Chapter 419: Guests at the Residence

"The main fist technique Bian Zhou practices is the Horse-Face King Fist."

"Horse-Face refers to a simian-like variant; its face is as long as a horse's, bearing a fierce expression, with long arms adept at grappling, and it is vicious and carnivorous."

"It is said that if it eats enough brains of ferocious beasts, it is highly likely to transform into the legendary monster, the mountain demon, which is impervious to blades and spears and can spit mist and ride clouds."

"Naming this fist technique after the Horse-Face is enough to show how fierce and formidable this martial art is."

The sounds of training from the inner and outer courtyards of the Daqian Martial Arts Hall drifted over from afar.

Zhou You was currently hosting the two masters of the Ziwu Martial Arts Hall, Qin Lie and Yang Kuoqiong.

These two pioneered the dual-master system, which is considered a fine tale, but they have been under great pressure recently and often come over to chat with Zhou You.

Zhou You is clear on their purpose; it is nothing more than wanting to get closer to him so that if a strong enemy comes to challenge the hall, they can still ask him for help.

To this day, no one has come to challenge the Daqian Martial Arts Hall.

As time passed, everyone understood that those "mighty dragons crossing the river" all take a detour!

This hall master, Zhou You, is a sect disciple on the level of an Intermediate Martial Master with formidable methods; for an ordinary person to challenge him is simply courting death.

More importantly, the Senior Martial Master behind him, Gu Lao, is a supreme expert who made Mountain Lord Yan of the Overlord Hall voluntarily admit defeat.

Although Gu Lao is often away, if someone were to challenge the hall, who could guarantee that Gu Lao wouldn't show up to back him?

With these two, the difficulty of raiding the Daqian Martial Arts Hall is directly elevated to the same level as the Overlord Martial Arts Hall.

The fierce reputation of Yan Mountain is currently at its peak, and by association, the Daqian Martial Arts Hall has also been gilded with a layer of golden light, and no one dares to provoke it.

Zhou You chatted with them half-heartedly for a long time, slightly easing the other party's anxiety.

Qin Lie and his companion were sensible enough to repeatedly decline Zhou You's invitation to stay for a meal, saying it was getting late and they should return.

Returning home for dinner as usual in the evening...

Just as Zhou You reached the entrance, he discovered that there were guests at home, and Tie Niu was waiting at the door.

"You'er, come quickly and pay your respects to Lord Pang."

Zhou Laodie was talking to a middle-aged man, and upon seeing Zhou You, he immediately called him to his side.

"Lord," this generation is two generations higher than Zhou You's; theoretically, it is counted from his grandfather's generation.

The middle-aged man hurriedly waved his hand upon hearing this, "I cannot accept this title. Coming to visit uninvited today, I am already afraid of offending Hall Master Zhou."

"Uncle Pang, you were an old friend of my late father. Both I and You'er are your juniors, so the etiquette of a junior is still necessary."

Zhou You finally understood; the middle-aged man had once been an old acquaintance of Zhou You's grandfather and had now come to visit.

He smiled and asked, "Lord Pang, what line of work are you in?"

This question was purely redundant; the other party was of his grandfather's generation, yet looked like a middle-aged man, on par with Zhou Laodie. At a glance, he was a Martial Master with a solid foundation, whose lifespan exceeded that of ordinary people by one or two times.

"I make my living in the martial arts world. My peers are kind enough to call me 'A Treasure in the House,' Pang Jihui."

"Lord Pang" carried himself very well and did not act as an elder in front of Zhou You just because of his seniority, speaking very politely.

"Coming from Caojiang Cheng?"

This question from Zhou You caught Pang Jihui off guard, and he smiled bitterly and cupped his hands, "I cannot hide it from Hall Master Zhou."

So that was it; the other party was one of the Martial Masters from Caojiang Cheng who had gone through the trouble of finding Zhou You's parents.

Back then, when Zhou You's grandfather entered the city as an Apprentice, he had known many old friends, among whom was Pang Jihui. He was lucky and was later appreciated by someone and taken to Caojiang Cheng to develop.

A person lives up to his name, "wind and clouds meeting"; he actually grew from a humble status into a Martial Arts Hall owner with a home and property. However, the winds and clouds changed, and Caojiang Cheng suffered a catastrophe. His vast family business vanished into thin air, and he fled to Fucheng with a group of disciples and family members to settle down. Even so, his situation was already better than many of his peers.

He did not avoid the subject in front of Zhou You, speaking of the wretchedness of this journey; on the road, in order to raise food, even the hair flowers and hairpins of the female family members were sold off.

Zhou Laodie exclaimed repeatedly upon hearing this; when their family fled, they hadn't been reduced to such a state.

Zhou You listened quietly without much expression, thinking that the other party's visit was not just to reminisce; he was likely still trying to build a connection.

Pang Jihui knew how to play the emotional card starting from Zhou Laodie; he was no ordinary person.

Thinking of this, Zhou You coughed twice...

"Lord Pang, Fucheng is full of opportunities. You should settle down first; if there is any trouble in the future, I will certainly help if I can."

Zhou Laodie's expression relaxed; what a good child, he didn't make his old man lose face.

But these words, heard in Pang Jihui's ears, were undoubtedly a tactful refusal filled with distance, and his heart skipped a beat.

Zhou You was young, and although they were both refugees from out of town to Fucheng, he had been able to build the foundation of a Martial Arts Hall from scratch; he was indeed no ordinary young man.

He cupped his hands and said, "Hall Master Zhou, let's not mention anything else today. Our two families haven't seen each other for many years; let's meet to reminisce and reconnect the broken ties."

He beckoned toward the door, "Xuan'er, come quickly and pay your respects to your Zhou brother."

It turned out that there was still a carriage parked outside the door, and in the carriage were Pang Jihui's family members; judging by the address, she was a junior.

He explained to Zhou You, "Xuan'er is my most beloved granddaughter, the same age as Hall Master Zhou. Meet each other."

The ears of Zhou Laodie and his mother pricked up instantly, and their eyes suddenly lit up, just like a radar that had detected a target, instantly activated.

The night was dim, and with a fragrant breeze and light steps, a woman slowly walked in from outside. Reflected by the lamplight, the entire space instantly brightened.

She was another stunning beauty, about eighteen years of age, with skin like congealed fat, and the lamplight flickered on her forehead.

Zhou You cupped his hands toward her, "Pang sister."

"Greetings, Zhou brother!"

Pang Jihui was constantly observing Zhou You's reaction. Seeing that when he looked at Pang Xuaner, he was only stunned for a moment before returning to normal, he felt a headache. Was the foolproof beauty trap not working? How could he know that Zhou You had "eaten fine grain"—the women he had met and seen were all stunning beauties.

Pang Xuaner's outstanding feature was her superb skin; when she was still, she was like a jade sculpture, cold and clear as if containing mist. Looking closely, under the lamplight, her whole body presented a translucent, soft glow.

She could be called a white jade beauty! In terms of exquisite facial features, she could not compare to Ceng Ruyu; in terms of an otherworldly temperament, she could not compare to Qi Wu Guniang; and even in terms of bringing a sense of closeness and relaxation, she could not compare to Qi Fengzi.

Even so, she was already one of the world's top beauties.

Zhou You estimated that in Caojiang Cheng, Pang Xuaner must have been ranked as the number one beauty, right? "Haha, I see that they are similar in age and hit it off immediately, which proves that our two families are fated!"

Pang Jihui sighed with emotion, "Thinking back to those years, Brother Zhou and I worked together and suffered so much, and now we have both made it. If Brother Zhou were in heaven, he would surely be very happy to see Hall Master Zhou so successful."

This impassioned speech made even Zhou Laodie unable to help but wipe away tears.

Zhou You instantly understood; Pang Jihui's true purpose was hidden here—he wanted to borrow strength from Zhou You.

Watching his mother pull Pang Xuaner aside to whisper questions, looking more satisfied the more she saw, Zhou Laodie also felt increasingly close to this uncle, Pang Jihui; the emotional appeal had already invisibly taken effect.

"Father, Mother, it is getting late, and Lord Pang and his party need to return home; I will go see them off."

Zhou You cast a faint glance at Pang Jihui, and Pang Jihui immediately said, "That is correct, I shall take my leave now, and I must trouble Hall Master Zhou to see us out."

(End of this chapter)