Grudges (Part 2)

The air in the main hall suddenly stagnated.

The music from the musicians' strings cut off abruptly, and the diners' gazes converged here.

Zhao Mingyuan pressed down on Li Tian's arm once more, but his eyes were fixed on Su Derong as his voice turned cold: "Junior Brother Su, we have important business today and do not wish to quarrel with you. But if you continue to spout insults, do not blame me for disregarding our shared ties to the school."

"Shared ties?" Su Derong sneered. "Are you even worthy of mentioning those words?"

He was about to retort further when he caught Chen Jianghe shaking his head slightly from the corner of his eye.

That gaze was calm, yet carried an undeniable steadiness.

Su Derong took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and sat back down, merely tossing out a cold remark: "Fine. I won't reason with a dog, because a dog wouldn't understand."

Li Tian's face flushed with rage, his eyes wide and his fists clenched until they creaked, but he dared not act out due to Zhao Mingyuan's earlier restraint and the nature of the occasion.

Zhao Mingyuan's expression remained stern, though a trace of gloom flickered deep in his eyes.

Ignoring Su Derong, he turned his gaze toward Chen Jianghe, who had remained silent throughout, his tone unreadable: "So this is the junior brother Master recently took in? I heard... there have been rumors in the martial arts hall lately that your progress has been quite rapid?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Tian whipped his head around, his eyes scanning Chen Jianghe closely, attempting to discern some clue.

Beside them, Chen Wanglong kept his eyes lowered as if he hadn't heard, save for the faint, indifferent curve of his lips that betrayed a hint of imperceptible contempt.

Chen Jianghe saw it clearly.

Zhao Mingyuan's words, while seemingly casual, were actually a probe.

His Dark Strength had just formed, and his aura was restrained; unless a master of Transforming Strength intentionally probed him, it would be difficult to see through.

Zhao Mingyuan's question wasn't necessarily born of certainty, but rather a means of intimidation and observation.

He calmly set down his wine cup, stood up, and offered a slight bow in Zhao Mingyuan's direction, his expression a mix of frankness and just the right amount of shame and unease: "Eldest Senior Brother."

He continued to use this title, his voice steady. "My aptitude is dull; I rely only on a bit of clumsy persistence, practicing day and night without daring to slacken. Any progress I've made is entirely due to Master's strict supervision, Third Senior Brother's care, and a few insights gained while escorting caravans. It is mere luck, and I am truly unworthy of the words 'quite rapid.' Compared to the heroic stature of you and Second Senior Brother back in the day, I am far behind."

This response was airtight.

It acknowledged "some progress," fitting for the improvement expected of a diligent disciple, while attributing the credit to his Master, his senior brothers, and the experience of his travels—all perfectly reasonable.

At the same time, by humbly claiming to be inferior to Zhao and Li, he gave them enough face that it was difficult for them to press the matter further.

Sure enough, Zhao Mingyuan scrutinized him for a moment, nodded slowly, and stopped digging, saying only faintly: "Diligence can compensate for clumsiness; that is a good thing. Do not let down the expectations of Master and your Third Senior Brother."

Li Tian, however, snorted, clearly unimpressed by Chen Jianghe's humble words, but seeing that Zhao Mingyuan had stopped questioning, he had no choice but to sullenly retract his gaze and mutter, "Putting on an act..."

Su Derong fanned himself, glancing sideways at Zhao Mingyuan with a mocking tone: "Head Instructor Zhao is a busy man of status these days; to think you still have the leisure to inquire about the juniors at the martial arts hall? Truly rare. However, be careful not to overreach—you might just break your wrist."

Zhao Mingyuan lifted his eyelids, swept a cold glance at Su Derong, and without a word, turned and walked into the private room.

The suppressed, buzzing whispers of the surrounding crowd finally broke out.

"Is that young man Chen Wanglong? The genius from Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall who reached Bright Strength in half a year and attained Dark Strength at only eighteen?"

"It must be him! I heard the Zhao Family promised him twenty catties of Exotic Beast Meat in monthly provisions to recruit him, not to mention the untold amount of silver!"

"Tsk, tsk, Dark Strength at eighteen... With such talent, he would be top-tier even among the direct descendants of the Five Great Families in the inner city. The Zhao Family has truly struck gold this time; if they cultivate him well, he might just become a master of Transforming Strength in the future!"

"If it weren't for that business with Lin Family Fort, I'm afraid the Zhao Family would have already let this Chen Wanglong..."

"Shh! Watch your tongue! Let's not pry into those matters..."

The discussions drifted over, but Chen Jianghe acted as if he hadn't heard.

He sat down slowly, picked up the wine pot warmed in hot water, and poured himself a full cup.

Half a year to break into Bright Strength, eighteen years old and already at Dark Strength.

The name of a genius, shining with dazzling light.

Yet he, Chen Jianghe, had only taken a little over a year to go from changing his strength to reaching the Dark Strength level.

If one counted the three years of butchery experience he had before transmigrating, it had been just over four years in total.

He possessed the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" destiny; he didn't need to worry about bottlenecks in aptitude. As long as he had sufficient resources and put in the grinding effort, Dark Strength and Transforming Strength would both come naturally.

Chen Wanglong might be gifted, but he, Chen Jianghe, had his destiny—he had nothing to fear.

It was just... the resources.

His gaze fell back to the three expensive dishes of game on the table.

This single table cost four taels of gold.

What kind of life must Chen Wanglong be living, with the support of Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall and the Zhao Family, eating and supplementing himself every day?

When Zhao Mingyuan resolutely left the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall back then to join the Zhao Family, wasn't it precisely for these resources?

Seeing Chen Jianghe's silence, Su Derong assumed he was troubled. He tapped the back of Chen Jianghe's hand lightly with his fan and whispered: "Jianghe, don't pay any mind to those two ingrates. Master was truly blind to have taken them in back then."

Chen Jianghe shook his head: "Senior Brother, I am fine."

Su Derong gestured toward the private room with his chin: "That Chen Wanglong just now?"

Chen Jianghe pulled at the corner of his mouth: "My direct cousin."

Su Derong understood and smiled: "What, does it leave a bad taste in your mouth? Don't worry. Your Dark Strength is already formed; you are merely hiding your light. In terms of true talent, you will surely surpass him. It is just that he has the backing of Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall and now the full support of the Zhao Family—his resources are far superior to yours. But you have your own path—Xingyi Fist is a true internal school, with the most solid foundation. You may not necessarily fail to contend with him in the future."

Chen Jianghe said calmly: "Senior Brother, he and I are not on the same path; why would I need to contend with him? The height of one's martial arts does not depend on family background or empty fame; in the end, it comes down to the true measure of one's fists."

Su Derong heard this, tilted his head back to down a cup of wine, and laughed heartily: "Good! That makes sense!"

Chen Jianghe lowered his voice: "I'm just thinking that Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian coming here today probably isn't just for a meal. And then there's Chen Wanglong..."

Su Derong's expression turned serious, and the speed of his fan slowed: "You mean... the Zhao Family wants to use Chen Wanglong's 'genius' label to add some weight to the negotiating table?"

Chen Jianghe nodded slowly.

In troubled times, a genius is also a resource—a form of capital that can be traded or used for deterrence.

However, a tree that stands above the forest will surely be leveled by the wind.

"Senior Brother," he raised his cup, his voice steady and calm, "thank you for your hospitality today. This game meat is truly nourishing."

Su Derong was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, raising his cup to clink against his: "That's the spirit! Forget about geniuses or ingrates; as long as we eat well, drink well, and hone our fists, that's better than anything else!"

Cups clinked softly, the clear sound lingering in the air.

Outside the window, the lanterns along the main street of the inner city were lit one by one, swallowing the last of the daylight as the ink-black night pressed down heavily.