Chapter 82: Ambush

Weiyuan Martial Hall!

A group of inner courtyard disciples gathered in twos and threes.

After Qiu Wenjie joined their small group, Xu Yang and the others had grown to five members, and they always practiced their fist techniques together.

"Do you know why Lu Ren didn't come today?" Zhang Hong whispered.

Qiu Wenjie asked curiously, "Why?"

Xu Yang swept his gaze across the inner courtyard and realized that Lu Ren was indeed nowhere to be seen. He also revealed a look of curiosity.

Zhang Hong spoke with intent, clearly implying that something must have happened to Lu Ren.

"Come to think of it, Lu Ren should be getting married to that young lady from the Huang family soon, right? Could it be today?" Wu Yongfeng asked.

However, after saying it, he felt something was off.

If Lu Ren were getting married, even if he didn't invite them, he would at least invite others in the inner courtyard, yet all those who were close to Lu Ren were present.

Zhang Hong shook his head: "That Huang family young lady was already defiled by the Jade Butterfly; how could Lu Ren possibly marry her? But the matter is related to this."

He lowered his voice and said: "Because Lu Ren adamantly refused to marry her, that young lady from the Huang family hanged herself a few days ago, and then the Huang family started a huge conflict with him."

Zhang Yong and Xu Yang, both of whom had been cultivated by the Huang family alongside Lu Ren, didn't know what to say for a moment.

One couldn't call Lu Ren ungrateful for this, because if it were them, they probably wouldn't be able to accept marrying such a person either.

Forget about feelings; it was nothing more than a binding of interests—where would feelings come from?

Zhang Hong continued: "The Huang family accused Lu Ren of being ungrateful, while Lu Ren accused the Huang family of disregarding his reputation. They bickered for days, and yesterday they finally had a complete falling out. Lu Ren announced he was no longer an offering for the Huang family and moved out of the courtyard they had given him."

Xu Yang felt a sense of melancholy.

Back then, the Huang family only wanted Lu Ren. Even though the talent he himself displayed was not much inferior to Lu Ren's, the Huang family had turned a blind eye to him. He hadn't expected such an ending.

It could be said that both sides suffered.

Regardless of the reason, Lu Ren would inevitably bear the reputation of being ungrateful, while the Huang family lost a genius who could potentially achieve the Dragon Ascension in the martial examinations.

"Is this the genius you all treated like a treasure? Looks like you ended up with nothing but a bamboo basket to draw water."

Zhang Yong still held resentment over the Huang family's unfairness and immediately felt a bit of schadenfreude.

Xu Yang frowned and asked: "The Huang family just let him leave like that?"

The great clans of Qingyuan County were not just wealthy fools. If they relied solely on offering martial artists to support themselves, they would have been eaten clean by those martial artists long ago; they had powerful figures within their own clans as well.

As far as he knew, the head of the Huang family was a Qi Gathering Major Success expert, and the Liu family he served also had many experts of their own.

Hiring offering martial artists was, first, because there weren't enough martial artists to go around, and second, because if you had money, you could make others risk their lives for you—to risk one's own life would be idiotic.

Wealthy people value prestige. If others are risking their lives for you, but your own family has to take the field, no one will pay you any mind when you go out to discuss business.

Although Lu Ren had talent, his Qi Gathering had not yet reached Major Success. If he wanted to leave after taking everything, the Huang family was certainly not a kind-hearted clan.

Zhang Hong said: "He found a backer in advance and joined the Gu family, where Senior Sister Gu Fang is. The Gu family sent a Qi Gathering Major Success expert to talk to the Huang family. The Huang family had only just begun to rise, so even if they were unwilling, they had no choice but to let Lu Ren go.

However, it is said that he compensated the Huang family double for the resources he obtained from them, so it didn't end too ugly."

Xu Yang finally understood why Zhang Hong knew so much. When the Jade Butterfly visited the Gu family, he was besieged by a group of Gu family experts. Although he escaped with heavy injuries in the end, he did kill some of the Gu family's martial artists.

At that time, Zhang Hong had just successfully gathered Qi, and under Sun Tao's arrangement, Zhang Hong became an offering martial artist for the Gu family.

Xu Yang found it difficult to judge the matter between Lu Ren and the Huang family; he only knew the outcome, but he was not privy to the process of how the situation developed.

But regardless, Lu Ren was cultivated by the Huang family, and others would only think he had failed the Huang family; his reputation would inevitably be poor from now on.

Perhaps Lu Ren had long harbored the desire to leave the Huang family, and this matter was likely just the fuse.

One must know that even with his own root bone, which was not highly regarded, the Liu family was willing to use such conditions to entice him to marry into their family. The Huang family only gave Lu Ren a treatment of fifteen taels; Lu Ren must have been dissatisfied for a long time.

From some of Lu Ren's actions, the signs had long been visible.

Although Luo Dehu had failed and left long ago, his influence on Lu Ren had always remained.

Xu Yang had thought this matter had nothing to do with him, but when it was nearly dark, his cousin Zhou Xia came to find him, called him to his uncle Zhou Shunchang's house, and mentioned the matter of the Huang family marrying their daughter to him once again.

However, unlike last time, the Huang family wasn't thinking of getting a free ride this time. As long as he was willing to marry her, the Huang family would provide him with ten taels of silver every month to support his martial arts training.

Zhou Shunchang puffed heavily on his dry pipe. Xu Yang pondered for a while and said to Zhou Shunchang: "Uncle, please tell the Huang family for me that I do not wish to marry into the family, nor do I wish to get married at this moment.

If the Huang family needs it, I can leave the Liu family and become an offering for the Huang family."

He roughly understood the Huang family's intentions; now that they had lost Lu Ren, they turned around and wanted to bet on him.

But he had already become an offering for the Liu family. They couldn't afford to offend a great clan like the Liu family by poaching someone so blatantly, so they could only establish a relationship through marriage first.

This way, even if he left the Liu family in the future, the Liu family wouldn't be able to use this as an excuse to make things difficult for the Huang family. He simply kicked the ball back to the Huang family to see if they dared to offend the Liu family.

Zhou Shunchang nodded: "Good!"

Xu Yang stayed with Zhou Shunchang to talk for a while longer before stepping into the night to head home.

Not long after he left, Huang Jin walked out from the adjacent room.

"Fifth Master, you heard what A-Yang said, right?" Zhou Shunchang said in a muffled voice, continuing to smoke his pipe.

Huang Jin sighed: "Back then, I felt that Lu Ren was arrogant and feared he would be difficult for our Huang family to use in the future. It's a pity Second Brother didn't listen to my advice and missed out on A-Yang for nothing."

Xu Yang was unwilling to marry into the family, and the Huang family dared not poach someone from the Liu family at this moment.

He had favored Xu Yang from the beginning, but under Huang Ping's analysis, he had given up on him.

"Let this matter end here. Help me tell A-Yang that it is our Huang family that has failed him."

After speaking, he turned and walked into the wind and snow, his back appearing somewhat lonely.

……

"The heavy snow is going to seal the mountains!"

Xu Yang walked across the wilderness. The snow between heaven and earth was getting heavier and heavier, already reaching the height of his calves.

Although it was now between the hours of the Dog and the Boar, because of the heavy snow, there was still light in his field of vision.

He vibrated his blood energy to resist the cold wind, his whole body emitting a burst of heat like a steamer.

Although he was only wearing a single layer of clothing, he did not feel cold. With his current realm, while he couldn't say he was immune to cold and heat, resisting the wind and snow for a while was no problem.

"Hmm?"

He suddenly sensed something unusual; it seemed as if a heartbeat was coming to his ears.

There was someone nearby, and the distance was extremely close.

Otherwise, even with his Qi Gathering Minor Success, his five senses were extraordinary, but under normal circumstances, it would be very difficult to hear someone else's heartbeat.

He only heard the heartbeat but no breathing; it couldn't be that someone had fallen in the wind and snow and been covered by the heavy snow. They were lying in ambush for him, holding their breath.

As soon as this thought arose, Xu Yang's footsteps paused slightly, and the snow beside him exploded with a bang. ===== CHAPTER 83 =====