Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

Knock knock knock~~

There was a knock on the Zhou family's door, and Zhou Sheng came to the sound and opened the door.

A sturdy man stood outside the door, followed by two men who looked fierce and menacing.

The man sized Zhou Fugan up and down, grinned, and asked, "Are you Zhou Sheng, the martial arts master? I am Guo Hu, the leader of the Black Tiger Hall of the Five Tigers Gang, and I have come to pay my respects."

"So it's Master Guo, my apologies for not recognizing you. I am Zhou Sheng. May I ask what business Master Guo has with me?"

Zhou Sheng clasped his hands in a fist salute and asked calmly.

He had already heard of the Five Tigers Gang. It was a new gang that quickly rose to prominence in this area after the Black Snake Gang was destroyed.

"Haha, it's nothing much. Just paying a visit to Master Zhou. Since our Five Tigers Gang will be taking over this area from now on, we can look out for each other and avoid any misunderstandings. Also, I've decided that the Zhou family's protection fees will be waived from now on," Guo Hu said with a laugh.

"Then thank you, Master Guo," Zhou Sheng said calmly, but he was somewhat wary in his heart.

Families with martial artists are exempt from protection fees; this is an unspoken rule in Qingshan County, and it has always been so. Why does he need to make the decision? Guo Hu's words have a hidden meaning.

"Haha, now that I've met Master Zhou, I'll take my leave."

Guo Huqian chuckled, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave.

...

Zhou Sheng returned to the backyard and told his grandfather about it.

Zhou Fugan didn't take it too seriously, assuming it was just a routine visit from the Five Tigers Gang out of respect for Zhou Sheng's status.

He continued to teach Zhou Shengchui the Yunzhen Mountain Stake.

"In the Hammer Cloud Stance, this kick is done so lightly. Now you must change it to a heavy stomp, using a technique that generates shockwave force. See..."

Zhou Fugan taught him step by step, and Zhou Shengxue learned diligently and quickly.

Before long, he learned this trick.

Boom~~

The ground trembled slightly when I stepped on it.

puff~~

Zhou Sheng was jolted, and a breath he couldn't hold back burst out.

"Grandpa, what's going on?" he asked, his face filled with fear.

That stomp he just made did generate some shockwave, but he felt that force penetrate deep into his chest and abdomen, causing excruciating internal pain and churning blood. If he had used any more force, he probably would have coughed up blood.

"It was my oversight."

Zhou Fugan immediately noticed something amiss.

The technique he created was for tempering his own internal organs, thus introducing excessive vibrational force into them. Zhou Sheng, however, only had a superficial barrier and had not mastered Tai Chi power, so he could not transform the vibrational force into soft force. His internal organs could not withstand this vibration, which led to the turbulence of his qi and blood.

"Do it this way, remove this step of guiding the force. Just complete the preceding moves."

Zhou Fugan immediately modified Zhou Sheng's training, removing the techniques for guiding the force to the internal organs and allowing the vibrational force to be transmitted between the muscles and bones, so as not to put a burden on the internal organs.

Zhou Sheng followed the instructions and quickly adapted. Sure enough, he no longer felt the internal organ tremors.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Sheng finally finished learning all the new stances. When he practiced, every move he made was very heavy. Waves of vibration traveled along his muscles and bones, vibrating back and forth, constantly tempering and strengthening his muscles and bones.

"Grandpa, this new stance training method is amazing! I feel my cultivation speed has greatly increased! If this continues, I'm confident I can break through the bone and tendon barrier within a year."

After completing his practice, Zhou Sheng exclaimed with immense joy.

Previously, he wouldn't have had any hope, let alone within a year, or even three or five years. The Hammer Cloud Stance Technique was too inefficient.

"That's natural."

Zhou Fugan's face showed a hint of smugness, then he reminded him, "However, you must also practice Tai Chi diligently. After you break through the muscle and bone barrier, you will need to learn internal cultivation methods, which requires mastering Tai Chi power first. Otherwise, your internal organs will not be able to withstand the impact of the shockwave."

"I understand, Grandpa." Zhou Sheng nodded vigorously.

......

"father!"

At this moment, Zhou Guangcheng walked in from outside, looking somewhat dejected.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Fugan asked casually.

"The brokers still won't budge. I offered them six hundred taels, just as you said, but they still won't agree," Zhou Guangcheng said angrily.

"Oh? They didn't say why they wouldn't sell?" Zhou Fugan frowned and asked again.

"They said someone else made a reservation and they have to keep their word. Bah! A bunch of swindlers keeping their word? I think they're just deliberately making things difficult for us," Zhou Guangcheng cursed.

Zhou Fugan sensed something was amiss, so he said, "Don't worry about this for now. Focus on your shop."

Unexpectedly, Zhou Guangcheng said with a mournful face, "Father, the shop has fallen through too. Everything was settled, a deposit was paid, and we were just about to go to the yamen to transfer the ownership. But for some reason, the owner went back on his word. He'd rather return double the deposit than sell the shop."

"Is that so?"

Zhou Fugan became even more certain of his guess.

If this happens once, it's an accident; if it happens twice, then someone is interfering.

"The Five Tigers Gang!"

A name popped into Zhou Fugan's mind: Guo Hu, the leader of the Five Tigers Gang, had visited him half a month ago.

At the time, he thought it was just a routine gesture of goodwill, but now it seemed like a test. His subsequent setbacks in buying the Hu family ancestral home and the tailor shop were a clear indication that the other party was demonstrating their power against him, or rather, against Zhou Sheng. They were telling him that a mere skin-mesh martial artist was nothing in the eyes of the Five Tigers Gang.

"Alright! Guangcheng, let's wait and see about this." Zhou Fugan said after thinking for a moment.

"Okay!" Zhou Guangcheng left with a bitter face.

"Grandpa, could this be the work of that Guo Hu?"

Zhou Sheng said in a deep voice.

Zhou Fugan replied, "It must be him. After the Black Snake Gang was destroyed, the deed to the Hu family's old house fell into the hands of the Five Tigers Gang, and the brokers there also took orders from the Five Tigers Gang."

"He's showing off to you. Go and deal with it, and try to find out what his intentions are."

He was prepared to give Guo Hu a chance. After all, the martial world wasn't just about fighting and killing; it was about human relationships and social interactions. If he killed Guo Hu, there would be Wang Hu and Zhang Hu to come; he could never kill them all.

Zhou Sheng nodded. "Okay! I'll ask Guo Hu about it tomorrow."

......

The next day, at the entrance of the Black Tiger Hall.

"Oh, Master Zhou, I'm sorry, I can't be of much help with this. I apologize. After all, we in the gang have to follow the rules. We can't force someone if they don't want to."

Guo Hu greeted Zhou Sheng with a smile.

"Thank you for your trouble, Master Guo. Farewell!"

Zhou Sheng calmly cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and left.

"Big brother, isn't it bad to offend him like this? After all, he's also a martial artist who has broken through to the next level," one of the underlings asked with some concern.

"Hmph! I'll deal with this broken-through martial artist. He's just a peasant. Perfect for establishing our authority. Once we've got this kid under control, will any other peasants dare to cause trouble?"

Guo Hu sneered. He was a veteran martial artist specializing in musculoskeletal techniques; why would he be afraid of a newbie?

"What about Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School? If we mess with this kid, the school probably won't let it go."

"Haha, we don't need to worry about the martial arts school. Someone will handle things for us," Guo Hu laughed.

......

When Zhou Sheng returned home, he told Zhou Fugan about the results of his search for Guo Hu.

After saying that, he frowned and said, "Grandpa, I think Guo Hu is targeting me. It's likely that our family will face obstacles if we want to do any business in the area in the future."

"Indeed."

Zhou Fugan nodded.

He went to ask the old neighbors. This Five Tigers Gang was even more ruthless than the Black Snake Gang back then. Not only were their protection fees much higher than the Black Snake Gang's, but they also did all sorts of evil deeds. They had recently opened a brothel, and if they saw a family with a beautiful young woman, they would lure or even force people to lend them money at exorbitant interest rates. If the money couldn't be repaid, they would kidnap the young woman from the family.

Such egregious behavior naturally provoked a backlash from the people.

Zhou Fugan deduced that Guo Hu was probably planning to use Zhou Sheng to establish his authority and intimidate the neighbors.

There was just one thing he couldn't understand: Zhou Sheng was an entry-level disciple of the martial arts school, so wasn't the other party afraid of Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School?

However, unable to figure it out, Zhou Fugan stopped thinking about it.

Now, Guo Hu, who dares to obstruct the rise of the Zhou family, is courting death.

"Grandpa, what do we do now? Should I go and kill him?"

A fierce glint flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes as he spoke.

"You're too impulsive. Remember, peace brings wealth, not constant fighting. Besides, Guo Hu is definitely a martial artist at the Skin Membrane Gate level. Can you guarantee you can beat him?"

"You don't need to worry about this. Just go about your business. This Guo Hu has committed many evil deeds. We'll just wait and see; someone will probably take care of him."

Zhou Fugan waved his hand and lectured him.

"Alright then."

Zhou Sheng reluctantly went to cultivate, thinking, "I'm still too weak; I can't even handle a petty thief like this."

Zhou Fugan looked up at the sky, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Guo Hu, Guo Hu, I gave you a chance but you couldn't seize it!"