"Have you heard? The Tiger-Wolf Gang clashed with the Sea Whale Gang yesterday. They even fought all the way to the stronghold's gates."
"Yeah, I heard their Gang Leader Lu even had an arm chopped off, and over a hundred gang members died!"
"Isn't the Sea Whale Gang a big gang with hundreds of people? How did the Tiger-Wolf Gang beat them so badly?"
"I heard there's a powerful force backing the Tiger-Wolf Gang. They stormed the Sea Whale Stronghold with hundreds of men, led by three Bright Force experts..."
Black Stone County, Martial Artist Market.
The market usually sold medicinal herbs, pills, weapons, armor, and other things used by martial artists. It was also a good place to gather news.
Zhou Yun had only just arrived at the market when he heard the martial artists around him discussing the clash between the Tiger-Wolf Gang and the Sea Whale Gang the previous night.
"I didn't expect the Sea Whale Gang to suffer such heavy losses. It looks like the force backing the Tiger-Wolf Gang really is no ordinary power."
Zhou Yun looked around the stalls for somewhere that bought and sold pills, and spotted several Sea Whale Gang members buying them at high prices.
"Do you buy Blood Coagulation Pills? How much do you pay?"
Zhou Yun walked over and asked one of the burly, middle-aged men.
"We do. We'll buy any pills you've got. You can trust the Sea Whale Gang's reputation."
The burly man patted the wooden chest full of silver. Then he suddenly stared at Zhou Yun and pointed at him. "Hey, hey! Aren't you the younger brother of the twelfth concubine the Gang Leader wants to marry? Your name's Zhou... Zhou Yun, right?"
"That's right. It's me."
Zhou Yun took out the Blood Coagulation Pill in its porcelain bottle. It was the pill the Inner Courtyard senior brother at the Black Market had given him back then.
"This Blood Coagulation Pill's good quality. They sell for four taels of silver outside, so I'll give you an extra half-string of copper coins."
The middle-aged man examined the pill carefully, then offered a fair price.
"Then, thanks."
Zhou Yun hadn't expected him to be so generous. Blood Coagulation Pills were always in short supply, but an extra half-string of copper coins was already a substantial premium. This was quite different from the Sea Whale Gang members he'd met before.
"I heard you still owe our gang three taels in debt, plus a hundred and twenty copper coins in interest. Want me to deduct it now?"
The middle-aged man took silver from the chest and asked Zhou Yun.
"That would be great."
Seeing how sincere the man was, Zhou Yun asked, "Why is the Sea Whale Gang buying pills? Is Gang Leader Lu going to return to Dark Force?"
"Return to Dark Force? There's no Dark Force to return to. We're preparing to leave Black Stone County."
The middle-aged man gave a bitter smile. "Sigh, I've followed the Gang Leader for over ten years. We came all the way from Xiang City to where we are now, weathering countless storms. I never thought we'd be beaten half to death by this Tiger-Wolf Gang that came out of nowhere."
"Silver and copper coins aren't easy to carry around, so the Gang Leader told us to exchange them all for pills, treasures, and other things that are easier to transport. We're going to Clear Water County, a hundred li away, to find a way to make a living."
The middle-aged man's words left Zhou Yun stunned.
He'd thought this was just a minor feud between gangs. Now it looked like they were even moving their entire stronghold to another county. Things clearly weren't as simple as the market rumors made them sound.
If Lu Meng's older brother, the Sea Whale Gang Leader, was moving away, would Lu Meng keep training at the martial hall? Or would he follow his brother to neighboring Clear Water County?
Either way, Zhou Yun wouldn't have to wash Lu Meng's clothes anymore.
With the extra tael of silver and the hundred or so copper coins tucked away, Zhou Yun returned home, greeted Lady Liu, then hurried back to the martial hall.
More than anything else, Zhou Yun wanted to take a job posting soon. A steady monthly stipend was the only way to truly settle down.
It was already afternoon when he returned to the martial hall. Many Outer Courtyard senior brothers and fellow disciples were still training at the Martial Arts Arena.
"Brother Yun, you're back!"
Zhang Hu was practicing Black Ape Fist too. When he saw Zhou Yun, he waved and jogged over, wiping away his sweat.
"How are things at home? Are your mother and the others doing well?"
"They're all fine. Tiger, did you open another acupoint?"
Zhou Yun looked Zhang Hu over and saw that he seemed especially energetic, his qi and blood flowing more smoothly.
After successfully knocking on the gate to Bright Force, Zhou Yun had noticed that his own eyesight had improved too. He could pick up on people's subtle changes more easily.
"That's right, Brother Yun! I opened my third acupoint!"
At the mention of it, Zhang Hu grew even more animated. "Getting beaten up at the Black Market last time wasn't all bad. I feel like my qi and blood flow even more smoothly now that I've recovered."
"And I think I've already touched the threshold of the fourth acupoint. It won't be long before I climb another level."
Zhou Yun nodded. "Not bad. It's good to have that drive, but don't open acupoints too quickly and deplete your qi and blood. You could damage your foundation."
"Don't worry! By the way, Brother Yun, I haven't asked how far you've gotten in a while. Have you opened your fourth acupoint yet?"
Zhang Hu asked without thinking. After all, Zhou Yun had only been one acupoint ahead of him before.
Besides, Zhou Yun had been training so hard these past few days. It was only natural for him to have opened his fourth acupoint.
Zhou Yun only smiled and said nothing.
"Keep at it."
With that, he strode toward the Job Posting Board.
"Brother Yun, where are you going? The Inner Courtyard senior brothers are choosing job postings over there."
Seeing Zhou Yun head for the Job Posting Board, Zhang Hu hurriedly called out to remind him.
At that moment, many Inner Courtyard senior brothers had gathered around the board. Zhou Yun's Outer Courtyard uniform made him stand out like a sore thumb.
Several familiar figures stood among the crowd.
"Junior Brother Liang, I told you, I really don't know Black Ape Movement Technique. That person wasn't me!"
Lu Meng's right eye was swollen all around, and he couldn't help protesting to the youth in front of him.
"But Senior Sister Shen said you know it, so you must. Are you trying to keep it hidden as a trump card?"
Liang Chengshi rubbed his fists together. "Senior Brother, there's no need to hold back. I only want to see what it can do. I have no other intentions."
"I haven't even reached Bright Force. How could I possibly know Black Ape Movement Technique?"
Lu Meng's heart was aching. Just who had gone around boasting about him and gotten this "junior brother," who had already touched the threshold of Dark Force, so fixated on him?
"Senior Brother Wang, it really seems that the person we saw that day wasn't him."
Shen Qingxue spoke to Wang Lan beside her. Her long, slender eyes lingered on Lu Meng for a moment before moving away.
"You mean someone else was there that day, using Lu Meng as a false name? But there's no faking those clothes."
Wang Lan narrowed his eyes slightly and waved his paper fan.
"Well..."
Shen Qingxue was at a loss too. At first, they'd sought out Lu Meng simply to win him over early.
After all, he was the younger brother of a gang leader, and his bone structure wasn't bad.
With that kind of comprehension as well, he was worth recruiting.
They hadn't expected it to turn into such a huge misunderstanding.
"Junior Sister Shen, we came this time to find skilled escorts for your family's next caravan. Don't forget what matters."
Chen Jingping gave a refined smile as he walked behind them.
"That's true, but nearly every Inner Courtyard disciple has their own affairs to attend to, or already has a job posting..."
Shen Qingxue furrowed her willow brows. Everyone in this little circle was rich or powerful, and she didn't want to call in such favors over a minor matter.
But her father had set her a test: she had to complete an escort mission on her own before she could gradually take over the Escort Agency. As a Bright Force martial artist, she couldn't do it alone, so she'd come to Black Stone Martial Hall to try her luck.
"An Outer Courtyard disciple has taken the escort job posting!"
Someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.
Before you continue