Yilin County's winter days are getting colder every day.
Chen Jianghe stood under the old locust tree in his small yard and slowly stopped.
He looked down at his hands.
At this moment, there is a warm and moist luster flowing under the skin of the palm, which is a sign of full qi and blood and perfect strength.
More than a year ago, his biggest wish at that time was to save enough money so that his mother could move out of the woodshed in the martial arts school and live in a house that could protect her from wind and rain.
Who would have thought?
Now he is standing in this courtyard of his own, with hundreds of taels of gold in his arms, walking from Loach Bay to Outer City, from Bright Strength to Dark Strength, fighting Chen Wanglong alone, facing the pressure of Huajin - now he is only one step away from Huajin.
"Martial Dao Practice is like sailing against the current----" Chen Jianghe murmured in a low voice.
If you don't advance, you will retreat.
If you take a step back, you will find yourself in an abyss, a place where you can be slaughtered by others.
While I was thinking about it, there was a knock on the courtyard door.
"Jiang He, are you there?" The voice was calm and a little reserved.
Chen Jianghe is a little surprised. This voice is He Shouzhuo.
I remember that when I first entered the martial arts gym, my energy and blood were depleted, I couldn't eat enough, and I stood until my eyes turned black.
It was He Shouzhuo who silently stuffed him with a thick flour pancake and said nothing. He just patted his shoulder and turned around to continue practicing boxing.
"Senior Brother He." Chen Jianghe opened the door and cupped his fists.
There were two people standing outside the door.
He Shouzhuo is still wearing the same martial arts shorts, with an ordinary face, but the aura around him is actually Dark Strength's first appearance.
Behind him, Su Derong had a smile on his face, but that smile no longer had the frivolity and frivolity of the past, but was a little more calm and windy.
"Congratulations to Senior Brother He." Chen Jianghe clasped his fists and spoke sincerely.
He took a few deep breaths and then managed to suppress the surging emotions in his chest. "Three years... three whole years! I practiced boxing and stance every day, and I didn't dare to slack off at all. I thought--I thought this would be it for the rest of my life, stuck at the Bright Strength peak, it's over--"
He paused and suddenly grinned. There was bitterness, relief, and more of a sense of joy after getting over it==
"But when I was practicing boxing last night, I suddenly felt enlightened! The energy rushed up along the Ren and Du meridians, and then... then it was done!"
He raised his hands and looked at them carefully, as if he was meeting these calloused hands for the first time. "You make me laugh. My qualifications are stupid and I can't compare to you——"
Chen Jianghe listened quietly and sighed in his heart.
In troubled times, geniuses are certainly dazzling, but those warriors who work one step at a time and rely on blood and sweat to forge a path are the real foundation of the world.
"Senior brother, you are too modest."
Chen Jianghe said sternly, "Martial Dao Practice, everyone has his or her own way. Senior brother can work tirelessly for three years, and no one in the martial arts school can match this kind of mentality. This is the most admirable thing."
He Shouzhuo was startled, and the circles under his eyes suddenly turned red. He turned away and wiped his eyes hard.
Su Derong was on the side, also looking moved. He stepped forward and patted He Shouzhuo on the shoulder. "Shou Zhuo came to the escort agency early this morning to see me and said he had something to discuss. I checked his breath - what a good guy! He kept silent and gave us such a big surprise!"
Chen Jianghe asked, "Then what are Senior Brother He's plans for the future?"
He Shouzhuo took a deep breath, raised his head, and his eyes were a little more determined. "I----I want to join the escort agency."
Chen Jianghe was slightly startled and looked at Su Derong.
Su Derong said sternly, "Shou Zhuo said that there is a master in the martial arts hall now, so there is no danger for the time being. But at the escort agency, Zhou Yong, Wang Gui, and Lao Zhao have limited cultivation, and the long-distance escort routes have stopped. Now is the time to be short of people. Since he has broken Dark Strength, he wants to contribute."
He Shouzhuo answered, his voice was low, but his words were serious. "My talent is not as good as that of your brothers. It is a fluke that I can defeat Dark Strength. But now that I have joined Dark Strength, I should do something. Third Senior Brother also helped me a lot in the past, but now it is difficult, I----I want to help."
Chen Jianghe Looking at this senior brother who had always been taciturn, a complicated warmth surged in his heart.
The icing on the cake is never lacking in the world.
Only by providing help in times of need can we see the true nature of people's hearts.
Chen Jianghe spoke slowly and in a solemn tone, "Brother, have you thought clearly? The Escort Agency is now at the forefront. Zhao Family, Zhou Family, and even several others are all watching. Once you join the Escort Agency, you will be a target."
He Shouzhuo nodded without hesitation. "I have thought about it clearly. Master is seriously injured now. Third Senior Brother supports the escort agency alone. Junior Brother Jiang He----I have heard about what you did."
He paused, and his voice was lower, but more determined. "I don't have much ability, but once I join Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, I am a Xingyi Martial Arts Hall person. If something happens in the sect, the disciple should help."
Su Derong looked at He Shouzhuo, the tip of his nose felt sour, and his heart was agitated.
Over the years, He Shouzhuo has always been the silent one, the hardest working one, and the most easily ignored one in the martial arts gym.
But it was precisely this kind of person who was most easily ignored, who stood up at a time when martial arts schools and escort agencies were in turmoil and everyone was in danger.
In the most unpretentious way, choose to be in the same boat and shoulder this heavy burden together.
Su Derong nodded heavily, reached out and patted He Shouzhuo on the shoulder. "Okay. From today on, you are Su Family Escort Agency's Escort Guard. The monthly calculation is based on Dark Strength Escort Guard, which is fifty taels per month. If you have a dart, you will be paid."
He Shouzhuo bowed. "Thank you, senior brother! The reward doesn't have to be that much, I----"
"It's my turn to thank you." Su Derong's smile was a little warmer, "In today's world, it's easy to add flowers to a cake, but it's difficult to provide help when it's time. Shouzhuo, I will remember this feeling."
He Shouzhuo waved his hands repeatedly and returned to his awkward look.
Chen Jianghe stood aside and watched quietly.
He looked at the renewed vigor in Su Derong's eyes, and looked at He Shouzhuo's simple but determined eyes.
The master's gun supported not only him and Su Derong, but also these fellow apprentices who were inconspicuous on weekdays but were willing to step forward at critical moments.
"By the way," Su Derong suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Chen Jianghe, his expression became solemn, "there is one more thing -
Zhao Family takes the lead and unites martial arts schools across the city to hold Yilin Martial Arts Tournament" in one month.
", Chen Jianghe's eyes narrowed: "Martial Arts Tournament?"
"The euphemistic name is "making friends through martial arts, exchanging skills, selecting talented people, fighting against foreign enemies together, and strengthening our Yilin martial arts style"."
Su Derong sneered, "Actually, it's for us. The post was sent to the martial arts school this morning. The words were polite and the etiquette was thorough, but there was a threat between the lines. If you don't go, you will be ostracizing yourself from your comrades" and contemptuous of all the martial arts comrades in the city."
Chen Jianghe is silent.
Su Derong continued, "Zhao Family spent a lot of money this time. They came up with three prizes: first, a thousand taels of gold; second, a 300-year-old Blood Ginseng King";"
He paused and lowered his voice. "The rules have also been set. It is said that fists and feet have no eyes, and everyone is determined to be determined by his destiny." He is encouraged to do his best and show his true self. It is clear that he must be fair and aboveboard in the ring and "disable people's cultivation."
He Shouzhuo turned pale. "Then------then we can't go! This is obviously a trap!"
"Go." Chen Jianghe suddenly spoke, his voice calm.
Su Derong and He Shouzhuo looked at him at the same time.
Chen Jianghe said slowly, "Zhao Family has done enough tricks, with thoughtful etiquette and attractive prizes, which has forced the whole city's martial arts schools to be tempted. If we can't retreat, it will show cowardice, and we will break the momentum earned by the master with our own hands. From now on, Xingyi Martial Arts Hall will no longer have a foothold in Yilin County."
He paused and looked at He Shouzhuo: "Senior Brother He just defeated Dark Strength, so there is no need to play. Third Senior Brother and I will go."
"How can that be done!" He Shouzhuo said anxiously, his face turning red. "Although my cultivation level is low, there is one more person----"
"Shou Zhuo," Su Derong interrupted him with a solemn tone, "Jiang He is right. You have just broken Dark Strength, and your foundation is not yet stable. It is too dangerous to enter the ring. Keeping you in the martial arts hall and the escort agency is also a heavy responsibility - the escort agency is short of manpower now. You need to familiarize yourself with the affairs of the escort agency as soon as possible and help Zhou Yong share the burden with them."
He Shouzhuo opened his mouth, looked at Su Derong's solemn eyes, then looked at Chen Jianghe's calm but determined face, finally lowered his head and clenched his fists. "----Yes. I understand. I will definitely be optimistic about the escort agency."
Su Derong looked at Chen Jianghe, with a hint of worry in his eyes. "Jiang He, Zhao Family's move must be directed at you and me, especially you. Chen Wanglong's hatred for his broken arm, Zhao Mingyuan's hatred for his cultivation being abolished - they will definitely regain their place in the ring at any cost."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "I know. One month----enough."
"Third Senior Brother, Senior Brother He, you go and do your work."
Su Derong took a deep look at him and nodded heavily. "Okay. Shou Zhuo and I are here at the martial arts school and escort agency. You - be careful in everything."
Chen Jianghe gave it away.