Martial arts ascend to the gods

Chapter 358 Old things
Zhou Leng glanced at these people, his gaze shifting slightly.

"Brother Leng!" Jax, the leader with dry hair and a pale face, forced a smile, quickly stepped forward, and extended both hands.

Zhou Leng also extended a hand and shook it.

After all, he's the one who delivers treasures; we can't let him feel disheartened.

Tu Rong, a former hoodlum who used to be dressed in leather, is now standing next to him. He has even developed the aura of a minor expert after entering the Body Refinement stage.

Zhou Leng glanced at Jax and said, "Late stage of Vitality, almost at the Innate stage, right?"

"At most three months, thanks to your help. I'm sure I've learned a lot from meeting you this time. From now on, whatever you say, I'll do; I'll obey your orders," Jax said with a smile.

The people behind Jax were puzzled.

As one of the heirs of the Trupp family, even the Twin Horn Company's innate members treated him with great respect. Why was he being so humble towards this young man?

In the group, an inconspicuous person silently retreated, lowered their head, and hid in the crowd.

"Brother Leng," Tu Rong greeted him as well.

Zhou Leng said, "Your growth is also quite rapid."

"Thanks to you." Tu Rong bowed his head respectfully.

He was panicking.

He was present when Tian Wenhu was killed that day, and he almost became a sacrifice to Tian Wenhu.

Zhou Leng was wearing a mask at the time, so he didn't recognize her.

But later I heard that Zhou Leng killed Tian Wenhu and Yan Fenggang, and also killed Chang Luan and his son Chang Yuanzhong.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense.

“Following Jax is better than following Tian Wenhu,” Zhou said indifferently.

"Yes." Tu Rong's heart pounded; the implication was all too clear.

Zhou Leng knew that Tu Rong was an informant for the Armed Police Department.

"You didn't come here on your own, did you?" Zhou Leng asked Jax.

Jax laughed and said, "In this kind of large-scale battle, we don't even have any innate abilities; we're just doing odd jobs. Aiden gathered us up to do things for him."

As he spoke, he gave Zhou Leng a wink.

The two walked to a secluded corner.

“I’ve received some very important news…” Jax said in a low voice, glancing around.

"After Aiden and the candlelight bearer reached an agreement..."

"Wait, he teamed up with the candle-bearer? Which candle-bearer?" Zhou Leng asked.

"You probably don't know him, but he is the city lord of Shattered Candle City, a small city on the ninth level of the Demon Prison, named Bright Candle Radiance."

"You continue." Zhou Leng hadn't expected the two of them to get together, and vaguely felt that it must be related to that counterattack.

"The two of them assembled a large team, entered the Giant Insect Spirit Land through the Demon Prison, and then hunted down the Treants, taking their hearts, and even wanting the Heart of Life."

"But unexpectedly, they discovered that the world of the Tree People had turned upside down, and some ancient tree fossils were unearthed one after another."

"So they started recruiting soldiers."

"As for me, I'm not very strong, so I'll be placed in the Treant camp to help them gather information and find opportunities to cooperate."

"I think he doesn't want to share the ancient tree fossils with me."

Finally, Jax couldn't help but complain.

Zhou Leng asked, "Where are you in line to inherit the Trump family fortune?"

“Eighth. After advancing to the Innate Realm, I can directly become the fifth in line of succession,” Jax said.

"Could you help me find out about Aiden and the Radiant Candle, and also about the fossilized ancient trees? To be honest, that's also the reason I came here," Zhou Leng said.

Jax hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously and said, "The benefits you've given me are more than what Aiden has given me. I won't lose out by cooperating with you. Don't worry, I'll get on it right away."

After saying that, he smiled and asked, "You've advanced to the Innate Realm? Your aura is extraordinary. I know Miller; we met once when he returned to the Eagle Alliance."

Zhou Leng thought to himself, no wonder they were so respectful this time, they probably guessed his strength.

"Miller was careless at the time, so I took him down. In a normal fight, he wouldn't have lost so badly."

"If you say so, then so be it."

Jax still remembers Miller's expression when he talked about it—fear and bewilderment.

It's more terrifying than mere fear.

Miller is the true number one among the younger generation of Eagle Alliance. He once defeated all ten of the top martial arts masters in both the North and South Eagle Alliances and was once considered a match for Li Shenkong.

As a result, Zhou Leng slapped him to the ground, and he couldn't get up.

The major media outlets within the Eagle Alliance tacitly agreed not to report on this matter.

Both countries are alike; they will block any major news that is detrimental to their own side, and try to minimize its dissemination.

"A friend recently gave me some star snails. If you don't mind, please accept them and take care of me in the future."

As Jax spoke, he handed over a transparent acrylic box containing two layers of forty star-shaped conch shells.

The morning light shines, making it sparkle.

"You're very kind. Let's exchange things in the future." Zhou accepted it without any hesitation.

"must."

The two walked back, chatted for a few words, and then parted ways.

Zhou Leng took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned around and called out, "Wait." Everyone stopped in unison, and Jax and Tu Rong walked back anxiously.

Zhou Leng ignored the two of them, parted some people in the group, and looked at one of the seemingly ordinary young men.

"You should know me."

Zhou Leng looked at that person.

Innate martial artists possess extremely powerful combined perception abilities, including vision, intuition, and instinct.

When so many people gather together, their behavior is very similar when they meet for the first time. Those who have never met before are puzzled, while those who have met before are extremely respectful.

Only this person secretly hid.

And twice.

Even if Zhou Leng didn't notice it at first, he noticed the difference in this person the second time.

Zhou Leng looked at this person and vaguely felt that he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. It must have been a long time ago.

I will definitely remember the people I have met recently.

"Brother Leng, this guy is called Qiu the Cripple. He used to work for Tian Wenhu. Do you know him?" Tu Rong asked anxiously, afraid of provoking Zhou Leng.

When he saw that Zhou Leng's martial arts index was 11, he realized that he and Zhou Leng were no longer on the same level.

“This person’s behavior is strange. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before. Tell me yourself.” Zhou Leng looked at Qiu the Cripple.

Qiu the Cripple said with a bitter face, "Brother Leng, Master Leng, you didn't suffer a loss back then, I was the one who suffered. You don't need to care about a little fly like me, do you?"

Zhou Leng looked at the face, recalling as he slowly said, "Brother Qiu, right? I remember now, it was around fifth grade, back when Rucheng was quite chaotic. You bullied some classmates, and a bunch of us ganged up to fight back. Later, we ran into each other alone, exchanged a few words, you chickened out, and I chickened out too, so we didn't fight. Then you said you were going to find someone to ambush me at school, right?"

Qiu the Cripple pulled up his right trouser leg, revealing a reddish-brown scar.

“Brother Leng, back then I was planning to have someone ambush you, but you got Zhang Xinglie to lead a group of men and beat us up. The injury I sustained was from that incident. I was impressed back then, and all these years, I haven’t bothered you or Zhang Xinglie. Now that you’re a master of the Innate Realm, just ignore me.”

"Zhang Xinglie? Was that autumn, around October, just after National Day?"

"Yes, that was the time."

Zhou Leng sighed and said, "He never told me, and I only found out now. But I remember that he was injured around that time, not seriously, but not lightly either. Before, when he was injured, he would always brag to me about who he fought and what moves he used to win, but he didn't mention it at all that time, so I've always remembered it. On the contrary, I haven't seen you since you threatened me, so I've forgotten about you."

Qiu the Cripple said, "He wasn't that strong back then, but we still couldn't beat him. He was too fierce. I was scared of him and didn't dare to cause trouble. Brother Leng, I was only in junior high school back then and didn't know any better. Now I'm just trying to make a living. Last year you beat up Ni San at the Ghost Market, Brother Hu... but Tian Wenhu sent people to your house to investigate, and I didn't get involved."

"How did Zhang Xinglie know you were going to ambush me?" Zhou Leng asked.

Qiu the Cripple thought for a moment and said, "If you didn't say anything, then it's probably because when we were about to ambush you, he or his friends overheard us. Because before we ambush people, we would gather and chat in places like outside small restaurants or supermarkets, and we would mention your name. At that time, everyone was active in that area, and with so many people talking, it's normal for someone to overhear us."

Most of the people present were from Rucheng and had heard of Zhang Xinglie, and they all admired his loyalty.

Zhou Leng looked at Tu Rong and asked, "What kind of person is he?"

"Very honest."

Zhou Leng paused for a moment and looked at Qiu the Cripple.

Back then, Brother Qiu was quite famous in that area, and he was full of vigor and ambition. Now, he looks meek and mild-mannered, and although he is not old, he has been through a lot.

Time has smoothed out all the rough edges.

"You bullied so many people back then, did anyone come after you?"

"I've looked for it, I accept it." Qiu the Cripple said, head down.

As everyone looked at him, they vaguely guessed what he had been through over the years.

"What's the current situation of you bunch of thugs from back then?"

"Except for a few lucky ones who make us envious, most are about the same, neither outstanding nor unsuccessful."

"I remember a guy named Ma Tian who was really famous back then, but what happened to him?"

"He was more skilled than me back then, but his dantian was destroyed. He opened a small shop. I saw him last year. He's actually a pretty good person now."

"There's another one called Lao San, the fat one, who's also very capable."

“If you commit a crime and get caught, you’ll be sentenced to death,” Qiu the Cripple said.

Zhou Leng asked several notorious gangsters from back then, but apart from one or two who made it big, half remained unknown and the other half were in dire straits.

"Be a good person."

After Zhou Leng finished speaking, he turned and left.

Things from so long ago are best left in the past. We'll talk about it next time I meet Zhang Xinglie.

After Zhou Leng left, Tu Rong smiled and looked at Qiu the Cripple, saying, "Brother Qiu is pretty awesome, you even dared to beat Xiantian when he was a child?"

The crowd burst into laughter, and Qiu the Cripple could only manage a forced laugh.

Jax asked, "When did Tian Wenhu investigate Zhou Leng?"

Qiu the Cripple then recounted what had happened, saying that the four men went to Zhou Leng's house, but were slapped by the neighbor across the street, which later led to a gambling fight.

Jax and Tu Rong exchanged a glance after hearing this. When Qiu the Cripple spoke, his eyes flickered, clearly hiding something.

The two men called Qiu the Cripple and went to a secluded place.

Jax gave him a wink, and Tu Rong understood immediately, saying, "Tell me, what else are you hiding?"

Qiu the Cripple said helplessly, "Actually, there's nothing to hide. It's just that I'm afraid Brother Leng doesn't want people to know."

Jax said, "You've seen our relationship with Brother Leng; we're not outsiders. Tell me about it."

“When they were investigating Zhou Leng, they went into his house and found a photo, which they then took a picture of. Later, they even posted the photo in a group chat, which I downloaded at the time. Now I'll look for it. Once you see it, you'll understand.”

(End of this chapter)