The Trouble Settles (Please Read and Bookmark)

Early in the morning, the gate to Wei Luo's courtyard was pounded loud enough to shake the heavens.

Wei Luo's mother opened it, only to find Uncle Cao—the man who had seemed half-mad just two days ago—standing at her door, looking positively radiant.

And holding his hand was Yuanyuan, who had been missing for days.

"Little sister Zhao, good news! The Fish-Dragon Gang's hall was burned clean in a fire! They all died!"

Uncle Cao was clearly beside himself with excitement, so much so that he had even muddled up their seniority.

Upon hearing the news, Wei Luo's mother bit down hard on her lip, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Tears spilled from her eyes. She hugged Yuanyuan tightly, sighing at the good fortune Heaven had bestowed upon them.

Only after a long while did she let Yuanyuan go and ask Uncle Cao with concern.

"When did Yuanyuan come back? Is the little one all right?"

"Last night, there was someone..."

"What do you mean, last night? You ran back by yourself."

Before Yuanyuan could finish, Uncle Cao cut her off. He then pulled Yuanyuan away.

Uncle Cao did not know who had saved his granddaughter, but he had long made up his mind: even if they beat him to death, he would not reveal a single word about their benefactor.

"Mom, who came knocking so early?"

Wei Luo walked out of the house with a yawn, pretending that he had only just woken up.

With his current skills, there was no way his mother could have noticed that he had gone out last night.

Zhao Clan wiped away her tears and excitedly told him about the great fire at the Fish-Dragon Gang.

Seeing his mother's smiling face, Wei Luo smiled and responded with a few words, remarking on what good luck it was.

After breakfast, Wei Luo headed to the Sun Family's separate residence.

The great fire at the Fish-Dragon Gang's hall spread throughout Pingjiang Town.

Li Dadao and the Fish-Dragon Gang members had been burned into charred corpses, and countless rumors began to circulate.

Gang vendettas, an uneven division of spoils, divine fire falling from the sky... all sorts of rumors flew everywhere.

Inside the Sun Family's separate residence.

For once, Master Qin had come to the training grounds to instruct the boatmen.

"Can anyone tell me what martial arts are practiced for?"

Master Qin called on several people to answer. Some said it was to make money, some said it was to earn honors through the martial examinations, and others said it was to rise above the common crowd. The answers made Master Qin frown repeatedly.

"I'm asking you: what is the essence of practicing martial arts?"

Master Qin emphasized the question again with a frown. Most of the men in the courtyard were rough fellows who had barely read a few years' worth of books. Trying to enlighten them was truly laborious.

Yet his question stumped them again. They looked at one another, unable to make heads or tails of it.

Master Qin paused before speaking.

"A martial artist—one horizontal stroke and one vertical stroke. You are not practicing flashy forms. Win, and you live. Lose, and you lie down."

"Fists, kicks, sabers, swords—none of them escape this principle. In a real fight, it does not matter whether your fist technique is exquisite or whether your blood and qi are strong!

"What matters is that no matter what moves you use, putting your opponent down is the essence of it all."

At that moment, someone cleared his throat and said.

"Martial arts are practiced to pursue one's own strength. If you are strong enough and your fist is hard enough, that is the foundation of martial arts."

The one who spoke was Shen Wu. Hearing this, the others nodded again and again in agreement.

Master Qin's brows relaxed somewhat. Shen Wu possessed first-rate natural talent and comprehension; he had indeed grasped a few points of the meaning.

Below the platform, Wei Luo also listened thoughtfully.

Master Qin was right. Just like when he had wiped out the Fish-Dragon Gang's hall last night.

Although Li Dadao possessed the blood and qi of one refinement, he clearly did not know fist techniques. He had not even gotten a chance to resist before dying cleanly.

After explaining a few things simply, Master Qin began having people spar. He watched from the side, instructing them on how actual combat should be fought.

However, there were very few people worthy of Master Qin's notice. As he gave pointers, he cursed and grumbled all the while.

Only when dealing with Shen Wu did he show some patience, pointing out every deficiency in Shen Wu's fist technique.

In the end, Master Qin could not even be bothered to instruct the others anymore. He went to one side specifically to exchange moves with Shen Wu.

Wei Luo had just finished sparring with Liu Changle and was resting when Zhao Xiu came over and said.

"Do you know why Master Qin came specially to instruct everyone today?"

Liu Changle immediately replied, "Master Qin is in a good mood today?"

Zhao Xiu laughed and shook his head.

"Actually, the Sun Family is going to have a 'friendly exchange' with the Wu Family. When the time comes, both families will send some martial artists to compete."

After Zhao Xiu explained, the two finally understood.

Among great aristocratic families, there was both competition and cooperation. These sparring exchanges were common—put bluntly, they were just fighting over a little face.

"Then will Changle and I participate too?"

Wei Luo asked. Zhao Xiu shook his head.

"You two have only been introduced to fist techniques for a short while. They definitely will not send you. But Shen Wu might be different..."

Zhao Xiu looked toward the distance, envy flickering in his eyes. Over there, Master Qin was exchanging moves with Shen Wu.

"From the looks of it, the Sun Family has persuaded Master Qin to take on a disciple."

"The Sun Family? Taking on a disciple?"

Liu Changle was somewhat surprised. Who in this courtyard did not want to become Master Qin's disciple?

Yet to this day, Master Qin had never accepted anyone as a disciple.

Halfway through his explanation, Zhao Xiu gave a sly chuckle and began to hold back the juicy part.

"Want to know what's behind it?"

Wei Luo smiled. Zhao Xiu had no other flaw—he simply loved whetting other people's appetites.

The two took the initiative to offer Zhao Xiu drinks another day. Only then did he smile and continue.

"The Sun Family looks glorious on the surface, but they have actually been going downhill since last year. As for why...

"The old master of the Sun Family was originally an expert who had broken through the third refinement and reached Force Fusion, but he died last year."

At this, Wei Luo immediately understood.

Without someone to hold up the facade, the Sun Family's fist was no longer hard enough.

In this world, a big fist truly was the ironclad principle.

The Sun Family's recruitment of boatmen was also a form of selection. They wanted to cultivate someone who could hold up the family's facade.

Shen Wu was precisely the right candidate. His natural talent and comprehension were both outstanding, and his future achievements were promising.

Liu Changle immediately revealed an envious look. On the path of martial arts, having someone to guide you or not were fundamentally two different things.

Ordinary boatmen could only practice fist techniques alone every day, relying entirely on their own comprehension.

If they had a master's guidance, they would naturally take far fewer detours and walk much farther.

Wei Luo, however, remained calm. It was better to have someone guide him, but he did not care if there was no one.

With the Great Thousand Revelation, he could deduce fist techniques and improve without end.

[Folding Waves Fist Progress: 31%]

Folding Waves Fist was divided into beginner, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and perfection.

The corresponding progress levels were 20%, 60%, 90%, and 100%.

These past few days, his fist technique had grown ever more refined, while his strength continued to rise.

He often sparred with Liu Changle, and he was already gradually pulling far ahead of him.

Zhao Xiu looked at Wei Luo. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly said.

"Last night, Li Dadao died. The fire at the Fish-Dragon Gang's hall was huge, but I received word that they were killed first, and the fire was set afterward."

Zhao Xiu looked at Wei Luo meaningfully.

In this world, it was not strange for some people to die. Even if the entire Fish-Dragon Gang died, it would not be strange.

But Li Dadao was different.

Yesterday, Wei Luo had asked him about Li Dadao. Then that very night, Li Dadao had met with disaster.

If someone tried to tell him Wei Luo had nothing to do with it, he would not believe it even if they beat him to death.

He had not expected that Wei Luo, who usually seemed somewhat quiet and reserved, would secretly be so ruthless.

Liu Changle had yet to catch on. Hearing this, he even said with a grin.

"Good riddance. Li Dadao had committed countless evils. If someone killed him, he deserved it..."

But halfway through, he finally realized something and looked at Wei Luo with an odd expression.

Their homes were not far apart. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about Li Dadao sending betrothal gifts to Wei Luo's mother, so naturally he knew too. He simply had not spread it around.

And yesterday, Wei Luo had turned down the dinner invitation and insisted on going home...

He suddenly remembered that more than a month ago, Wei Luo had said he would settle Feng Hao's debt. After that, Feng Hao seemed never to have appeared again.

Wei Luo said nothing. He merely smiled and sighed. "Good riddance."

A chill ran down Zhao Xiu's back. He had wide connections and had met many people, but Wei Luo was the first person he had ever seen who did not leave his enemies alive until the next day.