Chapter 149: Red Heart Destroyed, Twelve Comes to Seek Refuge

A blind date that started with a roar and ended with a whimper ultimately fell apart in unhappiness.

That same day, the matchmaker returned the gold ring and refused to take any more of Zhou You's business.

Zhou You Niang asked why, confused, but the matchmaker only said she had misjudged the situation and that her son was no ordinary person.

"How strange. You, how did you and that young lady talk?"

Mother asked Zhou You when she got home, but Zhou You just smiled and said nothing.

Influenced by this incident, a wave of commotion arose after Zhou You returned to the martial arts hall.

Everyone around knew he had been going on blind dates recently, clearly anxious to settle down and start a family, so people often tried to introduce him to others, either openly or covertly.

There were even Apprentices who wanted to introduce their own sisters to him, hoping to get a head start by being close to the source.

His master, Wang Jianxiong, heard about this from the eldest daughter, Wang Yan, and laughed happily, saying he understood, "Settling down is good, settling down early is even better!"

The Senior Brothers in the martial arts hall had all married quite young; men like Qi Fengzhang and Shen Sijing already had families and were even holding their own children.

Zhong Shaoying, who was infatuated with Wang Yan and willing to remain an older bachelor, was a pure exception.

At his age, under normal circumstances, Zhou You should have already been holding his firstborn at home.

The matter of the blind date came to a temporary halt.

The Iron Peak Martial Arts Hall had been bombarded by a cannon-like machine, with most of the buildings collapsed and ruins everywhere; it could not open for the time being.

Bao Tiefeng was actually able to endure it; even though he knew Wang Jianxiong had sent people to do it, he made no move to retaliate.

Those who can endure are generally not simple.

There were so many eyes in the city watching his every move, and they were all disappointed to see that no conflict arose.

Wang Laohu was seasoned and shrewd after all, having gained the upper hand; the conflict proved that the Mastiff was no match for the Tiger.

"..."

Zhou You, however, realized it was not that simple; Bao Tiefeng had the personality of a ruthless overlord—once a punch was thrown, a chain of follow-up moves would surely arrive one after another.

Sure enough...

"Zhou You, quick, quick, that old dog Bao Tiefeng has no sense of honor; my Chixin Martial Arts Hall is finished."

One morning, Zuo Shier stumbled into the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall, shouting in grief and indignation.

At the time, Zhou You was still teaching the new students how to punch; seeing him covered in wounds with blood gushing out like a spring, he knew something major had happened.

Upon asking, he learned that Bao Tiefeng had come to challenge the hall, killed Liu Xingui with a thunderous strike, and beaten the disciples and Apprentices of Chixin Martial Arts Hall until they were scattered and broken.

Zuo Shier had fought to the death to escape and, thinking of Wang Jianxiong as the Martial Arts Association President, came to ask him to uphold justice.

"Another martial arts hall gone?"

Zhou You was shocked to the core; he still remembered the martial arts master Liu Xingui. Although they were both masters, he lacked his own master's domineering depth and was essentially a businessman who ran the hall as a trade.

It had to be said that Bao Tiefeng's eye for choosing Liu Xingui was truly venomous; he had picked a soft persimmon that was easy to squeeze.

He was skilled at biding his time, remaining calm after suffering losses under Wang Jianxiong, only to turn around and swallow the Chixin Martial Arts Hall to strengthen himself.

No wonder he had been quiet all this time; he had been brewing his strength to catch them off guard.

This was something no one in the Gongliang City martial arts circle had anticipated.

"Rest in my room first, stop the bleeding and treat your wounds; I will go report to Master."

Zhou You took the news to the old man and briefly explained what had happened.

"What a vicious dog!"

After listening, Wang Jianxiong's eyes turned sharp in an instant, like a tiger about to eat someone.

"Arrange for him to stay; we shall deliberate on this matter at length."

That was the signal that he didn't want to get involved! Zhou You suddenly realized that the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall was emptier than ever; the few Senior Brothers were not in the Inner Courtyard, and only he was left by his master's side.

The old man was planning something, and his available forces were stretched thin.

Big Senior Brother Lu Qiang was handling affairs in Fucheng, Zhong Shaoying was busy quelling the disaster in the manor fields, Jiang Hua's whereabouts were unknown, and Shen Sijing and Shi Gaofei also had important matters to attend to. Given Wang Jianxiong's personality, it was impossible for him to choose to go to war with the other side at this time for the sake of the Chixin Martial Arts Hall.

"Bao Tiefeng is an outsider with no ties to this place, so he can swallow up martial arts halls to grow stronger."

"We, however, cannot; the status of Martial Arts Association President is a chain that the peers pushed onto me, Wang Laohu, to restrain me."

"If things continue like this, the stronger the enemy becomes while my Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall remains stagnant, the more advantageous it will be for them in the long run."

The old man analyzed it clearly, having already calculated everything in his mind.

He instructed Zhou You, "Zuo Shier is a remnant of the Chixin Martial Arts Hall; you must treat him well. I am letting you interact with him for the purpose of taking precautions."

"Hmm, this person was valued by Liu Xingui and came here for help; he must be carrying the manual for the Two Hearts Fist and the medicinal prescriptions on him."

"Find a way to get them, and I will record a great merit for you."

Zhou You felt a chill in his heart as he listened to his master's earnest teachings.

After the Chixin Martial Arts Hall suffered such a disaster, even its last bit of essence was to be devoured and wiped clean; it was too cruel.

He did not hesitate in the slightest, because the old man was observing his reaction; this was a test for him.

The history of the Two Hearts Fist was not short, and it had once been a famous school of boxing, but it had declined to this point for various reasons.

Similar situations emerged one after another; it was nothing new.

Even Wang Jianxiong was interested in the Two Hearts Fist, which showed that the foundation of this boxing style was no less than that of the Meng Hu Quan.

When Zhou You found Zuo Shier, the man was wiping a pair of Wind-Grinding Copper Arm Rings, his gaze filled with reluctance.

He recognized these arm rings; they were items Liu Xingui wore close to his body, which could be hung on the wrists or pulled up onto the arms.

On the bowl-thick copper rings, there were vaguely complex and exquisite patterns, the casting craftsmanship being extremely superb.

"Zhou You, what did the President say?"

Zuo Shier's wounds were still seeping blood, and his heart was still set on revenge.

Zhou You opened his mouth, but it finally turned into a hollow phrase, "Master said we must deliberate at length."

Deliberate at length?

Zuo Shier was silent for a moment, then suddenly knelt before Zhou You.

"Zhou You, is our friendship enough for me to ask you to carry a message inside for me?"

"Just say that Zuo Shier has suffered the tragic loss of his sect and is now drifting without roots; he requests the Master to take him in, and he is willing to become an Apprentice of Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall."

It was too sudden.

Zhou You had thought he would beg bitterly, asking his master to uphold justice and seek revenge against Bao Tiefeng; he had not expected Zuo Shier to be so resolute and decisive.

"I am willing to offer the manual for the Two Hearts Fist, the Secret Medicine Fire Dwelling Pill of the Inner Courtyard, and the prescription for the Outer Courtyard Secret Medicine Clear Heart Essence Pill as a gift for entering the Master's school."

Good heavens, he was offering up the entire foundation of the Two Hearts Fist.

One had to know that manuals and prescriptions were the foundation that supported a martial arts hall.

After Liu Xingui died, these things were handed to Zuo Shier with the expectation that he would pass on the Two Hearts Fist.

Once these things were handed over, it was equivalent to this school of fist technique being merged into the Tiger Subduing Fist, losing all qualifications to remain an independent school.

Zhou You told Wang Jianxiong about this request; this matter had to be decided by him personally.

Zuo Shier was an Inner Court Disciple at Qi and Blood Stage 2, deeply branded by the Two Hearts Fist, and was the Disciple Liu Xingui had valued most while alive.

For such a person to seek apprenticeship while already possessing skills was by no means a simple matter.

"Liu Xingui had a good eye, finding a good Disciple; only smart people can live long!"

Wang Jianxiong nodded, "Zhou You, you handled this errand well."

"Let the manual and prescriptions pass through your hands first; check them once before handing them to me."

"As for Zuo Shier, have him follow you to learn the Tiger Subduing Fist first; there is no rush, let him wait for a while."

(End of chapter)