Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

"Brother Chen! Is Brother Chen there?!"

Panic-stricken shouts shattered the silence of the courtyard.

Chen Jianghe looked up and saw Zhou Yong stumble and rush into the yard.

His left arm was still wrapped in blood-stained cloth, his face was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"Brother Zhou?" Chen Jianghe quickly stepped forward to support him. "What happened?"

"The escort agency...something's happened at the escort agency!" Zhou Yong grabbed Chen Jianghe's arm. "Zhao Mingyuan...that son of a bitch Zhao Mingyuan led his men to surround the escort agency! He's demanding the Su family hand over all their assets to pay off their debts!"

Chen Jianghe's pupils contracted: "When did this happen?"

"Right now!" Zhou Yong gasped for breath. "Second Master suffered a stroke the other day and collapsed on the spot. He hasn't woken up yet. The young master has been running around these past few days, begging and pleading, going to every bank he could borrow from and every old friend he could ask. But in this world... it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow."

He paused, his voice even lower: "A few days ago at the entrance of Zuichunlou, that ungrateful bastard Zhao Mingyuan called our young master a 'homeless dog' in front of all the guests..."

"Young Master has sold off a lot of things in the house these past few days, and my sister-in-law even pawned her dowry jewelry. They've scraped together a little over two hundred taels of gold." Zhou Yong wiped his face, his eyes filled with dejection.

Chen Jianghe remained silent for a moment, then suddenly turned and went into the house.

Zhou Yong was taken aback: "Brother Chen, you..."

"Wait a moment."

Zhou Yong was stunned for a moment. After he went into the house, he came out again a moment later, carrying a coarse cloth bundle.

He went to the hidden compartment under the bed and took out three oilcloth wrappings.

The first package contained a two-hundred-tael gold note; the second package contained several dozen taels of silver; and the third package contained the "Phantom Step" manual.

Zhou Yong followed him to the door and saw Chen Jianghe stuff all these things into his arms. He was stunned for a moment and asked, "Brother Chen, what are you doing...?"

"Let's go." Chen Jianghe tightened his belt and tucked the butcher knife into his waistband. "To the escort agency."

"But the young master said..."

Chen Jianghe interrupted him, a cold glint in his eyes: "I've listened to what you said, senior brother. But as your junior brother, I can't just stand by and watch you be bullied."

He paused, then looked at Zhou Yong: "Brother Zhou, are you still able to walk?"

Zhou Yong gritted his teeth and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Yes!"

"Then let's go."

The two of them rushed toward the Su Family Escort Agency, one after the other.

......

The atmosphere outside the Su Family Escort Agency was tense, as if swords were about to clash.

Two large black doors were wide open, and the courtyard was packed with thirty or forty people, divided into two groups.

One group consisted of about twenty bodyguards and escorts from the Su family. Each of them carried a knife and a stick, forming a semi-circle to protect the steps in front of the main hall. However, they all looked fearful, and many of them were injured and weak.

The other group consisted of only a dozen or so people, but they were imposing.

The three leaders stood side by side.

On the left is Li Tian, ​​with a pointed face and thin lips, arms crossed, and an undisguised mocking smile on his lips.

On the right stood an eighteen-year-old boy, dressed in brocade robes and a jade belt, with a cold and stern face—it was Chen Wanglong. He surveyed the Su family members with indifferent eyes.

The man in the center, dressed in a black robe with a long sword at his waist, had a cold and hard face; it was Zhao Mingyuan.

Behind him stood seven or eight martial artists in tight-fitting clothes, each with a steady aura and at least at the Ming Jin level. They were clearly the Zhao family's carefully trained bodyguards.

Su Derong stood alone on the steps.

Today he was wearing a moon-white silk robe, his hair was neatly combed, and he was still waving the folding fan in his hand, but the frequency of waving was a little faster than usual.

"Instructor Zhao," Su Derong began, his voice neither loud nor soft, "paying back debts is a matter of course. The Su Family Escort Agency is facing difficulties, but it hasn't reached the point where we have to sell our ancestral property. Give me three months to repay the four hundred taels of gold in debt, with interest.

Li Tian scoffed, "March? Junior Brother Su, don't you know what state the escort agency is in these days? Five more people were lost on a delivery mission a few days ago, and we can't even pay their compensation. Take my advice, Second Senior Brother, and hand over this mess as soon as possible; at least you can save some face."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Su family glared angrily.

Wang Gui grunted and was about to rush forward when Zhao Tieshan held him back tightly.

"Li Tian," Su Derong's smile faded slightly, "it's none of your business to interfere in the affairs of my Su family."

"An outsider?" Li Tian laughed heartily. "The money your Su family owes is owed to the Third Master of a collateral branch of my Zhao family! The IOU, in black and white, with his fingerprint on it, is right here!"

He pulled a promissory note from his pocket, unfolded it, and waved it at the crowd: "It's in black and white, stamped with the official seal of the Su Family Escort Agency, and bearing the personal signature of Second Master Su Jingming! A loan of four hundred taels of gold, with a monthly interest rate of three percent. If the loan is not repaid on time, all assets of the escort agency will be used to settle the debt!"

Su Derong's hand tightened slightly within his sleeve, but a smile remained on his face: "Yes, the IOU is genuine. But it was agreed that in case of unforeseen circumstances, the extension could be three months. Now that the Su family is in trouble, according to the rules..."

"Rules?" Zhao Mingyuan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

The moment the two words were spoken, the courtyard fell silent.

Those cold eyes looked at Su Derong and slowly said, "Su Derong, the rules of the martial world are for those with strength. What strength does your Su family still have now?"

Zhao Mingyuan took a step forward, his boots clicking on the blue bricks: "I'm not here today to talk about rules. I'm here to collect debts."

He raised his hand and pointed to the indigo flag planted in front of the screen wall in the courtyard: "Take down the flag. The house, warehouse, and carriages will be used to settle the debt. If that's still not enough—"

His gaze fell on the mutton-fat jade pendant at Su Derong's waist: "These odds and ends you have on you can be used to offset this cost. Maybe it will make it a round number."

Su Derong took a deep breath, pulled a bulging brocade pouch from his robes, and tossed it to Zhao Mingyuan: "Here are two hundred and twenty taels of gold! The remaining one hundred and eighty taels, within three months..."

Zhao Mingyuan reached out and took the brocade bag, weighed it in his hand, and casually handed it to the attendant behind him.

The attendant immediately untied the bag and carefully counted the taels in the sunlight. After a moment, he looked up and said, "Instructor Zhao, it is indeed two hundred and twenty taels."

Zhao Mingyuan nodded and looked at Su Derong: "We still need 180 taels."

"I said, three months..."

"Before noon today," Zhao Mingyuan interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The IOU clearly states: if the debt is not repaid on time, it will be settled with assets. Young Master Su, you should recognize those words, right?"

Su Derong's face turned ashen.

At the bottom of the steps, some members of the Su family were already sobbing softly—they were the families of several old porters, who had also been summoned today and watched helplessly as their livelihoods were driven to the brink of ruin.

Seeing this, Li Tian laughed even more heartily: "Junior Brother Su, why put on such a show? Hand over the escort agency, and your Su family might have a way out. If this really escalates to the authorities, it won't be a good look."

Chen Wanglong suddenly spoke up, his voice cold: "Instructor Zhao, time is precious."

Zhao Mingyuan nodded and waved behind him: "Go inside and take inventory of the assets. If there is any obstruction..."

He glanced at the Su family members: "Treat them as trespassers, dead or alive."

"yes!"

Seven or eight guards from the Zhao family responded in unison and stepped forward.

The Su family's bodyguards gripped their knives and clubs tightly, but none of them dared to actually make a move—their opponent was the Zhao family, one of the five great families of the inner city. If they really attacked, not only would they be doomed, but the entire Su family would also be doomed.

Su Derong stood on the steps, watching the guards approach step by step, seeing the despair in his family's eyes, and looking at the escort agency that his grandfather had founded, his father had painstakingly managed, and where he had grown up...

The fan slowly drooped down.

He closed his eyes.

At that very moment—

"etc."

A calm voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

Chen Jianghe stepped into the courtyard, with Zhou Yong following behind him. Zhou Yong's face was still pale, but he stood up straight.