"Um... is there anything you need me to do?"
Zhou Yun didn't take the Blood Coagulation Pill right away. Instead, he asked first.
"Junior Brother, you can rest assured. This is a personal gift from me, Chen Jingping. You needn't feel burdened by it."
Chen Jingping said generously, "It's just that, from time to time, I may need you to help out with things within your means, like backing someone up in a fight or handling some miscellaneous errands."
"Then that's even better."
Only after hearing the explanation did Zhou Yun accept the Blood Coagulation Pill and the three taels of silver with an easy mind.
The gift was already quite valuable. After all, pills were always in short supply, and Blood Coagulation Pills cost more than their market price.
As for the three taels of silver, that was enough to cover the monthly tuition at the martial hall. The three taels he earned from his part-time post could be spent entirely on martial arts practice.
A martial master had to eat several times as much meat as an ordinary person. Meat prices were soaring these days, and just eating was already a considerable expense.
"If that's settled, I won't keep you from your rest any longer, Junior Brother."
Chen Jingping didn't linger. Before leaving, he reminded him, "By the way, Junior Brother, Senior Sister Shen Qingxue is the daughter of the Chief Escort Leader of the Sky Sea Escort Agency. She was the one who posted the notice for the part-time position you took."
"Thank you for the tip, Senior Brother."
Zhou Yun cupped his hands and silently committed the information to memory.
From Chen Jingping's account, he had learned that even the small Black Stone Martial Hall had nearly ten Dark Force disciples, and that some of them came from extraordinary backgrounds. It truly was a place where dragons hid and tigers crouched.
There was no need to mention Shen Qingxue and Wang Lan's backgrounds. That Liang Chengshi shared a surname with Master Liang meant their relationship certainly wasn't simple.
Even Senior Brother Chen seemed to come from Xiang City, one of the Twelve Main Cities.
But Zhou Yun had his cheat.
"Senior Sister Shen asked me to go to her courtyard around mealtime. She probably wants to explain some things about the part-time post, right?"
Seeing that it was still early and the courtyard was fairly spacious, Zhou Yun immediately planted his feet and began practicing.
If he went a day without training, his whole body felt uncomfortable.
He assumed the stance of the Black Ape Fist. His fight with Liang Chengshi had given him plenty of insight, and he increasingly felt that the fist technique and movement technique could be combined in some way.
Not simply using them at the same time, but applying the insights and subtleties of the movement technique to the fist technique.
"The Black Ape Fist's potential seems to go far beyond Bright Force."
Zhou Yun calmed his mind and carefully sensed the intricacies of the fist technique, as well as the changes in his body as he performed the Black Ape Fist.
Ever since the qi and blood in his body had transformed into force, he had been using martial arts with ever greater abandon.
Not only was force more enduring, but the techniques he used were also much more powerful.
Thud, thud-thud!
Zhou Yun's figure darted about, his fists whipping up a gust of wind as locust leaves fell through the courtyard.
His punches grew tighter and tighter. His feet moved with the wind, and the forms of his fist technique shifted without cease.
After running through every form of the Black Ape Fist, Zhou Yun added the movement technique and began darting around the courtyard.
Combining the movement technique with the fist technique, he tried to infuse the Black Ape Fist's ferocity into his unpredictable footwork. The result was an even greater increase in speed.
"My two Black Ape techniques are even closer to reaching mastery!"
Zhou Yun exhaled and settled into a finishing stance, delighted. It felt as if he had uncovered the subtleties of both techniques.
The sky gradually darkened, and the time he had arranged to meet Shen Qingxue was drawing near.
"I'll stop here for today and continue tomorrow."
Zhou Yun tidied up a little, changed into his new Inner Courtyard uniform, and headed for Shen Qingxue's courtyard.
Along the way, he saw mostly Earth-class courtyards.
The Heaven-class courtyards were probably where the Dark Force senior brothers or Master Liang lived.
"This must be the place."
Zhou Yun spotted the plaque marked Earth Two beside the doorframe and was just about to knock.
From inside, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"Miss Shen! Please don't send me away! I may not know the Black Ape Movement Technique, but my brother is the Sea Whale Gang's leader!"
In the courtyard, Lu Meng stood in front of Shen Qingxue, anxiously trying to explain himself.
"Please show some respect, Young Master Lu. Your gang has nothing whatsoever to do with my Sky Sea Escort Agency. Please don't disturb me during my meal."
Shen Qingxue's brows knitted slightly, and her pretty face turned cold.
"Qingxue, I've already opened the Seven Apertures. Next month, I'll definitely break through to Bright Force!"
Lu Meng still refused to give up. "Besides, my brother can provide you with the resources to practice martial arts. I have the entire Sea Whale Gang backing me!"
"Young Master Lu, word has already spread that the Sea Whale Gang was soundly defeated by the Tiger-Wolf Gang. I hear your gang is preparing to withdraw from Black Stone County and seek a new way forward in Clear Water County."
Shen Qingxue lifted her eyes slightly and said calmly, "I introduced you to Senior Brother Jiang and the others only because I mistakenly thought you were the person I was looking for. Now it seems I was wrong. Please leave, Young Master Lu."
"What? The Sea Whale Gang was soundly defeated by the Tiger-Wolf Gang? Why didn't my brother tell me..."
Lu Meng froze. He was just about to say something more when an untimely knock sounded at the door.
"May I ask if Senior Sister Shen is there?"
Zhou Yun's voice came from outside. Lu Meng's pupils contracted, and anger surged in his heart.
"Zhou Yun! It must be that fisherman! How did he manage to learn the Black Ape Movement Technique when I couldn't even get started after a whole month?"
It was already nighttime, and a man coming to a woman's courtyard—what that meant was anyone's guess.
Lu Meng gritted his teeth. "It seems you have another distinguished guest, Miss Shen. I'll take my leave."
He forced down his anger, swept his sleeve, and strode away.
The gate opened. Seeing who it was, Zhou Yun pretended to ask, "Senior Brother Lu, what are you doing in Senior Sister Shen's courtyard too?"
"I was just passing by!"
Lu Meng was in no mood to be polite. Zhou Yun used to be an Outer Courtyard disciple who washed clothes for him. What gave him the right to climb above him now?
No, more important than that was what had happened to the gang. He had to find his brother as soon as possible!
As the second-generation heir of a gang, Lu Meng knew all too well that without his brother's support, he was just an ordinary Inner Courtyard disciple!
"Senior Sister Shen, I happen to have some questions about the part-time post."
Seeing Lu Meng hurry away, Zhou Yun didn't dwell on the trivial matter. Instead, he turned his gaze to Shen Qingxue.
Her face was as cold as ice, her features sharply defined and her figure tall and well-proportioned. Beneath the air of a refined young lady, she carried an even stronger chill that kept others at a distance.
But it was precisely that coldness that had led so many young masters in Black Stone County to pursue her.
"Please sit, Junior Brother. I truly didn't want to send you on an escort run right after you'd accepted the part-time post, but I really am short one Bright Force expert."
Shen Qingxue's expression softened somewhat. She took three taels of silver from her clothes and handed them to Zhou Yun. "This is half a month's pay for an escort master. Take it for now."
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
Zhou Yun accepted the money. In just one day, he had gained six taels of silver, not counting the Blood Coagulation Pill.
With the extra money he had from the Martial Master Market, Zhou Yun now had seven taels of silver and around a hundred copper coins in his purse.
That was enough to support an ordinary family for more than half a year.
"If the opportunity comes, perhaps I can buy myself a weapon."
Zhou Yun made a quiet plan. Relying on his bare fists and feet was ultimately a disadvantage; a suitable weapon would be better for protecting himself.
"Although you're a part-time escort master with the Shen Family, you're under my command. So I'll get straight to the point."
Seeing that Zhou Yun had accepted the pay, Shen Qingxue continued, "Tomorrow night, I'll personally lead an escort run to Clear Water County. We'll be transporting a cartload of precious medicinal herbs."
"And we have definite information that a Bright Force expert will lead an ambush."
Before you continue