Chapter 83

The Great Qin Empire was established by military might. Although the private possession of weapons was prohibited, the status of warriors remained high in the Great Qin. In the sixteen regions of the Great Qin, each had civilian-operated martial arts schools.

When Chu Huan saw the "Bali Hall Martial Arts School," he knew it was a wolf in sheep's clothing. The martial arts school was a facade; the real purpose was to gather ruffians and form a gang that terrorized the countryside.

Chu Huan's way of doing things was actually very simple; he only adhered to eight words.

Repay kindness, repay enmity!

This time, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. While Magistrate Hu was the main culprit, Chu Huan knew that the Bali Hall was also a major accomplice. The moment he stepped out of the county office, he made up his mind. If he didn't raid the tiger's den and deal with Boss Xue this time, he wouldn't be named "Chu" anymore.

"Knock on the door!" Chu Huan stared at the large red door and said calmly.

The man gave Chu Huan a strange look but did not hesitate. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and was about to knock on the door. Then he seemed to think of something, turned around, and walked to Chu Huan's side, asking, "By the way, don't blame me for not telling you, do you have enough silver? The initiation gift is essential... I'll kindly remind you, the more initiation gifts you present, the higher your status will be in the Bali Hall...!"

Chu Huan patted his chest and smiled, "Don't worry. Not only the initiation gift, but also your referral fee, I won't be stingy. I will definitely make you satisfied!"

The man's face lit up with joy and said happily, "That's good, that's good!" He stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a while, a voice came from inside, "So early in the morning, are you calling for a ghost?"

"Under the Fourth Master, someone wants to join and I'm introducing him!" the man shouted loudly.

With a "creak," the door opened, and a person came out. He glanced at Chu Huan, not recognizing him, but noticed that Chu Huan's cotton robe was of some quality. He asked arrogantly, "Are you the one who wants to join?"

"Yes!"

The man looked at Chu Huan a few more times and then said, "Master Xue hasn't gotten up yet. You come in and wait for a moment." He turned and went inside. Chu Huan stepped forward and suddenly stopped, whispering to the man who had led him, "You have done a good job leading the way. Today, I won't involve you. Find a place to hide... and don't come back to the Bali Hall in the future!"

The man was stunned and then looked at Chu Huan with an extremely strange expression, as if he were looking at a monster. It wasn't until Chu Huan walked into the Bali Hall that the man came to his senses and muttered, "What's wrong with him...!" He hurried forward and whispered, "By the way, don't forget to give me the referral fee... if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten through the door...!"

He was preoccupied with the referral fee and followed closely behind, completely ignoring Chu Huan's warning.

Chu Huan entered the main gate, and before him was a vast open space. The Bali Hall was extremely large, with a spacious front courtyard, side rooms on both sides, and a main hall that was ancient and elegant. Two large red pillars stood at the entrance, with blue tiles and white bricks, making it look quite prosperous.

On the plaque above the two red pillars, the four characters "Wu Yi Zai Dao" (Martial Arts to Carry the Way) were written in a flowing style.

In the middle of the courtyard was a large open area, and on both sides were several rows of weapon racks. Although there were no large swords or spears, there were many wooden sticks, long whips, and large iron hammers.

The man who opened the door turned around and said, "Master Xue won't get up for a while. I'll go see if any of the other masters are up and report to them..." He took a few steps and turned back, saying, "You two wait here in the courtyard. Don't wander around; the Bali Hall is not a place for you to walk around freely." Then he left.

The snow was falling heavily, but the courtyard of the Bali Hall was very quiet. Chu Huan stood in the courtyard, the snow accumulating on his cotton robe and hair, giving him a somewhat desolate appearance.

Chu Huan turned and looked at the man who had led him, sighing, "You didn't leave? Don't blame me for not warning you!"

The man tilted his head and said, "I'll tell you, I joined earlier than you. You can't trick me. You want to use a trick to make me leave, don't you? I'll tell you, if you try to cheat me, I won't let you off. You should know, I'm familiar with many of the brothers in the Bali Hall. If I call out, they will surely rush over and beat you up...!"

The more he said this, the more Chu Huan realized he had no status in the Bali Hall. The man who opened the door didn't even look at him, indicating that he was doing very poorly in the Bali Hall.

He was always preoccupied with the "referral fee," indicating that he was quite poor. However, his eyes were quite lively, and a hint of worry could be seen in their depths.

Chu Huan found the man's appearance somewhat comical, with a flat nose and small eyes. Although he didn't seem like a decent person, he didn't appear to be a great villain. Chu Huan asked, "What's your name?"

The man said irritably, "Do you know how to speak properly? I'm at least your introducer. If you want to ask my name, you should be more polite!"

Chu Huan smiled and said, "Oh? Then how should I be polite?"

"You should ask for my full name!" The man puffed out his chest and, without waiting for Chu Huan to ask, said, "I am honored to be surnamed Sun, and my name is Zikong...!"

"Sun Zikong?" Chu Huan smiled. "Are you sure you're not Sun Wukong?"

"Who is Sun Wukong?" Sun Zikong asked curiously. "His name sounds a bit like mine. Is he your friend? Is he interested in joining our Bali Hall? If so, just bring him over with the referral fee, and I'll introduce him!"

Chu Huan chuckled, pointed to the plaque with the four characters "Wu Yi Zai Dao," and asked with a smile, "Is this your Bali Hall's motto?"

Sun Zikong glanced at it and said irritably, "Do you even recognize the big characters?"

Chu Huan didn't say much, walked to the weapon rack, looked at it, and picked up a copper staff. He held it in his hand and smiled at Sun Zikong, "Sun Zikong, do all the people in the Bali Hall recognize these four characters?"

Sun Zikong didn't understand why Chu Huan was asking this and said, "They're all rough people. If they could read, they wouldn't come to practice martial arts...!" Suddenly, he realized something and puffed out his chest, saying, "I'm different from them. I recognize these four characters... Wu Yi Zai Dao...!"

"Wu Yi Zai Dao!" Chu Huan laughed coldly. "What a fine motto. But if they can't read, isn't hanging this plaque just making a fool of yourselves!" He stared at the plaque, and Sun Zikong noticed that Chu Huan's expression was somewhat strange. Suddenly, Chu Huan rushed forward and leaped like a monkey, with astonishing agility. Sun Zikong was startled as Chu Huan's copper staff struck the plaque with a "crack." The plaque was split in half and then, with another "crack," it fell along with the stones from the eaves.

Despite the heavy snow, the sound was exceptionally clear and echoed around.

Sun Zikong was stunned, standing there with a blank mind, completely frozen.

The loud noise startled the people on both sides of the courtyard. A cacophony of voices rose, and the side doors opened, with about ten people rushing out. Someone shouted angrily, "Who is causing trouble here? Are you trying to kick the place?"

Chu Huan held the copper staff, leaning it on the ground, but only stared at the main hall's door. He didn't even look at the group that had rushed out, completely ignoring their presence.

The people of the Bali Hall saw that the plaque above the door was damaged, and the four characters "Wu Yi Zai Dao" were missing. They knew something was wrong and quickly took weapons from the racks, surrounding Chu Huan.

Anyone who dared to cause trouble in the Bali Hall was either crazy or a formidable opponent.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "He... he is Chu Huan!"

"Huh?"

"Huh!"

"It's Chu Huan...!"

There was a commotion around, and Sun Zikong was bewildered. Someone shouted at him, "Sun Zikong, did you bring him here?"

Sun Zikong nodded and then shook his head, sweating profusely, and stammered, "I... this... he wanted to come and join...!" He realized that he had made a huge mistake today.

Not only in the Bali Hall, but throughout Qingliu County, Chu Huan's name was already well-known. He had publicly broken the leg of Qing Lao Si and beaten the people of the Bali Hall until they fled in disgrace. This incident had spread throughout the streets and alleys.

Sun Zikong was not deaf and knew this clearly. He never imagined that he would be the one to bring Chu Huan to the Bali Hall today.

His face was pale. No matter what the outcome was today, he had led the tiger into the mountain, and the people of the Bali Hall would surely settle accounts with him later. He would certainly not have a good end.

Once the people of the Bali Hall recognized Chu Huan, no one dared to attack. If it were anyone else, the people of the Bali Hall would have already rushed over and beaten them with sticks.

However, Chu Huan's reputation was too great. The Bali Hall had clashed with Chu Huan twice, and both times they had suffered significant losses. Among the Eight Great Warriors, the bald leader, Qing Lao Si, and Lao Wu Lu Bao had all had their legs broken by Chu Huan. Lao Liù, the short one, had been kicked and suffered internal injuries. Four of the Eight Great Warriors were now bedridden and unable to get up.

Such a terrifying figure, the small fry of the Bali Hall naturally dared not attack. In the battle at He Sheng Quan, not only was Qing Lao Si crippled, but many of his subordinates were also severely injured. Who would dare to risk being severely injured and attack now?

The commotion in the front courtyard quickly alerted the main figures. In a moment, several people rushed out from the side of the main hall. Chu Huan recognized one of them, the thin Lao San.

There were two others dressed similarly to the thin man, whom Chu Huan guessed were the other members of the Eight Great Warriors.

When the thin Lao San saw Chu Huan, his expression changed, but he still came forward with a stiff smile, bowing and saying, "It's Chu Sir. I didn't know you would honor us with your presence. What can I do for you?"

Chu Huan stood in the snow and said calmly, "It's not to give advice. According to your terms, Chu Sir is here to... kick the place!"