"Although the Li Family had won the arena battle, their only real standout, the eldest young master Li Yunfei, had lost an arm. He was crippled, and his fortune had run out.
"Besides, although Pavilion Master Qin hadn't come for the Li Family, he had still made the trip here. It wouldn't do to keep pushing things.
"Let's call it a day."
After Qin Zhonghai left, Zhu Lie, Yin Zheng, and Guo Zhengwei exchanged a few words, then immediately withdrew.
In any case, the Li Family Bank had been put through such a spectacle that, even though it had won, it had lost all face. It no longer posed a threat.
Their task was complete. Next, it was the Chen Family and Shen Family's turn to make their move.
Everyone began to leave. Among them, the chief escort of the Wei Yuan Escort Agency, Guo Zhengwei, brought his son Guo Yuan and several disciples to a nearby restaurant, where they drank their fill.
Guo Zhengwei looked at Guo Yuan with a trace of satisfaction and said:
"Though we lost the arena battle today, A-Yuan was the only one who won. We lost the battle, but A-Yuan didn't."
At his words, the others raised their cups to congratulate him.
Guo Yuan was also riding high. Not only had he come through the arena battle without a loss, he had used Li Youning as a stepping stone, breaking through to the Meat Refining Realm in the heat of battle and entering the top ten among the Military Service Bureau's disciples.
Even Qin Zhonghai of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had praised his bright prospects.
Feeling triumphant, Guo Yuan downed his cup in one go and couldn't help saying:
"Everything's going my way. Brothers, Father, everything's going my way!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
The private room and the area outside it were filled with merry laughter.
In the rear courtyard of the Li Family Bank. The Li Family had won the arena battle and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. At noon, they laid out a lavish feast.
Lu Ming, whose cultivation was only at the Skin Refining Realm, was seated in the guest of honor's place. The Li Family members repeatedly thanked and praised him.
"Young Master Lu defeated Chu Wufeng, who had reached Major Completion in the Skin Refining Realm, despite being in the Skin Refining Realm himself. While the other Military Service Bureau disciples were still training hard, Young Master Lu stood on an arena watched by the whole city, driven by a sense of righteousness, and saved the Li Family from disaster. You certainly deserve to be called a young hero!"
These words from Li Mingyuan, the head of the Li Family, as he raised his cup to toast, filled Lu Ming with delight.
The Li Family ran a bank and had once been a great lineage on equal footing with the Three Great Families. Even now, Li Mingyuan's cultivation was on par with Guo Zhengwei's and Yin Zheng's. He was undoubtedly a formidable figure in his own right.
Hearing someone of his stature call him a "young hero" made Lu Ming rather pleased with himself.
He had indeed come this time to repay Li Youning's kindness. If word of it spread, it would earn him some renown.
But he was clear-headed enough to know that this arena was only a small stage, hardly something that had drawn the attention of the whole city.
Had Qin Zhonghai not appeared at the end, the important figures Zhu Lie, Guo Zhengwei, and Yin Zheng would never have shown up.
He replied modestly, "If the eldest young master hadn't fought with all his might and won the first match, my victory wouldn't have mattered. In the end, it was Pavilion Master Qin's appearance that drove them off. You flatter me, Uncle."
Li Mingyuan smiled and shook his head, then said, "Bring it in."
At once, a servant came over to Lu Ming with a tray covered by a red cloth, holding it in both hands.
Li Mingyuan got up and came over. He lifted the red cloth, and a flash of silver gleamed. The tray held no fewer than six silver ingots.
Lu Ming's breath caught. Each silver ingot was worth fifty taels; six of them came to three hundred taels.
Li Mingyuan said, "This three hundred taels of silver is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Young Master Lu."
He was really giving it to him? Lu Ming looked at Li Mingyuan in surprise. With these three hundred taels, he might be able to learn a finger technique or palm technique from Wei Jinlin.
Wei Jinlin would teach him at least a second-rate martial art, and three hundred taels wouldn't be enough to buy one elsewhere.
Just then, the Li Family's second young master, Li Yunping, froze for a moment at the banquet table and said:
"Father, didn't you say we were out of money? These three hundred taels..."
"Be quiet!" Li Mingyuan turned and glared at him.
Li Yunping's conduct in this matter had greatly disappointed him. The fact that he was still asking this question now only showed how mediocre his abilities were.
The Li Family Bank had been on the verge of collapse earlier, so naturally they couldn't touch the money in the vault. Now that the crisis had temporarily eased, they could loosen the purse strings a little.
After Li Mingyuan snapped at him, Li Yunping gave an awkward smile and shrank back, seeming to understand.
Then he gritted his teeth and turned to Li Youning across from him.
"Third Sister, you really do have a discerning eye.
"If you hadn't recognized Brother Lu as a young hero, the Li Family would have been in real danger this time.
"Second Brother was a little resentful earlier, but it was only because he had the Li Family's interests at heart. I hope you won't take it to heart."
Ever since Lu Ming won the arena battle, Li Youning had been surrounded by overwhelming joy.
She hadn't expected Lu Ming not only to come help her, but to be so formidable, too. Her beautiful eyes roved as she kept glancing at him, secretly congratulating herself on having decisively chosen to win him over.
Just then, she heard Li Yunping apologize to her. Remembering how he had resented and blamed her before, then comparing it with his humble apology now, she felt a wave of vindication.
These past few days, she hadn't even dared to walk with her back straight at home, as though she were a sinner in the Li Family.
Now her keen eye had been proven right. She couldn't help lifting her chin and straightening her back, revealing her long, smooth neck as she smiled.
"Second Brother, there's no need for that. We all had the Li Family's interests at heart. Now that the crisis is over, we can all be happy."
Li Yunping let out a sigh of relief and said:
"Third Sister is absolutely right."
He also glanced at Lu Ming with some envy. He hadn't expected Li Youning to win over such a talented Military Service Bureau disciple. Her luck was almost too good.
Li Mingyuan then had someone bring over another item. Lu Ming saw ten packets of medicinal powder, and could smell their herbal fragrance even through the bags.
Li Mingyuan said, "This is the Li Family's exclusive cultivation tonic, Sweet Dew Powder.
"After your daily training, put this powder in a wooden tub to make a medicinal bath, then sit in it. It will relieve your body's fatigue.
"You can use it only once a day.
"With Sweet Dew Powder, you'll be able to train twice as long as other people. I imagine it will be of some help to you.
"Alas, if only the younger generation of the Li Family had more talent. With Sweet Dew Powder alone, we wouldn't be inferior to the other families."
While Li Mingyuan continued lamenting, Lu Ming was already overjoyed. It doubled his daily training time? This Sweet Dew Powder was that effective!
A cultivation tonic? It seemed every martial arts faction had its own special tonic.
Even with tonics like these, only a handful of the wealthy disciples in this year's Military Service Bureau had managed to reach the Meat Refining Realm. Lu Ming couldn't help feeling a little disdainful.
What a waste.
No wonder Chen Jinyang and Shen Jue had to cultivate people like Zhu Ming and Wu San. They weren't much to begin with themselves. They relied entirely on their families, building their cultivation by piling on tonics.
After the feast, Li Mingyuan wanted him to stay the night, but Lu Ming was eager to return and train, so he firmly declined.
Before he left, Li Youning gave him ten packets of Qi-Nurturing Powder. He had already used up his own supply, so he gladly accepted them.
By dusk, Lu Ming returned to the Military Service Bureau in high spirits, his hands full.
He arrived at the bureau's front gate just as night fell. Suddenly, a blaze erupted somewhere in the darkened Red Cloud County, and cries of alarm rang out from all directions.
Lu Ming turned to look in confusion. It seemed plenty of people on the street were fleeing in a panic. This wasn't an ordinary fire.
"Demons! The demons are here!"
"The Red River Restaurant has collapsed! So many people are dead!"
"Don't panic. I just saw a black shadow fleeing into the distance. The demon must have run off."
"I heard the Wei Yuan Escort Agency went out to celebrate Guo Yuan all afternoon. They ran right into the demon, and only Chief Escort Guo escaped."
Before you continue