Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Shadows Die Twice

Wang Erhu passed peacefully.

As did his seventeen or eighteen men.

"Owowow... HISSS!"

"UGH! My shoulder’s dislocated! It hurts—!"

"..."

After the brief exchange, cries of pain and wails of agony rose and fell from the ground in front of the martial arts hall.

Chen Xiaoqing watched the scene, dumbfounded.

She never imagined Wang Erhu would be so audacious as to attack people right at her doorstep!

What she expected even less was that before she could even call for the hall’s disciples to help, Wu Chen had already taken down the entire group with lightning speed.

Recalling Wu Chen’s graceful, weaving figure and the efficiency of his strikes, she realized that none of the dozen or so people present had stood a chance against him for even a single exchange.

In just a few rounds, he had knocked them all down.

Moreover, he had shown extreme restraint, not inflicting any serious injuries. He merely made them suffer a bit, leaving them to wail in agony.

Looking at Wang Erhu and his men groaning on the ground, Chen Xiaoqing couldn’t quite figure it out.

’This unassuming young man is terrifyingly strong!’

’With such skill, why would he possibly need my family’s ancestral Thunder Palm?’

She felt that a young man coming to learn Martial Arts like him had no use for her family’s ancestral technique, nor any need to waste money on it.

Yet he had still spent the money to buy the Martial Art.

No matter how she thought about it, Chen Xiaoqing couldn’t make sense of it. After racking her brain, she concluded there was only one possibility:

’He likes me!’

After all, three hundred taels of silver was no small sum.

Rather than him coming to learn a Martial Art he clearly didn’t need, it was more likely he was using the money to get her attention!

’Yes, that must be it!’

Thinking this, Chen Xiaoqing was about to ask the young man where he was from and how long he had been watching her.

She planned to play coy while talking to him, but ultimately just agree to it.

Then tomorrow, no, tonight they would...

She looked over, only to see that the figure who had just beaten Wang Erhu had already drifted away, leaving only a blurry silhouette at the mouth of the alley.

"Tch! Playing hard to get."

Chen Xiaoqing pouted, disdainful of such tactics. "It won’t be two days before he finds some other reason to come see me!"

"..."

Wu Chen was a little speechless, but more than that, he was just confused.

He had clearly paid for a Martial Art in a legitimate transaction. How had he still run into trouble?

But considering they were in the city, he had been very restrained when dealing with Wang Erhu’s group. After all, he couldn’t afford to get tangled up with the law.

He walked slowly down the street, his gaze fixed on his panel. Seeing the fruits of his labor, his mood improved considerably:

[Deep Red Host] Wu Chen

[Martial Arts Realm] Meridian Passage Realm, Five Meridians

(Qi Power: Earth-Shaking Brute Bull)

[Martial Arts & Cultivation Techniques] ’Bone-Eroding Wind Blade: Intent,’ ’Spirit Swallow Plucks a Leaf Steps: Intent,’ ’Thunder Palm: Perfection,’ ’Golden Ring Great Saber: Perfection’...

After he finished allocating points to the Thunder Palm, his realm advanced again, reaching the Five Meridians.

’Speaking of which, if Chen’s Boxing Hall is willing to sell its ancestral Martial Arts, then White Horse Martial Arts Hall should be too!’

Wu Chen recalled what the caravan leader, Sun Cang, had said when they arrived in Fenglin County.

Now that Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall had grown so large, the other two halls must have been affected.

There was no way the White Horse Martial Arts Hall could have remained untouched.

It was almost dusk and getting late, so Wu Chen quickened his pace. He walked up to the beggar from before and dropped a few more copper plates.

"Sir, just tell me where you want to go! I’ll take you there!"

The young beggar knew how to seize an opportunity. He realized he’d met a benefactor, and since he had already met his quota for the day, he shot to his feet, ready to lead Wu Chen.

"No need."

Wu Chen waved his hand. "Just tell me where the White Horse Martial Arts Hall is."

The beggar pointed. "Sir, just follow this road to the end. When you reach the base of the city wall, turn right into the alley, and you’ll see it."

Wu Chen nodded and quickly headed in the direction he pointed.

He soon saw the plaque for the White Horse Martial Arts Hall.

The sun was setting in the west, and it was even darker at the foot of the city wall.

Like Chen’s Boxing Hall, the White Horse Martial Arts Hall was very quiet inside.

But Wu Chen couldn’t tell if it was because the disciples were resting or because business was bad.

Fortunately, there was a small, delicate-looking girl at the entrance, sweeping the dust from the front of the hall with a bamboo broom.

Hearing footsteps, the sweeping girl looked up, clutching her broom, and asked in a soft, timid voice:

"Are you here to learn Martial Arts, sir?"

Wu Chen nodded. "Yes."

"Then you should go to Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall instead, sir."

Qiu Tong said, "My family’s hall already accepted a final batch of disciples a few days ago. We’re about to close and are no longer recruiting."

SHHHF!

Without another word, Wu Chen whipped out three gleaming yellow silver banknotes and fanned them out in front of her.

Qiu Tong’s breath hitched, and the majestic peaks on her petite frame trembled.

When business was bad, three hundred taels in silver banknotes was still very tempting.

Wu Chen presented the silver banknotes with both hands. "I want to learn your hall’s ancestral Martial Arts. I wonder, is three hundred taels enough?"

"I can’t make that decision on my own."

Qiu Tong didn’t hesitate for long. "I’ll have to ask my family’s elders."

Wu Chen nodded in understanding.

The girl was very efficient and quickly returned with a manual.

She was also at the Three Meridians level of the Meridian Passage Realm, so she wasn’t afraid he would try to snatch it.

If he really did snatch it and she failed to stop him, it would be useless even if her elders were present.

Now that their hall was about to close, it wasn’t worth having anyone in the family get injured fighting over a Martial Art.

"It’s getting dark, sir. Why don’t you come inside to read it?"

Qiu Tong made an inviting gesture, her gaze burning as she looked at the figure in the dim light:

"I’ve also prepared some snacks and brewed a pot of fine tea for you."

Wu Chen shook his head. "If you would, miss, please just light a candle for me. I can read it out here."

Although Qiu Tong was surprised, she did as he asked.

Wu Chen then sat down on the steps outside the White Horse Martial Arts Hall.

Qiu Tong sat beside him, cupping the candle flame in her hands. She even had a servant bring over a small table and arrange desserts and fragrant tea before them.

The warm, yellow candlelight illuminated Wu Chen’s cheeks, and Qiu Tong tilted her head, curiously studying the stranger.

Seeing how focused Wu Chen looked, Qiu Tong didn’t want to disturb him, so she just quietly held the candle, shielding the flame from the wind.

But after a short while, the peaceful scene was shattered.

Qiu Tong heard a commotion coming from the mouth of the alley in front of the hall.

Looking up, she saw a group of people hobbling and limping their way over.

"Young Master Wang, we just lost face at Chen’s Martial Arts Hall. We should at least rest up before coming here!" one of the newcomers complained.

Wang Erhu shook his head, his expression sorrowful. "I have already lost one love. I cannot bear to lose another!"

The group of men curled their lips in resignation. ’You sure seem to have a lot of loves, but do any of them even give you the time of day?’

’You’re the Second Young Master Wang at home, but what are you out here?’

’Chen’s Boxing Hall and White Horse Martial Arts Hall were both glorious once. You think they’d be interested in small potatoes like you?’

The group swayed and stumbled along, carrying betrothal gifts, until they reached the entrance of the White Horse Martial Arts Hall.

"Qiu Tong!"

Seeing Qiu Tong’s petite figure, Wang Erhu limped over in an excited little jog.

But his expression soon froze, and he stopped several steps away.

He saw a vaguely familiar face in the warm, yellow candlelight.

What made him feel even worse was that the girl he yearned for was personally holding a candle for this man, and had even prepared desserts and tea.

The scene stabbed at Wang Erhu’s heart.

Seeing Wang Erhu arrive, Qiu Tong’s small face was filled with disgust. If she weren’t holding the candle for the young man beside her, she would have stood up and driven him away.

But in that moment of distraction, the candle in her hand wavered. A drop of scalding wax fell, giving Wu Chen a little wax-drip treatment.

The sting of pain snapped Wu Chen out of his focused study of the Martial Art.

He looked up at Wang Erhu, who stood several steps away, and was startled:

’These local thugs in Fenglin County are really something else.’

’They tracked me down this fast?’

Being pursued and hassled like this, Wu Chen couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anger.

He snapped the manual shut, shot to his feet, and prepared to teach the newcomers a harsh lesson so this local thug would stay quiet for a few days.

Wang Erhu had just experienced Wu Chen’s methods at Chen’s Boxing Hall. Seeing him stand up now, he was naturally scared to death and turned to flee from the White Horse Martial Arts Hall.

But Wu Chen wasn’t about to let him go. He thought the local thug had come specifically to cause trouble for him!

With a single leap, he appeared right in front of Wang Erhu.

’So fast!’

Although he had already witnessed it, seeing the fist that was now inches from his face in the blink of an eye, Wang Erhu had no time to think.

After a series of dull thuds, the ten-foot-wide alley filled with agonized screams.

"Miss, I’ll return the Martial Arts Manual another day."

Having beaten the local thugs, Wu Chen didn’t want any more trouble. He gave the Martial Arts Manual in his hand a little shake, and with a few flickers, his figure vanished into the alley.

After all, from his perspective, they had shown up right after he arrived. Their ability to find people was too terrifying.

Who knew if someone even more terrifying would show up if he lingered?

Besides, this place was near the foot of the city wall. Attracting the attention of the city guard would be a bad idea.

"Okay! I’ll wait for you!"

Qiu Tong wasn’t panicked that the Martial Art had been taken. Instead, she watched the figure at the mouth of the alley, her eyes sparkling.

’He knew I hated that Wang Erhu, so he didn’t hesitate to step in on my behalf and teach that good-for-nothing a lesson.’

’And he said he’d bring the Martial Arts Manual back in a few days...’

’I see! He’s just looking for an excuse to see me again!’

At this thought, Qiu Tong’s eyes suddenly lit up in the darkness as an idea was born in her mind:

’He has me in his heart!’

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