Chapter 265: Making Trouble and Pushing Back

Someone broke through the checkpoint? At first, it was just a minor matter; the residents in the plague zone were a mixed bag of people, with all sorts of characters among them.

It was acceptable if some martial arts experts, unwilling to be confined, killed a few Apprentice guards and made their escape.

Only a large-scale breakout that affected the internal order of Gongliang City would be worth paying attention to.

The masters of the several major martial arts halls were initially gloating when they learned that the defensive line managed by the Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall had been breached.

Until...

"Eighty or ninety percent of the plague zone residents have escaped, and not a single Apprentice guard was spared."

"The Fengma Bangzhu and the Second Elder were both beaten to death—two full-fledged Blood Qi martial artists."

"Has it already alarmed the two young masters of the Qi Family to rush over?"

Wang Jianxiong of the Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall, Mao Laoliu of the Jiba Martial Arts Hall, Bao Tiefeng of the Tiefeng Martial Arts Hall, and Wang Panshi of the Panshi Martial Arts Hall arrived one by one, tearing through the breeze and breaking through the air like falling meteorites; the commotion was significant.

Upon reaching the scene, they saw the standoff between Qi Fengxiao and Zhou You.

Both sides were at daggers drawn; their stances, starting positions, and gazes were all in the appearance of a major battle about to erupt.

"Not bad, Wang Laohu, you've trained an incredible disciple."

Mao Laoliu swept his gaze over, his heart shocked; Zhou You was actually at the late stage of Blood Qi.

Having been expelled from the martial arts hall, this person had not only failed to collapse but had instead grown stronger and stronger, already reaching a high level of Blood Qi.

The other martial arts masters were also astonished at the sight; it had been some years since they had seen such a genius.

The last time they were shocked was when the eldest young master of the Qi Family, Qi Fengxiong, broke through to become a martial arts master in his early twenties.

Zhou You, a Commoner of humble origins, was actually qualified to be mentioned in the same breath regarding his talent for martial arts.

Wang Jianxiong's expression was unpleasant, and he retorted in a muffled voice, "I have already made a clean break with him; there is no longer any master-disciple bond, and I have no such disciple."

The other peers could understand; anyone would be depressed for a long time if they missed out on such an excellent disciple.

Knowing the inside story, they all knew that Zhou You's departure from the martial arts hall and the turning of master against disciple were all caused by Wang Jianxiong himself.

If he hadn't been biased toward Lu Jianqing and sat by while Zhou You was neglected or even suppressed, none of today's events would have happened.

Counting on one's fingers, it had been less than 5 years since Zhou You started learning martial arts, and at his age of early twenties, he was already at the late stage of Blood Qi.

The probability of him breaking through to become a martial arts master could be said to be over 60 or 70 percent; with a little cultivation, he could support the future of a martial arts hall.

How many once-illustrious martial arts halls had closed their doors simply because there was no one to succeed them, and their martial arts techniques were ultimately lost?

Although a martial arts master could live for at least 200 or 300 years, if one could not cultivate a martial arts master successor in one's lifetime, the martial arts heritage in one's hands would be equivalent to being severed.

"Wang Laohu has been shrewd his whole life, but he's acting foolish at a critical moment."

For instance, Mao Laoliu and the others, while polite on the surface, were competitors in private.

They were now gloating; the faster Zhou You grew, the deeper the thorn planted in Wang Laohu's heart.

It was even rumored that Lu Jianqing and Zhou You had a deep-seated hatred, and the two would inevitably fight in the future.

"Wait, if they are going to fight, how can there be no witnesses from the martial arts circle?"

Wang Panshi suddenly spoke up.

The status of Qi Fengxiao and Zhou You was worlds apart, but once they engaged in a martial arts duel, they both had only one identity... martial artists.

One was at the late stage of Blood Qi, the other at the peak of Blood Qi; the intensity of their clash would be extraordinary.

According to the rules of the martial arts circle, a duel of this level must be conducted in a designated location to prevent accidental injury to other Commoners.

In particular, there must be at least one person from the martial arts circle to witness it.

"Just in time." Qi Fengxiao saw so many hall masters arrive and pointed at Zhou You, "I want to beat him to death; you all help me watch."

Wang Jianxiong spoke up, "Young Master Qi Er, before you act, I want to clarify the situation."

He questioned Zhou You, "Who killed my Apprentices, and who released those residents?"

He added a key point, "Don't try to shoulder this yourself; we all know you don't have the ability."

The numerous martial arts masters had keen senses and noticed that the plague-ridden air in the nearby area had dissipated completely, making it a vacuum zone for the Plague.

The area covered a radius of ten miles; to be able to achieve this was definitely not something a Blood Qi martial artist could do—even intermediate or high-level martial arts masters would struggle!

"To tell you the truth, when I arrived at the scene, the checkpoint had already been breached, and the Apprentice guards were nowhere to be found."

"There were no traces of strangers at the scene, and most of the residents had already fled; I caught one or two to question them, but they knew nothing."

Zhou You was concise, "Later, the people from the Fengma Bang came over; they attacked without asking why, so I was forced to defend myself. I couldn't hold back and killed a few."

"Yes, I used the Tiger Head Hammer; the corpses were a bit unsightly."

Several martial arts masters looked at the headless corpses, thinking to themselves that this kid was ruthless and had a future! Wang Jianxiong gave a grunt, "The Tiger Head Hammer is no simple trick; you are still far from mastering it!"

Master Mao, he must be showing off!

An up-and-coming talent from the Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall had used the Tiger Head Hammer to kill the long-renowned Fengma Bangzhu.

If this news spread, the plaque of the Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall would be gilded once more.

Qi Fengxiao, however, did not believe it, "Could it be that you killed the martial arts hall Apprentices, destroyed the checkpoint, and privately released the plague zone residents? Zhou You, you are very bold; you dare to destroy the rules set by the noble families—are you not afraid that we will exterminate your nine generations?"

These words were filled with murderous intent, full of the arrogance of a noble family and their indifference to human life.

"Zhou himself doesn't even know how many generations he has; if Young Master Er can figure it out, feel free to do so."

"However, I am innocent, and I will never allow anyone to force a false charge upon me; as for the things you mentioned, I have done none of them."

Qi Fengxiao merely sneered upon hearing his defense, clearly intent on driving Zhou You to ruin.

It was at this moment that the importance of having a backer became apparent.

If Zhou You were still a member of the martial arts hall, Wang Jianxiong, as his master, would have had to step forward to speak for him regardless of the circumstances.

None of the surrounding martial arts masters spoke, including Wang Jianxiong; they simply watched to see how Zhou You would save himself.

"Second Brother, I know Zhou You somewhat; it is unreasonable to say he could commit such a major act."

Qi Fengzhang stepped forward to explain, "If you want to take him on these charges, I suggest not dealing with it yet; take him before the Clan Head to verify everything clearly, so as not to wrong an innocent person."

Qi Fengzhang was speaking for Zhou You; these two had colluded.

"Qi Fengzhang, you just used the Clan Head to pressure me!"

Qi Fengxiao's face was filled with murderous intent; it was clear he could no longer be persuaded.

Suddenly, Zhou You spoke up, "Senior Brother Qi, I still remember a detail. At the time, when the gale winds were raging across the heavens and earth, shrouding this area, it seemed someone heard a word repeatedly."

What word? Zhou You recalled for a moment and said uncertainly, "It sounded like something called 'wall house'? It was repeated several times in a row."

As the last two words were spoken, the warriors and martial masters around them, including the two young masters of the Qi Family, all trembled in unison.

What kind of nonsense is that? It wasn't 'wall house', but 'Strong Martial Artist'! The commoners did not know of the existence of Strong Martial Artists, and through hearsay, they had actually turned 'Strong Martial Artist' into 'brick and tile wall house'.

This is trouble; the one who acted this time is a Strong Martial Artist.

The situation suddenly became clear; only an expert at the level of a Strong Martial Artist could cause such a massive commotion during the incident and leave no traces behind afterward.

(End of this chapter)