They Have Courted Death!

Shen Xiuhan lowered his head and glanced at the padded jacket he wore.

It was old and tattered, patch upon patch.

Earlier, with his blood and qi surging, he had flung it into the snow in his haste. Melted snow had soaked through the cotton stuffing, leaving a large blotchy stain. He looked utterly bedraggled.

It was time to find an opportunity to buy a couple of decent outfits.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Second Senior Brother."

"What trouble is that? It's Martial Hall rules. Any disciple admitted to the inner court may collect a set of training clothes from the storeroom."

Xu Chuan waved it off without a care.

A moment later.

Shen Xiuhan had a white fitted training outfit in his hands, its stitching fine and its fabric supple yet durable.

Only then did he understand what Xu Chuan had meant by "getting in the way."

Because this training outfit was very thin.

If an outer-court disciple who had yet to unlock their blood and qi dared to wear it while practicing martial arts in the depths of winter, they would not last half an hour before falling seriously ill the next day.

But for inner-court martial artists, whose blood and qi surged through their bodies, cold no longer held any terror. Thick cotton-padded clothes were instead a burden.

A single garment, yet it marked the impassable gulf between ordinary people and martial artists.

After settling the time for tomorrow's sparring drills with Xu Chuan at the martial hall, Shen Xiuhan set off through the gathering dusk and hurried all the way back to Little Path Bay.

The moment he pushed open the wicker gate, a tiny figure rushed out of the thatched cottage.

"Big bwother's back!"

With two little buns tied in her hair, Shen Momo pounced toward him, her face alight with joy. She held up something in her small hand as though presenting a treasure. "Big bwother, look!"

Shen Xiuhan looked closely, and a smile unconsciously spread across his features. "An egg? That old hen finally laid one?"

A few days ago, he had bought that old hen at the eastern market, hoping it would lay more eggs to nourish his mother and little sister.

Yet after being brought to a new place, the beast stubbornly refused to lay anything. Madam Zheng had been so angered that she spent every day brandishing a kitchen knife and threatening to stew it.

Perhaps it had truly understood human speech and become frightened. Today, it had finally squeezed one out.

Standing on tiptoe, Shen Momo pushed the cooked egg into his hand.

"Big bwother, you eat it..."

Shen Xiuhan took it and lightly tapped it with his fingertip. Fine cracks immediately webbed across the shell.

In a few quick motions, he peeled out the tender, springy egg white and held it back to the little girl's lips.

"Momo should eat it instead."

"Momo can't eat it."

The little girl swallowed, but she obediently shook her head again and again, shrinking back as she did so.

"Mother said Big Bwother's practicing martial arts to do great things, so he needs eggs to build up his body..."

"Well, well... what a touching scene of deep sibling affection."

A dull bang accompanied the mocking, sneering voice, abruptly shattering the warmth in the courtyard!

The wicker gate was kicked open brutally. Several wooden slats snapped apart, and splinters flew into the slushy snow.

Two figures swaggered into the courtyard.

They were the two Golden Dragon Gang spies who had not been seen for days!

A-Zhe and Tian Erhu!

With his arms crossed, Yu Zhe swept a teasing gaze across the courtyard before it settled on Shen Momo's tender little face. His eyes immediately lit up.

"What a lovely little girl..."

Shen Momo's face turned deathly pale. Clutching Shen Xiuhan's clothes, she hid behind him and only dared to peek out with one eye.

Madam Zheng, who had been busy in the kitchen, rushed out in panic upon hearing the commotion. When she saw the scene in the courtyard, she began to tremble slightly with fright.

"Mother..."

Without changing expression, Shen Xiuhan casually placed the egg in Shen Momo's hand and said in a low voice,

"Take Momo inside and bar the door. I'll handle this."

Madam Zheng's face was pale, but she still nodded hurriedly and carried Shen Momo into the inner room.

Only three people remained in the courtyard.

Yu Zhe stood there with his arms folded, watching the scene with a cold smile curling his lips.

"Kid, you took my Senior Brother Ma's fishing rod. Why haven't we seen anything since? Where are the fish you were supposed to deliver?"

Shen Xiuhan lowered his eyes. He already understood.

Ma Xianyang had returned to Longcloud County.

The news that he had entered the Mei Martial Hall outer court must have reached Ma Xianyang's ears as well, arousing his suspicions!

After all, eight taels of tuition was no small sum.

Where could the son of a mere fisherman have conjured up so much money?

But he still did not know what Ma Xianyang was planning. For now, he would retreat in order to advance, first probing their true intentions.

A glint flashed through Shen Xiuhan's eyes as he clasped his hands and said,

"You two have misunderstood. It's only because... the martial hall's assessment happened to fall during these past two weeks. I trained day and night and did not dare slack off, which delayed my fishing work..."

"Pah! Don't fucking try to use the Mei Martial Hall to pressure me!"

A-Zhe spat viciously and cut him off impatiently.

"You think I don't know your martial hall's rules? An outer-court disciple who hasn't received the true teachings dares to flaunt his school's name outside and strut around on borrowed prestige?!"

It had been said before...

But those were rules for outer-court disciples.

A-Zhe stepped forward and jabbed a finger heavily into Shen Xiuhan's chest, outrageously arrogant.

"Kid, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"

"The Mei Martial Hall won't wade into the muddy waters between the Golden Dragon Gang and Senior Brother Ma for a mud-legged outer-court nobody like you!"

"Let me tell you the truth!"

"Senior Brother Ma has already learned all about how you lucky bastard caught a treasure fish and traded it for tuition!"

"But he's a man of great magnanimity and can't be bothered to argue with a junior like you."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't be the two of us standing here today. Senior Brother Ma himself would have come knocking!"

A-Zhe sneered repeatedly and raised two rough fingers, delivering his final ultimatum.

"Senior Brother Ma has spoken. For the sake of our past acquaintance, he's giving you two days' grace!"

"If you obediently hand over a treasure fish to honor Senior Brother Ma within two days, then the grudge over taking the fishing rod and failing to do the job will be wiped clean!"

Shen Xiuhan's brows drew tightly together, and panic appeared on his face at just the right moment.

"You two, please see reason... A treasure fish, a naturally auspicious beast like that, isn't some broken stone on the riverbank that can be picked up whenever one wishes!"

"In only two days, even if I had the power to reach the heavens, where could I possibly conjure up one for Senior Brother Ma..."

"Quit fucking pretending to be pitiful!"

Tian Erhu, who had remained silent at the back, suddenly pulled the dagger from his waist. A flash of cold light cut a gash into the water vat in the courtyard!

"Two days!"

"If we don't see a treasure fish after two days... heh heh!"

He turned and greedily glanced at the tightly shut wooden door of the inner room. Revealing a mouthful of foul-smelling yellow teeth, he hissed like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"In this little patch of the outer city, if the Golden Dragon Gang wants to deal with someone, I've never seen anyone capable of protecting them!"

"When that time comes, that old mother of yours and that lovely little girl... don't blame us brothers for not knowing how to cherish beauty and treasure jade!"

"A-Zhe! Let's go!"

After throwing down those words, the two of them laughed arrogantly and turned to melt into the night.

Watching the two figures vanish into the wind and snow, Shen Xiuhan slowly straightened.

A plume of scorching white breath burst from his nostrils.

His lowered eyes slowly rose. In the depths of his pitch-black pupils, the brutal killing intent he had forcibly suppressed erupted like a volcano!

Ma Xianyang...

And those two rabid dogs from the Golden Dragon Gang...

You insulted my mother and coveted my little sister... You have courted death!