Killing

"That was a powerful swing."

Zhou Yun's expression darkened. The instant he heard the whistle of the incoming blow, he had already channeled his qi and blood to the Heaven Gate Point, shielding the back of his head.

If he hadn't been practicing the Black Ape Movement Technique and improving his reflexes, he might really have been caught off guard.

Even so, the back of his head still throbbed faintly. From now on, no matter the circumstances—especially when fighting someone—he would have to stay on his guard at all times.

"You—you're at the Seven Apertures!"

A-Shui was so frightened that he dropped his club. He frantically searched his memories for the Seven Apertures fighters of the Sea Whale Gang, but none of them matched.

The only one who wasn't part of the Sea Whale Gang, and who had spent years training at the Black Stone Martial Hall, was the younger brother of the Sea Whale Gang's leader...

"Lu Meng!"

Before A-Shui could finish speaking, a dark blur lunged at him. His head spun neatly around.

He was dead.

Even before he died, he hadn't seen who had killed him.

"Quick! Run!"

Wang Ershu couldn't spare a thought for the corpses on the ground. He scrambled away, rolling and crawling, but suddenly everything went black before his eyes, and he collapsed, lifeless.

The other Tiger-Wolf Gang members dropped their pitchforks and clubs, desperate to flee this place of trouble. In doing so, they turned their backs completely on Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun struck with merciless brutality, never intending to leave anyone alive. He attacked with the Black Ape Movement Technique, and before the Tiger-Wolf Gang members could even make out who was coming, their necks snapped and their heads lolled as they fell to the ground.

"You! The gang leader won't let you get away with this!"

Of the dozen or so men who had come, only one remained: a frail young man whose legs trembled and whose face streamed with cold sweat.

Zhou Yun was about to strike, but lowered his raised fist.

"Get lost."

The frail young man froze. Before he could even wonder what was happening, he scrambled away, rolling and crawling.

Only after the man had disappeared into the distance did Zhou Yun search the bodies on the ground. He found three taels of silver in loose coins and several dozen copper coins—enough to buy meat for a month.

"Pack up and head home."

Zhou Yun left behind a dozen or so copper coins. Having killed for the first time, he felt no psychological burden.

If someone wanted to eat others, they could hardly complain when someone ate them instead.

As for the man he'd let go, he was merely a spark to fan the flames between the gangs. If anyone investigated too closely, some clues were bound to be left behind.

But one spark was enough. The rest had to be rooted out completely.

"Ah, thank you! Thank you!"

Grandpa Sun accepted the copper coins, bowing with heartfelt gratitude.

Watching Zhou Yun's figure vanish from sight, the old man, already past fifty, finally straightened up and sighed.

"Brother Yun has really made something of himself..."

Though the black-clad man had deliberately shifted the blame onto the Sea Whale Gang, he had still given him a dozen or so copper coins. Combined with the suspiciously well-timed arrival and that familiar figure, the answer was obvious.

The expert who had killed more than a dozen Tiger-Wolf Gang members and opened all Seven Apertures of the Martial Pass could only be...

"Could the hardships at home lately have something to do with the Tiger-Wolf Gang?"

Zhou Yun walked along the path home, his pace quickening with every step.

The few streets where his family lived were by the coast and had always been under the Sea Whale Gang's control. The Tiger-Wolf Gang usually managed the area closer to the mountains, and its leader seemed to be a Bright Force expert.

But judging by the situation, the Tiger-Wolf Gang had long coveted the Sea Whale Gang's territory. They had already started collecting land fees and incense money in these neighborhoods.

Before long, Zhou Yun arrived at a dirt courtyard enclosed by a fence. He composed himself, then pushed open the gate and went inside.

He looked around. Nothing had changed.

The old wooden table and chairs, the mottled earthen walls, the broom in the corner.

Zhou Yun was about to call for his mother when he suddenly heard an old voice from the inner room.

"Zhou Yun's mother, Zhou Yun has been training in martial arts for nearly three months, yet he still hasn't knocked on the Bright Force gate. We can't put all our eggs in one basket and pin our hopes on him alone."

Grandpa Zhou's face was deeply lined, and he looked terribly troubled.

"Before, only the Sea Whale Gang collected offerings to the River God. Now the Tiger-Wolf Gang has come to collect land fees and incense money too. The Zhou family really can't afford to fund his martial arts training anymore!"

"That three taels of silver we borrowed has grown to five taels with interest. Our family truly can't pay it back!"

The middle-aged woman in hemp clothing looked worried. She kept working on her needlework as she gritted her teeth.

"Father, didn't I give you my dowry? At least that should have been enough to pay off the debt. Why hasn't the Sea Whale Gang's debt been repaid?"

Grandpa Zhou paused, his expression softening. Calmly, he replied, "That was the dowry you brought into the Zhou family. Naturally, the Zhou family decides how to use it."

"You decided? You used it to send Zhou Chuan to the Escort Agency to become an apprentice, didn't you?"

Lady Liu's face turned pale with anger. "I know you dote on Chuan, but my Yun'er is no worse. He has a First Form Bone too. Why did you put all your hopes on his older brother?"

"Is it because his family has the eldest son, while my husband, who came back from the battlefield wrapped in a burial shroud, was the second son?"

Grandpa Zhou slammed the table and jumped to his feet, his face filled with anger. "Nonsense! How can your Zhou Yun compare to Chuan? His bone is close to a Second Form, while Zhou Yun has only an ordinary First Form Bone. They're worlds apart!"

"Besides, do you think I don't want both my grandsons to enter a martial hall? But with the debts the Zhou family owes, only one of them can keep training. That one has to be Chuan!"

With that, Grandpa Zhou paid no heed to Lady Liu's pale face, now so ashen it seemed to have lost all color. He simply left her with one final remark.

"From now on, whether the Tiger-Wolf Gang or the Sea Whale Gang comes to collect copper, we can't do anything about it. Let Zhou Yun come back and bear the burden himself."

The old man pushed open the door and ran straight into Zhou Yun, who was standing outside.

"Grandpa Zhou, are you feeling well?"

Zhou Yun's tone was calm, without a hint of emotion.

"You—you're back?"

Grandpa Zhou looked incredulous, but still snorted. "I've already said all I needed to say to your mother. You two can fend for yourselves."

"Father! Father!"

Lady Liu tried to chase after him, but Zhou Yun grabbed her hand.

The woman, whose face was lined with wrinkles and whose temples had begun to gray, threw her arms around Zhou Yun. At last, tears welled in her eyes.

"Yun'er, I'm useless. I'm no good at all!"

Zhou Yun held the older woman in his arms. He saw the thick calluses on her hands, earned from years of heavy labor. He saw the eyes already growing farsighted, and the hole she had chiseled in the roof so she could do needlework at night.

"Mother, I'm home. I'm home."

Lady Liu choked on her sobs and couldn't speak for a long time. She could only touch Zhou Yun's face and nod. "You're home, and that's all that matters. Don't worry, Yun'er. I can still find a way to pay your tuition. I..."

"No need, Mother. Your son has already reached the threshold of Bright Force."

Zhou Yun shook his head. He had thought that no matter how harsh their circumstances were, his mother shouldn't have had to suffer too much. But he had still underestimated this world.

The world devoured people, and people devoured one another.

"You've reached the threshold of Bright Force? Good, good!"

Lady Liu froze, then was overcome with joy.

"Bright Force is good, so good! From now on, you won't have to put up with your grandfather's scorn. You'll be able to support yourself!"

As she spoke, the woman seemed to regain all her energy. She scooped up the little coarse flour left in the rice jar and hurried to the woodshed.

"Your mother will make you a bowl of noodles. You loved noodles when you were little!"

Watching this, Zhou Yun saw the cooking smoke curl into the air, and felt a long-missed sense of security settle in his heart.

But before he could enjoy it for long, a familiar voice came from outside.

"Mother Liu! The Tiger-Wolf Gang has declared war on the Sea Whale Gang! Now we'll only have to pay one of them!"

Zhou Ningyue burst through the door in high spirits. Though she was usually gentle and mild-mannered, she couldn't hide her delight.

As soon as she entered, she spotted Zhou Yun sitting in a chair.

"Zhou Yun? You're back from the martial hall?"