Starting with photographic memory, I've worked my way up to become a martial arts immortal.

Last year, Liu San bought a house in the inner city and brought his elderly father and younger brother in. He also bought two maids to serve him. Those days were the most triumphant time of his life.

He lay in the rocking chair, the chair swaying slightly. His brows were furrowed, and he felt a tightness in his chest these past few days, as if something was about to happen.

And then there's the Poison Scorpion Gang. They've been suppressed by the Black Tiger Gang all along, and it looks like their territory is about to expand even further. But then they somehow found some experts who have driven the Black Tiger Gang into a rout, making things difficult for him in the gang lately.

"These bastards, I'll kill you all sooner or later."

Liu San hardened his heart. He had recently lost many capable helpers, but fortunately, the gang leader had sent a master to follow him, which helped him avoid several assassination attempts.

"Meow!"

His hand trembled, leaving a few strands of white hair between his fingers, and two wounds appeared on the back of his hand, from which blood seeped out.

A snow-white kitten landed at his feet, its back arched, its bared teeth hissing threateningly, and its amber pupils narrowed into thin vertical lines as it stared intently at him.

"Damn it, they're all ungrateful beasts!"

Liu San was furious. He grabbed the teacup next to him and smashed it on the ground.

"San'er, why are you so angry?"

The door was pushed open, and an elderly man with gray hair and a shaky gait walked in.

"Father, why did you come here instead of resting in your room? You could have just had the maid call me if you needed anything."

Liu San stood up from the recliner and hurriedly went to help the old man up. "Why isn't Xiao Cui, who serves you, with you? I'll beat her to a pulp!"

"She went to brew medicine for me. I came here by myself, so please don't blame her." Father Liu shook his head and looked at his son with his cloudy eyes. "Fourth brother hasn't come back for five or six days, has he? I was worried about him, so I came to ask you."

A smile appeared on Liu San's face. "Dad, he went out of town on business and will be back soon. Let me help you back to your room first."

The Liu family lived in the countryside in their early years. When Liu San was a child, his mother was beaten to death in a dispute with someone over water in the fields. His father raised them all.

He originally had four brothers. The eldest brother was conscripted and never returned, the second brother went missing, and in the end only he and his younger brother remained. They had a very good relationship.

Liu San suffered a lot of hardship from a young age. Later, when the fields suffered from drought, he had no choice but to go to the city to make a living. By chance, he joined a gang and climbed up to his current position step by step.

After sending his father back to the house, Liu San lay back down in the chair, increasingly restless.

My younger brother usually plays outside for a few days after finishing his business, but he shouldn't stay away for this long.

He reached for the teacup but found nothing, so he simply got up, changed his clothes, and hurriedly left the inner city.

Soon, he arrived at a stronghold of the Black Tiger Gang located in Anrenfang.

Within the Black Tiger Gang, there were four managers like him. They were not responsible for force; their main job was to extort money from the people.

The area he managed consisted of three wards: Anren, Pingkang, and Lefu, which was considered a large area among his peers.

However, the Black Tiger Gang has recently lost a lot of territory in its struggles with its rivals. He heard rumors that the higher-ups have decided to dismiss one of the managers, which makes him feel increasingly anxious, fearing that he will lose his current position.

"Third Master, you called me?" Hou An bowed and walked in.

Liu San quietly sized up his newly promoted subordinate. His former right-hand man, Yan Zheng, had been accidentally injured and died on the street during an assassination attempt against him.

Hou An looked like a skinny monkey. He wasn't as capable as Yan Zheng, but he was obedient and easy to manage.

"I have something to ask you about." Liu San put his arm around his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Take some men and look for my brother in the city yourself, but remember not to make a fuss."

Hou An was full of surprise. This Liu Si was not a member of the Black Tiger Gang and rarely showed his face, but Hou An had seen him before.

"But what happened to Fourth Master?" Hou An asked cautiously.

Anger flashed in Liu San's eyes. "If you fart again, I'll slap you!"

"Yes, yes, look at my foul mouth. Fourth Master is a blessed man, he will be fine. I'll do it myself."

Hou An took two steps back in fear and started slapping himself in the face, making a loud "slap slap" sound.

"Alright," Liu San waved his hand. "Has anything happened?"

Hou An rubbed his already swollen cheeks, walked over, picked up the teapot, poured Liu San a cup of tea, and said, "It's the same as always. Today, some officials came again, asking us to assist in investigating the missing persons cases in the city. Third Master, I heard that things haven't been peaceful in the city lately, and quite a few people have gone missing."

"Support them if you need to. That magistrate's term is almost up. Is he trying to stir up some trouble again?" Liu San stroked his beard. "Go down. Remember what I told you."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." Hou An bowed and left.

Liu San remained alone in the hall, pacing back and forth restlessly for a few moments before slowly sitting down.

"Alas, we must not disturb that sir unless absolutely necessary."

······

Summer has passed and autumn has arrived.

The outer courtyard of Baihe Martial Arts School.

Jiang Yuan stood on the edge of the wooden stake, his knees slightly bent, his body like a crane perched on a branch. Sweat poured out, rolling down his dark, shiny skin and shimmering in the sunlight.

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, a loud bang, like a firecracker, came from the courtyard, which was quite loud amidst the shouts and cheers of everyone practicing their skills.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment, then became noisy.

Congratulations, Junior Brother Yu!

"Congratulations to Senior Brother Yu Heng on breaking through to the Ming Jin level!"

"Brother Yu, don't forget your little brother when you become successful!"

Yu Heng let out a breath, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing. We're all fellow disciples who practiced martial arts in the same courtyard. I won't forget this friendship."

These eloquent words made the atmosphere in the courtyard even more lively.

Unlike the other disciples who rushed forward to congratulate him, Jiang Yuan remained standing on the stake, his posture unchanged, as if he had not been affected at all.

His behavior stood out from the crowd, attracting the attention of many people.

Yu Heng looked around at the disciples with a pleasant mood. He had never received such attention before, and his hidden vanity instantly burst forth.

His eyes turned cold when he saw Jiang Yuan on the wooden stake not far away. "A kid who struggles even to get started with the Crane Stance Kung Fu, pretending to be so diligent every day, who is he trying to impress!"

One of his close disciples noticed something amiss and said, "Senior Brother Yu, don't bother with this kind of person."

"Exactly, don't let him spoil your fun."

A new disciple asked curiously, "Does Senior Brother Yu have a conflict with him?"

Before Yu Heng could speak, the disciple who had spoken first said, "Hey, you don't understand. When that kid first came, Senior Brother Yu wanted to tease him, but he took it seriously and embarrassed Senior Brother Yu. Afterwards, he apologized to him, but he didn't expect that kid to hold a grudge and has been giving Senior Brother Yu a sour look ever since."

"So that's how it is." The new disciple suddenly realized, and his gaze towards Jiang Yuan, along with that of the others, held a hint of disdain.

Many of the senior disciples who knew the inside story wore knowing expressions but remained silent.

Yu Heng is already a Ming Jin martial arts master, why offend him now for the sake of a disciple with ordinary aptitude?

Yu Heng patted the disciple who had spoken with satisfaction, thinking to himself that he was truly a promising talent; even he himself wouldn't have said such a thing.

"Zuo Qi, it's my treat tonight, you absolutely have to come!"

Zuo Qi was overjoyed and cupped his hands, saying, "How could I dare not accept the invitation from Senior Brother Yu?"

"I'm going too!"

"Count me in!"

Yu Heng laughed heartily, "Alright, let's all go! We won't leave until we're drunk tonight!"

Just then, a discordant voice rang out, and Liang Shen walked over, clenching his fists. "How can you say that about Junior Brother Liang? That's clearly not the truth!"

Zuo Qi squinted and scolded, "Liang Shen, everyone agrees on this, why are you jumping out and acting all high and mighty?"

"But……"

Yu Heng, his face grim, pushed Zuo Qi aside and said coldly, "Liang Shen, do you want to duel with me?"

According to the rules of the White Crane Martial Arts School, if disciples have irreconcilable conflicts and both parties agree, they can duel under Wei Xuan's supervision. The only restriction is that no one can be killed.

Liang Shen's clenched fists trembled, and he was caught in a dilemma.

"Senior Brother Liang!"

A clear voice rang out.

Everyone looked up and saw Jiang Yuan slightly bend his knees and suddenly push off the wooden stake.

"Buzz..."

The wooden stake, deeply buried in the ground, trembled and made a dull thud as he kicked it.

He soared through the air like a crane, lightly touching the ground with his toes just before landing, somersaulting more than ten feet away, and landing steadily in front of Liang Shen, all with a graceful and elegant air.

Jiang Yuan raised his right arm and shielded Liang Shen behind him.

"Only petty men and women are difficult to deal with, Brother Liang, you don't need to bother with him."