Cannot Be Slow

Feeling the trajectory of the Burning Pulse Breakthrough Technique as it coursed through his body, Chen Jing felt the corners of his mouth slowly curl upward, a surge of irrepressible ecstasy rising from the depths of his eyes.

Now, with the Five Harms Technique bolstering his blood-qi condensation, the Burning Pulse Breakthrough Technique assisting his breakthroughs, and the River-Breaking Fist for his offense, he was well-equipped.

As long as he could find a defensive art and a movement technique, he would fill all his gaps and become a truly well-rounded, six-sided warrior!

Thinking of this, Chen Jing felt the massive mountain before him no longer seemed so impenetrable; instead, it had begun to show hairline fractures.

And the name of this mountain was Yan Peng.

At the mere thought of Yan Peng, Chen Jing took a deep breath, the light in his eyes gradually turning cold and sharp.

Chen Jing had previously inquired about Yan Peng; the man had broken through to become a Second Blood Martial Artist two or three years ago and was currently pushing toward the Third Blood Martial Artist realm.

To defeat such a figure, the only way was to outpace him and reach the Third Blood realm first!

Therefore, he could not afford to be slow.

Not even a little.

With this thought, Chen Jing did not hesitate in the slightest and threw himself back into his training.

In the days that followed, Chen Jing devoted almost all of his time to the Fist Academy.

As for the disappearance of Zhao Zonglin, it barely caused a ripple in the martial arts circle.

After all, Zhao Zonglin was merely a First Blood Martial Artist whose blood-qi was fading and whose career was on the decline.

In Red Rock County, there were at least a hundred, if not two hundred, people just like Zhao Zonglin.

Consequently, the County Government Office conducted a token investigation for a few days, and then no one mentioned it again.

As for Chen Chunmiao, she continued her work at the Spring Return Hall.

However, due to Chen Jing's status as a First Blood Martial Artist, Ren Zhining immediately promoted Chen Chunmiao to a supervisor, responsible for managing the maids in the backyard.

Meanwhile, Chen Sanwu spent these days scouting for a courtyard, intending to rent one so that Chen Jing would have a place to practice martial arts, and so that Chen Chunhe and Chen Chunmiao would have a comfortable place to rest upon their return.

Just like that, time slipped away like flowing water.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Chen Jing was still throwing punches in the courtyard when he heard a familiar, hearty laugh from behind him: "Junior Brother Chen!"

Zhuang Tao strode over, patted Chen Jing on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "You remember the new restaurant opening I told you about, right?"

Hearing this, Chen Jing stopped his movements and nodded: "I remember."

More than half a month ago, when Zhuang Tao had invited him to take a nominal position, he had mentioned the restaurant opening, but Chen Jing hadn't expected it to be delayed until today.

Zhuang Tao smiled and said: "It officially opens tomorrow morning; you have to come and help me hold down the fort."

Chen Jing replied: "That goes without saying."

Seeing Chen Jing agree, Zhuang Tao's gaze suddenly swept up and down, "But dress a bit better tomorrow. Don't wear this tattered training uniform again, or people will think my Zhuang Family treats people poorly!"

"Otherwise, those who don't know might think you're just an ordinary person; there's not a hint of a First Blood Martial Artist about you."

Having said this, Zhuang Tao let out a strange laugh and teased: "Besides, if you dress better, I can even introduce you to a wife~"

Chen Jing was left between laughter and tears, quickly waving his hands in response: "It's still too early for me to take a wife."

"You..."

"When I was your age, I was already married."

Zhuang Tao then said earnestly: "Sometimes, don't just focus on practicing your fists; you should socialize more."

At this point, Zhuang Tao pointed toward Xiang Lingfei and Pu Shaojie, who were standing in the courtyard, and said: "Look at that Xiang Lingfei. Didn't he give me attitude before? Now he's gotten close to us just the same."

During this period, Chen Jing had also noticed that a small circle had formed in the middle courtyard, primarily consisting of the Senior Brother Pu Shaojie, the master's favorite disciple Xiang Lingfei, and the wealthy Zhuang Tao.

For anyone else, trying to integrate into this small circle was extremely difficult.

"I'm not very good at socializing, so I'd rather just practice my fists honestly."

Chen Jing said this without a care.

In Chen Jing's view, if he had time to socialize, he might as well spend it on his training.

After all, others might practice their fists without improvement, unable to break through to become a Second Blood Martial Artist in their entire lives.

But he was different.

Now that he possessed the Burning Pulse Breakthrough Technique, breaking through to become a Second Blood Martial Artist was a certainty, so there was naturally no need to waste time on socializing.

"You... it's a good thing you and I are brothers, otherwise, with your personality, you'd be backstabbed without even knowing it."

After saying this, Zhuang Tao waved his hand and then left the area: "Alright, you keep practicing; I'm going to invite the others."

Following that, Chen Jing watched as Zhuang Tao walked over to Pu Shaojie and Xiang Lingfei, extending the same invitation to them.

Watching the three of them laughing and chatting, Chen Jing said nothing and continued practicing his fist techniques.

"Junior Brother Zhuang, you and Junior Brother Chen really have a great relationship!"

At this moment, Pu Shaojie glanced at Chen Jing, who was still training, and said softly: "For this new restaurant opening, you invited Junior Brother Chen to hold a nominal position, right?"

"Junior Brother Chen suits my taste; he's a good person and is conscientious and responsible in his duties, so I feel at ease having him in that position."

Zhuang Tao responded to Senior Brother Pu with a smile.

Facing Zhuang Tao's reply, Senior Brother Pu shook his head and said, "However, Junior Brother Chen spent a full two months breaking through; his talent is rather mediocre. If Junior Brother Zhuang wants to invest, you would be better off choosing someone with sufficient potential."

After saying this, Senior Brother Pu's gaze fell upon Xiang Lingfei, who was standing to the side.

At this moment, Xiang Lingfei also sensed Senior Brother Pu's gaze and puffed out his chest with a smile, clearly waiting for Zhuang Tao to take the initiative.

Watching the two of them singing in harmony, Zhuang Tao, who grew up in a restaurant, saw through their scheme at a glance, and a flash of disgust crossed his eyes.

Although his relationship with Xiang Lingfei had eased somewhat during this period.

But whenever he invited others to register under his name, he always did so proactively. Even if others wanted to register with him, they would lower their posture; how could there be this attitude from Xiang Lingfei, as if registering with him was doing him a favor?

Furthermore, when Xiang Lingfei broke through to become a First Blood Martial Artist, he had already registered with the Liu Family in the inner city.

Although one could register with multiple factions after becoming a martial artist, Xiang Lingfei had chosen the Liu Family of the inner city.

As one of the three great families of the inner city, the Liu Family naturally would not want Xiang Lingfei to register elsewhere.

Therefore, the Liu Family provided Xiang Lingfei with sixty taels of silver every month, along with ten catties of Exotic Beast Meat.

Xiang Lingfei had previously boasted about this in the martial arts gym.

Now, wanting to register with him as well, he was trying to eat from two bowls at once, or perhaps even intentionally trying to get his establishment targeted by the Liu Family!

Yet, even though he was extremely unwilling, Zhuang Tao still said with a smile on his face, "If I remember correctly, Junior Brother Xiang has already registered elsewhere, hasn't he? And with the Liu Family in the inner city, no less."

"The Liu Family is powerful, and I am just a small-time operator from a restaurant; I cannot afford to provoke the Liu Family..."

At this, Senior Brother Pu immediately whispered, "Junior Brother Zhuang, it is no matter. This matter is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me."

"And since Junior Brother Xiang is a craftsman, he naturally won't speak of it recklessly."

"How would the Liu Family know?"

Xiang Lingfei, standing to the side, nodded in agreement, smiling without a word.

"So that's how it is."

Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, Zhuang Tao knew that if he refused again, he would offend Xiang Lingfei, so he said softly, "Since that is the case, I can only sponsor a little bit privately, so as not to be targeted by the Liu Family."

After finishing, Zhuang Tao changed the subject, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Senior Brother Pu with a smile: "By the way, I wonder if Senior Brother Pu has sponsored Junior Brother Xiang?"

"After all, once Junior Brother Xiang breaks through to become a Second Blood Martial Artist, he can look after us a bit more."

Hearing this, Xiang Lingfei's eyes lit up instantly. He looked at Senior Brother Pu with a smile and hurriedly said, "That's right, Senior Brother Pu. Once I break through, I will naturally look after you all."

Hearing Xiang Lingfei's words, Senior Brother Pu's smile stiffened.

He had originally wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to Xiang Lingfei.

At the same time, he wanted to set a trap for Zhuang Tao to vent his frustration over the fifty taels of silver he had lost to him last time.

But he hadn't expected that with this remark, Zhuang Tao had dragged him into the water as well.

Facing Xiang Lingfei's gaze and Zhuang Tao's mischievous smile, Senior Brother Pu took a deep breath, bit the bullet, and squeezed out a smile: "That goes without saying. Whatever Junior Brother Zhuang contributes, I shall contribute the same."

"After Junior Brother Xiang breaks through, don't forget your brothers."

"That is natural, that is natural!"

Listening to their replies, Xiang Lingfei nodded, then said with a smile, "Alright, I have to head to the inner city for a banquet. This time, the Liu Family has invited some martial artists from the Eight Desolations Academy for an exchange. Would Senior Brother Zhuang and Senior Brother Pu like to come along?"

Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Pu's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed: "The Liu Family and the Eight Desolations Academy? Then this senior brother shall not decline."

Zhuang Tao, standing to the side, also hurriedly asked: "A joint exchange? Junior Brother Xiang, may I bring someone else along?"

Xiang Lingfei glanced at Chen Jing, who was still practicing his punches, shook his head, and said, "You mean that Junior Brother Chen, right? Those attending this banquet are basically all Second Blood Martial Artists; it's not a place for just any stray cat or dog."

Senior Brother Pu echoed the sentiment: "Exactly. Junior Brother Chen's talent is mediocre; he would only be asking for humiliation if he went. Better not to bring him."

Hearing their responses, Zhuang Tao clenched his fists inside his sleeves, but thinking of their status, he had no choice but to nod and leave with them.