Crouching Tigers, Hidden Dragons?

The garden in the inner courtyard of the Yang Estate.

Yang Qianqian leaned against the railing of the arched bridge over the pond, looking languidly bored out of her mind.

Every so often, she scattered some fish food for the koi in the pond to fight over.

On a stone pillar beside the bridge stood an exceptionally tall woman.

She held one leg high over her head, her body utterly motionless, as though practicing some kind of stance exercise.

This tall woman was not from the Yang Estate.

Ever since Yang Qianqian had killed Blood-Handed Butcher's son, Heartfelt Martial Hall had stationed people at the Yang Estate to protect her.

"Senior Sister Zhuang, how much longer am I supposed to stay cooped up? This is so boring!" Yang Qianqian suddenly flung all the fish food in her hand into the pond.

The woman called Senior Sister Zhuang was Zhuang Sixuan, one of the experts Heartfelt Martial Hall used to bolster its reputation.

She had broken through to the eighth rank a year ago. The Shadowless Mandarin Duck Legs she practiced fully capitalized on her advantage of having long legs.

Yet many martial artists in Yuan Guang County had privately given Zhuang Sixuan the nickname "Groin-Striking Demoness."

The reason was simple. Whenever Zhuang Sixuan sparred with someone or faced an enemy, if her opponent was a man, she would always catch him off guard with a groin kick, brutally striking his vital parts.

Countless victims had never risen again after suffering this woman's fatal chicken-smashing strike.

"What are you in such a hurry for? Do you really think Blood-Handed Butcher is so easy to deal with?"

"Just stay put. Once people from the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect arrive in Yuan Guang County, even if Blood-Handed Butcher manages to remain hidden, he won't be able to stir up much trouble."

After saying that, Zhuang Sixuan switched to holding her other leg over her head.

Seeing Zhuang Sixuan looking as though she were showing off those long legs, Yang Qianqian grew even more irritated.

She considered herself unquestionably prettier than Zhuang Sixuan, but when it came to those legs, she truly could not compare...

"Oh, right. One of your Yang Estate servants has turned out to be quite a talent," Zhuang Sixuan suddenly changed the subject.

"A talent?" Yang Qianqian frowned. She already knew who Zhuang Sixuan meant.

Zhuang Sixuan nodded, saying with great interest, "I heard some maids discussing it earlier, so I went to the front courtyard to take a look. I didn't expect it to be true."

"How many days has that kid even been practicing martial arts? It feels like he has already mastered the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise better than I did back then!"

Hearing that Zou Feng had actually received Senior Sister Zhuang's approval, Yang Qianqian immediately said disdainfully, "So what? The best future that person can hope for is becoming a martial instructor guarding the estate for my Yang Family."

"Besides, practicing the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise well doesn't mean he'll be able to make anything of other martial arts."

How could Zhuang Sixuan fail to notice the little emotion hidden in Yang Qianqian's tone?

Used to being a genius, she simply could not stand seeing other geniuses.

Especially when the other party was a household slave whom they had never even deigned to look at.

So Zhuang Sixuan immediately teased, "Don't speak so absolutely. I also heard that you personally went to instruct him, didn't you?"

"I was bored out of my mind. I was only passing the time!" Yang Qianqian's voice began to turn shrill.

That only made Zhuang Sixuan laugh harder. Then she put on an affected sigh and said, "You may have merely gone to pass the time, but he may already be deeply rooted in love with you..."

"Has that kind of rumor already spread through the estate?" Anger flashed in Yang Qianqian's eyes.

Yet deep down, she felt it was only natural. She could only blame herself for being too charming.

Heh, men!

Had he suddenly discovered that he had some talent for martial arts and begun entertaining unrealistic fantasies...

Still, rumors that damaged her reputation had to be stopped!

The Heavenly Origin Sword Sect would soon send people to Yuan Guang County on business. That would be her true chance to soar into the skies.

During this period, she could not allow any rumor that might harm her to appear!

Of course, Yang Qianqian would not make trouble without reason and call Zou Feng to account over such rumors.

But she still felt she had to do something, so that Zou Feng would stop indulging in unrealistic fantasies...

Meanwhile, Zou Feng was, as usual, in the front courtyard, practicing the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise with utter focus.

Of course, that was only the outward appearance.

Zou Feng had always been thinking of combining the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise with the Five Poisons Palm to create something like a Five Poisons Stake Art.

This was actually very dangerous. It was the equivalent of randomly mixing martial arts techniques, and it was all too easy to suffer qi deviation.

But for Zou Feng, since the side effects could be transferred away, it was no problem at all.

He could even observe Yang Ling, who bore the side effects of his Five Poisons Palm cultivation. If Yang Ling suddenly went completely insane one day, or inexplicably dropped dead before even being plucked bald, then there was a strong chance Zou Feng's reckless experimentation had gone wrong.

But after studying it for so many days, Zou Feng had finally vaguely grasped a thread of the method.

At this moment, he appeared to be holding the Bear Stance from the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise, but in truth, he had taken on the bearing of a Toad Stance...

Not far away, Zhao Tianhu, who was responsible for teaching the techniques, gradually noticed that something was off.

Zhao Tianhu had been keeping a close eye on Zou Feng, this promising seedling, all along.

But today, he felt that there was something wrong with Zou Feng's stance, though he could not say exactly what it was.

Why did looking at Zou Feng give him the illusion that he was looking at a huge toad?!

After that thought flashed through his mind, Zhao Tianhu laughed dumbly and immediately shook his head, throwing the absurd idea out of his mind.

He turned to inspect the other servants' practice, only to make another unexpected discovery.

Xu Haoran, who should have had no talent for martial arts at all, had actually made considerable progress. His stance exercise now looked quite convincing.

Though he was still far from bringing forth its spirit, at least there were already signs of it.

Uh, no way. Could a small place like the Yang Estate really have produced two martial arts talents among its servants!?

As a third-rate martial instructor who had long since lost all hope of entering the ranks, Zhao Tianhu had not failed to grit his teeth and struggle in his youth.

But after pouring in immense sweat, blood, and hardship, he had been forced to face a cruel reality.

Before absolute talent, his efforts were simply not worth mentioning.

His talent for martial arts was too poor. There truly was no saving it.

But those with good martial arts talent were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. From top to bottom, the Yang Estate had originally only Yang Qianqian.

Yet now, Zhao Tianhu had discovered that the Yang Estate's servants concealed crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Two exceptionally gifted young men had emerged all at once!

With such talent, even though they had begun martial arts too late, they might not lack a chance to enter the ranks in the future.

Zhao Tianhu suddenly stared blankly at Xu Haoran without even blinking, and Zou Feng, who had just finished his practice, quickly noticed.

Following Zhao Tianhu's gaze until it landed on Xu Haoran, Zou Feng's pupils contracted.

He saw it too. Xu Haoran, who had once practiced the stance exercise into a complete mess, had actually straightened up.

Zou Feng also knew how much effort Xu Haoran had put into martial arts in the past.

But as someone with a cheat who had already brought the Five Poisons Palm to the level of entering the hall, Zou Feng's eye for martial arts was far sharper than Zhao Tianhu's.

Thus, Zou Feng had long seen that Xu Haoran truly had no talent for martial arts.

Yet Xu Haoran had now slapped that judgment in the face.

Had he misjudged him, or...

Just as Zou Feng was puzzled, he saw a man waving a folding fan walk in through the courtyard gate.

It was Yang Yanpeng, the Yang Family's Third Young Master, whom he had not seen for a long time.