Conflict

"Good grief, the item was just lost, and the owner has already come knocking."

Zhou Yun felt a wave of shame. Who could have guessed that brat Zhang Hu would be so impulsive as to take Lu Meng's clothes and pawn them?

He had wondered how that kid, who spent his days practicing martial arts, had come by a string of cash; he never expected he had already planned out such a crooked path.

He reckoned the foolish boy intended to retrieve Lu Meng's clothes only after he had secured the Blood Coagulation Pill.

Well, that was just great; now he was buried in even more debt!

In the courtyard.

Lu Meng was growing impatient and bellowed, "Zhou Yun, get out here at once!"

Creak.

Zhou Yun pushed open the door and cupped his hands in a salute. "Senior Brother Lu, what brings you here?"

"Cut the crap! Hand over my clothes immediately. Tomorrow is the day I am to meet Miss Shen. I spent a fortune on that garment; nothing can go wrong with it."

Lu Meng scanned Zhou Yun, and seeing his hands were empty, he couldn't help but knit his brows.

"Zhou Yun, don't tell me you lost my clothes?"

"Senior Brother Lu, your clothes are still being washed. They won't be dry until tomorrow. Would it be too much trouble for you to return tomorrow?"

Zhou Yun replied with a bow.

"They won't be dry until tomorrow?"

Lu Meng sneered, then suddenly flew into a rage. "Zhou Yun, do you take me for a fool!"

As the words left his lips, he threw a punch straight at Zhou Yun's face.

His limbs, tempered through the six orifices of the Martial Pass, moved with extreme speed; an ordinary martial artist would never have been able to react in time.

But in that split second, Lu Meng's pupils constricted as his body lurched forward, stumbling a few steps.

His punch had missed.

"Senior Brother Lu, I will certainly have the clothes delivered to your residence tonight."

Zhou Yun had dodged the punch by shifting his body, maintaining his cupped-hand salute while his expression remained unchanged.

"You!"

Fire blazed in Lu Meng's eyes, and he wanted to strike again.

But as he carefully recalled the moment, he realized that an ordinary martial artist could never have dodged that punch.

It was impossible for Zhou Yun to have reached the Bright Force, nor could he have opened six orifices in just a few days, so there was only one possibility...

This Zhou Yun, with the body of a mere mortal, had mastered the Black Ape Movement Technique, something only inner-court disciples or those at the Bright Force level could learn!

No, could it be that he had only seen Master Liang demonstrate it yesterday?

Impossible. He must have been learning it in secret! And he must have been drilling it day and night!

Even so, this proved that Zhou Yun's comprehension was exceptionally rare.

"Zhou Yun, if you ruin my meeting with Miss Shen, I'll have my brother go to your house to collect the debt himself!"

Lu Meng gritted his teeth, forced to leave behind a harsh threat.

If Zhou Yun had truly grasped the Black Ape Movement Technique, he wasn't entirely sure he could do anything about it.

That technique relied heavily on comprehension; many senior brothers at the Bright Force level had taken a long time to master it.

This time, he had no choice but to accept the loss.

Furthermore, it was possible that Zhou Yun might gain some favor from Master Liang. Even if his innate talent was only of the first rank, the ability to learn the Black Ape Movement Technique was proof enough of his aptitude.

However, Zhou Yun's debt remained firmly in the hands of their Sea Whale Gang.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother Lu, I will find the clothes and return them to you before tonight."

Zhou Yun bowed, then turned and left the main courtyard.

The figure of a tall, thin youth wandered through the martial arts school, passing through the Martial Arts Arena, the Weapon Pavilion, and even the Interrogation Hall.

He walked for a long time, finally wiping the sweat from his brow under a large tree by the Dining Hall.

"Finding someone isn't an easy task."

Zhou Yun had been constantly inquiring about the Blood Coagulation Pill in the outer court. Occasionally, he ran into a few who knew the inside story, but they refused to say a word.

It was to be expected; after all, most outer-court disciples were unwilling to wade into the murky waters surrounding the secrets of the inner-court seniors.

But as it happened, there was one exception.

"Zhang Hu? I saw him heading toward the Black Market early this morning. He's probably buying some medicinal herbs."

A simple-looking outer-court disciple scratched the back of his head, holding a broom as he swept the Dining Hall.

This man was named Wang Tiezhu. He was usually very close with Zhang Hu, likely because their family backgrounds were similar; neither of them possessed the aptitude to ever hope for Bright Force.

However, unlike the impulsive Zhang Hu, Wang Tiezhu only wanted to endure his five years in the outer courtyard, then use the Martial Hall's reputation to find a stable job and live a quiet life.

"Many thanks for the information."

Zhou Yun did not linger, setting off toward the Black Market outside the Martial Hall.

He had not expected this matter to involve that place. Although the Black Market appeared to be merely a place for exchanging goods, it was actually a lawless zone where even the government refused to intervene.

The vast majority of illicit transactions took place in the Black Market.

And behind the Black Market lay the shadow of the number one escort agency in Black Stone County... the Sky Sea Escort Agency.

Usually, the Martial Hall did not place many restrictions on its disciples.

Zhou Yun exited the Martial Hall smoothly, walked through several secluded alleys, and arrived at a hidden street.

There were not many people hawking their wares here; most simply laid their goods on the ground for passersby to choose from.

Zhou Yun cautiously bought a black robe to drape over himself, then quickly began searching for a sign of Zhang Hu, but soon heard the sounds of fighting and cheering coming from not far away.

He hurried over and immediately saw someone surrounded by a crowd; upon closer inspection, it was indeed Zhang Hu.

Zhang Hu was covered in blood, his entire body bruised and swollen, gasping for air in large, ragged breaths.

The other person was a burly, middle-aged man who was wrapping white cloth around his knuckles, sneering, "So this is a disciple of the Black Stone Martial Hall? Nothing more than this."

"Senior Brother Wang, I concede. Can you sell the Blood Coagulation Pill to me now?"

Ignoring the mockery, Zhang Hu slowly raised his hands and looked up toward a wealthy young master in the crowd.

Wang Lan chuckled, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the woman in white gauze beside him.

Even though she was veiled, one could guess at her exquisite features from her fair neck and full figure.

Those cold, indifferent eyes lifted slightly, then lowered again as if she had lost interest.

"Boring."

Shen Qingxue uttered these two words faintly.

This person was the young lady of the Shen Family, whose father was the Chief Escort of the Sky Sea Escort Agency, a Transformation Force master whose influence in Black Stone County was second only to the Black Stone Martial Hall.

Hearing this, Wang Lan smiled slightly and said, "Then let them fight another round."

"No more fighting, I won't fight anymore! Senior Brother Wang, didn't you say that if I fought one round, you would sell the Blood Coagulation Pill to me!"

Zhang Hu shrank back, swallowing hard.

His opponent was a martial artist who had opened seven orifices and was only a step away from Bright Force; he was no match for someone like himself who had only opened two.

It was a completely one-sided crushing!

It had been agreed that if he acted as a punching bag for the time it took for one incense stick to burn, this Senior Brother Wang would sell him the Blood Coagulation Pill for one guan of cash.

But now, why had he gone back on his word?

Zhang Hu did not understand, but a massive fist was already flying toward his face.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of dark blood sprayed out, and Zhang Hu collapsed heavily to the ground, falling completely unconscious.

"Hmph, you were just unlucky to run into me today, kid."

The burly man let out a cold snort and raised his foot, preparing to stomp down on Zhang Hu's thigh.

If that kick landed, he would never be able to stand again for the rest of his life; not only would his path in martial arts be completely severed, but he wouldn't even be able to find manual labor.

Whoosh!

Just as the burly man was about to stomp down, a whip-kick suddenly swept toward his face.

He dodged in a hurry, looking quite disheveled.

"Who goes there!"

The burly man stared coldly at the newcomer, his expression extremely hostile.

This person was Zhou Yun.

"This Humble One is Lu Meng, a disciple of the Black Stone Martial Hall's inner courtyard."

Zhou Yun said in a hoarse voice, looking at Wang Lan while masked, and also noticing the fine silk garment Lu Meng was wearing on the other man's hand:

"This inner courtyard senior brother, could you spare this little brother? I offer my thanks here first."

"Inner courtyard disciple Lu Meng, the younger brother of the Sea Whale Gang leader? I am rarely at the Martial Hall, so I rarely see you junior brothers."

Wang Lan smiled without answering, turning his head to look at Shen Qingxue:

"What is your opinion?"