Chapter 25: The Boy's Deceptive Report, The Wicked Guest Blocks the Path

After Zhou You unleashed his force, he spent another two days consolidating it.

With his force initially mastered and running smoothly, he estimated the timing was about right to apply to his Big Senior Brother, Lu Qiang, for the promotion assessment.

However, a sudden incident interrupted his plans.

"Big Brother Zhou, it's bad, something happened at your home."

The one who came to deliver the message was a child from a neighboring house, clutching a candied yam in his hand, his expression panicked.

Zhou You's eyelids twitched slightly. "Don't be anxious, tell me slowly."

With the Martial Arts Hall Wooden Plaque hanging at his front door, even if gang members dared to block the entrance, they wouldn't dare to break in.

Otherwise, it would be a slap in the face to the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall, forging a life-or-death feud.

The child was named Shan Wa, and his family lived near the street entrance, seven or eight houses away from Zhou You's home.

On his way home, Zhou You often saw Shan Wa playing by the street.

Shan Wa's father was stingy and tight-fisted with his child, never willing to buy him anything to eat.

Zhou You glanced at the candied yam in his hand and found it strange; could he afford snacks today?

"A big group of people is surrounding the door, throwing stones at the door and windows; your parents are both too scared to come out."

"Hurry back, or something bad is going to happen!"

Shan Wa spoke urgently, unable to resist turning his head to lick the candied yam.

Zhou You pinched his chin. Here it comes again, endless.

Tu Laosan was simply a green-headed fly, harassing him time and time again; it seemed he could not be spared.

It was perfect; he had just mastered his force, so even if he didn't kill him, he would cripple his legs.

"Let's go!"

Zhou You grabbed Shan Wa by the collar. "Lead the way."

"Wah, I'm not going, it's too dangerous."

Shan Wa's eyeballs rolled twice, and he struggled desperately, flailing his arms and legs.

"Whether you want to go or not, you took someone's benefit to trick me; did you really think the candied yam was free?"

With one sentence from Zhou You, Shan Wa was so scared his hands shook, and the candied yam fell to the ground on the spot.

How did you know?

The biggest lie in the world is that children do not lie.

Children are simple, lacking a concept of good and evil in their hearts, and they do not accept the constraints of ethics and morality, so for the sake of a tiny bit of profit, they can commit many unimaginable evil deeds.

For example, Shan Wa, who could never afford snacks, would betray Zhou You for a string of candied yams.

"Is it Tu Laosan?"

Zhou You kicked the ground, causing the rammed earth to shake three times, and in the blink of an eye, he darted five or six meters away.

The rapid leaping combined with the jolting made Shan Wa terrified, and he opened his mouth and vomited with a wail.

"Big Brother Zhou, don't hit me, I was forced, it has nothing to do with me."

Shan Wa begged for mercy pitifully.

Zhou You pursed his lips. "Lead the way."

The other party tricked him into leaving the Martial Arts Hall, so there must be a follow-up chain of traps; Shan Wa was just the hook to lure him into stepping into the trap voluntarily.

Now he only wanted to know how many people the other party had and where the location was set.

"It's not Tu Laosan, it's a few adults with foreign accents."

"They gave me ten coins to trick you into going home; I don't know anything else."

"I'm a child, you aren't allowed to hit me, or I'll have my dad go report your parents."

"Wah, wah, wah!"

Foreign accents?

Could it be the accomplices of those refugees coming for revenge?

Zhou You frowned. A group of refugees who had left their homes, so loyal and righteous, and possessing such a strong spirit of revenge?

How could it look anything but suspicious?

Lu Zhigang was a native of Su Cheng who had apprenticed at a famous martial arts hall in the city and had already developed force.

If he hadn't still been wanting to push through the Blood Qi barrier, he could have found a well-paying job after leaving the martial arts hall.

However, under the sweep of natural disasters and famine, Su Cheng became a dead land.

Hundreds of thousands of people in the city became refugees, fleeing in all directions.

The martial arts hall closed, and the master took a few trusted disciples to seek refuge with an old friend, abandoning Lu Zhigang and the other Apprentices.

He, who once had a bright future, instantly became an impoverished refugee, drifting to Gongliang City.

He had only heard the saying "a person is cheap when away from home" in storytelling, but now he personally experienced what "cheap" meant.

Originally, Lu Zhigang had high aspirations and was unwilling to steal or rob, still hoping to find a proper job, but the locals were xenophobic and didn't treat them like human beings, so he hit walls everywhere.

Seeing a few fellow townsmen sell their wives and daughters just to survive, his thinking changed.

"Isn't it just for a full meal? As long as I can survive, whether it's clean or dirty, I have to eat to live."

Therefore, he accepted the employment of a local gang to lead men to break the legs of an enemy.

"The target is an Apprentice of a local martial arts hall who hasn't developed force yet and isn't protected by the hall."

"As long as you break his legs, these 60 taels are yours."

60 taels of silver could buy twenty young maidens starved to skin and bones.

Coupled with the fact that Lu Zhigang had had enough of the exclusion and suppression from the local martial arts halls, he hardened his heart and agreed.

Now, he was just waiting for the little brat to lead the target into the trap they had set.

"It's here."

Zhou You carried Shan Wa into that area and immediately sensed a formidable presence.

The source of that aura was, shockingly, a Martial Arts Apprentice who possessed internal force.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he slammed on the brakes from his high-speed state, causing Shan Wa, whom he was holding, to fly out due to inertia.

"Ouch!"

After landing, Shan Wa rolled a few times, crying for his parents and complaining of foot pain, before stopping at the feet of Lu Zhigang.

Was he discovered?

Lu Zhigang had originally heard that Zhou You had not mastered internal force and held some contempt, but after witnessing the other's alertness, he grew wary.

The opponent was an Apprentice raised by the martial arts hall, fed until full every day, and nourished with Secret Medicine.

Looking at himself, having fled to Su Cheng as a refugee, he ate one meal and skipped the next; going hungry for three to five days was the norm, and the foundation he had originally built had mostly gone to waste, though fortunately, the root of his internal force remained.

To avoid complications, he would finish the fight quickly.

Lu Zhigang exerted force with his toe, flicking an object from in front of him toward Zhou You's face.

This move was intended to catch him off guard and disrupt the opponent's footing.

A crying sound came from the object tumbling through the air; it turned out that the one Lu Zhigang had kicked was Shan Wa, who had been leading the way for him.

"In the way."

Zhou You's line of sight was blocked, and he could barely see the opponent's movements.

He crossed his feet to trace a figure-eight pattern, used the Square-Circle Step to circle to the side, and swung his hand in a parrying motion, casually brushing Shan Wa aside.

Thud!

Shan Wa hit the corner of the wall, and the unlucky child passed out on the spot.

"Zhou You?"

Lu Zhigang confirmed his identity before acting, and seeing Zhou You nod, he proceeded.

Zhou You saw that the man was a stranger with an out-of-town accent, so he frowned and asked, "Robbery? Seeking revenge, or doing a job for money?"

"Taking money to break your pair of legs."

Lu Zhigang took a deep breath, his face flushed, his nostrils flared slightly, and the temperature of his body began to rise sharply.

This was the sign of circulating internal force; he was indeed a formidable enemy.

Breaking his legs—this was meant to cripple him; the intentions were malicious, and who else could it be but Tu Laosan?

Zhou You took a deep breath, spread his feet, and prepared to test the power of his Fuhu Quan, which he had just mastered.

An opponent who had mastered internal force was not common; it was like falling asleep and finding a pillow—he had just mastered internal force when a strong enemy arrived at his door.

"New Trial Project (Unrated) initiated: Life and Death Duel First Chapter."