First Move

The sudden words from the beautiful young girl caught everyone off guard, even Duàn Yì was quite surprised.

"Hmph, who are you? Little brat, trying to steal a man? Come back when you've grown a few more pounds on your chest."

Seeing someone interrupt, everyone turned to look and was stunned by the girl's exquisite features and flawless milky white skin.

It wasn't necessarily mixed with lust, but more of a feeling of awe and admiration. In another ten years, she would undoubtedly be a peerlessly beautiful woman, capable of toppling kingdoms.

Women, however, were different. Their innate tendency to compare made them feel inferior at first glance. Secondly, they felt immense pressure. Those with husbands thought, "I absolutely cannot let my husband see this vixen," while those without husbands secretly resolved to stay as far away from this woman as possible in the future.

Especially Young Miss Zhou, whose attention had been entirely on Duàn Yì. Upon seeing the girl, she was first startled, then a hidden glint of jealousy flickered in her eyes. She said fiercely, "You, what nonsense are you talking about? Hmph, you're just some stinky brat. Just because you like him doesn't mean I do. I just can't stand you bullying people with your influence."

Being rebuked by Young Miss Zhou, the girl's pretty face instantly turned bright red. She clenched her fists and glared fiercely at Duàn Yì before stammering a denial.

As she lowered her head, she inadvertently saw her own flat chest and felt a surge of annoyance.

This made Duàn Yì feel a mix of amusement and helplessness. You've got a burst of righteous indignation and decided to help, fine. But why are you always picking on me?

"You court death, seize her for me."

Young Miss Zhou didn't want to argue with the girl any further. Her tone suddenly sharpened as she commanded the household servants around her, her narrowed eyes flashing with madness.

Of course, she could tell the beautiful girl came from an extraordinary background. Her demeanor and clothing suggested a person of great importance. If it were any other day, she wouldn't have easily provoked someone like this.

But today was different. The man she fancied was right beside her, and this little brat was exchanging glances with him, clearly indicating an unusual relationship. She had even dared to confront her.

If she didn't show some spirit now, wouldn't she lose all competitiveness in front of the man?

Hearing their young miss's command, the burly men, though regretting the girl's delicate and cute appearance, had no choice but to comply.

Two large men stepped out from the surrounding circle, their imposing presence radiating menace as they moved to grab the girl from the stall.

Seeing this, Duàn Yì couldn't just stand by. After all, she had stood up for him. He stepped forward, blocking the path of the two men with his arm.

As the young miss's favored "boy toy," these two servants knew better than to offend him and hesitated, looking towards Zhōu Xiūfēn.

Although Duàn Yì's action earned him some favor from the girl, Young Miss Zhou was furious.

"What are you waiting for? Attack!"

Receiving the order, the two no longer held back. One of them reached out to push Duàn Yì aside.

In terms of height, this man was over 1.8 meters tall, with a face full of coarse flesh and a robust build. Duàn Yì, only fourteen, though strong and approaching adulthood, was barely over 1.7 meters, completely outmatched.

However, when they clashed, the outcome was far from expected.

The man pushed towards Duàn Yì's chest with about eighty percent of his strength, enough to knock down a grown man.

Unexpectedly, Duàn Yì shifted his feet, retreating with the momentum, and countered by grabbing the man's right hand from behind, pressing his thumb on the tiger's mouth. Simultaneously, using his foot as leverage, he swept his other leg out, kicking the man's knee joint sharply with his toes. The man cried out in pain and immediately knelt before Duàn Yì, completely unable to retaliate.

This was one move from "Consort Folding Branches" and "Wind Sweeping Fallen Leaves" used simultaneously.

The other man, seeing his companion subdued, swallowed hard. He was scared but dared not flee. Instead, he mustered his courage and swung a punch towards Duàn Yì's head, holding nothing back. If it had landed, Duàn Yì would have been seriously injured, if not knocked unconscious.

However, thanks to the divine efficacy of the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts, Duàn Yì's progress in practicing "Minor Capturing Hand" was astonishing, greatly enhancing his hand-eye coordination. He had already seen the man's punch trajectory before it was even thrown.

He casually kicked the kneeling servant groaning in pain aside to avoid obstruction, while simultaneously retracting his upper body to dodge the punch.

Instead of retreating, his body moved forward. In a swift exchange, he precisely grasped the man's wrist as he swung, and with his other hand, directly clamped onto the man's shoulder joint. With a subtle twist, he dislocated the man's shoulder. The man's eyes bulged, cold sweat streamed down his face, and he could only whimper and drool.

This display of skill was incredibly swift and clean. Before anyone could react, these two extremely burly men were lying at Duàn Yì's feet, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

Even the beautiful young girl's mouth hung open in surprise, her eyes shining with admiration.

"I didn't expect this brat to know martial arts like Capturing Hand. No wonder he made my hand go numb when he grabbed it earlier."

For some reason, her heart felt inexplicably sweet. Watching this young man fight for her, she felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Duàn Yì, having dealt with the two men, let out a couple of light breaths, flexing his slightly stiff hands. His accelerated heartbeat returned to normal, and his eyes brightened with a flicker of realization.

The "Minor Capturing Hand" he practiced had a total of six stances, each with three forms, making it eighteen forms in total. It wasn't overly complex, but the forms were secondary; the true essence lay in the understanding of meridians, joints, and acupoints.

According to the records of Capturing Hand, joints were mostly exposed and easy to locate; meridians were hidden within the skin and flesh, difficult for those without considerable experience to target; as for acupoints, they were extremely complex, occupying very small areas, making them the most difficult aspect of Capturing Hand.

He was currently at the stage of targeting joints. As for meridians and acupoints, he could identify them but couldn't strike them accurately and timely during combat, requiring further improvement.

His previous grasp of the girl's hand acupoints didn't count as true combat and couldn't represent Duàn Yì's current level or state of mastery.

Furthermore, the recent fight had deepened his understanding of the "Minor Capturing Hand" forms.

"This is real combat. It's a shame I don't have Internal Energy. Using only brute force significantly reduces its power."

On the other side, Young Miss Zhou's eyes lit up upon seeing Duàn Yì's skill.

She observed Duàn Yì's unsteady footwork, unstable stance, and short breaths, concluding he was not a practitioner of martial arts. To her surprise, he had mastered Capturing Hand, and his performance indicated long-term dedication. This was another not-so-small surprise.

"Good, you know Capturing Hand but not the art of breathing and circulation. It seems you have the desire to learn martial arts but lack the means.

You heard about my background just now. As long as you marry me, I will ask my brother to help you join the Golden Cauldron Sect, cultivate superior martial arts in the future, and make a name for yourself."

Zhōu Xiūfēn didn't know what kind of person Duàn Yì was or his personality, but one thing was certain.

He yearned to practice martial arts but had no avenue, only able to repeatedly practice a superficial skill like Capturing Hand. This was her opportunity.

Some men were lustful, some were greedy for wealth, some craved power, and some were devoted to martial arts.

Zhōu Xiūfēn believed she could satisfy the latter three types of men, excluding the lustful ones.

Even for the first type of man, a lecher, if it were someone like Duàn Yì, she might permit him to keep one or two concubines outside.

Upon hearing this condition, Duàn Yì hadn't even reacted, but the onlookers, both inside and out, wore complex expressions.

The Golden Cauldron Sect was a major sect in Wei Prefecture, and also renowned throughout Hebei Province. For an ordinary person, let alone becoming a disciple, just being associated with them would allow them to lord over their small territory.

The Golden Cauldron Sect was also extremely strict in accepting disciples, generally dividing them into two categories.

One category: those with high aptitude and potential, who would become the backbone of the sect in the future and control its military might.

The other category: perhaps not as skilled in martial arts, but from wealthy families, possessing either wealth or power. They wove a dense network, solidifying the Golden Cauldron Sect's foundation.

If Duàn Yì accepted Young Miss Zhou's offer, he would soar to the heavens. Could he refuse?

Let alone others, even the pretty young girl's heart was in turmoil. She didn't know why, but she felt uneasy. Seeing that Duàn Yì hadn't refused immediately, she spoke again, her tone laced with sarcasm, "It's just an outer disciple. Anyone who didn't know would think your brother was the sect leader."

Duàn Yì was indeed a little surprised by Young Miss Zhou's proposal, but he didn't take it to heart.

As the girl said, no matter how capable Zhou Xiong was, he was merely a senior outer disciple. At best, it would make him an outer disciple too. Compared to the sole disciple of the Golden Cauldron Sect's top expert, this was worlds apart.

He absolutely could not agree.

However, his thoughts were not known to outsiders.

Young Miss Zhou first saw Duàn Yì's silence and thought he was considering it. Then, after the girl's words, his expression clearly changed, hatred surging in his heart. He could no longer bother with anything else and roared at the other household guards, "What are you standing around for? Go and capture that little girl."

With her command, and given Duàn Yì's previous feat of easily taking down two men, the remaining dozen or so burly men surrounded him. Some even casually drew short clubs from their backs.

Duàn Yì's heart sank, but he remained calm and composed. It seemed that such a perilous situation especially stimulated his potential, and his thoughts raced like lightning.

Fighting one against over a dozen was impossible for him right now.

To escape safely with the young girl, the only way was to make the other party hesitate.

The key lay with Young Miss Zhou. If he captured her, holding a hostage, these people would absolutely not dare to trouble them further.

Just as Duàn Yì was contemplating his move, he heard whistling sounds cutting through the air. The Zhou family guards who had been pressing forward suddenly fell to the ground, groaning and rolling around.

Some clutched their arms, others their thighs, their faces contorted in pain.