Chapter 3: Neighbors Kicking Someone When They Are Down

The Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall's compound has three courtyards and three entrances, divided into the Inner Courtyard, the Outer Courtyard, and the rear residence.

The Hall Master Wang Jianxiong resides in the rear residence and provides Instruction in techniques within the Inner Courtyard; Core Disciples may enter the hall and step into the inner sanctum, passing all the way from the Outer Courtyard into the Inner Courtyard.

Inner Court Disciples are the face and pillars of the martial arts hall, and they are the apple of Old Master Wang's eye.

As for the Outer Courtyard, it is merely a title of Disciple in name only, with the master-disciple relationship maintained solely by the monthly tuition of twenty taels of silver.

Big Senior Brother Lu Qiang is also an Inner Court Disciple; he acts on behalf of his master to provide Instruction in the Outer Courtyard, clearly highly valued by his mentor.

"Master, the newly enrolled Apprentice Zhou You has been brought here."

Lu Qiang leads Zhou You to the entrance between the Outer Courtyard and the Inner Courtyard.

Zhou You looks at the two doors before him, leading to the Inner Courtyard at the heart of the martial arts hall, and four words surface in his mind: 'Enter the hall and step into the inner sanctum.'

An Outer Courtyard Apprentice is, at best, someone who has attended a martial arts school, without even the qualifications to set foot in the Inner Courtyard.

Zhou You can only pay his respects to the Hall Master, his nominal master, at the entrance of the Outer Courtyard.

Only by becoming an Inner Court Disciple does one have the qualifications to stay by the Hall Master's side and learn true skills.

Joining the martial arts hall today is merely him taking his first step.

"Understood."

An aged yet spirited voice rings out.

Zhou You follows the sound and looks toward the entrance of the main hall, over a hundred meters away.

On the fifth step, under the eaves, a lean, fifty-year-old man sits upright on a rosewood chair.

With a pipe in his left hand and a teacup in his right, he takes a puff and a sip in a leisurely manner.

The old man is none other than the master of the martial arts hall, a famous martial artist in the city, Wang Jianxiong.

He is a legendary figure who, relying on his 'Tiger-Subduing Fist', established a great reputation in Gongliang City.

Although he is far away, the overwhelming aura rushing toward him makes it difficult to breathe.

The feeling Wang Jianxiong gives off is like a gaunt, bony tiger, with a Dormant, heaven-soaring ferocity.

Instead of being afraid, Zhou You is delighted, rejoicing in his choice; only by following such a person can he learn true skills.

"Kowtow three times, and you shall be considered a member of my school."

Wang Jianxiong's gaze sweeps over Zhou You without lingering for even a fraction of a second.

There are countless youths in the city who wish to join the martial arts hall, but most are eliminated due to insufficient aptitude.

Even those who meet the criteria to join the hall often cannot persist for long before leaving in dejection.

The path of practicing martial arts is the most grueling; if one cannot persist, one will end up as a mediocre follower, indistinguishable from the masses.

Today's scene has already occurred countless times in the martial arts hall; the only difference is the youth kneeling on the ground.

Wang Jianxiong does not even remember Zhou You's appearance, certain that the other party is just a passerby.

Zhou You does not hesitate, kneeling and shouting, "Disciple Zhou You pays respects to Master."

Lu Qiang takes out a wooden plaque, with the six characters 'Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall Student' carved into the hard jujube-red wood.

"Hang this at your front door to deter harassment, but you must return it after leaving the martial arts hall."

"The rules of the martial arts hall: if you do not master the Tiger-Subduing Fist within one hundred days, you will be expelled from the school immediately, and the tuition will not be refunded."

"Once you master the force of the fist technique, you may enter the Outer Courtyard to become a Zhengshi Xuitu."

One hundred days is three months.

Zhou You takes the wooden plaque; this is the primary purpose of his trip.

The reputation of the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall is tough enough to protect his family.

Once this wooden plaque is hung at the door, no Wild Fox Gang or Mad Horse Gang would dare to provoke them.

Three months is the new-player protection period he has secured for himself.

Zhou You wants to thank Wang Jianxiong again, but the great doors have already slowly closed.

He thinks to himself that one day, he will cross this threshold and stand in the Inner Courtyard to meet him face-to-face.

"Big Senior Brother, may I pay the tuition for one month first?"

Zhou You brought 50 taels with him; the registration fee cost 5 taels, leaving 45 taels, but he cannot use it all.

After all, when his father borrowed money, there were many unavoidable personal debts; the sooner they are repaid, the sooner he can be at ease.

Lu Qiang nods, "You may."

After paying the tuition, Zhou You leaves the martial arts hall with the wooden plaque, feeling a sense of relief.

The future is promising!

Returning to the neighborhood where he lives, a neighbor calls out from afar.

"Brother You, Brother You, it's bad! Your father is arguing with someone."

Zhou You's heart tightens; could it be that Tu Laosan has come knocking? He hurriedly quickens his pace.

Zhou You's home has visitors today, but it is not Li Guafu.

Li Guafu's wine stall does better the closer it gets to evening, and she is still doing business on the street and has not returned home.

The visitors are his neighbor to the right, Mou Laoyao, who has brought his son, Mou Xiaoli, over for a visit.

When Mou Laoyao was young, his situation was similar to Zhou Laodie's, but later he was outdone.

The reason was that both wanted to work as clerks in a trading firm; in the end, Zhou Laodie was selected, and Mou Laoyao was eliminated.

The wages of a trading firm clerk are generous, enough for a family of three to live without worry, making it a high-quality position in the eyes of a Commoner.

Although Mou Laoyao later found work, he always felt he had been outdone by Zhou Laodie, which became a thorn in his side.

Once both families had sons, Mou Laoyao actively cultivated his son, sending him to work as a waiter at a restaurant very early on.

This neighbor family is competing for nothing but pride; they must never be outdone by the Zhou Family in this lifetime.

Recently, with Zhou You causing trouble, the Mou Laoyao family naturally has nothing good to say.

When Zhou Laodie borrowed money, his family clearly had plenty of cash on hand, yet they made excuses about having no money, and not only refused to lend it but also mocked him in every way.

And so, taking advantage of the fact that Zhou You was not at home, they came over again to mock and ridicule him.

"Brother Zhou, it's not that I want to lecture you, but you are just too soft-hearted and don't know how to discipline your child."

"Your little Zhou doesn't attend to his proper duties and has even caused a huge disaster, dragging you into this so you can't have any peace at your age."

Mou Laoyao spoke as if he were being fair, but in reality, he was mocking Zhou Laodie for having no family discipline.

Zhou Laodie puffed on his pipe and replied, "My You'er is sensible; it is not as you say."

Beside him, Mou Xiaoli snickered, "Uncle Zhou, your son didn't go to Tu Laosan's house to apologize, but instead ran off with the money; I saw it with my own eyes."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Zhou Laodie began to cough violently.

His face flushed red, "Mou Laoyao, we have been neighbors for so many years, we see each other every day."

"Ever since my family had this trouble, not only have you not helped, but you have come to my door time and again to insult me; has your conscience been eaten by dogs?"

Mou Laoyao's face darkened, "Old Zhou, why are you cursing people?"

"Your son is good for nothing, your family is about to be ruined, and your life is finished."

"I know you have borrowed quite a lot of external debt, and it looks like you can't pay it back; once you can't pay the rent, your whole family will be kicked out to sleep on the streets."

"The firm knows about this and will definitely fire you!"

Mou Laoyao's eyes were full of triumph; he had competed for a lifetime and finally waited for Old Zhou to hit rock bottom and be completely ruined.

If Tu Laosan couldn't collect the money, he would definitely use low-down tactics to harass the Zhou Family.

Under these circumstances, it was impossible for the firm to continue employing Zhou Laodie.

Without a livelihood, the whole family would starve to death sooner or later.

Zhou Laodie looked at him, his eyes full of shock.

He had lived his whole life as an honest man, preferring to suffer a loss rather than offend anyone, and had never once had a falling out with anyone.

He never imagined that a neighbor he had known for most of his life would actually hate him so much and wish for his whole family to die out.

"Mou Laoyao, get out, get out of my house."

Even an honest man has a time when he gets angry; Zhou Laodie slammed the table, stood up, and roared.

Mou Xiaoli stood up, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, "What do you want to do? Want to hit my dad? I'll beat you to..."

Relying on his youth and strength, he was about to shove Zhou Laodie over.

A figure stepped forward quickly, raised a foot, and kicked Mou Xiaoli in the stomach, sending him flying on the spot.

Zhou You had returned home!