Chapter 118: Establishing Merit and Passing on the Tiger's Might

There are not many students in the martial arts hall who have nicknames.

Big Senior Brother Lu Qiang is known as the Iron Tiger because his temperament is as firm as iron, and also because he has cultivated the martial arts hall's secret 'Jade Tiger Art' to the Iron Tiger level; the name is a double entendre.

Zhong Shaoying's nickname, Skull-Splitting Tiger, comes from his consistent style of attacking.

Every nickname is hard-won; it is the comprehensive product of strength, battle records, and reputation.

Those street thugs who gild their own faces by choosing boastful nicknames are all just playing childish games of self-amusement.

A martial artist's nickname must be publicly recognized to carry weight.

Because, a so-called nickname symbolizes the recognition of one's circle.

Commonly known as... making a name for oneself.

"Winged Tiger?"

Zhou You pondered it in his mouth; no matter how he heard it, it sounded like a bit-part character who wouldn't survive half an episode.

Zhong Shaoying gave an angry snort, "Xu Ying, what are you here for?"

"Senior Brother Zhong, the Hall Master, Senior Brother Qi, and Senior Brother Shen are all waiting inside."

Wang Yan was impatient, "Then what about me?"

"The Young Miss should rest first; hot water has already been prepared in the inner residence."

The Inner Courtyard...

Several people stepped inside the door, and instantly, over a dozen pairs of eyes gathered.

Even though Zhong Shaoying was walking in front, these gazes all swept past him and landed on Zhou You.

"Winged Tiger Zhou You!"

The one speaking was the Hall Master in the main seat, Wang Jianxiong, who beckoned happily, "This time you have brought great face to the martial arts hall."

Zhong Shaoying was brimming with suppressed anger and had intended to ask the master to punish Zhou You in front of everyone.

In his view, Zhou You had failed in his duty as a guard and nearly caused Wang Yan to suffer; he deserved to die a hundred times over.

Upon hearing the Hall Master's tone, Zhong Shaoying stopped speaking.

Zhou You noticed that the Inner Court Disciples seen this time were far more complete than ever before.

Qi Fengzhang, Shen Sijing, Zhong Shaoying, Shi Gaofei, and others were all standing on both sides of Wang Jianxiong.

But weren't Qi Fengzhang and Shi Gaofei from the Hunting Team, and weren't they currently pursuing the Flower-Plucking Thief?

"It is a pity; the Flower-Plucking Thief had already been forced into a desperate situation by us, but he took out a secret treasure to summon a bat and flew away."

"The bat is a strange beast; its wingspan is 2 meters, and it grabbed the Flower-Plucking Thief and flew out of the city."

"The City Gate Guard has been mobilized in large numbers to search for his whereabouts."

A strange beast bat—there is such a thing? A bat with a two-meter wingspan is about the same size as a normal person; it certainly isn't an ordinary species.

Could it be related to Charm Objects?

Zhou You subconsciously looked at everyone's expressions and decisively saw the clues.

The Flower-Plucking Thief must have hidden a relic of a Charm Object, which is why he could manipulate a bat with a two-meter wingspan.

This is not easy to catch!

His Lightness Skill was already incredibly headache-inducing, and now with the help of a flying strange beast, what could be used to capture him?

A net of heaven and earth is just a metaphor; no matter how powerful it is, it is impossible to spread a net into the sky.

"Fengzhang! I have sent Jiang Hua to Commander Chen's military camp to borrow equipment; he will return in a few days."

Wang Jianxiong nodded toward Qi Fengzhang.

Qi Fengzhang cupped his hands in salute, "Thank you, Master."

"Once the equipment arrives, we will shoot down the strange beast bat, and the Flower-Plucking Thief will be unable to fly even with wings."

Only military equipment can shoot down flying strange beasts, but the local garrison is meant to guard against powerful clans and families; their positions are diametrically opposed, so it is impossible for them to lend out equipment.

Old Master Wang and Commander Chen have a life-and-death friendship; only by relying on his connection could he borrow the items.

Zhou You listened in silence, vaguely understanding the purpose of Qi Fengzhang joining the martial arts hall.

Old Master Wang is the intermediary between the powerful families and Commander Chen.

"Master, we have a Winged Tiger; we have already seized the initiative in dealing with the Flower-Plucking Thief," Shen Sijing said from the side, taking advantage of the harmonious atmosphere.

Everyone's attention returned to Zhou You; this Outer Court Apprentice had shone brilliantly.

The Flower-Plucking Thief had never been so miserable before, and the reason was that he had been entangled by Zhou You all the way, revealing too many traces.

When Qi Fengzhang arrived with his men, the Flower-Plucking Thief had an injured arm, and blood had been spilled all along the way, pointing the direction for the hunting hounds.

During the exchange, everyone discovered that the wounds belonged to the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall's Wind-Chasing Triple Technique.

"Zhou You, it was not in vain that I gave you Instruction in the Wind-Chasing Triple Technique."

Wang Jianxiong laughed and asked nonchalantly, "The Flower-Plucking Thief's Lightness Skill is the best in terms of Qi and blood; why were you able to catch up to him?"

The surroundings suddenly became quiet; everyone was waiting for Zhou You's answer.

"Hall Master, please allow me to explain: firstly, the Flower-Plucking Thief was carrying someone, so his speed was greatly affected."

"Secondly, I must thank Head Constable Qu..."

"He gifted me a piece of Charm Bone, which I consumed, and my Lightness Skill was greatly improved as a result."

Zhou You's attitude was sincere, and he honestly confessed the matter.

Regarding the matter of the Lightness Skill, he had nothing to hide in his heart and could withstand an investigation.

"Not bad, not bad; your nickname of Winged Tiger is well-deserved."

Wang Jianxiong sighed, "The Tiger-Subduing Fist is not known for agility, yet you were able to cultivate such excellent Lightness Skill; it is clear that it is a matter of talent, something others cannot force."

Zhou You observed his attitude and knew that he had safely passed the test.

However, how could he allow it to end just like that?

"Master, I have discovered one more thing; although it is a guess, I must speak it."

Wang Jianxiong had intended to tell him to withdraw, but upon hearing this, he waved his hand, "Speak!"

"This time the Flower-Plucking Thief captured two people, which is different from the usual one person each time; he seems rather desperate."

Zhou You glanced at Shen Sijing again, "Combined with the last time Senior Brother Shen made the Flower-Plucking Thief return empty-handed..."

He paused, then continued, "The disciple guesses that every time the Flower-Plucking Thief commits a crime, it is not a whim or for indulgence, but driven by a certain purpose, and he must adhere to a specific cycle and frequency."

"In other words, because he failed last time, he had to fill the gap, which is why he abducted two people at once."

Everyone present was a smart person; there was no need to make the words too obvious.

Qi Fengzhang's eyes brightened, and he curiously sized up Zhou You; this Outer Courtyard Junior Brother was not simple!

With a few simple sentences, he connected the cause and effect, revealing a major secret of the Flower-Plucking Thief.

This fellow plucking flowers most likely suffers from a hidden ailment or is cultivating some kind of evil art.

If he doesn't touch a woman, he will die! "Master, this disciple has matters to attend to and cannot serve before you; please forgive me!"

After apologizing, Qi Fengzhang pulled Shi Gaofei away on the spot.

Zhou You's words gave him inspiration, and he was eager to use resources to verify a possibility; perhaps he could dig out the Flower-Plucking Thief's hiding place.

Wang Jianxiong's gaze revealed satisfaction as he looked left and right at the disciples beside him.

"When encountering matters, you must use your brains; the only thing in this world that grows with age is not strength, but wisdom."

He was in a great mood and tilted his chin toward Zhou You, "Zhou You, I want to reward you; what do you want?"

The disciples on both sides were all shocked; this was a rare opportunity!

This was exactly what Zhou You was waiting for, and he said earnestly:

"Last night, this disciple tried his best, but even with the Wind-Chasing Triple-Layer Technique, I could not move the Flower-Plucking Thief; after thinking it over, it is because my own cultivation is not up to par."

"I ask the Hall Master to instruct me in a more powerful method."

Something more powerful than the Wind-Chasing Triple-Layer Technique is...

"Very well, Lu Qiang, you come and instruct him in the Tiger Aura."

Lu Qiang was extremely surprised; this was breaking the rules. How could an Outer Court Apprentice learn the secret Tiger Aura? "Look at him; he will definitely break through the Blood-Qi realm in the future, so just consider it an early instruction."

Wang Jianxiong did not care about this; deciding whether to break the rules was just a matter of a single thought for him.

(End of chapter)