Zhou Heling's Disgust, Inner Courtyard's Top Ten Disciples, Marriage Proposal??

Seeing Yan Kai return.

The gazes of Sun Mingting and his group were clearly somewhat strange.

It was obvious that in their eyes, the scene that had just unfolded held a different meaning.

Especially when Yan Kai walked over and suddenly turned back to say something to Shi Wen with a meaningful look; this was clearly suspicious.

"Let's go," Yan Kai said.

Zhou Heling could not help but interject, "Junior Brother Yan, did that kid actually run over here to bribe you just for a spot in the Boat Gang?"

Her tone was quite aggressive as she spoke!

The spots for the Boat Gang selection had been publicly finalized yesterday.

And yet, this kid had specifically come over the next day to bribe Yan Kai just to secure a stationing spot with the Boat Gang?

What did he take their mission for?

A child's game?

"It's nothing, just a small matter."

Yan Kai shook his head, choosing not to mention that Shi Wen had purchased exotic beast meat.

In Zhou Heling's eyes, this was the behavior of someone with a guilty conscience. She said with dissatisfaction, "Heh, I don't care whether you did it or not, but that kid absolutely cannot appear at the Boat Gang's station. Don't let such corrupt practices ruin the reputation of our Fist Academy!"

Having said that, Zhou Heling left in a huff.

The others also cast meaningful glances at Yan Kai, leaving him feeling quite speechless.

The group arrived outside the Fist Academy, where two carriages were already waiting. The man from the Xingshui Gang in the lead said respectfully, "Five honored guests, please!"

"Mm."

Sun Mingting was the first to board the first carriage, and Qin Huan followed him inside.

Zhou Heling and Wei Shan entered the second carriage, and when Yan Kai climbed in after them, it resulted in a cold silence; the atmosphere inside the carriage was incredibly awkward.

The two carriages traveled along and soon arrived at a pier.

This pier was clearly one of the others outside of the two main piers in Black Cloud County. The grounds were not small, and there was a high volume of incoming and outgoing ships. Outside the pier were several bustling streets where teahouses, restaurants, and taverns were all doing a brisk business.

Upon arriving at the pier.

Yun Guangyuan, the leader of the Xingshui Gang, was already waiting, accompanied by two martial artists in the Blood-Tempering Realm.

When they saw Sun Mingting and his group approaching, they hurried over to welcome them, chatting and laughing as they escorted them to the most luxurious restaurant outside the pier, where a banquet had already been prepared.

At the dining table, the atmosphere was pleasant.

After all, the terms of interest had already been negotiated; today's meeting was merely to strengthen their relationship while signing the contract.

Such matters were very common in Black Cloud County.

Except for the Black Whale Gang, the largest gang in Black Cloud County which had remained prosperous for a long time, the remaining "cake" was carved up by the second-rate, third-rate, and even bottom-tier gangs.

This pier was not small, so logically, it required a third-rate gang to occupy it.

The standard for a third-rate gang was to have a martial artist in the Blood-Coagulation Realm overseeing things. If they lacked one, they would hire people from martial arts halls or Fist Academies to sit in and maintain order, thereby avoiding chaos that would impact their revenue.

After the contract was signed.

Yun Guangyuan of the Xingshui Gang was clearly in higher spirits, grabbing a small wine jar and downing it in one go.

The atmosphere became noticeably more lively.

After three rounds of drinks, Yun Guangyuan grinned and said, "From now on, I will rely on the strong support of you honored guests. If there are any suitable disciples in your academy, feel free to recommend one or two; the commission will definitely be generous."

Yan Kai felt moved and spoke up, "Gang Leader Yun, I do know a junior brother who is diligent and hardworking. Perhaps..."

Zhou Heling suddenly interrupted him, saying coldly, "Junior Brother Yan, I have said before not to let such corrupt practices affect the Fist Academy. If you insist on doing this, then I choose to withdraw!"

"No, Senior Sister Zhou, I... sigh, forget it."

Yan Kai sighed softly. He simply felt that Junior Brother Shi was a good person and wanted to help him gain an extra source of income.

He had not expected Senior Sister Zhou to be so unreasonable.

He had heard before that Senior Sister Zhou could be very stubborn and had clashed with many people, but he had not expected this matter to turn into such a scene.

The once lively banquet turned cold, while Shi Wen remained unaware of the situation.

At that moment, he was still in a corner of the Outer Courtyard, diligently practicing his martial arts and striving to improve the proficiency of his basic techniques.

As for the Iron Whip Leg...

Practicing the Iron Whip Leg in this place was too conspicuous, and he did not want to attract unwanted attention.

After a while, a servant from the Yan Family arrived and personally handed a delicately packaged wooden box to Shi Wen.

Shi Wen held the wooden box and sat under the shade of a tree to inspect the contents.

Eight catties of Red Python Meat and ten packets of Blood Strengthening Powder—the items were correct.

It was just that money was far too easy to spend; he now had less than ten taels of silver fragments and three gold leaves left in his possession.

"Sigh, money just doesn't last."

Shi Wen picked up a piece of Red Python Meat and examined it under the sunlight.

Each strip of Red Python Meat was about the length and thickness of a little finger. The flesh was a dull, bloody color, and the surface was marked with the patterns of a black python. It didn't taste as tough as it looked; on the contrary, it was quite chewy.

After grinding one strip down and swallowing it with a gulp of water, his entire body felt warm.

It was indeed far more effective than Stone Raw Meat!

Each strip weighed about half a tael.

The waterproof bag inside the small wooden box contained about 160 strips of Red Python Meat.

As for the Blood Strengthening Powder, there were 10 sets, with each set containing 5 small packets.

"For the short term, I won't have to worry about resources."

Shi Wen took the items out, placed them into his usual small basket, and continued practicing his punches.

As the sun set behind the mountains, the gongs and drums sounded.

It was time for class to end. The disciples of the Outer Courtyard left in twos and threes, but Shi Wen kept practicing. Once he finished the final move of his fist technique, he went to tidy up the scattered equipment in the Outer Courtyard.

The tall Li Qianqian was also packing up her things.

Shi Wen greeted her, feeling quite curious inside.

He had heard that Li Qianqian was the Second Senior Sister of the Inner Courtyard.

The Inner Courtyard was different from the Outer Courtyard.

The Inner Courtyard had the Ten Great Disciples, and their status was not determined by the time they joined or their age, but solely by their strength!

The ranking of the Ten Great Disciples represented not just their order, but also specific resources and various hidden benefits.

For example, the Fist Academy would distribute high-grade medicinal pills periodically, and there were dividends from the tributes of city gangs and merchant guilds, access to expensive medicinal herbs, and opportunities for high-resource affiliations.

However, becoming one of the Ten Great Disciples was not that simple.

If someone challenged you and you lacked the strength to defend your spot, you would fall, and all your resources and benefits would vanish.

As far as Shi Wen knew, that highly respected Senior Brother Sun Mingting was in the Blood-Coagulation Realm, yet he was only ranked at the very bottom of the Ten Great Disciples!

Since Li Qianqian had been firmly established as the second-ranked disciple in the Inner Courtyard for a long time, her strength went without saying.

But the problem was, he had never once seen Li Qianqian practice her martial arts during this time.

After finishing his tidying, Shi Wen was about to leave when Li Qianqian suddenly called out to him, "Junior Brother Shi, do you have a moment to sit and chat?"

"Huh?" Shi Wen was taken aback. He didn't seem to have had any interaction with Senior Sister Li; what could she want with him?

Shortly after, the two sat down in a resting area of the Outer Courtyard.

Shi Wen asked curiously, "Senior Sister Li, is there something you need?"

"Junior Brother Shi, how old are you this year?" Li Qianqian didn't answer his question, asking about his age instead.

Shi Wen replied, "Senior Sister Li, I will be 15 after my birthday next month."

"Hmm, that's neither too young nor too old, but many people are basically married by this age."

Li Qianqian began, "Junior Brother Shi, now that you've been practicing for a while, have you realized that being a martial artist is not a simple matter?"

Shi Wen sensed the slightly strengthened blood-qi circulating within his body.

The hunger came much faster than usual.

He sighed deeply, "Senior Sister, you are right. Being a martial artist is no easy task."

"Indeed. In the early stages, practice is just about mastering the basics. Only when you reach the Great Perfection or the consummation of the basic techniques can you find the frequency and sensation to temper your blood-qi. That is the most critical moment."

"Without financial support, those from poor families find it very difficult to successfully temper their blood-qi."

Li Qianqian said, "I have seen that you have perseverance, a sense of responsibility, and are honest and kind. If you don't mind, I would like to introduce you to a young woman from a merchant guild in the city. She is a friend I have known for a long time. Although she is four or five years older than you, her family is quite wealthy."

"Her family is looking for a live-in son-in-law. Would you like to give it a try?"

"As long as you have support, Junior Brother Shi, you will surely complete your accumulation quickly and polish your blood-qi within two months, making your subsequent cultivation much smoother..."

She spoke of the benefits of having financial backing.

It left Shi Wen stunned. A live-in son-in-law?

Shi Wen wanted to refuse, but seeing Li Qianqian's earnest gaze, he decided not to let down her good intentions.

At the very least, he would go meet her once, then find an excuse to decline later.

"Alright, Senior Sister."

"Good, I am relieved that you can see the logic in this."

Li Qianqian nodded with a smile, "Don't practice martial arts tomorrow morning. Come to the Fist Academy and wait for me; I will take you to meet her then."

"Understood..." Shi Wen nodded, "Senior Sister, it's getting late, I'll head back now."

"Mm."

Li Qianqian gazed at the youth's thin, retreating back.

Li Qianqian felt her maternal instincts being stirred.

Having lacked maternal love since childhood, and with her father, Li Heshan, being extremely strict and oppressive toward her, she felt a deep resonance.

During this time, seeing Shi Wen felt like seeing her former self: working silently, training diligently, cold on the outside but kind at heart, persevering, and holding onto a shred of overlooked kindness in these chaotic times.

Shi Wen was a humble and gentle person, quite handsome, well-spoken, and very respectful toward her.

Perhaps, she should give him a chance.

"It has been a long time since I last saw Xiao Ni."

Li Qianqian summoned a servant, boarded her carriage, and headed toward Tooth City in the east of the county.

Tooth City was the true heart of Black Cloud County.

Built with sturdy high walls and surrounded by a moat, with guards patrolling the ramparts, all the wealthy and powerful people of Black Cloud County resided here; it was also the most prosperous commercial district in the entire county!

The carriage drove into Tooth City.

There were countless people entering the inner city to purchase goods or conduct business, all queuing up outside the crowded small city gate.

Li Qianqian's carriage showed no intention of stopping, heading straight into Tooth City.

The guarding soldiers looked displeased and were about to step forward to reprimand them, but upon seeing the insignia on the carriage, they sheepishly stepped aside, not even daring to collect the entry tax.

They entered Tooth City.

What came into view were neat, clean blue-brick roads, with shops lined up in orderly rows on both sides and people coming and going.

The bustling taverns and brothels were even more packed to the brim!

The carriage moved forward and finally stopped outside a mansion.

The servant driving the carriage went to report, and before long, a figure rushed out and climbed directly into the carriage, beaming, "Qianqian, it's been so long since you came to see me. What brings you here today?"