Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

Zhou Sheng strode confidently home, his steps light as the wind, his heart pounding with excitement.

Although he was calm and composed, he was still a passionate young man, and the thought of going on a delivery mission with Senior Brother Liu in a few days filled him with excitement.

"Um?"

As he walked into the middle of a relatively secluded alley, a man with a black cloth covering his face suddenly came out from a house next door and blocked his way.

The man's eyes were cold and filled with murderous intent. Without saying a word, he charged towards him.

Who are you?

Zhou Sheng was taken aback and shouted a question, while hurriedly adopting the stance of Hammer Cloud Fist to defend himself. Although he pretended to be calm, his fist techniques were clumsy and disorganized, clearly showing that he was a novice.

A hint of contempt flashed in the masked man's eyes, and he suddenly threw a punch at Zhou Sheng's chest.

Zhou Sheng quickly raised his right hand to block, while simultaneously tucking his left hand to his waist, waiting for an opportunity. If he could only deflect the man's fist, his left hand could then strike his opponent's weak point.

However, despite his good intentions, his reaction was a beat too slow in his panic, and his blocking power was also somewhat weaker.

*Smack*

The two fists met, and Zhou Sheng blocked the opponent's fist, but not completely. This caused the opponent's fist, which was originally aimed at his chest, to point slightly upwards, and the punch landed squarely on the side of Zhou Sheng's face.

Boom~~

"Ah~~"

Zhou Sheng felt as if his face had been hit by a heavy hammer. His vision went black, and he was sent flying, crashing to the ground unconscious.

"waste!"

The masked man spat and turned to leave.

He ripped off his mask and walked through the streets and alleys until he finally arrived at the headquarters of the Black Snake Gang's Green Scale Hall.

"Master, I tested that kid..." The man then recounted Zhou Sheng's performance with disdain.

After hearing this, Gao Fei nodded. "In that case, that kid is just a fool and wouldn't be the murderer who killed Zhang Hu and the others. Alright, let's drop this matter for now."

Then he instructed, "Gather your men and get ready. I've already reported the matter of the caravan, and the higher-ups have approved it. We'll make our move when they leave the city. This time, our Green Scale Hall must be clean and efficient; we can't afford to lose face within the gang."

"Don't worry, Master!"

...

When Zhou Sheng regained consciousness, the entire alley was deserted.

Am I dead?

He was dazed for a moment before he realized what had happened. He had been attacked and killed in one move. Although the person hadn't killed him, Zhou Sheng felt humiliated.

He angrily slammed his fist on the ground, then stood up and staggered toward his home.

...

"Sheng'er, what's wrong with you?"

As soon as Zhou Sheng returned home, Zhou Fugan saw the injuries on his face and was shocked. He quickly went over to check on him. He only breathed a sigh of relief after discovering that only half of Zhou Sheng's face was swollen like a pig's head and there were no other injuries.

"What happened?"

"I was attacked halfway there."

Zhou Sheng did not hide anything; instead, he recounted the whole story in detail.

In his heart, although his grandfather did not know martial arts, he was the backbone of the family, all-powerful, and able to solve problems that he could not solve.

He brought it up because he wanted to get advice from his grandfather, worried that the person might threaten his family in the future.

"Seriously, such a thing happened!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Fugan's face turned angry, and he had some suspicions in his mind, but he did not tell Zhou Sheng. Instead, he continued to ask questions.

"Was there anything special about that person?"

"No. He was wearing a mask, only his eyes were showing. If I see him again, I'll definitely recognize his eyes," Zhou Sheng said, shaking his head with hatred in his eyes.

"Have you offended anyone at the martial arts school?"

"No. Apart from training with Senior Brother Liu at the martial arts school, I'm not very familiar with anyone else and have never offended anyone," Zhou Sheng shook his head.

Zhou Fugan pondered for a moment and said, "That person's origins are unknown. Although he didn't kill you this time, we still have to be careful. Doesn't the martial arts school offer accommodation? Go back now and stay at the school for the next period of time. I'll have your second uncle go and bring your mother over."

"good!"

Zhou Sheng thought for a moment, then decisively agreed and turned to leave. But Zhou Fugan grabbed him.

"Take this money and buy more tonics."

Zhou Fugan reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and stuffed it into his hand; it was cold and hard.

Zhou Sheng looked down and saw that it was a few pieces of silver, weighing more than two taels.

"Grandpa, I can't take it. I'm saving it for my younger brother to practice martial arts."

He was taken aback and quickly declined.

"Take it. Your grandpa has connections to get jobs in the inner city. Those important people there are very generous. Hurry up and go." Zhou Fugan stopped him and urged.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

With tears in his eyes, Zhou Sheng resolutely turned and left.

Zhou Fugan quickly called Zhou Guangcheng over, briefly explained the situation, and then asked him to go and fetch his eldest daughter-in-law.

After Zhou Guangcheng left, he quickly chased after Zhou Sheng.

He wanted to see if the person blocking his way would attack Zhou Sheng again. This kind of hidden enemy was what he feared most; after all, there was no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days.

However, the attacker did not appear until Zhou Sheng returned to the Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School.

Zhou Fugan could only return home with doubts.

Actually, as soon as Zhou Sheng finished speaking, he immediately suspected that it was the Black Snake Gang who did it, because he had no other enemies.

"Could it be that they've discovered I killed Zhang Hu?"

Zhou Fugan was startled, but then immediately denied it.

If the Black Snake Gang had truly discovered that he was the one who did it, then it wouldn't have been as simple as just attacking Zhou Sheng; they would have already come to his door to retaliate.

"But the other side may also have some suspicions. They injured Zhou Sheng but didn't kill him, which was a test! And they were wary of him. They suspected Sheng'er of being capable, so they were testing his strength. At the same time, they were also wary of the Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School, so they didn't dare to kill him directly. Fortunately, Sheng'er is weak, so he should have cleared his name."

He narrowed his eyes, making his own guesses.

Despite this, Zhou Fugan became wary. Since the other party suspected Zhou Sheng, they might also suspect him, and might even take drastic measures against their family later.

"Zhang Hu's superior is the hall master Gao Fei. This test must have been done by his men."

"He is a martial artist who has broken through the skin barrier. I must also break through the skin barrier as soon as possible in order to be able to deal with him."

After some thought, Zhou Fugan's face darkened. In his view, there were some things that required preparing for the worst.

......

"Junior Brother Zhou, what's wrong with you?"

When Liu Cheng saw Zhou Sheng, he frowned and asked.

"Senior brother, I have disgraced our martial arts school."

Zhou Sheng looked ashamed and then recounted how he had been attacked and knocked unconscious in one move.

"Junior brother, don't worry about it. You're just starting out, so it's normal to lose to others. But do you know who that person is?" Liu Cheng comforted him, then asked.

Zhou Sheng shook his head. "I don't know. I've never made enemies, and my family couldn't possibly have offended such an enemy."

"The other party is holding back against you; it's probably just a test," Liu Cheng speculated.

"A test! Why are you testing me?" Zhou Sheng asked, puzzled.

"I don't know then. Alright, whatever the reason, you need to improve your combat skills. Otherwise, it will be dangerous if you encounter bandits when you go on escort missions with me. Those bandits are vicious and won't show any mercy." Liu Cheng didn't say much, but reminded him.

"Senior brother, how can I improve my combat skills?" Zhou Sheng asked earnestly with a determined look on his face.

"I'll spar with you when I have time. But I don't have much free time. You should practice and exchange skills with other apprentices more often; that will naturally improve your abilities," Liu Cheng replied.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior brother."

Zhou Sheng looked thoughtful.

He had previously focused solely on cultivation and hadn't interacted much with others. Now it seems that was wrong; necessary interpersonal communication is still essential.