Martial Arts Sainthood Begins with the Tiger-Taming Fist

The superiority of one over the other is immediately apparent upon comparison.

Upon seeing this, the Wu family man clicked his tongue in astonishment, while the woman's gloom vanished, and she looked at Chen Mo again, finding him much more agreeable this time.

Luo Heng frowned deeply. Had he lost?

The undeniable facts on the wooden stake left him no room for argument, and he felt as if many eyes around him were watching him with veiled mockery.

The woman smiled. "It seems Chen Mo is superior. Second brother, now you have nothing to say, right?"

The man from the Wu family gave a soft snort and turned his face away.

The woman then turned to Chen Mo, "Young friend Chen Mo, on behalf of the Wu family, I invite you to serve as a caravan guard. The monthly salary is four taels of silver plus four packets of Qi-Boosting Powder. If you achieve any outstanding merits, there will be additional rewards. Are you willing?"

Chen Mo was deep in thought.

At the moment when they were short of money, the seven taels of silver seized from the crocodile temporarily filled the hole, but it wouldn't last long.

Although the position of guard in the Wu family is not as prestigious as that of a retainer, and there seems to be infighting within the Wu family, there is no better place to go for the time being.

It would be better to go to the Wu family for now and wait for an opportunity to change things.

After thinking it over, he nodded. "Okay, I can do it."

Seeing this, the man from the Wu family cupped his hands in greeting to Master Yin, saying, "Master Yin, I'll be taking my leave now."

Without waiting for the woman's reaction, he left, and the Zhao family members also left one after another.

Finally, the woman waved to Chen Mo, "Chen Mo, I have something I want to tell you privately."

The two walked one after the other in the back garden of the martial arts school.

The woman looked around to make sure no one was watching, then said, "Chen Mo, my name is Wu Zhi'ai. I'm about three or four years older than you, so you can call me Sister Ai. You must have some questions, right?"

Chen Mo nodded, not hiding anything, "Why did you specifically ask me? We shouldn't have any connection."

Wu Zhiai shook her head slightly, "It's not that we have no connection at all. To be honest, my situation in the Wu family isn't very good, so I need to have my own allies. And there's another person in the same situation as me, Master Wu from your iron furnace workshop. He recommended you to me."

"Master Wu?"

Looking back, Chen Mo realized that Master Wu was indeed a member of the Wu family, but he had heard earlier that Master Wu did not have much status in the Wu family, so Chen Mo had not paid much attention to it before.

If Master Wu mentioned Chen Mo to Wu Zhi'ai, that would make sense.

"Sister Ai, I want to know who's in the Wu family."

If you are going to take up a temporary post in the Wu family, you must understand them well enough. You should plan ahead in advance about who you will meet, what they will say, and what they will do.

Wu Zhiai explained in detail: "The old patriarch of the Wu family has passed away. Now the Wu family is divided into two factions. One faction consists of the eldest and second eldest sons of the Wu family, who are also my eldest and second eldest brothers. The other faction consists of only me, and at most, Master Wu."

"I am not the biological son of the old patriarch of the Wu family, but I was the one who developed and expanded the Wu family's caravans and most of its wealth. Before he passed away, the old patriarch publicly promised to give me half of the family fortune, but after his death, the eldest and second eldest sons turned their backs on him, which is why I am so at odds with them."

Chen Mo nodded in understanding.

"What is Master Wu's status in the Wu family?"

Wu Zhi'ai replied, "Master Wu is the old patriarch's younger brother, but because he was born out of wedlock, he has no status."

Chen Mo then asked about the duties of the caravan guards.

Wu Zhiai continued, "You will be responsible for escorting the Wu family's caravan. The caravan travels between Anyang County and Heihe Town, and they often encounter bandits. You need to ensure the safety of the goods."

After saying that, she added, "But the most important thing is people's safety. If we encounter a powerful enemy, we must not act rashly, because in addition to ordinary thieves, the Zhao family is also our enemy."

"Furthermore, since you were chosen by me, you're now on my side. The top two leaders might target you, so be prepared."

Chen Mo kept these things in mind.

After a brief silence, the two stepped over the fallen branches in the backyard, their shoes making a crisp, soft "crunch" sound.

Chen Mo pondered to himself, never expecting that although he had a temporary post, he would unintentionally get involved in the Wu family's mess. He decided to just take it one step at a time.

Sometimes, it's easier to catch fish when the water is murky.

At this moment, Wu Zhiai sighed softly, "Born in chaotic times, we must still hold the power of life and death in our own hands. I hope that in the future, we will be able to make decisions in the Wu family. When that time comes, I will not treat you unfairly."

Chen Mo pondered these words carefully. Whether it was Wu Zhi'ai's encouragement or her attempt to win him over, he had at least gained an "ally."

"Oh, right." Wu Zhiai turned around, "The Wu family is having a shipment arriving from the county town tomorrow. You'll be in charge of receiving it."

"it is good."

Chen Mo agreed and then saw Wu Zhi'ai off from the martial arts school.

After Wu Zhiai left, Chen Mo continued to practice his stances and boxing, doing each exercise fifty times.

After finishing his practice, he approached his third senior brother, Ji Chang, and asked, "Senior brother, would you do me the honor of exchanging a few moves with me?"

Ji Chang immediately stood up.

……

The following day at noon.

When Chen Mo arrived at the Wu family's residence, Wu Zhi'ai personally greeted him and led him into the courtyard. She gave him a martial arts uniform, an iron sword, and two packets of Qi-boosting powder, saying, "These two packets of Qi-boosting powder are a prepayment. You can take one packet first, just in case."

Yiqi San has the effect of promoting qi circulation and increasing strength. Chen Mo saw that his fellow students had taken it.

Then, Wu Zhiai instructed, "There are three other guards with you today. Two of them are neutral, but one is on their side. Be careful not to get sabotaged."

Before long, four guards gathered in front of the Wu family's gate. Chen Mo looked up and saw a burly man standing there, holding a steel blade and with piercing eyes.

This person was Li Tu, whom Wu Zhi'ai had mentioned as "one of their people." He was at the mid-stage of the Ming Jin realm. The other person also looked up and their gazes met.

"Young man, you must be a newly recruited guard for the Wu family. In our line of work, the most important thing is to have sharp eyes, quick hands and feet, and not to hold us back. I hope you can do that."

Chen Mo bowed slightly, offering no rebuttal.

The other two had not yet reached the Ming Jin level, and their role in the team was simply to run errands and do odd jobs. Neither of them dared to interrupt.

The four quickly set off, heading north. The journey was relatively easy, and they arrived at a post station south of the county town before sunset, where they met the Wu family's caravan.

After a short rest, the group packed up and set off.

From this moment on, escorting the caravan back to the Wu family at dusk will be the true test of their protective role.

As dusk fell, the clouds hung low and the stars were few; the forest was so quiet that only the sound of footsteps on leaves could be heard.

Li Tu suddenly said, "New brother, this forest is foggy, there might be thieves lying in ambush. I know it better, so I'll lead the way, and you can cover the rear, okay?"

Chen Mo raised his eyes slightly, and he could roughly guess what the other party was thinking.

Even if there are thieves, they are just petty thieves who are not worth mentioning. Li Tu will take them all down in no time, and the credit and reward will be his. This will give Wu Lao Da and Wu Lao Er even more say.

Although he guessed what the other party was thinking, Chen Mo was new to the place and didn't want to object, so he went along with it for the time being.

Seeing Chen Mo nod in agreement, Li Tu's face lit up with pride. "Good, young man, you're a man of your word!"