Martial Arts School Opening, Unwelcome Guests at the Door

The old Su Family, which had lived there for generations and over a hundred years, had moved away.

The news quickly spread through Oil Seller Alley.

Some said Eldest Brother had gone out to practice martial arts, run up debts in silver, and sold the ancestral house to repay them.

Others said Second Brother had gotten another family's girl pregnant, and her family had demanded they sell the house to scrape together the bride price.

In any case, they had fallen on hard times. The whole family had gone to the countryside to become live-in sons-in-law.

Both groups spoke as though they had seen it with their own eyes,

but both carried a trace of city folk's pride and reserve.

Only the two nearby families closest to them received invitations to the wedding feast on the eighth day of next month.

Zhao Jing learned the news at dusk,

and it was Xiaoya, her younger sister, who told her.

Her feelings were complicated as well.

There was resentment toward Su Xinghe for delaying her youthful years, but also relief that she had not married into the Su Family too early. Somewhere deep down, she even felt the faintest bit of sympathy for those pitiful childhood companions.

But sympathy was sympathy; what needed to be cut off still had to be cut off.

Farewell to the past. Start anew.

"The Su Family doesn't even have a house now, and they still have the nerve to hold a wedding feast in the city?"

Many people had heard the argument in the Su Family courtyard that day.

Zhao Jing lowered her head and glanced at the plain gray cloth dress she wore, her mood worsening still further.

She decided that she would marry a rich man in the future, no matter what.

"I'm not going!"

She pulled a long face and scolded her younger sister beside her.

"You're not going either. What is there to associate with from a ruined household like theirs?"

"If people see you there, how will you ever get married?"

"Do you want to marry into the countryside and become some mud-legged peasant?"

Xiaoya pouted, her round little face nearly wrinkling into a bun.

"But Mother said the meal is being held on Narcissus Street in the south. She told us two juniors to go early so we could ask for pastries and wedding candies."

Zhao Jing's gaze grew even more certain.

Narcissus Street was where all the wealthy people lived. The Su Family could not even afford to rent a place there. They were probably trying to collect one last round of gift money before leaving.

So they really had gone to become live-in sons-in-law.

Three days later, the Zhou Family held an extremely low-key funeral at the Martial Arts School. Many of the Brokerage Guild's former partners came.

After the disciples escorted the old gang leader and the others out of the city gates, Hall Master Zhou Yingjun drove them back.

The next day, news arrived.

Several mines and farms belonging to the Lu Family outside the city had been slaughtered. Blood flowed like a river, and severed heads rolled everywhere. It was said that Red Elegance Manor had also been attacked, and several younger members of the third branch had died.

A Seventh-Rank Transformation Realm expert had appeared as well.

After Third Master learned of it, he went mad with killing outside the city.

Not only did he kill dozens of unfamiliar martial artists from out of town, he even killed his own affiliated forces. Every farm and mine was searched, and even ships passing along the Clearwater River had to stop for inspection.

Rumor had it that he was looking for an organization called the Beheading Gang.

When Su Xinghe heard this, a wave of lingering fear washed over him.

One of the farms that had been wiped out was the very place where his family had once lived. If his father and the others had arrived a few days later, how could they have settled that debt?

Fortunately, he had rented the small courtyard in advance, and his father had cut ties in time. Only then had a tragedy been avoided.

That night, Su Xinghe's Listening to Tides Art advanced once again.

The Perfect Mastery level of the technique immediately added two more Silver Fish to his mind.

Four different streams of thought appeared, nearly making Su Xinghe hallucinate. Fortunately, this was already the second time, and he could endure it.

It brought three changes.

The first was that his perception range had expanded from three zhang to ten zhang.

The second was that, after becoming familiar with them over this period, he could already control the little silver figures to strike all sorts of poses.

The third change was that the spiritual peculiarity of the Perfect Mastery Listening to Tides Art appeared once more. It raised the Qi-Blood concentration brought by the Golden Ape Fist from 1.5 times to twice the efficiency.

He had expected that, so he was not overly surprised.

What surprised him was that newcomers had arrived before the Martial Arts School had even opened.

He had gone from junior disciple to second senior brother in one leap.

This time, Hall Master Zhou Yingjun had thoroughly decided to take the elite route. Changing his old model of focusing on cultivating the Zhou Family's own people, he had somehow recruited a group of youths around fifteen or sixteen.

Every one of them stood straight and tall, brimming with vigor and spirit.

Two more days passed, and it was the first day of the ninth month.

On Narcissus Street, the White Ape Martial Academy opened its doors.

Because his home was right next door, Su Xinghe arrived at the Martial Arts School while the sky was still barely light.

He took off that "battle robe" full of patches and put on the custom training uniform of the White Ape Martial Academy.

There was nothing special about its style. It was merely an ordinary long robe, with an ape embroidered on both the chest and back.

Outer disciples wore black apes, inner disciples wore golden apes, and instructors like them wore multicolored apes.

Its defensive power might have been zero.

But with this outfit, ordinary gangsters and hoodlums would take a detour upon seeing them. It was said that the hall master had given the Martial Dao Bureau quite a few gifts to register the White Ape Martial Academy.

"Good morning, Second Senior Brother!"

"Good morning, everyone."

These newcomers had also changed into matching training uniforms today. More than a dozen of them stood together, looking quite imposing.

Though they had not formally taken a master yet, everyone had already begun addressing one another as fellow disciples.

Su Xinghe did not chat much with them. Instead, he went to one side and quietly waited. At the same time, he circulated the Listening to Tides Art in his mind and silently cultivated.

The newcomers did not come over to disturb him either. They gathered together to chat. Since they had not yet learned any true techniques, they merely discussed household matters and their hopes for the future.

As time passed, more and more people slowly arrived.

Some were familiar faces from the Martial Arts School, while others were unfamiliar young men dressed like shop clerks.

These unfamiliar youths were led by inner sect senior brother Qian Jinge to the rear courtyard, where they began sweeping, sprinkling water, and moving objects.

At this moment, the two instructors who had not been seen for a long time arrived. To Su Xinghe's surprise, the little young master Zhou Hao, who had disappeared for seven or eight days, came with them.

He too wore a moon-white multicolored ape training uniform, keeping a low profile at the back of the crowd. Judging by his sallow complexion, he had likely been recovering from his injuries.

Su Xinghe did not deliberately approach him. Just as in the Brokerage Guild training grounds before, they did not interfere with one another.

He had some guesses about the Lu Family attack a few days ago.

But since the hall master and the others had not made it public, it was best to act as though he knew nothing.

After all, who did not have secrets?

As the morning sun rose, the final few higher-ups of the White Ape Martial Academy arrived.

Everyone consciously arranged themselves into three rows and silently looked toward the sturdy, though not especially tall, figure before them.

Hall Master Zhou Yingjun looked quite well today. He had shed the weariness of recent days, and his back stood straight as a ramrod.

"Silence!"

Though no one present was speaking, Xie Guang still gave the reminder.

Zhou Yingjun's gaze slowly swept across everyone present.

There was not a trace of excitement or joy at the Martial Arts School's opening in his eyes, only the heavy responsibility he bore for them all.

One did not know the price of rice and firewood until one ran the household. These past days, he had run himself ragged preparing the Martial Arts School, hitting walls everywhere and enduring all manner of deliberate difficulties.

Even when he wanted to buy some pills from the Martial Dao Bureau, people dragged their feet again and again, claiming stocks were tight and that third-rate forces like theirs needed to wait in line.

Unless he had Martial Dao Bureau points, he could receive priority.

But the White Ape Martial Academy had only just been founded. Where could it get mission points?

As a result, not only had the injuries from their last battle failed to heal, they showed faint signs of worsening.

He had wanted to call in favors through acquaintances and see whether the old Veteran's Trade House's points could be transferred over, but they asked for an astronomical tea fee the moment he opened his mouth.

He was originally a straightforward man. How could he have the energy for such twists and turns?

Zhou Chun under him was not a martial artist and could not reach that level. Elder Xie was old, and he could not bear to make the old man suffer such humiliation.

A thousand threads, ten thousand knots...

He had never handled the Brokerage Guild's finances before, and that night, he had only escaped by luck. By the time he returned at dawn to inspect the place, it had already been reduced to ashes.

Compensation for those killed in battle, recovery expenses for the wounded, severance pay, and all the rest.

If they had not pulled off a big job outside the city a few days ago, the Martial Arts School would not even have been able to open today.

Just as Elder Xie had said that day, he could not delay any longer.

If he delayed further, people's hearts would scatter.

Forcing himself to pull together, he cleared his throat.

"The White Ape Martial Academy opens today. From now on, all of you are fellow disciples of this Martial Arts School. I hope you can unite as one and improve together."

After saying that, he turned around and bowed deeply toward the rear courtyard.

"Open the Patriarch Hall!"

Elder Xie's voice rang out.

The moment his words fell, the doors of a warehouse in the rear courtyard were slowly pushed open. An altar table had long been prepared inside.

Behind the altar table hung a portrait of the patriarch. Its face was unmistakably that of the old gang leader, Zhou Tianxiong.

"Welcome the Patriarch!"

"Pay respects!"

Xie Guang's aged voice rang out once more.

Before he had time to look closely, Su Xinghe followed everyone else in kneeling for a formal bow. Only after this bow could they be considered true disciples of the White Ape Martial Academy.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just as everyone had bowed down and had yet to rise, a burst of urgent knocking came from the Martial Arts School gates.

Su Xinghe's heart stirred, and he slightly turned his head to look ahead.

He saw that everyone remained kneeling respectfully. Even Elder Xie, who was presiding over the ceremony nearby, still wore a solemn expression.

Yet Su Xinghe could tell that this steward's eyes were already burning with rage.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

"Rise!"

Amid the frantic knocking, the opening and disciple-initiation ceremony continued.

"Is Zhou Yingjun here? We've come to offer congratulatory gifts!"

Knocking was not enough; a rough, booming shout came from outside.

"Isn't your White Ape Martial Academy opening today?"

"How can you open a Martial Arts School with the gates shut?"

The cries came wave after wave. Some disciples who had only recently entered had already begun glancing around uneasily.

Even Su Xinghe's heart, long polished smooth by hardship, could not help growing irritated.

Fortunately, the ceremony ended quickly.

With Xie Guang's call for the Patriarch to return to his place, the Patriarch Hall doors swiftly closed.

"Lü Chenggong, what are you making a fuss about!"

Zhou Yingjun forcibly suppressed his anger, his face ashen as he straightened up.

He turned and whispered a few words to Chen Sanke, who immediately took the little young master Zhou Hao to the rear courtyard.

Then he gave Qian Jinge beside him a look.

The inner sect senior brother immediately jogged over to open the gate.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Hahaha, someone finally came to open the door. Otherwise, I would have thought I came to the wrong place!"

With a booming laugh, a dark-faced man nearly two meters tall appeared outside the gate.

He carried a bamboo basket in his left hand and had a long saber tucked behind his back. Wearing a broad smile, he strode in with a large group of burly men dressed in black robes.

"You're not welcome here!"

Lu Sandao appeared before them at this moment, fire seeming ready to burst from his eyes.

"You?"

A black-robed martial artist just as tall and sturdy stepped out from behind the dark-faced man and charged forward aggressively.

With Lu Sandao's temper, he did not even bother going back for his saber. He immediately took up a boxing stance and stepped forward.

Just as they were about to fight, the dark-faced man grabbed his subordinate and stopped him.

"Chen Qiao, don't break the flowers and grass!"

"After all, Narcissus Street is the territory of our Fierce Tiger Martial Hall!"

"Hahaha, have some manners."

At this moment, Hall Master Zhou Yingjun also stepped in front of Lu Sandao. Today was the opening ceremony, and everyone had come empty-handed. Even if they went back for weapons now, it would likely be too late.

He took a deep breath before forcibly suppressing the urge to attack and saying,

"Leave the gift and go."

The other side had only brought three martial artists. Fighting them would not be a problem. But today was the opening day of the White Ape Martial Academy, and he did not want to stir up trouble.

Moreover, several of them still had injuries that had not healed.

This absolutely could not be exposed. So long as they weathered this period, they would naturally have nothing to fear from the other side.

Lü Chenggong looked around from the entrance and saw that the White Ape Martial Academy had only a little over thirty people, more than half of them still mere children.

He immediately threw back his head and laughed.

"Ha ha..."

"Brother Zhou, does your Martial Arts School not even offer a cup of tea to guests?"

"Little sick cat, is your hide itching again?"

Xie Guang slowly stepped out from behind the crowd, one step at a time.

With every step he took, his imposing aura grew stronger. By the time he reached the doorway, he seemed to have grown a whole size larger.

"If you want to fight, we'll go outside the city! If you want to challenge the hall, lay down your terms! Don't put on that coy, sarcastic act. If you piss this old man off, I'll still beat the shit out of you."

The moment Xie Guang spoke, the black-robed men across from him all retreated.

Lü Chenggong's face darkened further.

He had thought this old man, overlooked because his Qi-Blood had withered away, would be no threat. How did he still retain the strength of Eighth-Rank Dark Force?

Hadn't the intelligence said...

Damn it, the intelligence had only said the old man hadn't made a move in twenty years!

At once, one unbearable memory after another surged into his mind, and even the smile on his face turned into a trembling sob.

"Senior... Senior Xie, I really came here to..."

Xie Guang ignored his explanation and turned to look at Zhou Yingjun beside him. It was as though, with a single order from the hall master, he would charge out and kill without hesitation.

Clatter!

The bamboo basket in Lü Chenggong's hand fell to the ground, and several green-skinned tangerines rolled out from inside.

"Farewell..."

As he spoke, he began backing away.

"Take your things with you. We don't need anything from Fierce Tiger Martial Hall!"

Xie Guang shouted sharply.

Lü Chenggong did not stop walking, calling out as he went:

"Alright, alright, we'll take them away right now. Chen Qiao, go pick them up."