21. Haoran Martial Arts Hall

As these words were spoken, the faces of those from the Golden Tiger Hall filled with terror, turned deathly pale, and regarded Lu Yao as if he were some sort of monster.

In the Otherworld where medical technology was not advanced, a broken leg could easily lead to a lifetime disability! There was no need to further articulate the dire straits a cripple could be in during troubled times.

The unrelated bystanders hurriedly left the scene, not even daring to stick around for the excitement, fearing they might be collateral damage, leaving only the disciples of the martial arts school in their uniform short outfits.

The eldest disciple, Qi Lang, was sweating profusely and speaking with some difficulty, "Don't mess around... What exactly do you want?"

Seeing that he had stirred the atmosphere, Lu Yao began to wrap things up, "I want to know who your master has met recently, especially before and after the challenge to the school."

Qi Lang's complexion changed, and he quickly asked, "If I tell you, will you let us go?"

Lu Yao replied with composed conviction, "Once I know what I need to know, my elder martial sister and I will leave immediately."

Qi Lang wanted to say more, but the disciples below could not hold back anymore, shouting one after another:

"I know, I know, I'm willing to tell!"

"Master only met with someone from the Haoran Martial Arts Hall!"

Lu Yao raised his hand to quell the noise, "Go inside, one by one. If anyone wants to spout nonsense, you can prepare your crutches in advance."

The crowd hurriedly expressed their compliance.

~~~~~~~~

Lu Yao and Liao Ya took turns calling the willing disciples of the martial arts school into the inner room.

Their method of lie detection was simple—after meditating, they would use their five senses to closely monitor these individuals, observing their facial expressions, breathing, heartbeat, and so forth.

When lying, a person subconsciously displays numerous micro-expressions and body language, none of which could escape the detection of the two human "lie detectors."

This was a Spirit Refining Technique secretly passed down by the Liao Family, which Liao Ya had taught to Lu Yao on their way here.

The last person to enter was the eldest disciple, Qi Lang. With his life hanging by a thread, he wore a look of unease and confessed the truth:

"Master Liao, my master recently only met with Sun Haoran from the Haoran Martial Arts Hall! The night before last, the two stayed in a room discussing matters for a long time, and afterward, my master made the decision to issue the challenge."

Lu Yao and Liao Ya exchanged glances, confirming that what he said was the truth.

The disciples' accounts were consistent, none lying—they all stated that Zhu Jiaxiu had only met with Sun Haoran from the "Haoran Martial Arts Hall."

Having obtained the information they were after, the two had no interest in staying any longer and were about to leave.

When Qi Lang saw that Liao Ya truly let him go without any intent to harm him, he was overjoyed!

Martial masters enjoyed certain privileges, and even if they truly crippled someone, at most they would face a trivial fine. Especially since he had been involved in issuing the challenge, it was common place that they could have easily crushed him to death.

A martial artist endowed with broad-mindedness and compassion can easily earn respect and admiration. Qi Lang's expression hardened, and he made a resolute decision, kneeling on the ground and shouting loudly:

"I know my master's death was very suspicious. His injury wasn't fatal, but partway through, something blurred my vision... By the time I realized it, my master and that Han Fang had both breathed their last. I lack the ability and the guts for revenge, so I can only rely on Master Liao now!"

Having said his piece, he took out a golden paper from his bosom, "This is a closely-guarded secret of our school—the recipe for the Golden Tiger Bone-Strengthening Paste. I offer it to Master Liao to express my gratitude for your mercy not once but twice, and also to plead with you to seek justice for my master!"

The secret recipe is the core, the crux of a sect's kung fu, the product of countless generations' explorations for the optimal methods to nourish and strengthen the body, not to be lightly shared with others.

After offering the recipe, Qi Lang appeared much more relieved, mocking himself, "I don't have the power to protect it anyway... Golden Tiger Martial Arts School no longer exists as of now."

Lu Yao stepped forward to take the recipe, bowed his thanks, and then left with his elder martial sister.

As soon as they left, a large crowd continued the previous tugging and arguing, each coveting a larger share of the spoils.

~~~~~

On the main street, Liao Ya clenched her fists so tightly they creaked, and said in a muffled voice, "It's just as I suspected! Haoran Martial Arts Hall is one of the top three martial halls in Yunzhou, with three Organ Refining Martial Artists in residence; the hall master, Sun Haoran, is even a master in the Marrow-Cleansing Realm.

"Haoran Martial Arts Hall is massive, its business dealings encompassing both the legal and the underworld, and it maintains close connections with the Hailong Gang, which controls the docks, hence targeting the Liao Family is hardly surprising."

Lu Yao followed Liao Ya, and although he couldn't see her expression, he could tell by her heaving shoulders that she was definitely very angry.

Liao Ya was angry at herself, hating her weakness, realizing even after discovering the identity of their adversary, she was powerless to act.

Haoran Martial Arts Hall and Hailong Gang were both formidable forces; she simply couldn't avenge her sect or her father!

Lu Yao quickened his pace to walk shoulder to shoulder with her, and said slowly,

"Senior sister, you're already getting stronger quickly. Zhu Jiaxiu, who came to challenge us, could never accept that you defeated him. Stay steadfast in your cultivation, and the day for revenge will come sooner or later."

Liao Ya bit her lip with her pearly white teeth; after a while, her tense face finally relaxed. "Junior brother is right; my anger and haste got the better of me."

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, at Haoran Martial Arts Hall, which Liao Ya mentioned, nearly a hundred disciples were practicing their punches with loud calls.

These individuals were fit and strong, their punches and kicks resonating with force, and surprisingly, each one of them was a Martial Artist in the Bone Tempering Realm.

In a tastefully arranged quiet room, Sun Haoran, wearing a white robe, held a cup of tea, quietly watching these disciples.

His age was difficult to pin down; his attire and demeanor suggested a fifty-year-old, but his eyes were bright and his skin was smooth, making him look closer to thirty.

At that moment, a questioning voice echoed,

"Master Sun, 'that matter' is as good as settled and will be acted on before long. If you don't take care of the Liao Family soon, we'll all end up in trouble!"

The speaker had narrow, triangular eyes and a menacing face, dressed in a black mandarin jacket.

Sun Haoran savored a sip of tea, replying unhurriedly,

"At this critical time, I would rather not give others something to exploit. And the Liao Family is far from abandoned. Just yesterday they visited the Du Residence, and Du Wenlan personally saw them off. Few in Yunzhou could expect such treatment!"

Snake Master slapped the armrest leaving a handprint, "Then what do we do? Do we just watch idly? It won't be long before everyone knows!"

Sun Haoran set down his tea cup and said lightly, "What to do? We follow the rules, of course, and eliminate the Liao's Martial Arts School with open and upright means."

Snake Master sneered, "With Liao Ya defeating Zhu Jiaxiu of Golden Tiger Hall within ten breaths, who would listen to your talk and go courting death?!"

"Fame and fortune sway hearts. As long as the temptation is great enough, there's no shortage of takers. Just you watch," Sun Haoran said.

As Sun Haoran held the teapot with his hand, the already cooled tea astonishingly began to boil and bubble up.

~~~~~~~

By the time Lu Yao and Liao Ya returned to the martial arts school, Liao Qe was leading the disciples in their practice.

More and more people were coming to learn boxing, drawn by the school's recent challenge event; the strong were always celebrated.

Watching these young people practicing their shouts and punches, Lu Yao suddenly felt the martial arts school resembled the "interest classes" in Xia Country—

Anyone who paid could come to learn, practicing for an hour in the morning and evening every day; what one learned depended entirely on oneself.