Chapter 13 Making Friends

Ping'an Square, Chen Residence.

Chen Mu stood in the middle of the courtyard.

The next moment, his figure began to sway, darting towards the door, now to the left, now to the right.

Suddenly, he stumbled, and with a thud, he fell to the ground.

Chen Mu picked himself up, rubbing his knees, grimacing in pain.

He was attempting to practice the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique.

This Leap move was best at quick changes and dodging, incorporating not just movement technique changes but also a matching set of fist techniques.

He didn't dare to hope to master the fist techniques yet; he simply wanted to get the movement technique down first.

Staggering back to the center of the courtyard, he took a moment to adjust his breathing and posture before practicing again.

He had only run out two or three steps when he suddenly gasped for air, his whole body spasmed, and he fell to the ground stiff as a board, taking a long time to get back up.

"What a waste of a hundred silver pieces, without having learned a single move!" Chen Mu's face was the picture of dejection.

A hundred silver pieces could buy only seven days of learning.

How many sets of seven days, how many sets of a hundred silver pieces would it take to learn it?

It was a money pit!

And then there was the Body Training Secret Medicine.

Sheng Hong indeed provided the prescription, but he didn't explain how to process the herbs for the best effect; for all Chen Mu knew, he might have to buy them from Sheng Hong too.

Chen Mu had realized that this was all a setup: if he wanted to learn the Shape Cultivation Technique, he would have to fall for it!

That Government Official Liu wasn't any better either.

Did he not know how difficult it was to learn the Shape Cultivation Technique, or how Sheng Hong's rules were designed to trap people?

Yet he had still recommended that Chen Mu learn martial arts.

Chen Mu began to suspect that those two were in cahoots.

No, they were definitely in cahoots!

If he wanted to learn the Shape Cultivation Technique, he would have to go to them.

The little money he had managed to save up was being siphoned off by the two of them!

Even the money he would make in the future would have to be handed over to them.

The more Chen Mu thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated he got, huffing back to his room.

As he reached a wall, he glared fiercely at a painting on the wall, examining it closely.

On a life-sized piece of paper, there were rows of little figures drawn.

The figures, wearing shorts, were depicted so vividly they almost looked like photographs, with every muscle clearly visible. There was also densely packed text beside them.

It was indeed the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique!

"How embarrassing, Sheng Hong Master's teachings were just too detailed, and the demonstration of the movements too standard. I simply couldn't help but feel compelled to draw it out," Chen Mu thought silently, "I'm sure Master Sheng Hong would understand."

"I'll just charge more when I sell the manual." Chen Mu mused, "I wonder if I can get a hundred silver pieces for it."

"Or should I sell a few more copies? That should definitely bring in more than a hundred silver pieces." Thinking this, the frustration in Chen Mu's heart finally eased a bit.

Master Sheng himself earned money by selling martial arts; by learning from him and selling manuals, I would be honoring my teacher. Even if he found out, he would surely be filled with pride and satisfaction.

Right, first gain experience, master it, then sell it!

Chen Mu, satisfied, focused his attention on the drawings.

...

Qingshan County Government Office jail.

A Government Official stood outside one of the cells.

"Today is your lucky day."

"The mastermind behind the Wang family massacre has been caught, and you can be released from prison!"

A group of ruffians in the cell immediately burst into cheers.

Once the noise died down, the Government Official came forward to open the door and led the group of prisoners out in a noisy crowd.

Zhang Qing and Li Fan were also squeezed in the crowd, laughing as they made their way out.

If Chen Mu were here, he would recognize them as the two thugs who had cornered him in the alleyway.

Once out of the County Government Office, the two slipped into a narrow alley.

The shorter Zhang Qing's smile instantly vanished from his face, replaced by a look of fury as he said, "Those damn Government Officials are beasts!"

"They took every last coin I had on me."

"I don't have any left either," said the burly Li Fan, with a grim expression on his face.

"Let it go; being able to get out is lucky enough," sighed Zhang Qing.

When the Wang family massacre happened, more than a hundred people were arrested; why were only the people from their cell released?

Because they had paid money!

The poor devils without money had to keep rotting in there.

"Boss, where do we go next? Shall we find that scholar to settle the score?" Li Fan asked.

"Of course we're going to take revenge," Zhang Qing said angrily, rubbing his sore hand.

It was because of that scholar that he had been beaten by Government Official Liu, remembered by Government Official Liu, and then thrown into jail to be tortured and punished.

"First go find old man Yan. We can't afford to lose our rice bowls."

...

Anle Square back street

Zhang Qing and Li Fan were shoved out of a large residence by two brawny men.

The two brawny men glanced at them contemptuously, casually tossing a few silver pieces their way. With a cold snort, they turned and slammed the door shut.

Zhang Qing, who had been all smiles just moments ago, suddenly turned ashen.

"Big brother, we need to find an opportunity to cripple that old dog!" Li Fan said furiously, his face twitching with anger, his eyes reddening.

"We've been running errands for him like his grandsons, and now that we've fallen out of favor, he thinks he can send us away with a few pieces of silver?"

"I can't swallow this insult!"

"Of course we're going to cripple him!" Zhang Qing's eyes were filled with ruthlessness. "Have done all his dirty work for two years, getting rid of him will be easy!"

"It's just a pity that the Hungry Tiger Gang is gone. We need to quickly find a new gang to rely on, otherwise we'll have to endure the humiliation we did today." Zhang Qing forcefully suppressed his anger.

"This time, we can't end up with another short-lived ghost gang like the Hungry Tiger Gang." Li Fan said helplessly.

The small gangs in Qingshan County changed so quickly.

Today they rise, tomorrow they vanish; they had been mixing it up on the streets since they were little scoundrels, and the Hungry Tiger Gang was already the third gang they had been a part of.

"No rush, let's make some money first. Without money, we can't even join a big gang." Zhang Qing had come to see Master Yan this time hoping for a payout to pave the way for joining a new gang.

Who would have thought that the old man would be so stingy? He dismissed them with just a few silver coins: "This account will be settled slowly, in the future."

"Let's go see that scholar to collect a debt. That scholar's portrait drawing is incredible, even old Yan Dog couldn't help but want to cripple him. That means his paintings are valuable; we have been locked up for so long, he must have made a good sum of money."

"I know where his house is." Li Fan's eyes lit up.

Touching the scars on his body, Zhang Qing's face was dark with menace: "Let's go!"

A frail scholar had almost crippled his hand—an intolerable humiliation!

"This time, let's see who can save him."

"Don't worry, big brother, I'll break his limbs for you." Li Fan laughed heartily, as if he could see the shiny silver calling out to him.

Woo...

A low, howling sound suddenly rose.

Thwack!

Blood spattered.

The brawny Li Fan turned pale and fell to the ground with a thud.

His left calf had been struck by something, blood gushing profusely.

He tried to reach out to cover the wound.

Woo...

The howling resumed.

The spot that had been hit was struck again with force.

Crack!

Bits of white bone, along with mottled blood, splattered into the air.

AAH...

Li Fan screamed miserably.

His left calf bone was inexplicably broken, the bloody white bone protruding through his skin.

Zhang Qing's face changed dramatically: "Hero spare... Aaah!"

Woo...

Crack!

Zhang Qing's right calf bone abruptly fractured, exposing jagged white bone.

Bang, bang!

Two clumps of soil almost simultaneously hit the necks of the two men.

Amidst their screams, like ducks being strangled, they fell unconscious.

Chen Mu emerged from a shadowy corner of the street, his face a complex mix of emotions as he looked at the two ruffians.

"People's hearts have turned evil."

Out of respect for Master Yan, Chen Mu made a point to make a round near Master Yan's house every day.

No ulterior motive; he just wanted to find an opportunity to talk to him alone and bring a significant gift or something of the sort.

After a pleasant private conversation last time, Chen Mu wanted to talk to him again.

He didn't expect to encounter these two.

In the spirit of 'no fight, no friendship,' Chen Mu initially wanted to have a chat with the brothers.

After all, he still had to mix in Qingshan County. If they got along, perhaps they could turn enemies into friends and explore more business opportunities.

Of course, it wasn't good to come empty-handed for a first meeting.

Fortunately, there were a few well-shaped rocks on the ground, which would be great to collect, so he picked them up and silently followed...

"It's a shame that people are so sinister." Chen Mu sighed, feeling regretful.

"I intended to make friends with you, yet you plotted against me in secret. It's truly said, 'I turned to the bright moon, but alas...'" Sighing, Chen Mu silently reached into the other's sleeve pocket.