From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

"Coward."

Zhu Hong shook his head at the erratic horse racing.

He was, after all, the son of the deputy leader of a low-class power, but he was neither as good as the rich nor as bad as the poor. "Living is shameful, but dying would be peaceful." He just stood there, and only after the horse had run seven or eight steps did he lift his toes.

"Buzz".

A long sword sprang up, transforming into a streak of black light, and shot out swiftly.

"??"

As the coin was rolling, I suddenly felt a chill down my spine.

He looked down and saw that half a sword tip was stuck in his chest, blood dripping down the blade. He shuddered in fear and tried to turn around to shout something, but his neck wouldn't obey him.

thump.

He lay face down on the ground, twitched twice, and then stopped moving.

"From now on, things will be quiet."

Zhu Hong withdrew his gaze and walked towards Yuan Lie.

The body of the martial arts master lay on the ground, his head rolled to one side, far from his body. He bent down and placed his palm on the corpse.

[Taken by: Yuan Lie (Master of the Flesh Refining Realm)]

Acquired: Three Gu Qi and Blood.

Zhu Hong slowly stood up, feeling his blood and qi surging like a tide, his whole body brimming with inexhaustible strength. He clenched his fist and shook it, his joints cracking softly. The erector spinae muscles, the most difficult to train in the core of his torso, were now fully trained, adding more than thirty pounds to his strength.

Including the original strength of three stones, he now possesses a powerful physical strength of three stones and thirty-five jin.

"Not bad."

Zhu Hong opened his eyes and smiled faintly.

After fighting for half a day, he didn't feel tired at all; on the contrary, he became more and more energetic with each battle. He couldn't help but mutter, a hint of smugness in his voice: "Damn it, I'm afraid there's no one else but me who can do this."

But it happened in the blink of an eye.

The completion of the Body Refinement Realm is just around the corner.

The most challenging muscle groups, the core of the torso, have been thoroughly trained, leaving only a few peripheral muscle groups in the upper and lower limbs.

When his flesh is as tough as steel and his strength can penetrate tendons, with his superior talent of "unyielding iron bones", I wonder if he will be able to fight across borders and contend with martial arts apprentices.

He was unsure of himself.

It's not difficult to advance beyond a minor realm, but it's difficult to compete in a major realm.

The so-called pride of heaven.

This is the basis for the judgment.

"have to.

Thinking too much is no substitute for trying it out.

Zhu Hong chuckled and composed himself. In any case, based on his estimation, the unfamiliar hall master was most likely a martial arts apprentice. He would find out soon enough with a test.

"Now, it's time to get down to business."

His gaze was cold as he glanced sideways at a corner of the wall.

There's still someone lying there.

Sai's mother.

She had already fainted from fright at some point, curled up there as if dead. Zhu Hong slowly approached, squatted down, and slapped her across the face.

"Snapped!"

It was incredibly crisp, with a lingering aftertaste.

Sai's mother let out a soft "woof" and woke up.

When she opened her eyes, she saw corpses strewn all over the boat, and her face immediately turned deathly pale, like a wilted eggplant. She wanted to scream.

Little did he know that he had only uttered half of his words.

A blood-stained, cold blade was already pressed against his neck.

"Don't shout."

Zhu Hong glared at him coldly.

The mother's cry was forced back down her throat, her body trembling uncontrollably. She dared not move an inch, her eyes darting around in terror.

"Next,

I ask a question, you answer it.

Zhu Hong raised his eyes and glared coldly, the blade pressing closer to her neck. "If you answer incorrectly, I'll have your head severed from your body. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh."

Mother Sai nodded hastily, fearing that the blade, if used even slightly, would take her life.

"That actress Bai Xiuying."

Zhu Hong recalled Yuan Lie's dying words, "The Jiang and Chi clans will not let me go," and asked, "Is her death related to Jiang Jingtang and Chi Shoutan?" He still remembered that the two had introduced themselves on the pleasure boat.

Yes, yes.

Madam Sai nodded vigorously, "Those two are honored guests of the pleasure boat, and this humble woman would never dare to disobey them..."

"What are their positions within the Jiang family?"

"I'm someone sent out from the clan," she replied in a trembling voice. "I'm of average talent, but I rely on my parents' influence to manage some clan businesses."

Zhu Hong frowned:

"Not a direct descendant?"

"Definitely not a direct descendant!" Mother Sai shook her head vigorously.

Zhu Hong nodded slightly, then his mind raced and he remembered another matter: Bai Xiuying's body was being pulled in the same cart as Young Master Liu, so there must be some connection between them.

"What is the connection between Young Master Liu and Bai Xiuying?"

Upon hearing this, Sai's mother's expression changed drastically.

"speak!"

Seeing her shifty expression, Zhu Hong knew there was more to the story. He slightly lowered his wrist, and the blade pressed closer to her neck, its chilling edge piercing her bones.

"Lord Zhu, spare my life!"

Mother Sai was so frightened that she almost jumped out of her skin and hurriedly said in a trembling voice, "Then, then Young Master Liu and Bai Xiuying are lovers in private."

Zhu Hongwei was taken aback.

lover?

"You dare to lie to me!"

Zhu Hong feigned anger, saying, "How could they be lovers?"

“Every word is true,” Sai’s mother said, her crotch wet. She trembled as she said, “They were a couple in their early years, but because the Liu family had strict rules and a pure family tradition, the young master Liu dared not redeem her, so he had no choice but to keep Bai Xiuying on the pleasure boat.”

Seeing that she looked flustered and that it didn't seem like she was faking it, Zhu Hong frowned slightly.

wrong.

If Bai Xiuying is truly Young Master Liu's woman, let alone the pleasure boat daring to touch her, even if Jiang Jingtang and Chi Shoutan wanted to take advantage of the situation to bully her and force Bai Xiuying to submit, they wouldn't be qualified given their status.

unless……

"After that day," Zhu Hong's gaze was like a knife, piercing her eyes, "besides the two of them, was Jiang Feng present?"

"Feng, Young Master Feng?"

Mother Sai's pupils suddenly contracted, and all color drained from her face. "No, absolutely not!" She shook her head desperately, her voice trembling. "Who is Young Master Feng? Why would he come to this pleasure boat? He wouldn't..."

Seeing her like this, Zhu Hong understood perfectly.

"You really won't tell?"

He bent down, grabbed her collar, and lifted her up.

"No, really no." But no matter how Zhu Hong threatened her, Sai's mother kept repeating this one sentence.

"As expected of the dominant force in Jinyang."

Zhu Hong stared at her for a long time, and then he understood what was going on.

Asking further will be futile.

The reputation of the direct descendant is indeed extraordinary. Just by not seeing him, he frightens people so much that they would rather die than utter a word.

"When will your leader arrive?"

He thought for a moment and then changed the subject.

When Sai's mother heard that he didn't ask any more questions about Jiang Feng, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, it should be soon."

"Okay then."

Zhu Hong nodded. "Now that you've delivered the message, go and make your way." As he finished speaking, he thrust the knife forward.

Before Mother Sai could react, she collapsed limply into a pool of blood. Her eyes were wide open; it was unclear whether she died with them open in death or simply because she died too quickly to close them.

After killing people.

Zhu Hong sheathed his sword and stood up.

As far as the eye could see, there was devastation, corpses lying strewn about, and the stench of blood permeating the air—it looked like a slaughterhouse. This place, once a vibrant hub of entertainment and laughter, was now a thing of the past, leaving only a pile of dead bodies.

"A quagmire."

It's rotten, but actually cleaner than before.

He smiled slightly, moved to a large table, and sat down.

There was half a pot of wine left on the table, probably left by the guest who rushed in and fled in a panic.

The wine has gone cold.

Zhu Hong picked up the wine pot and drank it down in sips.

"Martial Arts Apprentice..."

Looking out at the unfathomable darkness of the night, Zhu Hong murmured to himself, "I hope I don't disappoint anyone."