Murder

Since it was a sparring session, Old Gu had a good grasp of the situation.

As for the wager, he understood the complex feelings of the Madam:

She hoped their young master would succeed, yet she also didn't want him to.

The former was ultimately a mother's hope for her son to achieve greatness, wishing him to be outstanding;

The latter... was the tender heart of a mother, worried about her young master getting hurt outside.

Therefore, if it was a wager, he absolutely could not hold back. Even if he had to make the young master cry out in pain and concede, he absolutely could not let the young master just go through the motions, only to suffer a great loss outside later.

"Spirit Serpent Fist, this old servant has seen it before, but the young master has never witnessed my moves. The martial world is dangerous; before a battle, who can truly know their opponent? So, young master must first test the waters..."

Old Gu bowed slightly, rubbing his black leather boots on the ground, scraping off the dirt mixed with horse dung, grass, and mud from the soles.

Afterward, he strode to an open area.

Qi Yu took his position opposite him, adopting a boxing stance.

Old Gu spread his hands slightly, his gaze sharp, then shouted, "Young master, be careful!"

Before his voice even fell, he launched an attack.

His footwork was light and quick, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. A swift straight punch, carrying a gust of wind, was aimed directly at Qi Yu's face.

Although Qi Yu had no combat experience, he had already integrated the essence of the Spirit Serpent Fist into his body. Feeling the danger, he instinctively shifted his stance, his body like a spirit serpent, contracting sharply as he raised his arm to block.

Bang!

He firmly blocked the punch, his expression calm, his breathing steady.

Old Gu threw another straight punch directly at him.

Qi Yu sank his shoulders, twisted his waist, and dropped his center of gravity. As he turned his head, the wind from the punch grazed his face, but he avoided the fist.

But Old Gu's movements were extremely fast. The straight punch dispersed, transforming into sharp claws aimed at Qi Yu's throat.

Bang!

Qi Yu blocked again.

Old Gu's attacks came in rapid succession. As the claws dispersed, he immediately clenched his fist and launched a series of close-range punches. His steps also advanced in coordination, like a fierce and aggressive rooster, pecking relentlessly.

Qi Yu blocked and parried with his fists, his shoulders and arms soon aching from the impact of the force. However, he consistently protected his core well, calmly observing Old Gu's moves.

The two exchanged several rounds of blows in rapid succession within a very short time.

Suddenly, Old Gu's punch lost its momentum, his old strength exhausted and new strength not yet generated. Qi Yu seized this brief opportunity, his fist surging forward rapidly, swift as a hawk, lunging towards Old Gu's face.

Old Gu's body moved sharply, and with a sway of his stance, he intended to dodge.

However, Qi Yu's punch was too fluid and seamless. Old Gu didn't have time to evade. Seeing the fist's shadow already lunging at him, he knew he couldn't dodge. His years of martial experience made him instinctively clench his thumb and index finger.

The two fingers joined, a sharp intent arising.

The hand was like a sharp chicken claw, pointing towards the side of Qi Yu's arm.

If this point landed, Qi Yu's arm would likely be temporarily crippled.

But halfway through the strike, he released it.

He remembered that this was just sparring with the young master.

And this move now far surpassed the scope of sparring; it belonged to his life-or-death combat techniques.

Snap.

Qi Yu's fist lightly tapped Old Gu's throat, then retracted. He smiled, "Old Gu, are you going easy on me?"

Old Gu stood stunned on the spot. After a long moment, he came back to his senses, raised his hand in a fist salute, his expression respectful yet filled with astonishment. "This old servant truly never imagined the young master's talent would be so extraordinary.

This technique is easy to learn but difficult to master.

The fifteen days mentioned by Hall Master Song were merely so the young master could reach the introductory level of the Spirit Serpent Fist and supplement his Blood Essence with medicine.

But the young master has now mastered these two forms to perfection..."

He recalled for a moment and sighed again, "Truly perfect. This... this is truly rare."

Immediately, he added, "If this old servant doesn't use combat techniques, I won't be the young master's opponent. But if I use combat techniques, the young master... might get injured."

Qi Yu said, "Let me see what these combat techniques are."

Old Gu heard this, stood firm, and said, "What this old servant practices is the Rooster Fist, and the combat technique is the Chicken Claw Skill..."

As he spoke, he walked over to a nearby rock. He slowly raised his hands, his thumb and index finger tightly pressed together.

Qi Yu saw his knuckles protruding, his skin dense, and his claws like iron pincers.

Suddenly, Old Gu's eyes widened. He shook his body violently and let out a strange cry, like a ferocious rooster. His claw-like hands pecked fiercely, the air whistling sharply through the rapidly moving finger holes.

Crack!

A crisp sound.

Cracks spread across the rock.

Immediately after, it shattered with a roar.

Old Gu slowly raised his hand, his fingers gently parting. To his surprise, a small piece of gravel, which he had somehow grabbed, was held steadily between his fingers.

Qi Yu's pupils constricted slightly. "To the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall," he suddenly said.

He needed to learn combat techniques.

The carriage left the Qi manor.

As they exited the inner city, it began to fog.

The mist quickly thickened. The sun, which had already climbed halfway into the sky, became blurred, like a giant face pressed tightly against the sky, clinging on with all its might.

Old Gu slowed the carriage.

Qi Yu slightly lifted the carriage curtain. He could only vaguely make out the silhouettes of the streets on either side. Everyone's faces had disappeared, leaving only a buzzing cacophony intertwined.

Through the hazy mist, the carriage passed through an area with an extreme amount of noise. There were panicked shouts from people and stern reprimands from the constables...

Qi Yu remembered this place was a reed marsh.

What was going on today?

"Old Gu, see what's happening."

The carriage slowly stopped. Old Gu didn't get out but instead looked at a nearby person and asked loudly, "Brother, what happened?"

Before the person he called out to could respond, someone else approached from not too far away.

Qi Yu saw the data displayed as "28~43" from a distance. This level should be considered that of an eighth-rank martial artist.

The approaching person was a middle-aged man, tall and thin. He wore soft armor underneath a blue robe, with a saber hanging at his waist.

As he got closer, he recognized the style of the carriage. He straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and bowed. "Patrol Captain Zhao Qingyi, may I ask which noble of the Qi Family this is?"

Old Gu, with his sharp eyes, recognized him immediately. He turned back and whispered, "Young Master, it's one of our Qi Family's captains."

As the family that controlled the "Eastern Commandant" among the Five Commandants, the Qi Family naturally extended its influence to areas like city patrols and public security. This Patrol Captain Zhao Qingyi was one of the Qi Family's men.

This location was at the junction of the eastern inner city and the eastern outer city, so encountering someone from their own faction was not unusual.

"It's the Third Young Master."

Old Gu added.

Zhao Qingyi frowned slightly and said, "Then, no matter what the Third Young Master is doing today, please be sure to return to the inner city before dark."

Old Gu's heart stirred. "Captain Zhao, what happened?"

Zhao Qingyi replied, "I'm afraid you won't be scared. Just come and see."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yu immediately got out of the carriage and followed Zhao Qingyi.

The crowd parted.

As they drew closer.

They saw it.

It was a human head!

The head was placed in front of the reed marsh. The face was swollen and rotten from being submerged, presenting a horrifying sight. Fat, white worms crawled slowly on the pale skin, sickeningly.

Below the head was a sculpture made of mud and stones. The sculpture was lifelike, as if it were a real person. Upon closer inspection, one could vaguely discern the texture of the clothing and the style of the buttons.

At this moment, it was just like that moment before.

Qi Yu immediately thought of the snowman from before.

However, this time was different from the snowman incident.

This person appeared to have been murdered and dumped in the reed marsh. For some reason, they were fished out, their head severed, and then meticulously sculpted into this mud and stone figure.

What was the meaning behind it?

What was the motive?

An indescribable sense of dread suddenly washed over him.

Captain Zhao said, "It's a small gang from the outer city, led by someone called Wolf Bro. Normally, it's normal for such gangs to kill each other, but I don't know why it's become so bizarre. Something is amiss. Third Young Master, don't linger in the outer city. Once this is over, hurry back."