Refugees Block the Road, a First Test of Skill

Li Hao's becoming an Official Martial Arts School Apprentice gave all the new students tremendous encouragement.

The improved benefits that followed made everyone green with envy.

Official Martial Arts School Apprentices no longer had to pay the monthly twenty-tael tuition fee. Not only that, the martial arts school also covered their food, lodging, and clothing.

The Tiger Bone Paste issued once every seven days also became one application every three days.

More importantly, the school master would summon Official Martial Arts School Apprentices from time to time and point out the key points of cultivation.

In the Outer Court, Official Martial Arts School Apprentices were practically people above all others.

Crossing the threshold of Martial Force and becoming an Official Martial Arts School Apprentice was the goal every new student strove toward.

"Did you hear? After Li Hao became a new student, the elders of his clan immediately returned his father's inheritance."

"Of course. The school master is backing him now."

Two new apprentice students chatted as they walked.

Among the new students in the Outer Court, Li Hao's affairs were discussed more than anything else.

It turned out that after Li Hao's father had died in battle, the clan elders had used his youth as an excuse to take away all the belongings his father had left behind from his official post.

But the moment Li Hao became an Official Martial Arts School Apprentice, everything was returned to him exactly as it had been.

The reason was simple: Li Hao had proven his potential with facts.

Once he broke through the Blood Qi Gate and became a Martial Warrior, he would be qualified to inherit his father's post among the City Gate Guards. The entire clan would have to depend on him.

"For Li Hao to have reached this point, talent and hard work were both indispensable."

"His father was a military officer and laid his foundation from childhood. He had already surpassed ninety percent of us new students, and then he cultivated like he didn't care whether he lived or died. Tsk, tsk!"

The apprentices were filled with envy toward Li Hao. He had officially advanced in just two months.

If it were them, once the three-month deadline arrived, who knew whether they could cultivate Martial Force?

"Zhou You, heading home?"

When one new apprentice saw Zhou You approaching, he greeted him instinctively.

Zhou You nodded. The first month of closed training had ended, and he could return home to visit his parents.

During that time, his father had also sent someone to deliver a message at the Jianxiong Martial Arts School's Outer Court, saying that everything at home was well and telling him to focus on practicing martial arts.

With the Jianxiong Martial Arts School's Wooden Talisman hanging at the entrance, petty criminals did not dare approach, and security in the surrounding area had improved considerably.

Zhou You's heart was already racing toward home, and he asked Senior Disciple Brother for half a day's leave.

As he walked down the road, he sensed that things had changed.

He wore the apprentice uniform of the Jianxiong Martial Arts School, and passersby all yielded the way to him, their faces showing reverence.

In this world, those who practiced martial arts held status far above ordinary commoners.

"Hmm?"

When Zhou You reached the neighborhood where he lived, he saw that several shops along the familiar street had been reduced to ruins.

Broken bricks and rubble covered the ground, bearing Traces of fire. Something had clearly happened.

Many refugees with foreign accents wandered along the street, begging passersby for dried provisions and drinking water.

Worn-out bedding lay everywhere, with ragged women and vacant-eyed children sitting upon it.

In just one month, so many refugees had appeared in the city.

Zhou You noticed that these refugees spoke with accents much like Fang Guiqi's. They had likely all fled here from Su City.

Some refugees directly rummaged through the ruins, searching for anything that could still be used.

"What's the most you can give?"

"Two taels. Not a copper more. With the current market, half-grown girls aren't worth much."

"Give a little more, please. We've had nothing to eat for seven days. The old man is so hungry he can barely see."

"Your wife isn't bad either. Why not sell her too, so we can round it up?"

"Let me think about it. Think..."

Human traffickers in the city openly picked women from among the refugees and haggled with their fathers and brothers.

Zhou You quickened his pace, wondering how long Gongliang City's peace could last after Su City had fallen into chaos.

The world was growing ever more perilous, urging him to cultivate Martial Force as soon as possible and become an Official Martial Arts School Apprentice.

He went around an alley, when three refugees suddenly sprang out in front of him. They were so filthy their features could not be seen, leaving only eyes starkly black and white.

The refugees were all able-bodied young men. Holding clubs, they threatened him viciously. "Hand, hand over all your money."

Robbery in broad daylight—this was far too vile.

A warning suddenly rose in Zhou You's heart, and he felt a chill run down his back.

He instinctively tensed every muscle in his body. A sharp whistling sound tore through the air beside his ear, followed by a cold stab striking squarely into his back.

The refugees in front were merely a decoy. The real attacker had hidden in the shadows and launched a sneak attack from behind.

Pain flared through him. It was not a club, but a sharpened iron weapon.

Zhou You was both shocked and enraged. Robbery was one thing, but these refugees had come straight for murder.

The thieves who did dirty work in the city were restrained by the authorities and gangs, and they more or less followed certain rules.

At their worst, they would knock a passerby unconscious, drag them to the roadside, and strip them clean. They rarely caused deaths.

Refugees were different. They were so poor that only their lives remained. Not only did they not value their own lives, they did not care about anyone else's either.

"You thieving bastards, how dare you!"

Zhou You's month of bitter cultivation had not been for nothing.

As a foundational fist technique, Tiger Subduing Fist improved strength, speed, and defense in every aspect.

The instant the blade tip pierced his skin, it immediately triggered his body's instinctive reaction.

The hand of the knife-wielding refugee stopped. It was as though the blade had struck a sheet of dried cowhide, and enormous resilience surged back through it.

Zhou You's feet slipped, and the refugees attacking from both front and back saw their vision blur before he vanished from sight.

He flashed to the knife-wielding refugee's side and threw a punch like a Hungry Tiger Pounces on Prey, making the air tremble.

A vicious wind rose from flat ground, and a soul-shaking roar rang in the refugees' ears.

The refugee who had launched the knife ambush was sent flying as if struck by a galloping wild horse, half his head smashed to pulp.

"Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

The remaining refugees were scared out of their wits. They threw down their clubs and fled for their lives.

Trying to leave?

Cold light flickered in Zhou You's eyes. He ground his foot against the ground, and his Square Step became swift as a gale as he charged into their midst.

The wooden posts and stone locks in the Outer Court were all dead targets. It was rare to find living things to practice on.

His attacks were cold and decisive, showing no mercy.

The scene was like a fierce tiger charging into a flock of sheep. Every Move brought death and injury.

One refugee after another was sent flying into the air. When they hit the ground, their tendons had snapped and bones shattered. They convulsed a few times before never moving again.

After this small test of his skills in real combat, Zhou You concluded that even without cultivating Martial Force, his combat ability already surpassed that of ordinary people.

Looking again at the wound on his back, he found that only the surface skin had been cut. The little blood that had flowed had already congealed.

"Zhou You, you were far too ruthless."

The commotion was so great that it soon alerted the local patrolling constables.

Constable Liu was an acquaintance. He was Widow Li's lover from next door, and the two households had met before.

He inspected the refugees on the ground, then finally shook his head.

The knife-wielding refugee's head had been smashed to pieces. He was dead beyond doubt.

The other refugees who had joined the robbery had broken bones piercing their internal organs. Even if they were not dead, they only had half a breath left.

These methods clearly belonged to someone who practiced martial arts, someone only one step away from Martial Force.

"Constable Liu, you must enforce the law impartially. I acted in self-defense."

Constable Liu laughed heartily. "They're only refugees. Their cheap lives aren't worth anything. Have someone drag them to the mass grave outside the city."

"When you have time, I'll treat you to a drink."

He then reminded Zhou You, "Don't eat any dog meat being sold on the market recently. It isn't clean."

It turned out that there were too many refugees from Su City, with countless dead and wounded, directly fattening the wild dogs outside the city.