Several more days passed.
Bluestone Alley in autumn had grown even more desolate and uneasy than before.
An epidemic from some unknown source hung over this slum like an invisible shadow.
Mournful cries had already risen from several households in the alley, a sign that someone had died suddenly.
Food had become increasingly scarce as well, and panic was quietly spreading.
Because of Wang Yuan, his family could not exactly be called wealthy.
But at least their rice jar was full, and they occasionally had meat on the table. In this alley, they were already considered a rare "well-off household."
That afternoon, Wang Gui and Madam Zhou were sorting through odds and ends at home. Wang Yu was helping beside them, happily calculating the silver her younger brother had brought back yesterday and looking forward to moving into their new home in South District.
Suddenly, hurried knocking sounded from outside the courtyard gate.
Madam Zhou wiped her hands and went to open the door.
Standing outside was Widow Li, who lived at the end of the alley.
Behind her stood a tall, burly man with a cold, hard face. Though he wore ordinary coarse clothes, he could not conceal the fierce air around him.
Widow Li had lost her husband years ago and raised a child alone. Life had always been difficult for her, and she often borrowed rice from one household and salt from another.
Madam Zhou was kindhearted and had helped her quite a bit in the past.
Seeing her at the door, Madam Zhou assumed she had come to borrow food again. The family was better off now, and helping where they could was no hardship, so she stepped aside to let them in.
"Auntie Li, come in and sit. Is there no rice left in your pot again?"
Yet Widow Li's expression today was entirely different from her usual sorrowful timidity.
An unnatural flush and excitement colored her face, while her eyes drifted uncertainly.
Rather than entering at once, she remained at the door, cleared her throat, and spoke in a deliberately measured tone.
"Sister Zhou, Brother Wang, I didn't come today over some trifling matter like borrowing food."
She paused, sweeping her gaze over Wang Gui and Wang Yu inside the house. Then she raised her voice.
"I came to bring everyone a heaven-sent fortune!"
"To introduce you to the Incense God Cult, so you may worship Lord Incense Deity day and night."
"So long as you worship sincerely, Lord Incense Deity will bestow divine power upon you. You will become immune to all illness and gain the Incense Deity's protection. You will never again need to fear this cursed epidemic or poverty!"
The burly man behind her took a slight step forward at just the right moment.
Though he said nothing, the coldness in his eyes and the faint pressure radiating from him made Wang Gui and Madam Zhou's hearts tighten.
"The Incense God Cult?"
Wang Gui frowned deeply. Having lived for half his life, he had never heard of such a name.
Their family's life had only just begun to show promise. His son had made something of himself, and they were about to move somewhere better.
He only wanted to live peacefully and steadily. He kept his distance from these mysterious sects of gods and ghosts whose origins were unknown.
He immediately wanted to refuse. "Auntie Li, we appreciate your kindness."
"But our Wang Family... doesn't believe in such things. There is no need for worship."
The moment his words fell.
A vicious glint flashed through the burly man's eyes. He stared fixedly at Wang Gui, his hoarse, icy voice carrying an unquestionable threat.
"Either join the Incense God Cult and worship sincerely. Or else..."
Before he could finish.
A calm voice laced with chill suddenly sounded from behind him, cutting him off.
"Or else what?"
The burly man's heart jolted!
With his senses, someone had actually approached so close behind him without him noticing?
He spun around sharply.
A sturdy young man nearly six feet tall, dressed in the gray training uniform of Panshi Fist Academy, was standing not far behind him. No one knew when he had arrived.
The youth's face still retained a trace of boyishness.
But his gaze was calm and sharp. His Vital Blood brimmed, and the outlines of his muscles showed clearly beneath his thin training clothes, like a cheetah poised to strike.
It was Wang Yuan, returning from martial training.
Though Wang Yuan had not trained for long, he possessed the heaven-defying aptitude of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone.
Coupled with the ample meat and medicinal supplements he had consumed in recent days, his body had developed at an astonishing pace.
He had long since shed his former thinness and frailty, becoming a robust youth full of vigor.
The burly man's eyes narrowed. Sensing the Vital Blood fluctuations around Wang Yuan that differed from those of an ordinary person, he knew he had encountered a martial artist.
Yet confident in his own strength, he was not overly alarmed. Instead, he sneered.
"Where did this little—"
Before the word "brat" could leave his mouth, a cold gleam flashed in Wang Yuan's eyes. He could not be bothered to waste words with him.
The surging Vital Blood of his First Blood Change erupted in an instant.
The strength of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone gathered in his right fist. With an utterly unadorned Panshi Fist, he drove straight at the man's face like a dragon charging its lair, swift as lightning.
His fist howled through the air, carrying the crushing weight of a boulder.
The burly man had not expected Wang Yuan to attack without warning, much less with such speed and force.
Caught off guard, he could only roar and circulate his Vital Blood, throwing out a fist of his own in an attempt to meet force with force.
Bang!
The two fists collided viciously!
The next instant, the ferocity on the burly man's face twisted into shock and pain.
His punch did not feel as though it had struck flesh. It felt as if he had smashed into a piece of tempered steel forged a thousand times over.
An irresistible force surged up his arm, accompanied by piercing pain!
Crack!
A faint sound of bone fracturing rang out.
"Hmph!"
The burly man grunted, his face instantly flushing blood-red.
The immense force sent him staggering back seven or eight steps before his back slammed into the earthen wall of the alley, barely stopping him.
The arm that had exchanged blows with Wang Yuan hung limply at his side and trembled without cease. It was clearly badly injured.
He raised his head, glaring at Wang Yuan in shock and fury, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The brat did not look very old. How could he possess such terrifying strength and such hard fists?
Gritting his teeth and enduring the agonizing pain in his arm, he forced several words through clenched teeth.
"You... very well! Brat, just you wait!"
Leaving behind that threat.
He knew he was no match for Wang Yuan and did not dare linger any longer.
Before leaving, he could only cast Wang Yuan a venomous glare, clutch his arm, turn around in disgrace, and swiftly disappear at the mouth of the alley.
When Widow Li saw that the "expert" she had relied upon had been sent running by Wang Yuan in a single exchange, her face turned deathly pale.
All her earlier excitement and affected bearing vanished without a trace.
She did not dare look at Wang Yuan. With her head lowered, she too fled after the man in a miserable state.
Wang Yuan did not pursue them. His eyes were icy as he watched the direction in which the two had fled.
The Incense God Cult... had actually extended its tentacles into Bluestone Alley and begun forcing households one by one to join?
And their methods were so direct and brutal!
He turned to his still-shaken parents and sister and said in a low voice, "Father, Mother, Sister, are you all right?"
"If people of unknown origins come again in the future, shut the door immediately. There is no need to pay them any attention."
Seeing the power Wang Yuan now possessed, seeing him drive off that ferocious burly man with a single punch, Wang Gui and Madam Zhou felt both lingering fear and pride.
Wang Gui nodded repeatedly.
"Yuan'er, thank goodness you came back! This... this Incense God Cult sounds like nothing good!"
Thoughts raced through Wang Yuan's mind.
They could no longer remain in Bluestone Alley. They had to move as soon as possible!
The Incense God Cult acted strangely and ruthlessly. Having made enemies today, they likely would not let the matter rest.
Order was better in South District, and Panshi Fist Academy was nearby. It was far safer than this place.
"Looks like there isn't much time left for the family. We have to move to South District tomorrow."
Wang Yuan gazed at the gray, overcast sky beyond the alley and thought to himself.
Then he glanced once more at the burly man's retreating figure and murmured, "The Incense God Cult? You were the ones who forced my hand first."
Before you continue