Brawling

"Master Li, I have no problem taking part in the martial hall competition, but are you really willing to teach me the Let-Go Blade Technique afterward?" Shi Mu nodded, then asked.

"The Let-Go Blade Technique is something I barely managed to comprehend after more than twenty years of hard training in the Wind-Galloping Blade Technique. I daresay it's no worse than the martial skills treasured by those aristocratic families. I'd originally planned to keep it as a trump card, but if you can truly win the Flowing Wind Martial Hall a huge advantage, what's wrong with teaching it to you?" Li Canghai said with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Master Li. I'll give it my all in the competition," Shi Mu replied with a smile.

"You've made astonishing progress in the Body Tempering Technique, and the Iron Refining Method seems especially suited to you, but you still mustn't underestimate this martial hall competition. Only Martial Disciples under eighteen are eligible, but the disciples from the other three martial halls are no weaklings. I know several who've reached at least the tenth layer of body tempering. Still, if you can reach the eleventh layer before the competition, you shouldn't have much trouble." Li Canghai spoke gravely.

"In that case, I'll get straight to training," Shi Mu replied without hesitation.

"You don't need to tell me. I'll do my best to help you advance as soon as possible." Li Canghai's eyes flashed. Then he led Shi Mu toward a large building behind the courtyard. Once they entered, he slid the bolt across the door.

As soon as Shi Mu entered, he took off his outer clothes and, with a thud, unfastened a heavy sandbag from his waist. The impact made the floor tremble twice.

He never took the sandbag off except when sleeping or bathing. The last time he'd encountered that Zombie in the temple, it had happened so suddenly that he hadn't had time to undo the sandbag. Otherwise, his speed and reflexes could have been even better.

"The iron sand inside seems a little light for you. Starting tomorrow, we'll add another twenty pounds." Seeing this, Li Canghai's pupils contracted slightly. He picked up a short, thick yellow wooden rod from a nearby rack, its two ends wrapped in thick leather padding.

Shi Mu answered, then stamped both feet down and dropped into a steady horse stance. He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and held it.

Li Canghai stepped forward and swung his arm. The rod became a blur of heavy strikes, thudding into pressure points all over Shi Mu's upper body...

An incense stick's time later, Shi Mu emerged from the large building, dressed again. His normally nimble steps had grown noticeably unsteady, and he left the courtyard with a grimace.

Inside the building, Li Canghai was drenched in sweat, wearing a rueful smile.

"This kid's physique is downright monstrous. He nearly wore me, a Houtian Mid-Stage Martial Artist, to the ground. But it makes sense. Without such a powerful body, he couldn't have completed the Iron Refining Method in just half a year. This martial hall competition is going to be something to look forward to. Still, even with the Iron Refining Method, advancing two body-tempering layers in half a year is incredible. Could he really be a Bloodline Martial Artist?"

Li Canghai sank into thought.

Of course, he had no idea that, apart from practicing the Iron Refining Method at the martial hall every few days, Shi Mu hadn't followed his instructions to rest and recover. Instead, relying on his astonishing recuperative powers, the next day he'd still put on his heavy Black Armor and headed into the outskirts to hone his martial skills and hunt all kinds of beasts. That was how he'd managed to advance his Body Tempering Technique to such an astonishing level in so little time.

Shi Mu left the martial hall and walked just one street before reaching a small residence made up of three rooms. He pushed open the door and strolled right in.

This rather secluded place was his temporary home in the city.

Before long, one of the rooms was filled with the strong smell of medicinal herbs, while billows of steam poured out of the window.

"How soothing!"

Shi Mu lay naked in a large wooden tub filled with scalding water. A few flowers and herbs floated on the surface.

His exposed upper body was covered in patches of bruises, yet his face showed pure contentment. Before long, he had fallen asleep in the tub, snoring softly.

No one knew how long later, Shi Mu slowly opened his eyes and woke. The medicinal water in the tub had gone cold, and the sky outside the window had clearly darkened.

Shi Mu stood up and looked himself over. The shocking bruises on his skin had faded until they were barely visible.

The Flowing Wind Martial Hall's specially prepared medicinal bath was truly excellent. Combined with his remarkable ability to recover, it was a perfect match. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to endure the inhuman training he'd gone through over the past six months.

After all, not just anyone could be beaten savagely with sticks every few days, then spend the nights racing through the mountains under the weight of Black Armor and an iron sandbag, and still remain unharmed.

After half a year of grueling training, Shi Mu had grown considerably taller. Aside from a trace of boyishness in his face, his bearing and build now made him look almost like a grown man.

He grabbed a towel beside the tub and dried himself, then put on his clothes and the sandbag on the ground before leaving.

Half an hour later, Shi Mu reached a street in the north of the city. He slipped into an inconspicuous little house, where two men sat waiting for him at a square table. They were Feng Li and Gao Yuan.

"Brother Shi, you finally made it." Feng Li immediately rose from his chair, beaming with delight.

Gao Yuan also stood up eagerly to greet him.

"Since Brother Feng gave me the signal, I take it you've got another job for me." Shi Mu smiled faintly.

"You guessed right, Brother Shi. I'm afraid we'll need you to step in again. This time, our opponent is the Turbid Water Gang, over by Huangtian. The Black Fox Society has arranged to settle things with them here at the third watch tonight, and decide who gets the five streets around the Heavenly King Temple in the north of the city. But I've heard the Turbid Water Gang has hired several experts to fight for them, so you'll need to be careful." Feng Li explained in detail.

"Experts? Could there be Houtian Martial Artists among them?" Shi Mu's eyes flickered as he asked.

"Don't worry. Small Feng City gangs like the Black Fox Society and the Turbid Water Gang couldn't possibly hire Houtian Martial Artists. At most, they'll have skilled Martial Disciples from other martial halls. Besides, it's only because Brother Shi has helped us several times that our strength has grown so much. The Turbid Water Gang won't be driven to desperation over this." Gao Yuan curled his lip.

"Exactly. There's no written rule against it, but clashes between small gangs at our level would never catch a Houtian Martial Artist's attention. And even if the Turbid Water Gang really knew one, they couldn't afford the price of hiring him. A Houtian Martial Artist's fee would be enough to bankrupt them." Feng Li laughed.

"As long as there are no Houtian Martial Artists, that's fine. Same as before: three hundred taels of silver, and no outsiders can learn my identity." Shi Mu relaxed and answered with practiced ease.

"Good, then it's settled. We've already prepared your things. We can leave shortly." Feng Li readily agreed, then pulled a small bundle from his clothes and handed it over.

Shi Mu opened the bundle on the table before him. Inside were a pair of black gloves, a black robe, and a silver mask. He put them all on with practiced ease.

In an instant, a mysterious figure in black with a silver face stood in the room.

"Every time I see Brother Shi dressed like this, it feels as though Second Brother never died." Gao Yuan looked at Shi Mu in his disguise, his face clouding with complicated emotions.

"Ahem, we have Brother Shi to thank for that. Ever since Second Brother died unexpectedly, Brother Shi has taken his place as the Fierce Fist and repeatedly dealt crushing blows to our enemies. Without him, the Black Fox Society wouldn't have grown so powerful over the past six months. We might not even have held on to our old territory. Apart from the two of us, no one else knows that our society's number-one fighter has already been replaced." Feng Li sighed.

"I'm only doing this for the money. Your payments are what let me keep up the medicinal baths. And compared with the other gangs around here, the Black Fox Society has a conscience. If another gang wiped you out, the ordinary people nearby would suffer badly." A low voice came from behind the mask, utterly unlike Shi Mu's usual voice.

"Exactly. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. It's about time. Let's go." Feng Li clapped his hands and smiled.

Shi Mu had no objections.

The three left the house and soon disappeared at the end of the dim street.

On an exceptionally remote, dilapidated street in Feng City, two groups of burly men in distinct outfits were brawling wildly.

The Black Fox Society's side had about forty men in black. Feng Li, Shi Mu, and Gao Yuan stood behind them, arms folded, watching the fight. Their opponents were more numerous and all wore blue—the infamous Turbid Water Gang. Five men stood motionless behind them.

Before long, the smaller Black Fox Society group was clearly at a disadvantage. Many of its men had been beaten bloody and were forced to withdraw from the fight.

"Brother Shi, let's move," Feng Li said, his face darkening.

Shi Mu nodded, shook out his arms, and sprang forward without a word.

With two muffled thuds, two men in blue fell to the ground.

"Fierce Fist!"

The moment the silver-faced figure Shi Mu had become appeared among the crowd, several terrified cries rang out. At the same time, two other tall men in blue swung their clubs and swept them toward his back.

Crack! Crack!

Shi Mu spun around abruptly and drove out both fists with a whoosh, breaking the two clubs clean in half. Before the two men could retreat in shock, he blurred forward and closed in on one of them, his fist flashing.

With a boom, the man flew two zhang like a sack and crashed heavily to the ground.

Shi Mu stamped down again and shot toward the other man like a crossbow bolt. He lifted a leg and kicked the other man in blue away like a gust of wind.