A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

The night was as dark as ink, deep in Chenpi Alley.

Outside an ordinary house, two men dressed in black shorts stood listlessly, occasionally whispering to each other.

In the courtyard, a burly man dressed as a butcher squatted on the ground, his head in his hands, his broad shoulders heaving violently, and suppressed sobs leaking from between his fingers.

From the inner room, the creaking of the bed under its own weight and the woman's soft sobs could be heard intermittently.

After an unknown amount of time, the door was pushed open with a creak.

Gao Qiang straightened his clothes with satisfaction and walked out of the house.

He glanced at the distraught Butcher Hu in the courtyard and spat.

"Your wife is alright. I'll forgive your gambling debts from before."

Butcher Hu froze, then abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and endless humiliation, but he gritted his teeth and dared not utter a single word.

Gao Qiang thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of having people trampled under his feet.

He recalled that many years ago, before he had made his fortune, he supported his younger brother, Goldman Sachs, by selling steamed buns.

At that time, Goldman Sachs had just joined the martial arts school and had an astonishing appetite. In order to nourish his younger brother, he gritted his teeth and went to Butcher Hu's place to buy meat.

But this butcher always shortchanged him, taking advantage of his honesty to bully him wantonly.

The anger that was suppressed back then will now be repaid tenfold.

The thrill of revenge made him feel great, but he still had a worry on his mind.

Zhou Ting.

The image of that woman could never be erased from his mind.

For some reason, he particularly wanted to prove his current status and power in front of the woman who had once protected him.

"Oh shit."

The thought of Zhou Yuan interfering made Gao Qiang feel a surge of anger.

However, I've only just entered the skin refining stage.

In a few days, after my younger brother Gao Sheng finishes spending time with the eldest son of the Wei family, he will be free to make sure that kid suffers a fate worse than death!

By then, wouldn't Zhou Ting be at his mercy?

He left Chenpi Lane satisfied, accompanied by two henchmen.

A night breeze blew by, and Gao Qiang felt a chill on his body after he had just vented his emotions.

He has always been cautious in his actions. The Jinshi Gang has expanded too quickly recently and has made many enemies in the outer city, so we still need to be careful at night.

The three took a shortcut and turned into a dark alleyway that was rarely visited by people.

The alley was narrow and long, and the walls on both sides blocked the moonlight, making it seem particularly deep and secluded.

Just as they reached the middle of the alley, a dark figure stood silently in the shadows ahead, seemingly blending into the darkness.

Gao Qiang's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively stopped in his tracks.

"Who?" he shouted sharply.

The dark figure did not answer, but slowly emerged from the shadows.

In the dim light, a young and indifferent face was revealed.

It's Zhou Yuan!

Gao Qiang's pupils contracted sharply, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

What is he doing here?!

Didn't they already shake hands and make peace during the day?!

Before Gao Qiang could think it through, Zhou Yuan had already made his move.

Not a single word wasted.

He stomped his foot and shot forward like an arrow, instantly reaching the front.

The second level of the Mountain-Shaking Fist unleashed its fierce power without reservation!

The fist whistled through the air, accompanied by a sharp sound as it tore through the air.

"court death!"

One of Gao Qiang's henchmen grinned maliciously, drew a short knife from his waist, and charged forward.

However, just as he raised his knife halfway, Zhou Yuan's fist struck first, slamming heavily into his chest.

Click!

The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible.

The thug's sinister smile froze instantly. His body was like a battering ram, sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the wall. When he slid down, he was already lifeless.

One punch and he's dead!

Gao Qiang and his other henchman were terrified.

Is this the strength of someone who has just entered the Skin Refining Realm?

"Attack together!"

Gao Qiang roared, drew his ghost-headed saber, and attacked Zhou Yuan from the left and right with the remaining followers.

Zhou Yuan sidestepped Gao Qiang's slash and drew the gleaming woodcutter's knife from his waist.

A flash of light!

Another henchman clutched his neck, his eyes wide with disbelief. Blood gushed from between his fingers. He struggled for a moment, then collapsed to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, only Gao Qiang remained.

He panicked completely.

Zhou Yuan's strength completely exceeded his expectations! His decisiveness and ruthlessness were unlike that of a novice martial arts disciple!

"Zhou Yuan! Don't you dare do anything rash!" Gao Qiang roared, his voice trembling with fear. "My brother is Gao Sheng! A core disciple of the Black Tiger Martial Arts School! He's at the Bone Forging Realm! If you dare touch me, he will absolutely not let you off!"

Zhou Yuan ignored him, holding a wood-chopping knife, and approached step by step.

Fresh blood was slowly dripping down the blade of the machete.

Tick.

Tick.

The sound echoed like a death knell in the deathly silent alley.

Gao Qiang was scared, really scared.

He brandished his ghost-head knife, retreating while roaring, "I admit defeat! I'll give you the money! I'll give you all my money! Zhou Ting... I've given up on her! I'll never do it again!"

However, he was met with an even more swift attack from Zhou Yuan.

The machete and the cleaver clashed in mid-air, producing a piercing, crisp sound.

Gao Qiang felt a tremendous force coming from the hilt of the knife, and his tiger's mouth was instantly cracked, causing the ghost head knife to fly out of his hand.

The next moment, Zhou Yuan's fist was already imprinted on his lower abdomen.

"puff!"

Gao Qiang spat out a mouthful of blood and foam, curling up like a shrimp.

He collapsed to the ground, struggling to lift his head, looking down at Zhou Yuan who was towering over him, his eyes filled with fear and pleading.

Zhou Yuan didn't give him any chance.

Hand up, knife down.

The alleyway fell completely silent.

Zhou Yuan stood between the three corpses, breathing heavily; the fierce battle had made his heart pound.

He suppressed the murderous intent and discomfort surging in his heart and quickly began to grope Gao Qiang's body.

Soon, he pulled out a heavy money bag, opened it, and found fifty taels of silver notes inside.

In addition, there was a small porcelain bottle.

Upon opening the bottle, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out.

He poured them out and saw that they were more than a dozen pills the size of pigeon eggs, with a smooth and round appearance.

Body Tempering Pill!

Gao Qiang himself had not yet broken through to the Skin Refining stage, so these pills were definitely prepared for his younger brother who was at the Bone Forging stage.

Now, it's all going to benefit me.

Zhou Yuan was overjoyed; this gain far exceeded his expectations.

But he was not blinded by joy.

He picked up a machete and hacked wildly at the faces, hands, and feet of the three men until they were unrecognizable.

After doing all this, he checked it again to make sure there were no traces left that revealed the style of the Mountain Shaking Fist before turning around and disappearing at the other end of the alley.

He circled the outer city several times, changing direction several times, and only after confirming that no one was following him did he quietly return to the Mud Lane.

He climbed over the wall into the courtyard, put the machete back in its place, and washed the blood off his hands and body.

After finishing everything, he returned to his cabin, lay on his bed, and tried to calm his still turbulent emotions.

From Wang Laizi to Gao Qiang.

The series of killings caused his mentality to undergo a complete and imperceptible change.

This world allows no mercy or soft-heartedness.

……

The next morning.

Zhou Yuan got up as usual, practiced his boxing, and then had breakfast with his sister.

Zhou Ting's mood visibly improved; the sorrow in her eyes faded considerably, and she even hummed a tuneless little tune.

With the crisis over and hope returning, she became vibrant again, vaguely regaining some of the former elegance of the Zhou family's young lady.

"Yuanzi, eat more meat. You're a martial artist now, you need to nourish your body." She picked up a large mouthful of minced meat and put it into Zhou Yuan's bowl.

Zhou Yuan ate his meal quietly, as if nothing had happened the night before.

Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

dong dong dong.

Zhou Yuan paused slightly in the hand holding the chopsticks.

Who could it be so early in the morning?

A sense of unease flashed through his mind. Had what happened last night been exposed?

No, I've kept my hands and feet clean and haven't left any clues.

He remained expressionless and got up to open the door.

Outside the gate stood several constables dressed in official robes.

......