Jiang Ting's Transformation! Things Have Changed!

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

Huo Yuanhong said, brushing the slightly wrinkled hem of his clothes where he had been sitting.

At that moment, the teahouse was deathly silent.

Everyone stared blankly as the Red Robe Society expert, who had been so ferocious and overbearing moments ago, flew backward even faster than he had arrived.

This scene...

It was too unreal.

It left their minds blasted blank, as false as a dream.

Jiang Ting's gaze was even more vacant.

One move...

Just one move!

That terrifying external-style master from before had been sent flying with a single move.

And the one who had struck was actually Huo Yuanhong, whom she had never thought highly of.

It was all simply too absurd!

Thinking of how she had marveled at Yu Mingtang's skill earlier, Jiang Ting felt her face burn as if it were on fire.

"Let's go."

Huo Yuanhong headed out of the private room, treating the vicious-looking Red Robe Society thugs around him as if they did not exist.

He did not like fighting, nor did he want to spend his days killing and brawling. He only wanted to practice martial arts quietly.

"Alright."

Jiang Ting nodded subconsciously and followed directly behind Huo Yuanhong, not even asking Yu Mingfang's opinion.

Without her realizing it, this former neighbor had already come to carry more weight in her heart than her closest friend, and even more than Yu Mingtang, whom she had once admired and even looked up to.

Yu Mingfang also looked at Huo Yuanhong with a complicated expression. Without saying a word, she carried her cousin Yu Mingtang onto her back, lowered her head, and silently followed behind them.

From the private room, down the corridor, through the main hall, and out the door, Red Robe Society thugs stood gathered to either side with clubs in hand, making Jiang Ting and Yu Mingfang turn pale.

Yet Huo Yuanhong walked as though no one else was there, neither hurried nor slow. Whenever he encountered someone blocking the way, he merely swept them with an indifferent glance, and a large space immediately opened before him.

More than twenty thugs who made their living brawling, clubs still clutched in their hands, did not dare step forward. They could only watch helplessly as Huo Yuanhong passed right before their eyes.

Following Huo Yuanhong's steps, they slowly shifted their encirclement until they had escorted them completely out of the teahouse.

Like a pack of hyenas facing a lion, no matter how great their numbers, they cowered and shrank back. Not a single one dared make a move.

After leaving the teahouse, Yu Mingfang, whose nerves had been stretched taut, finally let out a breath of relief. After forcing herself to thank Huo Yuanhong, she turned to Jiang Ting and said,

"Sister Tingting, I'm truly sorry to have frightened you. I need to take my brother to the hospital first. Let's meet again tomorrow."

By their usual custom, whenever Yu Mingfang extended an invitation, Jiang Ting would definitely agree, even if she already had plans and had to postpone them first.

But this time...

"I... might not have time tomorrow..." Jiang Ting hesitated, then unexpectedly declined.

"Then the day after tomorrow," Yu Mingfang said, somewhat surprised as she changed her suggestion.

"The day after tomorrow might not work either..."

Jiang Ting still declined. As she spoke, her eyes drifted toward Huo Yuanhong without meaning to, as though expecting something.

But Huo Yuanhong's gaze wandered. He seemed to have fallen into the same contemplative state as before and had not noticed the little thoughts she had revealed at all.

This only made Jiang Ting feel even more strongly that this former neighbor was completely different from before. He had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

Confident, powerful, calm and unruffled... with only the slightest comparison, all those outstanding young men who had once pursued her, the scions of great Lineages, and even Yu Mingtang, whom she had admired for so long, were eclipsed completely. She could no longer summon the slightest interest in them.

He wore the same ordinary commoner's clothes as when they had first met, but on this old acquaintance now, they carried a feeling of returning to simplicity.

It was as though he no longer belonged to the same world as them, as though an invisible gulf stood between them.

After merely three days apart, things had already changed beyond recognition.

At noon, Huo Yuanhong ate a meal at home with his father.

"A-Hong, how did things go this morning?"

"The girl wasn't interested. We barely exchanged a few words. It probably won't work out."

Huo Yuanhong said.

"Oh, it's fine. That's normal too. Aunt Wu's family is, after all, a lofty and powerful household..."

Father Huo was somewhat disappointed, but he had clearly prepared himself mentally. He quickly accepted reality.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just then, someone knocked at the door.

"Who is it?"

Father Huo was puzzled. His family had fallen on such hard times—who would still come visiting?

When he opened the door, it was Wu Xiaoxia. Her face was full of smiles, and she carried two fruit baskets.

Jiang Ting followed behind her. At some point, she had changed out of the silk clothes from that morning, clothes that clearly belonged to a young lady of a great household, and into commoner's clothing similar to what the Huo Family wore.

"Old Huo, is A-Hong home?"

Wu Xiaoxia greeted him warmly.

"He is, he is. What brings you two here?"

Seeing the noble air around Wu Xiaoxia and Jiang Ting, so utterly out of place in the old house, Father Huo instinctively became somewhat restrained. Rubbing his hands, he asked.

At the same time, he felt even more puzzled. Didn't they say they didn't think much of our son? Why did they come back right after the matchmaking meeting, and even bring two fruit baskets?

"I came to see A-Hong. I have to thank him properly!"

Wu Xiaoxia said with a smile as she changed her shoes at the door. Jiang Ting did the same, seemingly having completely forgotten about her germophobia. After changing shoes, she carried the fruit baskets straight into the house.

She did not even show the slightest disgust toward the cockroaches inside.

"Thank A-Hong?"

Father Huo looked utterly bewildered, finding it incomprehensible.

Very soon, Wu Xiaoxia told him roughly what had happened.

So A-Hong had saved the other party's daughter!

Father Huo suddenly understood.

After all, A-Hong was the true disciple of a Martial Arts Hall master. Even though he had not trained for long, it was perfectly reasonable for him to send some hoodlum harassing a girl flying.

He was only a rickshaw puller and paid no attention at all to matters on the streets. He did not know what the Red Robe Society Wu Xiaoxia spoke of was, only assuming it was some small gang like the street punks and hooligans outside.

"Aunt Wu, you're too polite. You took good care of our family back then as well..."

Faced with Wu Xiaoxia's repeated thanks, Huo Yuanhong smiled and replied. As he spoke, he carried a steadier, more imposing air than before, as though he were constantly holding a Great Spear, faintly revealing an aura of authority.

That aura, which he revealed without intending to, surprised Wu Xiaoxia somewhat.

Her original assessment of Huo Yuanhong had only been that he was "decent." Mainly because his background was clean and he was easy to control, she had considered bringing the two youngsters together, drawing in a right-hand man who might have the faintest hope of reaching Transformation Strength in the future!

But after hearing about what had happened that morning, and sending people to investigate the strength of Zhou Heng from the Red Robe Society, she realized that Huo Yuanhong had likely already reached Manifest Strength Great Accomplishment!

In such a short time, even counting from two months ago when he had actually already attained Manifest Strength Initiation, going from initiation to Great Accomplishment in only two months was simply inconceivable!

It was far beyond what a talent at Yu Mingtang's level could accomplish. He had already entered the ranks of top-tier geniuses!

With such astonishing speed in martial arts training, after another twenty-odd days, he might well reach Manifest Strength Pinnacle by the time the Jin Gate Minor Tournament began. Then, with the strength of Manifest Strength Pinnacle and Li Shuxing pulling strings behind the scenes, he might even exploit a loophole to win three matches in a row and break free from the restriction that the Commoner Faction could no longer practice martial arts!

That way, Huo Yuanhong's future achievements would no longer be limited to relying on luck to seize that sliver of hope and enter Transformation Strength. He would have at least a thirty percent chance of reaching Transformation Strength, perhaps even the hope of advancing all the way to Transformation Strength Great Accomplishment!

Those odds were already high enough, higher than the predicted odds of breakthrough that most current Transformation Strength experts had possessed in their youth!

Especially now that she had met him face-to-face, Wu Xiaoxia became even more certain of her judgment. Huo Yuanhong's future achievements would definitely be extraordinary!

Perhaps in less than two years, he would become a Dark Force expert!

Naturally, her attitude toward Huo Yuanhong changed as well. Even if he could not become her family's son-in-law, she still had to invest in him first and forge a good connection!