Defeating Xu Shan

Xu Shan looked down at his palm, which was slightly flushed; he knew better than anyone that taking that punch had been a struggle.

If it had been anyone else, whether they could have even withstood the Heart-Crushing Palm was debatable, let alone launching a counterattack.

But Chen Mo's counterattack just now had been both precise and ruthless!

"Had he already figured out my style beforehand, and thus prepared a counter-strategy?" he thought to himself.

"If that's the case..."

A thought stirred within him, and his body sprang forward like a fox or a hare, quickly closing the distance to Chen Mo before thrusting both palms out, surging like a wild tide, wave after wave.

This move was a variation of the Heart-Crushing Palm that Xu Shan rarely used; he was certain that Chen Mo wouldn't be able to handle this so easily.

Chen Mo watched the "palm waves" before him without panic, the Wave-Intercepting Style already brewing in his hands.

The Wave-Intercepting Style of the Fuhu Fist was specifically designed to deal with such chaotic palms or fists; one only needed to find the right moment.

Chen Mo tapped his toes against the ground, retreating rapidly, while simultaneously keeping his eyes locked on the surging palm energy before him.

The moment the palm energy showed the slightest slack, that would be his opening to strike.

The two grew closer and closer, the palm wind blowing so hard it made his face feel cold.

"It seems this man has no strength left to counterattack..." the onlookers concluded as they watched the scene.

Wu Zhiai's expression darkened, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt.

Just as the distance between them narrowed to a mere inch, Xu Shan faltered for a split second due to an uneven patch of ground.

In that instant, Chen Mo suddenly threw a punch.

He first thrust out his left fist to block the tide of palm energy, then followed with his right, aiming straight for his opponent's throat.

The essence of the Fuhu Fist lay in seizing the opponent's weakness in a fleeting moment.

And Chen Mo's insights into Mountain and Water Cultivation allowed him to push the Fuhu Fist to its absolute limit.

Xu Shan was no amateur, however; seeing the Wave-Intercepting Style strike, he immediately withdrew his palms to block in front of his throat.

"Bang!"

The fist energy exploded between his palms, emitting a violent sound of clashing force.

Taking the brunt of the impact, Xu Shan's body immediately tipped backward.

This instant was the opportunity to defeat the enemy that Chen Mo had been seeking.

"Tap, tap!"

He took two rapid steps forward, raised his right fist, and quickly channeled the Stone-Crushing Strike, smashing it toward Xu Shan's face.

The transition from defense to offense happened in a heartbeat!

Xu Shan's expression changed drastically; he tried to dodge to the side, but it was already too late. By the time he steadied himself, the fist energy was already upon him.

"Bang!"

The fist slammed into Xu Shan's face, sending him flying thirty feet like a bird with broken wings before he crashed onto the stone floor.

Three moves, no more, no less!

A chorus of gasps rose from the crowd, which included many family retainers and martial hall disciples.

Before, they had wondered if they could withstand three moves from Xu Shan.

Now, they were wondering if they could withstand three moves from Chen Mo.

"What was his name again? Chen Mo? How have I never heard of him..."

"He seems to be a newly recruited disciple of the Tianqing Martial Hall, reached Ming Jin in half a month..."

"Half a month?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion about this newcomer to the martial arts world.

Several men from the Zhao Family hurriedly helped Xu Shan up; his face was sunken in one spot and dripping with blood, though it wasn't an irreparable injury.

But the Zhao Family's reputation had been thoroughly trampled underfoot by Chen Mo today.

Wu Zhiai walked over to Chen Mo, unable to hide her joy, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Chen Mo shook his head slightly.

Wu Zhiai turned to the crowd, "Everyone, the sparring between the Wu Family and the Zhao Family ends here today. I hope both families will not let this harm our harmony."

It had been a long time since she had felt this triumphant.

In fact, the same was true for the Wu Family; even their doorway seemed to shine a little brighter today.

Conversely, the Zhao Family left quickly amidst the crowd's chatter, and the supported Xu Shan no longer possessed his earlier arrogance.

"Let's go into the guest hall and sit for a while," Wu Zhiai said to Chen Mo.

The two walked slowly into the guest hall.

This was the first time Wu Zhiai had brought him into the guest hall; the last time, they had only been in the courtyard.

Chen Mo looked around the room; although the Wu Family had fallen on hard times, they still possessed all the essentials, though some areas clearly lacked maintenance.

Wu Zhiai invited Chen Mo to sit, while Wu Laoer peeked in from not far away, not daring to show himself.

"Chen Mo."

Wu Zhiai began, "You have helped the Wu Family once again, and you have helped me. This time, I will reward you with ten taels of silver!"

After some thought, Chen Mo replied, "Sister Ai, I have a presumptuous request. If you agree to it, I can forgo the ten taels of silver."

Wu Zhiai raised an eyebrow, "As long as it is within my power, I will certainly help you."

"I have been targeted by the Hansha Gang. I am worried about my sister's safety and would like her to stay at the Wu Family for a while."

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhiai pondered for a moment, "That is no problem at all. I will have someone arrange it shortly. Furthermore, you shall still take the ten taels of silver; a martial artist who lacks money is not a true martial artist."

Chen Mo stood up and cupped his hands in thanks.

However, he knew that this was more of a transaction.

He had helped the Wu Family defeat Xu Shan, and in return, Wu Zhiai would help look after Chen Lan. Had he failed to defeat Xu Shan today, Wu Zhiai likely would not have agreed so easily.

At this very moment, in front of the Wu Family gate.

After the crowd dispersed, two figures remained.

One was the person who had followed Chen Mo last night, and the other was the deputy leader of the Hansha Gang.

"Deputy leader, this Chen Mo certainly has some skill."

The deputy leader lifted his gloomy face and began to calculate, "He was unknown before, yet he reached Ming Jin in just half a month. Then he killed our brothers who intercepted the caravan, and today he defeated Xu Shan..."

He suddenly thought of something and muttered, "Regarding the death of Huang E from the Black Tiger Hall, I participated in the confrontation with them. I clearly remember that there were faint traces of a fist wound in Huang E's injuries. Could it be..."

"Does the deputy leader mean that Huang E was killed by Chen Mo? We in the Hansha Gang checked before, but no one had moved to kill Huang E!"

The deputy leader tapped his fingers lightly against his robe and pondered, "Calculating by the time of Huang E's death, Chen Mo had just entered the Tianqing Martial Hall and had not yet reached Ming Jin. It is quite reasonable that there was a struggle between him and Huang E."

"According to what I know, Huang E was specifically in charge of collecting grain tribute and had bullied Chen Mo before. Chen Mo must have killed Huang E because of that."

At this point, the deputy leader's fingers suddenly clenched, causing his knuckles to crack.

The subordinate in black asked, "Then should we tell the Black Tiger Hall?"

A flash of malice crossed the deputy leader's eyes, "Do you think the Black Tiger Hall truly cares about the life or death of a Huang E who wasn't even at the Ming Jin level? Do not spread word of this for now."

In the Wu Family guest hall.

Wu Zhiai invited Chen Mo to stay for dinner, but Chen Mo declined, saying he needed to intensify his training. Wu Zhiai smiled and agreed.

After Chen Mo left, Wu Zhiai walked toward a side door next to the guest hall and suddenly pulled it open. Wu Laoer, who had been hiding behind the door eavesdropping, lost his support and stumbled to the floor.

Wu Zhiai raised an eyebrow, "Second Brother, today is a good day. Shall we have dinner together to celebrate?"

Wu Laoer stood up, his expression shifting between uncertainty and fear, and stammered, "I... I won't. You celebrate by yourself."

With that, he tucked his tail and fled.