Bargaining with a Tiger for Its Hide

"But can this really hold?"

Even through the door, Wang Zhu could hear the inhuman roars outside, and his heart trembled.

Yet Zhang Chi seemed to possess an inexplicable confidence.

"Don't worry. It'll definitely hold."

As he spoke, he led the two of them toward the fish hold hatch.

When they reached it, Wang Zhu had just turned sideways and pressed himself against the door when a glint of resolve surfaced in Zhang Chi's eyes.

Click.

At the sound of the wooden bolt, Wang Zhu and Luo Sanhu both froze.

Why was Zhang Chi opening the door?

Before either could react, Zhang Chi shoved Wang Zhu out of the fish hold.

The fish hold had already reeked of fish, but compared to the nauseating stench of rot outside, it almost smelled sweet.

"Ah!!!!"

Wang Zhu let out a scream and was immediately dragged away by something.

His scream cut off abruptly.

In its place came the crisp crunching of something being chewed to pieces, along with muffled whimpers.

"Zhang Chi, fuck your old Feng!"

Luo Sanhu was the second to be thrown from the fish hold. Caught completely off guard, he also took a punch from Zhang Chi.

Before the people in the fish hold could react, Zhang Chi had already darted out. Snatching up a wooden plank, he leaped into the water.

He did not even turn his head at Luo Sanhu's curses.

Did they really think they were getting that forty percent share of the treasure fish for nothing?

He had brought people out to sea with him precisely so he could use them to preserve his own life at a critical moment.

On deck, Qi Yang had just crawled out of the fish hold when he met a pair of ghastly pale eyeballs.

"Fuck!!!"

No matter how slow-witted he was, he understood Zhang Chi's intentions now.

"Zhang Chi, even if I become a ghost, I won't let you off!"

Qi Yang wanted to fight back, but the black shadow effortlessly snapped his neck.

By then, Zhang Chi had long since swum off somewhere.

Luo Sanhu, who had just jumped into the water, felt a wave of relief.

If Bighead had not been too busy eating Wang Zhu, he would not have escaped either.

Before long, several more splashes sounded around him.

Luo Sanhu did not dare stop. He had no idea what had entered the water, so he paddled desperately, putting distance between himself and the small sailboat.

He did not know how far he swam. Only when the distant horizon turned the pale white of a fish's belly did he realize he was less than a hundred meters from shore. He hurriedly climbed ashore.

Once Luo Sanhu was on land, he looked back at the water, but not a single figure was in sight.

There had been seven or eight of them, yet he was the only one left. He did not know whether the others had survived...

Sun Family Estate.

Wei Luo had assumed a fighting stance and was exchanging blows with Liu Changle.

They had traded fewer than ten moves, yet the difference between them was already clear.

Wei Luo's fists surged like waves, one swell after another, as though they would never cease.

Liu Changle was soon drenched in sweat. He wanted to break Wei Luo's rhythm, but faced with fists that left no gaps, he struggled even to block them.

Before they had exchanged fifty moves, Liu Changle leaped out of the fight.

"I can't keep going. How do you learn boxing so fast? Your fists are getting heavier and heavier."

Liu Changle rubbed his bruised forearm, his face full of indignation.

He and Wei Luo trained together every day, so how had this guy improved so quickly?

Zhao Xiu, who had been watching from the side, smiled and said to Wei Luo, "It's only been a few days, and you've already mastered the Linked Waves Force. That's truly impressive."

Wei Luo merely smiled and scratched his head.

"I was just lucky. And it's all thanks to Brother Zhao feeding me punches during training."

Zhao Xiu did not buy Wei Luo's flattery.

He himself had trained stance by stance, punch by punch, so he naturally knew just how rapidly Wei Luo had progressed in boxing.

Simply put, the Folding Waves Fist had four kinds of force:

Surge Force, the most powerful and also the easiest to master.

Whirling Force, which could be used for defense but required patient, grinding practice.

Linked Waves Force, which demanded an unbroken flow of punches and was rather difficult to learn.

Layered Wave Force, the hardest force to cultivate. It could stack several types of force together and unleash several times one's own power. There were not many people in the entire estate who had mastered it.

Zhao Xiu could not help recalling that even he had spent several whole months practicing the Linked Waves Force.

Yet Wei Luo had learned it after only two months in the estate. Among those who had begun learning boxing in the same batch, only Shen Wu had been faster than him.

[Folding Waves Fist Progress: 35%]

After several more days, Wei Luo's progress had increased again.

He understood that, in terms of comprehension alone, with the Great Thousand Revelation, calling himself highly gifted would not be an exaggeration. His main limitation was still his natural constitution.

Just as the three of them chatted and rested, three bedraggled figures suddenly entered from outside the estate.

"Luo Sanhu and the others are back!"

Wei Luo turned to look. At the front were Luo Sanhu and two other new crewmen.

The three were covered in mud and sand. Luo Sanhu, in particular, clutched his chest, his face brimming with hatred.

The moment he entered, Luo Sanhu roared, "Zhang Chi! Is he back yet?"

"He tricked us into going out to sea with him, then stabbed us in the back when something happened!

"Today, I'm exposing Zhang Chi for the petty villain he is!"

At his words, the other crewmen gathered around.

Luo Sanhu immediately recounted everything exactly as it had happened, shouting for Zhang Chi to come out and confront him.

After hearing him, Wei Luo merely shook his head lightly.

Before they had gone, Wei Luo had already caught a glimpse of the danger ahead. He had even warned Bighead not to go.

He had not expected that of the seven or eight people, only half would return.

"Four or five lives were lost, all because of Zhang Chi! Today, we must get an explanation!"

Luo Sanhu spoke with righteous indignation, and the two beside him chimed in.

Amid the commotion, Zhang Chi emerged from the estate with a face ashen with fury.

He had returned long ago, but he had kept a low profile, so few knew.

"Only a few worthless lives died, and you dare demand an explanation? You must be tired of living!"

Before everyone's eyes, Zhang Chi not only refused to deny it, but even began threatening them.

"What? With so many people watching, do you still dare commit murder?"

Seeing all the people around him, Luo Sanhu spoke with considerable backbone.

At this, Liu Changle, standing nearby, could no longer stand it and said, "Although Luo Sanhu isn't exactly a good man either, isn't Zhang Chi being far too arrogant?"

Wei Luo's brows furrowed slightly.

He swept his gaze around and saw that the veteran crewmen watching the spectacle showed not the slightest sympathy on their faces. Instead, they looked at Luo Sanhu and the others as though watching monkeys perform.

"Arrogant? You've got it wrong. Zhang Chi isn't arrogant at all. Right and wrong are decided by strength. If Luo Sanhu had swallowed his pride and accepted it today, this matter would have passed. But now...

"I'm afraid Zhang Chi won't spare him."

Zhao Xiu said this with narrowed eyes.

Before his words had faded, Zhang Chi made his move.

He suddenly sprang forward, charging Luo Sanhu with a savage barrage of punches.

"Good, good, good. Then there's nothing left to say. Today, I'll send you on your way!"

Zhang Chi's face was twisted with hatred. Luo Sanhu had publicized this matter throughout the estate, and his reputation was now utterly ruined.

At that moment, he somewhat regretted not killing everyone on the boat outright.

Luo Sanhu's expression changed drastically. He had not expected Zhang Chi to truly dare attack.

Looking at the onlookers around him, not a single one stepped forward to stop them.

Only then did he understand how naive he had been, dreaming of using morality and righteousness to bind Zhang Chi.

He was already injured, and Zhang Chi possessed the strength of the second training stage—more than enough to crush him.

Facing Zhang Chi, Luo Sanhu could only watch helplessly as death closed in.

But perhaps Luo Sanhu's life was not yet meant to end. A figure suddenly flashed into the arena.

"Zhang Chi, you've gotten quite capable, haven't you? You dare lay hands on your own people now."

Bang!

With a muffled blast, Zhang Chi flew more than ten meters before crashing heavily to the ground and coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"Master Qin!"

At the sight of Master Qin, everyone's expressions changed slightly, and they swiftly scattered away.

Private fighting was normally forbidden in the estate, but that was the Sun Family's rule. Hardly anyone enforced it, and Master Qin had never interfered before.

Everyone looked toward Shen Wu, who had just arrived. Clearly, Shen Wu had called Master Qin over for the sake of his lackey.

"Zhang Chi, I make the rules in this estate. If you dare make a move under my nose again, I'll cripple you. Understand?"

After taking Master Qin's blow, Zhang Chi's entire face had turned dark red. Yet he immediately and obediently dropped to his knees.

"Zhang Chi understands!"

With that, Zhang Chi left bent over, not daring to show the slightest resentment.

With the matter settled, Master Qin strolled away.

Luo Sanhu no longer shouted for Zhang Chi to give him an explanation. If Shen Wu had not been able to summon Master Qin, he would likely have died on the spot.

Wei Luo took it all in, and a trace of emotion stirred within him.

Once martial artists possessed enough strength, the morality and laws that bound ordinary people were all empty words.

Even if Zhang Chi had killed Luo Sanhu today, the Sun Family likely would not have punished Zhang Chi too severely.

Sure enough, pies did not fall from the sky. When bargaining with a tiger for its hide, surviving in the end was already a sign of great fortune.