Guessing, Martial Artist

After a long while.

Once they were sure Yang Heng had gone far, the apprentices began discussing what had just happened.

Even now, they found it hard to believe the change in Yang Heng. No matter how they racked their brains, they couldn't understand how he had suddenly grown so powerful overnight, as if he had become a completely different person.

A man in coarse linen with a sallow complexion spoke first:

"Let's talk it over. How did Yang Heng change so much overnight? He's got inhuman strength now."

"Could it be a ghost possessing him?"

"Maybe, maybe."

"It's a ghost, definitely a ghost possessing him. There's no other explanation."

"Didn't they say ghosts don't have shadows in sunlight?"

"Yang Heng had a shadow when he went out!"

A man who looked somewhat shrewd confirmed.

"Good, so it's not a ghost possessing him."

The others patted their chests and let out long sighs.

Ghosts—those mysterious beings with legends stretching back through the ages—were things people feared deeply.

Whenever something inexplicable happened, people would blame ghosts and spirits, as if that made it more reasonable.

Since Yang Heng wasn't possessed, their fear of him lessened somewhat.

If he really had been possessed, sharing a room with him at night...

Just thinking about it sent chills down their spines.

"Since he's not possessed, how did Yang Heng suddenly become so fierce that even Biao Ge couldn't beat him?"

"Yeah... yeah."

"If we don't figure this out, we won't sleep soundly at night. Remember how we treated him before. If he decides to get back at us in the dark, the consequences would be unthinkable."

"Exactly. We have to be on guard."

The group looked troubled.

Just then, the shrewd man happened to glance at Li Kui and saw him lost in thought. He quickly asked:

"Brother Kui, you're always by Master Zhang's side and well-informed. If you have any idea, share it with us brothers."

"Yeah, Brother Kui, tell us."

Everyone chimed in, turning to look at Li Kui.

Brother Kui?

Hearing that title, Li Kui sneered inwardly.

These bastards had shoved him to the front to face Yang Heng alone.

He remembered it clearly.

Now they wanted to ask him. Where were they when it mattered?

But...

His eyes shifted. He figured they had a common enemy now. He could set this aside for the moment, deal with Yang Heng first, and settle scores with them later.

He knew full well that Yang Heng might spare the others, but the grudge between him and Yang Heng ran deep. Yang Heng would never let him off.

He didn't know why Yang Heng had let him go just now—maybe out of fear of his connection to Master Zhang.

But one day, Yang Heng would definitely come for him.

Having a venomous wolf like that lurking in the shadows made it impossible to sleep easy.

Li Kui understood well: when dealing with an enemy, don't strike unless you're sure to kill. One blow, one death. Never give them time to grow.

He'd heard plenty of stories from novels and plays—gang leaders who gave their enemies time to grow and ended up dead by their hands.

He wouldn't make that mistake.

Before, he had bullied Yang Heng relentlessly because Yang Heng posed no threat. But now that the fangs had been bared, he couldn't let things slide.

These people were useless in a crisis, but using them to keep an eye on Yang Heng's every move wasn't a bad idea.

Having thought it through, Li Kui put on a magnanimous air, as if he wouldn't hold their earlier behavior against them, and shared his opinion.

"If I'm not mistaken, Yang Heng must have taken some kind of drug that stimulates the body's potential, giving him a huge burst of strength for a short time."

"The reason he let us go just now is probably because the drug's effect wore off, and he had no choice."

"Of course, this is just my guess. Drugs that stimulate potential are extremely rare. I only heard about it by chance when Master Zhang was chatting with a guest."

"Qingyang Town doesn't sell this kind of drug. It's only available in big cities, and ordinary people aren't qualified to buy it—only martial artists are."

"Logically, such a precious drug shouldn't have ended up in Yang Heng's hands, unless he has a martial artist backing him!"

As soon as he voiced this guess, Li Kui's heart pounded, and a chill shot straight to his skull.

Could it be that Yang Heng really has a martial artist backing him?

He heard that his father was a Xiucai Scholar who had taught for many years; it was possible he knew a martial artist and had called in a favor.

Thinking back to the warning look Yang Heng gave him before leaving, Li Kui grew more and more afraid.

If there really was a martial artist behind him, and he went to provoke Yang Heng again, the pharmacy wouldn't offend a martial artist for the sake of an apprentice—then he would be dead for sure.

But letting Yang Heng go like this didn't sit well with him either. The enmity was already set; once Yang Heng grew strong, he would be doomed.

For a moment, he was trapped in a dilemma, unsure what to do.

While he was lost in thought, the crowd erupted.

A martial artist!!!

Yang Heng has a martial artist backing him!!!

Hearing this, shockwaves surged through everyone's hearts, their faces full of disbelief.

That was a noble martial artist!

After all, in the vast Qingyang Town, with a population of nearly fifty thousand, only three martial artists had emerged in twenty years.

It was clear just how difficult it was to become a martial artist.

The reason Hundred Herbs Pharmacy dared not be provoked in Qingyang Town was precisely because it had a martial artist stationed there.

"A... a martial artist. Yang Heng has a martial artist backing him."

"Brother Kui, you're not joking with us, are you?"

An apprentice stammered, looking at Li Kui with hopeful eyes, wishing it were a joke.

But when he saw the complex expression of regret and fear on Li Kui's face, he already knew the answer—Yang Heng really did have a martial artist backing him.

Otherwise, given Li Kui's relationship with Master Zhang, he wouldn't have looked like that.

Though Master Zhang held a decent position in the pharmacy, compared to a martial artist, he was nothing.

The others noticed the look on Li Kui's face, and their hearts sank halfway.

At that moment, they all looked as if they had lost a loved one, their faces twisted with regret.

If they had known this would happen today, they would never have joined in bullying Yang Heng.

Regret!

They regretted it so much.

"Yang Heng took our money. He's magnanimous... he probably won't bother with us."

"At worst, he'll give us a beating. He won't kill us."

Someone said this, and the scattered eyes of the crowd gradually regained their spark, like someone drowning who finally gasps for air.

"Yeah, we don't have any deep grudge with Yang Heng. He wouldn't kill us, no way."

They all chimed in, and their fear mostly faded.

"We don't have a deep feud with Yang Heng, but Brother Kui..."

The words cut off mid-sentence.

That apprentice seemed to think of something, glanced away, dared not look at Li Kui, and even stepped forward a few paces to distance himself.

The other apprentices also moved away from Li Kui without a word.

One apprentice slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, look at my memory. It's getting late; we should get to work, or the masters will be angry."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go work."

With a flurry of chatter, they hurried out the door.

Watching their faces, Li Kui's expression turned icy.

Yang... Heng, this is all your fault!

At that moment, he had made up his mind—he would kill Yang Heng!

Whether or not he had a martial artist backing him, even if he had to die, he would die after Yang Heng.