The biting wind was cold, but Yuan Chong’s heart was ablaze.

Carrying a wine jar and a food box, he used a Body Technique to weave through the forest, gradually approaching a small wooden cabin.

"Bao’er!"

"Dad!"

Yuan Bao pushed the door open and walked out. His eyes lit up when he saw the wine jar.

"This scent... is it the Hundred-Day Intoxication from Yuntao Garden?"

"That’s right." Yuan Chong nodded, entering the cabin and placing the wine jar and the dishes from the food box on the table.

"As long as you like it, I’ll buy it for you no matter how much it costs. But this wine is very strong, so try not to drink too much."

"Don’t worry, Dad." Yuan Bao grinned.

"Things are different now. I’ve successfully nurtured my Inner Qi, so I’m no longer afraid of anyone discovering this place."

He slapped the seal off the wine jar, poured a bowl, and drained it in one gulp, laughing as he said,

"If any blind fool follows the smell here, I’ll kill them one by one!"

"Haha..." Yuan Chong laughed heartily.

"As expected of my son. In a few days, we’ll go back to the city to sort things out. After the new year, you will marry Miss Zhou of the Zhou Family."

Miss Zhou!

Yuan Bao’s eyes shone.

Once upon a time, a great and powerful household like the Zhou Family was an existence far beyond his reach, yet now he could marry their daughter.

With the Zhou Family as their backer, the Yuan Family could finally establish a firm foothold in Leping County, becoming a prominent and wealthy family overnight. They would no longer have to live at the mercy of others.

"The wedding can wait."

Yuan Bao pursed his lips and asked,

"Dad, when will the Zhou Family deliver the Cultivation Technique they promised me?"

"In the next few days." Yuan Chong patted his son’s shoulder and sighed.

"Whether it’s Monkey Fist or Rolling Stone Fist, they are both inferior Martial Skills. If you can obtain the Zhou Family’s Cultivation Technique, you might one day be able to follow in the footsteps of the late Master Zhu."

"Back in the day, Master Zhu was also just a country bumpkin, but later, even the Zhou Family had to tread carefully around him."

"Master Zhu..." Yuan Bao narrowed his eyes.

"Dad, has there been any movement from the Zhu Family these past few days?"

"What movement could there be?" Yuan Chong’s face filled with disdain.

"The current Young Master of the Zhu Family is a good-for-nothing, useless in both scholarly and martial pursuits. He stays cooped up in his room all day like a sheltered young lady. In all the time he’s been in Leping County, you can count the number of times he’s gone out on one hand."

"Oh, right!"

"My man in the pharmacy sent word. That old servant named Qin probably won’t make it."

"Is that so?" Yuan Bao raised an eyebrow.

"It seems he was just forcing himself to hold on that day. If I had known, I would have taken his old life right then and there!"

"No need for that." Yuan Chong waved his hand dismissively.

"Why smash a jade disc against a clay pot? That old fool Qin didn’t have long to live anyway. There was no need to clash with him head-on."

"The only one to worry about is Zhu Ju’s brother-in-law..."

"But as long as you marry Miss Zhou, the Zhou Family will help you bear the consequences of a mere house servant’s death!"

’It seems...’ Yuan Bao clenched his fist, his eyes glinting. ’In the end, strength is all that matters. As long as I am strong enough, I can have all the wealth, women, and power I desire.’

"Dad!"

He looked up and said,

"I’m planning to trade the remaining Pusique Snakes for something that can increase my strength."

Yuan Chong’s expression changed slightly.

They had agreed that once Yuan Bao nurtured his True Qi, the remaining Treasure Snakes would be given to Yuan Hu. Yuan Hu also wanted to advance further.

Both were his own sons; he didn’t want to favor one over the other.

"Dad."

Yuan Bao said,

"Big Brother’s Martial Arts Talent isn’t good, and he’s always slacking off. Giving the Treasure Snakes to him would be a complete waste."

"But I can make the most of them. At worst, I’ll give Big Brother some compensation after I get married."

"Well..." Yuan Chong thought for a moment, then nodded helplessly.

"Alright!"

"No need." Just then, an icy voice came from outside the window, followed by an object that was thrown through the window and landed on the table.

"He won’t be needing them anymore."

"Who’s there?"

Yuan Bao slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet.

Yuan Chong looked at the object on the table. His expression was first stunned, then a wave of fear, despair, and disbelief washed over his face.

"My son!"

"Big Brother!"

Yuan Bao also let out a furious roar.

The object thrown onto the table was none other than Yuan Hu’s head. Its eyes were wide open, unable to rest in peace.

"AHHH!"

Yuan Bao roared with rage. Although he disliked Yuan Hu for his laziness and gluttony, he was still his big brother, the one he had grown up with.

"Die!"

Monkey Step!

Rolling Stone Fist!

With a slip of his feet, he shot out like an agile monkey, but his Fist Momentum was like a Mountain Collapse.

He had integrated two simple Fist Techniques. In terms of Martial Arts Talent, he was truly not bad.

Facing the incoming attack, the figure outside didn’t dodge or evade, but met it head-on, striking out with five fingers formed into a claw.

Red Blood Divine Claw!

In terms of profoundness, the Red Blood Divine Claw was no stronger than the Mixed Element Iron Hand. However, in terms of versatility, apart from its final three Killing Moves, the Mixed Element Iron Hand was far inferior to the Red Blood Divine Claw.

PENG!

HISSS...

After a single contact, Yuan Bao’s expression changed drastically as he flew backward in retreat, looking at his arm.

Deep claw marks were shockingly visible. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Even more shocking than the attacker’s sharp Claw Skill was his age and familiar face.

"Zhu Ju!"

"Young Master Zhu!"

Seeing the visitor clearly, the father and son’s expressions both changed drastically.

In their impression, Zhu Ju was a recluse who rarely went out, like a sheltered young lady. Although not completely powerless, he had no particular Martial Arts Talent.

But now, at only fifteen or sixteen years old, he had forced Yuan Bao, who had nurtured Inner Qi, to retreat in a single move. To possess such strength at this age was considered top-tier, not just in Leping County, but even in Hejian Prefecture.

"Yuan Chong!"

Zhu Ju’s gaze shifted sideways, his voice icy.

"The Zhu Family did not treat you poorly. It is understandable that you had selfish considerations for your own family, but you should not have laid a hand on Elder Qin. Today, you will go down first and atone to Elder Qin."

"Young Master." Yuan Chong’s face paled.

"Spare me..."

WHOOSH!

A fierce wind rushed at his face.

"Dad! Watch out!" Yuan Bao roared, throwing a punch to intercept, but what filled his vision were those profound and unpredictable claw shadows.

HISSS...

SQUELCH!

Streaks of claw marks, deep enough to show bone, appeared on his body at a speed visible to the naked eye. Then, the claw shadows suddenly converged.

’It’s over!’

Despair filled Yuan Bao’s eyes.

PUFF!

He felt a sudden, sharp pain in the tendons of his hands and feet, and all the strength was rapidly drained from his body. Then his vision went black, and he fainted.

SWISH!

Landing on the ground, Zhu Ju flashed forward to catch up with Yuan Chong, who was attempting to flee. A blood-red claw shadow descended from the sky, its tips piercing through his skull and exploding within. His consciousness plunged into endless darkness.

THUD!

Yuan Chong fell headfirst to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the expert at Great Success in Entering Strength lay dead, and the Inner Qi expert was grievously wounded.

CRACK...

Just as Zhu Ju was about to step forward to check the body, he suddenly snapped his head to the side. With a flick of his finger, a copper coin shot out like a bolt of lightning.

THWACK!

The copper coin pierced the wooden wall and embedded itself in a large tree.

"Who’s there!"

Zhu Ju shouted coldly,

"Come out."

"Mercy, mercy!" A man walked out from behind the cabin, trembling. He held his hands high, his voice choked with sobs.

"This lowly one is the Snake Nurturer who was tied up here by the Yuan father and son. I have nothing to do with the grudge between you and them, Great Hero."

"Snake Nurturer?" Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered.

"Pusique Snakes?"

"Yes." In the freezing weather, the Snake Nurturer wore only a tattered hemp shirt, his body bruised and purple from the cold. He nodded tremblingly.

"Over a year ago, I and a few other mountain folk discovered a nest of Treasure Snakes in the mountains. We were hoping to sell them for some silver coins to support our families, but we were discovered by the Yuan Family. They killed the other mountain folk and only kept this lowly one alive to raise snakes for them..."

"Until today."

"Hmph." Zhu Ju narrowed his eyes.

"Are there any Treasure Snakes left?"

"There are." The Snake Nurturer nodded.

"The Treasure Snakes, when soaked in medicinal wine, can be used by martial artists to refine their Physical Body and nurture Inner Qi. They’re useless after one has already nurtured Inner Qi."

"We discovered twenty-one Treasure Snakes in total. Yuan Bao ate one every so often. Now there are five left, all in the cages out back."

*

*

*

WHOOSH...

A figure leaped over the courtyard wall and landed in the yard.

"Young Master!"

Ma Xun hurried forward to greet him. When he got a clear look at the person Zhu Ju was carrying, his expression changed, and his eyes filled with a deep fury.

"Yuan Bao!"

Zhu Ju casually tossed Yuan Bao down in front of Elder Qin.

"Elder Qin."

He stepped forward, took Elder Qin’s hands, and said in a low voice,

"I have killed Yuan Chong and Yuan Hu. I’ve left this Yuan Bao alive to kowtow and atone to you. I’ll leave him to Ma Xun to handle."

"..." Elder Qin’s eyes were clouded. His gaze swept over Yuan Bao on the ground, then turned to Zhu Ju. A strange light appeared in his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Y-Young Master, you..."

"Elder Qin, you no longer need to worry about me." Zhu Ju nodded and said slowly,

"I have cultivated the Thirteen Body Refinement to the External Training Fourth Realm, and I can also use the three great Killing Moves of the Mixed Element Iron Hand."

"Good! Good!" Elder Qin’s body trembled with excitement, tears streaming from his old eyes.

"I knew it... I knew you were no ordinary young master. It’s true... it’s really true!"

"Cough, cough!"

He coughed violently, and bloody foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"This old servant... can rest easy now!"

"Ma Xun." Zhu Ju’s expression changed slightly as he ordered in a low voice,

"Bring the blade!"

"Yes, sir!"

Ma Xun gritted his teeth, took the blade, and walked forward. With a swift rise and fall of his hand, he severed Yuan Bao’s head.

GURGLE...

The head, its eyes glaring with fury, rolled back and forth on the ground until it came to a stop at Elder Qin’s feet. Looking at the headless corpse on the ground, a faint smile appeared on Elder Qin’s lips, and his eyes slowly closed.

Zhu Ju stood up, gently raised his hand, and caught a snowflake drifting down from the sky.

"The snow has come much earlier than usual this year."