Chapter 20: A Slip of the Tongue Brings Trouble; Breaking Your Leg Bones

By the afternoon, the news had spread throughout the Outer Courtyard.

The protagonist of the recent rumors, Zhou You, has challenged Zhang Shu in the name of a sparring partner.

The news of Zhou You beating Zhang Shu senseless had not spread, so everyone was unclear about the gap in their strength and believed the outcome remained in suspense.

The new Apprentices ran to tell each other; after all, this was a rare and lively spectacle.

Sparring partner bouts are always stopped at the point of contact, for fear of injuring one's companion.

This time, Zhou You and Zhang Shu are settling old and new scores together, and they even invited the Big Senior Brother to preside—it is bound to be extremely exciting.

"Big Senior Brother, those Apprentices are all saying that Zhou You has ties to the Mad Horse Gang. What do you think?"

A Zhengshi Xuitu asked Lu Qiang in a low voice.

The martial arts hall strictly forbids disciples from colluding with gangs; the nature of this matter is very serious.

Lu Qiang shook his head, "Just rumors; like rootless duckweed, they scatter with a single blow."

"Do not pay them any mind; go and watch the result of these two's bout."

Lu Qiang was too lazy to even care about the rumors, because he was certain this gust of wind could not stir up any waves.

Whoever fabricated the rumors is also a fool.

The martial arts hall is extremely strict in selecting Apprentices and investigates everyone's background.

When Zhou You entered, his background had long been investigated clearly, including how he offended the Wild Fox Gang and the reason he came to the martial arts hall seeking refuge.

There was even information on Gao Qiang's situation; ever since he joined a gang, Zhou You had already severed ties with him.

If you say Zhou You is a mole sent by the Mad Horse Gang, doesn't that mean he, Lu Qiang, is incompetent and a poor judge of character?

Lu Qiang saw at a glance that this was a petty, underhanded tactic among the new Apprentices to slander their competitors.

Such dramas are nothing new in the martial arts hall.

"Zhou You, Zhang Shu, one of you is definitely getting eliminated today."

Lu Qiang's mindset is that of a typical superior; he doesn't care who is in the right, only who has more potential to be cultivated.

If Zhou You can withstand the slander and maintain a stable state of mind, it proves he is a talent worth molding, and he might even become a full disciple in the future.

But if he cannot withstand the blow and loses, losing his value for cultivation, then the filth splashed on him won't matter whether it's true or false.

"The Big Senior Brother is here."

The crowd parted, and the new Apprentices bowed to Lu Qiang one by one with respectful attitudes.

Zhou You and Zhang Shu stood in the open space with grave expressions, clearly having been in a standoff for some time.

"Zhou You, don't be arrogant. The Big Senior Brother is here, and he will uphold justice."

Hearing that Lu Qiang had arrived, Zhang Shu breathed a sigh of relief.

With the Big Senior Brother present, the other party certainly couldn't go too far, and there would be room for maneuver.

Zhou You sneered—justice, how much does justice weigh? Can it block a fist?

"Zhang Shu, I remember you've been at the martial arts hall for over eighty days, and there aren't many days left until your term expires."

As soon as Zhou You spoke, Zhang Shu's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding rose within him.

"If I break your leg today, do you think you'll still have a chance to train your internal force?"

Every word of Zhou You's sentence was a blade aimed at the heart, stabbing Zhang Shu until he was drenched in cold sweat.

It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone; if he were to be injured, he would inevitably be unable to practice martial arts for the coming days and would waste time recuperating.

Without a doubt, once the hundred days were up, Zhang Shu would certainly be expelled from the martial arts hall.

"Zhou You, you are too vicious! I will not share the same sky as you."

Zhang Shu screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes filled with hatred and fear.

Zhou You smiled faintly, "Not as vicious as you, using a petty mind to fabricate rumors, slander my reputation, and disturb my state of mind."

"Zhang Shu, today I'll teach you a principle."

"What's the point of a martial artist having so many devious schemes? If you can't fight, no matter how many tricks you have, it's all bullshit."

As soon as the words fell...

Zhou You lunged forward, raising his hand to strike directly at Zhang Shu's face.

"Still the Square-Circle Step and the Imperial Strike Hand?"

Seeing his movements, Lu Qiang couldn't help but frown. Why won't this child listen to advice!

Zhang Shu arrived earlier and had a deeper mastery of the Crouching Tiger Fist; how could it be shaken by basic hand and foot techniques?

That's right, that's exactly what Zhang Shu thought.

"Zhou You, do you think you can defeat me with just the Imperial Strike Hand?"

Zhang Shu roared, unleashing one of the killing moves from the Crouching Tiger Fist: Black Tiger Steals the Heart.

This punch had three parts of mastery; if a strong man were hit, his sternum would break and his heart would stop on the spot.

In past practice, whenever Zhang Shu punched the wooden dummy, he could leave a clear fist print every time, showing his punching power was not weak.

However, this time the opponent was not a wooden dummy, nor even a tacitly cooperative sparring partner.

"Swish!"

Zhang Shu's vision blurred, he lost track of his target, and the killing move of the Black Tiger Steals the Heart missed.

Sensing something was wrong, he immediately took a step forward and kicked upward, "Tiger Clips the Tail."

The move connected smoothly and naturally, and there were no major issues with his force application.

Zhou You crossed his hands, pushing and pressing; with a *bang* of impact, he blocked Zhang Shu's flying kick.

The feedback force was actually weaker than he had imagined, which greatly exceeded his expectations.

"Zhang Shu is going to lose."

Lu Qiang looked at Zhou You with a faint glimmer of appreciation.

He had actually misjudged at the time; it was not that Zhou You did not practice the Subduing Tiger Fist, but that he had already cultivated the Subduing Tiger Fist to an extremely profound level.

Every move Zhang Shu made was under his control, and even when using basic footwork, he could calmly parry them.

Seen in this light, there was not half a shred of suspense left regarding the outcome.

Bang, bang, bang...

The two exchanged a few rounds, and a sudden, drastic change occurred.

Zhou You suddenly slid forward, his speed surging, and the ten-meter distance was shortened in an instant.

With one hand holding the yin and the other pushing the yang, he poured 12 points of strength into it, shattering Zhang Shu's defensive stance like dry wood.

Immediately following, both hands struck Zhang Shu's chest simultaneously without distinction of order.

Zhang Shu did not make a sound, falling straight to the ground like a wooden stake, only to have Zhou You step on his chest.

"Speak, who instructed you to slander and malign me?"

Zhang Shu still wanted to be stubborn, so Zhou You raised a foot and stepped on his shinbone.

"If you don't speak, I will snap your leg bone and make you a crippled dog for the rest of your life."

Seeing this, a Zhengshi Xuitu beside Lu Qiang reminded him, "Big Senior Brother, should we step in and put a stop to this?"

"No need, it's just children playing around."

Lu Qiang turned and walked away, "Zhou You has won; leave the rest of the matter to him."

The other new Apprentices had thought the Big Senior Brother would intervene, and were shocked to see him turn and leave.

Does this not mean he is ignoring this matter?

In his despair, Zhang Shu was terrified, as if he saw a vision of himself begging with a crutch, and blurted out, "I'll talk."

"It was Tu Laosan of the Wild Fox Gang; he knew I had a grudge against you and helped me come up with the idea."

"..."

As he confessed everything in detail, the new Apprentices looked at him with disdain and disgust.

So, you are the scum who colluded with a gang!

From this moment on, everything for Zhang Shu at the martial arts hall was over.

"Zhou You, I've confessed everything, let me go."

Zhang Shu still held onto hope; as long as he was given the chance to cultivate Force, he could still make a comeback.

Suddenly seeing Zhou You reveal a smile, he felt despair and begged desperately, "No!"

With a crack, his leg bone was snapped on the spot, and under the intense pain, he fainted.

Zhou You's expression was cold; an honest confession does not equal me not snapping your leg—one thing is one thing, another is another.