After walking a few steps, the brash young man asked in confusion, "Brother Gou, Lu Li is also on the list of suspects who killed Brother Hu. Shouldn't we question him?"
"Are you an idiot? You really are a reckless fool!" Er Gou seethed. He pointed at the young man's forehead and snapped,
"Never mind the fact that Lu Li only just became a servant of the Huang Family and hasn't even learned martial arts yet. There's no way he was the one who did it.
"Even if it really was Lu Li, we still couldn't investigate him, given his status!
"He's a servant of the Lineage!
"As the saying goes, when you beat a dog, you have to look at its master. If we provoke Lu Li and he goes back and says something, we'll be the ones to suffer!
"Man, Lu Li's really going to make it now. I wonder what kind of shit luck he had!
"Why couldn't it have happened to me, Er Gou?"
"Brother Gou, what should we do about the Zhao Family?"
"Stop charging them protection fees and find a time to apologize."
As he spoke, Er Gou's mouth twitched with pain.
They had to show sincerity and make sure they put out Lu Li's anger!
Lu Li helped Aunt Zhao into the house.
The physician from Spring-Returning Hall certainly lived up to his reputation. He was truly skilled, diagnosing the cause of Aunt Zhao's illness in just a few moments.
"An external chill has weakened your defensive qi. The cold pathogen has penetrated inward and turned into heat, causing aches throughout the body, coughing, and chest tightness."
The physician shook his head with the air of a great master. "Three doses, and you'll be completely cured!"
"H-how much silver?" Uncle Zhao asked with a quiver, swallowing hard.
"Heh." The physician stroked his beard and smiled, then looked at Lu Li. "Twenty taels for the medicine and consultation!"
Aunt Zhao's face changed drastically. "B-but even if we sold our whole family, we couldn't scrape that together!"
Zhang Yuanyuan pressed her lips together and lowered her head.
Who would have thought that Lu Li would simply take out twenty taels and hand them to the physician? "Thank you, Doctor."
The physician happily accepted the money, left three packets of medicine, and went on his way.
Uncle Zhao's family had watched the whole thing, their hearts bleeding.
They had never seen so much money in their lives!
"Lu Li, I don't know what we would've done today without you," Uncle Zhao said gratefully. Even now, thinking back on it still sent a shiver down his spine.
Lu Li waved a hand. "There's no need to thank me. Without you, I'd be nothing but a pile of bones by now."
"I'll never forget the kindness you showed me by saving my life."
At his words, the entire Zhao family was deeply moved.
Zhao Yuanyuan looked at Lu Li, her eyes sparkling.
The two had grown up together, childhood sweethearts in all but name.
But as they grew older, each had their own life, and they'd gradually lost touch.
Even so, their bond remained; it had simply taken on the awkwardness of being a man and a woman.
Aunt Zhao had been coughing violently.
Before long, the medicine was ready.
After Aunt Zhao drank it, she soon made a miraculous recovery. Her face grew rosy right before their eyes.
Finally, Lu Li left another pouch of silver on the table, about twenty taels.
Uncle Zhao's expression was stern, his gaze resolute. "Lu Li, you still have to learn martial arts. Keep this money for yourself!
"I absolutely won't accept it!
"Otherwise, I'll pay you back for Aunt Zhao's medicine later!"
Hearing this, Lu Li had no choice but to take the money back.
Then he said goodbye to the three of them and headed straight home.
The three of them watched Lu Li leave, filled with emotion.
Lu Li had made something of himself!
Now that Lu Li was gone, the Zhao family's neighbors crowded around, asking after them with concern.
"Wow, the people from Spring-Returning Hall really are miracle doctors. Look at Aunt Zhao's face—she was cured as soon as she took the medicine!"
"Yeah, exactly."
Their warmth was a world apart from the indifference they'd shown earlier.
Lu Li didn't head straight home. Instead, he went around several streets and made his way to Niu Er's house.
He still remembered how Niu Er had glared at him when he left.
That look had been as if Niu Er wanted to swallow him whole.
With someone so petty, there was every chance he'd take revenge.
So Lu Li decided to strike first and get rid of Niu Er, this source of trouble!
He could also take the few dozen taels of silver Niu Er had on him!
That would leave him with nearly two hundred taels.
It was a huge sum—enough to take a chance at the Black Market.
Besides, no one would suspect him.
Niu Er had a broken leg and a fortune on him, but no martial arts to protect himself. He was like a child carrying gold through a crowded marketplace; plenty of people would have their eyes on him.
No one could suspect Lu Li.
He changed into a black robe that covered his face, went to Niu Er's house, and vaulted into the courtyard.
He made his way to the bedroom.
Niu Er's angry voice came from inside.
"Damn Lu Li, that lucky bastard! Why does a coward like him get all the good luck?"
"Why wasn't he swallowed by that White Tiger? Why am I, Niu Er, so unlucky that I had to break my leg?"
"I can't even make a living anymore!"
"Heaven is unfair! It's blind!"
Niu Er roared hysterically.
"No, I can't just take this lying down!
"Once Lu Li learns martial arts, he'll humiliate me like a dog. I can't just sit here and wait. Before he learns martial arts, while he's still weak, I'm going to kill him!"
Outside the door, Lu Li shook his head.
Niu Er had been consumed by rage and lost his mind.
Now, even if Lu Li hadn't wanted to kill him, he had no choice but to do it.
With that, Lu Li rose and kicked the door open. While Niu Er stared at him in shock, he leaped forward and kicked him in the heart.
Under the force of two thousand catties, Niu Er let out a deafening scream.
He hit the ground, coughing up blood, and died.
Lu Li searched Niu Er and found fifty taels of silver.
He glanced at Niu Er's broken leg. "Looks like he spent the extra money on medicine."
After pocketing the silver, Lu Li rose and darted away, quickly vanishing from sight.
When he appeared again, he had removed his black robe and face covering and emerged from an unknown alley.
He went to the market and bought some meat, then headed home.
After hastily eating, Lu Li took out the great tonic, swallowed it, and practiced the Tiger-Subduing Fist.
[Life Master: Lu Li] [Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence] [Attribute: A nag that travels a thousand miles, success through perseverance] [Martial Arts: Tiger-Subduing Fist (Flesh-Refining Realm 120/400) One practice a day, 40 years to mastery]
After looking at the progress on the panel, Lu Li stopped and savored the sense of accomplishment.
"Once I break through to the Flesh-Refining Realm, I'll take a trip to the Black Market."
After making up his mind, Lu Li fell fast asleep.
The next day.
He arrived at the Huang Family early, and Uncle Huang took him to the Martial Academy.
He handed Lu Li a set of clothes. They were soft to the touch, comfortable, and made of excellent material.
Anyone could see at a glance that they were worth a fortune.
Even a mere martial arts uniform was so expensive. The power of the Lineage was not to be underestimated.
That was what Lu Li thought.
At the same time, he grew even more eager to see what martial arts the Huang Family would teach him next.
There were about twenty people in the Martial Academy. They were all rather slight of build, apparently not members of the Huang Family's inner circle, but merely lowly servants.
Their faces were full of smiles, their eyes alight.
They looked at a burly man in black martial clothes with great respect.
"Well, Huang Hao, didn't you say that medicine gatherers were all useless lumps of mud? You picked one out, did you?"
Huang Hao nodded, then said to Lu Li, "This is Huang Haitao. From now on, you'll train under him."
"Greetings, Master," Lu Li said respectfully, clasping his fists.
Huang Haitao shook his head. "Don't call me Master. You're not worthy yet, and it's not certain you'll even manage to learn anything.
"Although my Huang Family has offered excellent terms, if you haven't made any progress in martial arts within a year, you can go right back where you came from!
"Enough talk. Follow me and train!"
Before you continue