Lineage Strife, Martial Halls Gather

"Brother Zhou, how many cases has this been in the past two months?"

"Brother Lu, the fifteenth."

"Ugh... if this keeps up, what are we constables supposed to be? Corpse collectors or street sweepers?

And the city magistrate even gave orders telling us not to interfere."

Lu Ming pulled his hand from the dead man's pocket, frowned, and said with a face full of bad luck.

Not even a drop of grease to skim. What the hell was this? he grumbled inwardly.

Zhou Muyun took in all of Lu Ming's little movements. He was used to them by now.

Every time, Lu Ming would rummage through a corpse's clothes to see if there was anything valuable.

Even though he came up empty-handed every time, he never tired of it.

In his words, the person was already dead, so naturally everything had to be put to use.

Zhou Muyun did not think much of it. It was not as if he had never done such things himself.

Over the past month or so, the conflict between the Yunlin Chamber of Commerce and the Four Great Families had practically been dragged into the open.

The two factions were not merely competing in business; they had reached the point of fighting to the death.

Assassinations and armed brawls sprang up one after another. Collecting corpses from dark alleys had nearly become part of Zhou Muyun's daily routine.

Though most of those dying were ordinary people and Tempered Bone Realm martial artists, those were still lives, one after another!

"Brother Zhou, it's not that I want to lecture you, but although the Leng Household has supported you, you are not their retainer in the end.

My advice is to keep your distance from them, lest trouble cling to you."

Lu Ming wiped his hands and spoke with a hint of warning in his tone.

"I know."

Zhou Muyun nodded silently. Of course he knew that.

After the bandit matter was resolved, he had only gone to the herb shop for half a month before explaining the situation to Leng Ni.

Though Leng Ni had been somewhat reluctant to let him go, she had expressed her understanding.

She only hoped that Zhou Muyun could lend a hand at critical moments.

He did not refuse. After all, the Leng Household had shown him kindness.

They had not waited long when Ma Yuan and Li Xiu arrived with several men.

This time, they were people from the Yunlin Chamber of Commerce. They said nothing and simply carried away the corpse.

Yet the fury on their faces could not be concealed.

"Now that the body's been collected, it's time for us to head elsewhere. Let's go!"

Lu Ming toyed with the two taels of broken silver in his hand and took the lead out of the dark alley.

This silver was called corpse-collection money, a tribute for the constables. Everyone received a share.

Whether it was the Four Great Families or the chamber of commerce, they would willingly hand it over.

In Lu Ming's words, this was called "hush money."

Someone died, and the constables did not come knocking—wasn't that precisely keeping the peace and burying the matter?

Greenwood Martial Hall seemed much quieter than it had been several months ago.

Many disciples had silently withdrawn from the martial hall.

Most were disciples whose families lacked money and who had no hope of enduring until a breakthrough.

They either joined the Four Great Families or sought refuge with the Yunlin Chamber of Commerce.

The two sides were now like fire and water, and both were recruiting soldiers and buying horses.

They wanted people who had trained in martial arts, and they wanted martial artists even more.

Yet none of this affected Zhou Muyun. Growing stronger and protecting his family were his only convictions.

On the training ground, his mind was free of distractions as he unleashed Flurry Fist with effortless ease.

The Four Flurry Forms flowed out in turns, each one practiced to perfection.

Gradually, a thread of enlightenment rose in his heart.

[Flurry Fist, minor mastery (1199/1200)]

Willow catkins were so light and delicate—when they drifted with the wind, how could one trace their path?

Flurry, flurry—Zhou Muyun suddenly grasped the meaning within.

He no longer confined himself to fixed forms, instead moving as his heart willed.

At times he was elusive and unpredictable; at times his punches erupted with ferocity. Like willow catkins dancing in the wind, his moves contained endless transformations.

I broke through! Zhou Muyun exclaimed inwardly.

[Flurry Fist, major mastery (1/2400)]

Zhou Muyun did not stop. Seizing this moment of enlightenment, he further consolidated his fist art.

Only when that feeling faded did he withdraw his fists and stand still.

"The martial hall tournament is in two days. I'm even more certain now!"

At the thought of that five-year-old precious medicine, Zhou Muyun could not help but feel his heart burn.

If he could obtain it, his strength would surely soar by leaps and bounds.

Lying low was meant to let him grow stronger in silence. When an opportunity came knocking, naturally he had to fight for it.

This was Zhou Muyun's way of lying low!

Two days later, several arenas had already been erected on the training ground of Soaring Cloud Martial Hall.

Temporary stands had also been built around them. In the east stood an even larger viewing platform.

That was where the masters of the various martial halls sat.

Soaring Cloud Martial Hall had always ranked first, so naturally the gathering was held here.

Martial artists streamed in through the gates without end, while many people had already taken seats in the stands, looking around with curiosity.

After all, Yunlin County saw a spectacle of this scale only a few times a year.

The people of Greenwood Martial Hall had already taken their seats.

"Junior Brother Zhou, look, those are people from Pine Jade Martial Hall. Their hall master is called Ning Song, and that one is Xiang Yang."

Mo Qi pointed toward the entrance as he introduced them.

Zhou Muyun followed his finger and looked over.

He saw a group of martial artists in green training uniforms enter behind an elderly man with crane-white hair and a youthful face.

Following behind the old man was a dignified, heroic-looking young man.

They all shared one trait: their hands were long and slender, white as jade.

It was the result of Pine Jade Martial Hall's martial art, Jade-Wrapping Hand.

Mo Qi pointed toward the opposite stands again.

"See that woman? She's Shui Yunyue of Bright Mirror Martial Hall.

Rumor has it that she has already trained Raging Tide Palm, her martial hall's art, to major mastery!"

Zhou Muyun shifted his gaze to the opposite stands.

Shui Yunyue wore a watery-blue training uniform. She was tall and slender, with an ordinary face and a flat chest. Only her eyes shone with extraordinary brilliance.

As though she sensed someone watching her, Shui Yunyue turned around, and her gaze collided directly with Zhou Muyun's.

Afraid she would misunderstand, Zhou Muyun hurriedly rose and bowed in greeting.

Shui Yunyue also saw that Zhou Muyun meant no harm, so she nodded in return.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you reacted so quickly," Mo Qi praised.

If I hadn't, you'd have gotten me an enemy before the fighting even began, Zhou Muyun sighed inwardly.

"As for Zhang Chong, I won't introduce him too much. He's an old acquaintance."

Mo Qi truly deserved to be called the martial hall's "little know-it-all." Whether it was the martial halls' martial arts or their disciples' circumstances, he knew them all like the back of his hand.

Zhou Muyun remained silent, merely committing the intelligence to memory.

He felt that becoming friends with Senior Brother Mo from the start had been far too wise!

Just then, Mo Qi's tone abruptly changed, growing more solemn.

"That is Surging Current Martial Hall. Their hall master is called Wan Ting.

And that man behind him is named Yang Qi.

Their martial hall's art is Surging Stream Palm."

Zhou Muyun shifted his gaze once more and looked over.

On the left-side stands opposite them—

Wan Ting was tall and powerfully built, dressed in shorts and a short jacket. His body was covered in scars, and his face carried a hint of ferocity.

Yang Qi, behind him, wore a blue-violet training uniform. He too was strong and burly, with thin lips and a face shadowed by an indescribable gloom.

At that moment, Yang Qi also turned his gaze toward Zhou Muyun and the others, especially when he spotted Bai Yu.

A cruel smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He drew a hand across his throat, his provocation unmistakable.

Bai Yu was immensely proud and immediately returned the gesture.

Their gazes struck sparks, and the smell of gunpowder grew ever thicker.

Perhaps because they were too far apart to make a move, both sides snorted coldly and withdrew their gazes at the same time.

Only Zhou Muyun frowned slightly, unable to make sense of it.

"Senior Brother Mo, what does Yang Qi mean by that?"

"Junior Brother Zhou, you don't know this, but Wan Ting and Master Li are sworn enemies.

Naturally, their disciples are the same. Whenever they spar with our martial hall, they strike viciously and never hold back. You must be careful."

After hearing Mo Qi's explanation, Zhou Muyun finally understood.

So it was a hereditary feud. Now that was more like it.

Watch my Junior Brother Bai smash your dog head to pieces.

Soon, all ten martial halls had arrived.

On the great viewing platform, ten exceptionally powerful martial hall masters sat above.

Yet Zhou Muyun noticed that there were still two empty seats.

Just then, two groups entered through the gates, one after the other.

One side was the Yunlin Chamber of Commerce led by Long Teng.

The other was the Four Great Families led by Song Changsheng, head of the Song Household.

Zhou Muyun even spotted quite a few familiar faces: Long Qian, Leng Ni, Li Buhui, and Liu Yan.

Long Teng and Song Changsheng spoke one after the other, their voices ringing out. "We have brought our Lineage disciples to participate in the gathering!"

The scene instantly fell silent, and everyone present wore a different expression.