Chapter 205: Showdown with Wang Laohu

"Oh no, something's happened!" The hair on the back of Shi Gaofei's neck stood straight up.

He reacted quickly, waving his hand to order the Apprentices, "Run quickly, leave through the martial arts hall's main gate, as far as you can."

Although he did not know what had happened, he could feel the power of surging Qi and blood; that was the terrifying aura of a Martial Master.

Zhou You had just gone in, and something happened right on his heels!

His mind raced, and he simply turned his head and followed the crowd to run outside.

Halfway through, someone grabbed him, "Junior Brother Shi, where are you going? Let's go see Master together."

Shi Gaofei looked up; it was Shen Sijing, and behind him were Xu Ying and Li Hao.

Thinking that Zhou You had just gone in, and these people had followed one after another...

He gave an awkward smile, "Senior Brother Shen, my small frame can't handle anything too big, please feel free to go yourselves."

"It's too late. Today's events—do you think you can avoid them just because you want to?"

Shen Sijing nodded, grabbed Shi Gaofei, and walked straight toward the dust-filled Inner Courtyard.

Along the way, the ground was covered in ruins and bricks, and a half-collapsed high wall swayed in the wind, with the groans of injured Apprentices ringing out from time to time.

Shi Gaofei suddenly had a flash of insight, "Are you the reinforcements Zhou You invited, wanting to have a showdown with Master?"

Seeing the three of them remain silent, he became even more certain of his guess and advised, "Don't provoke Master; that old man is not to be trifled with."

"Senior Brother Shi, Master is now forcing Zhou You to his death; surely he should at least be allowed to speak."

During these days, everyone had seen Wang Jianxiong's actions; it was obvious he was sacrificing Zhou You to favor only Lu Jianqing.

Everyone was a fellow Disciple, so why be biased to this extent?

Shi Gaofei sighed, "As Disciples, can we really criticize Master's faults?"

Inner Courtyard...

Lu Jianqing stood there panting, unable to believe that the explosion of the Amulet hadn't even managed to injure Zhou You in the slightest.

That string of Wooden Beads was a life-saving trump card given to him by Master, capable of blocking even a Martial Master's strike for a moment.

The Qi and blood contained within would automatically erupt in counterattack once the owner faced a mortal crisis.

After years of being washed by Wang Laohu's Qi and blood, the wood contained an extremely terrifying imprint, equivalent to his personal protection.

He was shocked by two things: first, that Zhou You could actually trigger the Amulet's protection, and second, that he had actually survived.

"Jianqing, you step aside first."

The one speaking was the master of the martial arts hall, Wang Jianxiong, Wang Laohu.

The moment the Qi and blood erupted, he sensed it immediately, crossing several hundred meters in a single stride to arrive at the scene.

The gale stirred up by the old man whipped the surrounding dust into a gray pillar like a giant python, hissing and roaring.

He turned to Zhou You, his eyes filled with killing intent, "Zhou You, give me one reason not to kill you."

His tone was clearly one of extreme rage; Lu Jianqing had almost died under Zhou You's fists.

If not for the bracelet he had given as an Amulet, if not for his timely arrival at the scene...

He admitted he had misjudged; after half a year of recuperating, Zhou You was not weaker but stronger, already threatening his successor.

Wang Laohu's claws and teeth itched, wanting to temper his killing intent with flesh and blood once more.

Zhou You had just blocked the Amulet's strike with the Glazed Longevity Fist, and his reverence for his master had diminished by a few more points.

He felt his scalp itch; his rebellious spirit was stirring! "Master, this Property Deed was given to me by Bao Shifu, who attempted to bribe me into abandoning the sect and defecting to his house."

"This Disciple has always been loyal, filial, and righteous; I would never be a traitor, so I am handing this over to show my determination."

"The fact that I sternly refused Bao Shifu can be verified by plenty of people on the street."

Zhou You first made his stance clear: even if Master abuses me a thousand times, my loyalty remains unchanged. Then he cupped his fists, "It is only right and proper for Master to punish a Disciple; as long as you state my capital crime, this Disciple will have no complaints even if beaten to death by you."

Wang Jianxiong sneered, "You think I wouldn't dare?"

Things are discarded when old, people are weak when old; to be forced into a corner by a Disciple in his twilight years, was that not laughable? He decided to take advantage of his ability to suppress the opponent to clear the obstacles for Lu Jianqing, and killing intent appeared on his face.

But then he heard Zhou You say, "Master, in this world, one must serve Heaven, Earth, the Monarch, one's parents, and one's teacher."

"This Disciple still has family to support, with parents still living, and I wish to keep this useful body to show them filial piety."

"On this trip back to my hometown to acknowledge my ancestors, I learned many of their deeds, and even obtained a bit of our Family Fist Technique."

"This Disciple is untalented, but I would like to ask Master for some guidance."

Wang Laohu understood the implication in his words.

Zhou You also had a family and a Family Fist Technique; he was not without roots, so Wang Laohu had to weigh things carefully before killing him.

But if Wang Laohu were to be scared by this small threat, he would not be the Tiger that everyone feared.

His lean body trembled slightly, and his muscles and bones awakened at the same time.

"Zhou You, you resent me from the bottom of your heart for not teaching you the real stuff; today, Master will give you a make-up lesson."

"Among our Disciples, the weak are always the food of the strong; neither you nor I can be an exception."

Wang Jianxiong roared, silver-bright patterns appearing on the surface of his skin, and an aura like a crushing mountain emanated from his whole body.

Even the power that was held back but not yet released brought a feeling of extreme suffocation to Zhou You.

Zhou You crossed his arms, his fists glowing with a glazed luster.

The strongest defense, Glazed Longevity Fist! Boom! Zhou You was knocked into a glazed sphere, spinning and tumbling in the air, while a silver tiger sprang up from the ground, its claws raised high to strike down.

Amidst the booming sound of the impact, dust flew, and a large crater appeared.

Lu Jianqing rubbed his eyes; the figures of the two were intertwined, and in the blur, it was actually a silver tiger teasing a sphere.

The silver tiger was naturally Master Wang Jianxiong, wielding the Jade Tiger Technique at the Silver Tiger level, manifesting an astonishing aura.

As for that indestructible sphere, was that Zhou You?

Zhou You maintained the rhythm of the Glazed Longevity Fist; no matter how fierce Wang Jianxiong's attacks were, they were firmly blocked.

The more Wang Jianxiong fought, the more alarmed he became; the defense of this fist technique was simply incredible, allowing a Disciple at the middle stage of Qi and blood to withstand his full-force onslaught.

Could it really be as Zhou You said, that this is his Family Fist Technique? As Shen Sijing and the others walked quickly into the Inner Courtyard, a large round ball descended from the sky and landed, smashing out a huge crater.

They retreated in unison, raising their hands to block the flying dirt.

A hand gripped the edge of the crater, and then a person climbed out; it was Zhou You.

Zhou You's clothes were tattered all over, yet there was not a single trace of injury, and his eyes were also very bright.

He even greeted the few of them, "Senior Brother Shen, you've come."

Shen Sijing was just about to open his mouth when he saw a silver-bright Meng Hu Quan coming straight at him, and he hurriedly pleaded, "Master, show mercy."

Seeing Senior Brother Shen, Shi Gaofei, and the others arrive, Wang Jianxiong abruptly halted his killing blow.

He knew that he could not kill Zhou You within two or three moves, so he had no choice but to admit defeat today.

"Zhou You, you are quite scheming; did you cause this scene today on purpose to make me lose face?"

Although Wang Laohu was angry, he had to admit that Zhou You had both strength and brains.

It was just that he had grown a massive rebellious streak and was always thinking of his own interests, unable to sacrifice himself selflessly for him like Lu Qiang.

(End of this chapter)