Killing Intent Surges

Li Pingsheng finished speaking and bowed to Pei Guang once more.

Pei Guang's old face felt rather strained; he had prided himself on fairness his entire life, yet he never expected to stumble over a mere youth today.

He gave a dry cough and announced in a loud voice.

"What are you all staring at?"

"Li Pingsheng is a top-tier talent with exceptional bone structure and blood energy as robust as a beast; he is a prodigy the Azure Cloud Martial Hall has not seen in a century."

"From this day forth, Li Pingsheng is a true disciple of the Azure Cloud Martial Hall."

The neighbors and onlookers who had been mocking him just moments ago now had their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

The disciples inside the hall who had been waiting to see a show were even more stunned, their previous contempt instantly replaced by shock.

Could a dragon really emerge from a place like the Wealthy District?

Master Qin, standing in the crowd, felt the world go black; his legs turned to jelly, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

It was over.

The two lackeys he had sent out must have already reached the Li Family by now, and if they had laid a hand on them...

"Pingsheng, come with me. I will take you to see the Hall Master."

Pei Guang's attitude was now warm, and with a wave of his hand, he prepared to lead Li Pingsheng toward the inner courtyard.

Li Pingsheng was preoccupied with matters at home, but he could not refuse Master Pei's face, so he suppressed his anxiety and followed.

As they entered the inner courtyard, where ordinary disciples were not permitted, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

The inner courtyard featured rockeries, flowing water, and swaying bamboo shadows, a world apart from the dust and clamor outside.

The two arrived before a quiet room, where only a young boy in green robes stood waiting with his hands at his sides.

"Master Pei."

The boy bowed in greeting.

Pei Guang frowned.

"Where is the Hall Master?"

"Replying to Master Pei, the Hall Master was summoned away by the County Magistrate early this morning. I heard that a village outside the city suffered a military disaster and there may even be demons involved; the matter is urgent, so he likely won't be back for a while."

Upon hearing this, a look of gravity flashed across Pei Guang's face, though he quickly returned to normal.

He looked at Li Pingsheng, pondered for a moment, and decided decisively.

"Very well, special circumstances call for special measures. I will explain it to the Hall Master when he returns."

He immediately led Li Pingsheng to the accounting office.

"This is your identity token, made of bronze, unique to true disciples. With this token, you can enter most places within Qingyun County."

Pei Guang handed a bronze token to Li Pingsheng; the front was engraved with the characters "Azure Cloud," while the back bore an ancient "Li" character.

"Additionally, this is your monthly stipend, two taels in total. From now on, you may come here to collect it on the first of every month."

The accountant respectfully wrapped two silver ingots in red paper and presented them with both hands.

Two taels.

Li Pingsheng took the silver.

These two taels would make the burden on his family much lighter.

He tucked the silver and the token close to his body and said to Pei Guang sincerely.

"Master Pei, this disciple wishes to return home first to share this good news with my family so they do not worry."

"As you should, as you should."

Pei Guang's face was full of appreciation.

"Filial piety, good. I will see you out myself."

He patted Li Pingsheng's shoulder with high regard and personally escorted him to the main gate of the martial hall. This display of courtesy left the crowd outside, who had yet to disperse, staring in disbelief.

As soon as Li Pingsheng stepped out of the gate, he saw Master Qin, like a startled rat, shrinking his neck and sneaking into a small alleyway.

Beside him, those two burly, thuggish lackeys were nowhere to be seen.

With Master Qin's lackeys missing, the only possibility was that they had been dispatched before his bone-testing results were even announced.

Their destination could only be the Wealthy District—his home.

A murderous intent, mixed with fury, crashed through Li Pingsheng's reason.

He didn't even bother to acknowledge the fleeing Master Qin; he lowered his stance and exerted force violently.

Bang.

The bluestone pavement beneath his feet was cracked into a dense web of fissures by his step.

His entire body, like a cannonball fired from a chamber, transformed into a white blur as he sprinted wildly in the direction of the Wealthy District.

Subconsciously, he utilized the breathing technique of the Health Preservation Stance, and his two innate talents, [Blood Strengthening] and [Tiger Bone], surged into operation, fueled by his rage.

His legs were as hard as steel; every step he took against the ground emitted a dull, explosive thud, as if it were not a man running, but a giant beast galloping across the wilderness.

A gust of wind, carrying the faint sound of a tiger's roar, rushed toward the vendors and passersby on both sides of the street. Before they could even see what it was, the white blur had already vanished around the street corner.

"Good heavens, what just flew past?"

"A martial arts expert, a big shot from the inner city."

The exclamations were long left behind by Li Pingsheng.

The Blood Strengthening specialty squeezed the potential from within his body, and boiling blood surged through his limbs and bones.

The high-speed sprint did not make him feel exhausted; on the contrary, it made his breathing more powerful, and the fire in his chest burned ever brighter.

The outskirts of the Wealthy District, usually muddy and difficult to traverse, were like flat ground beneath his feet, his speed showing no signs of slowing.

Meanwhile.

Wealthy District, the Li Family's dilapidated shack.

Bang.

The wooden door was kicked open, sending wood splinters flying in all directions.

Two thugs with scarred faces, wielding wooden clubs, strode inside.

"Who is it?"

Madam Li and Second Aunt, who were busy weaving bamboo baskets in the courtyard, shuddered and jerked their heads up.

"Pay up."

A thug with a scarred face and a vicious glint in his eyes smashed the only water vat in the courtyard to pieces with a single strike of his club.

Clear water mixed with mud and flowed all over the ground.

"Where is that little bastard Li Pingsheng? He swindled Master Qin's money and thought he'd be fine just by hiding? If you don't cough up sixteen taels of silver today, your whole family can prepare to pay with your lives."

The other thug, whose face was covered in pockmarks, sneered, his gaze sweeping over the terrified faces of Madam Li and Second Aunt.

"Good sirs, let's talk this over. Pingsheng... he is going to enter the martial arts academy today. We will definitely pay the money back."

Madam Li gathered her courage, her voice trembling as she spoke.

"Bullshit."

The scarred thug spat a glob of phlegm onto the ground.

"Entering the martial arts academy? That brat is nothing but a swindler. He's probably already had his legs broken and been thrown out by now."

Just then, Second Uncle, who had just returned from the fields, heard the commotion and rushed out. Seeing the scene, his eyes turned red with rage.

"What right do you have to smash our things?"

He stepped forward to reason with them, but the pockmarked thug kicked him square in the chest.

Bang.

With a dull thud, Second Uncle flew backward, the back of his head slamming heavily against the stone mill in the courtyard. He didn't even let out a groan before blood began to gush from his forehead, staining the ground red.

"Second Brother!"

Second Aunt let out a shrill, piercing scream.

Old Master Li, who had been hiding in the house, rushed out as well, his aged body trembling with fury.

He shielded Yunmei, who was pale with fright, behind him.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

"Get lost, you old fossil."

The scarred thug pushed him away impatiently. The old man was already frail and weak; how could he withstand such a blow? He stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to climb back up for a long time.

The two thugs' gazes finally landed on the tiny, shivering figure in the corner.

"Heh, there's a pretty little girl here too."

The pockmarked thug rubbed his hands together and stepped toward Yunmei, his face twisted with undisguised malice.

"Sixteen taels of silver—selling you to the lowest brothel should cover at least a fraction of it."

"No, waaaah..."

Yunmei was scared out of her wits by that hideous face. She curled up in the corner and burst into heart-wrenching sobs.

"Let go of my granddaughter!"

"Don't touch my daughter!"

The old man's roar and Madam Li's desperate wails mingled together.

The pockmarked thug's large hand was already reaching for Yunmei's slender arm.

BOOM.

The entire courtyard wall of the shack was smashed to pieces.

Li Pingsheng had arrived.

He saw Second Uncle lying in a pool of blood, his grandfather fallen on the ground, and that filthy hand about to touch his sister.

"You're courting death."