"Feng Second Tiger, if we at Black Cloud Stronghold killed your elder brother, we'd have no reason to deny it. Even if we did kill him, what could you do to us?" Smiling Tiger Cao Yuan cackled.
"Then who was it?"
"How should I know? Your brother had so many enemies. You should ask his men," Bald Zhang said.
Feng Second Tiger narrowed his eyes, vicious fury rising in his heart. But he was no fool. He knew that, whatever happened, he could not kill Bald Zhang today, and might even be surrounded and killed here himself.
He snorted coldly, then abruptly burst through the window and leaped away. He would go back and find Military Strategist Lü Tong to ask who else might have killed Feng Dahu. When he first learned of his brother's death, he had blamed the Three Harmonies Gang without a second thought. Now, something seemed fishy. If I can't find the killer, not a single suspect will get away! he thought.
Avenging his brother accounted for thirty percent of his motivation. The other seventy percent was for the assets the Black Tiger Gang had left behind.
In the Water Diversion Ward of the Inner City, Xue Xiangling examined the Patrol Squad roster her maid had brought her. Zhao Feng's name was not among the disciples from the Huo Family Martial Arts School.
As expected, he's an unimportant fringe disciple, not even qualified to join the Patrol Squad, she thought, all the more convinced she had been right to turn him down. It would only have wasted her time and lowered her standing.
Since her master's wife's birthday was in two days, Huo Yao had also returned from the Prefecture City to celebrate her mother's birthday.
As soon as she returned, she saw Zhao Feng training hard on the Plum Blossom Stakes.
This diligent disciple had left a deep impression on her. Even among the disciples of the great sects in the Prefecture City, few worked so hard.
Unfortunately, his root bone was limited, and he would never achieve anything more. At that thought, she actually felt a pang of sympathy. Suddenly, she felt responsible for telling him the truth, so he could venture out and fight for a promising future. That would be better than wasting his blood, sweat, and time here.
Just then, a disciple rushed in from outside.
"Master!"
Hearing the shout, Huo Shan came from the rear courtyard to the front courtyard. "Shouting and making such a fuss-where's your decorum?" he said sternly, though anticipation still shone unmistakably in his eyes.
"Master, while on patrol, Senior Brother Chu Fan single-handedly killed the wanted criminal Flying Centipede, Sha Tongtian! The County Magistrate awarded him a hundred taels of fine silver, announced it throughout the county, and specifically commended our Martial Arts School!" the disciple said joyfully.
"Flying Centipede! Excellent! Excellent!" Delighted and astonished, Huo Shan repeatedly voiced his approval.
Flying Centipede was a notorious hidden force bandit who had committed numerous major crimes in Ever-Peace Prefecture and several counties under its jurisdiction, with over twenty lives on his hands. More hateful still, he had raped and murdered several young ladies from prominent families, including a few celebrated beauties of the Prefecture City. Even transformation force experts had failed to capture him, prompting the Prefecture City to issue a wanted notice and offer a bounty.
To think his own final disciple, Chu Fan, had killed the man with his own hands! Of course, the significance lay neither in the reward nor the size of the bounty. A notorious bandit who had left so many transformation force experts helpless had been slain by his disciple, who had reached hidden force only a few months ago. This had brought him tremendous prestige.
At his age, nothing mattered more to him than face.
Just then, the sound of gongs and drums came from outside the gate, and another disciple hurried inside.
"Master, Senior Brother Chu Fan is back. You'd better go out and have a look."
"Nonsense! I'm his master, and you expect me to go out and welcome him?" Huo Shan scolded.
Yet his feet carried him out through the gate despite himself. In the distance, he saw Chu Fan dressed in brocade, sitting proudly atop a tall horse. Behind him followed a jubilant procession beating gongs and drums.
Among the procession, two men carried a plaque topped with a large red flower. Four large gilded characters proclaimed, "Famous Master, Outstanding Disciple."
Chu Fan dismounted and prostrated himself. "Master!"
"Excellent! Excellent!" Huo Shan laughed heartily. "Hang up that plaque!"
"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Senior Brother Chu!" The school's disciples streamed out, cupping their fists in congratulations. Appreciation also shone in Huo Yao's lovely eyes. Having come from the Prefecture City, she naturally knew how troublesome Flying Centipede had been. Chu Fan's ability to kill him was extraordinary indeed.
Zhao Feng glanced over only once before looking away and continuing his stance training. Other people's celebrations had nothing to do with him. He focused on himself.
Over the past few days, he had consumed large quantities of tiger meat and bear meat, along with Vitality Pills and medicinal baths. He felt the power of his qi and blood growing as dense and heavy as mercury, brimming with vigorous vitality. The time had come to try to unleash hidden force.
[Eight Extremes Stake Skill: minor mastery (998/1000)] [Eight Extremes Fist: minor mastery (996/1000)]
Today is the day for the gate breakthrough! Ignoring the fatigue of an entire day's training, he continued practicing his stance. As time passed, darkness fell, and even the last few disciples at the school were preparing to leave.
"Senior Brother Zhao is still training this late?"
"Seriously, I've never seen anyone work so hard."
"But can hard work alone really be enough?"
"I'm afraid he'll end up another Senior Brother Yue."
After spending so much time with him, most of the disciples had come to admire Zhao Feng's diligence. Sighing inwardly, they left the school in twos and threes.
Zhao Feng remained alone on the Plum Blossom Stakes, enduring the tearing pain in his muscles and the ache deep in his bones.
At that moment, Wei Yuan emerged from the rear courtyard. He had intended to find an opportunity to tell Zhao Feng about reducing his benefits, but as he watched Zhao Feng wholly absorbed in his stance training, he ultimately said nothing and returned to the rear courtyard.
Gradually, Zhao Feng felt his body growing hotter and hotter. His qi and blood slowly began to boil, as though flames were burning through every limb and bone.
His clothes were soaked through, inside and out, so Zhao Feng simply stripped his upper body bare. His skin and eyes gradually began turning crimson. At that moment, he could feel a surge of energy slowly forming in his dantian, spreading little by little through his meridians into every limb and bone.
He knew this was the power of his qi and blood, opening the crucial sinews, bones, and meridians throughout his body and forming a complete circuit.
He could even see signs of the power of his qi and blood surging beneath his skin.
This was the moment of the final step across the threshold. He dared not slacken, concentrating fully on directing the power of his qi and blood through every limb and bone.
The front courtyard was utterly quiet. Clear moonlight spilled over his motionless body and bulging muscles, making him look like a statue of Venus.
Bright strength generated visible force within the body, linking flesh and blood while tempering sinews and bones. Hidden force, however, not only opened the Conception and Governor Vessels, but also cleared the crucial sinews, bones, and joints along the pathways throughout the body. This allowed the power of qi and blood to lie concealed not only within flesh, sinews, and bones, but also gathered within the key meridians, waiting to be unleashed.
When needed, it could erupt without a sound, wielding astonishing power!
The searing power of qi and blood within his body had already begun connecting, little by little, through his flesh, sinews, and bones. Once those pathways opened fully and joined from end to end, it would mark the formation of hidden force.
Heaven and earth lay silent. Only his increasingly heavy breathing could be heard, and even the sound of sweat dripping onto the ground was distinctly audible.
At that moment, sweat poured from his entire body like rain, and every cell was wracked with pain. But he knew that the longer he held on, the more thoroughly he would be cleansed, and the more concentrated the hidden force he unleashed would become.
Breaking through also meant gathering momentum. Like drawing a bow, the more power he stored, the fiercer its release would be!
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