Unveiling the List (Seeking Reads, Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

"Have you heard? The Tiger-Wolf Gang clashed with the Sea Whale Gang yesterday, and they even fought their way to the stronghold gates."

"I know, I heard that Gang Leader Lu had one of his arms hacked off, and over a hundred gang members were killed!"

"Isn't the Sea Whale Gang a large organization with hundreds of men? How could they be beaten so badly by the Tiger-Wolf Gang?"

"Word is that the Tiger-Wolf Gang has a major power backing them. They charged the Sea Whale Stronghold with hundreds of men, and they even had three Bright Force experts leading the charge..."

Black Stone County, Martial Artist Market.

This place usually specializes in selling herbs, pills, weapons, and armor used by martial artists; it is also an excellent place to gather information.

Zhou Yun had not been in the market for long before he heard the surrounding martial artists whispering, seemingly about the conflict between the Tiger-Wolf Gang and the Sea Whale Gang that occurred last night.

"I never expected the Sea Whale Gang to suffer such heavy losses. It seems the power behind the Tiger-Wolf Gang is truly not to be trifled with."

Zhou Yun scanned the stalls, looking for a place to trade pills, when he unexpectedly spotted several Sea Whale Gang disciples buying up pills at high prices.

"Are you buying Blood Coagulation Pills? How much silver?"

Zhou Yun walked up and asked one of the middle-aged men.

"We are. We'll take any pills. The reputation of our Sea Whale Gang is still guaranteed."

The middle-aged man patted a wooden box filled with silver, then suddenly stared at Zhou Yun's face and pointed a finger at him. "Hey, wait! Aren't you the younger brother of that twelfth concubine the Gang Leader wanted to marry? Zhou... Zhou Yun, right?"

"That is correct, it is me."

Zhou Yun took out the Blood Coagulation Pill stored in a porcelain bottle; it was the very same pill given to him by the inner courtyard senior brother at the Black Market.

"The quality of this Blood Coagulation Pill is quite good. It sells for four taels of silver outside, so I'll add another half a string of copper coins for you."

The middle-aged man carefully examined the pill before finally offering this generous price.

"Then I thank you."

Zhou Yun had not expected the other party to be so straightforward. Although Blood Coagulation Pills were always in high demand, a premium of half a string of coins was not insignificant. This was quite different from his previous encounters with the Sea Whale Gang.

"I see you still owe our gang a debt of three taels of silver, with interest of one hundred and twenty copper coins. Shall I clear that for you now?"

The middle-aged man took silver from the wooden box and asked Zhou Yun.

"That would be perfect."

Seeing the sincerity of the other party, Zhou Yun immediately asked, "Why is the Sea Whale Gang buying up pills? Could it be that Gang Leader Lu is preparing to return to the Dark Force realm?"

"Return to the Dark Force? There is no Dark Force anymore. Our Sea Whale Gang is preparing to move out of Black Stone County."

The middle-aged man gave a bitter smile. "Sigh, I have followed the Gang Leader for over a decade, coming all the way from Xiang City to here. We have weathered countless storms, yet I never expected us to be so severely crippled by this Tiger-Wolf Gang, who knows where they even came from."

"Silver and copper are hard to carry in bulk, so the Gang Leader ordered us to exchange all our gold and silver for portable items like pills and treasures. We are preparing to move to Clear Water County, a hundred miles away, to try and make a living."

The middle-aged man's words left Zhou Yun stunned.

He had assumed it was just a minor skirmish between gangs, but seeing that they were abandoning their stronghold to move to another county, it seemed the situation was far more complex than the rumors in the market suggested.

If the brother of the Sea Whale Gang's leader was moving, would Lu Meng, who was at the martial arts academy, continue his training? Or would he follow his brother to the neighboring Clear Water County?

Regardless, he no longer had to wash Lu Meng's clothes.

Clutching the extra tael of silver and over a hundred copper coins, Zhou Yun returned home to greet Lady Liu before heading back to the martial arts academy.

Compared to other matters, Zhou Yun was more eager to secure a position. With a stable monthly salary, he could finally feel truly secure.

It was already afternoon when he returned to the academy, and many of the outer courtyard disciples were still practicing in the Martial Arts Arena.

"Brother Yun, you're back!"

Zhang Hu was also practicing the Black Ape Fist. Seeing Zhou Yun, he waved and ran over, wiping away his sweat.

"How are things at home? Is your mother and the others doing well?"

"All is well. Hu, have you broken through another meridian?"

Zhou Yun looked Zhang Hu over and noticed his spirit was exceptionally vibrant, his blood and qi circulating more smoothly.

After successfully reaching the Bright Force realm, Zhou Yun found that his own vision had improved, allowing him to notice subtle changes in people more easily.

"That's right, Brother Yun! I successfully opened my third meridian!"

Speaking of this, Zhang Hu was even more spirited. "Getting beaten up at the Black Market last time wasn't entirely a disaster. I feel that after recovering, my qi circulation has become even smoother."

"Furthermore, I feel like I've touched the threshold of the fourth meridian. It won't be many days before I reach the next level."

Zhou Yun nodded. "Not bad. Having this drive is a good thing, but don't rush the breakthroughs too quickly, or you'll deplete your blood and qi and damage your foundation."

"Don't worry! By the way, Brother Yun, I haven't asked in a while—what stage have you reached? Have you already opened the fourth meridian?"

Zhang Hu asked subconsciously, as there had previously been only a one-meridian gap between them.

Coupled with Zhou Yun's diligent training over the past few days, it would be perfectly normal for him to have opened the fourth meridian.

Zhou Yun only smiled and said nothing.

"Keep practicing hard."

After saying this, he strode toward the Job Posting Board.

"Brother Yun, where are you going? The inner-court seniors are over there selecting jobs."

Seeing Zhou Yun heading toward the Job Posting Board, Zhang Hu hurriedly reminded him.

At this moment, several inner-court seniors were gathered around the board, and Zhou Yun's outer-court disciple attire made him look completely out of place.

Among the crowd, a few figures seemed somewhat familiar.

"Junior Brother Liang, I've told you I really don't know the Black Ape Movement Technique; that person simply wasn't me!"

Lu Meng's right eye was swollen in a circle, and he couldn't help but say to the youth in front of him.

"But Senior Sister Shen said you know it, so you must know it. Could it be that you're trying to hide your skills as a trump card?"

Liang Chengshi rubbed his hands together: "Senior Brother, there's no need to hide your skills. This junior brother just wants to learn a move or two, nothing more."

"I haven't even reached Bright Force yet, how could I possibly have learned the Black Ape Movement Technique?"

Lu Meng felt a wave of agony in his heart. Who on earth had bragged on his behalf, making this "junior brother," who had already touched the threshold of Dark Force, so obsessed with him?

"Senior Brother Wang, that person from the other day really doesn't seem to be him."

Shen Qingxue said to Wang Lan beside her, her long, slender eyes lingering on Lu Meng for a moment before shifting away.

"You mean to say that someone else was present that day and even used Lu Meng's name as a pseudonym? But this clothing couldn't be fake."

Wang Lan narrowed his eyes slightly, waving the paper fan in his hand.

"This..."

Shen Qingxue had no leads for the moment. They had only started looking for Lu Meng because they wanted to recruit him early.

After all, the other party was the younger brother of a gang leader, and his aptitude wasn't bad either.

Coupled with that kind of comprehension, he was worthy of being recruited.

Yet, they never expected to have caused such a massive misunderstanding.

"Junior Sister Shen, we came here to find capable hands for your family's next escort mission; don't forget the main task."

Chen Jingping smiled elegantly, walking behind the group.

"That's true, but almost all the inner-court disciples have their own matters to attend to, or they already hold other positions..."

Shen Qingxue's willow brows furrowed. The people in this small circle were all either wealthy or noble, and she didn't want to mobilize such resources over trivial matters.

However, her father had specifically set a trial for her: she must complete an escort mission independently before she could gradually inherit the Escort Agency. But as someone who had only reached Bright Force, she was truly unable to manage it alone, which was why she had come to the Black Stone Martial Hall to try her luck.

"An outer-court disciple has accepted the escort job!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted.