Chapter 117: Gaining the Name: Winged Tiger

Zeng Fu is destined to be sleepless tonight.

The corpses of the two brutally murdered servants are still in the garden, and arrangements are being made to have someone haul them outside the city for burial.

Master Zeng is away visiting friends and won't be back for at least a month, leaving no one in the manor to take charge.

Miss Zeng is still shaken, but she maintains proper etiquette and gracefully offers her apologies to Zhou You.

"Master Zhou, please bear with this for now. When my father returns, he will surely host a banquet to thank you for saving my life."

That is correct; Zhou You saved her life.

For an unmarried woman to lose her chastity is equivalent to death.

Miss Zeng comes from a scholarly family and values this above all else; her recent experience was practically a brush with the gates of hell.

Zhou You waves his hand, unconcerned; he had thought Wang Yan was in the two bags at the time, which is why he risked his life to snatch them.

And the result...

Zhou You glances at the yawning Wang Yan; the flower-plucking thief had no interest in her.

Sigh, the young lady is usually a little beauty surrounded by admirers at the martial arts hall, yet she was tragically eliminated from the flower-plucking thief's selection process.

This matter must be a huge blow to her... or so one would think.

Wang Yan is heartless and mindless, not yet realizing how much risk her impulsive decision to stay the night brought to both herself and Zhou You.

"Zhou You, since your Lightness Skill is so impressive, why didn't you go catch the flower-plucking thief?"

Zhou You rolls his eyes, too lazy to explain it to her.

He has already sent an Apprentice back to the martial arts hall to report the news; the Hall Master must be informed of this matter immediately.

Zhou You and the few Apprentices are of equal rank, so by rights, he shouldn't be able to order them around.

However, the designated Apprentice is very obedient and takes off running without a word.

During the battle tonight, Zhou You's performance was too dazzling; when Pan Jinshan was unable to reach the scene in time, it was Zhou You who used his Lightness Skill to enter the fray and drive off the flower-plucking thief.

Perhaps some have realized that Zhou You is not far from making a name for himself.

A moment later, an angry voice rings out from outside the gate.

"Zhou You, get out here."

Wang Yan's eyes light up, "It's Senior Brother Zhong."

Zhong Shaoying has arrived! He came too quickly.

Based on the leg strength of the Apprentice sent to report, he shouldn't have reached the martial arts hall yet.

Walking to the main gate, he sees Zhong Shaoying holding the Apprentice by the collar as if he were a chick.

The Apprentice looks innocent and spreads his hands toward Zhou You; he ran into Zhong Shaoying halfway there and didn't have time to reach the martial arts hall.

Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Zhong Shaoying storms into Zeng Fu.

Zhou You steps over the threshold, and Zhong Shaoying, on the opposite side, raises his foot to kick without a word.

His nickname is 'Skull-Cracking Tiger', and he is known for his Tiger Tail Kick; his fighting style is brutal, often cracking an enemy's skull with a single strike.

His claim to fame was kicking dozens of mountain bandits to death in one go; his fierce reputation is widespread!

When he lifts his right leg into mid-air, it thickens significantly, rivaling the waist of a burly man.

The pitch-black night is torn asunder, and the air clinging to his leg flutters like tattered cloth in the gale of his force.

"Tiger Tail Kick."

Zhou You's pupils constrict, and he instinctively retreats.

He is no stranger to this move; Shen Sanhe used it earlier, though it was merely a clumsy imitation.

The thick leg whipping down in his field of vision possesses both the overwhelming power of a steel rod and the sharpness and resilience of a steel cable.

The immense power driven by his Qi and blood surges into the very tip of his foot.

This heaviest point is also the most lethal.

The target is, shockingly, Zhou You's forehead.

It is easy to imagine that if he were truly struck, his skull would either crack or his neck would snap.

Either injury would be a fatal wound resulting in immediate death.

Although Zhou You and he belong to different branches, they are still fellow disciples; why would he resort to such a lethal blow? Behind Zhou You, Wang Yan screams, "Senior Brother Zhong, what are you doing?"

It is too late to stop him. Zhou You's gaze turns sharp, and he immediately activates his movement technique.

After tonight, there is no need to hide his level 3 Lightness Skill; he can display it to his heart's content.

The excuse is ready-made: the Charm Bone given by Head Constable Qu had an excellent effect, causing his movement technique and Lightness Skill to advance by leaps and bounds.

*Swish! * Zhong Shaoying attacked in a fit of rage, only realizing halfway through that Zhou You is merely a Strength Apprentice—what if he kicked him to death? Wang Yan's scream instantly brought him to his senses.

But it was too late by then.

Zhou You did not sit and wait for death, but lunged to the side in the posture of a pouncing tiger.

The Tiger Tail Kick landed without hesitation, the immense power shattering 'Zhou You'—it was merely a lingering afterimage.

*Thud! * Zhong Shaoying's foot slammed into the ground, and everyone in Zeng Fu felt all the furniture and walls vibrate simultaneously.

He was shocked in his heart: how is this brat so fast?

A loud shout came from the opposite side from Pan Jinshan, "Stop."

"Well, Zhong Shaoying, you're used to throwing your weight around, but you actually dare to cause trouble at Zeng Fu."

Pan Jinshan is a mid-stage Qi and blood expert, even above Zhong Shaoying; once he stepped forward, Zhong Shaoying could no longer continue the attack.

"Zhou You, what kind of mess have you made? The young lady almost got into trouble!"

Zhong Shaoying put on his Senior Brother airs and began to scold Zhou You.

Before he could continue, Wang Yan interrupted him angrily.

"Senior Brother Zhong, why are you acting without rhyme or reason? Staying the night was my idea, and Father agreed to it."

"Zhou You performed a meritorious service this time; the Flower-Plucking Thief was driven away by him."

"You caused a scene and hit people at my friend's house, making me lose so much face!"

As soon as Wang Yan spoke, Zhong Shaoying's fierce and menacing expression instantly dissipated; his demeanor turned gentle as he patiently explained, "I was worried about you. Returning from outside the city and learning that something had happened here, I rushed over immediately."

"I didn't even return to the martial arts school; if you don't believe me, ask him."

He pointed at the Apprentice he had brought along.

The Apprentice gave Wang Yan a helpless, bitter smile, with an attitude of 'see the situation for yourself.'

Zhou You should have felt resentment, but it instantly turned into sympathy; this guy is a simp! Hmm, he inexplicably felt some sympathy for him.

Zhong Shaoying had caused such unpleasantness that Wang Yan could no longer stay either.

She apologized to Miss Zeng and urged Zhong Shaoying to take them back to the martial arts school.

The city was still in an uproar, with collapsed houses and unextinguished flames everywhere; there were even human bodies lying motionless by the streets, staining large patches of blood, and even scattered fragments of limbs.

The intensity of the fighting tonight far exceeded any previous time.

The Flower-Plucking Thief was truly driven into a desperate situation.

Thanks to the accompaniment of Zhong Shaoying, whose Qi and blood were strong, the road back to the school was calm and peaceful.

When he saw the storefront of 'Jian Xiong Martial Arts School' from afar, Zhou You suddenly noticed that the sky around them had already brightened.

The chaotic night had finally passed.

There were Apprentices guarding the entrance; seeing the group arrive, they walked up quickly and recognized Wang Yan in the crowd.

"The Eldest Miss is back, the Eldest Miss is back."

"And Senior Brother Zhong, and Zhou You..."

Zhong Shaoying frowned slightly upon hearing this; what level was Zhou You, that he was worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as him?

One was an Inner Court Disciple, the other an Outer Court Apprentice; there was a difference between a permanent staff member and a temporary worker.

After walking into the martial arts school, Xu Ying walked over and laughed, calling out: "The Winged Tiger has returned home!"

Winged Tiger? Who is that?

The group looked at each other in dismay, checking one another; there was no such person in the martial arts school! Just as they were wondering, Xu Ying stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Zhou You's shoulder, "That's right, it's you, Winged Tiger Zhou You."

It turned out that last night in the city was very lively, with various pieces of news being passed around and flowing into the martial arts school.

Among them, the most explosive piece of news was that Zhou You, relying solely on his Jinli Level, fought the Flower-Plucking Thief in a bloody battle to save someone.

With excellent Lightness Skill, he rivaled the Flower-Plucking Thief, and he also came from a background of Tiger-Subduing Fist.

Therefore, he earned the name... Winged Tiger!

(End of chapter)