Another Blind Date!

"Blind date? Again?"

That evening, when Huo Yuanhong returned home, he learned the news from Father Huo.

"A-Hong, you're not getting any younger. Look at Old Luo's boy across the way—his child will be walking soon."

Father Huo said with a cheerful smile.

"But..."

Huo Yuanhong frowned slightly. His mind was entirely on martial arts now. He trained nine shichen every day and still felt there was never enough time. Where would he find the energy to deal with such trivial matters?

Romance and love could never compare to watching his martial arts progress shoot upward!

But...

Seeing his father's glaring white hair beneath the evening sunset, Huo Yuanhong suddenly realized—

His father had grown old.

His father... was no longer the strong, vigorous man he had been when Huo Yuanhong first entered Sword Inquiry Martial Hall.

For someone advanced in years, no matter how great a matter was, it could not outweigh carrying on the family line!

Over the years, Father Huo must have felt awful watching neighbors of his generation cradle grandchildren one after another. He had merely endured it in silence because he did not want Huo Yuanhong distracted, nor did he want to put him in a difficult position.

"Tomorrow... I'll go take a look."

Huo Yuanhong fell silent for a while before finally agreeing. He placed several pieces of pork into his father's bowl.

"No, no need. It's too greasy—I'm not used to it. A-Hong, you eat."

Father Huo instinctively tried to pick the pork back out.

"I can't finish this much. Master said martial artists can't eat leftovers overnight. I won't eat it tomorrow anyway, so Dad, help me finish it."

Huo Yuanhong made up a small lie.

He knew full well that his father was stubborn. If he did not put it that way, Father Huo would absolutely refuse to eat the meat.

Even though his living allowance was now enough for the family to eat meat every meal, Father Huo would rather save his own share and squirrel it away as a foundation for his son.

"You kid... sigh, if you couldn't finish it, why buy so much..."

"It was a gift, a gift. Didn't cost anything."

In the glow of the sunset, Huo Yuanhong and his father sat at the table, gnawing on pork together until their mouths shone with grease.

He had specifically asked the butcher to cut more fatty meat. These days, fatty pork was worth far more than lean meat, and people like his father, who rarely ate meat, loved fatty pork most of all.

His father seemed to be in particularly good spirits that night, talking far more than usual. He rambled on about his younger days, while Huo Yuanhong listened intently, smiling knowingly from time to time.

That night long ago, when they could only silently gnaw on crabs, was gone and would never return.

The next morning, Huo Yuanhong took leave and headed straight for the bustling district in the north of the city.

They had arranged to meet at a teahouse in the busy district. Business was not particularly good; only five or six people sat scattered through the main hall, and most of the private rooms upstairs were empty.

The owner, however, was no simple man. It was said that he had once been somebody in the underworld. Only after he grew older and washed his hands in a golden basin had he opened this teahouse.

Huo Yuanhong had only exchanged a few words with Jiang Ting when voices sounded outside the private room.

"Sister Tingting, is that you?"

Huo Yuanhong turned and saw a young, pretty woman standing outside the private room door, which had not yet been closed after the tea and snacks were served. She wore a light blue top and a black pleated skirt, with the emblem of Jin Gate Women's Normal School embroidered on her collar. She was clearly Jiang Ting's classmate.

A man around twenty approached beside her. He resembled her somewhat and wore a dark, stand-collar uniform jacket, tailored Western trousers, and leather shoes.

This was the Academy Faction's modified Western suit, which simplified the cumbersome design of traditional suits and emphasized practicality and convenience.

"Sister Tingting, didn't you say you had something to do this afternoon? Why are you here? Is this your friend?"

The woman in blue was clearly close to Jiang Ting. Without any ceremony, she entered the private room and sat down beside them.

The man at her side simply scrutinized Huo Yuanhong without saying a word.

"He was a neighbor back when I lived in Jin Gate. I came back to Jin Gate for school, so I happened to come see him."

Jiang Ting seemed quite concerned about their reactions. She hurriedly rose to her feet, putting on the appearance that she was not familiar with Huo Yuanhong.

"Brother Mingtang, Junior Sister Mingfang, what are you doing here as well?"

The newcomers were Yu Mingtang, a disciple of a Baguazhang master, and his younger sister Yu Mingfang.

"We happened to be passing by. We heard Tingting's voice and came over to say hello."

Yu Mingtang said.

"I see..."

Naturally, Jiang Ting did not quite believe him. She had deliberately chosen such a quiet teahouse because she did not want anyone to know she was on a blind date with Huo Yuanhong.

But Yu Mingfang was her close friend, and Yu Mingtang was Master Guo's prized disciple in Baguazhang. She greatly admired his formidable Baguazhang skills.

Thus, even though she suspected the two of following her, Jiang Ting maintained a proper smile and took the initiative to make tea.

"It's fine, Tingting, sit down. We already ordered tea..."

The Yu siblings sat down nearby and began chatting with Jiang Ting, from old stories of studying abroad in the Western Lands all the way to the hardships of practicing Baguazhang.

During this, Yu Mingtang displayed a bit of his skill. He unleashed the Manifest Strength of Baguazhang and struck the decorative wooden post beside him with one palm, leaving behind a distinct palm print nearly half an inch deep.

Jiang Ting could not help turning her head, amazement showing in her eyes.

That was a wooden post! He had actually stamped a palm print into it with his bare hand! Even if it was not the exceptionally hard Ironwood, it was still beyond human!

Next, Yu Mingtang carefully explained to them how difficult Baguazhang was to practice. Ordinary people needed eight or ten years to train their Internal Force to such a level.

The two women exclaimed in wonder again and again, as though they had deeply immersed themselves in it and felt the difficulty of cultivating Manifest Strength.

Huo Yuanhong, however, could not empathize at all. From his first step into Manifest Strength until Great Accomplishment, he had taken less than two days. He truly could not understand what was difficult about it.

Not to mention that now, even harder Ironwood could be punched into a depression more than half a fist deep. He had no idea what the two women were marveling at.

"Brother, then how long did it take you to reach that level?"

"Two months."

Yu Mingtang answered lightly.

The two women once again exclaimed from the bottom of their hearts, stunned by Yu Mingtang's exceptional talent. What ordinary people needed eight or ten years to achieve, he had accomplished in merely two months.

"What does this brother think?"

Seeing Huo Yuanhong remain silent the entire time, Yu Mingtang smiled and looked over.

"Well..."

Huo Yuanhong pondered for a moment, but before he could say anything, Jiang Ting hurriedly seized the conversation.

"Of course it's extraordinary. He simply doesn't like talking much, Brother Mingtang, so please don't mind him."

Jiang Ting took the initiative to explain to the Yu siblings. She feared Huo Yuanhong might clash head-on with them out of pride, damaging her image before people she knew.

The Yu siblings did not press the matter and soon resumed chatting with Jiang Ting.

Huo Yuanhong had nothing in common with them, so he simply reviewed the martial arts he had practiced over the past two days. Holding a chopstick, he demonstrated spear-thrusting movements to himself.

He had been too busy practicing these past few days to thoroughly review what he had learned. This was the perfect chance to digest the insights he had swallowed whole before.

As he reviewed and retraced everything bit by bit, his understanding of Manifest Strength and the circulation of force in the Top Elbow Strike grew increasingly clear and thorough.

From knowing what it was, he gradually came to know why it was so.

Baji Quan (Manifest Strength 490/600 → 505/600)

A prompt appeared before his eyes. His martial arts had improved again.

Before coming here that morning, he had already trained his Manifest Strength to 490/600. Now, after reviewing the previous two days and completely digesting his understanding of Internal Force circulation, his progress had surged by fifteen points in one breath.

He was approaching the Manifest Strength Pinnacle!

My Martial Path to Divinity talent is actually an effect amplifier with a guaranteed floor. If I merely practice mechanically, it can still passively correct flaws again and again, ensuring steady improvement. But if I gain insights myself, then amplify the results of those insights three hundred and sixty-five times, naturally the speed will be even faster!

The joy of his martial arts progress completely drowned out all thoughts of the blind date. He took out the medicinal paste he carried, swallowed it with tea, then devoted himself wholeheartedly to reviewing the old and learning the new. Using the chopstick as a spear, he forgot himself as he probed the principles of Internal Force circulation.

But in Jiang Ting's eyes, this former neighbor was so stunned by Yu Mingtang's talent and brilliance that he did not dare say much for fear of embarrassing himself. He did not even dare to compete.

At once, she felt even more disappointed.

Her interest vanished completely. She no longer paid attention to Huo Yuanhong, only chatting and drinking tea with the Yu siblings. Even while sitting, she deliberately, or seemingly unintentionally, kept her distance from Huo Yuanhong, as though the two were strangers.

As they chatted, unusual sounds suddenly rose from downstairs.

Bang!

First came the sound of something being smashed, followed by the crackle of tables being overturned. Even through the private room door, it was terribly loud.

"Boss, what's going on?"

Yu Mingtang tugged the bell cord and summoned the teahouse owner, an old man dressed in a traditional Chinese jacket with thick calluses on his hands from years of martial arts practice.

"A small problem, just a small problem. Rest assured, honored guests, it'll be resolved right away."

The owner seemed to know the Yu siblings' identities and was exceptionally courteous, repeatedly cupping his hands in apology.

Then, six or seven burly men carrying clubs rushed downstairs to settle the matter.

As a ruthless figure of the underworld, even though he had retired, the teahouse owner still kept a group of enforcers to hold down the place.

There were not many of them, but they were enough to deal with ruffians, hooligans, and drunken men.

Seeing the owner send people to handle the disturbance, Yu Mingtang and Jiang Ting resumed chatting and laughing.

Bang! Crash!

Unexpectedly, the noise downstairs did not subside. It only grew more chaotic, mixed with faint screams and cries of pain.

"What's happening?"

Yu Mingtang summoned the owner again, now visibly impatient.

"My apologies, my apologies, honored guest, I'm terribly sorry. It's the Red Robe Society causing trouble. Give this old man a little more time—I can settle it, I can settle it..."

The owner kept forcing smiles, then descended the stairs himself with a dark expression to mediate.

Downstairs finally fell quiet for a while, but before long, the crashing began again and spread all the way toward the second floor.

"Mingfang, should we leave first? The teahouse has a back door we can use."

Jiang Ting was somewhat worried.

"It's fine, Sister Tingting, don't worry. With my brother, such a great expert, here, the Red Robe Society's thugs are nothing to fear."

Yu Mingfang said with a grin.

"That's true."

Thinking of the Baguazhang Yu Mingtang had displayed earlier, Jiang Ting relaxed.

That so-called Red Robe Society was nothing more than ruffians and hired thugs. If they truly encountered a Manifest Strength expert, they would crumble at the first blow.

"I'll go take a look. Keep the tea warm—I'll drink it when I return."

Seemingly to put Jiang Ting at ease, Yu Mingtang rose, stepped out of the private room, shut the door behind him, and strolled calmly downstairs.

"With my brother making a move, it'll be quiet again soon."

Yu Mingfang clapped her hands and laughed.

"Brother Mingtang's Baguazhang has inherited Master Guo's true teachings. Dealing with these ruffians and hooligans will naturally be as easy as taking something from his—"

Before Jiang Ting could finish, a tremendous crash rang out. A familiar figure smashed through the private room door and slammed heavily onto the floor, his face covered in blood, life and death unknown.

It was Yu Mingtang, Baguazhang's successor, who had just gone out!