Retreat

Meanwhile, the Three Harmonies Gang's thugs had already arrived at the home of Zhao Feng's Eldest Uncle, Zhao Youfu.

"How many people are in your household? Hurry up and pay! Two mace of silver per head," said the burly man in blue at their head.

"Good sir, we really have no money left." His face already white with fright, Zhao Youfu came out and repeatedly bowed, pleading for mercy.

To support Zhao Sheng's martial training, he had not only sold their ox but also everything valuable in the house. They truly had nothing left. Both husband and wife had gone back to wearing their old, tattered clothes.

"I see you're tired of living," the burly man in blue said angrily.

"Good sir, please hold your hand!" Eldest Aunt Qian Shi stepped forward.

"Our son is studying martial arts in the County Seat. He's a Martial Master too. Could you give him some face and make an exception?"

"Your son is a Martial Master?" The burly man in blue froze, his expression immediately turning cautious.

Not daring to take this lightly, he turned and left.

Seeing the Three Harmonies Gang's men leave, Qian Shi and Zhao Youfu breathed sighs of relief and straightened their backs. "See that? My son is a Martial Master, so they wouldn't dare touch our family," Qian Shi told the neighbors smugly.

"Looks like learning martial arts really is the way to go." The neighbors looked envious.

But before long, hurried footsteps sounded. The burly man in blue who had just left returned, following behind Wang Kui.

"Your son is a Martial Master?" Wang Kui asked.

"Yes," Qian Shi said, standing tall.

"What's his name? Which martial arts school is he at?"

"Our son's name is Zhao Sheng. He studies at the Zheng Clan Martial Hall," Qian Shi said proudly.

"Zhao Sheng, Zheng Clan Martial Hall?" Wang Kui frowned and signaled to the adviser beside him, who took out a register and leafed through it.

Then he shook his head at Wang Kui.

"Damn you, old hag! You dare make a fool of me?" Wang Kui flew into a rage, stepped forward, and slapped her across the face. Stars burst before Qian Shi's eyes, and she collapsed into a sitting position on the ground.

The thugs swarmed inside, smashed up the house, and stole the few remaining things worth any money.

"Our son really is a Martial Master!" Qian Shi and Zhao Youfu cried. The villagers watching nearby whispered among themselves.

"From the way they're acting, Zhao Sheng isn't a Martial Master at all?"

"When he came back asking for money last month, didn't he say he was still training and preparing for the Martial Examination?"

"Why don't these thugs know him?"

"There are so many Martial Masters. Surely they can't know every one."

At the eastern end of the village.

Bang! A large hole had been smashed through the front gate of Zhao Youlin's neighbor, Uncle Old Zhong. Two thugs in short blue outfits held him firmly down. His face was swollen and bruised, with blood at the corner of his mouth.

Uncle Old Zhong's wife lay collapsed on the ground, sobbing. Most of the pots, bowls, and utensils in their home had already been smashed.

"Good sirs, we really have no money left. Please, spare us," Auntie Zhong pleaded.

"Cut the damn chatter and pay up!"

"Found it!" Just then, one of the underlings found thirty-odd copper coins inside a shattered earthenware jar.

"That's the money for my little one's medicine! He's still sick!" Auntie Zhong cried and lunged toward him, only for the burly man in blue to kick her to the ground.

"See that? This is what happens when you break the Three Harmonies Gang's rules!" the burly man in blue snarled at the villagers outside, who seethed but dared not speak.

"Where's the rest? Hand it over!"

Zhao Youlin was among the crowd, watching everything with anger on his face. He kept reminding himself not to cause trouble for his family, especially Feng.

But Old Zhong had been his neighbor for decades. He simply could not bear to watch.

He took a deep breath and was just about to step forward and say something.

Jingle, jingle! Bells rang and a horse neighed at the village entrance. Everyone looked up and saw a spacious enclosed carriage approaching from the distance. The horse pulling it had a glossy coat and was clearly a fine steed.

"Whose carriage is that?" the villagers wondered.

No one in their village could afford a carriage, and wealthy people almost never visited. Who could be sitting inside?

But with curtains covering the carriage's doorway and windows, no one could see clearly.

Clop, clop, clop! The carriage passed through the village and headed straight for the eastern end. It only stopped when it reached the crowd.

"Who's here?"

Wang Kui recognized at a glance that this was a carriage from the city. What dignitary had come to this wretched village?

Just then, the door curtain lifted. A young man in a plain-colored robe, his hair tied up, emerged and stepped down from the carriage.

"Who's that?" The villagers stared in a daze. He looked somewhat familiar, but none dared say they recognized him.

"Second Uncle!" Zhao Bao'er and Zhao Zihuai, hiding in the crowd, were the first to recognize him. Both shouted.

The newcomer was none other than their Second Uncle, Zhao Feng, whom they had missed dearly these past few months. The two little boys rushed toward him without a care. Zhao Feng spread his arms, caught one in each, and lifted them both up. They were a little taller and heavier than a few months ago. At least they had been getting adequate nourishment.

"It really is Zhao Feng!"

"Youlin's boy!"

The villagers were all astonished. Another three months or more had passed since his last visit, and he had changed again. They had almost failed to recognize him.

This was because his robust physique and increased qi and blood had nourished his body. His vitality had risen once more, and even his complexion and bone structure had changed, giving him a distinctly gallant air.

"My youngest!" Zhao Youlin was overwhelmed with excitement. The youngest son he had longed for had come home.

"Father!" Zhao Feng nodded with a smile and handed the two little boys the pastries he had brought from the Fragrant House in the Inner City.

Zhao Bao'er and Zhao Zihuai cheered, opened the paper package, and drooled at the colorful pastries inside. But they still had the good sense to go over to Zhao Youlin. "Grandpa, have some too."

While Zhao Feng's family acted as though no one else were present, Wang Kui's expression was quite a sight.

"Martial... Master Zhao, why are you here?" he asked, stammering slightly. What was going on?

"So it's Deputy Gang Leader Wang. This is my home," Zhao Feng said with a nod.

He had actually seen what was happening in the village through the carriage window long before. It was much as he had anticipated: after gradually unifying the Outer City, the Three Harmonies Gang would expand into the surrounding villages. They meant to squeeze even the last drop of grease from these farmers' bones.

"Your home?" Wang Kui was dumbfounded. This poor mountain village had produced a hidden force expert? In his experience, almost everyone who broke through to hidden force either came from a wealthy family or had the backing of a powerful faction. How could a mountain hollow like this produce a young expert like Zhao Feng?

Others might not know, but they knew what Zhao Feng could do. Feng Second Tiger had possessed hidden force too, but so what? His corpse had been burned to ashes. Only Wang Kui and Bald Zhang knew Zhao Feng had done it. His ability to kill another expert of the same rank single-handedly spoke volumes about his strength.

"Deputy Gang Leader Wang, you're here to collect my contribution, aren't you?"

"Of course not. You're joking, Martial Master Zhao. The flood has washed into the Dragon King's own temple!"

Wang Kui gave an awkward smile, then turned and glared fiercely at the adviser beside him. It seemed that next time they compiled a list of Martial Masters from the various martial arts schools and escort agencies, they would need not only their names but also their ancestral homes and where their families lived.

"Feng!" Auntie Zhong hurriedly called to him from the side, her face pleading.

"Auntie Zhong." Zhao Feng nodded.

Seeing this, Wang Kui gave his men a meaningful look, and they hastily returned the money they had just stolen from Auntie Zhong. He thought for a moment. He had no idea which other villagers were also close to Martial Master Zhao.

"Return it all."

Not just Auntie Zhong's money-even the money taken from the other villagers earlier was simply returned.

"Martial Master Zhao, forgive our offense! We'll take our leave!" Wang Kui cupped his hands toward Zhao Feng and hastily led his thugs away.

As he walked, he silently cursed his rotten luck. They had best stop collecting money from Jiazi Ravine Village. Once he returned, he would have to tell the others to bypass Jiazi Ravine Village and collect from elsewhere. Among all the impoverished mud-legged peasants in the surrounding villages, Zhao Feng was the lone anomaly who had become a hidden force expert. None of the other villages would escape.