Iron Tiger

What else could it be?

The refugees had left, and that had eased some of the trouble in True Martial County, but Qin Fang's troubles weren't over.

The Iron Tiger Gang's threat still hung over his head, plain as day.

If Wang Long and his men had died in the refugees' riot, then everything would have been fine.

But if they were still alive...

Then they would definitely come looking for him.

After all, to them, he was "an unknown number of gold leaves"!

With Wang Long and his men's greed, they would never let him go.

Qin Fang naturally had to prepare early... at the very least, he needed to learn what he was up against.

Qin Fang didn't explain the reason in detail. He only said he'd heard it from Old Wu.

Zhang Hao was simple-minded and didn't think much of it. He'd been chatting with Qin Fang often lately and had come to regard him as a companion.

"The Iron Tiger Gang is a small gang in True Martial County. They've gathered eighty or ninety local ruffians and scoundrels. I hear they often cause trouble in the villages and market towns below the county, and set up some kind of Fishermen Gang to harass the fishermen."

As Zhang Hao spoke about them, there was some disgust in his eyes, but also a hint of fear.

"The gang leader is called Wang Hu. I hear he's a registered martial artist, with formidable Dark Force cultivation. He's quite a figure in the county. I've also heard he has connections at the county office... So although he commits every kind of evil, as long as his victims don't take their complaints to the county office, the constables there can't be bothered to deal with him."

Zhang Hao shook his head as he spoke.

Qin Fang, however, seized on one key detail.

"Dark Force?"

Zhang Hao paused, then explained, "You haven't practiced martial arts, have you? Anyone who has knows about Bright Force, Dark Force, and Transformation Force... They're stages in martial arts cultivation."

"I don't know the specifics too well, since I haven't started practicing yet. I've only heard about them, so I know those stages exist. But I do know how powerful a Dark Force expert is."

He spread his arms to indicate the size. "A tree this thick—if a Dark Force martial artist gives it a light slap, seemingly without even using any strength, they can punch a huge hole right through it... It's terrifying!"

Qin Fang's pupils contracted slightly at that.

"That powerful?"

Judging by Zhang Hao's gesture, the tree he meant had to be at least twenty centimeters in diameter!

A light palm strike could punch right through it?

How much penetrating force and destructive power would that take?

Could martial arts in this world... really do that?

Was 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, the martial instructor at Spring Return Hall demonstrated it to us. I was right there... That tree's still in the courtyard behind the hall. If you don't believe me, I can take you to see it!"

He sounded so certain that Qin Fang couldn't help believing him a little.

His thoughts began to stir...

Martial arts in this world... seemed to be astonishingly powerful!

"Then what stage are you at?"

Qin Fang asked Zhang Hao curiously.

Zhang Hao paused, then scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "I haven't really started cultivating yet..."

Seeing Qin Fang's surprise, he quickly added, "But I'm about to! Disciples of Spring Return Hall can cultivate right here. As long as you enter the inner hall, you can learn martial arts. It only costs thirty taels of silver... Outsiders who want to learn martial arts at Spring Return Hall can't even get in!"

"Don't be fooled by the fact that Spring Return Hall isn't a martial arts school. In terms of strength, our martial arts students are no worse than those at True Martial Martial Arts Hall!"

He looked rather pleased with himself. "I'm saving up. It won't be long before I have enough, and then I can really start learning martial arts!"

As he said this, his eyes filled with even greater anticipation.

Clearly, he was eager to learn martial arts.

Qin Fang's eyes flickered.

Bright Force, Dark Force, Transformation Force...

They sounded powerful.

He wondered if his golden finger could help him with cultivation.

But... surely it could, right?

After all, there was the example of the "dagger."

"Do you know Wang Long?"

Qin Fang temporarily reined in his jumbled thoughts and asked again.

"Wang Long? Of course I do. He's Wang Hu's older brother. He throws his brother's weight around and bullies people all over True Martial County... He's the worst of the lot!"

At the mention of Wang Long, Zhang Hao immediately looked disgusted.

Qin Fang's heart sank.

Wang Hu's older brother?

He asked, clinging to a glimmer of hope, "Then do you know... if anything happened to the Iron Tiger Gang during this latest refugee riot?"

Zhang Hao immediately curled his lip. "Happened to them? Hmph, what could've happened? Those ruffians are all bullies who pick on the weak. Everyone hates them, even the dogs, but they're notorious slippery characters! On the very first day trouble started, they vanished without a trace. Who knows where they hid? But now the refugees have left... I reckon they'll show their faces again."

Zhang Hao clearly had no love for the Iron Tiger Gang.

His words made Qin Fang's heart sink all the way.

It looked like... he still had to face them.

The two chatted a little longer. Not long after, someone called for Zhang Hao. He answered and left the room.

That evening, Old Wu came to check Qin Fang's wound again. At last, he nodded. "The wound has mostly healed. It's fine to get it wet now... You must be uncomfortable, covered in grime like that. Go wash up today. Once you're clean, I'll come back and apply your medicine."

"I can take a bath?" Qin Fang's eyes lit up at once.

Heaven knew how miserable he'd been lately.

He hadn't bathed in months!

He was sticky all over!

Things had settled down for the time being, but he hadn't been able to bathe because of his injuries... Now that Old Wu had finally given the word, he could hardly wait.

"Mm. Change your clothes, too. I happen to have a clean set here."

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

Qin Fang froze. He looked at Old Wu, and after a long pause, let out a soft breath and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Elder Wu. I'll never forget your kindness."

Old Wu waved a hand. "All right, all right. Go on. Come back when you're clean, and I'll change your dressing."

Qin Fang left with the clothes in his arms.

He hadn't left this room in all these days, though he had been out in the courtyard.

He knew there was a well in the courtyard. Beside it was a small area screened off with coarse cloth, probably meant for bathing. Qin Fang went inside, took off his clothes, and began drawing water to wash.

Splash!

As the water poured over him from head to toe, a patch of blackish water appeared on the ground by his feet... It showed just how filthy he'd become.

A single rub brought off a greasy clump of dark grime...

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

And there wasn't any soap...

Fortunately, although there was no soap, there was soapberry water and rice-rinsing water, set out in the corner.

Qin Fang felt a warmth in his heart. He knew Old Wu had most likely prepared them in advance.

Old Wu seemed cold and distant, but he was a kindhearted little old man beneath that stern exterior...

Qin Fang's feelings were complicated.

After spending so long as a refugee, he'd nearly lost all faith in human nature. But now, it seemed he'd caught a glimpse of people's goodness once more...

It was a clear reminder of how complicated the world was.

Qin Fang fell silent for a while, then sighed and stopped dwelling on it. He continued scrubbing the stubborn grime from his body.

The bath took a full hour.

By the time he came out... Qin Fang was almost a different person.

His former disheveled appearance was gone. After being washed with soapberry water and rice-rinsing water, his hair had grown soft and smooth again... He had been planning to shave off all the hair that had matted together.

Now that he could wash it clean, he'd spared himself the trouble...

Men in this world all wore their hair long. Since he'd come here, he didn't really want to stand out too much.

His long hair was still a little damp. He loosely gathered it behind his head and secured it with a wooden stick...

This was naturally a skill the original owner had come with...

Only a few strands fell loosely over his forehead.

With his hair no longer hiding his face, his features finally showed.

His brows arched like swords, his eyes dark as lacquer, his nose high-bridged, and his lips thin. He looked sharp and striking.

Before, the grime covering his face had buried his good looks.

Now, at least, one corner of them had been uncovered.

But his body was still too thin... When he'd taken off his clothes just now, he'd seen that every rib in his chest was clearly visible.

Having wasted away until he was barely recognizable, his cheekbones stood out sharply because there was hardly any flesh on his face, badly spoiling his looks.

And the long hours under the blazing sun had left his skin badly burned, a purplish black, with peeling patches all over. That took another toll on his appearance.

But if he could put on some weight and regain his fair complexion... he was sure his once handsome, refined looks would return.

He had changed into a fresh set of clothes, too. They were still coarse, nothing special, but they were clean—and that was infinitely better than the tattered clothes he'd worn before.

When he appeared before Old Wu, freshly washed, even the old man paused.

Then he nodded. "You look much better now."

"Lie down. Time to change your dressing."

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

Old Wu began changing his dressing.