Chapter 214: Preferring to Pamper the Sick

That Zhou You's parents were safe despite the danger was thanks to the Amulet personally crafted by Zhang Huaimin.

The craftsmanship of an Intermediate Martial Master is of high quality; with a single encounter, he struck down an expert in the late stages of Blood-Qi, leaving not even a corpse behind, nor a chance to flee.

The elderly couple fainted at the very first moment, and afterwards, they mistakenly believed it was Tie Niu who had driven off the bandits, praising him incessantly.

In this incident, the only one injured was the master of some unknown martial arts hall, who suffered the painful loss of a trusted right-hand man.

An expert in the late stages of Blood-Qi is a trump card; losing even one is a severe blow to one's vitality.

Yet, this matter could not be brought to light, so they had to fabricate an excuse about him going out on business to cover up the disappearance of the trusted Disciple.

However, the inside story still spread among the upper echelons.

"Zhou You has climbed a high branch; his parents have an Amulet personally crafted by an Intermediate Martial Master on them."

"No wonder he wanted to jump ship; if he had stayed with Wang Laohu, how could he have such treatment?"

"Trouble is coming; another person is coming to Gongliang City to snatch food from our plates."

In the martial arts circles, those martial masters were filled with anxiety; when one more big fish enters the fish pond, there isn't enough food to go around.

The territory is only so large, and the benefits and resources are fixed.

When Bao Tiefeng barged in, he eliminated a batch of peers, and now that a newcomer has arrived, it will surely stir up another bloody storm.

This time, not only the local martial masters but even those like Bao Tiefeng, who had just gained a firm footing, became restless.

After much thought, they decided they must befriend Zhou You more and sound him out.

They had finally seen it: Zhou You is just a stone paving the way, and there is a big fish behind him!

Even the noble families were affected, causing a minor commotion.

The existence of every martial master is enough to influence the forces in the city; for the sake of stability, they must be brought under control.

The key is that this martial master behind Zhou You refuses to show his face.

"Zhou You didn't go home because he had the Amulet to protect his parents, so he could go elsewhere with peace of mind."

"Where did he go?"

"Uh, I heard he went to Yiyao Jie, to Xingren Tang."

Xingren Tang…

"You're injured again!"

Hua Youxing looked at Zhou You, who was leisurely drinking tea, and couldn't help but ask, "Who did you fight this time?"

"Just a few nobodies, not worth mentioning. You, look at me first!"

Zhou You pointed to his chest and explained, "I have the Innate Fragile Sacred Body; getting injured is a daily occurrence, I'm used to it."

What Innate Fragile Sacred Body? Never heard of it! Hua Youxing wiped medicinal wine on Zhou You and found they were all just scrapes and bruises, staying at the skin and flesh level.

She took his pulse again; the pulse was thin and weak like a thread, as if it could break at any moment.

"You're being boring now. Manipulating your Blood-Qi to fake a pulse—is there any need for me to look?"

Hua Youxing let go directly, "Stop pretending, you're fine! Speak, why did you make such a big scene coming here?"

She knew that Zhou You entering Xingren Tang so openly must be to scheme against someone.

Even the injury from half a year ago was a deliberate disguise, intended as an excuse to retreat while the going was good.

Zhou You couldn't help but complain, "I'm miserable. I was just expelled from my sect today, and then I was kicked while I was down."

"Several of them fought me alone, and they even used wheel tactics. Bah, despicable!"

"Wait, you were expelled from your sect?"

Hua Youxing was shocked. She looked at Zhou You and, seeing that he had not the slightest bit of dejection or confusion, she felt amazed.

The martial arts world is a cliquish group; once collectively ostracized, it is a dead end.

In this day and age, even street performing has no market; a down-and-out martial artist has no choice but to starve to death or become a bandit.

Zhuang Tie was content with poverty but ended up in the slums; if he hadn't met Zhou You, he would likely have starved to death along with his master. A Disciple expelled from a martial arts hall has a future that will only go from bad to worse.

Just as Hua Youxing was about to say something, Du He walked over quickly, glanced at Zhou You, and whispered a few words to her.

Her eyelids twitched twice, and she raised her hand to dismiss Du He.

The next moment, the look in Hua Youxing's eyes as she watched Zhou You changed, "I admire you, I truly do."

"Zhou You, when others are expelled from their sects, they are like stray dogs, but you are like a trapped tiger leaving its cage—fiercer and more savage."

"Bao Tiefeng and the Panshi Guanzhu have both had their Disciples killed by you, and Mao Lang and Zhang Shiyu also barely escaped with their lives."

"You've only been away from the martial arts hall for half a day, and you've already offended so many big shots, tsk tsk!"

Originally, being expelled meant offending only Wang Laohu, but now he has offended the entire martial arts circle of Gongliang City.

Hua Youxing looked at Zhou You with pity; since they were acquaintances, she might as well chat with him a bit more! Zhou You explained, "That's why I came to you to look at my injuries, so the outside world knows I won a miserable victory and will be too embarrassed to come and challenge me again."

As if I'd believe you!

If you were truly seriously injured and others saw it, you would be intercepted and killed halfway to Xingren Tang.

"Hey, I heard Bao Tiefeng wanted to marry his daughter to you; you've lost your chance now!"

Hua Youxing said teasingly.

"I've seen his daughter; although she has been married, she is still a virgin, and she has a good figure for childbearing. You wouldn't lose out if you married her."

Zhou You waved both hands, "Forget it, I can't handle such a formidable father-in-law."

For an ambitious figure like Bao Tiefeng, his own family and relatives are nothing but pawns in his eyes.

If you want to marry his daughter, he is eyeing your life and property, wishing he could eat you until not even the dregs are left.

Otherwise, why did Bao Shuixian become a widow so quickly after only a few years?

Zhou You would never be blinded by beauty and make a choice he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Young Mistress, I'm not going home today; I want to stay the night at your Xingren Tang."

In this day and age, there is no such thing as hospitalization; if Zhou You wants to stay, he must obtain Hua Youxing's permission and ask for a favor.

Hua Youxing frowned and said, "Xingren Tang has no policy for overnight stays."

"Please do me a favor; I will certainly repay this kindness in the future."

Zhou You lacked confidence; her father was a martial arts master, and she was backed by the wealthy and powerful Medicine King Sect, so why would she care about his favor?

Unexpectedly, after pondering for a moment, Hua Youxing actually agreed.

"You may make do in the main hall for the night, but please leave before we open tomorrow."

Hua Youxing then called for Du He, "Du He, go to Zhou You's home and tell his parents they don't need to wait up."

Zhou You cupped his hands in a salute, "Young Proprietor, you are very thoughtful; thank you."

Hua Youxing waved her hand, "I can only keep you here for one night; after all, Xingren Tang is a business, and we cannot get involved in disputes."

"Zhou You, if you have no other path, it would be best to join the City Gate Guard."

"Although Zhang Shiyu has a grudge against you, his foster father, Captain Ye, is only one of the eight ghost-catching Captains."

"The City Gate Guard is not connected to the martial arts circle, and the status of the other Captains is sufficient to provide protection."

Hua Youxing spoke eloquently and analyzed the situation; she was genuinely offering a suggestion to seek survival in a desperate situation.

Zhou You nodded silently, "Young Proprietor, if it truly comes to a last resort, I will consider this path."

After night fell...

In the silent, empty medicine hall, Zhou You opened his eyes; the time he had calculated had arrived.

Staying in the medicine hall was not for recovering from his injuries, but to have someone provide an alibi, making it convenient for him to carry out two plans tonight.

In the first half of the night, he would assassinate Bao Tiefeng to avenge his grudge, and in the second half, he would kill the Life-Transforming Ghoul to eliminate the menace.

(End of chapter)