Child's False Report, Villain Blocks the Way

After Zhou You unleashed his Internal Force, he spent another two days consolidating it.

With his Internal Force circulation now proficient, he estimated he was ready to apply for the formal assessment with Senior Disciple Brother Lu Qiang.

However, an unexpected event interrupted his plans.

"Brother Zhou, it's bad! Something's happened at your home!"

The messenger was a child from a neighboring family, holding a candied yam and looking panicked.

Zhou You's eyelids twitched slightly. "Don't rush, tell me slowly.

Our martial arts school's wooden plaque is hung at the entrance. Even if gang members dared to block the door, they wouldn't dare barge in.

Otherwise, it would be an insult to the Jianxiong Martial Arts School, and they'd be making a deadly enemy.

The child's name was Shan Wa, and his home was near the street entrance, about seven or eight houses away from Zhou You's.

Zhou You often saw Shan Wa playing on the street when he returned home.

Shan Wa's father was stingy and tight-fisted with his child, never buying him anything to eat.

Zhou You glanced at the candied yam in his hand, finding it strange. He can afford snacks today?

"A large group of people surrounded your door, throwing stones at the door and windows. Your parents are too scared to even come out."

"Hurry back, or something else might happen!"

Shan Wa spoke urgently, unable to resist licking the candied yam.

Zhou You pinched his chin. Here we go again, it never ends.

Tu Laosan was like a bluebottle fly, harassing him repeatedly. It seemed he couldn't let him off the hook.

Perfect timing, now that he had just mastered Internal Force, even if he couldn't kill Tu Laosan, he could cripple his legs.

"Let's go!"

Zhou You grabbed Shan Wa by the collar. "Lead the way."

"Whoa, I'm not going! It's too dangerous."

Shan Wa's eyes darted around, and he struggled desperately, waving his hands.

"You have to go even if you don't want to. You took something from them to trick me, you really thought that candied yam was free."

Zhou You's words made Shan Wa's hands tremble, and the candied yam dropped to the ground.

How did you know?

The biggest lie in the world is that children don't lie.

Children are innocent; they don't have a concept of good or evil in their hearts, nor do they accept the constraints of ethics and morality. Therefore, for a tiny bit of benefit, they can do many incomprehensible evil deeds.

For example, Shan Wa, who never got to eat snacks, would betray Zhou You for a string of candied yams.

"Is it Tu Laosan's doing?"

Zhou You stomped his foot, causing the ground compacted with yellow earth to tremble. In an instant, he shot out five to six meters.

The rapid movement combined with the bumps made Shan Wa terrified. He cried out and vomited.

"Brother Zhou, don't hit me! I was forced! It's not my fault."

Shan Wa pleaded pitifully.

Zhou You pursed his lips. "Lead the way."

The other party tricking him into leaving the martial arts school must have a follow-up plan. Shan Wa was just the bait to lure him into a trap.

Now, all he wanted to know was how many people were involved and where the location was.

"It wasn't Tu Laosan. It was some adults with foreign accents."

"They gave me ten coins and told me to trick you into going home. I don't know anything else."

"I'm just a child! You're not allowed to hit me! I'll tell my dad to report you to your parents!"

"Waa, waa, waa!"

Foreign accents?

Could it be that the refugees' accomplices came for revenge?

Zhou You frowned. A group of refugees who had left their homes, so loyal and with such a strong spirit of revenge?

It seemed very suspicious.

Lu Zhigang was from Sucheng City and had studied under a renowned martial artist in the city, successfully cultivating Internal Force.

If he hadn't still aimed to break through the Blood Qi Gate, he could have found a well-paying job after leaving the martial arts school.

However, under the ravages of natural disasters and famine, Sucheng City had become a dead land.

Hundreds of thousands of citizens in the city had become refugees, fleeing in all directions.

The martial arts school closed down, and the master, along with a few trusted disciples, sought refuge with old friends, abandoning Lu Zhigang and the other apprentices.

His once bright future instantly turned into him becoming a destitute refugee, drifting to Gongliang City.

In the past, he had only heard the saying "a person is worthless when they leave home" in storytellers' tales, but now he personally experienced what it meant to be worthless.

Lu Zhigang had been proud and unwilling to steal or rob, still hoping to find honest work. However, the locals were xenophobic and didn't treat them like people at all, leading to constant setbacks.

Seeing several of his fellow villagers sell their wives and daughters just to survive, his mindset changed.

"Isn't it all for a full meal? As long as I can survive, whether it's clean or dirty, I have to eat to live."

So, he accepted a job from a local gang, to break the legs of an enemy.

"The target is an apprentice at a local martial arts school, hasn't cultivated Internal Force yet, and isn't protected by the school."

"Just break his legs, and this 60 taels will be yours."

Sixty taels of silver could buy twenty young, unmarried girls who were emaciated from hunger.

Coupled with Lu Zhigang's exhaustion from the constant exclusion and suppression by the local martial arts school, he made up his mind and agreed.

Now, all they had to do was wait for the little kid to lead the target into the trap they had set.

"They're here."

Zhou You, carrying Shan Wa, stepped into the area and immediately sensed a powerful presence.

The source of that aura was clearly a martial arts apprentice who possessed Internal Force.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he abruptly stopped his rapid movement. Shan Wa, whom he was carrying, flew forward due to inertia.

"Ouch!"

Shan Wa rolled a few times after landing, crying out about his sore feet, and stopped at Lu Zhigang's feet.

He's been discovered?

Lu Zhigang had initially underestimated Zhou You, having heard that he hadn't cultivated Internal Force. However, upon witnessing the other's alertness, he felt a sense of apprehension.

The other party was an apprentice nurtured by the martial arts school, receiving full meals daily and even fortified with secret medicines.

In contrast, he himself had fled from Sucheng City, only managing to eat sporadically, going hungry for three to five days at a time being the norm. The foundation he had previously built had been largely wasted, though fortunately, the groundwork for Internal Force remained.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, he decided to finish this quickly.

Lu Zhigang pressed down with the tip of his foot, flicking an object in front of him towards Zhou You's face.

This move was intended to catch him off guard and disrupt his stance.

A cry came from the tumbling object in the air; it turned out Lu Zhigang had kicked Shan Wa, who was guiding him.

"You're in the way."

Zhou You's vision was obstructed, making it difficult to see the opponent's movements.

He crossed his feet, tracing an '8' shape, and used the Square Step to maneuver to the side. He swung his Imperial Strike Hand, casually batting Shan Wa aside.

Thump!

Shan Wa hit the corner of a wall, and the unlucky child was knocked unconscious on the spot.

"Zhou You?"

Lu Zhigang had confirmed his identity before making a move and saw Zhou You nod.

Seeing that the other person was unfamiliar and had a foreign accent, Zhou You frowned and asked, "Robbery? Revenge, or are you hired?"

"I took money to break your legs."

Lu Zhigang took a deep breath, his face flushing, nostrils flaring slightly, and the temperature of his body began to rise sharply.

This was a characteristic of cultivating Internal Force, confirming he was indeed a formidable opponent.

Breaking his legs—they intended to cripple him. Such malicious intent could only be from Tu Laosan.

Zhou You took a deep breath, his stance widening, perfect for testing the power of his newly cultivated Tiger Subduing Spring Fist.

An opponent who had cultivated Internal Force was not a common sight. It was like a pillow arriving just as he was falling asleep; he had a strong enemy on his doorstep the moment he achieved a breakthrough.

"New trial event (unrated) activated: Life and Death Duel - Chapter One."