The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 14: Heart for heart
Scales?

Zhou Yan stroked the scale, which felt like a piece of jade. However, he lacked the skills to discern anything special about it. Thinking that it was almost time, Zhou Yan put the fish scale away, placed it together with the ring given to him by Li Zhiwei, and then quickly walked towards the town entrance.

The place where he and Shen Cangming agreed to meet was there.

Suddenly, Zhou Yan stopped in his tracks. A shadow fell in front of him, and three men in brown shirts blocked his way. The leader said, "Young man, what are you doing blocking our path?!"

Zhou Yan blinked and said, "Ah, sorry, I didn't see the road clearly."

Turn around and walk in another direction.

But there were people blocking the way over there.

"Young man, you're not from around here, are you?"

Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat. He said politely, "My uncle and I are doing business here. We're about to meet up with them. I don't know much. If there's anything, you can talk to my uncle."

The three men exchanged a glance.

The kid's slippery.

The leader, growing impatient, grabbed Zhou Yan by the collar and said, "Kid, we're a bit short on cash lately, let's lend you some to play around with."

Zhou Yan said, "I have no money!"

The man in the lead said, "What do you mean you have no money? Didn't you just come out of the pawnshop?"

"I also bought fish for 100 coins!"

"I'm just asking to borrow some money to play around with. It's not like I'm not going to pay you back. Why are you nagging and refusing to give me the money? Are you trying to mess with us?"

Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes, raised his hand and grabbed the man's wrist. It looked like a struggle, a weak man's resistance, which often drew laughter. But the next moment, in his mind, the jade book unfolded with a whoosh.

The hungry ghost aspect is revealed.

Holding two butcher knives, the portrait of Zhao Man, like a dancer, swayed and spread out instantly.

This time, it started with a fighting spirit, and Zhao Man seemed to roar.

A glint of ruby-like color flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes. The next moment, even though he had no cultivation, his strength and endurance were directly enhanced, surpassing those of a normal adult. With a flick of his left hand, he grabbed the man's tiger's mouth.

A twist.

The man's laughter turned into a scream.

Zhou Yan landed and kicked him squarely in the abdomen.

The sole of his shoe slammed into the opponent's lower abdomen.

The man staggered several steps after being kicked and fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain. He lay there, unable to get up for a long time, and cried out in pain, "Arrest him! I'll beat him to death!"

Several burly men emerged, their clothes disheveled and covered in scorpion-like tattoos, and charged toward Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan felt a chill run down his spine; he had tried before, but he had little cultivation and the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman's power didn't enhance him much.

However, his movements and reactions were very quick.

With a flick of his wrist, the [Infernal Flames of Hunger] were injected into a man.

The man, who had been wielding a staff that reached his eyebrows, suddenly twisted his face, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. Zhou Yan swung the package and hurled it at the man, sending him rolling far away.

A fat man pounced on Zhou Yan and tied his hands together.

The strength was immense; Zhou Yan couldn't break free.

The fat man let out a howl and collapsed to the ground after the [Infernal Flames of Hunger] were unleashed.

Zhou Yan escaped, but with continuous use, he felt his hunger increasing. He used his fourteen or fifteen-year-old body to knock down three or four adult men, but he reached his limit. After a fight, he was finally held down by four men and could not move.

The person who was initially kicked straight in the stomach by him finally recovered at this point.

His face turned pale, and with a fierce look, he kicked the boy in front of him hard.

Blessed by the power of hungry ghosts.

Zhou Yan's face turned pale and he was in great pain after taking this blow, but he was not seriously injured. He felt a warm current flowing through him, which helped him recover from the pain and injuries, but at the same time, his hunger became more and more intense.

[Use food to heal injuries?]

Zhou Yan realized the hidden potential of the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman, which enraged the man even more. A group of people then punched and kicked Zhou Yan.

………………

Shen Cangming found the black market in the town, which was unknown to ordinary people. He cut a piece of gold from the hilt of his sword and bought Zhou Yan a household registration document and a document to prove his innocence.

Gold and silver were not currencies like copper coins and brocade, but when trading with the Western Regions, they recognized gold as their currency, and gold was even more valuable during times of chaos.

This was a gold medal he received as a reward for his past military achievements.

He asked Zhou Yan and learned that Zhou Yan had lost his memory and didn't know where to go.

Shen Cangming himself was just a man destined to die. He only needed to help him find a place to stay because of that meal. He packed his things, turned around and walked out. Hearing a commotion in the distance, he carried his things over and saw Zhou Yan being beaten in the crowd.

Shen Cangming's eyes were dark and calm.

He has no intention of making a move.

He rescued Zhou Yan from the demon market, sacrificing his arm in the process. This was merely his own atonement, and it represented a choice between humans and demons. Now, it is a struggle between Zhou Yan and the local people.

Shen Cangming will not stay with Zhou Yan for long.

He couldn't let Zhou Yan become dependent on him or get used to him. They were just people who had met by chance in this chaotic world. Besides, he was a seasoned general of the Tang Dynasty's border army, and he could tell at a glance that Zhou Yan had protected his vitals. He just watched the boy being beaten, watched him desperately clutching his bundle.

"Perhaps this will let you know the ways of the world."

The hunger induced by the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman weakened Zhou Yan's strength. His bundle was snatched away, and the man, Lao Zefeng, panting heavily, realized that this kid was really tough; he himself was almost out of strength. He said breathlessly:
"Hey kid, let me tell you something, don't show off your skills in the future."

He picked up the package, which contained some copper coins, and unceremoniously stuffed it into his pocket. Then, he seemed to see something, and his face froze, followed by a huge surge of anger at his unfulfilled desires.

Zhou Yan gritted his teeth: "Give it back to me!"

Lao Zefeng was panting heavily. He had thought there was something extraordinary hidden inside, which was why he had blocked the way. But to his surprise, it was just an old piece of clothing and a hundred or so copper coins. He was furious at all the trouble he had gone through and shouted, "I'll tell you what it is!"

"You son of a bitch, you can pull out that good knife, but you only bought some tattered clothes?!"

Lao Zefeng was furious. He said, "Even a fool would know that silver knife is very expensive. You sold it for a pittance just to buy this outfit?! Are you out of your mind?!"

He threw away the bundle and took out the round-necked robe inside.

It was black, quite large, and meant for tall, adult men.

Shen Cangming's body stiffened.

He suddenly remembered how the boy held that knife as if it were precious, and how he smiled after changing his clothes, clasping his hands in a salute.

Within the warrior's cold, despairing black pupils, intense emotional ripples surged.

Lao Zefeng finally lost his composure and kicked Zhou Yan hard.

Zhou Yan, determined, decided to unleash his full power with [Hunger Flame].

The next moment, amidst the howling wind, the sound of footsteps and clothes rustling was like the roar of an angry tiger. Lao Zefeng's leg felt as if it had kicked a stone pillar, and the pain was as if his bones were cracking.

In front of Zhou Yan stood a man with a missing arm.

He was tall, more than a head taller than him, with a stubble beard, curly black hair that reached his shoulders, and bloodshot eyes that made them look somewhat red, like a furious tiger. The people who had just grabbed Zhou Yan collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

Zhou Yan was stunned: "Uncle Shen?"

!!!

Lao Zefeng's body trembled as Shen Cangming reached out his hand.

Shen Cangming's hand gripped his head, without applying any force.

Lao Zefeng was lifted up, his feet off the ground, struggling and screaming in pain.

The wind blew by, and the man's face seemed to be hidden in the shadows, but his eyes held a fierce and ruthless power, a terrifying force that seemed to crush Lao Zefeng's head.

"Ahhh, my head, my head is going to split open! Hero, hero, spare my life!"

"Hero, spare my life!"

"Uncle Shen... is still in town."

"…………roll!"

Shen Cangming flung Lao Zefeng's body to the ground. Shen Cangming slowly bent down, picked up the round-necked robe and put it on, tightening the belt. His eyes, beneath his thick eyebrows, swept over the thugs around him, and he said coldly, "Money."

"Ah, ah, yes, yes, money, take out all the money, take it out."

A bunch of thugs took out all their money, even more than before.

Shen Cangming took the money and Zhou Yan to redeem his Swiss Army knife. The pawnshop owner was stunned. Even after they had walked away, the two of them were still shaking their heads and thinking, "How strange! How can someone pawn something and then redeem it?"

"That's strange, that's strange."

A group of thugs walked by, groaning and limping.

Shen Cangming had Zhou Yan ride a horse, and then, in silence, said:

“I was watching just now.”

Zhou Yan: "Huh? Oh."

Shen Cangming said, "The clothes are nice."

Zhou Yan scratched his head and chuckled, "Uncle Shen, you saved me, and you also bought me these clothes. I was just thinking if I could buy you a set too."

"Ah."

Shen Cangming remained silent for a long time. He was like those taciturn men from the Central Plains, unaccustomed to being cared for and looked after, especially unaccustomed to being looked after by juniors. After a moment of silence, he said, "You lost."

"Your stamina is too poor, and you have no fighting skills."

"After knocking down three or four people, we were trapped by those thugs."

Zhou Yan was dumbfounded, feeling as if he were being scolded by his parents.

The atmosphere was somewhat quiet, strange, and silent.

Shen Cangming remained silent for a while. Looking ahead, gripping his sword, this self-loathing, desperate, lonely yet stubborn man spoke in a way characteristic of men from the Central Plains:

"Zhou Yan".

"Would you like to learn my martial arts?"

(End of this chapter)