Ming Pao (please keep reading)

In truth,

Li Xiuwen could tell that his current standing left him in a rather awkward position within this little circle.

Ding Shao in particular had a distant, indifferent look in his eyes. Though his tone was polite, something about it always felt off.

People changed. A rise in status brought a change in mindset.

Wu Jun Hair Salon.

Brother Jun, who had gone outside the Enclave to hone his craft some days earlier, returned and casually picked up a newly purchased copy of Ming Pao.

A glance revealed a familiar name.

"Night Heron Martial Arts Hall challenges Four Seas Martial Arts Hall. Four disciples from the first floor of Four Seas Martial Arts Hall take them on, with only one claiming victory... Li Xiuwen?"

"A Wen's gotten that good?"

"I knew A Wen would make something of himself."

Brother Jun smiled knowingly.

"A few hundred bucks to become A Wen's big brother. That money... was well spent!"

Outside the Enclave, at Fortune Restaurant.

Zhao Dalong and Ding Sheng gathered together.

Compared with their last little get-together, this one was livelier, with a dozen or so new members.

Drinking, eating, shooting the breeze... everyone was having a grand time.

Zhao Dalong was quite happy, but Ding Sheng seemed rather unenthusiastic.

"Ding Shao? Not in the mood?" Zhao Dalong came over with a glass in hand and asked.

Ding Sheng frowned. "Didn't you invite Nan Shu?"

After a pause, Zhao Dalong narrowed his eyes with a smile. "Nan Shu belongs to Southern Sky Martial Hall, after all. Their rules are strict. She told me her senior sister only lets her come to a gathering once every six months."

Ding Sheng smiled faintly. "I can understand Nan Shu not coming... but is A Wen going to snub us too?"

Taken aback, Zhao Dalong raised his glass and laughed. "You know what A Wen's like-sensitive, with an inferiority complex. He isn't doing too well these days, so maybe he doesn't want to come."

Ding Sheng sipped his drink. "True. The three of us have done pretty well for ourselves... A Wen probably feels a little bitter about that."

"These are all new friends I brought along. What's wrong, Ding Shao? Not good enough for you? Only thinking about Nan Shu?" Zhao Dalong gave him an ambiguous smile.

"Not at all," Ding Sheng said with a smile.

The gathering came to a hasty end.

In the luxury car on the way home, Ding Sheng exhaled a breath reeking of alcohol and said coldly, "Nan Shu didn't come because of the rules... but A Wen not coming really was a slap in my face."

The driver smiled. "Young master, a lowborn from the Enclave would only lower your standing if he came. Do you know why Mr. Ming can hold on to the Walled City?"

Ding Sheng asked, "His strength?"

The driver smiled. "That's only part of it. Another reason is that the Enclave... stinks."

Ding Sheng laughed. "A stink can keep those martial experts out?"

The driver said, "I heard the master say that the top experts outside the Enclave refuse to enter because they don't want its foul, turbid air clinging to them, tainting their own pure energy and affecting their cultivation of the martial way.

"The people in the Enclave are like catfish in a cesspit. After living there for decades, everything they say and do has been steeped in that stench unique to the place.

"If you ask me, it's better to have less contact with them, lest their ill fortune rub off on you and affect your heavenly fortune, young master.

"Do you really expect a stinking fish from a muddy pond to leap through the Dragon Gate? Connections like that are useless. You're better off without them."

Ding Sheng smiled at that. "No wonder A Wen always has a smell about him. I understand now."

He picked up a newspaper he had bought on a whim from a roadside newsstand.

As the heir to the Spring and Autumn Press magnate, he had to read rival newspapers every day, learning from their strengths to make up for his own shortcomings.

After a while, his gaze settled on the latest issue of Ming Pao. He saw a familiar figure and said in surprise, "A Wen?"

"What is it, young master?" the driver asked.

"Nothing. That friend of mine from the Enclave seems to be doing pretty well in there. He's even become a martial artist..." Ding Sheng smiled faintly.

The driver smiled. "When an obscure little martial arts hall like that makes the papers, they've probably paid for the space themselves. Nothing worth mentioning."

Ding Sheng smiled. "Good for him. We were friends, after all. I do hope A Wen does a little better for himself, even if it doesn't amount to much."

The driver said, "If you ask me, even if he becomes a big shot in the Enclave... he'll still be a bird in a cage, a frog at the bottom of a well.

"Young master, once you take charge of Spring and Autumn Press, you'll be mingling with justices of the peace and the Empire's martial nobility here in Fragrant Sea. Those are the people who truly stand above the rest."

Several days later.

Mount Tianping.

Inside a spacious villa resembling a training hall,

Nan Shu sat cross-legged on a cushion, her palms, soles, and the crown of her head turned toward the sky. The pores of her jade-white skin opened and closed as she experienced the wonders of breathing through a full circuit.

After some time, she rose and picked up the copy of Ming Pao a servant had delivered.

Although her master was Ye Nantian, the person she truly idolized was the low-profile, mysterious, and even more legendary Mr. Ming.

She occasionally heard rumors around the martial arts hall that, when her master first came to Fragrant Sea, he had entered the Walled City during his hall challenges and paid Mr. Ming a visit.

After coming out, her master never spoke of the outcome of their fight. He had said only one thing: "All disciples of Southern Sky are forbidden to enter the Walled City or associate with Changle!"

That was why she never missed an issue of Ming Pao.

But on this particular day, her brows drew together, surprise appearing on her face.

"Night Heron's hall challenges, Sea Sand's crushing defeat..."

"Four Seas Martial Arts Hall performed rather poorly."

"To think A Wen could be their best performer with his martial constitution and aptitude."

"A Wen's done well. From what I saw, his martial constitution was below average. Achieving this much, even if he probably took some drugs, still shows what he's capable of."

Chen's Flour Factory.

Aunt-in-law held the copy of Ming Pao that A Wen had asked her to order long ago. She cut out the page featuring him and pressed it to her chest, her face full of anticipation.

In reality, Li Xiuwen received only a single sentence in the article. He was merely an unremarkable figure in the background.

Unless readers knew him or were paying particularly close attention, most people skimming the paper probably wouldn't even notice the three characters of his name.

The real star of the article was Gao Qi of Night Heron Martial Arts Hall.

"All right, all right. His name appeared once, and look how happy you are. You haven't slept all night," Uncle-in-law said helplessly.

"But this is Ming Pao! A Wen made it in at twenty-one. He was even the best in Four Seas Martial Arts Hall," Aunt-in-law said.

"A Wen really has made something of himself," Uncle-in-law had to admit.

"A few days ago, some punk tried to demand protection money from me. The moment he heard A Wen was a martial artist, he ran off," Aunt-in-law said with a smile.

These days, Lung Chun Road enjoyed a rare spell of peace.

"If we'd known, we should have let A Wen learn martial arts sooner. He might already be a big shot by now," Uncle-in-law sighed.

He had also heard that A Wen was a little too old and his martial constitution had already settled, so his potential was probably limited. For now, he was keeping himself going through sheer diligence.

Aunt-in-law snorted, then smiled. "Someone used to go on about those four things we must never get involved in. Regretting it now?"

Uncle-in-law scratched his head with a rueful smile. "How was I supposed to know A Wen really had it in him...? Besides, A Wen never said he wanted to learn martial arts before. He only got the idea after Brother Ji knocked him unconscious."

"That's all in the past. A Wen's on the right track now. All we need to do is make sure we don't hold him back. Who knows? Maybe he's a late bloomer," Aunt-in-law said.

"Yes... I really hope I can see that day soon," Uncle-in-law sighed.

Aunt-in-law's expression dimmed. Then she said, "Then take good care of yourself! Listen to A Wen and go to the hospital regularly!"