Heavy Heart

Are there others?

Xu Yuan's heart sank, sensing that the situation was deeper than it appeared.

"What's there to see? Disperse!"

Xu Zheng shooed away the onlookers and returned, a look of confusion on his face. "I don't know how we offended Li Daqiang. We used to get along pretty well with him."

"I doubt Li Daqiang acted on his own; someone else must be pulling the strings," Xu Yuan said gravely.

"Someone else?"

Xu Zheng was taken aback, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation. He thought for a moment before saying, "But we don't have any enemies, do we? Who would want to retaliate in such an extreme way?"

"It's not certain we don't have enemies..."

Under Xu Zheng's questioning gaze, Xu Yuan slowly spoke. "Have you forgotten how Father gambled away everything we had before?"

"You mean the Wild Wolf Gang?"

Xu Zheng's face changed, and he whispered in disbelief, "We paid off Father's gambling debts, didn't we? Are they still not satisfied?"

"When is a wolf ever truly full?" Xu Yuan sneered, then pondered for a moment before continuing. "Perhaps we were too quick to pay off the debt last time, making them think we still had some hidden wealth. When they found out you took out a loan, they came after us again, wanting to squeeze out the last drop of profit."

Listening beside him, Xu Zheng was both shocked and enraged. "Those damned scoundrels, hounding us for every last bit!"

While the two were talking...

Madam Zhang, having heard the news, rushed back.

Seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary at home, she breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with a frown, "What exactly happened?"

After a while, having heard the whole story.

Madam Zhang's face turned pale, and she nervously clutched her clothes, muttering, "What are we going to do? That's the Wild Wolf Gang!"

The neighbors almost universally knew one saying:

"Better to offend a civil official three parts than the Wild Wolf Gang one bit."

This referred to the Wild Wolf Gang, who held considerable influence in the outer districts.

They ran casinos, brothels, and loan sharking businesses, all of which were parasitic activities.

Countless people had been ruined by them, losing their fortunes and families.

"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. This happened because of me," Xu Yuan said apologetically.

"How can it be your fault? I'm the one who went to borrow money..."

Xu Zheng hit him lightly.

"Enough!"

Madam Zhang interrupted their bickering impatiently. "Will blaming each other solve anything?"

She looked at the two brothers with her delicate eyes for a while, making them both feel awkward. Suddenly, she took the fresh fish from Xu Yuan's hand. "I'm going to cook. You two brothers caused this trouble, so you deal with it."

With that, she walked into the kitchen, leaving only her slender back behind.

Xu Yuan turned back and took out the remaining money he had, handing it to Xu Zheng. "I still have some money. It should be enough to keep them at bay for a month or so."

"No, that's your money for practicing martial arts..."

Xu Zheng quickly waved his hand. "The family is counting on you to make something of yourself now. We can't let your efforts go to waste."

"Don't worry, Brother. I have a handle on my martial arts training," Xu Yuan said, forcing the money into his hand with a firm tone. "You two be careful when you're working outside lately. Try to avoid any conflict with them."

At the dinner table, Madam Zhang had specially made a soup from two crucian carp. The soup was milky white and smelled fragrant.

Then, she mashed the fish meat, mixed it with rice, and topped it with bean paste from a jar, which immediately brought out the flavor.

Although the rice was old and the paste was fried from tofu dregs and wheat bran, mixed with the delicious fish meat, it tasted quite good.

Three people chewed in silence, clearly not enjoying their meal.

After dinner, Xu Yuan didn't linger and left soon after.

Walking back towards the Prefecture City, the early winter sun shone down, but it couldn't dispel the gloom hanging over him.

"Wild Wolf Gang, Li Daqiang..."

Xu Yuan muttered to himself, his eyes growing sharper.

Even in the Prefecture City, ruffians and thugs were everywhere, and ordinary people could do nothing about them.

And these thugs had formed gangs, some of considerable size. The government tolerated them, which meant there must be some hidden friction.

How can a commoner like you file a complaint?

You'd probably go missing by the second night.

"I am under the shelter of the Shangyang Family's great tree, and I need to climb higher even faster. Only then will I have a solid foundation when facing trouble."

With that thought, Xu Yuan quickened his pace, weaving through the long streets and short alleys.

A young, tender face was gradually stretched into a blur in the wind.

Hurried, heavy.

Soon, three days flashed by.

It was the hour of Si today.

Xu Yuan and the other two were practicing in the courtyard as usual.

With the deadline drawing nearer, the atmosphere grew even more oppressive.

After practicing for a short while, Sun Rong's body trembled and she stopped, a look of joy on her face. She deliberately lowered her voice:

"Everyone, my Qi and Blood Training is saturated. I can feel the Bottleneck Bamboo Joint that Master Feng spoke of."

Xu Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He smiled and congratulated her, "Congratulations. Today is our fortieth day of martial arts practice. According to Master Feng, you should be able to break through soon. Becoming a formal Martial Artist is already a sure thing."

"Formal Martial Artist..."

Upon hearing this, Sun Rong's eyes immediately welled up, her heart filled with an excitement no one else could comprehend.

Li Shan paused for a moment, his tone somewhat complex:

"It seems Sister Sun truly has the best talent among the three of us... I wonder what this bottleneck feels like?"

"Brother Li, if you weren't so enthusiastic, you would definitely be faster than me."

Sun Rong casually wiped her eyes, offered a polite remark, and then resumed her Stance Practice. After feeling it for a moment, she said:

"I don't know how to describe it. It feels like... the outer coating of a candied hawthorn. Once it melts, you can eat the sweet and sour fruit inside."

Li Shan chuckled bitterly upon hearing this, "Sister Sun's analogy is a bit off. According to Master Feng, that outer coating is quite thick, and certainly not sweet at all."

"Is that so?" Sun Rong was taken aback, then realized with a sudden understanding, "I've never eaten candied hawthorn before. So it's not sweet at all."

"No way, you've really never eaten it?"

Xu Yuan and Li Shan exchanged a look, slightly surprised, and then couldn't help but laugh at the same time.

"I'll take you to eat it next time," Li Shan patted his chest, saying with conviction.

"Alright then, thank you in advance, Brother Li." Sun Rong pretended to be demure and gave a charming bow.

"Sister Sun, when you make that gesture, you really look... hmm, quite heroic."

Li Shan said in a strange tone upon seeing this.

"You're asking for a beating!" Sun Rong knew he was teasing her and immediately raised her fair, slender fist, punching his shoulder.

"No, don't hit there. It's still sore and aching from yesterday's practice."

"Haha, who told you to tease me? I'll hit you right here!"

Xu Yuan stood to the side, watching the two of them playfully scuffle, shaking his head with a smile.

The winter morning was gradually growing colder.

But it couldn't hide the fiery passion and continuous laughter of this moment.

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