The Martial Saint rose to power starting as a substitute bridegroom.

Chapter 64 Fist Fight

Qianjiabao.

The Star-Picking Tower, the secret room on the top floor.

A middle-aged man with a profound aura sat upright at his desk, his eyes calm and deep, occasionally flashing with a sharp glint. His brushstrokes were powerful and vigorous, the ink flowing freely, and his sharp intent seemed to leap off the paper.

The word "war".

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Thump, thump, thump, thump-thump.

Three long and two short.

"Go in." The man's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Qian Yunshu, the old steward of the Qian family, pushed open the door and entered, presenting a thin booklet to Qian Feng with both hands. He said respectfully, "Young Master, the results of the martial arts competition in Linjiang City are out."

Although the Qian family lived in a remote corner of Qianjiabao, they never lacked spies and informants in Linjiang City.

"Alright." Qian Feng put down his writing brush, casually took the booklet, and asked, "Uncle Yun, is there anything special about it?"

Qian Yunshu clasped his hands and replied, "Young Master, there's nothing particularly special about it. It's just that Lu Qing, whom you had your eye on, was fatally attacked by the Tianlong Martial Arts School on the arena. His bones and muscles are completely crippled, and I'm afraid his path in martial arts is over, and he will never be able to make any progress in this life."

"He has a fine constitution, but his temperament is so naive—what a pity." Qian Feng's tone was as indifferent as if he were commenting on the strength of today's tea. He casually turned the page. "Anything else?"

"Xiao Yichen's victory this time has cemented his reputation as the number one martial artist below the Transformation Realm. In recent days, the Tianlong Martial Arts Academy has repeatedly challenged and humiliated its peers. It seems he's going to become arrogant for a while," Qian Yunshu said with a hint of worry.

"Tianlong Martial Arts School's ambitions don't stop there," Qian Feng frowned slightly, "but Xiao Yichen is a promising talent—he has extraordinary talent, exceptional courage, and of course, high aspirations."

"However, his father, Xiao Changfeng, has been frequently interacting with the Xie and Cheng families of the Business Alliance lately, and their relationship has become increasingly close," Qian Yunshu sighed softly.

"In that case—it would be just as regrettable." A cold glint flashed in Qian Feng's eyes, then vanished, leaving his gaze calm and collected.

"The rest of them either have owners who are members of the Merchant Alliance, or they have mediocre talent and ability, making further progress difficult."

Before Qian Yunshu could finish speaking, Qian Feng interrupted her: "This fifth-ranked Li Yuan is also a disciple of the Qingniu Martial Arts Society, and his backer is—Liang's Butcher Shop? —That's quite interesting."

For the first time, a smile appeared on Qian Feng's face. "Have you investigated this person's background? What's his origin?"

Qian Yunshu replied, "Young Master, this person can be considered the biggest dark horse of this competition. He comes from a humble background, acts unscrupulously and discreetly, and is usually quiet and unremarkable. Who would have thought that he would make such an amazing move as soon as he made his move?"

"Oh?" Qian Feng's interest grew. "Old ghost Lin from the Green Ox Martial Arts Society has been focusing all his attention on Lu Qing. He must be regretting it now."

Qian Yunshu gave a forced smile, "Young Master, you have seen this person before."

"Oh?"

"Young master, do you still remember the young leader who came to make contact with the patrol battalion on the day they escorted the precious soldiers and armor?"

""

Qian Feng pondered for a moment, then a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "So it was him. I sensed his calm and composed demeanor back then, and now that I think about it, he has such a deep mind, having been hiding his true abilities all along."

Qian Feng's gaze returned to the name "Li Yuan" in the register. "Is there any way to contact this person?"

"Does the young master intend to recruit this person and gamble on him for cultivation? I've only heard that his aptitude is ordinary, even inferior. His success in breaking through the Ming and An Jin levels is truly largely due to luck."

Qian Feng frowned almost imperceptibly.

If it is said that one can break through the barrier of Ming Jin by luck, it is not surprising. Even someone with poor physique can have a 20-30% chance of breaking through if they cultivate their Qi and blood in the right way.

If one were to break through to the Dark Force realm through sheer luck and attain extraordinary fortune, it wouldn't be entirely impossible. After all, among thousands of people, there are always a few lucky ones who are favored by Heaven.

However, if these two are combined, and one has both luckily entered the realm of Ming Jin (manifest strength) and luckily mastered An Jin (hidden strength)—this matter becomes quite strange.

It's almost impossible.

This young man, Li Yuan, must have some tricks up his sleeve.

Qian Feng hesitated for a moment.

However, it is an undeniable fact that Li Yuan was of mediocre talent.

However, achieving the breakthrough and mastery of power is not something that can be accomplished solely through luck or chance.

Without mastering the fundamentals, one will ultimately be unable to fulfill great responsibilities.

Well then, let's just take it one step at a time.

We'll make a plan once he reaches the Transformation Realm.

Qian Feng had made up his mind. He waved his hand and said, "In that case, Uncle Yun doesn't need to bother asking anyone to make contact anymore."

The atmosphere in the Yan family home was as frozen as iron.

.

Inside the hall, seven corpses covered with pale white burlap were lined up on the floor.

The heavy stench of blood, mixed with the damp, fishy smell unique to underground rivers, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

The burlap was lifted, revealing gruesome wounds underneath. The wounds were all inflicted from vital areas such as the back of the neck and the back of the back, ruthless and swift, clearly the result of a deadly attack when the person was exhausted and defenseless.

Where the clothes were torn, one could still see the leather armor and animal-catching tools that had not been removed.

Liang Yanshi, the true behind-the-scenes leader of the Yan family, stood at the forefront in plain clothes.

Her gaze swept over the now silent faces, the surging anger and sorrow in her throat were swallowed back, and she managed to squeeze out only three words through clenched teeth: "Who did it?"

Zhang Wei, the head butler beside him, his face drained of color, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he hissed, "It's the Cloud Piercing Hand from the Tianlong Martial Arts School," and the standard swordsmanship of the Cheng family guards—there's no mistake. Our men just came out of the Ghost Cry Ravine, exhausted, and then—"

The words were unspoken, but the meaning was clear.

The Qian, Song, Xie, and Cheng families are the four major families of Linjiang City, listed in no particular order.

The Cheng family's strength far surpasses that of the small Yan family.

The hall was deathly silent, except for the barely suppressed trembling of a few young men.

"The Cheng family—" Madam Liang Yan slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again, her eyes now bloodshot. "They're not leaving my Yan family any way out."

That hidden waterway allows one to delve deep into underground rivers and capture rare and exotic beasts. Although it is fraught with danger, it is the foundation of the family.

The Cheng family has been coveting this place for a long time, and has been making constant underhanded moves in the past. Now, they have brazenly colluded with the Tianlong Martial Arts School to carry out this plan to wipe out the entire family!

"The Cheng family sent someone with a message at noon." Zhang Wei's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against the ears, each word grating on everyone's ears. "Those few glass fish that the hunting team risked their lives to bring out" are in their hands. If they want to go back, they have to follow the old rules: a "fist fight" to decide the winner. If we win, the fish are returned, and we go our separate ways; if we lose—"

The glass fish is a treasure fish, which greatly assists martial artists in their training, and its effects are no less than those of the silver-horned antelope.

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, and with great difficulty uttered the last part of the sentence: "If we lose, we—must relinquish our livelihood in the Ghost Cry Ravine waterway and underground river, and never set foot there again."

boom-

The words were like a thunderclap, shaking one's ears and making one's heart tremble.

Giving up the waterway is tantamount to severing one's own lifeline and handing over one's ancestral property to others. How will the Yan family survive in the future?

"They want to drain the last drop of blood from the Yan family, then crush their bones!" Madam Liang's chest heaved violently as she slammed her hand on the coffee table beside her, shattering the hardwood corner. A desperate, all-or-nothing blaze burned in her eyes. "There's no retreat, only a fight to the death! This punch must land!"

She knew better than anyone that if she showed even the slightest fear today, the Cheng family's knife would be at the throats of every member of the Yan family tomorrow.

Zhang Wei's face showed even deeper sorrow.

In this attack, nearly half of the Yan family's best fighters were injured, and the rest were all wounded, their spirits and morale completely broken.

Since the Cheng family and Tianlong Martial Arts School dared to set up this scheme, they must have had strong backers in place.

It was Xiao Yichen, who ranked first in the martial arts examination.

The Yan family is far inferior.

He did try to seek help.

The families that used to be on friendly terms with each other now either avoid meeting or make excuses.

The saying "when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; when a tree falls, everything falls apart" is vividly illustrated here.

No one wanted to offend the Cheng family in order to offer help.

The Cheng family's move was premeditated and extremely vicious; they clearly intended to uproot and devour the Yan family's lifeline.

"Sigh!" Zhang Wei sighed deeply, his back seeming to hunch even more.

He lowered his voice, with the last glimmer of hope, "Perhaps—we can only ask Chen Qing to give it a try."

Chen Qing, a promising talent nurtured by the Yan family with all their might, possesses exceptional talent and a resilient character.

Several months ago, this person attempted to break through the internal energy barrier but failed, and a strand of his meridian was severed.

The Yan family spared no expense, using their family's treasured medicines and the essence of exotic beasts to help him reconnect his meridians.

Although the external wounds have healed, no one knows how much the internal organs have actually recovered.

Whenever asked, Chen Qing would remain silent or only vaguely say "It's alright".

Upon hearing this, Madam Liang's shoulders slumped slightly, and the fierce aura that had supported her seemed to dissipate somewhat.

She stared at the pale white shroud in the hall, the last glimmer of light in her eyes finally extinguished, leaving only bottomless weariness and desolation.

"—That's it. Things have come to this, and this is the only way."

The next morning, the dew had not yet dried.

With a brisk pace and bloodshot eyes, Liang Bai stormed into the Morning Star Martial Arts School in the west of the city.

He found Chen Qing in the training ground in the backyard.

Chen Qing had just finished a set of punches, his blood was surging, and his whole body was steaming with white sweat.

He casually grabbed the coarse cloth from his shoulder and slowly wiped the sweat from his neck and chest, his breathing even and long.

Seeing Liang Bai approaching in a flustered manner, he paused slightly, a perfectly timed look of surprise appearing on his face: "Brother Liang? What brings you here? You look so pale, what happened?"

Liang Bai disregarded formalities and paid no attention to Chen's ruddy complexion, cutting to the chase with a hoarse voice: "Guest Elder Chen, the Yan family has suffered a terrible calamity! The Cheng family, in conjunction with the Tianlong Martial Arts School, ambushed our beast-hunting team at the waterway exit, killing seven skilled fighters and stealing three 'glass fish'! Now—they're forcing us to settle this with a fistfight! The one they've sent is Xiao Yichen, a retainer of the Cheng family."

"Xiao Yichen?!"

Chen Qing's action of wiping away sweat suddenly froze, and his eyelids twitched violently.

He then sighed heavily, his brows furrowed, and his right hand unconsciously pressed against the area below his left chest, the same spot where he had been injured before.

"Brother Liang, you know this," he said, his voice heavy with sorrow and helplessness, "The last serious injury damaged my meridians, and my heart and lungs have been aching ever since. My master also said that I need to rest and recuperate, and that I should absolutely avoid any intense fighting."

He raised his eyes, his gaze "earnest" yet "dim" as he looked at Liang Bai. "Xiao Yichen is the top of the martial arts examination, an unparalleled genius. He is probably only half a step away from the realm of inner strength. Even if I—even if I risk my old injuries and risk my life to participate, I'm afraid—it would be a futile death, and I would only bring further humiliation to the Yan family."

He spoke at a measured pace, with sound reasoning and genuine emotion, as if he had rehearsed it a thousand times in his mind.

As Liang Bai listened, his heart felt as if it had been plunged into an icy river in the twelfth lunar month, sinking all the way to the bottom, with a chill creeping up his spine and spreading throughout his body.

He stared intently at Chen Qing, at his rosy complexion, his calm demeanor, and the steady lines of his arms as he wiped away sweat—there was not a trace of unhealed old wounds or weak breath.

The Yan family used all their resources to sell their property to obtain this precious medicine, and the master mother personally guarded and brewed the essence of the exotic beast. Could it be that this is how she developed such a "complexion"?

And all you get in return is this well-prepared, watertight excuse?

Disappointment, like a dull knife chilled to ice, slowly tore at Liang Bai's heart.

What's colder than disappointment is the sudden chill that rises in your heart.

It was a chilling feeling of being utterly betrayed and discarded like trash.

His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but he found his throat was choked up, and all his words seemed pale and powerless.

In the end, he only looked at Chen Qing deeply, his gaze devoid of any warmth, leaving only a desolate silence.

"—I understand." Liang Bai's voice was dry, like wind blowing across sand. "I've disturbed Master Chen's practice."

After saying that, he didn't look at Chen Qing again and turned to leave.

His back was straight, yet it exuded a desolate air, as if he were running out of energy.

Chen Qing stood there, holding a slightly cool handkerchief, watching Liang Bai's figure quickly disappear outside the courtyard gate. The heavy and regretful expression on her face slowly faded, eventually turning into an indifferent look that revealed no emotion.

He raised the handkerchief again and slowly wiped his forehead.

"Xiao Yichen is not so easy to deal with."

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