Before long, a girl in a red dress came running through the snow from the martial arts hall, her black hair flowing and her movements graceful.
The morning light was faint, and the girl's cheeks were a rosy red; she was elegant and charming.
"Chen Tang, you're back?"
Coming closer, Mei Yingxue's tone carried a hint of joy as she looked Chen Tang up and down, as if checking to see if he was missing any limbs.
Feeling Mei Yingxue's sincerity, Chen Tang couldn't help but smile and said, "Miss Mei, I heard you visited my home. I just returned last night and came to find you this morning."
"Here is thirty taels of silver, please take it."
Chen Tang took out the prepared money pouch and handed it to Mei Yingxue.
"Huh?"
Mei Yingxue looked surprised and asked, "Where did you get so much money?"
"It was prepared by my uncle at home. He lent it to me temporarily so I could repay you first."
Chen Tang gave the excuse he had prepared long ago.
He certainly couldn't tell the truth, which was that the money was taken from the corpses of Bo Yan and the four hunters.
Mei Yingxue said, "I'm not in a hurry to get it back. If you're having trouble..."
"It's okay, just take it."
Chen Tang insisted on handing over the money pouch.
Seeing this, Mei Yingxue no longer declined and accepted the pouch, saying, "Chen Tang, I heard about your father. But during this time, there's also good news for you!"
"What is it?"
Chen Tang asked.
Mei Yingxue stepped forward and leaned slightly, speaking in a mysterious whisper, "That Cui Yong who framed your father was killed a month ago!"
"What!"
Chen Tang feigned ignorance, his face full of surprise.
Mei Yingxue said, "Cui Yong did so many bad things; it's a fitting end for him. Evil deeds deserve retribution."
Chen Tang asked, "Who killed him? Did the county government office's chief constable find out who the murderer is?"
"No."
Mei Yingxue said, "I heard it was bandits passing through Changze County. They killed him and then escaped."
Chen Tang felt at ease.
Mei Yingxue said, "When I heard about your father's situation, I thought, since you were alone and seriously injured, life must be very difficult for you, so I wanted to check on you."
"Unexpectedly, I met your cousin and uncle, who said you had gone hunting in the mountains."
Chen Tang felt a pang of guilt.
He had initially thought that Mei Yingxue was coming to ask for her money back.
Unexpectedly, she was concerned that he wouldn't be able to survive.
His previous self indeed had good instincts about people.
Even in such a harsh world, where people's hearts are not as they once were, Mei Yingxue still retained her innocence and kindness.
Mei Yingxue said, "You must have suffered quite a bit hunting on the mountain this time. You look much thinner than before."
Indeed, Chen Tang had lost quite a bit of weight.
It's mainly because of martial arts training that his muscles became tighter and more defined. In terms of strength and endurance, he was far superior to a month ago.
Chen Tang smiled slightly, without explanation.
"With your muscle tendons injured, drawing a bow would be very difficult. Hunting in the mountains is too dangerous."
Mei Yingxue said, "Why not come to our martial arts hall to do some odd jobs? Although it's a bit hard, at least it's not dangerous, and you can earn some silver taels."
"Thank you for your kind offer, Miss Mei, but I'd better not."
Chen Tang declined politely.
If his previous self had heard this suggestion, which would mean more opportunities to see Mei Yingxue, he would have been overjoyed.
But Chen Tang had other important tasks to attend to; time was precious and couldn't be wasted in the Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall.
"Come with me, I'll take you around the martial arts hall, take a look first, don't rush to refuse."
Mei Yingxue smiled slightly and led the way.
Chen Tang had planned to leave after repaying the money, but he couldn't refuse Mei Yingxue's hospitality.
After all, Mei Yingxue had helped him before; turning to leave now would seem overly indifferent.
"There's nothing wrong with taking a look inside. Since it's the Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall, it's a good chance to ask about the entry level, to compare with what Lord Li said and confirm it."
Chen Tang thought about it and then followed her.
With Mei Yingxue leading, the guards on either side of the entrance naturally did not dare to stop them. Their gaze towards Chen Tang even carried a hint of envy.
Entering the martial arts hall, Mei Yingxue walked straight ahead, and before long, they reached a very spacious martial arts arena.
Various weapons were placed around, and in the distant part of the field, there were some young boys and girls practicing martial arts stances.
"Brother Gou, look, isn't that the Young Hero Tiger Subduing?"
"Hmm? That's really him!"
"That kid doesn't even know his own status, yet he thinks he's fit to stand with Senior Sister Mei?"
"Brother Gou, just say the word and we'll go over there and teach him a lesson!"
A group of young teenagers gathered together, maliciously staring at Chen Tang in the distance, whispering among themselves.
They also looked towards the brocade-robed young man in front of them, waiting for his command.
This was none other than Gou Dai, the son of the Evil Wolf Gang Leader.
Among them, he was slightly older and appeared more mature and steady.
Adding the status of Young Master of the Evil Wolf Gang, the youths practicing martial arts in the hall all intentionally gathered around Gou Dai, following his lead.
Gou Dai, following his father's instructions, had been pursuing Mei Yingxue.
But Mei Yingxue never responded and was neither warm nor cold towards him.
Now, seeing Chen Tang standing side by side with Mei Yingxue, Gou Dai felt a rush of jealousy, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.
"Don't act rashly."
Gou Dai said in a deep voice, "If we go over so overtly, Junior Sister Yingxue will definitely intervene."
"Then what should we do? Let him off just like that?" another person asked, frowning.
Gou Dai let out a faint, cold laugh, beckoned his servant over, and whispered, "Go home quickly and bring 'Thug' and 'Bully' over here for me!"
"What!"
The young teenagers exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.
They had long heard that among the Evil Wolf Gang, two extremely ferocious wolves were raised, known as Thug and Bully.
It was said that the Evil Wolf Gang Leader had once captured these two wolves single-handedly, taking them down the mountain while dragging one in each hand, which made him famous throughout Changze County!
It was precisely because of this feat that he earned the nickname 'Evil Wolf'.
"Today, we'll get to see Thug and Bully in action!"
"Haha, there'll be a good show to watch later!"
The group of teenagers was full of excitement, rubbing their hands together in anticipation.
Mei Yingxue was introducing the situation inside the hall to Chen Tang, and due to the distance, she didn't notice the commotion over there.
Chen Tang, having spent days in the Snow Ridge fighting beasts, had a very keen sense for detecting hostility!
He casually glanced over there and then withdrew his gaze.
"Chen Tang, don't worry. Since you are injured, I'll tell them to assign you some light tasks."
Mei Yingxue said, "Moreover, there's another advantage to working in the hall."
"What is it?"
Chen Tang asked.
Mei Yingxue said, "While you're working here, you can secretly watch us practice martial arts. Normally, it's not allowed in the hall, but with me here, you don't have to be afraid."
"Although it's a bit late for you to start learning martial arts now, and it would be hard to achieve great success, learning a few moves for physical fitness is always good."
Chen Tang smiled, "It's no problem; I know the Tiger Subduing Fist."
Mei Yingxue burst out laughing, then quickly restrained herself, looking apologetic, "I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. It's just that the Tiger Subduing Fist, well, it's just... just that..."
Mei Yingxue didn't want to hurt Chen Tang's feelings, so she said, "Someday, I'll show you our Mei Family's Plum Blossom Boxing Sword. That's the real superior martial art!"
"Alright."
Chen Tang replied with a smile.