Through-Back Stance

Shen Xiuhan withdrew his gaze and stepped onto the stone stairs.

"Who goes there?!"

A disciple in gray flashed out from within the gate, arms folded across his chest as he sized Shen Xiuhan up and down.

Shen Xiuhan cupped his hands in salute.

"Brother, please announce me. The fish Brother Ma Xianyang arranged for yesterday have been delivered."

The gray-clad disciple's expression eased slightly at those words. "Senior Brother Ma isn't at the martial hall. Hmm... wait here a moment. I'll go announce you now."

With that, he turned and entered.

Before long, a string of heavy footsteps sounded from inside the gate.

Thump, thump, thump.

Every step seemed to land upon one's chest, dull and powerful.

Shen Xiuhan raised his eyes.

A hulking man with knotted muscles strode out through the gate.

He had the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear, broad shoulders and a thick back, with a square face, heavy brows, and large eyes.

The aura radiating from him was even more oppressive than Ma Xianyang's had been yesterday.

"This is the second senior brother of our Through-the-Back Martial Hall's inner court, Feng Xiaobao," the gray-clad disciple who had followed him out introduced.

Feng Xiaobao stared expressionlessly at Shen Xiuhan, his voice ringing like a great bell.

"Were those fish yesterday caught by you?"

"That's right..."

"Hm. Not bad!"

Feng Xiaobao suddenly broke into a grin. "Those fish made an exceptionally delicious soup!"

Shen Xiuhan paused slightly, then smiled and cupped his hands. "Uh... as long as Brother Feng enjoyed them."

"Hahaha, come with me!"

With a broad wave of his hand, Feng Xiaobao led Shen Xiuhan over the threshold.

The Through-the-Back Martial Hall occupied a vast area, a standard sprawling residence with three courtyards.

The front courtyard was wide and open, its ground entirely paved with hard bluish-gray stone.

Though it was midwinter, dozens of outer-court disciples in the yard stood in horse stances and practiced punching forms, pale white steam rising from their bodies with sweat.

Shen Xiuhan swept his gaze over the crowd but did not spot Chen An.

Feng Xiaobao did not slow down, so Shen Xiuhan could not linger overlong either.

After passing through an ornate hanging gate, they entered the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard's scenery was far more refined.

There were artificial hills and flowing water, koi drifting leisurely through the pond, and several winter plum trees planted in the corner, standing proud against the snow as their hidden fragrance wafted through the air.

Following behind Feng Xiaobao, Shen Xiuhan had barely entered the courtyard when his gaze uncontrollably flicked toward a corner of the inner courtyard's training ground.

Several disciples there were fighting in pairs, their fist winds howling with faint sounds of air splitting apart. They were presumably inner-court disciples.

Beside them stood a coarse black urn filled with well water, meant for the disciples to rest and quench their thirst after training.

Shen Xiuhan's gaze paused slightly beneath that black urn.

Pale golden motes of light shone as dazzlingly as stars!

The original copy of the Transformation Force-grade technique, "Through-Back Stance," was right there!

Just as the two crossed the courtyard.

In the rear courtyard's main hall, the doors and windows were tightly shut, while the underfloor heating burned fiercely, filling the room with balmy warmth.

Seated in the place of honor was a short, plump middle-aged man with a fair, beardless face. He was Yan Xiao, the current master of the Through-the-Back Martial Hall.

He lifted his teacup, took a sip, and spoke unhurriedly.

"Honggang, has Mei Shuangfeng made any moves recently?"

In a chair below, a young man in his twenties lounged against the backrest with one leg crossed over the other, idly playing with the jade pendant at his waist. Hearing his master's question, he answered carelessly.

"The same as always."

"Seven days ago, this disciple personally defeated Jiang Qinghong. Hall Master Mei has likely lost all face and hasn't shown herself since..."

"Hahaha, good!"

Yan Xiao clapped and laughed, looking approvingly at his eldest disciple, Zhao Honggang.

"That madwoman Mei Shuangfeng is probably furious!"

"Jiang Qinghong's talent isn't bad. She broke through to the Bone Tempering Realm at eighteen, but unfortunately for her, she ran into my disciple Honggang."

"At twenty-five, he is already at the peak of Bright Force, only one step away from Hidden Force..."

"Presumably, only Wang Xuanyang from Eastern Guard Martial Hall can remain slightly ahead of you."

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"Who would have thought that such a genius would turn out to be my, Yan Xiao's, personal disciple!"

"Hahahahaha!"

A trace of pride flashed across Zhao Honggang's face. He sat up a little straighter and solemnly cupped his hands.

"It is all because Master has held nothing back in teaching me and guided me so well!"

"Eh, that still requires you to possess outstanding talent and work hard enough."

Yan Xiao waved a hand and sighed.

"On the path of martial arts, my teachings alone are useless. Take that lad Xianyang—he's simply a blockhead..."

"Enough, enough!"

A woman's voice suddenly rang out, cutting off the mutual praise between master and disciple.

Reclining sideways on a soft couch beside Yan Xiao was a gorgeous woman. She appeared to be studying the jade-like fingers painted with brilliant red nail polish, but her words were utterly merciless.

"You master and disciple certainly know how to praise each other when you shut yourselves behind closed doors."

"You've already cultivated yourselves onto a road that ends at the execution block, yet you're still smugly pleased with yourselves?"

"Merely at the peak of Bright Force—what use would it be even if you cultivated all the way to the peak of Hidden Force?"

"As long as you fail to enter Transformation Force, you are only fit to cling to life beneath the whims of the county office, Eastern Guard Martial Hall, and the White Family!"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Yan Xiao and Zhao Honggang exchanged a glance. Both looked embarrassed, yet wisely kept their mouths shut.

The beautiful woman paid no heed to their expressions. Her long, narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone abruptly changed as she looked at Yan Xiao.

"...Did she say anything?"

Yan Xiao rubbed the bridge of his flat nose and gave a dry cough.

"Uh... no. She still refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the Transformation Force-stage mental method for 'Through-Back Stance'..."

"Hmph!"

The woman snorted coldly, a glint of cruelty flashing through her eyes.

"That family has always been made of stone—foul and hard. If you ask me, we should have used severe torture long ago. What can you pry out by relying only on soft words and gentle questioning?"

Yan Xiao fell silent for a moment before saying hesitantly.

"But that is your birth mother..."

"My birth mother?!"

As though she had heard the greatest joke in the world, the woman sprang to her feet. Her scarlet gown spilled down like water.

"What kind of birth mother is she?!"

"Ever since she gave birth to my precious younger brother, she threw me far away to a run-down manor outside the city and ignored me for a full ten years!"

"Once she saw that I had grown up and had a little beauty to my face, she wanted to marry me into the White Family, forcing me to become the concubine of that old thing from the White Family, all to pave the way for my precious younger brother!"

"Though we were both her own flesh and blood, she taught the complete 'Through-Back Stance' to my precious younger brother, yet went to every length to hide it from me, terrified that I would steal that worthless trash's inheritance!"

"And she deserves to be called a birth mother?!"

The main hall abruptly fell deathly silent.

A needle dropping would have been audible.

Zhao Honggang's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, then carefully tried to comfort her.

"Madam Master, please calm your anger... Haven't you already taken revenge on them and vented your fury...?"

"Not enough!"

The woman abruptly turned her head, her voice suddenly rising, shrill and piercing.

"Far from enough!"

"Poisoning my biased dead father to death, and that's supposed to settle it?"

"No!"

She enunciated every word, madness filling her eyes.

"I want to slaughter my precious younger brother. I want to wipe out their entire family. Only then can I dispel this hatred in my heart!"

Within the hall, the only sound was the faint crackling of charcoal.

For a long while, no one dared to respond.

Until...

Heavy footsteps sounded in the corridor outside.

"Master, your disciple Feng Xiaobao requests an audience!"

The hostility in the hall instantly receded. The woman snorted coldly, flicked her sleeve, and turned into the rear hall.

Yan Xiao gave a dry cough, straightened his robes, and lifted his teacup again, assuming the dignified bearing of a hall master.

After hearing Feng Xiaobao's report about Shen Xiuhan delivering fish, he did not even raise an eyelid. He waved a hand in utter indifference.

"Since it is a source Xianyang found, accept them."

"Such trivial procurement matters need not be reported in the future. Leave them all for you to manage."

"This disciple obeys!"

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