Unstoppable

In the blink of an eye, Shi Mu charged through the crowd like a wolf among sheep, knocking down seven or eight people in one breath, causing the remaining Turbid Water Gang members to scatter to both sides in terror.

At that moment, Feng Li and Gao Yuan also rushed into the crowd, each wielding two iron rods. With wild swings of their clubs, they similarly fought to knock down five or six people.

Seeing this, the few watching from behind the Turbid Water Gang could no longer sit idly by. After the leading middle-aged man let out a low roar of "Fierce Fist," he and two others charged at Shi Mu, while the remaining two intercepted Feng Li and Gao Yuan, engaging in a fierce battle.

The four iron rods in Feng Li and Gao Yuan's hands whistled continuously, their moves strikingly similar, clearly using the same martial technique.

Their opponents each wielded two flat white iron rulers—one's style heavy and steady, the other light and unpredictable—clashing with Feng Li and Gao Yuan in a "clang clang" of evenly matched combat.

On the other side, facing three blue-clad men whose skills clearly surpassed ordinary gang members, Shi Mu said nothing. With a single foot, he flicked at the nearby ground. "Pfft," an ordinary wooden rod bounced up from the earth and landed steadily in his palm.

"Swish, swish."

The first to arrive was the leading middle-aged man, each hand gripping a seemingly sharp green bamboo blade. As soon as he neared Shi Mu, he crossed the blades and slashed fiercely at Shi Mu's chest. Given the sharpness of these bamboo blades, even though they weren't iron, if they truly struck, the result would likely be a ripped-open belly.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Shi Mu's eyes. With a mere flick of his wrist, the rod in his hand blurred, and suddenly six rod shadows flickered out wildly.

"Ah!"

The middle-aged man gasped in shock. He hastily retracted his two bamboo blades like lightning, dancing them wildly in front of him to block.

"Crack, crack," two crisp sounds rang out.

The man felt a jolt in both palms as his two bamboo blades instantly snapped into four pieces. Almost simultaneously, a sharp pain erupted in his chest, and he was sent stumbling backward with a "thud thud." After staggering, he nearly fell flat on his rear.

By then, the other two blue-clad men had also charged over. Seeing this, they grew frantic. One thrust his wooden spear forward with a piercing sound, while the other flicked his wrist, sending a leather whip lashing out like a raging python.

Shi Mu let out a low roar. With a sudden swing of his arm, the wooden rod shot out like a javelin, hurtling straight toward the incoming spear. A thunderous "boom" echoed.

The spear-wielding man had no time to adjust his stance. The tip of his wooden spear collided head-on with the whistling rod. A searing heat surged through his hands as an indescribable force rushed along the spear shaft. The front half of the spear exploded instantly, leaving his hands dripping with blood and completely numb.

At the same time, Shi Mu's other arm blurred again. With a "smack," his black-gloved hand caught the front end of the whip lashing in from the other side.

The whip-wielding blue-clad man's face turned pale. He tugged desperately at the whip handle, pulling backward with all his might.

Shi Mu snorted. Gripping the whip, he simply yanked it toward himself with force. The whip-wielding man's body trembled violently, and he stumbled forward involuntarily.

"No good!"

The whip-wielding man panicked and tried to release the handle, but it was too late.

In a flash, the silver-masked figure moved, closing several steps in an instant to stand before him. A fist blurred.

"Thud."

The whip-wielding man took a heavy blow to the abdomen. His guts churned like a stormy sea, and his vision went dark as he collapsed to his knees.

Shi Mu showed no sign of stopping. With another shrug of his shoulders, he spun into the air like a whirlwind. A leg shadow materialized and swept forward.

The whip-wielding man's face turned deathly pale.

Given the terrifying force behind it, if he were hit, he'd likely be crippled if not killed on the spot. Yet, still reeling from the previous attack, he couldn't dodge at all.

"Stop! We concede."

Just then, a panicked voice suddenly came from the side.

The leg shadow paused briefly, then swept past above the whip-wielding man with a gust of wind, making his scalp tingle and nearly causing him to collapse in fright.

Shi Mu landed again and turned to look toward the source of the voice through the holes in his mask.

The one who had spoken was the leading middle-aged man of the Turbid Water Gang.

Seeing the whip-wielding man unharmed, he let out a long sigh of relief. Cupping his hands toward Shi Mu, he said with a bitter smile:

"Fierce Fist truly lives up to its reputation! With skills like yours, you'd rank among the top martial apprentices in all of Feng City. Why bother meddling in the petty squabbles of us common folk trying to make a living?"

Shi Mu stood still, his gaze icy, showing no intention of speaking. Instead, Feng Li, who had also stopped fighting, walked over and said bluntly:

"Save the nonsense! After this bout, your Turbid Water Gang will withdraw from all five streets immediately."

"Since we're no match, the Turbid Water Gang will naturally steer clear of 'Fierce Fist.' Let's go!" The Turbid Water Gang leader was a decisive man. With a curt reply and a wave of his hand, he led his men away in a flurry.

In an instant, only the Black Fox Society members remained nearby. The men in black erupted in cheers, all brimming with excitement!

Feng Li and Gao Yuan, brimming with vigor, began publicly instructing their subordinates on matters of taking over the new territory. Meanwhile, Shi Mu, in his guise as "Fierce Fist," vanished from everyone's sight without a trace.

A few days later, Shi Mu, clad in a new black armor weighing several dozen catties more, returned from the mountains to the manor on the outskirts of the city. In the square, he stared blankly at the graceful young woman standing before him.

"Young Master, Miss Zhong returned two days ago. Since I couldn't reach you, I had no choice but to let her stay here temporarily," Zhang Suo reported nervously from the side.

This manor steward knew full well that, despite his young age, this Young Master Shi was a formidable figure. He feared that his decision to keep the young woman might have crossed a line with his master.

"It's fine. You may leave. I'll speak with Miss Zhong Xiu alone." Shi Mu finally snapped out of it and waved Zhang Suo away.

The young woman kept her head lowered, silent.

After Zhang Suo left, Shi Mu made a "please" gesture and led the young woman to his private bedroom.

"Miss Zhong, why have you returned here? You must have something to tell me," Shi Mu turned and asked the young woman seriously.

"Young Master Shi, don't ask any more questions. Do you need any help here? If you don't mind, Xiu'er is willing to serve as a rough maid," Zhong Xiu finally lifted her head, biting her lip as she spoke.

"A maid? Miss Zhong, you jest. I don't know what happened to you at the Wu Family, but I recall they seemed quite courteous to you when we met. If you can't tell me clearly, I'll be in a difficult position," Shi Mu frowned and said slowly.

"I'm just an ugly girl—what could possibly happen to me in the Wu Family? They only let me through the door in the first place because they thought I still had some of the Zhong Family's assets on me. Once they learned the Zhong Family was flat broke, of course they wouldn't honor any of their earlier promises. If I didn't leave on my own, was I supposed to wait for them to kick me out? I have no one else to turn to in Feng City, so I had no choice but to swallow my pride and come back here." Zhong Xiu's eyes glistened with tears, her voice trembling with a hint of a sob.

After all, she was just a teenage girl. First, she suffered the grief of losing her father, and then she was cast out by the family she had thought would be her in-laws. She could no longer maintain her composure.

"I see. This is exactly what your father predicted... Well then, Miss Xiu, don't mention being a maid. Just stay here for now. I may not come from great wealth, but feeding one more person is no problem at all. And don't call me 'young master'—just call me Brother Shi. If you ever want to leave, just let me know." Shi Mu looked at the stubborn expression still lingering on the girl's face, and it overlapped in his mind with the image of someone dear to him. Something deep inside him stirred, and he finally made his decision.

"Thank you, Brother Shi!" The girl was both surprised and delighted. She curtsied to Shi Mu, her voice full of gratitude.

In the following moments, Shi Mu called Zhang Suo in and arranged a clean, separate room for Zhong Xiu.

Meanwhile, at the Wu Family estate in Feng City, several members of the Wu Family, including the pale-faced man, were discussing something related to Zhong Xiu in the main hall.

"Second Brother, are you certain that Zhong Ming didn't tell his daughter anything? If there's a mistake, our Wu Family stands to lose a great deal." An elderly man in his fifties, whose face bore a resemblance to the pale-faced man but carried far more authority, asked gravely.

He was the current head of the Wu Family, Wu Liang, the eldest of the three Wu brothers and the only martial artist at the Acquired Grand Perfection realm.

"Big Brother, if you don't trust me, do you at least trust that thing? Since it had no reaction to that little girl, it means she hasn't awakened her bloodline. In that case, what right does a penniless girl have to be a daughter-in-law of the Wu Family? Besides, even though the Zhong Family handed the item over to us, if we hadn't helped them multiple times, they would have been destroyed long ago. What's so wrong about breaking off the engagement?" The pale-faced man, Wu Feng, replied dismissively.

"Exactly, Uncle. I don't want to marry such an ugly girl. The one I have my eye on is Jin Yuzhen of the Jin Family..." The arrogant young man standing nearby chimed in reluctantly.

"Shut up, Hua'er! Is this any place for you to speak?" The pale-faced man's expression darkened as he scolded.

The arrogant young man could only sulkily fall silent.

"Hua'er, this isn't about what you like or dislike. Even if that girl hasn't awakened her bloodline, if she became a daughter-in-law of the Wu Family, there would still be a slim chance that our descendants could become bloodline martial artists. For that reason alone, I don't think Second Brother should have let Zhong Xiu leave so easily." Wu Liang continued unhurriedly.

"If Hua'er finds the girl too ugly, then my son Wu Xun wouldn't mind taking her in. There's no need to drive her away." Wu Tong, the third Wu brother—a middle-aged man in brocade robes with a face younger than the pale-faced man—said with a smile.

(Wang Yu has been attending the annual meeting these past few days while still having to complete his writing tasks. He's nearly exhausted. He specially asks his brothers and sisters for recommendation votes to comfort his wounded little heart.)