Master Qin's smile looked more like a grimace.
"Oh, Master Li, you're absolutely right. Quite right."
"It was our fault for being too blind to recognize Mount Tai. We offended your family. We deserve to die. We really do."
As soon as he finished speaking, Master Qin raised his hand and slapped himself across the face.
Smack.
Half his face swelled up at once.
"Master Li, you're a magnanimous man. Please don't hold it against small fry like us."
"As for these two taels of silver... you're making a fool of me."
Master Qin held out his hand, not daring to accept the money. Then he pushed it back in front of Li Pingsheng.
"Those ten taels of silver were just a token of respect from me to you and your whole family. From now on... no, there won't be a next time."
"The Li Family's debt is wiped clean. Both principal and interest, all of it."
Li Pingsheng said nothing. He only looked at him.
Master Qin grew uneasy under his gaze. He knew that simply admitting defeat wouldn't be enough to get him out of this.
"Men! What are you standing around for?"
"Drag those two blind fools away. Deal with them according to the gang's rules. Break their legs and throw them outside the city to feed the wild dogs."
Several underlings came tumbling into the courtyard. Each grabbed a leg and dragged one of the men away like a dead dog.
Two glaring streaks of blood remained on the ground.
Master Qin and his men left the courtyard and disappeared around the street corner.
The neighbors watching erupted into discussion.
"My heavens, Master Qin actually slapped himself?"
"Didn't you hear? The whole debt's been wiped clean. He just gave up ten taels of silver like that."
"So this is the might of superior bone talent. We can't afford to provoke him. We really can't."
Li Pingsheng paid no attention to the commotion outside. He rehung the half of the door that was still usable, blocking the view from the street.
Then he went to his unconscious Second Uncle and examined him carefully.
The back of his head was split open, and he'd lost quite a bit of blood, but his breathing was fairly steady.
Li Pingsheng tore off a clean corner of his own clothes, dampened it with some water, and cleaned Second Uncle's wound. Then he bound it tightly with a strip of cloth.
Only after he'd finished did he breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed Second Uncle wasn't in mortal danger.
"Pingsheng..."
Madam Li and Second Aunt came over, wiping their tears.
They took hold of Li Pingsheng and looked him over from head to toe again and again, afraid he might have been hurt too.
"Mother, Second Aunt, I'm fine. I really am."
Madam Li pulled Yunmei, who was still sobbing, into her arms, then hugged Li Pingsheng tightly as tears streamed down her face.
"Thank heaven. Thank our ancestors..."
Second Aunt looked at her unconscious husband. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed, but Li Pingsheng caught her in time.
Grandpa Li had remained silent the whole time.
He looked at his grandson. His gaze was steady, his bearing completely changed. He was like a different person from before.
His eyes were full of relief, but his brows were knotted with worry.
"Pingsheng, come with me."
The old man went into the innermost shack.
Li Pingsheng followed.
In the dim shack, the old man sat on the edge of the bed and patted the space beside him.
"What you did today was right."
"You can't show mercy to beasts like these."
"But."
"You must remember that a man like Master Qin is just a dog raised by the Black Water Gang."
"Today, you beat the dog. Its master won't let that go."
"The Black Water Gang has been entrenched in the Outer City of Qingyun County for years. They're powerful. Their leader is a martial artist, and he has several more martial artists under him. They're ruthless."
"Master Qin backed down today because he feared your title as a True Disciple of the Azure Cloud Martial Hall."
"But you'll have to go to the martial hall to train. You can't stay home every day. When you're gone, I'm afraid they'll retaliate in secret."
"Grandpa, I understand."
Li Pingsheng looked at the old man's worried face and spoke in a low voice.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I'll find a way to move our whole family into the Inner City as soon as possible."
"Good. Good..."
Grandpa Li nodded and said no more, only giving his grandson's shoulder a heavy pat.
Night fell.
Second Uncle was carried back to his room. After drinking some rice broth, he slowly came to, though he was still a little dizzy.
After all the fright they'd been through, the family went to bed early.
Li Pingsheng sat alone on his old wooden bed, closed his eyes, and sank his mind inward.
[Li Pingsheng] [Martial Arts: None] [Talent Specialties: Beginner · Blood Strengthening (Vitality), Beginner · Tiger Bone (Bone Talent)] [Talent Potential: 0.05]
The potential he'd accumulated from taking seven doses of Blood Strengthening Powder and practicing his punches day after day had been almost completely spent when he activated [Tiger Bone].
Though he'd been burning with anger and his blood and qi had surged during the fight, it had only yielded 0.05 points of potential.
That little potential wasn't enough to do anything.
[Slaughter], [Vitality], [Divine Sense], [Mystic Gate].
The physique granted by Blood Strengthening and Tiger Bone was enough to let him crush ordinary bullies.
But Grandpa Li's words had reminded him.
The Black Water Gang's leader was a martial artist.
And he had martial artists under him, too.
Against true martial artists, defense and a strong physique weren't enough.
He needed greater offensive power—and greater speed.
[Slaughter—Beginner Specialty: Light Body] [Activating it requires a full 1 point of Talent Potential.]
The next morning, just after dawn.
Li Pingsheng changed into clean clothes and prepared to head to the martial hall.
"Brother."
Yunmei poked her little head out from behind the door, holding two golden-brown bran cakes.
"Mother told me to give these to you. Eat them on the way."
Li Pingsheng took the cakes, patted his sister's head, and stepped out of the courtyard.
Overnight, Wealthy District had transformed completely.
As he passed the street corner, neighbors who usually ignored him all smiled and greeted him first.
"Pingsheng, off to the martial hall?"
"Li Family's eldest nephew, you've really made something of yourself."
Even a cloth merchant who was usually rather well-off took two meat buns from his shop, insisted on putting them in Li Pingsheng's hands, and beamed as he urged him to have a taste.
At the same time, in the Black Water Gang's branch in Qingyun County's Outer City.
The hall was spacious. Master Qin was kneeling on the ground.
A burly, middle-aged man stood before him, tall and broad, with a face full of coarse flesh.
The man was bare-chested, his body packed with knotted muscle. A hideous saber scar ran from his left shoulder all the way down to his right abdomen.
He idly rolled two iron balls the size of walnuts in his hand.
He was the head of the Black Water Gang's Outer City branch, known as Master Scar.
"...And that's how it happened."
Master Qin embellished the story, turning his failed attempt to extort money and the beating he'd received into a tale of Li Pingsheng abusing his power and humiliating the Black Water Gang.
"That kid only just had his bones assessed. He's throwing around his title as a True Disciple and daring to show the Black Water Gang no respect."
"Master Scar, if we swallow this insult, how are we supposed to hold our ground in the Outer City?"
Master Scar stopped rolling the iron balls, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip.
Crack.
The porcelain cup crumbled in his hand.
"A True Disciple of the Azure Cloud Martial Hall..."
"So what if he's a True Disciple? A genius who hasn't grown up yet isn't a genius. He's a piece of fat meat."
"Still, that old Pei Guang showed up in person. Now isn't the time to make a move against him."
"But anyone who breaks the Black Water Gang's rules has to pay a price."
He gave his orders.
"Send someone clever to Wealthy District. Have him keep a close eye on the Li Family. Don't make a move. Just watch."
"I want to see how much time a True Disciple can afford to spend at home."
"Once he enters the martial hall, find a chance to invite his rotten old grandpa and that little girl..."
"...to the branch for a cup of tea."
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