Through-Back Stance

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

"Who goes there?!"

A gray-clad disciple flashed out from within the gate, folding his arms as he looked Shen Xiuhan up and down.

Shen Xiuhan cupped his fists in salute.

"Brother, sorry for the trouble. Brother Ma Xianyang ordered some fish yesterday, and I've brought them over."

At this, the gray-clad disciple's expression eased slightly. "Senior Brother Ma isn't at the Martial Arts School. Hmm... wait here a moment. I'll go report it."

With that, he turned and went inside.

Before long, a series of heavy footsteps sounded from within the gate.

Thud, thud, thud.

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

Shen Xiuhan looked up.

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

He had the back of a tiger and 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 booming like a great bell.

"Did you catch those fish yesterday?"

"That's right..."

"Hmm, not bad!"

Feng Xiaobao suddenly grinned. "Those fish made an exceptionally delicious soup!"

Shen Xiuhan froze slightly, then cupped his fists with a smile. "Uh... as long as Brother Feng found them to his liking."

"Hahaha! Come with me!"

With a sweep of his great hand, Feng Xiaobao led Shen Xiuhan across the threshold.

The Through-the-Back Martial Hall covered an enormous area, a standard three-courtyard grand residence.

The front courtyard was broad and open, its ground entirely paved with hard blue-patterned stone.

Though it was the dead of winter, dozens of outer-court disciples in the yard stood in horse stances and practiced punching forms, pale clouds of sweat vapor rising from their bodies.

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

Feng Xiaobao did not slow his pace, so Shen Xiuhan could not conveniently look any longer.

They passed through an ornate hanging-flower gate and entered the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard's scenery was far more elegant.

There were not only artificial hills and flowing water, with koi gliding leisurely through the pond, but several winter plum trees planted at the corner of the wall, their hidden fragrance drifting through the air.

Following behind Feng Xiaobao, Shen Xiuhan had barely stepped into 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 fists whistled through the air, faintly producing the sound of tearing wind. They were presumably inner-court disciples.

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

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

Pale golden points of light, dazzling like stars!

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

Just as the two crossed the courtyard.

In the main hall of the rear courtyard, the doors and windows were tightly shut, and the underfloor heating burned fiercely, filling the hall with warmth.

At the seat of honor sat 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 raised his teacup and took a sip, then asked leisurely.

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

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 must have lost all face, and she hasn't shown herself since..."

"Hahaha, good!"

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

"That madwoman Mei Shuangfeng is probably furious!"

"Jiang Qinghong's talent is not bad. She broke through to the Bone Tempering Realm at eighteen, but unfortunately, 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 of the Eastern Guard Martial Hall can stay slightly ahead of you."

"Yet who would have thought such a prodigy would be the personal disciple of me, Yan Xiao!"

"Hahahaha!"

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

"It is all thanks to Master's wholehearted instruction and excellent guidance!"

"Eh, that also requires exceptional talent and sufficient diligence on your part."

Yan Xiao waved his hand and sighed.

"On the path of martial arts, my instruction alone is useless. Take that boy Xianyang, for instance—he is simply a block of elm wood..."

"Enough, enough!"

A woman's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the mutual flattery between master and disciple.

On the soft couch beside Yan Xiao reclined a gorgeous woman. She appeared to be studying her jade-like fingers painted with bright scarlet nail polish, but her words were mercilessly sarcastic.

"You master and disciple really know how to heap praise on each other when the doors are shut."

"You've already cultivated yourselves onto a road that ends in decapitation, yet you're still smugly pleased with yourselves?"

"Mere peak Bright Force. Even if you cultivated all the way to peak Hidden Force, what use would that be?"

"So long as you do not enter Transformation Force, you are only fit to survive on borrowed breath beneath the county office, the Eastern Guard Martial Hall, and the White Family!"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly fell silent.

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

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

"...Has she spoken?"

Yan Xiao touched 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 trace of cruelty flashing through her eyes.

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

Yan Xiao fell silent for a moment, then said hesitantly.

"But she is your biological mother..."

"My biological mother?!"

As if she had heard the greatest joke in the world, the woman abruptly rose to her feet, her crimson gown cascading down like water.

"What kind of biological 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 completely for ten whole years!"

"Once she saw that I had grown up and possessed some beauty, she wanted to marry me off to 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 born of her flesh and blood, she taught the complete 'Through-Back Stance' to my precious younger brother while going to every possible length to hide it from me, terrified that I would seize that useless trash's position as heir!"

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

The main hall suddenly became deathly silent.

A needle falling would have been heard.

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

"Master's wife, 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 was supposed to settle it?"

"No!"

She spoke each word slowly and heavily, her eyes brimming with madness.

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

Within the hall, only the faint crackling of the charcoal fire remained.

For a long while, no one dared speak.

Until...

Heavy footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the door.

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

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

Yan Xiao gave a dry cough, straightened his robes, picked up his teacup again, and assumed the imposing demeanor of a martial hall master.

After hearing Feng Xiaobao's report about Shen Xiuhan delivering the fish, he did not even lift his eyelids. He waved a hand dismissively.

"Since it is a channel Xianyang found, accept it."

"There is no need to report such trivial purchasing matters in the future. Leave them all for you to manage."

"This disciple obeys!"