Wei Sheng hefted the two taels and five mace of loose silver in his hand.
He turned to look at the apprehensive Cao Defa. "Cao, what is this supposed to mean?"
"Brother Sheng! I was rash just now and offended you and your brother. This is a small token of my sincerity. Please accept it, Brother Sheng. You're a magnanimous man, so please don't hold this against me..."
Cao Defa bowed his head and bent at the waist, feeling deeply aggrieved.
He was clearly the one who had been beaten into a pig's head, yet in the end, he still had to apologize and make amends to Wei Sheng.
What kind of justice was that?!
But he had no choice but to bow his head.
As long as he wanted to keep getting by at the branch hall, he could not afford to offend someone with such boundless prospects.
Otherwise...
Once Wei Sheng grew stronger, he would be the one to die!
Two taels and five mace was a lot, but compared to his life, it was nothing!!
"Cao, you're worrying too much!"
Wei Sheng patted Cao Defa's shoulder.
"I never hold grudges! But since you're offering so sincerely, I suppose I'll reluctantly accept."
"Thank you, Brother Sheng!"
Cao Defa bowed gratefully, then limped out with his two lackeys supporting him.
"A Chang, catch!"
After Cao Defa left, Wei Sheng tossed the two taels and five mace to A Chang. "Cao Defa's apology money for you."
"Brother Sheng, you already avenged me by giving Cao Defa a thrashing. I can't take this money!"
"Take it and get your injuries treated. You can't expect Uncle Xie to go out and run his stall while injured just to earn money for your treatment."
After a brief silence, A Chang accepted five mace of silver, but refused to take the remaining two taels no matter what Wei Sheng said.
Wei Sheng did not insist.
He put away the two taels of loose silver.
"Brother Cao, you've made a foolish mistake!"
"Two taels and five mace of silver could feed us for half a month, and you just gave it away to Wei Sheng!"
Once they left the Gaoliu Branch Hall, his two lackeys could no longer hold back their complaints.
"Then what do you think I should have done?"
Cao Defa's face was expressionless, his voice betraying neither pleasure nor anger.
He had not forgotten how the two of them had scrambled to curry favor with Wei Sheng earlier, calling him Brother Sheng even more fawningly than they usually addressed Cao Defa himself.
"Brother Cao, you didn't offend Wei Sheng, and you were the one who suffered this time. Letting him off was enough. Why should you be the one to offer an apology?"
"Exactly, Brother Cao. You're too kind! Besides, even if you gave Wei Sheng the money, that brat won't let you off so easily. I think he had something to do with Niu Er's death."
At those words...
Cao Defa froze.
He had not considered that before, but their reminder made him realize it too.
"The timing was too much of a coincidence!
"Niu Er died three days ago. By then, Wei Sheng had probably already reached major accomplishment or perfection in the Savage Bull Fist. He was perfectly capable of killing Niu Er and the others...
"Besides, Niu Er once ambushed Wei Sheng at night and seriously injured him. There was bad blood between them. Wei Sheng had plenty of motive to kill him!"
"Right! Wei Sheng must have been the one who killed Niu Er!"
The more the two spoke, the more certain they became, as though they had been standing beside Niu Er and watching when he died.
"Brother Cao, if I were you, I'd report him to the authorities right now and have the constables arrest Wei Sheng. You could get rid of a thorn in your heart while you're at it!"
"Exactly! Wei Sheng's just a mud-legged peasant, a greenhorn who only joined the gang a month ago. What right does he have to ride on the heads of veterans like us?!"
The two kept urging Cao Defa to report Wei Sheng.
Cao Defa remained silent, making them blurt out anxiously, "Brother Cao, say something!"
"All right!"
Cao Defa agreed. "I'll go once my injuries have healed a little!"
Only after securing Cao Defa's promise did the two leave in satisfaction.
Watching them go, Cao Defa's face took on a hint of mockery.
Two idiots, trying to kill with a borrowed knife right in front of me.
"I'm afraid reporting Wei Sheng is just a pretext. Getting me killed is what you really want!"
Although he also suspected Wei Sheng had killed Niu Er, so what?
For one thing, without any evidence, there was nothing he could do to Wei Sheng.
Even if he had evidence, the authorities had already tossed the matter back to the gang to settle internally. Reporting it would only bring it before Fire Ox.
Given Fire Ox's trust in and regard for Wei Sheng, Cao Defa would probably be the first person he killed after learning about it.
There was nothing in it for him. He would have to have water in his brain to do it.
"Brother, what's the occasion today? Why such a feast?!"
That evening, Wei He was stunned when Wei Sheng returned home carrying bags of food, large and small.
"A Chang gave it to us."
"Brother A Chang? Where is he?"
"He was worried about walking at night, so he's already gone home."
A Chang had left a little before work ended, and Wei Sheng had assumed he was in a hurry to get his injuries treated.
He had not expected this.
As he neared home, Wei Sheng had spotted A Chang standing at the entrance to his alley, carrying bags of food and wine. He said he wanted to treat Wei Sheng to a meal to thank him for helping him vent his anger that day.
Wei Sheng had invited him to join them, but A Chang was worried the roads would be difficult after dark. He handed over the food and wine, then left.
"Dongpo pork, braised pork knuckle, yellow-braised pork, fruitwood-roasted duck... Brother, did you find Brother A Chang a wife?"
"??"
"Why else would he give you so much good food and wine? How much must all this have cost?"
Wei Sheng had not expected A Chang to be so earnest either. This meal alone must have used up at least half of those five mace of silver.
"If only we could eat like this every day!"
Wei He spoke wistfully as he ate.
It could not be helped. Ever since their parents had been called up for service, life had grown harder by the day for the brothers. Sometimes they could not even get a single meal in a whole day. Hunger had truly frightened him!
"Don't worry! Life will definitely keep getting better!"
Wei Sheng spoke.
"Mm!" Wei He nodded firmly, without a trace of doubt.
After the meal, Wei Sheng went out into the courtyard and slowly practiced the Savage Bull Fist, treating it as a little after-dinner diversion.
As he moved, he could clearly feel the food in his stomach digesting rapidly, seemingly turning into strands of energy that flowed throughout his body. Even his body seemed to grow considerably stronger.
After finishing his fist practice, Wei Sheng studied the White Crane Skin Refinement Method again.
Following the method's instructions, he tried to use his mind to control his qi and blood and circulate them within his body.
But after practicing for a while, he still felt nothing at all!
"I've already condensed fourteen strands of qi and blood, meeting the minimum requirement for practicing the skin refinement method. There shouldn't be no response at all..."
After practicing a while longer, Wei Sheng frowned slightly.
"It keeps feeling like something's missing... Could Niu Er have held something back?"
"Forget it! I'll find out tomorrow!"
Wei Sheng thought no more about it. He lay down and went to sleep!
Early the next morning.
After breakfast, Wei Sheng did not go to the Gaoliu Branch Hall. Instead, he headed straight for Fire Ox's residence on Heavenly Sea Street in Black Forest Ward.
Black Forest Ward was not far from Black Mud Ward.
But the treatment the two received was as different as heaven and earth.
Black Mud Ward lay in the middle of the thirteen wards, unloved by father and mother alike.
Black Forest Ward was different. It belonged to the outer city's "commercial district."
Even on its outskirts, it was far more prosperous than a poor backwater like Black Mud Ward!
All along the way, vendors cried their wares, making for a lively scene.
Wei Sheng headed north and finally stopped before a residence with two courtyards.
Two sturdy gang members stood at the entrance, casting sidelong glances at passersby and radiating an air that warned against provoking them.
Many passersby lowered their heads and hurried past the gate, not daring to look too closely, as though those two were raging floods or savage beasts that would devour them for one extra glance.
Only Wei Sheng remained expressionless as he walked straight toward the residence.
"Who are you?"
"Wei Sheng. Brother Fire Ox sent for me."
Wei Sheng took out the black wooden token.
The two glanced at it and nodded. "Go in."
Beyond the entrance lay the outer courtyard, its open space filled with stone locks, wooden stakes, swords, sabers, and other martial training equipment.
Three men stood in the center of the courtyard.
One had a weather-beaten face, one was fair-skinned, and one was dark and brawny. All wore short blue outfits, and two had a single white fish embroidered on their chests.
First Refinement martial artists?!
Wei Sheng was inwardly startled.
These were no ordinary lackeys, but elite gang members who had entered the ranks of martial artists.
Among them...
The fair-skinned young man standing in the middle actually had two white fish embroidered on his chest.
Second Refinement?!
Wei Sheng gave him a long look.
Wei Sheng's arrival naturally drew the three men's attention.
The fair-skinned young man merely glanced at him before looking away, his expression indifferent.
Seeing no white fish design on Wei Sheng's chest, the dark, brawny young man beside him also lost interest in speaking.
The weather-beaten man, however, gave Wei Sheng a friendly smile.
Shortly after Wei Sheng arrived, Fire Ox came out as well, wearing a short blue jacket. His arms were knotted with muscle and crisscrossed with scars, like the tangled roots of an ancient tree.
He swept his gaze over the four people in the courtyard and spoke concisely.
"Good! Everyone's here! Enough talk. Let's begin!"
Before you continue