Making a Move

"Since when did my disciple, Li Chengyue's student, require others to discipline him?"

Everyone whipped their heads around in shock.

A man was leaning against the doorway.

He wore a dark blue cloth jacket, his messy hair haphazardly held up by a wooden hairpin. He clutched a wine gourd in his hand, his eyelids half-drooped as if he had just woken from a slumber.

It was none other than Li Chengyue.

He leaned against the doorframe in a loose, slouching posture, the long spear wrapped in coarse cloth resting casually on his shoulder.

"Ma-Master?" Su Derong was the first to snap out of it, crying out in disbelief.

Li Chengyue ignored him.

He slowly lifted his eyelids, those eyes that were always clouded with drunkenness now as cold as a frozen pool, sweeping slowly across the tense crowd in the courtyard.

Finally, his gaze settled on Zhao Mingyuan.

"Chief Instructor Zhao," Li Chengyue began, his tone flat, "bringing so many people to block my disciple's courtyard... what kind of show is this?"

Zhao Mingyuan's Adam's apple bobbed.

He was, of course, well aware of Li Chengyue's reputation.

After all, this drunken master, a practitioner of Transforming Strength, had once enjoyed his own share of glory.

But that was all in the past.

In the current Yilin County, while a Transforming Strength martial artist was indeed an expert, which of the Five Great Families in the inner city didn't have several such masters sitting in their ranks?

The Zhao Family even boasted two ancestors at the peak of Transforming Strength, and one who was rumored to have one foot already stepped into the realm of "Gang Strength."

What could a single Li Chengyue possibly do?

Thinking of this, Zhao Mingyuan steadied himself, cupped his fists, and said, "Master Li, this matter is a private debt between the Zhao Family and the Su Family. According to the rules of the jianghu..."

"The rules of the jianghu?" Li Chengyue interrupted him, suddenly laughing.

The smile was faint, yet it sent an inexplicable chill through Zhao Mingyuan's heart.

"In the rules of the jianghu, paying back what you owe is only right and proper." Li Chengyue lifted his wine gourd for a swig and wiped his mouth. "But the rules of the jianghu also value 'reason.' Your Zhao Family first used high-interest loans to force a debt, then condoned your subordinates to launch a sneak attack, and finally wanted to bully the few with the many—Zhao Mingyuan, do you think my disciple has no elders to back him, or do you think the reputation of my Xingyi Sect is so rotten that it can be trampled on by anyone?"

Before his voice had even faded, the long spear wrapped in coarse cloth on his shoulder suddenly gave a low, vibrating hum.

The coarse cloth binding it shattered inch by inch, falling away in a flurry.

The long spear revealed its true form.

The spear was seven feet two inches long, its entire body a dark, somber hue, neither gold nor wood, with faint, dense dragon-scale patterns spiraling up its length.

The moment the spear appeared, the temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop by three degrees.

Just then, a burst of aged, hearty laughter rang out.

"Li Chengyue! It has been many years, yet the Sha Qi of your 'Hidden Dragon Spear' has not diminished in the slightest!"

Li Chengyue glanced at him, the corner of his mouth twitching: "I wondered who it was; so it's 'Iron Hand' Zhao Kun of the Zhao Family. What, is the Zhao Family so short on people that they've sent even an old bag of bones like you to hold the line?"

Zhao Kun's face darkened: "Li Chengyue, stop with the sharp tongue! The Zhao Family is in the right today. If you are sensible, take your disciple and leave, and do not bring ruin upon yourself! Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?"

Li Chengyue cut him off and suddenly took a step forward.

Just a casual step.

Crack—

From the center of his toe, spiderweb-like cracks erupted across the blue brick floor of the courtyard, spreading out for ten feet!

No gathering of momentum, no channeling of strength, just a casual step taken.

Yet, that overwhelming pressure, like a collapsing mountain or a raging sea, crashed down to shroud the entire courtyard!

Zhao Kun's pupils shrank to pinpricks, and he gasped: "You—!"

Before the sound died away, Li Chengyue moved.

He didn't look at Zhao Kun at all; he didn't even look at anyone.

He raised the "Hidden Dragon Spear" in his hand casually, the tip pointing toward the center of Zhao Kun's brow.

Then, he gave a light thrust.

This strike was straight, simple, and devoid of any trickery.

There was no whistling sound of tearing air, no strange phenomena stirring the clouds, and even his afterimage was too blurred to discern.

It was as if he were simply reaching out to greet an acquaintance.

Yet, Zhao Kun's face changed drastically, as if he had seen a ghost, and he retreated violently!

He retreated with extreme speed, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the blue bricks, his gray cloth robe billowing like a sail. He thrust both palms out, unleashing his full Transforming Strength to lay down layers of air walls before him.

"BOOM—!!!"

The moment the wall of energy collided with the spear tip, a thunderous, muffled roar erupted.

Zhao Kun let out a stifled groan, his entire body sent flying back like a kite with a broken string before slamming heavily into the courtyard wall!

"Bang!"

The wall, built of blue bricks, collapsed in a sudden spray of dust and debris.

As the dust settled, the onlookers stared in horror to see Zhao Kun half-kneeling amidst the rubble, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His sleeves were shredded, and his exposed skin was covered in fine, bloody lacerations.

He raised his head, staring fixedly at Li Chengyue, his eyes filled with incredulous shock: "Gang... Gang Strength... You actually... stepped into the realm of Gang Strength?!"

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

Gang Strength!

In martial arts, Bright Strength could shatter stones, Dark Strength could destroy hearts and sever pulses, and Transforming Strength allowed one to master their own body—all of these were merely applications of one's own internal power.

But Gang Strength was a realm far beyond Transforming Strength!

It allowed one to project power externally, condensing it into a solid force that could injure from a distance or form an impenetrable protective barrier.

The Zhao Family's ancestor, who had only reached the half-step into Gang Strength, was enough to keep the Zhao Family firmly among the top of the Five Great Families in the inner city, enjoying immense power.

Yet Li Chengyue, this old man who spent his days with a wine flask, guarding a dilapidated martial arts hall, and looking utterly disheveled—he was actually a true master of Gang Strength?!

"Now," Li Chengyue retracted his long spear and leaned it casually against the ground, turning his gaze toward Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian, "can we talk properly?"

Zhao Mingyuan's lips trembled, and the hand gripping his blade shook uncontrollably.

Li Tian was even paler, his face drained of all color; a wet stain began to seep through his trousers as his entire body shook like chaff in the wind.

"Ma... Master..." Zhao Mingyuan's voice was dry. "For the sake of our past ties, today... it was this disciple who offended you. Since the Su Family has already returned the principal, the interest... can be delayed for three months."

"Delayed for three months?" Li Chengyue raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard something amusing. "I seem to recall hearing someone say they wanted to cripple my disciple's cultivation?"

He paused, his gaze falling on Li Tian: "And someone else said my Xingyi Sect was nothing but a broken-down martial arts hall?"

Li Tian was terrified out of his wits. He scrambled on his hands and knees to Li Chengyue's feet, kowtowing so hard his forehead bled instantly: "Master! Master, spare me! This disciple was blinded by greed! This disciple knows he was wrong! I beg you, Master, for the sake of the past... for the sake of the days I served you tea and water..."

"The past? Ties?" Li Chengyue scoffed and gave a light flick of his foot.

Li Tian was sent rolling across the ground like a gourd, looking utterly wretched.

Li Chengyue looked at him, his eyes devoid of anger, filled only with indifference:

"Back then, when you were freezing in the snow and near death, it was I who picked you up, gave you clothes, fed you, and taught you the fist, hoping you would grow into a man."

The spear tip shifted slightly, pointing at Zhao Mingyuan: "Zhao Mingyuan, you had talent and high aspirations. I taught you everything I knew, hoping you would carry forward the Xingyi Fist, so as not to waste your potential."

He paused, then added: "People climb to higher places, and water flows to lower ones. You sought greener pastures and a better future; I don't blame you. In this world, life is hard for everyone."

Li Chengyue's voice suddenly turned cold: "But today, you two traitors who betray their master and ancestors brought outsiders, relying on your numbers to bully my disciple, destroy his foundation, and steal his livelihood... Do you think I, Li Chengyue, have grown old and can no longer lift this spear?"

As the last word fell, a gale of Gang energy erupted within the courtyard!

An invisible pressure, like a collapsing mountain, enveloped the entire area.

The Zhao Family's guards, all practitioners of Bright Strength, turned deathly pale, struggling to breathe as their legs went weak, nearly forcing them to their knees.

Even Zhao Mingyuan, a peak expert of Dark Strength, felt as if a giant boulder were pressing on his chest, his blood circulation sluggish and strained.

Li Tian spat out a mouthful of blood, staggered backward, and collapsed to the ground.

Only Chen Wanglong remained, staring fixedly at Li Chengyue with eyes full of venom, hissing: "Old thing, you dare..."

"Noisy."

Li Chengyue didn't even look at him, simply flicking his sleeve.

An invisible wave of Gang energy struck Chen Wanglong across the face from a distance.

"Slap!"

The sound of the crisp, loud strike echoed.

Chen Wanglong was sent spinning through the air, crashing heavily to the ground. Half his face swelled instantly, and he spat out teeth mixed with blood. All his remaining curses were choked back into his throat, leaving only the sound of pained wheezing.

Only then did Li Chengyue pace over, looking down at him from above.

"Junior," Li Chengyue stared at him, his eyes icy, "when your elders are speaking, is it your place to interrupt? Handle the petty affairs of your Chen Family behind closed doors. If there is a next time..."

He paused, leaning down to whisper in a voice only Chen Wanglong could hear, "I wouldn't mind teaching your family's patriarch how to discipline his 'Qilin Grandson' who doesn't know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth."

Chen Wanglong trembled violently, the venom in his eyes finally overwhelmed by boundless terror. He clamped his mouth shut, not daring to make another sound.