Lou Feng sat quietly in meditation beneath the shade of the courtyard tree.
The circulation of the Qi Eating Method had already become second nature to him. Every breath he drew in carried faint strands of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his meridians, nourishing them before slowly disappearing into his body.
His cultivation wasn't advancing rapidly.
But it was steady.
That alone was enough.
After finishing his daily meditation, Lou Feng rose to his feet and headed toward the forge room beneath the courtyard.
The room was warm from the constantly burning furnace.
Picking up an unrefined metal bar with a pair of iron tongs, he placed it into the blazing flames until it glowed a bright crimson.
Only then did he lift his forging hammer.
Clang!
The first strike landed squarely upon the heated metal.
The familiar rhythmic sensation immediately surfaced.
Without hesitation, Lou Feng swallowed a medicinal pill.
The pill dissolved almost instantly.
Its medicinal power surged through his body, agitating his Qi-Blood like boiling water.
Rather than allowing the violent energy to scatter, Lou Feng carefully guided it according to the Hundred Refinement Body Forging Art.
Clang!
Another strike fell.
The rhythm spread from the hammer into the metal, then into his arms, shoulders, spine and finally throughout his entire body.
His muscles began itching.
Not from discomfort...
But from strengthening.
Each strike seemed to temper not only the iron before him, but also his own flesh.
The heated metal gradually changed shape beneath the hammer.
At the same time...
His physique quietly improved.
Lou Feng's eyes remained focused.
As long as he continued refining his body, reaching the Innate Realm through external cultivation would no longer be impossible.
Once that day came...
The pressure brought by the Wind Tiger Gang would be greatly reduced.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The rhythmic sounds echoed continuously throughout the underground forge.
Occasionally, brilliant sparks burst into the air before quickly fading.
Time quietly slipped away.
Before Lou Feng realized it...
Night had already arrived.
He placed the finished metal aside before leaving the forge.
Standing within the courtyard, he quietly looked up at the star-filled sky.
Only half a year had passed.
Yet his life had changed beyond recognition.
If not for his master...
He would've long since become another forgotten corpse beneath that cliff.
Now...
He could finally stand beneath the night sky without constantly fearing tomorrow.
Suddenly...
His expression changed.
A strange scent drifted through the air.
It wasn't blood.
Nor smoke.
Yet the moment he smelled it, every hair on his body instinctively stood upright.
Danger.
Lou Feng immediately looked toward the surrounding streets.
Several nearby houses...
Were completely dark.
No lanterns.
No candlelight.
No voices.
Something wasn't right.
Before he could investigate further—
Boom!!
A deafening explosion erupted from the direction of the Northern District.
The terrifying sound wave reached him almost instantly.
Lou Feng's ears rang violently as intense pain shot through his head.
He instinctively dropped to one knee while covering both ears.
His eardrums felt as though they had been torn apart.
Far away...
A thick column of black smoke rose into the night sky.
The entire county town instantly descended into chaos.
Screams echoed from every direction.
People rushed into the streets before immediately fleeing elsewhere.
Nobody cared what had caused the explosion.
Their only thought...
Was escape.
Soon afterwards, the sharp whistles of Yamen officers sounded throughout the city.
Groups of uniformed officers rapidly converged toward the Northern District while others immediately began questioning frightened civilians and blocking nearby streets.
Lou Feng quickly regained his composure.
Without hesitation, he rushed back inside.
"Uncle!"
"Aunt!"
He immediately escorted the Wang couple into the reinforced basement before securely locking the entrance from outside.
Only after confirming they were safe did he return to the courtyard.
His gaze remained fixed upon the distant smoke.
He didn't relax in the slightest.
Instead...
His vigilance only increased.
A disturbance of this scale was exactly the sort of opportunity certain people waited for.
When everyone's attention was drawn elsewhere...
It became far easier to settle old scores unnoticed.
Countless things could happen when chaos descended upon a city.
Especially when everyone's attention was drawn elsewhere.
Taking advantage of the confusion, a group of more than a dozen armed figures silently entered the Eastern District. Every one of them was dressed entirely in black, their faces covered with cloth masks as they moved swiftly between the dark streets.
They stopped before a quiet courtyard.
Without a single word...
Bang!
The front gate exploded inward.
The black-clothed men rushed inside together, sabers flashing under the moonlight as they charged toward the residence.
Several of them kicked open the inner doors.
Before anyone could search the rooms—
A blur flashed past.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The first three men were sent flying before they even realized what had happened.
Some crashed into the courtyard walls while others struck the stone pavement hard enough to cough blood. A few only managed to let out miserable screams before losing consciousness.
The remaining attackers instinctively stopped.
Lou Feng slowly walked out of the darkness, his spear resting across his shoulders.
His cold gaze settled upon the leader standing at the rear.
"Meng Jin."
"Enough with the mask."
"Why hide that wretched face?"
The masked leader chuckled.
"Who's this Meng Jin you speak of?"
"I'm merely an honest citizen looking for work."
Lou Feng sneered.
"If that's the case..."
"I'll send you to find one in the underworld."
The spear instantly shot forward.
Meng Jin's pupils narrowed.
His figure suddenly became blurry before disappearing from where he stood.
Grass Flying Art.
The movement technique carried him several meters sideways, allowing Lou Feng's spear to pierce nothing but empty air.
The instant he reappeared...
His right hand curled into a claw.
"Eagle Claw!"
With a roar, he lunged directly toward Lou Feng's back, five fingers aiming straight for his heart.
Lou Feng seemed to have eyes behind him.
The spear shaft instantly swept backward.
Clang!
The claw struck the iron shaft instead of flesh.
Using the impact, Lou Feng spun around before swinging the spear in a wide arc, forcing Meng Jin to retreat several steps.
The surrounding gang members immediately seized the opportunity.
"Kill him!"
More than ten sabers slashed toward Lou Feng simultaneously.
None of them expected to defeat him.
Their only objective was to restrict his movement.
Lou Feng's spear danced through the air, knocking several blades aside before stepping between the attackers with astonishing agility.
Just then—
A powerful killing intent erupted behind him.
Meng Jin had already appeared once more.
Palm Technique!
His right palm slammed directly into Lou Feng's back.
Bang!
Lou Feng was blasted forward, smashing through a wooden table before rolling several meters across the floor.
Meng Jin's eyes flashed with delight.
"Now die—"
Before he could continue pursuing...
Dozens of sharp wooden fragments suddenly shot toward him.
Lou Feng had kicked the shattered table apart.
The wooden splinters flew like concealed weapons.
Meng Jin immediately dodged sideways.
The fragments missed him...
But struck the gang members behind instead.
Several cried out in agony as the sharpened wood pierced their shoulders and thighs.
"You little—"
Meng Jin's furious roar was interrupted.
Lou Feng had already closed the distance.
The spear in his hands erupted forward with explosive force.
Meng Jin instinctively raised both palms to intercept it.
Too late.
The spearhead pierced through his defenses as though they didn't exist.
Pfft!
The blade tore straight through his abdomen before carrying him several meters backward.
Bang!
His body was nailed directly against the courtyard wall.
Blood poured from his mouth.
He stared blankly at the spear embedded in his stomach.
His Internal Energy was shattered in that instant. What level of physical strength was that?!.
Lou Feng slowly walked toward him.
The surrounding gang members no longer dared move.
Meng Jin looked at the young man standing before him, disbelief filling his fading eyes.
"Such..."
"...monstrous physical strength..."
His voice gradually weakened.
The light within his eyes disappeared.
His head tilted to one side.
The Inspector candidate of the Wind Tiger Gang...
Died nailed to the wall of the very courtyard he had come to destroy.