The Four Seas Martial Arts Hall didn't teach the Lightweight Technique. Rumor had it that even the hall master, Zheng Sihai, was completely inept at it, so he never taught the technique, lest he make a fool of himself.
As a result, Fang Shuwen knew nothing of the Lightweight Technique. But with his profound Inner Strength, he could run in great strides, his speed matching that of a galloping horse.
But as he ran toward the main courtyard, questions swirled in his mind.
'Song Li must have been killed when he went to take a piss. That was just over two hours ago, and this group has already infiltrated the Zhou Residence.'
'But why didn't they act then? Why wait over two hours?'
'The most coveted thing about the Zhou Family is their silver, yet these people aren't after silver. They're after lives.'
'Clearly, these aren't ordinary Dark Hangers. The family must have offended a deadly enemy.'
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard shouts ahead. Two men in black were chasing and killing several maids and servants.
These maids and servants knew no Martial Arts. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, each fall of a blade claimed another life.
A murderous glint flashed in Fang Shuwen's eyes. Before he was even close, he clenched his right fist and threw a fierce punch through the air.
The Four Seas Dragon Fist he had learned was originally derived from the Great Dragon Fist.
The Great Dragon Fist, in turn, was an evolution of the Mounted Spear Technique, simply trading the Dragon Spear for a pair of fists.
After Zheng Sihai learned this Fist Technique, he mastered it and created new moves, adding the words "Four Seas" to its name and transforming it into the Four Seas Dragon Fist of today.
But at its core, the essence of the Fist Technique remained rooted in spearmanship.
It emphasized thrusts, sweeps, horizontal strikes, chops, and upward flicks. The moves were grand and sweeping, prioritizing power, supplemented by speed.
Now that Fang Shuwen's Inner Strength was fully developed, he threw a punch through the air. The Fist Force was like a spear, its trajectory like a dragon's.
Before he even got close, the Fist Force had already slammed into the chest of one of the men in black.
The man's body shuddered violently. First, a mist of blood erupted from his back. Then, his entire body was shattered by the force, torn to pieces.
Seeing this, the other man in black's face went pale with terror.
Without a second thought, he turned to flee. But Fang Shuwen was already upon him. With a sweeping motion of his right fist and a sickening thud, the man's entire head was sent flying.
The maids and servants didn't even have time to rejoice in their survival before the horrifying scene before them drained all the color from their faces.
"What are you standing there for? Run for your lives!"
Fang Shuwen's shout snapped them out of their stupor. Without lingering, he continued on toward the main courtyard.
At the same time, he reminded himself, 'My Inner Strength is profound now, far beyond what it used to be.'
'I need to hold back when I strike. Otherwise, the scenes will be too bloody and gruesome.'
As he made his way, screams rose and fell all around him.
These intruders had stormed the Zhou Residence on a killing spree. Some were so impatient that they started tearing at the maids' clothes in front of everyone, intending to have their way with them.
Fang Shuwen was merciless, killing every assailant he encountered.
In a short span of time, he had killed more people than in his entire past nineteen years.
Through this, he became increasingly adept at controlling his power.
In truth, it wasn't a matter of poor control. He just couldn't gauge the right amount of force to use. He knew his own strength, but judging how much his opponents could withstand was another matter entirely.
The greatest benefit of this killing spree was that he was beginning to understand the limits of what these men could endure.
He could kill them efficiently without leaving a mess of severed limbs and broken bodies everywhere.
Finally, the main courtyard was in sight.
He leaped onto the top of the wall and saw Zhou Feixiong and his wife in the main courtyard. They were already awake, protected by a circle of several Family Guards.
Fang Shuwen even recognized one of them.
The man's name was Wang Tao. He had met Mo Beidou, the senior disciple of the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, in the Jianghu.
They had hit it off immediately and become close friends.
It was through Wang Tao that Mo Beidou had been able to recommend him for the position of Family Guard in the Zhou Family.
The group of men in black across from them were highly skilled in Martial Arts. Their leader was a middle-aged man with a sinister expression.
He was currently staring at Zhou Feixiong from across the courtyard.
Although Zhou Feixiong knew no Martial Arts, his presence was not weak. As their eyes met, he spoke in a cold voice.
"Who are you people?"
"If it's riches you're after, just name your price."
"I may be a man of little talent, but Zhou Feixiong has always been generous to his friends in the Jianghu."
"But if you have other designs... did you not bother to ask what kind of man I, Zhou Feixiong, am before coming here?"
"Never mind my many friends in the Jianghu—my own daughter, Zhou Qingmei, is a True Disciple of the Zhuji Pavilion on Jiuning Mountain."
"Have you considered the consequences of your actions tonight?"
Hearing this, a sneer touched the middle-aged man's eyes.
"So this is all there is to the so-called 'Half City Zhou'."
"With death at your doorstep, you're trying to save yourself by using your daughter's name."
"Rest assured, you two can go on ahead... Your daughter, Zhou Qingmei, will soon join you in the afterlife!"
"What?"
Zhou Feixiong's expression changed drastically.
With a series of thuds, the few Family Guards standing before him were sent flying.
Before the other guards could step up to intercept, a black shadow was already upon Zhou Feixiong.
The attacker was incredibly fast. His five fingers formed a claw, striking straight for Zhou Feixiong's throat.
Zhou Feixiong froze, not even having the chance to react.
Then, his vision blurred. A young man in a guard's uniform descended from the sky.
A fist fell from mid-air, aimed squarely at the attacker's head.
The man never dreamed that just as he was about to succeed, someone would literally drop out of the sky.
But he was no ordinary foe. Forcibly circulating a breath of True Qi, he flipped his body and crossed his arms to block the vital spot.
The fist landed on his crossed arms. Not only did it shatter them both, but the immense force continued through to his head. His body slammed into the ground.
There was a deafening THUD.
The very ground trembled. A human-shaped crater had been smashed into the bluestone-paved courtyard.
The man lay motionless in the crater, killed instantly by that single punch.
"Master Zhou still owes me wages. I can't let him die at your hands."
The one who had acted was, of course, Fang Shuwen.
That single move was enough to stun everyone into silence.
For a moment, all the combatants stopped, their gazes unanimously falling upon him.
Wang Tao's eye twitched. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
The middle-aged leader across from them also revealed a look of astonishment. He glanced at Fang Shuwen, then at his subordinate in the crater, and a grave expression settled in his eyes.
"A mere Family Guard of the Zhou Family possesses such Martial Arts?"
"The Jianghu is truly full of hidden masters."
"Young man, are you in need of money?"
"I am. Always have been."
Fang Shuwen was speaking the absolute truth.
"Good. No matter how much silver the Zhou Family is paying you, I am willing to double it if you stay out of today's affairs. What do you say, young man?"
"That's a generous offer."
Fang Shuwen shook his head gently.
"Unfortunately, I am employed by the Zhou Family. When you take someone's money to solve their problems, there's a matter of first come, first served."
"When you walk the Jianghu, honor comes first!"
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PS: The new book's arrival was rather sudden, but as per my usual practice, I'm not in a rush to get it contracted. That will probably happen after it hits 40,000 characters.
So for now, I won't be asking for monthly passes, since you can't vote for it yet anyway~