A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

The Chen family?

Zhou Yuan was indeed somewhat surprised to hear this.

In his view, although the Chen family's blacksmith shop was not one of the five major families in the inner city, it had a powerful background and its business spread throughout Luochuan County, making it no ordinary force.

Although he had broken through to the Skin Refining Realm, such martial artists were not difficult for a force of the size of the Chen family to recruit.

Moreover, it took him three and a half months to break through, so in the eyes of outsiders, his talent was only considered below average.

"Fifth Senior Brother is joking." Zhou Yuan cupped his hands in greeting. "My meager skills are hardly worthy of the Chen family's attention."

Chen Shaoshang shook his head, his expression serious: "Junior brother, you are mistaken. I have seen many so-called geniuses in the martial arts school, but most of them are restless and impatient. There are very few who can be as single-minded and tenacious as you, junior brother. How far one can go on the path of martial arts is never determined by how fast one starts, but by one's heart."

He tapped his chest with his folding fan.

"When I, Chen Shaoshang, make friends, I only look at the person, not their talent. As for my father, junior brother, you don't need to worry. I'll just go and say a word."

Chen Shaoshang has already said so much, if Zhou Yuan were to refuse again, it would seem like he doesn't know what's good for him.

Moreover, joining the Chen family is the best option for him at present.

Although Gao Qiang is dead, his younger brother Gao Sheng, who was at the Bone Forging Realm, is a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

With the Chen family as a powerful family, there is at least one more layer of protection.

"Since Fifth Senior Brother values ​​it so much, it would be impolite of me to refuse." Zhou Yuan accepted without further hesitation.

......

at the same time.

The outer city was originally the headquarters of the Jinshi Gang.

The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive. A dozen or so key members of the gang stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Seated in the main seat was a thin young man dressed in the uniform of a core disciple of the Black Tiger Martial Arts School.

He bore a resemblance to Gao Qiang, but his demeanor was a hundred times more sinister. He was Gao Qiang's younger brother, Gao Sheng.

The ground in front of him was littered with broken porcelain, clearly a result of his recent outburst of anger.

"Dead? My older brother is dead?"

Goldman Sachs' voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling, sinister quality that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Reporting to the Second Master," a steward began tremblingly, "the gang leader... was found dead in a dark alley last night, and his two brothers who were with him also..."

"Where's the body?"

"His face was completely mangled, his hands and feet were hacked to pieces, and he was unrecognizable. The authorities have already treated him as an unidentified corpse."

Goldman Sachs closed his eyes.

He had been accompanying Wei Rong, the eldest son of the Wei family, to handle important matters in the inner city for the past few days. Today, he finally had some free time and wanted to go home to see his brother whom he hadn't seen for a long time, but he received such terrible news.

He and Gao Qiang lost both their parents at a young age. His older brother raised him by selling pancakes from dawn till dusk, saving every penny to send him to the martial arts school.

Now he has made a name for himself and become a Bone Forging Realm martial artist. He was about to give his brother a good life, but he is gone.

A violent killing intent suddenly erupted from his body.

"Investigate!" Goldman Sachs' eyes snapped open, bloodshot. "Who has my brother recently made a grudge against? Investigate everyone who has offended him, one by one!"

The steward looked troubled: "Second Master, the gang has expanded too quickly recently, and the gang leader has offended quite a few people. Moreover, they are all small fry from the outer city. It would be quite difficult to investigate them one by one."

"Then let's check them one by one!"

Goldman Sachs slammed his hand on the armrest, and the sturdy ironwood armrest shattered instantly.

"Search three feet into the ground, find the murderer! I'll tear him to pieces and grind his bones to dust!"

"Yes! Yes!"

The entire gang fell silent, trembling with fear, and hurriedly agreed.

......

As evening approached, Zhou Yuan finished his martial arts practice and walked out of the Qingyang Martial Arts School, only to find Li Hu leaning against the stone lion at the entrance, waiting for him.

"Yuanzi!"

Upon seeing him, Li Hu immediately dropped the grass root he was holding in his mouth and strode over.

"We were just looking for you! Erbao took the day off today and booked a table at Ruyi Restaurant. They're just waiting for you!"

Seeing Li Hu's enthusiasm, and also wanting to see how his two childhood friends were doing, Zhou Yuan followed him to Ruyi Tower.

Ruyilou was one of the top restaurants in the outer city, and the three of them found a window seat to sit down.

After a few months apart, Zhao Erbao had changed even more than Li Hu.

He wore a clean, fine cotton long gown, the roughness that had been worn down by the rough work at the docks had vanished without a trace, replaced by the elegance of a scholar.

Zhao Erbao was also surprised to see Zhou Yuan.

The Zhou Yuan before them was tall and upright, with a calm and composed demeanor. He was no longer the timid boy who used to follow behind them.

"Yuanzi, you've changed so much!" Zhao Erbao exclaimed. "I heard you've already become a Skin Refining Realm martial artist, that's truly remarkable!"

The three sat down, and the food and drinks were served quickly.

Li Hu filled his glass, downed it in one gulp, and said nonchalantly, "I'm now a Red Pole in the Black Tiger Gang, commanding over a dozen brothers. Our leader said that if I can conquer just one more alley, he'll promote me to branch leader!"

He lowered his voice slightly, with a hint of excitement.

"I heard that Gao Qiang from the Jinshi Gang died a violent death in the street a couple of days ago. Now the gang is leaderless and in complete chaos, which is the perfect opportunity for us to make our move!"

Upon hearing the name "Gao Qiang," Zhou Yuan's hand holding the wine glass didn't pause; his eyes flickered almost imperceptibly before returning to calm.

"What about you, Erbao?" Li Hu asked again.

Zhao Erbao smiled modestly: "I'm not bad either. The manager sees that I'm efficient, so he's already put me in charge of a counter on my own. Maybe I can even become the second manager someday."

After speaking, he looked at Zhou Yuan, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity.

"Back in the day, the three of us were carrying heavy loads at the docks. Who would have thought we'd be where we are today? But compared to you, a proper martial artist, my and Li Hu's achievements are nothing."

There was envy in his words, but also a hint of barely perceptible bitterness.

These three former partners, who started from the same point, have now embarked on completely different paths, and the gap between them is widening at a visible speed.

This sense of imbalance created a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Li Hu laughed heartily, breaking the silence: "Why say such things! We're all brothers! Come on, let's drink!"

The three raised their glasses and clinked them together.

"If I become rich and powerful, let us not forget each other!"

After a glass of wine, the discomfort vanished.

Just then, Zhao Erbao glanced out the window and suddenly exclaimed, "Eh!"

"Isn't that... Song Fang and Zhang Hao from Black Tiger Martial Arts School?"

......