A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

11. Gangs

"Brother, you're back!"

Hearing the noise and seeing that it was Chu Xuan returning, Chu He immediately skipped and hopped over to greet him.

Seeing the little girl, Chu Xuan's mood improved considerably.

"Where is Mother?"

"I'm at home. Brother, I went to the market with Mom today. There were so many people at the market, and lots of delicious food..."

The little girl kept talking like a little megaphone.

Zeng Ke also came out and asked Chu Xuan with concern, "How was your martial arts lesson today?"

"It's great. The senior students at the martial arts school are all very friendly and have taught me a lot. The food at the school is also very good; there's plenty of white flour steamed buns, but we can't take them out," Chu Xuan said with a smile. "Mom, I'll eat at the martial arts school from now on, so you and Xiao He don't need to be so frugal with food anymore."

"Brother, I saw Xie Hui today!" Chu He suddenly said, "but he didn't come close, he just stood at the entrance of the alley."

Chu Xuan nodded: "I know. Don't worry, they won't come again."

The next morning, Chu Xuan also experienced the wonder of the Blood Nourishing Soup.

He stood in the stance all day, and his body, which originally felt like it was about to fall apart, felt no pain or fatigue after taking a nap. Instead, he felt full of energy, and even his strength had increased significantly.

In the following period, life finally settled down, and Chu Xuan's life became more regular. Every day, as soon as the others arrived, they would find him already practicing his stances at the martial arts gym. He was also the last to leave in the evenings.

At first, some people gossiped and mocked, but as the days went by, everyone got used to it.

Besides practicing stance training, Chu Xuan would also continue to sell cloth at the dyehouse on his days off to earn money and supplement his diet with meat. Although his food was not as plentiful as Xu Yuan's and others', it was still enough for him.

Four months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Chu Xuan's changes were also quite noticeable. He had grown a full head taller. His muscle definition had become more pronounced, and he looked much more robust.

[Energy Value: 51/100]

【Two Elements Stance: 517/1000】

"Ah Xuan!"

That day, Chu Xuan was practicing standing meditation when a strong young man suddenly ran up to him and said, "Be careful on your way home these days, and it's best not to come home so late anymore."

The boy's name was Zhao Yuzhu, and like Chu Xuan, he was one of the eight boys sponsored by the Bai family.

Now, several months later, the original eight boys have gradually split into three small circles.

One is a small circle of three people led by Xu Yuan.

The other three, with average qualifications, form a small circle.

Zhao Yuzhu's innate talent was at the second-highest level, second only to Xu Yuan among the eight. However, because he and Xu Yuan disliked each other, he got along better with Chu Xuan. Over time, the two became closer.

"What's wrong?" Chu Xuan asked in surprise.

Zhao Yuzhu reminded him, "You probably don't know this, but recently the Three Heroes Gang in the outer city has been fighting the Black Snake Gang for territory, and they've already fought several battles. Both sides have suffered many casualties."

"You live in the outer city, so be careful and don't get caught up in the chaos on your way home."

Zhao Yuzhu lived in the inner city. His father was a blacksmith who often came into contact with gang members. In this respect, Zhao Yuzhu was very well-informed.

The Three Heroes Gang?

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise, "What's the background of the Black Snake Gang? I heard that the leader of the Three Heroes Gang is a martial artist."

Zhao Yuzhu grinned and said, "A newly risen gang, but they're very powerful. The leader of the Black Snake Gang is also a martial artist. I heard that the Three Heroes Gang has suffered considerable losses in these recent conflicts."

Chu Xuan immediately said, "Brother Zhu, please keep an eye on the Three Heroes Gang's activities when you have time."

"Why are you paying attention to the Three Heroes Gang?" Zhao Yuzhu asked in surprise.

Chu Xuan paused for a moment, then said, "I have a friend in the Three Heroes Gang, and I'm worried something might happen to him!"

"No problem, I've got your back. By the way, what's your friend's name?"

"Xie Hui!"

"I vaguely remember hearing about it. Okay, I'll keep an eye out for it for you later," Zhao Yuzhu nodded.

"Thank you!"

"It's nothing, no need to be so polite. We just happen to click!" Zhao Yuzhu chuckled, then glanced in Xu Yuan's direction and said with a smirk, "If it were someone else, even if they begged me, I wouldn't bother with them!"

Chu Xuan glanced in Xu Yuan's direction and chuckled, "Geniuses are bound to be a little arrogant!"

Over the course of time, Chu Xuan finally realized the difference in their physical constitution. Xu Yuan, who had the best physical constitution, not only grew his qi and blood faster than them, but also improved his stance training much faster.

Zhao Yuzhu curled his lip, looking disdainful, and said, "You don't even know if you can break through to the Ming Jin level, yet you act all high and mighty like you're a martial arts master. What are you? You're just a second-grade talent! Acting like nobody else is any different!"

Chu Xuan: "..."

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Zhao Yuzhu scratched his head, then added insult to injury, "I forgot, Ah Xuan, you're not..."

Chu Xuan knew that this guy was a big mouth, but he didn't actually have any bad intentions.

He climbed down from the plum blossom stakes and began packing his things, preparing to leave.

"Hey, Ah Xuan, why are you leaving so early today?" Zhao Yuzhu asked in surprise.

Chu Xuan didn't speak, but continued to himself, "By the way, Xuan, I heard there's a very skilled storyteller in the outer city, his stories are amazing..."

"Recently, many people in the inner city have gone to listen to it. They're all discussing a girl named 'Jinlian' in it, saying she's 'pure and innocent' and things like that."

"I've heard that many girls in brothels have seen their business boom ever since they changed their names to things like 'Sai Jinlian' or 'Xiao Jinlian'."

Chu Xuan: "..."

"Hey, Ah Xuan, why are you leaving? I was planning to ask you to come with me to listen to the storybook." Seeing Chu Xuan change his clothes and prepare to leave, Zhao Yuzhu quickly said.

Chu Xuan quickly changed the subject from the storytelling, saying, "Go check on my friend; I'm worried something might have happened to him!"

"You're a really nice person!" Zhao Yuzhu exclaimed. "Then you should go quickly."

After leaving the martial arts school, Chu Xuan wandered around the outer city and, sure enough, saw the Three Heroes Gang clashing with another gang. The fight broke out shortly afterward.

Chu Xuan also saw one of Xie Hui's lackeys among them, who was slashed to the ground by the person opposite him. His eyes were wide open like dead fish eyes, and he kept spitting out blood and foam. It was clear that he was not going to survive.

He didn't approach, but just watched from a distance, but didn't see Xie Hui. After watching for a while, he turned and left.

Another month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Lu Tong also began to formally teach them Bajiquan!

What is martial arts?

"Martial arts are a killing art! Only for killing enemies, not for performance!"

Lu Tong's voice was icy as his gaze swept over the eight men, including Chu Xuan, lined up in a row. "My Bajiquan style evolved from spear techniques used on the battlefield, and is known for its fierce and domineering nature. It emphasizes striking without leaving any gaps and showing no mercy!"

"Remember this well: the key to standing in Bajiquan—head upright, neck straight, spine taut like a spear!"

As he spoke, he walked up to a huge bluestone more than a person's height and said coldly, "Watch them all carefully!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his entire demeanor changed drastically, as if he had transformed into a ferocious tiger in an instant. He slammed a "fierce tiger climbing the mountain" strike hard onto the bluestone in front of him, creating a howling wind.

With a loud bang, the entire bluestone slab exploded like a bomb, shattering into four pieces. Smoke and dust billowed everywhere!

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone, including Chu Xuan, stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

That bluestone weighed at least several thousand kilograms, and it was shattered by a single punch! It didn't just crack; it exploded into countless tiny fragments, the largest of which was no bigger than a human head!

That's inhuman!

"This one punch is the culmination of forty years of hard work!"

Lu Tong's gaze swept over everyone like lightning, and he said in a stern voice, "From now on, you all need to practice like crazy! If you want to stand out from the crowd and bring honor to your ancestors, you have to master what you're doing!"

"How can you play a leading role if you don't render a layer of oil?"