Chapter 107: Selecting a Meat Target

Zhou You took off Lu Zhigang's vest and returned safely to Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall.

He hid the silver under the bed, intending to take it to purchase medicinal herbs after some time.

As for the Earth-Loathing Pill and the Feather-Steel Training Method, they were not large in size, so he could just keep them on his person for safekeeping.

This trip could truly be called returning with a full load!

He was not yet aware of the massive waves rising outside; having just had a small taste of success in killing his enemy, a small amount of lingering excitement remained in his heart.

"Du Yan Lu Zhigang—I am very satisfied with this nickname."

Zhou You slept in his clothes, as he still had to continue refining medicine and practicing martial arts tomorrow.

Waking up the next day, he hurried to the martial arts practice field and found Li Hao hitting a stone stake.

Boom, boom, boom—with each strike, stone chips flew, and the ground shook incessantly because of it.

"Zhou You, you've come?"

Li Hao stopped his current movements; after his injuries healed, he had gone out for some business and had not been at the martial arts hall.

According to the other Apprentices' guesses, it was because he had been beaten black and blue by the Ao Nu and was too ashamed to face anyone, so he went out to avoid the storm.

As time passed, the influence faded, and sure enough, he appeared again.

"Sigh, thinking back on it now, the characteristics of the Mastiff Fist are grappling and piercing; once they come at you, they attack crazily, catching one off guard."

Li Hao had exchanged blows with the Ao Nu and had been grabbed by the main tendons of his arm by the opponent; half of his body went limp, and he was defeated because he couldn't execute his Hard Qigong.

Don't look at the fact that the opponent is a woman; her strength is formidable, and her strikes are precise—she is by no means an ordinary person.

According to common sense, men have a natural advantage, but exceptions cannot be ruled out.

Some women have higher talent for practicing fist arts and easily become outstanding experts.

The Ao Nu is precisely such an anomaly.

"Do you know what the Ao Nu is called?"

Li Hao suddenly showed off to him in a sneaky manner.

"Shuixian, Bao Shuixian; the name sounds quite nice, and she is quite pretty, but her personality is very fierce."

Zhou You nodded, then suddenly felt strange, "How do you know that?"

Mentioning this, Li Hao leaned in close and said in a low voice, "Have you heard of a Meat Target?"

A Meat Target? It turned out that many martial artists who came from Su Cheng had chosen their own paths due to their dire living conditions.

A small portion of these martial artists utilized their professional expertise to provide sparring services to martial artists in the city, commonly known as... Meat Targets.

"They charge by the hour, and it's not expensive; letting you use them as a target to practice your fists, the cost-performance ratio is extremely high."

Fixed wooden stakes and stone blocks are boring to practice fists on; flesh and blood are better.

Usually, when sparring with a partner, one cannot use lethal moves, and in many places, one must stop just before contact, lacking the exhilaration of striking with full force.

Facing a Meat Target is different; as long as you are willing to pay, it doesn't matter if you beat them until they vomit blood.

"That is just too bullying."

Zhou You shook his head after hearing this; what they were selling was more than just their health—they were even sacrificing their dignity.

"What else can they do? Starve to death?"

The time Li Hao had disappeared was spent paying to hire a Meat Target to practice his fist techniques to his heart's content, and he had gained quite a lot.

He told Zhou You the truth: those martial artists who served as Meat Targets were all law-abiding, honest people.

They could not join the Lost Dog Gang to commit evil, nor did they have the connections to rely on powerful and wealthy families; for their own survival or that of their families, they had no choice but to choose this path of blood and tears.

"Zhou You, your progress is also too fast; I finally managed to train to Intermediate Force, and you have already broken through to Proficiency in Force."

Returning this time, Li Hao had thought he could give Zhou You a big surprise, but instead, he heard the news of Zhou You disciplining Shen Sanhe.

The gap between the two sides was growing wider and wider.

"It just so happens that if you go and hire a Meat Target at the Blood-Qi level, you might be able to find an opportunity to break through to Blood-Qi."

What! Zhou You was truly shocked; there were even Blood-Qi martial artists doing this?

After receiving an affirmative answer, Zhou You fell silent.

Su Cheng had been destroyed, and the residents and commoners of the city had left their homes; it is said that people are lowly when they leave their hometowns, but no one expected them to be lowly to this extent.

A dignified Blood-Qi martial artist acting as a Meat Target, being punched and kicked by others, and not even allowed to fight back? Li Hao had said that if a Meat Target accidentally injured their employer, they shouldn't expect anyone to hire them ever again.

After a long while, Zhou You spoke, "Where is the place? I will go when I have time."

To break through to Blood-Qi with the Tiger-Subduing Fist, he must work hard and practice diligently in the open.

Li Hao's suggestion gave him inspiration; by drawing inferences from this, breaking through to Blood-Qi in one go was a good excuse.

Having this idea didn't mean he could set off that same day, because the Young Miss was going out again.

This trip was to visit another close friend, who was a merchant dealing in silk.

Zhou You had the opportunity to see this young lady's appearance; hmm, round and plump, with a wealthy physique—if he were a flower-picking thief, he could officially certify that this young lady was absolutely safe.

The two close friends held hands and whispered, occasionally exclaiming, occasionally giggling.

A day's time passed just like that.

On this outing, the atmosphere on the streets was even more tense; martial artists were patrolling every node of the streets and alleys, carrying nets and hooks.

Bamboo ladders and poles could be seen everywhere, provided for people to quickly climb onto rooftops to move about.

The net cast to catch the flower-picking thief had already been laid.

Even this silk merchant had hired several nimble-footed martial artists, who carried gongs, drums, and fireworks on their persons.

Once the flower-picking thief was discovered, they would beat the gongs and drums and ignite the fireworks to summon all the martial artists in the city to surround and annihilate him.

After Zhou You escorted the Young Miss home, he immediately set off for the place Li Hao had provided.

This was a market, filled everywhere with listless Su Cheng refugees, who placed bottles and jars in front of them, selling off their few remaining belongings in the hope of earning enough dry rations for a meal.

There were also children and girls with empty hands; they had nothing to sell, only themselves.

This place is even more desperate than Liumin Jie; everyone is waiting to die, with no hope at all.

Zhou You walked into the market, and a commotion stirred around him; many people set their sights on him, confirming he was a wealthy man.

However, some with a foundation in martial arts saw that Zhou You was not to be trifled with and pulled their companions back, not letting them move.

"Master, this is a Hundred Flower Jar passed down by my grandfather; now it only costs the price of two flatbreads, please take it!"

"Look at my wooden stool, this one is good, it doesn't even have a single wormhole."

Amidst the many pleading gazes, Zhou You did not stop his pace.

Since he wasn't buying goods, he must be here to buy people.

Those refugees selling their sons and daughters brushed the dust off their children and pulled them forward.

"All of you get away, this master is here to find me."

A shrill voice rang out from the crowd.

The crowd stopped, disappointment appearing on the faces of all the refugees as they turned their heads to look.

A big-headed youth, different from the rest, pushed through the crowd and walked over; compared to the other refugees, he still had some flesh on his face, not yet sunken from starvation.

The surrounding refugees dispersed one after another; the hope that had just risen in their eyes was quickly extinguished, and they curled back up into their original spots.

"Are you a middleman?"

Li Hao had mentioned that this market had middlemen who specialized in introducing Meat Targets, well, in other words, agents.

"That's right, this martial artist is here to find a Meat Target, right? Follow me!"

"Lead the way!"

Zhou You casually gave him some loose change.

The big-headed youth's eyes were filled with wild joy, and he couldn't help but bow to him, "Master is generous, just say what kind of Meat Target you are looking for."

Besides living people, there wasn't even a drop of clean water in this market; everywhere was yellow dust and sand.

The two spoke as they walked, and Zhou You stated his requirements.

"I want one at the Blood Qi level."

"Uh?"

The big-headed youth's smile froze, his expression troubled, "Master, that is not easy to find."

(End of this chapter)