Chapter 100: A Small Conflict

"Old man, are you here as a guest of this household?"

Zhou You looked the old man up and down; his temperament was versatile, fitting for a shop accountant or a private tutor.

The Zengjia family passed down a scholarly tradition, and scholars often visited to seek advice and soak up the literary atmosphere.

Considering the open room was near the entrance, a place with people coming and going, this old man was surely one of the many nameless visitors.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then nodded frantically, "Indeed, I have come to pay a visit to Ceng Molin—cough, cough—Master Five Waters."

Uh...

Fortunately, no one cared about the title he used.

The old man squeezed over to Zhou You's side, leaned in toward a painting of orchids on the wall, and buried his head to look at the seals.

"As the saying goes, brushwork in calligraphy and painting is soft as cotton, while stone carving is hard as steel."

"Seal carving requires great skill in every stroke; if there is even the slightest shallowness, what is carved will reveal one's incompetence and make a fool of oneself."

"Look, um, don't look at the calligraphy and painting; focus on the edges and the artistic charm of the seals."

The old man nodded repeatedly as he listened, the corners of his eyes crinkling like two chrysanthemums.

Zhou You's foundation in Seal Script was barely enough to translate inscriptions on bells, so it was a bit of a stretch to use it for critique.

However, the clumsiness in his words sounded like heartfelt, unadorned sincerity to the old man.

Furthermore, he had the bonus of being a martial artist, so even if he said something wrong, the other party wouldn't mind.

Zhou You looked over all the seals and suddenly noticed that these inscriptions were all by one person... Five Waters.

"Who is Five Waters?"

"Ceng Molin styles himself Master Five Waters; these are all his personal seal inscriptions."

The old man gave his conclusion, "Everything hanging on the wall is his own handiwork."

Zhou You felt a jolt; he had been too busy speaking freely and had offended the master of the house.

The more exciting part was yet to come...

"Young man, hearing you say that, Ceng Molin is just a name without substance; I don't intend to see him anymore."

After hearing this, the old man bowed heavily to Zhou You, "Farewell!"

This visitor, because of his few words, actually turned around and left, no longer intending to visit the old scholar Ceng.

Zhou You was quick-witted and grabbed the old man, "Don't, you've already come all this way."

"To see the calligraphy and painting is to see the person; I think it's better to meet him than to just hear his name."

The old man patted Zhou You's palm, thought for a moment, and pulled a book from his bosom.

"I give this 'Small Notes on Seal Script' to you; judging by your talk just now, you have some foundation in Seal Script, but it's not deep enough. Read it more."

Having said that, the old man took small, quick steps out of the open room and disappeared behind the semi-circular side door.

He circled all the way to the front hall, and just as he was about to go out, he heard the maid's surprised voice behind him, "The master is back."

The old man turned around with a smile, "Dujuan, why aren't you entertaining guests in the back residence? What are you doing here?"

As it turned out, this old man was none other than the master of the house, Ceng Molin, respectfully known in the city as the old scholar Ceng.

He had been deliberately teasing Zhou You just now.

"Master, the young lady's friend has arrived; I am entertaining her attendants."

"Oh, oh, then entertain them well. I came back to pick up something, and I'm leaving now."

Dujuan watched the master leave, thinking to herself how outsiders could never imagine that their master was not a pedantic old scholar, but rather a kind elder with a free and natural disposition.

Open room...

Zhou You drank his tea dry, with Shen Sanhe's constant mockery in his ears.

"Zhou You, you're quite capable, scaring away a guest who came to visit."

"You even disparaged the old scholar Ceng's ink treasures as worthless; is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?"

"Just wait, when the young lady goes back and tells the hall master, you'll get what's coming to you."

The other two Apprentices also felt that Zhou You was too out of line.

They were here as guards for the young lady; strictly speaking, they weren't even guests, so what right did they have to criticize?

Thump! The empty teacup was placed on the table, the sound not small.

Zhou You stood up and hooked his finger at Shen Sanhe, "Come?" Seeing the other was confused, he said, "Dujuan has a routine for refilling tea; she only comes every cup of tea's time."

"Take advantage of this time to spar with a fellow disciple and let your mouth rest."

Shen Sanhe's face flushed red upon hearing this; without a word, he walked out of the open room and jumped down to the spacious flat ground.

He tightened his belt and rolled up his sleeves, "Zhou You, I'll let you know what use reading and writing has for us martial artists; in the end, it's still about fists."

He was a farm boy with thick limbs and sturdy bones, and his foundation in fist techniques was very solid.

This was a common trait among Apprentices from farming backgrounds, as they were poor and only had a way out if they studied fist techniques desperately.

"Tiger Startles the Wind!"

Shen Sanhe lunged forward, his four limbs wrapped in a gust of wind, sweeping across like an iron pillar.

Being on the scene, even breathing was difficult, and killing intent filled the surroundings.

As an Intermediate Force Apprentice, he practiced diligently and had the guidance of Zhong Shaoying, making him a standout among his peers.

Of the four Apprentices sent to guard Wang Yan, Shen Sanhe considered himself the strongest.

Zhou You and he were naturally at odds because they were from different camps, and he also looked down on a youth from the marketplace.

According to Zhong Shaoying, youths in the city were naturally slippery and mercenary, cowardly, and profit-driven; they were not the same kind of people.

Today, Zhou You's critique of the calligraphy and painting made him very displeased, and he had long wanted to teach him a lesson.

He knew Zhou You had been rewarded with the Three-Fold Technique by the hall master, and he himself had a rival ultimate move.

Zhong Shaoying excelled in leg techniques, having merged the "Black Tiger Digs the Heart" and "Tiger Tail Kick" into one style, called... "Heart-Piercing Kick."

The Heart-Piercing Kick has immense power; once it hits, it shatters the sternum and mashes the internal organs, making it a lethal killing move.

Zhong Shaoying passed this Heart-Piercing Kick to Shen Sanhe, who has been training bitterly at it for five or six years now.

Tiger Startles Wind is merely a feint used to cover the true objective, catching the opponent off guard to unleash the Heart-Piercing Kick and win in a single strike.

……

Shen Sanhe's strategy was not wrong, but his opponent is Zhou You.

The tip of the wind brushed Zhou You's hair, and he immediately reacted, activating his Lightness Skill and locking it at the lv2 level.

At a speed of 5 or 6 seconds per 100 meters, he let out a 'whoosh' and crashed through the air barrier.

Before everyone's eyes, Zhou You's back turned into a casual stroke in an ink wash painting, leaving behind a blurred afterimage.

He perfectly avoided all the force of the attacks, striking at the opponent's weakest angle.

"Heart-Piercing Kick!"

Shen Sanhe's Tiger Startles Wind missed; the hairs all over his body stood on end, and he threw himself backward, his right leg chiseling out like lightning.

This kick was fast and fierce, with a tricky angle and vicious force.

In the past, whenever he unleashed this move, he could always bore a bloody hole in his enemy.

But this time, it missed...

Zhou You's movement technique was too fast, easily clearing the attack range of the Heart-Piercing Kick and circling behind Shen Sanhe.

To deal with you, is there any need to use the Wind-Chasing Triple-Layer Technique?

Zhou You snapped his leg bone with a single elbow strike; under the bone-piercing agony, Shen Sanhe fainted away.

The entire process took only two or three rounds before the winner was decided.

"You two, didn't you see he has heatstroke? Hurry and carry him inside to rest."

Zhou You's words were like a whip, snapping the two dazed Apprentices awake; the two of them lifted his head and feet, carrying the unconscious Shen Sanhe into the open room to pour water, fan him, and pinch his philtrum.

"Brother Zhou, come have some tea."

After a moment, Dujuan came to refill the tea; seeing the unconscious Shen Sanhe, she felt a bit strange and asked in a low voice, "What happened to him?"

"He slipped and accidentally fell down."

Zhou You picked up the tea and began to savor it carefully.

At least from this moment on, the other party knows who the boss is.

(End of chapter)