Chapter 76

Xu Yang held back his strength while fighting Qiu Wenjie, but after only a dozen moves, Qiu Wenjie shouted that he conceded.

He had only gathered Qi for a few days, and his use of true qi was not yet proficient; being able to fight for a dozen moves was already not bad.

"Senior Brother Xu, this is what my father gave you."

The two retreated to the side, and Qiu Wenjie handed three taels of silver to Xu Yang.

"Why don't you stop giving it to me in the future? Now that you have successfully gathered Qi, the Qiu family doesn't need me anymore." Xu Yang didn't take it.

Qiu Yongqiang was willing to invest in him when he was weak; he had always remembered this kindness.

The Qiu family was truly too small—so small that they couldn't afford to support a retainer martial artist, but in some aspects, they might need a retainer, so they had no choice but to resort to this strategy: giving him money without requiring him to be stationed at the Qiu family, only hoping that he could help out when needed.

In the past, he could accept this money with a clear conscience because if the Qiu family had any trouble, he would definitely help.

But now that Qiu Wenjie had successfully gathered Qi and the Qiu family had their own martial artist, taking this money felt a bit scorching to his hands; it felt just like the people from the Sanhe Gang harvesting protection fees from the fellow villagers of Bai Shi Square—it was all hard-earned money.

"This is what my father told me to give you. If I take it back to him, he will definitely whip me. If you want to return it, return it to him yourself."

Qiu Wenjie insisted on stuffing the money into Xu Yang's hand, then stood up and left to continue practicing his punches.

…

The Qiu family!

"Big Brother, did you look for me?" Qiu Yongqiang said, cupping his hands toward his big brother Qiu Yongjian, who was sitting behind the table.

Closing the account book in his hands, Qiu Yongjian looked up at his second younger brother and said, "Second Brother, I've seen that you've withdrawn three taels of silver from the accounts every month for the past few months, and you withdrew it again today. What are you using this money for?"

Qiu Yongqiang said: "I used it to support a martial artist I took a fancy to."

Qiu Yongjian's brows furrowed: "Three taels of silver—what kind of martial artist is so cheap? Don't tell me you've been swindled."

"No, Eldest Brother, listen to me…"

Qiu Yongqiang told him everything exactly as it happened, mentioning how Qiu Wenjie had brought up Xu Yang to him, as well as the series of events that followed.

"Second Brother, you have disappointed me too much. I know you want to strengthen the Qiu family, but you should have discussed such things with me. Not to mention whether this Xu Yang has the potential to be invested in.

You only give money and don't let him be stationed at the Qiu family. If one day my Qiu family has trouble and the other party stands by and watches, who can prove that my Qiu family supported him?

"End this funding. Now that Wenjie has successfully gathered Qi, our Qiu family can focus all our efforts on cultivating our own martial artist; there is no need to benefit others."

After listening, Qiu Yongjian immediately began to reprimand Qiu Yongqiang.

"Eldest Brother, Xu Yang is very loyal. If my Qiu family has trouble, he won't stand by and watch." Qiu Yongqiang frowned.

He knew his eldest brother would react this way, which was why he hadn't told him about this matter.

"But now that Wenjie has successfully gathered Qi, we should be cultivating Wenjie with all our might, not someone else. With our family's meager income, it's already difficult to support one martial artist like Wenjie; do you know the consequences of spending an extra three taels?"

Qiu Yongjian stared fixedly at Qiu Yongqiang until Qiu Yongqiang lowered his head.

How could he not know these things? It was just that a promise made must be kept.

"Find a time to go and make it clear to him; it's not that we aren't keeping our word, it's just that we really don't have the money," Qiu Yongjian said.

"Alright!"

Qiu Yongqiang nodded helplessly.

…

"Bang bang…"

Xu Yang was covered in sweat, moving and shifting like a bear king, his fists striking the air with bursts of roaring sounds.

He felt his body getting hotter and hotter, his qi and blood like boiling water, already approaching a certain critical point.

"Explosive Xiong Jin!"

He knew this was him about to touch upon the Explosive Xiong Jin of the Mountain-Shaking Xiong Quan. With his comprehension approaching forty, the understanding of the Mountain-Shaking Xiong Quan was becoming easier and easier for him.

Once he comprehended the Explosive Xiong Jin, his combat power would increase significantly; the Explosive Xiong Jin was also a sign that the Mountain-Shaking Xiong Quan had reached a certain level of profundity.

From the day he stepped into the inner courtyard, those senior brothers who had already comprehended the Explosive Xiong Jin had been helping Lu Ren comprehend it, and he didn't know if Lu Ren had already comprehended it.

"Boom!"

At a certain moment, he felt his blood explode, his veins bulging, his muscles expanding, and his strength surged instantly. A sense of anger rose in his heart, and his true qi was like gunpowder that had been ignited.

His spine seemed to come alive all at once, connecting section by section, emitting a series of crisp sounds.

"Has Xu Yang gone crazy!"

A violent aura surged out, startling Zhang Hong nearby to retreat repeatedly, fearing he would be hit by Xu Yang's fist.

"Don't make noise, he has comprehended the Explosive Xiong Jin." Wu Yongfeng said with a face full of envy.

He had gathered Qi before Xu Yang, but to this day, he had no clue about the Explosive Xiong Jin.

"He actually comprehended the Explosive Xiong Jin." Lu Ren showed an expression of disbelief.

Many senior brothers had helped him feed moves, sparring with him with the Explosive Xiong Jin for over a month, and it was only a few days ago, upon hearing that his fiancée had been defiled by the Jade Butterfly, that he had comprehended the Explosive Xiong Jin in a fit of rage.

He hadn't expected that in just a few days, Xu Yang, relying on his own cultivation, had actually practiced the Explosive Xiong Jin out as well.

"Xu Yang's comprehension is truly not inferior to Junior Brother Lu's by much." Zhao Zhifei's eyes flashed with brilliance.

It was as if he were competing with Lu Ren; as long as Lu Ren made progress in any aspect, Xu Yang would immediately follow up.

Jiang Ping shook his head and said: "It should be evenly matched. It's a pity his innate talent is far worse than Junior Brother Lu's. What's the use of good comprehension? Cultivation base is the foundation.

There is less than a year left for the Martial Examination's Dragon Ascent. Without a Qi Gathering Major Success cultivation base, one doesn't even have the qualifications to sign up and participate.

Look at his aura; the true qi in his dantian is probably only one-third of Junior Brother Lu's.

Within a year, let alone Qi Gathering Major Success, I think even two or three years would be tough. By then, after he turns twenty, he will be a person from two different worlds compared to us."

Gu Fang nodded along: "I admit I underestimated him a bit, but he is also truly stupid. With this kind of comprehension, if he had married into the Liu family, even with C-minus innate talent, with the Liu family's financial resources, it wouldn't be difficult to pile him into Qi Gathering Major Success within a year." ===== CHAPTER 77 =====