Chapter 31

Cheng Shaojiu clenched his fists. Yet, he could not say a word.

He remained silent for a while before turning around, leaving the security agency, and heading to Huishan Martial Hall.

In fact, he knew everything about his uncle's situation. On the surface, he seemed to care about nothing, but in reality, he was well aware of everything.

The security agency's business was affected, but it was far from being in trouble. His uncle deliberately exaggerated the situation to prevent him from bringing more people into the agency.

His family never met his sworn brothers and sisters, and this was the reason.

Everyone thought he associated with a bunch of bad influences, believing he was wasting his life, but how many people truly understood his thoughts?

He, Cheng Shaojiu, treated others with sincerity, and they would surely treat him the same.

Only genuine sincerity could earn genuine sincerity. Although his friends might not seem impressive on the surface, when it came to crucial moments, those who would stand by him would be far more reliable than the security guards under his uncle's command!

However, his uncle did not see it that way.

Following the usual route, Cheng Shaojiu soon arrived at Huishan Martial Hall, trying not to let anyone notice anything was wrong.

He had to keep what had just happened to himself to avoid arousing suspicion.

In the courtyard, many of his fellow disciples were already there, practicing individually.

Cheng Shaojiu immediately spotted his good friend Wei He. They exchanged a glance, about to speak.

"Bad news!" Suddenly, a new disciple burst through the courtyard gate.

"Senior Brother Xiao Ran was seriously injured in yesterday's sparring match!"

"!!?"

The crowd in the courtyard was initially stunned, then they all wore skeptical and disbelieving expressions.

Who was Xiao Ran? He was the darling of Huishan Martial Hall, the apple of Old Master Zheng's eye, and a great expert at the Stone Skin level.

Now, someone was suddenly claiming he was seriously injured!?

"It's true!" Another disciple quickly entered, speaking in a serious tone, "The teacher has given an order: Third Senior Brother, Xiao Jue, Zhang De, Zheng Niu, and Xu Anshan, you five follow me. The rest stay in the courtyard!"

This disciple was one of those who often followed Zhao Hong, frequently relaying messages from the teacher and the senior brother.

Upon hearing this, everyone began to believe it.

After all, no matter how bold this person was, he wouldn't dare to spread false orders.

The named disciples immediately stepped forward and, led by Cheng Shaojiu, hurriedly followed this person out of the courtyard, heading in the direction of the town with the most doctors and pharmacists.

Wei He didn't even have time to tell Third Senior Brother about his breakthrough.

He saw a significant number of people leave.

He let out a light sigh.

"How did Senior Brother Xiao get injured? With Old Master Zheng around, how could he get injured?" someone whispered.

"Old Master Zheng is strong, but no one has ever seen him in action. How do you know he's stronger than Senior Brother Xiao? After all, he's old, and his qi and blood have declined," another person whispered in response.

"Didn't he go for a sparring match a few days ago? Could it be...!?"

"Who knows... sparring... hey, I heard from a senior brother that no one has ever been seriously injured in a sparring match."

"Stop guessing." Jiang Yan coldly rebuked, "Focus on your own practice."

Wei He also refocused, his mind calm, and continued his practice.

The courtyard gradually returned to peace, but everyone, though seemingly calm, was filled with curiosity.

Xiao Ran was not well-liked in the courtyard, so when they heard he was seriously injured, some even felt a sense of schadenfreude.

Soon, Ouyang Zhuang arrived, his expression flickering as he pretended to be calm and walked to Wei He's side.

"Senior Brother Wei, I just went to Taihe Hall... Senior Brother Xiao is being treated there. Do you want to know how he got injured?"

He whispered mysteriously.

"..." Wei He remained silent, continuing his own tasks. He built up the fire and began to heat and disinfect the sandstone used for skin grinding.

Ouyang Zhuang blinked, waited for a while, and seeing that Wei He didn't react, he became anxious.

Compared to Cheng Shaojiu and Old Master Zheng, his patience was much worse. Unable to hold back, he immediately started spilling his so-called insider information.

"Senior Brother Wei, you're really calm, aren't you? I asked the guards at home, and during yesterday's sparring match, Xiao Ran was spotted by the Zhao family of the Seven Families Alliance and the Tian family. Both sides invited him to join their families to take up positions."

"Then... Xiao Ran that guy..."

"Speak clearly." Wei He glared at him.

Such casual and disrespectful behavior, if heard by others, would not affect Wei He, but Ouyang Zhuang would surely be labeled as disrespectful to his seniors, which would be detrimental to his future development.

"Okay... okay, Senior Brother Xiao, is that better?" Ouyang Zhuang pouted, unconcerned.

He was young and didn't care about these things.

"I'll tell you, Xiao Ran rejected the Tian family and chose to join the Zhao family. As a result... today it was reported that he was ambushed and seriously injured by a masked person. Tsk tsk... The Zhao family and the Tian family have always been rivals. If it weren't for the internal agreement of the Seven Families Alliance, there would be no alliance at all."

"Senior Brother Xiao truly suffered an unforeseen disaster. It's tragic... very tragic."

"In my opinion, if he chose the Zhao family, the Tian family would definitely take action. No one wants to see such a young and talented person with great potential join their rival."

"Originally, the Zhao family would certainly have been cautious and guarded against him being ambushed, but the Tian family acted too quickly. There's no way to guard against an ambush for a thousand days, right?"

He continued with more schadenfreude, probably because Xiao Ran always acted as if he was the best and looked down on everyone, which made Ouyang Zhuang quite annoyed.

However, Wei He was no longer listening.

His mind was filled with the news Ouyang Zhuang had just shared.

Xiao Ran, because of his talent, was invited by two families during the sparring match. He accepted one offer but was ambushed by the other, resulting in serious injuries...

Talent... it turns out, even talent comes with risks. He originally thought the risks would be minimal, but now it seems the risks are significant...

A tree that grows outside the forest must endure the wind and rain from all directions.

'Is this the price of standing out?' Wei He thought solemnly.

He had originally planned to quickly reveal his progress, perhaps even earning the title of a young talent.

But now...

'Perhaps it's better to hide it for a while. No need to rush...' Wei He felt uneasy.

Being a talent is not easy.

However, he also understood that it would be difficult to keep his progress hidden from Old Master Zheng. This was actually a good thing, as only Old Master Zheng knowing his progress would allow him to receive more resources and support.

His safety would also be ensured, and he could obtain subsequent training methods more easily without being held back.

But he wouldn't reveal it to anyone else...

Wei He had made up his mind. He would wait a bit longer before revealing his breakthrough. This way, he wouldn't bear the burden of being a talent and could handle things more calmly.

If Old Master Zheng figured it out on his own, he wouldn't need to mention it. If not, he would find an opportunity to reveal it privately.

Ouyang Zhuang was still chattering, gloating, and saying many things.

Wei He responded intermittently, continuing his practice.

Gradually, the whole day passed. Old Master Zheng and the others never came.

Senior Brother Zhao Hong, Cheng Shaojiu, and a few core disciples were all at Taihe Hall, obviously staying there.

The courtyard was filled with gossip, and everyone lacked the motivation to practice properly.

Wei He, however, urged Ouyang Zhuang to complete their daily training diligently.

"Senior Brother Wei, you're really calm..." Ouyang Zhuang said weakly.

"..." Wei He said nothing, slowly placing his sweat towel in hot water, washing it, wringing it out, and placing it on his face.

The sky was gradually darkening, and it was almost time to end the session.

At the courtyard gate, a group of people entered.

Senior Brother Zhao Hong was at the front, followed by Cheng Shaojiu, and then two disciples carrying a stretcher.

On the stretcher lay Xiao Ran, his face as pale as gold paper, unconscious, and clearly severely injured.

Old Master Zheng was at the back, holding a cane, his expression grim.

His usual lazy and slow gait now showed a hint of heaviness and authority.

Unlike what Wei He had expected, Old Master Zheng had no interest in the situation in the courtyard. He followed the group with a cold face and quickly entered the inner room.

Soon, a disciple ran out with a prescription, apparently to buy medicine.

Wei He remained calm, packed up his things, and pinched the naive Ouyang Zhuang, leading him out of the courtyard.

"Ouch, Senior Brother Wei, why did you pinch me?!"

"What did you call me?" Wei He paused.

"Senior Brother Wei?" Ouyang Zhuang's words were cut off as his ear was pinched again.

He immediately cried out in pain.

"Senior Brother! Brother! My good Senior Brother, I was wrong!"

He quickly begged for mercy.

Wei He released his hand. "Let's go."

"Okay..." Ouyang Zhuang rubbed his ear, looking puzzled and helpless.

The two packed up their things and left the courtyard.

Originally, Wei He had planned to proactively tell Old Master Zheng about his breakthrough, but he decided to put it off for now.

Seeing Xiao Ran's fate, he realized the risks of being a talent, so he decided to be a less prominent talent.

He would find another opportunity to tell Old Master Zheng.

After Xiao Ran was seriously injured, Old Master Zheng mobilized his network to investigate the attacker, but to no avail.

This wasted a lot of time, energy, and money.

For over half a month, Old Master Zheng went out early and returned late, but with no results. He finally returned to the courtyard with a grim expression.

Unlike usual, he no longer had the leisure to slowly eat chicken claws after a cup of tea.

Now, he had no interest in chicken claws, his eyes seemingly focused on the others in the courtyard, but his attention was elsewhere.

Everyone could see that Xiao Ran's injury had a significant impact on him.

Xiao Ran, after a month of recuperation, could勉强 walk, occasionally appearing in the courtyard