The Tragic Young Gang Leader

At that moment, Wang Hai walked over, his face full of apology.

"Sorry, Junior Brother Li. I got you involved.

Zhao Wenfeng has never gotten along with me. Seeing you with me, he dragged you into this too."

Li Xiao waved a hand.

"It's nothing, Senior Brother Wang."

Silence spread between them for a moment. The sounds of fists and feet striking and heavy breathing from the Martial Arts Training Ground made the quiet all the more distinct.

Wang Hai suddenly sighed and scratched his head. The honest smile on his face faded somewhat, replaced by a trace of complicated emotion.

"Actually... to be honest with you, my dad is the leader of the Golden Sand Gang."

He kept his voice low, as though afraid someone might overhear.

Li Xiao abruptly looked up, surprise flashing through his eyes.

Of course, he had heard of the Golden Sand Gang. It was one of the foremost gangs in the Outer City, standing in rivalry with the Wild Dog Gang, with immense influence.

He truly had not expected this easygoing Fat Senior Brother before him to be the gang's Young Master.

"You're the Young Master of the Golden Sand Gang?" Li Xiao asked instinctively. "Then how..."

"How am I not even a Martial Master, and still get bullied by Zhao Wenfeng? Is that it?"

Wang Hai gave a self-mocking smile, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness.

"You won't laugh if I tell you—I used to be nothing but a loafer.

Relying on my dad's name, I spent every day eating, drinking, and having fun. Forget martial arts training—I couldn't even hold a horse stance properly.

Back then, I thought that with my dad around, someone would hold up the sky even if it fell. Why bother with all that grueling training?"

He paused, looking toward the Inner Courtyard, his gaze darkening.

"But some time ago, my dad was badly injured in a conflict, and he still hasn't fully recovered.

The Vice Gang Leader began to entertain other thoughts. With the County Lieutenant of the Inner City backing him, he won over quite a few elders. Openly and in secret, he wanted to strip my dad of his power."

"My dad was afraid something would happen to me. Knowing that the Master of the Iron Wire Fist Hall is fiercely protective of his own, he forced me into the Martial Arts Hall, thinking that with the hall protecting me, the Vice Gang Leader wouldn't dare go too far."

Wang Hai gave a bitter laugh. "But for all his calculations, he never expected the Vice Gang Leader to have his son, Zhao Wenfeng, join the Martial Arts Hall as well."

Only then did Li Xiao understand. No wonder Zhao Wenfeng bore such deep hostility toward Wang Hai—it turned out to be a grudge between the Sons of Old and New Gang Leaders.

"That Zhao Wenfeng really is more talented than me. He started training in martial arts when he was young, and he never lacked resources. He's already a Second-Turn Martial Master!

Quite a few people in the Martial Arts Hall have thrown in their lot with him!"

Wang Hai clenched his fists.

"My dad's health is poor now, and plenty of people in the gang bend with the wind. Naturally, there are people in the Martial Arts Hall fawning over him too.

Someone as useless as me naturally became the target of his mockery."

He looked at Li Xiao, sincerity in his eyes.

"So I really am sorry about what happened just now. Zhao Wenfeng was coming at me, but he dragged you into it too."

Li Xiao shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you, Senior Brother. Even without this, with a temperament like his, he might not have thought much of someone with a Hunter Background like mine."

He paused, then added, "But don't lose heart either, Senior Brother. The Martial Arts Hall ultimately speaks through strength. As long as you're willing to train, there will always come a day when you catch up."

Wang Hai froze for a moment, then smiled. "You're right. That's exactly it."

He patted Li Xiao on the shoulder. "Good brother, as long as I have a bite to eat, you'll have one too.

If Zhao Wenfeng dares give you trouble, I... I may not be able to beat him, but I can still shout a few words for you."

Li Xiao laughed at that, and the small cloud hanging over his heart dispersed as well.

He realized that although this Young Master of the Golden Sand Gang had been reckless in the past, his heart was not bad.

"Half an hour is almost up. Time to practice our fists." Li Xiao stood and stretched his still somewhat numb legs.

Wang Hai stood as well, patting the dust off his backside.

"Come on, let's practice! Even if we can't become masters, we should at least be able to protect ourselves. Otherwise, my dad will be disappointed."

Zhao Hu walked to the center of the Martial Arts Training Ground. Sinking his waist and setting his stance, he gave a low shout and assumed the opening stance of the Iron Wire Fist.

His arms stretched horizontally like iron chains. His shoulder joints gave a faint crack, his muscles instantly tightening as a steady, weighty aura spread outward.

"Watch carefully!"

His left fist shot out, stirring a gust of wind. His right fist followed close behind, winding like iron wire, hardness and softness complementing each other.

His feet ground against the bluestone slabs, producing a faint scraping sound.

Every stance was sharper than when he had demonstrated for Li Xiao alone yesterday, and the transitions between moves had become even more smooth and seamless.

At times, he was like a fierce tiger pouncing on prey; at others, like a spirit snake flicking out its tongue. The surrounding disciples watched without blinking.

Li Xiao stood among the crowd as well, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused.

Zhao Wenfeng had the County Lieutenant backing him. Because of the Lin Family matter, he would sooner or later come into conflict with the County Lieutenant.

"Who would've thought they'd end up together?" Li Xiao sneered.

Thoughts swirled through Li Xiao's mind, and he only felt the burden on his shoulders growing heavier.

Li Xiao came back to his senses and looked closely, only to see Zhao Hu's fists shifting between substance and illusion.

At times, they were hard as iron, striking empty air with a muffled bang; at others, supple as whips, his wrists turning as though they could deflect the force of a thousand pounds.

He stopped thinking any further and focused all his attention on Zhao Hu's moves, carefully studying every detail of how he exerted force.

How the waist and abdomen drove the shoulders and arms, how his footwork matched the momentum of his fists—even the rhythm of his breathing, he committed all of it to memory.

After Zhao Hu finished a full set of punches, his face was not red and his breath did not quicken, the force around his body slowly drawing back in.

He looked at the crowd.

"Did you all see the sequence of those punches clearly?

"The key to the Iron Wire Fist lies in 'entwining' and 'hardness.' When it entwines, it is like a spiderweb, dense and impenetrable; when it hardens, it is like a thunderclap, unstoppable. Take your time and feel it out."

The crowd answered in unison, then scattered to practice on their own.

Li Xiao moved to one side and went over the moves he had memorized, again and again.

Chen Hu's matter was even more pressing.

But haste was useless. Only by practicing every punch until it was solid, raising his Iron Wire Fist experience as quickly as possible, and breaking through to become a Martial Master could he truly gain a firm foothold in this Martial Arts Hall.

Only then could he catch the Master of the Hall's attention, and only then would he have the confidence to protect his family.

"Junior Brother Li, what are you spacing out for?"

Wang Hai came over. Seeing that Li Xiao was still somewhat distracted, he reminded him.

Li Xiao came back to his senses.

"Nothing."

"That's good, then. Hurry up and practice your punches." After saying that, Wang Hai began practicing the Iron Wire Fist by himself.

Watching Wang Hai seriously go through the movements, Li Xiao glanced once more toward the Inner Courtyard, his gaze gradually turning firm.

Taking a deep breath, he lowered his waist and assumed the opening stance.

"Raise the stance as if drawing a bow; sink the qi into the Dantian."

He silently recited the words to himself. As his left arm slowly rose, he deliberately slowed his breathing, inhaling and exhaling through his nose, letting his breath sink through his throat into his abdomen. Sure enough, he felt a faint warmth within his body.

As his right fist followed, winding forward, he exhaled in tandem and guided that warmth through his Meridians toward his arm. Though it was so faint as to be almost imperceptible, it gave his punch an elusive trace of resilience.

Sweat dripped from his jawline, striking the Blue Stone Slab and spreading into a small Wet Mark.

Li Xiao paid it no heed, focusing only on the transition between "exhale" and "inhale."

He exhaled when punching and inhaled when gathering strength. Every breath rose and fell in harmony with his moves, as though an invisible force flowed through his body, guiding the trajectories of his fists and feet.

Iron Wire Fist Experience +1

Iron Wire Fist Experience +1

After practicing the Iron Wire Fist several times, he was considerably more proficient than yesterday.

The prompt chimes in his mind came more frequently than before. Li Xiao was delighted and practiced with even greater focus.

He gradually came to understand that the Iron Wire Fist was far from a simple fist-and-foot technique.

Rather, it was the fusion of "form," "qi," and "force"—the moves were form, breathing was qi, and what arose from the circulation of qi and blood was true force.

This was real kung fu, not the flashy empty forms of some performances from his previous life.

Wang Hai, practicing nearby, was drenched in sweat. Seeing Li Xiao's punches growing ever smoother, his eyes lit up.

"Junior Brother Li, you're improving fast! You've only just entered the Martial Arts Hall, yet you can already perform all twelve forms in full!"

Li Xiao withdrew his fists and caught his breath, a smile dampened by sweat on his face.

"It's because Senior Brother Zhao taught well. I've grasped a little of the trick behind breathing."

He did not stop. After making a slight adjustment, he began practicing again.