Chapter 393: Today, Coming to Kick Down the Door

The moon set and the sun rose; a new day had arrived in Fucheng.

The streets were filled with old men leading livestock, porters carrying shoulder poles, and laborers pushing wooden carts.

"Watch out, watch out! Don't blame me if you get stepped on!"

Several spirited horses squeezed into the bustling crowd, stirring up a flurry of chaos. It was hard to tell if it was the riders' skill or the crowd's practiced reflexes, but miraculously, no trampling accidents occurred.

The residents of Fucheng were long accustomed to such scenes and took no notice! 'Du Pili' Qin Lie brushed the floating dust off the surface of his tea, shook his head, and continued his conversation with the person opposite him.

"Tell me, what other way out do I have?"

Some time ago, he, Qin Lie, was also an out-of-town martial artist who had made a name for himself; relying on his strength, he had managed to Pass Seven Barriers and earned the qualification to open a martial arts school in Fucheng.

However, he peaked at the very start, and ever since then, he had hit walls everywhere and nothing had gone smoothly.

By now, his money was nearly exhausted, and the preparations for his martial arts school remained nowhere in sight.

A friend had warned him that he had offended people; the scene he made while passing the Qi Guan had been too unsightly, offending the martial arts guild in the city.

That group possessed immense influence and had constantly tripped him up behind his back, which was why the matter of opening his school had been so rocky.

Qin Lie's nickname was Du Pili, referring to his fiery temperament, which was like a thunderbolt, but even that had been worn down until he had no temper left.

He had spent a fortune and begged people everywhere, only to finally invite an 'expert' to seek advice.

The expert told him there was no way; opening a martial arts school meant asking the martial arts guild for a meal, and if the guild didn't agree, there was no solution.

Passing the Qi Guan was just for show to outsiders; once you crossed that threshold, you would see even more and higher thresholds.

Qin Lie's only method was to affiliate his martial arts school qualification, preferably by finding a local Fucheng martial artist to open the school in their name while he managed things from behind the scenes.

If he operated like that for a few decades, being careful not to offend anyone, and repaired the soured relationships, he might eventually integrate into the circle.

"Heh heh!"

Qin Lie only smiled and shook his head upon hearing this; how could it be that easy?

If things went wrong, he would end up working for someone else's benefit, and all his hard work would be claimed by that 'signboard.'

For a local Fucheng martial artist to plunder the family business of an outsider like him, while also having the advantage of the name, couldn't be simpler.

This expert's suggestion was also a trap!

Du Pili Qin Lie took a large gulp of tea and was just about to speak when he suddenly heard a sound from outside the window.

"Zhou You has headed in the direction of the Xiaolin Martial Arts School; it wouldn't be surprising if he's going there to beg for mercy."

Gongliang Zhouyou—Qin Lie had heard this name often lately; he was also a pitiful person.

Even worse off than him; at least he had already passed the Qi Guan and gained the qualification, while Zhou You had been snuffed out before he could even start.

The opponent's influence was unprecedentedly strong, occupying half the scale of Fucheng's martial arts schools, with over a hundred schools joined together—tsk tsk!

"Sorry, I have something to attend to. Please continue; I've already settled the bill."

Qin Lie cupped his hands toward the 'expert' and stood up to leave.

He followed in the direction of Zhou You, wanting to see how this outstanding young martial artist from Gongliang City would handle the pressure!

Strange, why didn't Zhou You have a nickname?

If one knew his nickname, one could guess his general personality and style; it shouldn't be that nothing was known at all.

The news of Zhou You's arrival quickly reached the Xiaolin Martial Arts School!

Bo Xiaolin had just sent away the physician and, upon learning that there was little hope for Tang Hui's recovery, his face sank like water.

Hearing that Zhou You was walking toward the martial arts school, he raised his hand and ordered, "Clean up the entrance; someone is coming to kneel."

Martial arts schools were gathered on this street, which was a rare piece of prime real estate. Other schools heard the news and crowded onto the walls at their entrances to watch the excitement; for a time, both ends of the street were clamorous. One could see a massive, dark mass approaching from the end of the street, the sound of footsteps like faint thunder.

Zhou You had brought people, and quite a few? Only when they got closer did they realize it was a misunderstanding; Zhou You had only brought a few people, and most were just onlookers who had followed along the way.

Bo Xiaolin nodded; the more people, the better. If he didn't crush Zhou You's arrogance and dignity in public, how could he show the prestige of the Xiaolin Martial Arts School and compensate for the loss of Tang Hui's severe injury?

"Gongliang City... Zhou You, here to pay a visit!"

A clear, far-reaching call to the door came from afar.

Zhou You was slightly puzzled; he had originally wanted to announce his nickname, Winged Tiger, but when the words reached his lips, he actually swallowed those three characters.

Strange, very strange! "I know you. Yesterday, you broke the lumbar spine of my Disciple Tang Hui, leaving him to lie in bed for the rest of his life. What kind of grudge do you have against me to strike such a vicious blow?"

The surroundings were in an uproar. Tang Hui was the young generation's most promising candidate to break through to become a martial artist, and he had actually been crippled—what a deep grudge this must be!

Many people immediately despaired for Zhou You; this person could no longer survive in Fucheng!

In the crowd, Qin Lie shook his head. His nickname was Du Pili, but he hadn't expected this young man to be even more impulsive than him; he was simply cutting off his own path! Bo Xiaolin had deep connections in Fucheng and was also a tiger general from Dayin Mountain; how could such a person be easily offended? There was no need to watch further to foresee Zhou You's tragic end.

Being able to stay alive in Fucheng was already a miracle.

"Correction: I originally didn't intend to injure him..."

Zhou You said with a smile, "I intended to kill him, but someone suddenly reminded me that if the ground at the Treasure Pavilion gets dirty, one has to clean it oneself. That's why I pulled back more than half my strength and failed to kill him."

"Buguanzhu, you don't need to thank me for showing mercy; if you want to thank someone, thank that unknown passerby."

"Pfft!"

On the high floor of the Treasure Pavilion, a naive and charming young girl laughed out loud, "What an interesting person; his words are interesting, I wonder how he acts?"

The girl was the same voice that had reminded Zhou You to wash the floor after killing that day. Seeing Zhou You again now, a deep interest arose.

"Young Miss, what's so good about watching martial artists fight?"

A chubby maid behind the girl advised, "It's windy up here; let's go down first."

"I'm not going down. It's not often I encounter something fun. You wait a moment; I'll reward you with a jade bracelet later."

The chubby maid looked at her arms, which resembled large white radishes, and felt she had made a huge profit—how thick must that bracelet be!

In front of the Xiaolin Martial Arts School...

Bo Xiaolin's face was as dark as water; he was known as the Angry Tiger, so his temper naturally wouldn't be too good.

"Your words are unfriendly. Speak, what have you come to my martial arts school for!"

He had originally thought Zhou You had come to concede, but the tone of the previous words was wrong; no matter how he listened, it sounded like a provocation.

However, this place was Bo Xiaolin's territory; he reckoned a mere Primary Martial Master could not stir up much of a storm.

"As for me, I have naturally come to challenge the gym!"

The two words "challenge the gym," like a thunderbolt on flat ground, shook the surrounding floor, leaving everyone's ears ringing with noise.

What, he wanted to challenge the gym, and the one he was challenging was the long-renowned Xiaolin Martial Gym!

Numerous gazes gathered on Zhou You, wishing they could pry open his brain to see what he was thinking.

Brilliant!

Du Pili Qin Lie felt as if enlightened, heavily pounding his palm; why hadn't he thought of it, that challenging a gym was also a path.

Things like joint guarantees and the Pass Seven Barriers were all rules set by the local martial arts circle to bind the hands and feet of outside martial masters like them.

But there was another rule among martial artists: challenging a gym, where the winner takes over everything the loser has.

(End of this chapter)