Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

"What's going on? Zhou Mingrui is going to lose?!"

The wind direction below the ring changed rapidly. As soon as Zhou Mingrui was seen to be at a disadvantage, people started shouting.

The disciples of the Hong Family Martial Arts School, in particular, never expected that their senior brother would be forced to such a point.

On the stage, Zhou Mingrui finally withdrew from Chu Hong's attack range.

He adjusted his rhythm again, shifted his body, and unleashed both Bagua Palm and Bengshan Fist, with endless variations.

But Chu Hong remained completely calm, mobilizing his strength with a perfect balance of softness and hardness, operating with ease.

Bang bang bang!

The two exchanged dozens of blows, each punch landing with tremendous force, the explosive power resounding throughout the arena.

One moment Chu Hong was forced to retreat, the next Zhou Mingrui staggered away.

They advanced and retreated, going back and forth.

The force exploded repeatedly.

Every move they made was aimed at the other's fatal spot.

Every collision was extremely dangerous.

The audience below had long forgotten to breathe, their hearts pounding as they followed the fight above.

After another hundreds of fierce exchanges, neither of them could gain the upper hand.

boom!

After another collision, the two men each took several steps back, barely managing to regain their balance.

Chu Hong's chest heaved, his whole body ached, his blood and qi surged, and he was extremely exhausted.

Zhou Mingrui was in no better shape, panting heavily, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his face grave.

Facing a formidable foe, both men had reached their limits, yet their eyes still burned with fierce fighting spirit.

"Again!"

Chu Hong moved his feet, and Zhou Mingrui also struggled to stay close behind.

"stop!"

The county magistrate suddenly jumped into the middle of the field and stopped Chu Hong and Zhou Mingrui.

"Stop fighting! The martial arts exam is coming up soon, save your energy for that."

He could tell that the two were in poor condition and guessed that if they continued fighting, something bad would definitely happen.

Furthermore, martial arts are very important to his performance this year, and he wants to keep the two of them so they can shine in martial arts.

Therefore, he absolutely cannot allow the two of them to suffer injuries or deaths before the martial arts exam.

Zhou Mingrui tried to move again, but the magistrate pressed down on him, immobilizing him completely.

Seeing this, Chu Hong also put aside his thoughts and took two steps back.

To be honest, he didn't enjoy the fight very much, but since the county magistrate intervened, he couldn't continue fighting and could only wait for the martial arts competition to resume.

The magistrate's gaze swept over the two major escort agencies, Dawei and Tianshui, and he slowly spoke:

"Whether this match ends in a draw or not, you two should not let this cause any further conflict."

As he spoke, he coldly stared in the direction of the Tianshui Escort Agency.

"Zhang Dawei, do you have any objections?!"

Zhang Dawei was unwilling to accept this; he could sense that Chu Hong's condition was even worse.

If Zhou Mingrui could just hold on a little longer, he would definitely be able to defeat Chu Hong.

They even crippled Chu Hong.

But the appearance of the county magistrate was beyond his expectations.

Given the current situation, even if he had his own ideas, he could only succumb to the magistrate's authority: "I have no objection, a draw is acceptable."

Before the magistrate could ask, Shi Potian cupped his hands and said, "I have no objection either."

Although the incident resulted in the loss of many bodyguards to the Tianshui Escort Agency, it also enhanced the reputation of the Dawei Escort Agency once again.

In the past month, the number of martial artists seeking positions at the Dawei Escort Agency has increased significantly, making the agency even more prosperous than before.

And now it's a draw, their own lines are intact, and Chu Hong is safe and unharmed.

What more could he possibly want?

The intense battle ended abruptly, leaving the onlookers, both martial artists and civilians, wanting more.

Every punch landed hard, every move was ruthless, and it was exhilarating, but then it was interrupted halfway through.

This feeling of being stopped is truly distressing and regrettable.

Despite the discomfort, everyone's opinion of Chu Hong rose to a new level.

Having only been practicing the Dark Force technique for two months, his strength was already comparable to that of a powerful expert like Zhou Mingrui.

Give him another month, and I wonder how much stronger he'll become.

Everyone immediately realized that the landscape of this year's martial arts exam was about to be rewritten.

For a time, martial artists who had previously felt they had a chance to achieve fame and success practiced even harder.

The direct consequence of this conflict was that a large number of medicinal herbs and pills from Baiyaoge were sold off, making them very wealthy.

-----------------

Meanwhile, Chu Hong had already returned to the escort agency with Shi Potian and the others.

At this time, Dawei Escort Agency was completely transformed, and its popularity was at its peak, even several times stronger than before.

Chu Hong was also very happy.

His actions at least ensured that Shi Yi's efforts were not in vain.

Suddenly, Chu Hong saw a familiar figure walking towards him.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the person was Huang Cheng.

"When did Bodyguard Huang arrive?!"

Chu Hong was somewhat curious.

He hadn't heard Huang Cheng say he'd be there immediately, and thought it would take a few more days.

At this moment, Huang Cheng was clean and tidy, and full of energy, no longer the disheveled and smelly man he had been before.

He bowed deeply to Chu Hong at a ninety-degree angle and said gratefully:

"I must thank Brother Chu. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to escape this sea of ​​suffering."

Shi Potian explained from the side, "Yesterday, Huang, the bodyguard, sent word that Zhang Dawei and his men wanted to force Huang to sign a contract."

"When I saw this, I knew it was serious, so I took some men to Master Huang's house and resolved the matter."

Huang Cheng expressed his gratitude once again:

"Thanks to Chief Shi's strenuous efforts to protect me, otherwise I'm afraid I would have been in serious trouble."

"Moreover, to take care of me, Chief Shi even got me a small courtyard outside the escort agency, so I don't have to live outside the city anymore."

When Huang Cheng said this, his gratitude rose to another level.

He is a person who values ​​gratitude very much.

He had already made up his mind that as long as Dawei Escort Agency did not let him down, he would work for Dawei Escort Agency for the rest of his life.

Chu Hong was filled with emotion; Huang Cheng's life had finally improved completely.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chu Hong and his group went to the inner room.

Shi Potian told Chu Hong that the current glory of the escort agency was entirely due to Chu Hong.

In the future, a portion of the escort agency's profits will also be sent to Chu Hong to help him improve his martial arts skills.

Chu Hong had no intention of taking it and quickly declined, saying, "No, I don't want it!"

But Shi Potian pressed down on Chu Hong's hand and solemnly said:

"Young Chu, I can see that your future will not be limited to Yunxi County; you are destined to go out into the world."

"But going out into the world without money is impossible."

"You're currently at the Dark Force stage, and the supplies from the county government might still be enough. But once you reach the Transformation Force stage, or even higher, those supplies won't be sufficient."

"Although the profits from our Dawei Escort Agency are not much, they can still ease your burden."

He told Chu Hong that the higher the level of martial arts training, the more valuable the resources become, and there might even be a situation where there is a price but no market for them.

If Chu Hong can earn more now, he won't be in dire straits later.

That's not a lie.

Chu Hong has gradually come to understand this feeling along the way.

Before Ming Jin, he only spent a little over ten taels of silver to fill his Qi and blood reserves.

But now, he has spent hundreds of taels of silver on himself, yet his body is still like a bottomless pit.

To accumulate qi and blood to its peak, one doesn't know how much money it would cost.

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" illustrates this principle.

Thinking of this, Chu Hong stopped making excuses and said:

"Senior Shi, then I will accept the offer without hesitation, but let's discuss the share further."

"The operation of the escort agency requires a lot of money. What if I take too much and it affects the agency?"

"What's there to discuss? It's settled then!" Shi Potian waved his hand magnanimously.

-----------------

He emerged from the security escort agency reeking of alcohol; it was already late at night.

But Chu Hong changed direction and headed towards the Hundred Medicines Pavilion.

During the celebration at the escort agency, the woman in green had already sent someone to invite Chu Hong to come over.

"I don't know what private matter it is, but they insisted on having me do it."

Chu Hong shook his head, full of confusion.

"Senior Brother Chu! Senior Brother Chu!"

I hadn't gone far when a slightly familiar call came from the alley next door.