Humiliation

The next day, Lu Chuan arrived at the Martial Arts Hall as usual, but before he even stepped through the door, he caught the sound of murmurs.

On the Training Ground, many disciples were gathered in small clusters.

"My god, have you heard? Senior Disciple Brother Jiang Hao broke through the Blood Pass!"

"No way? Hasn't he only been an Initiate for a month?"

"How could it be false? Master Zheng verified it himself! Upper Grade Bone Root really is something else—Mountain Splitting Saber mastered in three days, Minor Success in under a month, and now the Blood Pass broken in just a few days! Comparing people just kills you..."

Lu Chuan's heart gave a jolt.

Breaking the Blood Pass in a month? That speed was truly alarming.

He walked over, scanning the crowd until he quickly spotted Jiang Hao.

The Jiang Hao of now was a completely different person from the slightly reserved one a month ago.

His posture was straight, the changes brought by a surge of Qi and Blood were clearly visible, and his whole demeanor radiated confidence and aloofness.

Faced with the fawning looks and words of the junior disciples around him, he only gave a slight nod, his attitude arrogant.

Lu Chuan carefully sensed the other's aura—it was indeed denser and heavier than his own.

He was deeply startled.

This kid had no system, yet his progress was so rapid!

But on second thought, Lu Chuan let it go.

"Upper Grade Bone Root, extraordinary talent, plus the resources Master Zheng tilted his way... I hear he was given several medicinal pills just for training."

With conditions like that, it was no surprise Jiang Hao could break through so quickly.

What caught him slightly off guard was that even the usually aloof Second Senior Sister Su Tang had now walked up to Jiang Hao and was actively chatting with him.

Lu Chuan was too far away to hear what they were saying, but seeing the rare, faint smile on Su Tang's face was already a first in itself.

"Heh," Lu Chuan laughed silently to himself. "With strength, everyone around you really does become kinder."

He shook his head, casting aside the stray thoughts.

Jiang Hao's breakthrough was someone else's business; he had to walk his own path.

Turning, he found Zhou Ming Chuan practicing his blade nearby.

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, busy? I wanted to ask you something," Lu Chuan said as he approached.

Zhou Ming Chuan sheathed his saber, wiped off some sweat, and smiled. "Junior Disciple Brother Lu, what's up?"

Lu Chuan got straight to the point. "Brother, I feel like my Qi and Blood accumulation is about enough lately. I wanted to ask—when you broke through the Blood Pass back then, was there anything I should pay special attention to?"

Hearing this, Zhou Ming Chuan's smile froze, and he looked Lu Chuan up and down in surprise. "You... you're already close to the threshold of the Blood Pass? It's only been a bit over two months, right? I remember your Bone Root..."

"It's just Mid-Lower Grade," Lu Chuan said frankly. "That's why I wanted to ask about your experience, to prepare better."

Zhou Ming Chuan dropped the joking tone and said seriously, "Junior Disciple Brother Lu, for folks like us, breaking through is much harder. First, your Qi and Blood accumulation has to be solid enough. Second, you need to get your state to its peak—calm mind, no distractions. And ideally... you'd want some external aid."

"External aid?" Lu Chuan pressed.

"Yeah, the most common thing is a Qi and Blood Pill. Otherwise, some especially nourishing Great Medicine, aged stuff—like an old mountain ginseng with years on it, or the heart's blood of a powerful Exotic Beast..."

A Qi and Blood Pill was a medicine a hundred times more potent than the Qi and Blood Soup the Martial Arts Hall handed out daily, specifically for Tempering Qi and Blood and aiding breakthroughs. It was pricey.

Word had it that Jiang Hao had taken one when he broke through.

"How much does one of those cost?" Lu Chuan asked.

Zhou Ming Chuan smacked his lips. "They sell them at Renhetang Pharmacy. Fixed price—two taels of silver each."

Two taels of silver each... Lu Chuan did the math in his head.

Zhou Ming Chuan, thinking he was put off by the price, sighed. "Junior Disciple Brother, Jiang Hao's the type who gets handed a meal by heaven. For people like us, there's no rushing. Just take it slow and wait—there'll always be a chance."

"Got it. Thanks, Brother." Lu Chuan nodded, already calculating in his mind.

Even though he could go up the mountain to hunt, he didn't always come back with a big haul.

In the bitter winter cold, with heavy snow sealing off the mountains, the larger prey hid deeper and were harder to track.

These days were the toughest—he could only rely on luck to bag some Mountain Pheasants or wild rabbits.

He roughly estimated that over the next month, if he didn't get a stroke of luck, he might earn about three taels of silver.

"Guess I'll just have to save up slowly..."

Just as Lu Chuan thought this uneventful stretch would drag on, someone suddenly shattered the calm.

One day, Lu Chuan was practicing Mountain Splitting Saber at home. Because of the relentless snow, he hadn't been to the Martial Arts Hall in days.

Lu Danian and his wife hadn't gone up the mountain either, and the whole family huddled indoors, passing a few quiet days.

"Lu Danian, open the door!" A rough voice abruptly broke the silence.

Lu Chuan frowned. That voice—it was Wang Kun!

He stopped Lu Danian and went to the door alone.

Opening it, sure enough, there stood Wang Kun, alone, his face openly cold and sinister.

"Kid, where's your family's Mountain Tax?"

Lu Chuan's heart sank. He said in a low voice, "Wang Kun, our family's Mountain Tax was paid in full a few days ago when you came to collect it yourself. You counted it and gave us a receipt. What, forgotten already after just a few days?"

Wang Kun picked at his ear, putting on a rogueish air: "Paid in full? I don't remember that."

"Lu Chuan, you can talk nonsense, but don't spout lies. Our Black Tiger Gang collects taxes clearly and cleanly. Saying that—are you accusing our gang of being shady?"

"You—!" Lu Chuan's eyes turned cold. This was blatant troublemaking, a deliberate provocation!

Lu Danian, hearing everything clearly from behind, was both angry and anxious. He quickly fished out the coarse-paper receipt from his chest and handed it over: "Headman Wang, look, this is the receipt you gave us that day. It even has your stamp on it! We really did pay!"

Wang Kun glanced at it and reached out to take it.

Just as Lu Danian breathed a sigh of relief, Wang Kun pinched the receipt between two fingers without even looking, and with a rip, tore it straight in half.

"Ha!" Wang Kun clapped his hands. "Forging a Black Tiger Gang receipt? You've got some nerve! By the rules, this time the Mountain Tax is doubled! Not a single coin less, or today's business isn't over!"

Lu Danian and his son's faces turned ashen.

Looking at the torn paper on the ground, then at Wang Kun's smug, unafraid expression, a surge of anger rushed straight to Lu Chuan's head.

This wasn't simple extortion—it was a slap in the face, a clear assumption that they wouldn't dare fight back!

Wang Kun crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over the humiliated faces of the Lu father and son, his sneer deepening.

He hadn't been idle lately; he'd already scoped out every household in the nearby villages with any real assets.

This Lu family in Kaoshan Village—first they bagged a Snow Fox and a Golden Pheasant, and then they even took down a five-hundred-jin Armored Wild Boar King!

No wonder that day at the Zhao Family, Lu Chuan could casually pull out two taels of silver to cover someone's debt.

With such a fat sheep, how could he miss the chance to shear it a few more times?

As for revenge...

A kid who just joined a Martial Arts Hall and a simple old hunter—what trouble could they stir up?