An Invitation (Please Keep Reading)

Liu Yan had taken a job from an escort agency and was away escorting a shipment, so nothing had happened to her for the time being.

As for Lin Mingsheng, he was a member of the Lin Family in the Inner City, one of the Four Great Families.

Even if the Zhao Family wanted revenge, they wouldn't dare lay a hand on him lightly. That was an unspoken understanding among the great families.

So Lin Mingsheng hadn't been affected at all. He still came to the Martial Arts Hall every day to check in.

It was just that the atmosphere inside the hall had grown much quieter than before.

The news of Li Yuan breaking through to the Stone Skin Realm hadn't been made public, so those of them who were still in the Ox Skin Realm hadn't run into any trouble yet.

One piece of bad news after another left the atmosphere in the hall more oppressive with each passing day.

When the disciples discussed things in private, they spoke much more softly, their faces tinged with worry.

In a room in the rear courtyard.

Yang Chong wasn't in good spirits either. Bad news kept coming every day, and he hadn't been sleeping well.

He had run this Martial Arts Hall for years. Though it had never made him rich, he had managed to establish himself in the Outer City and earn a bit of a reputation.

Now his chief disciple, Cao Chuan, was badly injured and unconscious. Even if he recovered, he would have to waste a great deal of time building up his qi and blood all over again.

Cao Chuan was already twenty-eight this year. Once he passed thirty, his spirit and qi and blood would begin to decline rapidly. Did he still have a chance to break through to Bone Tempering?

Without some extraordinary encounter, it would be difficult!

His second disciple, Liu Yan, was a woman. Sooner or later, she would marry, and she couldn't guard the hall forever.

His third disciple, Zhao Qin, was honest and mild-tempered—a good choice.

But his natural talent was limited. He had spent three or four years tempering himself in the Stone Skin Realm and still hadn't even touched the threshold of Iron Skin.

Without the strength of the Iron Skin Realm, he couldn't even protect the Five Animals Academy.

Huang Ren had even had his leg broken. In Yang Chong's experience, even if it healed, he would most likely be left crippled.

As for Lin Mingsheng, he was a member of the Lin Family, and his mind was nowhere near the Martial Arts Hall. Sooner or later, he would return to the Inner City. Yang Chong rarely bothered with him anyway.

After turning it over in his mind again and again, Yang Chong realized that in this enormous Martial Arts Hall, he couldn't find a single heir he could entrust it to or rely on.

Competition in the martial world was fierce. The moment he, Yang Chong, showed signs of decline—or if no one could take on a challenger who came to kick down the hall's doors—the hall's reputation would be ruined, and all his years of hard work would go up in smoke.

Being defeated meant your martial arts were inferior to someone else's. If students paid the same tuition, why would they come to you to learn?

Besides, nearly every martial arts master of any standing had enemies.

Taking on a chief disciple wasn't just about having someone care for him in his old age and bury him when he died. It also meant having someone take a blade for him when he grew old.

His gaze drifted, almost against his will, toward the front courtyard.

There, Li Yuan, with his handsome, refined features, was probably training in silence.

This disciple had only joined two months ago, yet he had shown astonishing speed in his training.

Going from Ox Skin to Stone Skin in a single month was practically unheard of.

If he were given time, perhaps...

Yang Chong sighed. Li Yuan came from a family of hunters, and he seemed steady enough in his daily life.

But they had known each other for far too short a time. What was his character really like? Did he know how to be grateful?

Could he persevere under pressure? All of that remained unknown.

Besides, he was only in the Stone Skin Realm. He still had a ways to go before reaching Iron Skin.

Yang Chong had seen talented people who trained exceptionally fast for a time, only to become ordinary afterward.

He could only say that Li Yuan still needed watching.

The Five Animals Academy looked full of talent, but in truth, Cao Chuan was the only one with any hope of breaking through to Bone Tempering.

"Cough..."

Yang Chong had noticed that he'd been sleeping longer and longer lately, yet the more he slept, the more exhausted he felt. It was clear his mental state was starting to deteriorate.

His heart felt heavy. He thought of the old brothers he'd served with in the army. Some had capable children and were now enjoying their twilight years in comfort.

Others had promising disciples and had long since settled down to a peaceful retirement.

Only he, already in his fifties, had neither wife nor child. He still had to keep this whole operation afloat, without even a younger generation he could count on.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just as he sank into his memories, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

"Master, someone's come to seek instruction." Zhao Qin's voice sounded from outside.

Yang Chong took a deep breath, suppressed the frustration in his heart, and quickly headed for the front courtyard.

A stocky, muscular middle-aged man stood in the front courtyard. When he saw Yang Chong come out, he cupped his hands and said, "I'm Liu Meng, and I'm at the Iron Skin level.

"I want to open a martial arts school in the Outer City, so I've come to seek instruction from Master Yang and learn the famous Five Animals Fist."

Yang Chong looked him over, nodded, and said nothing more. He simply waved for the disciples to clear an open space.

"Please." Yang Chong took his stance, his expression calm.

Liu Meng gave a low shout and strode forward, his fist cutting through the air as it drove straight at Yang Chong's face.

Yang Chong neither dodged nor retreated. His left hand darted out and struck Liu Meng squarely on the wrist.

Liu Meng recoiled in pain and attacked again and again, but Yang Chong easily deflected every blow.

In just three moves, Yang Chong closed in and slammed his shoulder into Liu Meng. The man was sent staggering back several steps and nearly fell.

His expression changed. Knowing he was no match, he clasped his hands and said, "Master Yang truly lives up to his reputation. I'll take my leave."

Then he hurried away without making any threats, as though he had only been testing Yang Chong's strength.

Seeing Yang Chong defeat someone at the Iron Skin level with such ease, the disciples all relaxed, smiles of relief appearing on their faces.

Their hearts settled a little. As long as Yang Chong was still here, the hall wouldn't fall.

Only Li Yuan, standing among the crowd, furrowed his brow slightly.

After breaking through to the Stone Skin Realm, his perception of qi and blood had grown much sharper.

When Yang Chong made his move just now, his qi and blood had been powerful, but Li Yuan had still sensed a trace of instability.

Especially on that last strike—his master's qi and blood had clearly wavered, though it quickly settled again.

Master's qi and blood... don't seem as strong as before, Li Yuan thought silently.

Yang Chong's expression remained unchanged as he told the disciples to continue their training, then turned and headed back to the rear courtyard.

"Looks like I really am getting old." Yang Chong smiled wryly and shook his head.

When he was younger, he wouldn't have given an opponent like that a second thought.

Before long, everyone resumed their training as usual, and Li Yuan continued practicing his punches in the courtyard.

Although Yang Chong was strict with his disciples, he never held anything back. He taught them everything they needed to know with care.

Li Yuan had always kept that kindness in his heart.

Li Yuan had just splashed some water on his face when he saw Third Senior Brother Zhao Qin walking over.

"Junior Brother, finished training? There's been a lot to worry about lately. If you're free tonight, want to have a drink and talk?" Zhao Qin asked, patting Li Yuan on the shoulder.

Li Yuan was slightly taken aback. This was the first time Zhao Qin had invited him out for a meal. "Sure."

They left the hall and crossed the somewhat dirty, disorderly streets of the Outer City, arriving at the boundary between the Inner and Outer Cities.

There, too, stood a thick city wall built of gray-white bricks.

Guards stood at the gate. Anyone could enter by paying a fee and registering.

The Inner City was controlled by the Four Great Families and the authorities. It could be said that every person inside had their identity registered, a world apart from the disorder of the Outer City.

The moment they stepped into the Inner City, it was as if they had entered another world.

Clean blue-gray paving stones lined the ground, and the streets were wide enough for three or four carriages to travel abreast.

The air was fresh, carrying the faint scents of sandalwood and flowers.

The martial artists, merchants, and wealthy residents on the streets were not only dressed far more elegantly but also walked with greater ease. Their bearing was completely different from that of the people in the Outer City.

It seemed that this was the real Wuxi County, where the difference between the upper and lower classes was laid bare.