Shen Xiuhan looked down at his padded coat.
It was old and ragged, covered in patch upon patch.
Earlier, when his blood qi had surged, he had thrown his coat into the snow in his haste. The melted snow had soaked through the cotton padding, leaving large, mottled water stains. He truly looked a mess.
I should find some time to get a couple of decent outfits, he thought.
“Then I will have to trouble you, Second Senior Brother.”
“It's no trouble at all. It's the rules of the martial arts hall. Any disciple who enters the inner courtyard can go to the storehouse to get a set of practice robes.”
Xu Chuan waved his hand dismissively.
A moment later.
Shen Xiuhan held a set of white practice robes made of flexible fabric with tight, fine stitching.
Only now did he understand what Xu Chuan meant by “getting in the way.”
Because these practice robes were very thin.
If an outer courtyard disciple who had not yet awakened their blood qi dared to wear this to practice in the freezing winter, they would surely fall seriously ill the next day after less than half an hour.
But for inner courtyard martial artists, with blood qi surging through their bodies, they no longer feared the cold. Thick cotton clothes were instead a hindrance.
A single piece of clothing separated the vast chasm between ordinary people and martial artists.
...
After finalizing the time with Xu Chuan for their sparring practice tomorrow, Shen Xiuhan headed back to Xiaojing Bay under the cover of dusk.
As soon as he pushed open the wicker gate of the courtyard, a little figure rushed out of the thatched cottage.
“Big Brother is back!”
Shen Momo, her hair tied in two little buns, rushed over with a joyful face. She held something up in her small hand like a precious treasure. “Big Brother, look!”
Shen Xiuhan took a closer look, a smile naturally spreading across his face. “An egg? That old hen finally laid an egg?”
A few days ago, he had bought that old hen from the East Market, hoping it would lay a few eggs to nourish his mother and little sister.
He hadn't expected the stubborn beast to refuse to lay a single egg after moving to a new place. Madam Zheng had been so furious that she spent all day waving a kitchen knife, threatening to stew it.
Perhaps the hen had actually understood her and got scared, because it had finally squeezed one out today.
Shen Momo stood on her tiptoes and stuffed the boiled egg into his hand.
“Big Brother, you eat...”
Shen Xiuhan took it. With a light tap of his finger, the eggshell cracked into a fine web.
He quickly peeled away the shell, revealing the smooth, tender white egg, and held it to the little girl's mouth.
“Momo should eat it.”
“Momo can't eat it.”
The little girl swallowed hard but sensibly shook her head, shrinking back.
“Mother said Big Brother is learning martial arts to do great things. You need to eat eggs to nourish your body...”
Bang!
“Yo... what a touching display of sibling affection.”
A dull crash accompanied by a sarcastic voice shattered the warmth of the courtyard without warning!
The wicker gate was kicked open violently, splintering several wooden slats and scattering wood chips into the slushy snow.
Two figures swaggered into the yard.
It was the two Golden Dragon Gang scouts who hadn't shown their faces for days!
A-Zhe and Tian Erhu!
Yu Zhe crossed his arms, his mocking gaze sweeping across the yard before locking onto Shen Momo's tender little face. His eyes lit up instantly.
“What a pretty little girl...”
Shen Momo's face turned pale with fear. She grabbed Shen Xiuhan's coat hem and hid behind him, only daring to peek out with one eye.
In the kitchen, the busy Madam Zheng rushed out when she heard the noise. Seeing the situation in the yard, she began to tremble with fear.
“Mother...”
Shen Xiuhan's expression remained unchanged. He casually stuffed the egg into Shen Momo's hand and said in a low voice:
“Take Momo inside and bolt the door. I'll handle this.”
“...Alright. Be careful, Dalang!”
Her face pale, Madam Zheng nodded frantically, picked up Shen Momo, and hid in the inner room.
Only three people remained in the yard.
Yu Zhe stood with his arms crossed, watching this play out with a cold sneer.
“Kid, you took Senior Brother Ma's fishing rod, but there's been no follow-up. Where is the fish you were supposed to deliver?”
Shen Xiuhan's eyelids drooped slightly, the situation immediately becoming clear to him.
Ma Xianyang had returned to Changyun County.
The news of him joining the outer courtyard of the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall must have reached Ma Xianyang's ears, raising his suspicions!
After all, eight taels of silver for tuition was no small sum!
Where would a mere fisherman's son get so much money?
Since he didn't know what Ma Xianyang was planning yet, he decided to play along and test the waters first.
Shen Xiuhan's eyes flickered, and he cupped his fists.
“You two have misunderstood. It's just that... this past half-month happened to be the martial arts hall's assessment. I have been practicing day and night without daring to slack off, which is why I neglected the fishing job...”
“Bah! Don't you fucking use the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall to pressure me!”
A-Zhe spat fiercely, impatiently cutting him off.
“You think I don't know the rules of your martial arts hall? An outer courtyard disciple who hasn't received the true legacy has no right to use the hall's name to throw their weight around!”
That was true...
But those were the rules for outer courtyard disciples.
A-Zhe took a step forward and jabbed his finger hard against Shen Xiuhan's chest, acting extremely arrogant.
“Kid, don't push your luck!”
“The Mei Family Martial Arts Hall won't wade into the muddy waters of our Golden Dragon Gang and Senior Brother Ma just for a mere outer courtyard mud-leg like you!”
“Let me tell you the truth!”
“Senior Brother Ma already knows that you got lucky and caught a Precious Fish to pay your tuition!”
“But he is a generous man and doesn't want to make things difficult for a junior like you.”
“Otherwise, it wouldn't be us two brothers coming here today, but Senior Brother Ma himself!”
A-Zhe sneered repeatedly, holding up two rough fingers to deliver his ultimatum:
“Senior Brother Ma has spoken. For the sake of our past acquaintance, he will give you a two-day grace period!”
“Within two days, if you obediently hand over a Precious Fish as a tribute to Senior Brother, the matter of you taking the fishing rod but not doing the work will be written off!”
Hearing this, Shen Xiuhan furrowed his brows, letting a look of panic appear on his face at the right moment.
“Please understand, big brothers... those Precious Fish are natural spiritual creatures, not like broken stones on the riverbank that can be picked up whenever you want!”
“With only two days, even if I had godlike abilities, where could I possibly conjure up one for Senior Brother Ma...”
“Stop fucking playing the victim!”
Tian Erhu, who had been silent in the back, suddenly drew the dagger from his waist. With a flash of cold light, he slashed a deep gash into the water vat in the yard!
“Just two days!”
“If we don't see a Precious Fish in two days... hehe!”
He turned and greedily glanced at the tightly shut wooden door of the inner room, revealing a mouth of foul, yellow teeth. His voice sounded like a venomous snake baring its fangs:
“On this turf of the Outer City, when our Golden Dragon Gang wants to deal with someone, we've never seen anyone who could protect them!”
“When the time comes, don't blame us brothers for not showing mercy to your old mother and that pretty little girl!”
“A-Zhe! Let's go!”
Leaving behind these words, the two of them laughed arrogantly and turned to vanish into the night.
Watching the two figures disappear into the wind and snow, Shen Xiuhan slowly stood up straight.
Hoo...
A stream of hot, white steam exhaled from his nostrils.
His lowered eyes slowly rose. Deep within his pitch-black pupils, the brutally suppressed murderous intent erupted like a volcano!
Ma Xianyang...
And these two mad dogs of the Golden Dragon Gang...
Insulting my mother, coveting my little sister... you have already marked yourselves for death!
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