Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

The Zhou family's backyard, the martial arts training ground.

Zhou Fugan kept his eyes closed, holding a steel knife horizontally in front of his chest.

Suddenly, he moved and slashed out with his sword.

Swish~~ Swish~~~

The blade left an extremely thin silver afterimage in the air, and the sound of it cutting through the air was short and clear, like a silk quilt being torn apart.

Immediately afterward, the blade tip trembled slightly in the air, producing a very faint buzzing sound, before smoothly shifting to another angle for a horizontal slash. The two strikes were incredibly fluid, without the slightest pause.

shhhh~~

The third cut, the fourth cut, the fifth cut...

Zhou Fugan moved quickly across the hard ground, his footwork seemingly casual, yet each step caused the gravel to bounce slightly—the echo of his powerful kick reverberating through the earth.

The flashing blades wove a silver-gray net around him, seemingly impenetrable and capable of strangling any attacker.

If a martial artist skilled in swordsmanship were to witness this scene, they would surely be astonished.

Zhou Fugan's moves were very ordinary, consisting of the most basic sword techniques such as chopping, slashing, thrusting, cutting, and hanging. However, when he executed these basic sword moves, they were smooth and fluid, without any hesitation.

Clang~~

Zhou Fugan unleashed his final slash, the long sword pointing diagonally at the ground and hovering in mid-air, emitting a sharp clanging sound!

A faint mark was left on the ground.

His blade was still half a foot from the ground, and the mark was clearly made by the wind from the blade. The power wasn't great; the wind alone wouldn't be enough to cleave a martial artist's skin. But it was also a testament to his mastery of this basic sword technique.

"very good!"

Zhou Fugan nodded in satisfaction.

After learning the basic swordsmanship from Zhou Sheng, he combined it with the Mountain-Treading Leg Technique, greatly increasing the power of his swordsmanship. This sword wind was actually just one move away from becoming a powerful ultimate technique. Unfortunately, the foundation of his basic swordsmanship was too weak to form a truly powerful ultimate move.

"It's usable now, at least. I'll have the chance to get my hands on more advanced sword techniques in the future."

Zhou Fugan comforted himself.

"Um?"

Suddenly, he listened intently and heard a commotion coming from the Hu residence next door.

He immediately put down the knife, walked to the front door, took a few steps, and then his body collapsed, his skin contracted, and he became an ordinary old man again.

...

"What are you doing? This is my house, get out!"

At the entrance of the Hu residence, Hu Yong, cursing and swearing, was thrown out of the gate by two thugs from the gambling den. Immediately afterward, the two thugs dragged out an old man, who was the old servant.

Then, a thin, middle-aged man walked out of the gate. He was Li Xin, the manager of Hongyun Gambling House.

He tossed a piece of paper in his hand and said with a forced smile, "Young Master Hu, it's written here in black and white that you mortgaged this house to our gambling den for two hundred taels of silver. Now that you can't repay the silver, it's only right that we take the house back. If you dare to cause any more trouble, our gambling den won't take this lying down."

Hearing Li Xin's threat, Hu Yong's face showed a hint of fear, but he still mustered a bit of courage. A flush rose on his pale face, and he shouted, "Two hundred taels of silver is too little. This house should be worth at least four hundred taels. Why don't you wait a few days for me, and I'll sell the house and pay you back with interest?"

"snort!"

Li Xin snorted coldly, ignoring him completely, and directly ordered two thugs, "Get these two bastards out of here. If they dare to cause trouble again, break their legs."

"yes!"

The two thugs then grinned sinisterly and pounced on Hu Yong and his servant, kicking them repeatedly until they cried out for mercy.

In the end, Hu Yong and his servant, covered in wounds, were driven out of the alley.

Zhou Fugan peeked out from the doorway, his face expressionless.

Li Qiuhua scolded Zhou He from the side, "See? The gambler even lost his ancestral home. You absolutely must not gamble."

"I know. Gamblers lose everything." Zhou He nodded.

Zhou Fugan said in a deep voice, "From now on, our Zhou family will establish a family rule: any descendant who dares to gamble will have their legs broken and be confined. Even raising a good-for-nothing is better than raising a gambling addict!"

"Okay!" Zhou Guangcheng trembled and said solemnly.

...

Suddenly, Li Xin turned his head and looked at the group with a gloomy expression.

Clang~~

Zhou Guangcheng was so frightened that he slammed the door shut. Li Qiuhua also trembled and hugged her son Zhou He tightly.

"Who is that person?"

Li Xin looked at the closed courtyard gate and asked in a sinister tone.

One of the thugs quickly replied, "I've heard of it. It seems to be a tailor's family that just moved here from Xingcang Lane. They say his grandson has made a name for himself at a martial arts school, breaking through the skin barrier. He's very famous in that area. Many lowly people are prepared to sell their possessions to send their little ones to the martial arts school."

"Oh? There's also Qian Xuewu? It seems we've been too lenient."

A mocking smile appeared on Li Xin's lips. He then ordered, "Go and find out the details. See if it's true. Find out which martial arts school that brat is in, and then come back and report to me."

"yes!"

The group then locked the gates of the Hu residence and left.

...

"It's truly a case of 'sitting at home and disaster strikes out of the sky.' Could it be that Heaven sees our family's rise to power and is sending us a test?"

Zhou Fugan is now a master of the Bone and Muscle Technique, with extraordinary hearing and eyesight. He heard the conversation between the two clearly from inside the door and was speechless.

However, upon further reflection, he realized it was normal. The Black Snake Gang was known for its domineering ways, and anything that came between them was bound to end badly.

Fortunately, he is no longer a lamb to the slaughter.

"This Li Xin cannot be allowed to live."

A fierce glint flashed in Zhou Fugan's eyes.

When he first investigated Wang Jinzhong, he learned about Li Xin's identity. This man was a real villain, but because he didn't go with Wang Jinzhong to deliver money, he wasn't eliminated.

But he insisted on coming forward to die.

If we don't get rid of him, won't the Zhou family be in turmoil again?

......

The night was deep, the moon was dark, and the wind was strong.

At the Hongyun Gambling House, Li Xin yawned as he walked out the gate and boarded the carriage that was already waiting outside. The coachman, Lao Jiu, flicked the reins, and the carriage slowly drove away.

Li Xin was in a good mood today, having successfully taken advantage of several easy targets. This greatly impressed the deputy gang leader, Tian Wenchang, who promised to recommend him to the gang leader as a hall master once the matter was settled.

"From now on, I'm Master Li!"

Thinking of his wonderful vision, Li Xin couldn't help but beam with joy.

The carriage moved slowly and soon arrived at a house of moderate size. Two servants, having heard the commotion, came out to greet them.

Li Xin alighted from the carriage and walked through the main gate. The coachman drove the carriage into the courtyard through the side gate. Finally, two servants closed the main gate.

Click~~

A crisp sound came from behind.

"What's wrong?"

Li Xin frowned slightly and asked, "Why doesn't this sound like a door closing?"

He turned around and saw two servants having their necks snapped by a dark figure. The man tossed the two corpses to the ground.

Li Xin was instantly terrified. He was, after all, a martial artist who had broken through the skin barrier, yet he hadn't heard a sound at all, and the two people behind him had been killed by this person.

"We cannot defeat them by force!"

He instantly came to a conclusion, immediately retreating while simultaneously opening his mouth to roar for help. Several skilled members of the Black Snake Gang lived nearby; if he could hold out for a moment, rescue would arrive.

However, before he could utter a sound, the figure stomped his foot and rushed towards him like lightning, delivering a punch straight to his chest and abdomen.

Hey~~

Li Xin crossed his arms, trying to stop him.

Click~~

A terrifying force struck, severing his arms and slamming into his chest. Then, a terrifying force exploded internally, shattering his internal organs into pieces.

Splat~~

Li Xin collapsed to the ground like a sack filled with water, lifeless.