Buying a House

The rain had just stopped.

Lu Zhen returned to Pig Cage Alley without a sound.

He stood before the dilapidated courtyard gate, his gaze sweeping over the low shacks and mud walls that let the wind whistle through from every side. The place was a chaotic mix of people, and there wasn't even a night watchman to be found. It might keep out a gentleman, but it couldn't keep out petty villains and rabid dogs.

Though he had killed Duan Hu that night and thoroughly muddied the waters, in these chaotic times, there was no telling what other cold arrows might come flying his way.

He had to toughen his sinews and bones at the martial arts hall every day. Leaving Shen Yun and Wan'er, two helpless women, in this exposed slum was like sending a child through a busy marketplace clutching gold.

"We have to move."

Lu Zhen felt the thick stack of HSBC bearer's drafts and several heavy little gold bars tucked against his chest.

In this age of chaos, where human lives were as worthless as grass, wealthy families were flocking to the foreign concessions to take refuge. Property outside them, on the other hand, was dirt cheap. Now that he had this windfall, there was no need to keep suffering this constant fear.

His thoughts turned to Anping Street, where his eldest sister had lived after her marriage.

His brother-in-law's Zhou family had once run an escort agency. Their ancestors had produced several renowned martial artists.

Though the family had since fallen on hard times and lost the prestige they once enjoyed, most of the people living around Anping Street were old hands from the martial world and respectable families. The neighbors all knew a few moves themselves.

Common thugs and thieves wouldn't dare cause trouble there. Its public safety was a hundred times better than Pig Cage Alley's.

Moving there would bring peace and security, and his sister's family would be close enough to look out for one another.

The next morning.

Lu Zhen got up early and told Shen Yun and Lu Wan about his plans to move. Both women were overjoyed. They had long since had enough of the hard life in Pig Cage Alley.

The three packed up some belongings, hired a rickshaw, and headed straight for his eldest sister's home on Anping Street.

The Zhou family lived in a detached blue-brick house with its own courtyard. As soon as they entered, his eldest sister, Lu Fang, came out to greet them, her face alight with delight.

His mother-in-law, Zhou, emerged from the main house at the sound of their voices. When she saw Lu Zhen, her stern old face instantly broke into a smile as warm as spring sunshine.

"Oh my, Zhen Ge is here! Quick, come inside and sit down. It's cold out!"

Mother-in-law Zhou welcomed them warmly as she personally poured hot tea. Her shrewd eyes kept slipping over the black silk martial uniform that marked Lu Zhen as an Inner Sect disciple. Her politeness was so excessive it gave him goosebumps.

Half a month ago, when Lu Zhen had still been a lame rickshaw puller, she hadn't even bothered to lift an eyelid at him.

But things were different now. This younger brother of her in-law was a bona fide Inner Sect disciple of Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, a martial artist who earned dozens of silver dollars a month!

In these chaotic times, he was a living deity who could keep a household safe!

After a few pleasantries, Lu Zhen set down his teacup and got straight to the point.

"Eldest Sister, brother-in-law, Auntie, I came to look for a house around Anping Street. I want to bring Wan'er and Sister Shen here so they can settle in. It's safer around here, and since we'll all be close, it'll be easier to visit one another."

"Buy a house?"

Mother-in-law Zhou's heart stirred.

She silently calculated: Lu Zhen might have joined the Inner Sect and finally made something of himself, but he'd only been in the martial arts hall for a month or so, at most.

No matter how high the hall's monthly pay was, how much could he have saved?

He probably had a few dozen silver dollars and hoped to buy a little side room nearby that didn't leak when it rained.

Even so, having an Inner Sect martial artist as a neighbor was a sure bargain.

"Zhen Ge is certainly thoughtful." Mother-in-law Zhou stood up eagerly. "I know all the house brokers around Anping Street. Come, this old woman will personally take you to have a look!"

His eldest sister and brother-in-law hurriedly put on their coats, and the group set out.

Mother-in-law Zhou led Lu Zhen along Anping Street, showing him several courtyards.

"Zhen Ge, take a look at this rear house. It's only a side courtyard, but at least it has a tiled roof. It has a front and back room, and the asking price is just seventy silver dollars. It's perfect for young people like you who've only just managed to save a little."

She pointed to an old, cramped courtyard where even the light had trouble getting in, and rattled off its merits.

Lu Zhen glanced at its low walls and narrow courtyard, where there was barely room to move, then frowned and shook his head.

"Auntie, it's too small. I have to toughen my sinews and bones every day, and practice footwork and boxing. There's no room to do that here. Is there somewhere more spacious? Preferably a detached courtyard with higher walls?"

Mother-in-law Zhou was taken aback, and couldn't help wondering: What a big appetite! A detached courtyard would cost two or three hundred silver dollars. Could a martial arts hall fellow who'd only just made it afford to empty his pockets like that?

But aloud, she remained courteous. "There are certainly more spacious places. Old Li's three-sided courtyard up ahead is vacant and up for sale, though the price is..."

"Let's go see it," Lu Zhen said evenly.

Before long, they reached a grand house with a tall gate.

It was a typical three-sided courtyard, with blue bricks and dark gray tiles. Its walls stood a full zhang high, and the sturdy jujube-wood gate was reinforced with iron.

The courtyard was paved with neat, long slabs of blue stone, and the central space was wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage.

The main house was spacious and bright, with side rooms to the east and west. At the back, there was even a small rear building for storing vegetables.

Lu Zhen shuffled his feet over the smooth blue-stone paving and nodded inwardly.

This was just the place to practice the footwork and large stances of Bright Force.

"This house is quite good." Lu Zhen turned to the house broker. "How much are you asking?"

Seeing Lu Zhen in the black uniform of a martial arts hall, the broker didn't dare inflate the price. He smiled obsequiously and replied, "To be honest, sir, this house belonged to a wealthy merchant who's in a hurry to flee to the foreign concession. He's selling it cheap. If you're serious, the price is three hundred and fifty silver dollars, no bargaining."

At that figure, Lu Fang and her husband both drew sharp breaths.

Mother-in-law Zhou curled her lip in secret, ready to watch Lu Zhen back down in embarrassment and advise him to choose somewhere cheaper.

But Lu Zhen didn't so much as blink.

He casually pulled four HSBC bearer's drafts, each worth one hundred, from inside his clothes and handed them over.

"No need to give me change. The remaining fifty dollars are for your legwork and the transfer at the Constabulary. I want the deed before sunset today."

At his words, the broker's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He accepted the drafts with profuse thanks, bowing so low his back nearly touched the ground.

The smile on Mother-in-law Zhou's face froze completely.

She stared blankly at the flimsy bank drafts, her head buzzing.

Three hundred and fifty silver dollars!

Even when the Zhou family's ancestors had been prosperous, they had never tossed money around without blinking.

She had thought Lu Zhen was just a poor relative who'd only recently scraped together enough to eat. But the wealth he'd just casually revealed was a hundred times greater than hers, despite her having been an old resident of Anping Street all her life!

Watching Lu Zhen stand tall in the courtyard, pointing out rooms for Shen Yun and Lu Wan to choose from, Mother-in-law Zhou felt as though someone had stuffed a handful of unripe plums down her throat.

"Th-this... Do martial artists know how to print money or something?" Mother-in-law Zhou muttered sourly to herself through clenched teeth. When she looked at Lu Fang again, her expression held not only the usual authority of a mother-in-law, but also an unmistakable hint of ingratiation.

The money and the deed changed hands.

With the house broker handling the arrangements and silver dollars generously changing hands, the red deed from the Constabulary was ready by that evening.

Lu Zhen hired two handcarts and, with his younger sister Lu Wan and Shen Yun, moved out of the muddy, miserable Pig Cage Alley and into the three-sided courtyard on Anping Street.

Night fell. Once the courtyard gate was locked, the place became a quiet world of its own.

Here, he no longer had to hold himself back as he had in Pig Cage Alley, afraid that a heavy punch or a stomp might cave in the mud floor of their rickety shack. The sturdy walls, a full zhang high, also shut out prying eyes from the outside.

Now that he'd moved into this spacious residence, he could toughen his sinews and bones however he pleased and familiarize himself with the fierce power of Bright Force, without a single worry lingering in the back of his mind.

Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall.

The moment Lu Zhen stepped into the Inner Courtyard, he sensed that something was very unusual about the atmosphere.

The Inner Sect disciples, usually each working at their Wooden Dummies, had no mind to practice now. They were all holding their breath around the edges of the Training Ground.

At the very center, Zhang Lei stood bare-chested, his muscles knotted and bulging.

His skin had taken on a strange dark red hue. Under it, each thick tendon writhed violently like a little blue snake, and scorching medicinal energy rolled off his body. It was the lingering, overbearing potency of the three-hundred-year-old Earth Dragon Blood Vine he had taken.

"Whoosh—!"

Zhang Lei's eyes flew open. He exhaled a long stream of white vapor from his chest and abdomen, like a sudden peal of thunder on a clear day.

The stone slabs beneath his feet cracked under the force of his step. His waist and legs moved as one, and his right fist shot toward the iron-bound Wooden Dummy like a cannonball.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! ... Bang!!!"

A rapid string of explosive cracks erupted through the Inner Courtyard!

The first six cracks were crisp and connected, flowing together in one breath. The final blast was like a drought-stricken thunderclap, smashing everything before it. The force surged outward, making the nearby weapon racks shudder and ring!

Seven Resonances!

Iron Wire Fist, Seven-Sound Limit Break!

The whole courtyard fell silent. Every Inner Sect disciple stared in astonishment, undisguised shock surging in their eyes.

Zhang Lei slowly lowered his fist. His vital energy still remained in his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones; even with the precious medicine, he hadn't managed to strengthen his inner organs and break through the natural barrier into Bright Force.

But with that seventh resonance, breaking past the limit, the power of his punch had already reached seven or eight tenths of a Bright Force Martial Master's.

Within the Force Refining Realm, he was now unquestionably without equal!

"Good! Good! Good!"

On the steps of the main hall, Yan Tieqiao beamed. He said "good" three times, then strode down the steps.

He made no attempt to hide his delight. In front of every Inner Sect disciple, he announced loudly:

"From today onward, Zhang Lei is the eldest disciple of Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall!"

"Seeing him is the same as seeing me! From now on, he will carry the mantle and uphold the reputation of this martial arts hall!"

The disciples' hearts tightened. They clasped their fists and bowed together. "Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother!"

Zhang Lei stood tall in the center, basking in everyone's admiration. His eyes, brimming with malice, swept over the crowd arrogantly before settling on Lu Zhen for a moment.

Lu Zhen's expression remained calm. He cupped his hands along with the others.

A Limit Break in the Force Refining Realm was still just a somewhat stronger ant in front of a true Bright Force Martial Master.