Iron Tiger

What else could it be?

The refugees had left, so the troubles in True Martial County had lessened, but Qin Fang's troubles were far from over.

The threat of the Iron Tiger Gang was a sword truly hanging over his head.

If Wang Long and his lot had died during the refugee riots, then naturally, everything would be fine.

But if they were still alive...

Then they would one hundred percent come looking for him.

After all, to them, he was a "stash of gold leaves of unknown quantity"!

Given the greed of Wang Long's group, they would never let it go.

Qin Fang naturally had to prepare early... at the very least, he needed to know what the situation was with the other party.

Qin Fang did not go into detail about the reason, only saying that he had heard it mentioned by Old Wu.

The simple-minded Zhang Hao did not think much of it; having chatted with Qin Fang frequently during this period, he had come to view him as a playmate.

"The Iron Tiger Gang is a small gang in True Martial County, organized by eighty or ninety local ruffians and thugs. I hear they often stir up trouble in the surrounding townships and have formed something called the Fishermen Gang, frequently harassing the fishermen."

When Zhang Hao spoke of these people, there was a hint of disgust in his eyes, but also a touch of fear.

"The gang leader is named Wang Hu. I hear he is a registered martial artist, and his cultivation in Dark Force is no small matter; he counts as a figure of some standing in the county. It's also said he has connections in the yamen... so even though they commit all sorts of evils, as long as the victims don't bring it to the yamen's doorstep, the bailiffs there can't be bothered to care."

Zhang Hao shook his head as he spoke.

Qin Fang caught the key term.

"Dark Force?"

Zhang Hao was stunned for a moment before explaining: "You haven't practiced martial arts, have you? Anyone who has knows about Bright Force, Dark Force, and Transformation Force... these are the realms of martial arts cultivation."

"I don't know the specifics, as I haven't started practicing yet; I've only heard rumors about these realms. But I do know how terrifying a Dark Force expert is."

He circled his arms to gesture: "A tree this thick—a Dark Force martial artist can strike it lightly, looking as if they didn't use any strength at all, and yet they can punch a hole straight through it... it's very scary!"

Qin Fang's pupils constricted slightly upon hearing this.

"That powerful?"

Judging by his gesture, the tree he was talking about must have been at least twenty centimeters in diameter!

Piercing through it with a light palm strike?

How much penetrating power and destructive force would that require?

The martial arts of this world... can they really do that?

Is this a movie?

Seeing that Qin Fang didn't believe him, Zhang Hao immediately widened his eyes: "It's true, I saw it with my own eyes! Last time, Martial Leader of our Spring Return Hall demonstrated it for us, and I was right there... that tree is still in the back courtyard of the hall. If you don't believe me, I can take you to see it!"

Seeing him speak with such certainty, Qin Fang couldn't help but believe him a little.

His mind began to race...

It seems the martial arts of this world... are quite astonishing!

"Then what is your current cultivation level?"

Qin Fang asked Zhang Hao out of curiosity.

Zhang Hao was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed: "I haven't started true cultivation yet..."

Seeing Qin Fang's surprise, he immediately added: "But it won't be long! Disciples of our Spring Return Hall can practice directly in the hall. As long as you enter the inner hall, you can learn martial arts; it only costs thirty taels of silver... if outsiders want to come to our Spring Return Hall to learn, the hall won't even take them!"

"Don't think that just because our Spring Return Hall isn't a True Martial Martial Arts Hall, our martial apprentices are any worse than those at the True Martial Martial Arts Hall!"

He said with a proud look: "I'm saving up money, and it won't be long before I have enough, and then I can truly begin practicing martial arts!"

When he said this, the anticipation in his eyes grew even stronger.

It was clear he was very eager to learn martial arts.

Qin Fang's eyes flickered.

Bright Force, Dark Force, Transformation Force...

It sounded very impressive.

He wondered if his golden finger could provide him with any help in his cultivation?

However... he figured it should be helpful, right?

After all, he had the "dagger" as an example.

"Then do you know Wang Long?"

Qin Fang temporarily suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind and asked again.

"Wang Long? I know him. He is Wang Hu's older brother. Relying on his younger brother's prestige, he runs amok in True Martial County... he is the worst of them all!"

At the mention of Wang Long, Zhang Hao immediately showed a look of disgust.

And Qin Fang's heart sank.

Wang Hu's own brother?

He held onto a sliver of hope as he asked, "Then do you know... during this recent refugee riot, did anything happen to the Iron Tiger Gang?"

Zhang Hao immediately curled his lip. "Something happen? Hmph, what could possibly happen? Those scoundrels are all bullies who fear the strong and prey on the weak; they're annoying as hell, but they're also notoriously slippery! The very first day the trouble started, they vanished without a trace. Who knows where they went to hide. But now that the refugees have retreated... I reckon they'll be popping back up again soon."

Zhang Hao clearly had not a shred of affection for the Iron Tiger Gang.

His words caused Qin Fang's heart to sink completely.

It looked like... he would have to face it after all.

The two chatted for a few more moments, and shortly after, someone called out for Zhang Hao. He responded and left the room.

In the evening, Old Wu came to check on Qin Fang's wounds again. Finally, he nodded and said, "The wounds have basically healed; it's fine to get them wet now... You must be feeling uncomfortable in that state. Go wash up today. Once you're clean, I'll come back to apply your medicine."

"I can bathe?" Qin Fang's eyes lit up instantly.

Heaven knows how miserable he had been during this time.

He hadn't bathed in months!

His entire body felt sticky everywhere!

Although things had been temporarily stable, he hadn't been able to bathe due to his injuries... Now that Old Wu had finally given the word, he couldn't wait a second longer.

"Mm, you should change your clothes too. I happen to have a set here."

Old Wu took out the clean clothes he had prepared and handed them to Qin Fang.

Qin Fang was stunned. He looked at Old Wu, and after a long moment of silence, he let out a soft breath and bowed respectfully until his head touched the floor. "Many thanks, Elder Wu. Words cannot express my gratitude."

Old Wu waved his hand. "Alright, alright, go on. Come back for your medicine once you're clean."

Qin Fang left, clutching the clothes.

He hadn't left this room for many days, but he had been to the courtyard before.

He knew there was a well in this yard.

Beside the well was a small area enclosed by coarse cloth, which was likely intended for bathing. Qin Fang walked inside, took off his clothes, and began to draw water to wash.

Splash!

As he poured the water from head to toe, a streak of black water immediately appeared on the ground beneath his feet... one could see just how filthy he had become.

With a casual rub, a large, greasy clump of black grime came off...

Even Qin Fang couldn't bear to look at himself.

And there was no soap...

But fortunately, while there was no soap, there was locust bean water and rice-washing water, which were currently sitting in the corner.

Qin Fang felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that Old Wu had likely prepared these in advance.

Old Wu seemed cold and indifferent, but he was a kind-hearted old man beneath that stern exterior...

Qin Fang's emotions were complex.

Having been a refugee for the entire journey, he had lost all faith in human nature. But now, it seemed he was seeing the kindness of the human heart once again...

It truly went to show the complexity of the world.

After a moment of silence, Qin Fang sighed, stopped overthinking, and continued to scrub away the stubborn filth on his body.

This bath lasted a full hour.

When he emerged... Qin Fang was almost a different person.

The disheveled, filthy appearance from before was gone. After being washed with the locust bean and rice-washing water, his hair had regained its softness... and originally, he had intended to shave off all those tangled locks.

Now that he could clean them, it saved him the trouble...

Men in this world all wore their hair long, and since he had arrived here, he didn't really want to be too much of an outlier.

His long hair was still damp, so he casually twisted it behind his head and secured it with a wooden stick...

This was naturally a skill inherent to the original owner...

Only a few strands of hair fell loosely across his forehead.

With the hair no longer obscuring his face, his original features were finally revealed.

His brows were like swords, his pupils like lacquer, his nose bridge high and straight, and his lips thin, giving him a sharp, keen appearance.

The filth that had covered his face had been a seal on his looks.

Now, that seal had been lifted, at least in part.

However, his body was still very thin... he had looked at himself after taking off his clothes earlier, and he could see his ribs clearly.

Emaciated to the point of being unrecognizable, his cheekbones were also very prominent due to the lack of flesh on his face, which severely detracted from his aesthetic.

Furthermore, long-term exposure to the scorching sun had left his skin severely sunburned, turning it a dark purple-black, with many areas even peeling, which dealt another blow to his appearance.

But as long as he rested, gained some weight, and let his skin tone recover... he believed his former handsome and elegant appearance would return.

He was now wearing a new set of clothes. Although they were still coarse cloth garments and nothing to boast about, they were clean, and they were infinitely better than the rags he had worn before.

When he appeared before Old Wu again, freshly scrubbed and cleaned, even Old Wu was momentarily stunned.

Then he nodded, looking much more pleasing to the eye now.

"Lie down, time to change the dressing."

Qin Fang nodded without a word and lay down on the bed...

Old Wu began to change his dressing.