The Woman in the Furnace!

Ma Ge was frantic.

Master Zheng had already shown mercy just now, yet this kid still dared to be so stubborn.

The favor from delivering fish could at most keep him safe once. There was absolutely no way Ma Ge could plead for him again; otherwise, if he angered Master Zheng, Ma Ge would be dragged down with him.

Just as Ma Ge thought Zhou Chen was about to be thrown out, Old Zheng vanished from the grand chair.

The next moment, he had somehow appeared before Zhou Chen. He steadily held the wooden box in his palm, his aged eyes fixed fiercely on what was inside. Even his breathing had grown heavier.

This was the first time Ma Ge had ever seen Old Zheng lose his composure like this!

Zhou Chen had not reacted to how Old Zheng had suddenly appeared before him either. He had not even seen when the other man took the box from his hands.

He knew he had not guessed wrong. Martial arts in this world were certainly different from the fist-and-kick routines of his past life! He remembered clearly that, in his previous life, martial arts masters were often knocked flat with a single punch by professional boxers in the ring!

But the skill Old Zheng had displayed just now was simply beyond what a human should be capable of!

For a moment, Zhou Chen's desire to train in martial arts burned even hotter!

Old Zheng stared at the lump of flesh covered in eyeballs inside the box, repeatedly muttering, "Black Taisui." Zhou Chen did not know what it was, but judging from Old Zheng's expression, he knew his Initiation was probably secure.

"You all, go outside first."

Old Zheng finally realized he had lost his composure. He gave a dry cough, straightened his face, and waved for the servants and maids to withdraw.

Before leaving, Ma Ge could not help looking back at Zhou Chen. His face was full of curiosity, yet he did not dare ask a single question.

Once only the two of them remained in the hall, Old Zheng carefully put away the wooden box before asking gently, "What is your name? Where do you live?"

"Zhou Chen. I live in Qingtian District."

"Mm." Old Zheng stroked his beard and nodded. "This thing of yours truly is a treasure. Using it solely as an enrollment fee would be somewhat unfair to you. I will not take advantage of you. How about this? I'll give you an opportunity. Even if your aptitude is merely average, I am willing to accept you as a Direct Disciple."

"A Direct Disciple?"

Zhou Chen's heart suddenly began to race.

He had already asked around. Old Zheng's disciples were divided into three ranks: Direct Disciples, Ordinary Disciples, and Registered Disciples.

Registered Disciples could only train for three months. Only if they became Martial Warriors could they advance to Ordinary Disciples. As for Direct Disciples, only those with exceptional talent had a chance.

Who would have thought this lump of strange flesh could earn him such a great opportunity?!

What exactly was this strange flesh?

He was curious, but he also knew this was not something he should ask about.

"Bone aptitude is divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. A touch will tell. Let me see what kind of bones you were born with."

Old Zheng looked him up and down. Before his words had even faded, his withered fingers had already reached out and pressed firmly against Zhou Chen's shoulder blade!

Zhou Chen's whole body went numb, as if an acupoint had been struck. He was nailed to the spot, unable to move even his little finger. He was greatly alarmed. Was this the method of Martial Warriors in this world?

No wonder they said ordinary people were like pigs and dogs before Martial Warriors. With such methods, who could possibly resist?

Next, Old Zheng pinched Zhou Chen's neck and wrist in turn.

Watching the expression on Old Zheng's face flicker between light and dark, Zhou Chen's heart tightened along with it.

A trace of wild hope rose in his heart. If he had upper-grade bones, if he were a one-in-ten-thousand genius and was accepted as a Direct Disciple, then he would truly be a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.

At that point, let alone Zhang Mingfei, even the wealthy Chen Household would not be worth putting in his eyes.

But Old Zheng soon sighed, pouring a basin of cold water over his head.

"Your bone aptitude is ordinary, only lower-middle grade. It is not that I am unwilling to accept you as a Direct Disciple. The truth is, with aptitude like yours, it will be difficult to become a Martial Warrior. If I accept you as a Direct Disciple, yet you cannot even cross into the realm of Martial Warrior within three months, what will the other disciples in the martial hall think of me?"

Zhou Chen's heart sank, but he did not show much disappointment. He merely bowed slightly. "Being able to join Master Zheng's school is already the fulfillment of this disciple's wish. I would not dare ask for more."

So what if his bone aptitude was poor? He had a cheat ability, so it was no great matter.

Seeing Zhou Chen's sincere attitude and steady temperament, Old Zheng suddenly said, "How about this? I cannot accept you as a Direct Disciple for now, but I will grant you three months. Your treatment will be no different from that of a Direct Disciple. Whether you can achieve Initiation and become a Martial Warrior within three months will depend entirely on your own fortune. Even if you fail, you may still serve as a steward in my martial hall afterward."

"Thank you, Master Zheng!"

Zhou Chen was overjoyed, and his impression of Old Zheng improved considerably. Although he did not know what the treatment of a Direct Disciple entailed, it surely would not be poor.

Just as his father had said, although Old Zheng looked lecherous, he was a decent man at heart. Otherwise, he could simply have swallowed up that "Black Taisui"; after all, Zhou Chen did not even know what it was.

"All right, go find Little Ma to register. Change into your clothes, then have him take you to your senior brother. He will explain some basic knowledge about Martial Warriors to you."

Old Zheng waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.

"Yes."

Zhou Chen sensibly closed the door and departed.

At the moment the door shut, his peripheral vision swept over the ice furnace in the hall.

Just now, he had felt that something seemed to be pressed against the gaps in the furnace wall's carved patterns, peering out.

When he looked again, it was gone.

Was it an illusion?

What he did not know was that, shortly after he had gone far away, a sweet, coquettish voice came from within the ice furnace, carrying a languid stickiness. "Father, what did that boy give you? You're so happy."

Something could vaguely be seen slowly sliding between the gaps of the ice furnace.

Occasionally, something pressed against the bronze wall. Through the hollow carvings, one could see the outline of a beautiful woman's eye.

Old Zheng's face glowed red as he said excitedly, "Good girl, that boy gave me a piece of Black Taisui, and it is even a supreme-grade Black Taisui. Even in the Inner City, this is a treasure worth a thousand gold and impossible to obtain. I do not know where he got it. Though it has absorbed the impurities of the Outer City, it is more than a thousand times better than White Fortune Flesh. With this piece of Black Taisui as nourishment for you, you can live comfortably for several more years."

"That's wonderful, Father. Give it to me quickly."

Old Zheng smiled and placed the writhing flesh into the ice furnace.

The sliding sounds within the furnace suddenly became hurried, followed by faint, fine chewing sounds.

"Father... delicious, so delicious... I feel so good now. Yingying feels so good."

Old Zheng simply gazed at the ice furnace with indulgence. But then, as if recalling something, a shadow suddenly rose in his eyes, and his expression became somewhat ferocious.

Meanwhile, under the servant's guidance, Zhou Chen first went to the bathhouse for a wash.

The bathhouse was not large, but the water was actually warm.

He had not taken such a comfortable hot bath in a long time. At home, he rarely had the chance to heat water and wipe himself down. After all, for lowly people like them, merely staying alive was already so difficult. Who had the mind to keep their bodies clean every day?

He changed into a black-and-gray training outfit, with a huge golden character for "Zheng" embroidered across the back and a date-red token hanging at his waist.

Though the token was not large, it was a symbol of status.

In Qingtian District, this token alone could spare him much trouble.

Clothes made the man. Zhou Chen had not looked bad to begin with, and after changing into this outfit, he might not be able to charm thousands of young women, but charming one or two should be more than enough.

The servant smiled and came over to inspect him a few times, then nodded. "Not bad. You look much more spirited. Come on, I'll take you to see your senior brother and let him explain the rules of martial training. I don't understand those things."

Zhou Chen turned around, adjusted the hem of his clothes, and cupped his hands in a bow to the servant. "Just now, before Master Zheng, I had Ma Ge to thank for speaking up for me. Otherwise, I probably would not even have had the chance to take out my item."

Surprise flashed through the servant's eyes, then he smiled and patted Zhou Chen's shoulder. "Ah, that was your own fortune, nothing to do with me. Right, though—your senior brother dislikes people who play tricks and put on false appearances. When you meet him, just be sincere."

"I'll remember that."

Zhou Chen nodded.

The servant turned and led him through the corridor outside the courtyard, explaining as they walked: their senior brother was named Lian Taoze, the eldest young master of the Lian Household. He had upper-grade bone aptitude, an easygoing personality, and no airs about him. Though he was not the strongest among the Direct Disciples, he possessed extremely high prestige among his junior brothers and sisters.

He also said that only Initiation disciples whom Master Zheng valued would be personally taught by their senior brother. The rest were mostly guided through Initiation by Ordinary Disciples.

Before long, the two arrived before an open courtyard.

The servant jerked his chin toward the inside. "That's Senior Brother."

Zhou Chen looked in the direction he indicated and could not help freezing.

Completely different from the composed and stern image of a senior brother he had imagined, this senior brother was currently lying on the ground with his butt in the air, pressing his head against someone else's. He kept shouting something, and Zhou Chen could vaguely make out cries such as "Come on!" and "Bite him to death!"

Zhou Chen: "..."

This is my senior brother?

For a moment, he did not know what expression to make. He only felt that his imagination of the words "Martial Warrior" had once again shattered all over the floor with a crackle and crash.

Was this martial hall really legitimate?

His master liked reading borderline smut, and his senior brother liked cricket fighting?