Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

Chen Jianghe pulled out an old cloth from his pocket and quickly covered his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.

He moved swiftly and followed silently.

Aunt Wang and the Sun Moon Cult member who called himself Zhang Mingyuan did not go far.

The two turned into another, narrower alley and stopped in a corner piled with broken wooden crates.

At the end of the alley was a dead wall, so the moonlight couldn't get in; only a few scattered lights from the main street in the distance provided a faint glow.

Chen Jianghe lay hidden behind the corner wall, listening intently.

"Teacher Zhang, what do you think about this..." Aunt Wang's voice was low and ingratiating. "I did as you instructed and tricked her into coming out. That Lin woman is soft-hearted and easy to manipulate. If her son hadn't suddenly come, she would definitely have gone to the church with us by now."

Zhang Mingyuan's voice remained gentle, yet carried a chilling undertone: "It's alright. If it doesn't work today, there's always tomorrow. Chen Jianghe is a formal disciple of the Xingyi Martial Arts School, exactly the kind of talent the Holy Lord needs."

Aunt Wang sighed, "You don't know, that boy is very shrewd! The way he looked at me just now was so fierce! I'm afraid he's already become suspicious..."

"So what if they suspect something?" Zhang Mingyuan chuckled. "Just a martial arts school disciple. Our Sun Moon Sect now has over a thousand followers in the outer city. Let alone a dilapidated martial arts school like Xingyi Martial Arts School, even the top-ranked 'Thunderclap Martial Arts School' in the city has disciples who secretly defect to us."

Behind the wall, Chen Jianghe's pupils contracted slightly.

Zhang Mingyuan continued, a hint of smugness in his voice: "The sect leader said that in this world, the formal disciples of those martial arts schools are full of vigor and have strong physiques, making them excellent materials for practicing our sect's 'Sacred Methods.' Not to mention that most of them come from poor backgrounds; as long as you offer them some money and a way out, they will naturally flock to us."

Aunt Wang seemed to understand but not quite: "Then...why don't we just go directly to Chen Jianghe? Why go through all this trouble and go after his mother?"

"Foolish." Zhang Mingyuan's voice turned colder. "Martial arts school disciples are full of pride. If you go directly to them, you'll most likely run into a brick wall. But if you get hold of their closest relatives, they'll have no choice but to bow down. Besides, these kinds of filial sons are the easiest to control."

His tone softened, becoming seductive: "Aunt Wang, you've done well today. Once this is done, the sect will reward you. We'll give you an extra two taels of silver a month as 'charity money,' ensuring your family will be safe from all bullying in Mudfish Bay."

Aunt Wang was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you so much, Master Zhang! Thank you so much, Master Zhang! Now... what should we do next? That kid caught us today, I'm afraid he's on guard now."

Master Zhang sneered, "Be on guard? How much skill can a newly recruited disciple of a martial arts school possess? You keep a close eye on him. In a couple of days, I'll find another excuse to personally visit the martial arts school. I'll speak directly to Chen Jianghe—offer him ten taels of silver a month, and allow his mother to take a leisurely job in the school. I don't believe he won't be tempted."

He paused, his voice growing colder: "If you still don't know what's good for you... the sect's deacons need a few 'test subjects' these days. The martial arts school disciples are strong and fit, making them the most suitable."

Chen Jianghe took a slow breath in behind the wall, then slowly exhaled.

We can't keep it.

Today, Zhang Mingyuan is clearly targeting me.

At the alley entrance, Zhang Mingyuan was turning to leave when Aunt Wang followed beside him, still chattering away.

Chen Jianghe took a step forward, raised his right hand, and splashed lime powder all over Chen Jianghe's face!

"Who goes there—ah!" Zhang Mingyuan was caught off guard and screamed as he covered his eyes.

Aunt Wang was so frightened that she turned to run away, but Chen Jianghe grabbed the back of her neck with his left hand and slammed her against the wall.

Although Zhang Mingyuan quickly retreated half a step, he was still hit in the corner of his eye by lime powder, which caused him unbearable pain and brought tears to his eyes.

He roared, drew the short blade from his chest, and thrust it forward with all his might, guided by instinct!

But Chen Jianghe was no longer there.

The moment the lime was thrown out, he slid sideways and, like a fish, circled around to Zhang Mingyuan's side.

Starting with the Three-Body Stance, twist your waist and hips, and channel your power from your feet to your fists.

Five Elements Fist - Chopping Fist!

The fist fell like an axe, slamming hard into Zhang Mingyuan's right elbow joint where he was holding the knife.

"Snap!"

The distinct sound of bones cracking was particularly chilling in the night.

Zhang Mingyuan screamed in agony as the short blade slipped from his hand, and his entire right arm drooped limply.

Chen Jianghe continued his punching motion without stopping, and changed his move accordingly—his Bengquan (a type of punch) struck Zhang Mingyuan squarely in the chest.

This punch was powerful and vigorous, with muscles and bones resonating in unison!

Zhang Mingyuan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer; his chest caved in, blood gushed from his mouth, and he fell backward to the ground.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at the masked Chen Jianghe, hissing, "You...you dare touch me? I am a member of the 'Sun Moon Sect'...the Deacon is nearby...if you kill me today, the sect will fight you to the death!"

Chen Jianghe crouched down, looking at the man's face contorted in pain, his voice low and cold through the veil: "What's your leader's name? Where's your headquarters?"

Zhang Mingyuan grinned, blood and foam gushing from his mouth: "Heh...heh heh...you're scared? You dare touch someone from my sect...the Deacon...will definitely find you...wipe out your entire family...my 'Sun Moon Sect' will live on forever!"

Chen Jianghe asked no further questions.

He gripped Zhang Mingyuan's chin with his left hand, and with his right hand, his fingers like a knife, he made a precise cut along the vein on the side of Zhang's throat.

Blood gushed out like a spring.

Zhang Mingyuan convulsed, his throat made a hissing sound, and his eyes gradually became unfocused.

On the other side, Aunt Wang was still covering her eyes, wailing and rolling around.

Chen Jianghe walked over and looked at her face, which was filled with greed and fear, feeling neither sorrow nor joy.

"Aunt Wang," he said calmly, "is my boat really leaking?"

Aunt Wang froze, and her crying stopped abruptly.

She shook her head frantically, her face smeared with lime mixed with tears: "No, no leak! Jiang He... Auntie was bewitched! It was Zhang Mingyuan who forced me! He gave me money to lie to your mother... I, I won't dare to do it again! Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

Chen Jianghe looked at her silently.

After a long silence, he said softly, "My mother trusts you and considers you a neighbor. You're trying to push her into a fire pit for just two taels of silver."

Aunt Wang was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Jiang He! Auntie was wrong! So wrong! Please forgive me, I'll be your slave from now on..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Jianghe swiftly brought down his knife.

It plunged into the back of the neck, severing the tendons and ligaments with precision and efficiency.

Aunt Wang's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Chen Jianghe skillfully searched the two men. In addition to five taels of silver, Zhang Mingyuan also had a wooden plaque with sun and moon patterns engraved on the front and the words "Disciple Zhang Mingyuan" written on the back.

He weighed the coins in his hand, then put them away along with the tokens. Aunt Wang only had four hundred copper coins on her.

He quickly cleaned up the scene. He then used a knife to make several more cuts near the wounds on the necks and chests of the two men, creating the illusion of a brutal slashing attack.

Then he put Zhang Mingyuan's short blade back into his hand, arranging it to look like he had died after a fight.

Chen Jianghe knew very well that Master Zhang's words before his death were not empty threats; the Sun Moon Sect had been targeting the martial arts school's disciples for quite some time.

If we kill Zhang Mingyuan today, there will be Li Mingyuan and Wang Mingyuan tomorrow.

There's no way to avoid it.

The cult member made it clear—if things didn't work out today, they would come directly to the martial arts school and to Chen Jianghe. They would use coercion, bribery, and all sorts of tactics. They would even... threaten him with his mother.

Unless he stays in the martial arts school forever, every step he takes will be fraught with danger.

"Only strength is fundamental."

Chen Jianghe murmured to himself, then turned and disappeared into the night.