Chapter 4

The next morning, after Su Zhong had eaten breakfast, Lin Shi checked the homework from the previous day. Seeing that the two brothers had already recognized the three characters and could write them, albeit a bit crookedly, she taught them three more characters and instructed them to practice more. Otherwise, they would only be able to recognize but not write, which would lead to embarrassing situations in the future.

Su Zhong had long recognized all the characters but couldn't say so. However, he didn't mind practicing writing. He had never learned calligraphy before, and now his writing was as clumsy as a three-year-old's, on par with Lin Pingzhi's. This meant he didn't have to hide his abilities deliberately. So, he practiced writing for a full hour diligently.

After that, Lin Pingzhi ran off under the watch of a maid, while Su Zhong carried a small stool to the training ground.

Upon arriving at the training ground, he found a corner under a big tree, placed the stool, sat down, and began watching Xiao Sheng practice his boxing.

Following Su Zhong's advice from the previous night, Xiao Sheng had taken a hot bath and rubbed his body with medicinal wine until his skin turned red. In the morning, he still felt some soreness but was grateful that the medicinal wine had helped. He found Su Zhong increasingly mysterious and profound.

He had been looking around the training ground since the morning, disappointed not to see Su Zhong. When he spotted Su Zhong sitting under a tree with a stool, he immediately felt happy. Just as he was about to walk over, Su Zhong gave him a cold stare, which made him stop.

Looking around at the other people practicing, he realized it would be impolite to run over to the young master without a reason, as it would attract attention. The young master had been quiet for years but had such profound insights into martial arts, which no one else knew about. Some even thought the young master was a fool.

Now, he realized the young master was far from a fool; he was just hiding his abilities. Understanding this, Xiao Sheng suppressed his impatience and continued practicing. Unconsciously, he moved closer to Su Zhong, and no one noticed.

"Young Master," Xiao Sheng bowed respectfully. Whether it was for the guidance from the previous day or out of respect for Su Zhong's martial arts knowledge, he bowed sincerely, without any hint of disdain due to Su Zhong's young age.

Su Zhong was quite satisfied. He valued Xiao Sheng's straightforwardness. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes were calm.

"Practice your boxing," Su Zhong said coldly.

Xiao Sheng shuddered at the sound of his voice, as if being called by a teacher.

"Yes," he replied, then began practicing. At first, his movements were a bit stiff, and he couldn't find the feel from the previous day. However, after practicing a few more times, he gradually found his rhythm, and his punches became more powerful, each one making a loud sound.

Seeing that Xiao Sheng had basically mastered the move, Su Zhong, eager to teach him more, instructed him on another move. The basic boxing techniques he had devised had twelve different ways of generating power, and thus twelve moves. To test them all would take a lot of time.

Therefore, he became increasingly strict with Xiao Sheng. Whenever Xiao Sheng was distracted, Su Zhong didn't say anything but just stared at him calmly. After a while, Xiao Sheng would feel uneasy and focus his mind, putting all his effort into understanding the power behind the moves.

This kind of all-out practice was very draining. After just one hour, he was as exhausted as a dead dog, equivalent to a full day's practice. However, Xiao Sheng had no complaints. He had suffered enough from the lack of guidance and knew this was a rare opportunity.

"Take a break," Su Zhong said, seeing that Xiao Sheng was exhausted but had practiced diligently in the morning.

Xiao Sheng relaxed, sitting on the ground and panting heavily. His clothes were drenched and reeked of sweat.

"Go home and wash up, then come have a meal with me," Su Zhong said, closing his eyes to think about the basic boxing techniques. Having a test subject was indeed helpful. Things he hadn't understood before became clear after a bit of experimentation. Moreover, this test subject was very cooperative. Whatever he said, Xiao Sheng did, saving him a lot of trouble.

"No, Young Master, I'll eat at home," Xiao Sheng said nervously. Su Zhong's guidance in martial arts was already a great fortune, and he didn't dare to accept a meal from him.

Su Zhong frowned. "How can the food at your home provide enough energy for your body? If you damage your foundation, it will hinder your practice."

Xiao Sheng was moved, feeling unworthy of such attention from the young master. What he didn't know was that Su Zhong was more concerned about hindering his experiments than his practice.

"Yes!" Xiao Sheng bowed deeply, tears welling up in his eyes.

Su Zhong was taken aback, suddenly feeling that he had chosen Xiao Sheng correctly. He had only thought about his own goals, but Xiao Sheng was so grateful. He waved Xiao Sheng off to go wash up and continued sitting on the stool, lost in thought. Anyone passing by might think he was counting ants under the tree.

Xiao Sheng, filled with gratitude, hurried along, not paying attention to his surroundings. He turned a corner and bumped into someone.

"Who's so blind?" the person shouted.

Xiao Sheng, knowing he was at fault, hurriedly apologized. Looking up, he saw it was Bai Er.

"Ah, Xiao Sheng? I was just about to find you. Have you thought it over? Call me Brother Bai Er," Bai Er said, no longer angry. He was only thinking about recruiting a follower.

The few people behind him also started cheering.

Xiao Sheng remained silent, intending to walk away.

Bai Er wouldn't let him go. "Xiao Sheng, this is disrespectful. I've come to you twice, and you won't give me a straight answer. Do you think I'm easy to bully?"

Xiao Sheng bowed, uninterested in joining a gang. He thought Bai Er's behavior was like playing house, with no real use. He would rather go up the mountain to cut firewood to help his family.

However, his introverted nature made it hard for him to refuse, so he just walked away without a word.

This near-ignoring behavior only fueled Bai Er's anger. "Xiao Sheng, you're asking for a beating!"

He lunged forward, aiming a punch at Xiao Sheng's chest, using the same move as the previous day. He had a plan. This move, taught by his older brother, was well-practiced. It looked the same, but had multiple variations. If Xiao Sheng defended his face as he did yesterday, Bai Er could lower his punch and hit his chest.

He was very proud of this move, having defeated several followers with it. He wanted to show Xiao Sheng that the one with the bigger fist was the boss.

Xiao Sheng intended to ignore him, but a big fist was coming at him. Without thinking, he used the boxing technique he had practiced all morning.

He didn't look at Bai Er's fist, just instinctively punched hard.

Bang!

Before Bai Er's fist could reach Xiao Sheng, Xiao Sheng had already moved in and knocked him to the ground. The followers, who were about to flatter Bai Er, were stunned.

Not only was Bai Er shocked, but Xiao Sheng himself was also surprised. He had just punched and somehow knocked down Bai Er, who had been so arrogant the day before. He was filled with joy, thinking the young master was indeed powerful!

This was just after two days of guidance. If he continued, how much more powerful would he become?

Thinking of this, he couldn't wait to return to Su Zhong and receive more guidance.

Ignoring the stunned Bai Er on the ground, Xiao Sheng hurried home to wash up, not wanting to keep the young master waiting.

Bai Er lay on the ground for a while before regaining his senses, noticing the strange looks from his followers. His face turned red with anger. It was all Xiao Sheng's fault, making him lose face. He had to get even and find his older brother.

Bai Er got up and ran to the training ground to find his brother, leaving his followers behind.

...

"Chief, among these young boys, there are a few promising ones. Once they grow up, our security agency will become even stronger," Cui Biao, Lin Zhenan's confidant, said, looking at the young boys practicing in the training ground with Ji Biao.

"Hmm, not bad. The one called Bai Da has good talent. Who recruited him?" Lin Zhenan had been observing for a while and quickly identified the promising ones Cui Biao mentioned.

"He's the son of Bai Fei, one of our veteran security guards," Ji Biao replied, knowing Lin Zhenan was asking about the boy's background. A clean background was necessary for cultivation and to become one of us.

"That's good. Are you two interested in taking on apprentices?" Lin Zhenan looked at his two trusted subordinates with a playful smile.

"Hehe, seeing good talent naturally makes one interested. Our skills may not be high, but it's good to pass them down," Cui Biao and Ji Biao exchanged glances, with a hint of competition. Good apprentices were hard to find these days.

Lin Zhenan chuckled. Competition was good. If they were too united, he would be wary.

"Who's that?" Lin Zhenan noticed a boy next to Bai Da.

"That's Bai Da's brother. He's somewhat clever," Ji Biao said, glancing at him.

Lin Zhenan understood. Somewhat clever, but not in martial arts. Bai Er, though not a fool, didn't impress his subordinates.

"What are they doing?" Lin Zhenan was curious as he saw Bai Da and a few boys walking to a corner of the training ground.

"These little rascals are up to no good, probably bullying someone," Cui Biao said, knowing the boys well. They had been through similar experiences. However, he didn't pay much attention, as they were all from the security agency and knew their limits.

Moreover, those with higher martial arts skills should have a higher status, which they had to earn through their own abilities. So, they didn't interfere much with these private competitions, as long as nothing serious happened.

However, seeing Lin Zhenan's unusual expression, Cui Biao and Ji Biao were curious. This kind of small matter shouldn't concern the chief. Following his gaze, they saw Su Zhong sitting under a tree, seemingly counting ants.

They immediately understood. It was the young master. As Lin Zhenan's confidants, they knew his subtle feelings towards the young master. Though he seemed to dislike him, he had never been harsh. This meant the chief cared about his seemingly foolish son. They felt a chill, wondering if the boys were going to cause trouble for the young master.

Damn, these brats are always causing trouble. The two exchanged glances, both having a bad feeling.