Jin Yuzhen

When Feng Li hurriedly helped Gao Yuan to his feet, Shi Mu had already picked up the cloth sack from the ground. He loosened its opening and took a look inside before finally showing a satisfied expression.

"Second Brother, we really have you to thank for arriving in time this time. Otherwise, our brothers in the society would all have been humiliated by Wang Tianhao." Feng Li grimaced as he gave Shi Mu a wry smile.

"Yeah, we're lucky the Second Leader arrived in time."

"Wang Tianhao may be full of himself, but he couldn't last two moves against the Second Leader before begging for mercy."

"Exactly. The title of Feng City's number one Martial Disciple clearly belongs to the Second Leader."

The other Black Fox Society members who had gotten to their feet ignored their many injuries and showered Shi Mu with praise, all of them so excited they seemed ready to burst.

After all, they had all heard clearly what happened. The man their society's most mysterious Second Leader had defeated was supposedly Feng City's number one Martial Disciple. Didn't that mean that, unless a Houtian Martial Artist stepped in, the Black Fox Society could throw its weight around among the many small gangs?

"All right, I have things to do. We'll be in touch." Shi Mu ignored the other members, tucked the cloth sack into his clothes, then waved goodbye.

"Wait, Second Brother. Third Brother and I have something to discuss with you." Seeing this, Feng Li hurriedly called out to stop Shi Mu.

"You have something to say? All right, I'll stay a little longer." Shi Mu tilted his head as he considered it, then replied noncommittally.

"Everyone, go out and get your injuries treated." Feng Li was delighted, and immediately gave the other members the order.

The Black Fox Society members understood that their three leaders had important matters to discuss, and readily agreed before filing out. But judging by their excitement, the scene of Shi Mu defeating Wang Tianhao would surely be etched deeply in their minds and soon spread to the other members.

"This time, you weren't very fair to me. Your opponent was so strong, yet you didn't tell me beforehand. Were you afraid I wouldn't come if I knew?" As soon as everyone else had left, Shi Mu bluntly demanded an explanation.

"Brother Shi, don't blame us! We were indeed in the wrong this time, and we'll make it up to you." Feng Li looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Brother Shi, don't blame us, either. We didn't tell you the details because, for one thing, we didn't know the visitor was Wang Tianhao. The people from Jingang Martial Hall only said someone else was going to challenge Fierce Fist. For another, Wang Tianhao arrived too quickly, and we didn't have time to send anyone to investigate." Gao Yuan hurriedly explained from the side.

"If that's the case, then it's understandable. Otherwise, I'd have to consider whether to keep working with you. All right, what did you want to tell me?" Only then did Shi Mu nod, his expression softening a little.

"Thank you for understanding! Brother Shi, have you considered becoming the true leader of the Black Fox Society?" Feng Li first breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with a serious expression.

"You want me to become the real Fierce Fist, the Black Fox Society's Second Leader?" Shi Mu wasn't surprised. He simply asked in an even tone.

"Not the Second Leader, but the First! If you agree, I'll gather our brothers right away and hand the position of First Leader over to you in front of them. Third Brother and I will also do everything we can to support you." Feng Li replied without hesitation.

"First Brother Feng, that's not what we agreed on!" Gao Yuan was shocked to hear Feng Li say this.

"Third Brother, can't you see? The Black Fox Society can still be the Black Fox Society without you and me. But without Brother Shi, I'm afraid it wouldn't be able to keep its footing in Feng City for even a month. We're not capable enough, and the Black Fox Society's territory has nearly quadrupled in just a few months. We simply can't manage such a large operation." Feng Li gave a bitter smile.

Gao Yuan heard him out. Though he was somewhat unconvinced, he was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Sorry. I've enjoyed working with you, but I have no intention of getting involved in a gang. Brother Feng, you should know what I aspire to. Aside from pursuing the heights of martial strength, I won't waste my time on anything else." Shi Mu pondered briefly, then rejected him without hesitation.

"Brother Shi, won't you give it some more thought? I know your ambitions are lofty, but the path of a martial artist is far from easy. And if you agree now, you can become the leader of a hundred men at once. Is that not enough to tempt you?" Though Feng Li was greatly disappointed, he still wasn't willing to give up and continued trying to persuade him.

"If that's all you wanted to say, there's no need to go on. I'll only work with you until I comprehend the sense of qi. If there's nothing else, I'll be going." Shi Mu shook his head and turned to leave.

Feng Li opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

Gao Yuan fell silent as well.

Shi Mu didn't go straight home. After taking off all the clothes, mask, and other items he used to disguise himself as Fierce Fist and bundling them up, he headed directly to Flowing Wind Martial Hall.

After enduring another round of beatings under Li Canghai's Iron Refining Method at the martial hall, he left for his lodgings in the city, bruised all over and carrying his bundle, gritting his teeth with every step.

As he walked past a grand, lavishly decorated restaurant, he had no idea that on its third floor, two young women were pointing at him.

"Yuhuan, is that the older brother you mentioned? Why does he look so miserable? Did someone bully him at the martial hall?" A pretty girl in yellow sat across from another girl of about the same age, who wore fine clothes.

"What do you mean, the brother I mentioned? He's my father's biological son, so of course he's my real older brother. We just have different mothers." The girl in fine clothes was Shi Yuhuan, Shi Mu's younger sister, whom he had met only once. She turned her gaze away from Shi Mu below and looked displeased.

"I'm only telling the truth. Aside from Seventh Aunt and you, no one in the Jin Family admits he has anything to do with us. And from the way he looks now, he probably isn't much of a prospect. If that's the case, the Spirit Qi Pill our family gave him may have gone to waste." The girl in yellow spoke with a pointed air.

"Hmph, I was wondering why you, Jin Yuzhen, had suddenly been so kind as to invite me here for a meal. It turns out you came to speak on Fifth Uncle's behalf." Shi Yuhuan sneered at the girl's words.

"Cousin Yuhuan, you've got it wrong this time. It wasn't Fifth Uncle who asked me to come forward, but Jin Tian himself. He said that as long as you can persuade Shi Mu to give up the Spirit Qi Pill of his own accord, your mother will certainly have no objections. He'll also pay your brother a handsome sum in compensation." The girl in yellow clapped her hands and laughed.

"I've only met Shi Mu once, but I could tell he isn't easy to persuade. Besides, my mother already feels guilty toward him and his mother over what happened back then. She would never let anyone else in the Jin Family bother him. Tell Jin Tian to give up on the idea." Shi Yuhuan replied bluntly.

"Fine. I'm only doing this for the money. I'll pass your words along to Jin Tian." To everyone's surprise, the girl was quite agreeable. She waved a hand as she spoke.

"Knowing your personality, I bet you made Jin Tian pay through the nose for today's meal." Shi Yuhuan glanced at the dishes on the table and pursed her lips.

"Of course. I'm the only one in the family who gets along with you so well! Oh, what do you think of this new jade hairpin I bought?" Jin Yuzhen replied unconcernedly, then eagerly took an exquisitely crafted jade hairpin from her sleeve.

When Shi Yuhuan saw the hairpin, a strange expression suddenly appeared on her face.

"That's odd! If I remember correctly, you rarely buy jewelry. You've always claimed you were a natural beauty."

"What's so strange about that? A woman dresses for the one she loves." Jin Yuzhen replied with a light laugh.

"The one you love? You don't mean that pest, Wu Hua, do you?" Shi Yuhuan's eyes suddenly widened.

"Wu Hua? That little shadow? As if! I mean Wang Tianhao of Jingang Martial Hall, a direct descendant of the Bloodline Wang Clan!" Jin Yuzhen replied without thinking.

"Wang Tianhao, the one who's also at the tenth level of body tempering and is hailed as Feng City's number one Martial Disciple for his Houtian martial skill, the Fang Fire Spear Technique? Is he coming to visit the Jin Family?" Shi Yuhuan's eyes lit up a little when she heard that.

"Hey... Shi Yuhuan, I had my eye on Wang Tianhao first. You can't steal him from me." Seeing her friend's reaction, Jin Yuzhen suddenly felt a little uneasy.

"What are you imagining? I just want to see whether the Fang Fire Spear Technique is really as formidable as the rumors say. Besides, he's only famous now because no disciples from the major families in our Feng City have challenged him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned that title of number one Martial Disciple so easily." Shi Yuhuan glared at the girl across from her and spoke dismissively.

"You savage girl! Well, whatever. Wang Tianhao is indeed quite outstanding, and he's also a member of the Bloodline Wang Clan. Since the old ancestor personally invited him over this time, he may really be planning to arrange a marriage. Promise me you won't try to steal him. By the way, are you really determined to stand by your older brother this time? I don't think Jin Tian will give up so easily."

"Go back and tell Jin Tian this: no matter how poor Shi Mu's aptitude is, he's still my real older brother. If Jin Tian uses proper means, fine. But if he dares resort to underhanded tricks against my brother, I'll break both his legs the day before the Kaiyuan Tournament." At Jin Yuzhen's words, Shi Yuhuan's face turned icy in an instant.

Jin Yuzhen saw how fiercely Shi Yuhuan was defending Shi Mu and couldn't help sticking out her tongue.

Shi Mu had no idea he'd already lost a great deal of standing in his younger sister's eyes. When he returned to his lodgings, he once again soaked in a steaming medicinal bath.

He tossed a hot towel over his face and leaned against the wooden tub, eyes closed. But his thoughts churned as he went over a long-prepared plan once more.

"Golden Silk Rat," Shi Mu murmured suddenly.