Leaving the main hall, Zhou Yufei led Chen Yang to her family's small courtyard.

From a distance, they saw a woman in a purple qipao, dressed like a noble lady, pacing back and forth at the entrance. Her face, which bore a strong resemblance to Zhou Yufei's, was filled with both expectation and apprehension. A middle-aged man stood quietly beside her.

As Zhou Yufei and Chen Yang came into view, the woman's eyes lit up. She hurried over, her beautiful eyes scrutinizing Chen Yang from head to toe.

"Yufei," the woman called out excitedly, "your grandfather didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

"Not at all! He even said we should all attend the clan banquet together tonight!" Zhou Yufei smiled and pulled Chen Yang forward. "Chen Yang, this is my mom, and that's my dad."

Then, turning to her parents, she said, "Mom, Dad, this is Chen Yang!"

Chen Yang greeted them politely, "Hello, Uncle and Auntie. I'm Yufei's boyfriend. My name is Chen Yang."

"Good, good, good!" The woman, Peng Ya, nodded repeatedly, growing more and more satisfied with Chen Yang the more she looked at him.

Zhou Yufei's father, Zhou Yinghao, walked over slowly and gave a slight nod. "Hello."

Then he asked, "I heard you seriously injured Songyang?"

Chen Yang touched his nose awkwardly. "I... failed to restrain my strength in time."

"Why are you bringing that up? I heard everything. Songyang was the one who provoked him first; he brought this on himself!" Peng Ya shot her husband a look, defending Chen Yang.

"That may be true, but you know what my older brother is like. I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to give Chen Yang trouble," Zhou Yinghao said. He was a man of few words who rarely showed his emotions, but his concern for Chen Yang was genuine.

Chen Yang was taken aback, so Zhou Yufei quickly explained, "First Brother and Second Brother are from my eldest uncle's family. My immediate family is just me and my younger brother."

"If I'd known that, I wouldn't have held back," Chen Yang muttered.

Zhou Yufei and Peng Ya were left speechless.

This guy! He beat someone to a pulp and still thinks it wasn't enough?

The corner of Zhou Yinghao's mouth twitched. "Don't worry too much," he added. "After all, Chen Yang has your grandfather's approval. No matter how upset my brother is, he won't dare to do anything reckless."

"Come on! Let's go inside and talk!" Peng Ya called out warmly.

「After lunch.」

Chen Yang found an excuse to slip away alone. He hailed a cab and headed straight for the Martial Association Headquarters on Qingqiu Dao.

Since I'm in Qingqiu Dao, I might as well find the person who ordered the hit on Qin Donglai.

"Young man, are you also going to the Martial Association to participate in the selection?" the taxi driver sighed. "It's getting harder and harder to sign up these days. Besides the high registration fee, you also have to pass their tests! A whole new group of aspiring martial artists are going to be turned away at the gates."

"Even so, the number of applicants keeps growing," he added.

Chen Yang asked in confusion, "If they want to practice martial arts, they can just go to the Martial Department. Why spend money to squeeze into the Martial Association?"

"The Martial Department is too strict; it doesn't have the freedom of the Martial Association. Besides, when you leave the Martial Department, you're just some good-for-nothing Martial Guard. The Martial Association is different; it's far more prestigious."

Chen Yang was instantly furious. "The Martial Department protects our country! It gives good men the chance to build a career and achieve immortal merits! Even after they retire, they receive extremely generous benefits these days. How can you call them good-for-nothing Martial Guards?"

"And as for the Martial Association, tell me where its prestige comes from? You pay exorbitant tuition, and you barely learn anything! To be blunt, this damned Martial Association exists for one reason only: to make money!"

The taxi driver was struck speechless. He shrank back, gave a sheepish smile, and said no more.

Chen Yang didn't press the issue. For some reason, the very idea of this Martial Association left a bad taste in his mouth.

After getting out of the cab, Chen Yang saw a long line of teenagers and young adults queuing in front of the Martial Association's main gate.

At the entrance stood a wolf-head statue made of alloy and wrapped in leather. Everyone had to punch the statue to prove their strength was adequate before they were allowed to enter the Martial Association's doors.

Chen Yang walked straight to the entrance and asked a middle-aged man guarding the statue, "Are your superiors inside?"

"Who are you? You waltz right up and ask for our superiors?" The middle-aged man shot Chen Yang a glance and snapped, "If you're here to register, get to the back of the line! If not, get the hell out of here!"

"So arrogant? I can't even ask a question?" Chen Yang frowned.

"That's right, I'm just this arrogant! Say one more word, and I'll beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you!" the middle-aged man said coldly.

With that, he took a menacing step forward, squaring up as if he was about to attack.

Chen Yang couldn't help but be amused. Even a low-level lackey at this Martial Association is this conceited?

"Hey, get a move on! Don't waste our testing time!"

"What's all the fuss? Once he starts swinging, you'll be the one crying!"

The people in line started to taunt him. In their eyes, he was an absolute fool. Otherwise, why would he dare speak to someone from the Martial Association like that?

BANG!

Chen Yang slammed his fist into the nearby wolf-head statue. With a dull thud, the statue exploded into pieces, leaving only its wobbly base behind.

In an instant, the entire area fell silent. Everyone could only stare in utter shock.

How much strength would it take to do something like that?

The middle-aged man was also dumbfounded, staring blankly at Chen Yang.

As far as I know, only a Fist Master of the third rank or higher can even knock the statue over. But this guy... he completely smashed it to pieces!

GULP.

Swallowing hard, the middle-aged man finally came to his senses and stammered, "Our... our superiors are inside. You can go in and find them!"

"What are their names?" Chen Yang asked.

"The Helmsman is Wang Qingze, and there's also a Three-Bag Elder named Cao Hua! They... they're inside right now!" The man's face was pale with fright, and his voice trembled as he spoke.

Chen Yang pushed him aside and strode into the Martial Association's main hall.

The hall was magnificent and opulent. From the marble-paved floor and the massive pillars carved with dragons to the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, everything exuded an air of extreme luxury.

Those who had passed the test were inside, lining up to pay their fees.

In a corner of the hall, Wang Qingze and Cao Hua were sitting and drinking tea. They watched as boxes of cash were carried away, their faces breaking into wide smiles from time to time.

Seeing someone walking toward them, they both frowned and turned their heads. Upon recognizing the newcomer, Wang Qingze froze for a moment before abruptly shooting to his feet. "It's you!"

Those two slaps he'd received at the Qin Family estate were still fresh in his mind.

Cao Hua, who was beside him, asked, "You know him?"

"He's the bastard who used his connections in the Martial Department to bully me and insult my Wang Family!" Wang Qingze ground out through clenched teeth.

His original plan was to ask the Martial Association's upper echelons for help to teach this guy a harsh lesson and wash away the day's humiliation. But to his surprise, the man had shown up on his own turf—the Qingqiu Dao branch of the Martial Association. Ha, it's as if the heavens are helping me!

Wang Qingze let out a ferocious laugh. "Elder Cao, you must help me settle this score!"

"Say no more," Cao Hua agreed readily. His gaze fell upon Chen Yang, his eyes turning grim. "Kid, you dare to offend a Helmsman of our Martial Association? Are you tired of living?"

Chen Yang ignored him completely and asked coolly, "Just one question. Who gave the order to kill Qin Donglai?"

Cao Hua and Wang Qingze were stunned into silence.

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