Minister asked me to remind you not to be too flashy. This morning's news has already called your 'Nine Palace Steps' the 'New Era Urban Security Technique,' and the municipal bureau wants to invite you to train the patrol police." Attached was a photo of several police officers clumsily mimicking last night's defensive stance.

The marble ground of the pedestrian street shimmered with a wet light. Thirty thugs holding steel pipes were surrounding a Flower Girl. The leader, Scarface, had a bandage wrapped around his wrist—Chen Wu's Listening Energy could tell that it was a wound purified by the nine-turn soul returning ointment last night; clearly, he hadn't learned his lesson.

"More Grey Shadow cannon fodder." Lin Mo's tablet pulled up their files. "They're all habitual offenders with criminal records. This morning, they received anonymous transfers, saying they'd get Genetic Medicine if they made a big scene." On the tactical map, the positions of the five Grey Shadow remnants were moving, clearly intending to hide in the crowd to film footage of Chen Wu's "violent law enforcement."

Chen Wu's livestream camera suddenly turned toward the sky. From a drone's perspective, the flow of people on the pedestrian street was partitioned into safe zones by blue-gold Qi Energy, with the Flower Girl standing exactly at the central "Taiji Eye" position. The bullet chat instantly flooded the screen: "Is the streamer drawing a formation?" "Pre-planning a safety zone, professional!" "Betting five points the fight is over in thirty seconds!"

When Scarface's steel pipe swung down with the sound of whistling wind, Chen Wu's foot stepped exactly into the "Qian Position" of the Nine Palace Steps. To the viewers in the livestream room, he seemed to only lightly move half a step to the side, yet the steel pipe lost its force as if hitting cotton. Scarface himself lunged forward due to inertia and fell right into the flower bushes in front of the Flower Girl, drawing a burst of laughter from the onlookers.

"First kill obtained!" The "Stealing Kills" meme began to flood the bullet chat. Chen Wu did not pause; his Qi Energy spread along the ground, condensing into invisible Tripwires beneath the thugs' feet—this was a variation of the "Tripwire" from Basic Footwork. His seemingly casual steps precisely caused every charging thug to step on a point of imbalance.

Just as the second thug raised his steel pipe over his head, he was tripped by his own companion. He lunged toward a nearby milk tea shop, and the overturned ice cream cone landed right on the third thug's face. The blue-gold Qi Energy bounced back and forth between them like a sophisticated game of dominoes. The thirty thugs hadn't been hit once, yet they were already tangled together in a mess.

"This is the highest Realm of 'Borrowing Strength to Strike Back'!" A martial arts coach was providing live commentary in the bullet chat. "The streamer's Qi Energy can not only defend but also guide the opponent's strength. This requires such a profound understanding of Listening Energy!" The Global Martial Arts System's real-time score jumped to 9.8, with a note: "Tactical sophistication surpasses the 1987 Tomb Guardian record."

When the five Grey Shadow remnants tried to slip away quietly, Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly exploded at their feet. The blue-gold energy flow formed the shape of miniature cameras, and a prompt popped up in the livestream: "Illegal filming equipment detected; signal automatically blocked." When those five reached for the phones in their pockets, they found the screens had already turned into static.

Scarface struggled to pull out a folding knife, its blade still stained with residual toxins from last night. This time, Chen Wu did not dodge. Instead, he used a Cross-Strike technique to press down on his wrist, his Qi Energy traveling along the blade to force the toxins back into the handle—the folding knife suddenly snapped shut, catching Scarface's finger. He howled in pain, yet his skin wasn't even broken.

"The streamer is so mean!" "This move of 'Using Their Own Medicine Against Them' is brilliant!" "Suggest changing the name to 'Tomb Guardian Prank Channel'!" The joyful atmosphere of the bullet chat infected the onlookers. The Flower Girl even smilingly handed over a rose. Chen Wu took the flower and tucked it into Scarface's pocket: "Remember to buy flowers to apologize next time; it's more useful than carrying a knife."

As the thirty thugs were tied up in a string, Chen Wu suddenly waved toward the livestream camera. The Flower Girl timidly walked to his side, holding a tattered martial arts magazine: "I... I want to learn this footwork too. Not to fight, just to be able to protect myself." Her fingertips brushed over a photo of her grandfather in the magazine—it was an exclusive interview with the Tomb Guardian published in 1987.

Chen Wu's Qi Energy drew a simple nine-palace grid on the ground. Blue-gold dots formed the numbers 1 through 9. He had the Flower Girl stand at position 5: "This is the 'Taiji Eye,' the safest position. If you encounter danger, move here. Remember, your steps should be like treading on cotton; don't let the opponent see your intentions."

The livestream screen automatically switched to a split-screen view. On the left was Chen Wu's demonstration, and on the right was the Flower Girl's imitation. The System even thoughtfully marked the differences between the two: "Stride deviation 3 cm," "Qi Energy fluctuation frequency similarity 72%." Coaches in the bullet chat began providing live guidance: "Bend your knees a bit more," "Lower your center of gravity, yes!"

When the five Grey Shadow remnants tried to launch a sneak attack amidst the chaos, the Flower Girl actually managed to dodge using the footwork she had just learned. Although her movements were as clumsy as a startled fawn, she precisely stepped into the "Gen Position" of the Nine Palace Steps, causing the attackers to lunge into thin air and fall right into the arms of the arriving patrol police. The livestream room was instantly filled with celebratory "Graduated" comments.

"Did you see that?" Chen Wu held up the tactical tablet to the camera, the screen displaying the Flower Girl's Qi Energy data. "She has no foundation whatsoever, yet she was able to learn self-protection in three minutes. traditional martial arts isn't just for experts; if ordinary people master even a little, they can protect themselves and those around them at critical moments."

The Global Martial Arts System's point mall suddenly listed the "Basic Footwork Simplified Edition" for only 100 points. Within ten minutes of going online, 500,000 copies were sold. System prompts showed that all proceeds would go to the Reformer Relief Fund. A message popped up on Lin Mo's tablet: Li Meng had bought a copy with the points he just saved and was practicing along with the video in his hospital room.

As Scarface was being taken away by the patrol police, he suddenly shouted toward the livestream camera: "I want to reform too! Can you teach me the footwork?" Chen Wu tossed him a tube of nine-turn soul returning ointment: "Clear out the toxins first. Report to the training hall next week; Grandpa Wang will teach you the basics." This scene caused the online viewer count to break 200 million, and searches for "Tomb Guardian Martial Arts Hall" instantly topped the charts.

The black sedan of the Special Incident Response Department was parked at the street corner. The Section Chief held up her phone to record the screen, her shoulders trembling slightly—clearly, she was stifling a laugh. Her communicator carried the Minister's helpless voice: "Tell him to know when to stop. If this continues, our law enforcement recorders will be replaced by his livestream camera."

As the setting sun dyed the glass curtain walls of the pedestrian street red, Chen Wu's livestream finally ended. The final data stopped at 230 million views, setting a new world record. The System-generated report showed that over eight million users had purchased the "Basic Footwork Simplified Edition," and the donations received by the Reformer Relief Fund were enough to build three rehabilitation centers.

Grandpa Wang's training hall was packed with people who had come because of his reputation. The old man sat by the bronze statue with his tobacco pipe, stamping the hands of the children in line—every child who learned the "Taiji Eye" footwork received a copper coin engraved with the word "Protect." "When I took my first disciple in 1958, I never thought traditional martial arts could be this popular." His pipe pointed at the livestream replay on the wall. "This 'Stealing Kills' sounds crude, but it explains it well—if a trouble can be solved easily, don't make it bloody."

Lin Mo's tablet received a joint request from global Martial Artists. Martial arts associations from thirty-seven countries wanted to introduce the "Basic Footwork Simplified Edition" as a mandatory course for primary and secondary schools. The boy's fingertips tapped in the reply box: "Chen Wu says it can be authorized for free, but it must be guaranteed that the teaching emphasizes 'Martial Arts is to Stop Conflict' and cannot be used to bully others."

The Section Chief delivered a special document—a revised edition of the "Urban Security Manual," in which Chapter 3, "Street Defense Techniques," fully adopted Chen Wu's "Nine Palace Steps" theory, using screenshots from the livestream for illustrations. "The Minister said this will lower the crime rate more than any weapon." A half-copied version of "Basic Footwork" peeked out from her uniform pocket. "I'm also secretly practicing; I want to try its actual combat effect during the next mission."

Chen Wu's gaze fell upon a new fist print on the wooden dummy. Countless shadows were interwoven within the blue-gold Qi Energy—the Flower Girl's caution, Scarface's remorse, the children's earnestness, and those enthusiastic comments in the livestream room. He suddenly understood that behind the joke of "Stealing Kills" was people's yearning for "Subduing the Enemy Without Fighting," a recognition of wisdom rather than violence.

The notification sound of the Global Martial Arts System rang out again. This time, the "Tomb Guardian Exclusive Set" exchange interface popped up, with a new option added next to it: "Establish Global Traditional Martial Arts Teaching Points," requiring exactly 12 million points. Chen Wu's fingertip hovered over the confirmation button as his blue-gold Qi Energy resonated with the System, as if hearing his grandfather say: "Share the good things. What the Tomb Guardian guards is not a secret, but the ability for more people to protect themselves."

In the late-night training hall, the thread-bound book of "Basic Footwork" automatically flipped open under the moonlight. Beside the annotations on the pages were dense new notes, all teaching points Chen Wu had written based on livestream feedback. The porcelain bottle of nine-turn soul returning ointment nearby emitted a faint medicinal fragrance, blending with the sound of children's footsteps practicing footwork from outside the window to form the most beautiful melody.

Chen Wu stood at the courtyard gate, listening to the rising and falling sounds of the "Stamping and Grinding Step" in the alley. Everyone passing by was practicing the footwork they learned today in their own way, the blue-gold Qi Energy forming an invisible protective net in the night. He knew that the true Legacy was not a sensational livestream, but these footsteps integrated into daily life, the confidence of every ordinary person to say, "I can protect myself."

Just like the last comment in the livestream room at this moment, from an anonymous netizen: "I used to think heroes were far away from us, but now I've found that we can learn the hero's footwork too." This comment was liked by 120 million people, proving more than any "Stealing Kills" joke that the most touching "satisfaction" of traditional martial arts has never been about how many enemies are defeated, but how much courage is awakened in people's hearts.