Inside the thatched hut.
Madam Zheng clutched two yellowed IOUs, still unable to believe it.
"Eldest... our family's debts, have they truly been settled just like that?"
"They've been settled."
Shen Xiuhan smiled and nodded.
Madam Zheng held the IOUs, looking them over again and again. Then she suddenly rose and threw them into the firepit.
The flames curled around them, and the papers instantly caught fire, turning into flecks of ash that drifted up into the air before slowly falling back down.
Madam Zheng stared blankly at the ashes. Her hunched back gradually straightened, as though the burden on her back had dispersed along with that wisp of smoke.
"Brother..."
A timid child's voice came from the corner of the bed.
Shen Momo had curled herself into a tiny ball like a frightened quail. In a small voice, she asked:
"Have all the bad people gone? Th-they won't come catch Momo anymore, right?"
Shen Xiuhan's heart softened. He walked over and gathered her into his arms.
He did not know whether the White Family would come again, but they had better not...
Because next time, Shen Xiuhan would never let them leave unscathed.
"They're all gone," Shen Xiuhan said softly. "They'll never come again."
After a pause, he produced two candied hawthorn sticks as if by magic and gave them a shake. "Look, what did your brother bring Momo?"
Crystal-clear syrup wrapped around bright red hawthorns, skewered on bamboo sticks and glimmering enticingly in the dim yellow lamplight.
"Candied hawthorn!"
The little girl's eyes instantly lit up. Her fear vanished without a trace as she sprang from his arms, took one, and bit down hard.
"So sweet..."
"Mom, the candied hawthorn is so delicious!"
Seeing her daughter's delighted expression, Madam Zheng finally could not hold back any longer. She turned away and secretly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"Mom, don't cry."
Shen Xiuhan pointed at the pork belly he had bought and smiled. "Hurry and cook. Your son practiced martial arts all day—I'm so hungry my chest is sticking to my back."
"Alright, alright, I'll get cooking right away." Madam Zheng wiped away her tears, rose, and busied herself.
During the meal.
The fragrance filled the room.
A bowl of meat porridge with a cornmeal flatbread warmed them from head to toe.
Having calmed herself, Madam Zheng asked softly, "Eldest, did things go smoothly at the Martial Arts School today?"
"Don't worry, Mom. Everything went smoothly."
Shen Xiuhan took out the purse Mei Shuangfeng had given him and handed it over. "The silver left from selling the Treasure Fish. Put it away quickly, Mom."
"You use up a great deal practicing martial arts. You need to keep some money on you for protection."
"I kept some."
Shen Xiuhan smiled. He had kept two taels of loose silver on his person in case of emergencies.
Only then did Madam Zheng take it and glance inside. The glittering silver ingots made her dizzy. Her breath caught, and without even setting down her chopsticks, she hurriedly hid the purse beneath the bed.
Shen Momo ate her meat porridge while still refusing to put down her candied hawthorn. She mumbled:
"Brother, does learning martial arts mean we won't be afraid of those bad people who want to catch Momo?"
"Of course."
"Then... then when Momo grows up, Momo will learn martial arts too and help Brother beat up bad people!"
"Alright!"
Shen Xiuhan smiled and rubbed her hair, which had finally regained a bit of its sheen.
The next morning, at dawn.
The sky was barely light when Shen Xiuhan, as usual, tucked two cooked flatbreads into his clothes and left home.
Knowing that martial arts training consumed much of his strength, Madam Zheng had specially stuffed them with meat filling.
Upon entering the inner city, Shen Xiuhan slowed slightly and swept his gaze over the teahouse at the street corner.
By the window, two fat and thin lackeys were staring at Shen Xiuhan with cold smiles.
Well, well...
They had come early enough today.
Seeing Shen Xiuhan look over, Tian Erhu, built like a bull, widened his tiger eyes and barked:
"What are you looking at!"
Shen Xiuhan remained expressionless. Without uttering a single word of nonsense, he calmly withdrew his gaze and headed straight toward Mei Martial Hall.
Before he had even walked half a street, that familiar feeling of being watched clung to him like a shadow.
Shen Xiuhan's steps remained steady, and he did not look back.
He knew full well that avoiding the Golden Dragon Gang's surveillance in the inner city was simply unrealistic.
It would naturally be best if they did not discover him, but even if they learned where he was going, it did not matter.
Mei Martial Hall and Through-the-Back Martial Hall had never seen eye to eye.
Borrowing a tiger's hide to make a grand banner.
Let those two watch with their own eyes as he stepped through Mei Martial Hall's gates.
Perhaps...
It would make them wary of the rat for fear of breaking the vase, leaving them afraid to act rashly before Ma Xianyang returned.
"What did you say!"
In the inner courtyard of Through-the-Back Martial Hall.
After hearing A-Zhe's report, Feng Xiaobao's fleshy face twitched. His tiger eyes flew open in rage, and his iron-tower-like body rose with a boom.
"Second Senior Brother... it's all this junior brother's fault for failing at his task." A-Zhe hunched his neck, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. "That brat somehow... actually joined Mei Martial Hall!"
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
"I'm sure..."
A-Zhe hurriedly said, "I deliberately got closer to look. I saw with my own eyes that he called Xu Chuan Senior Brother."
"You useless trash!"
Feng Xiaobao was beside himself with rage. He slapped the table, sending the teacup jumping three inches into the air. The flesh on his face twisted into a knot. "You couldn't even keep an eye on some mud-legged brat from the outer city. What use are you?"
"Second Senior Brother, please calm your anger!"
A-Zhe trembled violently and prostrated himself on the ground. "This junior brother thought it over all the way here. He's only a poor tenant farmer—where did he get eight taels of silver for tuition?"
Feng Xiaobao froze. His eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp gleam flickering within them.
"You mean..."
"The Treasure Fish!"
A-Zhe gritted his teeth and urgently said:
"Second Senior Brother, that little beast must have already caught the Treasure Fish!"
"He vanished for two days. He must have used some method to sell the Treasure Fish for money, then paid the tuition and joined Mei Martial Hall!"
Greed and ferocity erupted in Feng Xiaobao's eyes. He snatched the thick-backed saber from the weapon rack and strode out, radiating Killing Intent.
"What nerve!"
"The Treasure Fish he caught using my junior brother's fishing rod should rightfully belong to Through-the-Back Martial Hall!"
"Come! Bring men to Mei Martial Hall and collect the debt!"
But just as he stepped out of the inner courtyard, a burst of commotion and wailing came from outside.
Feng Xiaobao's brows knitted together as he shouted sharply:
"Why are you howling like mourners? All of you, grab your weapons—"
But halfway through his roar, the words stuck hard in his throat, and his expression suddenly darkened.
"Who did this!"
Several outer-court disciples responsible for guarding their territory in the inner city were helping one another as they staggered through the gate.
Every one of them was battered and bruised. Some even had broken arms hanging limply at their sides, their bodies covered in blood.
"It was the Fast Squad constables who beat us!"
"Second Senior Brother, you have to stand up for us!"
"We announced the martial hall's name, but not only did they refuse to listen, they hit even harder! They even plastered seals on both gambling dens in South Market!"
The disciples wailed to heaven and cried to earth, their voices full of resentment and hatred.
The Fast Squad?
They had sealed the gambling dens?!
Feng Xiaobao's eye twitched.
Through-the-Back Martial Hall's foothold in Longcloud County did not rely solely on the tuition fees it collected from disciples. The martial hall had many businesses under its name.
In South Market alone, it had two gambling dens, a restaurant, and a weaponsmith's shop.
Its hall master, Yan Xiao, had reached Late-Stage Hidden Force several years ago and was one of the foremost experts in all of Longcloud County.
Ordinarily, the yamen and the martial hall kept to their own waters, never interfering with each other, while taking their monthly tributes.
Why had they torn their faces apart today, beating people and sealing up the shops?
"The Fast Squad..."
Feng Xiaobao frowned. "If I remember correctly, the Fast Squad's chief constable... is the White Family's second young master, Bai Xi'an, isn't he?"
"It was him!"
"It was Bai Xi'an himself who led the men to seal the doors!"
"The White Family... damn it..."
Feng Xiaobao clenched his fists until they crackled, the veins at his temples bulging wildly.
Yet he never dared utter any harsh threats.
The White Family—the true local emperor of Longcloud County.
Not only did its businesses spread throughout the city, but its family head also held the post of county commandant.
And that was not to mention the White Family's resident old monster who had entered Transformation Force many years ago—
Bai Qingcang!
For the White Family to suddenly move against Through-the-Back Martial Hall without any warning...
This was anything but ordinary!
A sheen of cold sweat appeared on Feng Xiaobao's forehead. Forgetting all about the Treasure Fish, he gripped his saber and rushed straight toward the main hall in the rear courtyard.
Before you continue