Chapter 81: Collecting the Reward

Gongliang City, Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall!

"Big Senior Brother, Zhou You and Li Hao have returned."

Lu Qiang stood before a piece of cowhide, channeling his Qi and blood into his fist; faint tiger patterns coiled and wound up his arm.

This cowhide was two fingers thick and coated with seven layers of lacquer; once air-dried, it was rock-hard, and even the sharpest blade could not leave a white mark on it.

Generally speaking, the leather armor worn by soldiers would not be of better quality than this.

Big Senior Brother threw a punch, easily piercing the surface of the cowhide, as smooth and seamless as a hot iron rod melting through a candle.

The entire cowhide remained hanging in its original place without moving in the slightest, with a fist-sized hole appearing in the center.

"Not bad!"

Lu Qiang glanced at the mark left by his fist and nodded with satisfaction.

He turned and walked out of the training grounds, nodding toward the Apprentice who had come to report, "Lead the way."

Outer Courtyard...

Zhou You and Li Hao were sitting on the steps drinking hot soup; the soup was blood-clot soup with salt added, and a layer of pepper floated on the surface.

They drank the soup in large gulps, the heat rising from their throats to the tops of their heads, and sweat broke out on their foreheads on the spot.

"Big Senior Brother! Big Senior Brother!"

Seeing Lu Qiang come out, the two hurriedly stood up to greet him.

Lu Qiang looked the two over; hmm, not bad, they returned in one piece, and he didn't see any missing arms or legs.

Except for Li Hao's slightly poor complexion, Zhou You's spirit and energy were quite good; he was thinner than before, but more spirited.

To use an analogy, it was like a piece of iron entering a furnace to be tempered, forging away quite a few impurities.

"How did the matter go? You went and came back; what have you been doing for these forty-some days?"

Lu Qiang thought to himself that it was just killing a person, yet it took so many days; young people were still inexperienced.

That group of hunters saw money and their greed grew; they actually dared to raise the price on the spot.

His intention was to kill the leader, Pan Laoda, to intimidate the remaining hunters, as he would still need this scum to supply tiger goods in the future.

Because manpower was truly tight, he had sent Zhou You and Li Hao, both of whom were novices.

Both Apprentices had seen blood and had a few lives on their hands, but he hadn't expected it to take over a month to complete the mission.

"Big Senior Brother, Pan Laoda had over a hundred men under him, running wild all over the mountains, so it took some time."

Zhou You explained, "Pan Laoda's head is right outside, but there were too many of the remaining corpses; we really couldn't bring them back."

As Lu Qiang listened, he suddenly reacted and asked loudly, "What, you killed all the hunters?"

"Big Senior Brother, wasn't it you who said..."

Zhou You drew his palm across his neck, "... kill them all!"

Veins bulged on Lu Qiang's forehead; over a hundred hunters, and these two boys slaughtered them all?

If the hunters were all killed, who would hunt tigers for them and supply the tiger goods? Another Apprentice handed over a head pickled in lime—a head with eyes wide open in death.

Lu Qiang had met Pan Laoda a few times and was familiar with his appearance, confirming it was him without a doubt.

"Big Senior Brother, people from the manor outside the city have been to see."

An Apprentice looked at Zhou You and Li Hao, his gaze filled with a bit of fear and terror.

"The area around Shan Shen Miao is covered in corpses; wild dogs and fierce beasts have gone blood-crazy, and they can't even be driven away."

"Pan Laoda's gang are all dead; not a single living soul was seen escaping."

Lu Qiang's eyelids twitched as he heard this, and he suddenly laughed heartily, "Good lad, well done."

Zhou You finished the blood-clot soup in one go and cupped his hands, "Big Senior Brother, we still have things to offer to the Hall Master."

"Wait a moment!"

Lu Qiang flew into the Inner Courtyard and reported the situation to his master in a few words.

"You mean the two boys were ruthless and slaughtered Pan Laoda's entire gang?"

Wang Jianxiong was smoking, a concubine squatting on the ground, serving him with an oil lamp and a tobacco pouch. Beside him, Wang Yan was eating candied fruit while listening; she frowned at the sourness, constantly gasping.

"Master, although Pan Laoda was no good, that group of hunters provided a steady supply; now we have to find people to fill the gap again."

Young people did things too recklessly; they killed as soon as they said they would, leaving no room for maneuver.

"Are people who risk their lives hard to find? There are plenty of refugees inside and outside the city who can't afford to eat; they would be desperate for someone to give them a way to live."

Wang Jianxiong pointed out to him, "After this, no one will dare to haggle with me, right?"

It was indeed so; the news of the hunters' annihilation spread in all directions, and the ruthlessness of Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall shocked many people.

"What did I, Wang Laohu, rely on to become famous? It wasn't the favor of my peers or the flattery of outsiders; it was the courage to fight and kill, and the ability to be hard-hearted."

"Now that I am old, I rely on you students."

"If the reputation of Jianxiong Martial Arts Hall cannot stand, not only will everyone have nothing to eat, but they won't even be able to save their own lives."

"Zhou You and Li Hao, these two boys are worthy of being my, Wang Jianxiong's, tiger cubs."

Wang Jianxiong took a deep breath of smoke and exhaled, "Call them in."

A moment later, Zhou You and Li Hao stood before Wang Jianxiong.

Zhou You swept his gaze and saw the eldest miss, Wang Yan, looking at him with a smile, seemingly full of interest.

Without a word, he brought out two items to present.

"Hall Master, two strings of tiger teeth, and seven or eight gourds; they were all obtained in the mountains, a tribute to you, sir."

The tiger teeth were scavenged from the hunters; each one was as thick as a finger, and not a single flaw could be found on the surface.

One must know that the environment for tigers was harsh, and it was difficult to pick a complete and beautiful tooth from a full set.

These hunters made a living by hunting tigers, and with such a unique environment, they had managed to accumulate two strings of tiger teeth.

According to folk customs, the fierce aura of a tiger could ward off evil, and tiger teeth were also commonly used as decorative materials.

The point is, the old man's nickname is Wang Laohu, and the two strings of Tiger Tooth are exactly to his taste.

"Good, these are nice things. Yan'er, you take a string too."

Wang Jianxiong was very satisfied with the Tiger Tooth, and what was even rarer was this thoughtfulness from Zhou You.

Wang Yan stepped forward to take the Tiger Tooth, and inadvertently, her fingertips brushed smoothly over the back of Zhou You's hand.

Was it intentional, or unintentional? Zhou You had heard about this young lady; several Senior Brothers in the Inner Courtyard were pursuing her.

Among them, Zhong Shaoying had the strongest intentions, something both the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard had heard about.

The Master of the hall had no son, so this estate would certainly be passed down in the future, but who would be the successor had not yet been determined.

The status of being a disciple was not enough, but what if one added the status of being a son-in-law?

As the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son; marrying the young lady would allow one to inherit the family business in a legitimate way.

It is said that the young lady is also skilled in the art of tea, maneuvering between several Senior Brothers, yet she has given no definite word to this day.

Zhou You was not naive enough to think that he had a chance just because he had been glanced at.

"Gourd!"

Several withered yellow Gourd were also carefully selected; they had no scars from bird pecks, their surfaces were smooth as mirrors, and they retained a section of the Gourd vine that looked like a dragon's head, giving an indescribable sense of comfort when held in the palm to play with.

This child is truly ambitious!

Wang Jianxiong's heart was as clear as a mirror; both gifts must have come from Zhou You's own hands.

He toyed with the Gourd one by one, and once he had them in his hands, he was reluctant to let go.

The wild Gourd from the mountains were small, exquisite, and elegant in form, unlike the water Gourd grown by farmers, making them perfect for playing with and twirling in the hand.

"You two handled this errand well; I reward you with one Mountain Monarch Life-Changing Pill."

Hearing these words, Lu Qiang's body trembled; he knew his master was very satisfied and in a great mood.

Zhou You and his companion killing off that group of hunters was a style very much to Wang Jianxiong's taste.

(End of this chapter)