Chapter 108: When Lack of Money Forces a Hero's Ambition to Fall

Zhou You frowned slightly, guessing that Li Hao might have received incorrect information.

Just thinking about it, one knows how precious Qi and Blood martial artists are; they would never be reduced to this state.

Immediately, he heard the big-headed youth say, "I've got it, I have such a person on hand, follow me."

The big-headed youth led Zhou You through several turns, quickly arriving at a shanty area.

This was a residential area for refugees, filled everywhere with crude shacks built from materials gathered on the spot.

A gust of wind, a spark of fire, and this entire area could be razed to the ground at any moment.

Rotten wood, withered grass, tree branches, and tattered cloth—the shacks built from all sorts of materials could be described as porous and open to the sun and moon.

They blocked neither wind nor rain, and could not even block the gazes from outside.

For such a dwelling, its only purpose was to prove that one was still a human being.

As they walked, a scent of meat rushed toward them, the fragrance somewhat strange.

Zhou You thought to himself that they must have stolen someone's free-range chicken or watchdog again; these refugees were truly starved to the point of madness.

"These starving ghosts, is there anything they dare not eat?"

The big-headed youth cursed and kicked over a wooden board on the road, not expecting that there was a dirt pit behind it where a family was living, looking at them in terror while huddled together.

His face was full of rage; he leaped over the dirt pit and charged straight toward the source of the fragrance.

Zhou You followed closely behind and soon arrived before a large pot with boiling hot soup.

The scent of meat was overflowing, yet at this moment, no one was eating.

A one-armed man stood beside the large pot, his face full of irrepressible anger.

"We are humans, not beasts; even if we starve to death, we cannot eat human flesh."

Human flesh? Was it human flesh boiling in the pot?

Zhou You saw the pale chunks of meat bobbing in the pot, and a thicker scent of meat suddenly pierced his nose, a feeling of nausea surging up his throat.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing this impulse.

The one-armed man was Zhuang Tie of the Dazhuang Fist; Zhou You had once met him briefly.

The few culprits on the ground were already as thin as skeletons from hunger, smiling foolishly, showing no reaction to his words.

The big-headed youth walked up and cupped his hands, "Brother Tie, I still have some money here."

He took out the small change Zhou You had just given him, "I'll go buy food to save the situation right now."

"No amount of food is enough."

Zhuang Tie shook his head in despair, "Xiao Shao, bury the things in the pot."

He looked back and saw Zhou You, his gaze pausing slightly before moving away.

The big-headed youth, Xiao Shao, had quite a bit of prestige among this group of refugees and pointed out a few people to clean up the scene.

He arranged the matters and invited Zhou You to follow along.

Zhou You already understood that the Qi and Blood martial artist Xiao Shao spoke of was Zhuang Tie of the Dazhuang Fist.

Zhuang Tie was a Qi and Blood martial artist comparable to Lu Qiang, with strength roughly between Qi and Blood 4-6 Stages; even with one arm severed and his strength declined, he was still a master not to be underestimated.

However, he had a grudge against the Wang Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall and might not necessarily agree.

The big-headed youth led Zhou You, following the other's tracks, to a slightly different shanty.

This shanty was larger and more spacious, built with great care, possessing the basic functions of blocking wind and rain and providing a place to rest.

"Brother Tie, I've brought a guest inside."

Xiao Shao led Zhou You straight into the shanty, and the space that was originally ample immediately became insufficient.

Zhuang Tie had his back to them, bending over to feed medicine to the person on the bed; listening carefully, one could hear faint wheezing and coughing.

Zhou You had originally thought the person on the bed was Zhang Shiyu, but when he saw the patient's appearance, his hair stood on end.

Lying on the bed was an old man, who was none other than the Dazhuang Fist martial arts master, Zhuang Daqiang.

But wasn't he already beaten to death by Wang Jianxiong with fists through his chest? "Don't be so surprised; the vitality of a martial arts master is stronger than that of an ordinary person."

"My master did not die that day; I carried him to a medical clinic for treatment, prolonging his life by a breath."

Zhuang Tie's voice was emotionless, speaking word by word in a detached manner. Zhou You looked around; there was no Zhang Shiyu. He remembered that three master and disciples had left at that time.

Now, only Zhuang Daqiang and Zhuang Tie were on the scene; Zhang Shiyu was not there.

"Where is Zhang Shiyu?"

As soon as Zhou You spoke, the atmosphere became tense. He heard Xiao Shao spit, "A wolf-hearted and dog-lunged thing."

It turned out that after the failed challenge to the hall that day, only the three master and disciples of the Dazhuang Fist remained, and they still had some savings on hand, not having fallen into a predicament.

Zhuang Tie also had money to pay for his master's medical treatment and medicine, but unfortunately, the injuries were too severe; he could only save his life, and there was no hope of recovering as before.

Seeing that the medical expenses were a bottomless pit with no end in sight.

One night, Zhang Shiyu took all the wealth and secretly left, abandoning Zhuang Daqiang and Zhuang Tie.

"Xiao Shao, I know what you are doing outside."

"I have also told you, don't come to me for this kind of thing; the Dazhuang Fist cannot afford to lose that face."

Zhuang Tie pointed at Zhou You, "Do you know who he is?"

"My master is living a life worse than death because he was injured by Wang Laohu, and he is one of Wang Laohu's men."

And that wasn't all; the arm Zhuang Tie was missing was also torn off by Zhou You's Big Senior Brother, Lu Qiang.

The two sides could be said to have a Sea of Blood feud! Xiao Shao stepped forward to persuade, "Brother Tie, calm your anger; we can have a grudge with anyone, but we cannot have a grudge against money."

"The old master is in this state, I'm afraid he won't last many more days; don't you want him to depart with some dignity?"

Hearing this, Zhuang Tie squatted by the bedside with his back turned, and for a long time, there was not a sound.

Zhou You looked at his back and nodded; although this guy was blindly loyal, he was a tough man.

Looking again at Zhuang Daqiang on the bed, his body was withered and thin, like an old monkey that had lost all its hair.

This former martial arts master won't live much longer!

"Fine, it's just a Meat Target, I'll do it!"

Zhuang Tie stood up, wiped his face, and raised a hand to see the guests out, "Xiao Shao, you go out and settle the price with him; don't sell your Brother Tie cheap."

"Rest assured, Brother Tie, I won't let you down."

He pulled Zhou You and rushed out the door, clutching his chest and complaining repeatedly.

"Great master, if you had a grudge against Brother Tie, why didn't you say so earlier!"

"It's all someone else's business; not only do I have no grudge against him, but I actually did him a favor. Back when I kicked down his dojo, I beat Zhang Shiyu until he was like a dead dog."

Hearing this, Xiao Shao beamed with joy and gave a thumbs up, "Well hit."

He then added, "You saw Brother Tie's situation; even though he lost an arm, he was a renowned Qi and Blood expert back in the day."

"If you're hiring him as a sparring partner, you can't pay him too little."

"100 taels, I'll book him for a month first."

Clang—the silver hit the ground, and Xiao Shao's eyes nearly popped out.

He hurriedly bent down to pick up the money, "You're generous, great master, it's a deal."

"Go on, I'll wait for your news," Zhou You said, crossing his arms.

Inside the shack, Zhuang Tie carefully wiped Zhuang Daqiang's arm, his movements as gentle as embroidery.

"Master, how many more days can I accompany you?"

Just as they were speaking, Xiao Shao walked in holding the silver, "Brother Tie, it's settled, 80 taels for a month."

"Xiao Shao, it's fine to take a commission from your Brother Tie's life-risking money, but don't be too greedy."

Zhuang Tie did not take the silver, but instead stared into his eyes.

Xiao Shao immediately changed his tune, "80 taels is too much, let me reconsider... oh, it's 90 taels now."

Zhuang Tie calculated in his heart that a normal person would offer a round number; the other party must have offered 100 taels, and Xiao Shao taking a 10-tael commission, which is ten percent, was the standard market rate.

"Tell him I agree."

(End of chapter)