Martial Hall Disciples

Feng Chen sank his mind into the Sea of Consciousness and looked at the talent template.

The description after the realm column had changed once more from "considered an expert even at the Body Tempering Second Layer" into new words!

"You have few rivals at the Body Tempering Second Layer."

Seeing this, Feng Chen smiled.

It meant his strength had risen another notch.

The leap in combat power brought by the Five Tigers Gate-Breaking Saber advancing from Minor Mastery to Great Mastery was real and solid. The judgment of his Destiny Talent would not lie.

He gripped the short saber again and practiced the Great Mastery Five Tigers Gate-Breaking Saber once through in the room.

The saber light flickered beneath the midnight moon. All twelve moves flowed together in one breath, as smooth as a single silver chain dancing through the air.

The dull hum of the blade splitting the air was steady and forceful, each slash delivered with precisely the right strength and angle.

After completing all twelve moves, he sheathed his saber. His tiger's mouth felt faintly warm, while the blood and qi throughout his body gathered with the saber's momentum and slowly settled.

Only then did he stop and walk to the window to look at the moon outside.

That large, round moon had already drifted far to the west, its silvery light shining over the muddy ground in the courtyard.

It was already midnight. The distant forest was pitch-black, and even the cries of night birds had grown much sparser.

It was time to rest. Tomorrow, he still had to go into town to buy medicinal herbs and meat. Only with enough energy could he make the journey properly.

Feng Chen went into the courtyard, scooped several ladles of cool water from the water vat into a wooden bucket, and used a cloth towel to wipe the sweat from his entire body.

The icy well water splashed against his skin, slowly cooling his body, which had grown hot from cultivation, and washing away most of his fatigue.

After cleaning himself, he returned to the room. Lin Qing'er was still sleeping deeply in her curled position on her side, her breathing light and even.

Feng Chen lay down quietly beside her, pulled the blanket up to cover her exposed shoulder, and closed his eyes.

Green Mountain Town, inside a restaurant behind the Wang Clan Martial Hall.

The private room on the second floor was tightly shut, brightly lit within.

A lavish feast had been laid out on the table!

Braised pork knuckle, roast chicken, red-braised carp, several dishes of delicate side dishes, and a pot of warmed aged yellow wine.

The spread was abundant. In a place like Green Mountain Town, it was already the height of extravagance.

Liu Teng sat in the seat of honor. Three wine cups sat before him, all filled with yellow wine.

He wore a clean dark-blue short outfit, with that refined iron longsaber hanging from his waist. The fleshy folds on his face looked especially coarse beneath the lamplight.

He raised his wine cup and respectfully cupped his hands toward the two young men seated across from him.

The one on the left was called Wang Tianfan. He was tall and lean, with fair features, dressed in a moon-white robe whose cuffs bore the tiger-pattern insignia of the Wang Clan Martial Hall.

The one on the right was called Wang Tianping. He was half a head shorter than Wang Tianfan, but his shoulders were broader, and his face carried the habitual arrogance of a scion from a prominent family.

"I ask that you two senior brothers return to the village with me tomorrow and help bolster my presence." Liu Teng raised his wine cup forward, bending at the waist a little deeper as deliberate humility filled his voice.

Wang Tianfan lifted his cup and took a sip, then waved his hand with a smile. "Rest easy, Junior Brother Liu. We will certainly stand with you. With us there, who in your little village would dare lay a hand on you? That would be picking a fight with our Wang Family."

"A bunch of unruly peasants from some backwater village can't turn the sky upside down."

"Yes, don't worry."

Wang Tianping also picked up his wine cup, stuffed a piece of braised pork knuckle into his mouth, and said indistinctly as he chewed, "I'd like to see which blind fool dares touch the family of a disciple from our martial hall. When we return tomorrow, just point that person out. We'll back you up, and you can handle the rest yourself."

Liu Teng nodded repeatedly, the fleshy folds of his face squeezing into a smile of overwhelming gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Brothers, thank you, Senior Brothers. Liu Teng will remember this favor in his heart."

He raised his cup again and drained it in one gulp, then wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

In truth, Wang Tianfan and Wang Tianping were both Martial Artists at the Body Tempering, First Heaven, just like him. In terms of realm, the three of them were not far apart.

Yet Liu Teng remained incomparably respectful toward them, because their surname was Wang. They were direct descendants of the Wang Clan Martial Hall.

Within the martial hall, the treatment of direct descendants and outside disciples was as different as heaven and earth!

Direct descendants learned the real techniques. Their monthly supply of medicinal herbs far exceeded that of outside disciples, and if they caused trouble, the martial hall would support them.

As for Liu Teng, he was merely an outsider who had paid to learn martial arts. Even if their realms were equal, he still had to bow and scrape before Wang Family disciples and call them Senior Brother.

But with these two vouching for him, Liu Teng felt much more confident about returning to the village tomorrow.

Over the past few days, he had turned the entire matter over in his mind countless times. The more he thought about it, the less certain he felt.

Though his father, Liu Dagang, was not some expert in Green Mountain Village, he had relied on his status as village chief, that big yellow dog, and the support of several clansmen. He was not someone just anybody could sneak into the courtyard and behead.

The person who had dared kill his father might truly possess some skill.

But exactly how strong that person was—whether Body Tempering First Level or Second Layer, whether alone or with accomplices—he had no way of knowing.

That was why he had invited these two Wang Family disciples to return with him.

Even if the murderer was still in the village, upon seeing members of the Wang Family standing beside Liu Teng, the culprit would surely feel fear.

The Wang Family Martial Hall was, after all, a force with some standing in Green Mountain Town. Ordinary Rogue Cultivators would not dare offend it lightly.

After wandering the martial world for so long, Liu Teng had indeed grown a little wiser.

After three rounds of wine, more than half the dishes on the table had been eaten.

The three discussed the next day's journey a while longer, agreed to meet at the martial hall entrance at dawn, then went their separate ways.

Liu Teng returned to his private quarters in the martial hall. Lying in bed, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. In his mind, his father's severed face before death and the unknown whereabouts of his elder brother, Tiger Liu, surfaced again and again.

He clenched his fists until his knuckles crackled.

A night passed.

Early the next morning, the sky had only just begun to brighten. A faint strip of fish-belly white had appeared over East Mountain Ridge, while the birds had yet to begin singing.

Feng Chen rose from bed, quietly turning over and getting down without waking Lin Qing'er, who was still asleep.

He practiced a set of punches in the courtyard to loosen his muscles and bones, then washed up with the little water left from last night.

By the time he had finished tidying himself up, Lin Qing'er had risen as well, rubbing her eyes as she headed straight into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Coarse-grain porridge steamed with heat, accompanied by a little leftover stew from last night and pickled radish strips. It was not a feast, but it filled their stomachs.

After breakfast, Feng Chen looked at Lin Qing'er and said, "Qing'er, I need to go into town and buy some more things. We're nearly out of medicinal herbs and meat, so I need to replenish them."

Lin Qing'er was clearing away the bowls and chopsticks when her hands paused.

She set down a bowl, walked before Feng Chen, and reached out to fasten his collar buttons one by one. Then she smoothed the turned-up edges of his sleeves before raising her face to urge him nervously, "Husband, you must be careful. When you are away from home, do not argue with others."

She had not forgotten what happened last night!

The arrogant expressions of Liu Heigou and the other two, the crack when their necks were twisted, the three distorted faces in the courtyard—every scene was still imprinted in her mind.

Although Feng Chen had dealt with them cleanly, she was still shaken with lingering fear.

Feng Chen patted her slender shoulder, pressing his palm lightly against it. "Don't worry. I know."

After saying a few words, Feng Chen pushed open the courtyard gate and left.

A thin layer of mist still hung over the mountain path in the early morning. Crystal-clear dew clung to the grass blades, and the air was cool and damp.

He stepped onto the path, his footsteps light.

After passing two small paths!

There stood an old earthen-brick house, squatting alone not far away.

The thatch on its roof swayed faintly in the morning breeze.

That was Aunt Li's home!

As Feng Chen walked, he recalled what Liu Heigou had said yesterday. They had learned about him borrowing money from Aunt Li.

He wondered how Aunt Li was doing now. The little girl had taken the medicine—she should be nearly recovered, right?