From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

"stop--!"

This scene caught Zhu Hong's eye, and his anger burned like wildfire.

With a stomp of his foot, he shot out like an arrow. The flat-nosed rogue had barely heard the sound of the wind before his afterimage closed in, and a simple straight punch, wrapped with immense force, landed squarely on his temple.

"Well……"

The rogue let out a muffled groan, and his whole body flew out like a broken sack, crashing into the earthen wall with a "thud" before sliding softly to the ground.

moment.

His body twitched a few times and then fell silent.

Upon seeing this, the other thugs paled: "He's got a tough one!" They all turned and pounced on Zhu Hong.

Zhu Hong didn't even lift his eyelids. He sidestepped the fist that came from the left, grabbed the man's wrist with his right hand like an iron clamp, and twisted it. "—Crack!" The sound of bone breaking was crisp. The man screamed like a pig being slaughtered and rolled to the ground, clutching his arm which was twisted at an odd angle.

Another person took the opportunity to punch him in the back:

"You're asking for it!"

"You're the one who's courting death." Zhu Hong said indifferently, twisting his waist to dodge the punch. His left hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers like hooks, precisely gripping the other's throat. With a swift movement, he lifted the man off the ground.

He then slammed his wrist down and slammed the man to the ground with a loud thud.

The man's head struck the hard ground, but he didn't utter a sound. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

In the blink of an eye, the three men had fallen.

Seeing that things were not going well, the last person turned around and rushed out the door.

"Run? Where do you think you're going!"

Zhu Hong grabbed the bamboo chair from the side of the kang (a heated brick bed) and threw it with a flick of his arm.

The bamboo chair whistled past and slammed down on the man's knees with a "thud." The rogue collapsed to the ground, clutching his leg and wailing in pain.

Within a few breaths, only Zhu Hong remained standing in the room.

He ignored the mangled body lying haphazardly on the ground, rushed to Aunt Liu's side, and gently helped her up.

"Aunt Liu, are you alright?"

Aunt Liu, her hair disheveled and her face streaked with tears, was still in shock when she saw the villain brought to justice and being helped up. Overwhelmed with gratitude, her legs went weak and she was about to kneel down: "Benefactor, thank you so much, benefactor..."

"Aunt Liu, it's me."

Zhu Hong quickly grabbed her arm to prevent her from bowing, and softened his voice: "Hongwazi, the Hongwazi who used to always follow Uncle Liu around."

"Hong... Hongwazi?"

Aunt Liu was startled, then raised her tearful eyes and repeatedly stroked his face. After a long while, she suddenly gripped his sleeve tightly:

"It really is you, Hongwa!"

"You are Hongwazi..." She became more and more excited as she spoke, tears streaming down her face, but she couldn't hide the overwhelming joy in her eyes:

"I heard from the kidnapper that you—"

Before she could finish speaking, Aunt Liu swallowed back the unlucky words and simply said contentedly:

"Good, good, you've made something of yourself, kid. You've made something of yourself."

"Aunt Liu, we'll talk about it later." Zhu Hong nodded slightly, his gaze already turning to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and he quickly stepped forward and bent down to examine it.

Uncle Liu leaned against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his breath weak. A bruise was swollen and purple on his forehead, and his clothes were soaked with blood. The boy beside him had a furrowed brow and shallow breathing, clearly suffering from a serious injury.

"Hongwazi," Aunt Liu followed, her voice choked with emotion, "your Uncle Liu and Aci..."

"He's still breathing; his life should be fine." Zhu Hong checked his breathing, feeling somewhat relieved, and comforted him:

"wait……"

"What an arrogant martial arts performer!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ma Pan's furious shouts came from outside the door, followed by Li Hang's burly figure blocking the doorway.

"You brat, do you know who we are?"

Ma Pan stared at Zhu Hong with a fierce look in his eyes: "Don't think that just because you're a martial arts performer and have learned a few rudimentary skills, you can act with impunity."

He spat, his tone full of threat:

"Let me tell you, in this muddy area east of the city, if you're a dragon, you'd better coil up; if you're a tiger, you'd better lie low. There are at least seven or eight martial arts performers in the charity hall, if not ten! If you know what's good for you, kneel down and kowtow three times, and I might spare your dog's life. Otherwise..."

"You won't be walking out of this muddy alley upright today."

Charity hall?

Zhu Hong slowly straightened up, his gaze slightly narrowed.

He had heard of that name before.

The local bullies in these poor alleys in the east of the city, who openly display the sign of a "charitable organization," are actually a group of hooligans who gather together to engage in despicable activities such as lending money at exorbitant interest rates, seizing people's property, and oppressing the elderly and widows.

If you ask: Does the government not care?

ridiculous……

Why would the government care!

The government is more than happy to have a group of people to keep quiet about these filthy, underhanded things. It saves them the trouble of running around, and they also get a monthly allowance, making their lives easy and comfortable.

As long as it doesn't cause trouble for those prominent families at the East Street intersection, who occupy prime locations and tarnish the area's prosperity, we won't bother with them and let them do whatever they want.

"It seems that this entanglement cannot be resolved peacefully today."

Zhu Hong slowly raised his eyes and looked at the two people blocking the doorway. His expression was indifferent, revealing no emotion.

"A charity?"

He repeated the two words on his lips: "Is it that 'charitable institution' that specializes in profiting from the property of those who have no descendants and forces widows to remarry?"

Ma Pan's expression darkened:

"Hey kid, watch your mouth!"

"Young man," Li Hang stroked his short beard, his voice slow and deliberate, showing more concern than Ma Pan's naivety (or folly):

"Whom do you belong to?"

Look at this young man, he's only eighteen or nineteen years old, yet he's already among the ranks of martial arts performers.

He would never believe that someone with such outstanding talent had no master or clan to rely on.

Moreover, in this Jinyang City, the Jiang and Chi clans are numerous and powerful, and the other families are also deeply entrenched. If this young man is indeed a disciple cultivated by these clans, and I act rashly and lose my sense of proportion, I fear the consequences will be dire.

It's not beautiful at all.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hong immediately sensed an opportunity for a turnaround.

This person didn't ask about right or wrong, but first inquired about their background, clearly because they were worried about being implicated and afraid of getting into trouble.

"Does it really matter which family or household you belong to?" He stood ramrod straight, and despite his coarse clothes, there was not a trace of awkwardness.

"Though the martial world is vast, with numerous sects and powerful families, and the imperial court is deep and filled with noble clans, in the end, what they fight over is never any golden plaque, but rather..." His eyes were as clear as an autumn pool, piercing straight to the heart:

"Right and wrong, righteousness and human nature."

Upon hearing this, Li Hang frowned even more deeply, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. "This young man... is definitely not simple."

Ma Pan, unable to contain himself, retorted, "What straightness? What logic? Bullshit! Just empty platitudes!" He loathed these peers who spouted lofty ideals and yet seemed to think they were superior to him.

"Boy, let me tell you, if you know what's good for you today..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Hang reached out and blocked him from behind, saying, "Ma Pan, shut up."

"Why are you stopping me? He..."

Ma Pan's face darkened, and he was about to explode, but when he saw Li Hang's solemn expression, which was definitely not a joke, he swallowed his anger.

Although his father was the second-in-command in the hall, Li Hang's title of "martial arts actor" was also genuine.

Even if you're impatient, you still need to show some respect.

"Hmph, then you two chat."

Having said that, he turned his head to the side.

……