Borrowing the Sima Family Name

Black Tiger Gang headquarters.

Sima Rui sat in the main hall, listening to Li Mazi's report.

"Lord Sima, during that period, Chief Li had only ever clashed with Zhang Yu..." Li Mazi recounted how Zhang Yu had become enemies with the Black Tiger Gang over Wen Hua and the others.

"After Chief Li apologized to Zhang Yu, he died at his mistress's home on the fourth night," he added.

Thump! Thump...

Sima Rui lightly tapped the table with his fingers without speaking.

He had already obtained Zhang Yu's information. He had wiped out the Wild Wolf Gang in his hometown, killed a Force Transformation expert while fleeing, and on his first day in Boundless City, he had killed the Black Tiger Gang's deputy chief.

"It's a ruthless one," Sima Rui muttered, then rose and walked outside.

"Lord Sima, the Black Tiger Gang became what it is today all because of Zhang Yu..." Seeing Sima Rui about to leave, Li Mazi could not help speaking again, but before he could finish, he was interrupted.

Slap!

Sima Rui struck him across the face, cutting off his words at once.

Pfft!

Half of Li Mazi's face instantly swelled up, and he spat out a mouthful of blood along with two teeth.

"Trash. Did I permit you to speak?" Sima Rui glared at Li Mazi.

Thud!

Li Mazi immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

"Have mercy, my lord!"

Sima Rui did not look at him again and left the Black Tiger Gang headquarters directly.

Half an hour later, he knocked on the courtyard gate of Zhang Yu's residence.

Knock, knock!

"Who is it?" Wen Hua's mother opened the courtyard gate.

At this hour, Wen Hua and the others were training in the rear courtyard. Only the mothers of Wen Hua, Zhao Dun, and Xia Shuang were in the front courtyard, picking vegetables in preparation for cooking later.

"Who are you looking for?" Seeing Sima Rui dressed in a brocade robe, Wen Hua's mother asked cautiously.

Sima Rui wore a mild expression. "I'm looking for Young Master Zhang Yu. Tell him my surname is Sima."

"Please wait!" Wen Hua's mother hurried toward the rear courtyard.

In the rear courtyard, Zhang Yu sat beneath the shade of a tree, drinking tea as he watched Niu Mancang, Wen Hua, and the others train.

Niu Mancang repeatedly rammed a black iron pillar as thick as a man in the corner.

Bang!

The pillar trembled.

The black iron pillar, weighing ten thousand jin, shook without end from a single charge, showing just how great Niu Mancang's strength had become.

Meanwhile, Wen Hua was guiding Li Yue, Xia Shuang, and the others in cultivating the Clearwind Stance Art. He had already broken through the barrier and cultivated Bright Force, becoming a Bright Force martial artist.

Tap tap...

Wen Hua's mother hurried into the rear courtyard and came before Zhang Yu. "Young Master, someone outside is looking for you."

"Did he give his name?" Zhang Yu asked.

"That man said his surname was Sima."

"Mm." Zhang Yu nodded slightly, then stood.

Sima Rui, a collateral descendant of the Sima Family, had been brought into the main family for training because of his talent. This year, at twenty-eight, he had just broken through to Force Transformation.

News traveled widely in Boundless City. Zhang Yu had learned Sima Rui's basic information on the very day he returned.

He walked alone toward the front courtyard.

Wen Hua glanced over and hurriedly followed behind him.

At the courtyard gate stood a man in fine clothes with a treasured sword at his waist. His expression was mild, but his eyes carried a trace of shrewdness.

Zhang Yu sized him up and cupped his hands. "I am Zhang Yu. May I ask what business Young Master Sima has with me?"

Sima Rui was also sizing Zhang Yu up. So young, and he could kill a Force Transformation martial artist in a single blow... Then he cupped his hands and formally announced himself. "Sima Rui of Hedong Commandery, Great Chu Empire."

The Sima clan of Hedong belonged among the upper-tier noble families of the Great Chu Empire.

Zhang Yu said nothing, waiting for the other man to continue.

"Young Master Zhang, do you wish to advance further on the martial path?" Sima Rui asked.

Zhang Yu blinked, somewhat puzzled. He had not expected the other man to ask such a question.

"Our Sima Family possesses twenty-eight first-rate techniques and six Yellow-rank techniques. So long as one is a retainer of the Sima Family, one may cultivate these techniques," Sima Rui continued.

Zhang Yu had assumed the man had come because of Li Xiong's death. He had never expected him not to mention Li Xiong at all.

"A retainer? No interest," Zhang Yu replied blandly.

"Young Master Zhang is so young and handsome. If you do not wish to become a retainer, you may also marry into our Sima Family. I have a younger sister, twenty this year, with beauty that shames the moon and makes flowers hide..."

"Not interested. But if Young Master Sima insists on giving her away, I happen to be short a girl to tend the stove," Zhang Yu interrupted, staring into the other man's eyes.

He said it deliberately, wanting to see the other man's reaction.

From the moment he had destroyed the Wild Wolf Gang, he no longer wished to live that stifling life of being threatened by others.

At worst, he would kill Sima Rui before him and flee into the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Humiliation?

Compromising to survive?

Impossible!

While his parents and sister had been alive, he had still been able to endure.

Now that they were gone, anyone who wanted Zhang Yu to bow his head was dreaming.

A flicker of anger surfaced in Sima Rui's eyes, but he was deeply calculating. The anger vanished in an instant, and his face quickly returned to its mild expression.

"Young Master Zhang, if I leave, the next person the Sima Family sends to Boundless City may be a peak Force Transformation martial artist, or even a True Qi realm martial artist," Sima Rui said, staring into Zhang Yu's eyes.

A soft nail.

At sixteen, Zhang Yu had killed a Force Transformation martial artist with one punch. That made Sima Rui want to marry his own younger sister to Zhang Yu and take Zhang Yu in as a son-in-law.

At the same time, it made him dare use only a soft nail to threaten Zhang Yu.

That was the benefit strength brought.

Zhang Yu could not completely ignore Sima Rui's soft nail either. If a True Qi realm martial artist truly came, it would be quite troublesome for him as well.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Come in for a cup of tea?"

"Sorry to intrude." Sima Rui stepped into the courtyard.

"Wen Hua, make tea!"

"Yes, Master!" Wen Hua hurried off to prepare it.

Zhang Yu and Sima Rui sat on stone stools in the front courtyard.

People in this other world were not fools, much less idiots. They would not know full well that Zhang Yu had killed a Force Transformation martial artist with one punch, then still come knocking with arrogant threats and violence.

Like Li Xiong before him and Sima Rui now, both had chosen not to tear all pretenses with Zhang Yu. It was only that Li Xiong had been too confident, thinking he could fool sixteen-year-old Zhang Yu, and had ultimately become a wandering ghost.

The Sima Rui before him should be far smarter than Li Xiong.

Wen Hua soon finished making the tea.

Zhang Yu lifted his cup and took a sip. Sima Rui also sampled it. "Good tea!"

"Young Master Sima came to Boundless City because of the Black Tiger Gang, didn't you?" Zhang Yu set down his teacup, unwilling to waste any more time.

"Yes." Sima Rui glanced at Zhang Yu and nodded slightly.

"What share of Boundless City's medicinal herbs can the Black Tiger Gang obtain?" Zhang Yu asked.

Sima Rui was somewhat puzzled, unable to understand Zhang Yu's meaning. "Twenty percent."

"I can help Young Master Sima solve that problem," Zhang Yu said. "I only need to borrow the Sima Family name."

Sima Rui instantly understood Zhang Yu's meaning. He did not immediately state his position. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he put on a thoughtful expression.

Put plainly, he had come to Boundless City for that twenty percent share of medicinal herbs. Li Xiong's death was of no importance.

In the eyes of great families, there was only profit.

As a collateral branch of the Sima Family, he had consumed no small amount of family resources to break through the Force Transformation barrier. If he could not resolve Boundless City's affair, he would have no way to explain himself upon returning.

The main family would not listen to his reasons.

After considering it for a moment, Sima Rui raised his teacup and looked Zhang Yu in the eyes. "Agreed."

Zhang Yu raised his teacup and lightly clinked it against the other man's.