We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 173 I'm sorry I was born to you.

"Is this what you originally looked like?"

Inside the courtyard, Ma Chen looked at Su Chen, who had changed his appearance, with slight surprise.

Su Chen shook his ramen-noodle-like hair, didn't reply, and instead said, "Let's go."

The two left the town; their destination was Fengdong City.

To this day, in addition to having influence in Dafeng City, the four major clans are also spread throughout the other four cities.

Fengdong City was one of the main residences of the Chu clan.

The situation was similar to that in Fengbei City, where the government and clans took the lion's share, while other small and medium-sized forces divided up the remaining profits.

The difference is that the Chu family is more powerful, and with the addition of the Hong family, Fengdong City is nominally dominated by the government, but in reality, it is dominated by the Chu family.

Unlike usual, Ma Chen was unusually quiet today, barely saying a word the whole way.

Su Chen thought the other party had changed his ways, but he found that Ma Chen looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, and his eyes seemed to be scrutinizing him.

"that……"

"Shut up!"

Before Ma Chen could finish speaking, Su Chen coldly interrupted his spellcasting.

Ma Chen protested, "No, I meant to say..."

"Shut up."

Su Chen didn't want to hear it.

Ma Chen opened his mouth, then fell silent.

He couldn't hold back for long and blurted out, "Could you please change your outfit next time?"

Su Chen remained silent, his eyes indifferent.

Seeing this, Ma Chen blushed slightly, his breathing became a little heavy, and he said softly, "It would look even better if it were a woman..."

Su Chen: "..."

Su Chen subconsciously moved away from Ma Chen, full of vigilance.

"Don't misunderstand..." Ma Chen blushed and breathlessly explained, he had no homosexual tendencies.

Before he could finish speaking, Su Chen quickened his pace, his steps slightly hurried.

“I didn’t mean that,” Ma Chen shouted from afar.

Seeing Su Chen disappear from sight in just a few breaths, Ma Chen was taken aback: "Why do I feel like this guy's speed has increased again?"

After this incident, the two increased their speed dramatically, and arrived at the territory of Fengdong City in less than half an hour.

Compared to Fengbei City, Fengdong City is more stable and more prosperous.

This can be seen from the fact that the entrance fee to Fengbei City was one wen higher than that of Fengbei City.

Upon entering the city, the streets were bustling with traffic and crowds, creating a lively atmosphere.

Ma Chen was clearly well-prepared. Without any delays along the way, he led Su Chen to the bustling city center, where the Chu family mansion was located.

The two arrived at a restaurant and stood by the window on the third floor, gazing into the distance. From here, they could vaguely see the Chu family's mansion.

"What is this?" Su Chen asked curiously when he saw Ma Chen take out a piece of Xuan paper with strange circles, frames, and crosses drawn on it.

"This is a map of the Chu family."

After a moment of silence, Ma Chen replied, pointing to the large circle on the left side of the center of the map, "This is where Ma Shiman lives, near the West Wing."

"Did you draw this map yourself?" Su Chen asked, pursing his lips.

"Hmm." Ma Chen nodded, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Chen shook his head, his face full of strangeness. He couldn't connect the thing in front of him with the map no matter what he did.

Except for the West Wing where Ma Shiman is depicted, which is drawn a bit more neatly.

The rest, to put it elegantly, is glossed over; to put it bluntly, it's just scribbles.

The only advantage is that it has a certain realism to it despite its ugliness, and the layout on it is similar to what he sees now.

Oh well, so be it if it's ugly.

"You can continue," Su Chen replied.

Ma Chen said, "I think you know how heavily guarded the Chu family mansion is, so my plan is to act at night. With my abilities, I should be able to avoid being discovered."

"And what about me?" Su Chen asked, realizing what was going on.

"You need to step up your game," Ma Chen said, glancing at him sideways.

Su Chen: "..."

Snapped!
His response was a slap from Su Chen without hesitation.

As if he had expected this, Ma Chen dodged away and grinned, saying, "Just kidding. You'll just have to come with me then."

Night falls.

The Chu family mansion became the brightest place in Fengdong City, as bright as day.

"I didn't expect these clan candles to be so readily available," Ma Chen explained, causing Su Chen's lips to twitch slightly.

However, the Chu family was indeed quite extravagant. Rows of lanterns swept away the darkness of the vast mansion, and it was unknown how many servants lit candles every day.

"Let's go." Ma Chen didn't pay attention to these details and said casually.

The two were like messengers of the night, suddenly bursting into the world of light.

Although Ma Chen's map was drawn hastily, it was clear that he had familiarized himself with the layout of the Chu family mansion beforehand.

The two arrived at the west wing without any hindrance.

"This is it." Ma Chen stopped near a courtyard and said to Su Chen.

Su Chen looked in the direction of the sound but didn't see anything, only a dozen or so figures inside the room.

"Next, you expose yourself to attract the old woman next to Ma Shiman and lure her away. Leave the rest to me."

Ma Chen gestured for Su Chen to look out the window, then pointed to an old man walking by and said...

Su Chen nodded: "Okay."

He leaped into the courtyard, making no attempt to conceal his movements. The subtle footsteps instantly drew the attention of those inside, and a cold shout rang out: "Who goes there?"

Old Ou jumped out of the window and into the yard. He immediately spotted the furtive Su Chen, and his pupils narrowed slightly.

"Old man, shut up, or I'll kill you!" Su Chen threatened in a low voice, feigning a fierce demeanor.

The old woman was initially surprised, but after hearing Su Chen's threatening words, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

It's one thing to trespass into the Chu residence, but to even dare to threaten her so brazenly is truly audacious!

"You scoundrel, how dare you trespass into the Chu residence! You deserve to die!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the old woman took a step forward, and the ground immediately groaned. Then, a figure transformed into a sharp arrow and shot towards her.

Before the person even arrived, the old woman released a dragon-like aura, soaring into the sky.

His entire body surged with energy, which instantly coalesced in his palms, whistling through the air with a series of sonic booms.

With a single palm strike, a two-foot-long streak of light appeared in mid-air, leaving a striking trail that shook the air and surged forward.

Su Chen's eyes narrowed, and he let out a soft snort.

With a light touch of his toes, he darted away, leaving a fleeting afterimage as he narrowly avoided the old woman's powerful attack.

Seeing this, the old woman's face darkened; she had underestimated Su Chen.

"You old bastard, you just wait!"

After dodging the attack, Su Chen left behind a harsh remark, then his figure flashed, leaping away from the courtyard like a nimble monkey in a mountain stream.

The old woman, who hadn't intended to chase after them, felt a chill run down her spine after hearing Su Chen's words.

She wanted to capture Su Chen, pry open his eyes, and let him see for himself how he resembled an old scoundrel.

Before giving chase, the old woman looked around and, finding nothing amiss, sped off with incredible speed.

Seeing Su Chen distract the old woman, Ma Chen leaped into the courtyard, rushed into the room, and swiftly knocked the maids unconscious.

"Who are you?"

Inside the room, a graceful and elegant woman saw this scene and a look of panic flashed across her face, but her tone remained calm.

Ma Chen looked at the woman somewhat absentmindedly and said softly, "Do you still remember the Denggao Pavilion by the Great Yan Lake?"

clap clap!

The old woman, who had just chased after him from the courtyard, was knocked unconscious by Su Chen with a slap before she could even see him.

To prevent the other person from waking up prematurely, he deliberately slapped him an extra time.

After concealing the old woman's body, Su Chen returned to the courtyard where Ma Shiman lived. At this time, there were only two figures inside the house.

Su Chen guessed that Ma Chen had already entered the room.

He found a slightly secluded spot in the yard and waited.

About fifteen minutes later, Ma Chen came out of the room with slightly red eyes, as if he had encountered something unpleasant.

"All right?"

Su Chen emerged from the bushes, looking at Ma Chen with a complicated expression.

"You heard everything?" Ma Chen was not surprised at all that Su Chen had appeared.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen chuckled dryly and explained, "I overheard it by accident."

Ma Chen didn't say anything, but walked away. Su Chen shrugged and followed closely behind.

“Ma Shiman is my mother.”

After leaving the Chu residence, before Su Chen could speak, Ma Chen spoke up, his voice tinged with melancholy.

At this moment, Ma Chen was no longer the lively and frivolous person she used to be; she exuded an aura of melancholy.

Su Chen fell silent. He had already guessed the relationship between the two from their conversation.

I lost my mother when I was very young, and my father raised me alone.

When I was seven years old, my father fell seriously ill and told me about my mother.

He and his mother were in love, but due to their different social statuses, they were forced to separate, and his mother became someone else's wife and mother.

Later, my master took me in, raised me, and taught me martial arts.

When I was fifteen, my master was killed by our enemies. I endured for three years, finally avenging him. This time I've come to find that woman not for any other reason than to ask her why she only gave birth to me but never raised me…”

After hearing this, Su Chen sighed and asked, "Did you get any results from asking?"

“I forgave her,” Ma Chen replied sorrowfully, the answer self-evident.

After a long while, he calmed himself down, stood up and said, "Let's go, let's find a place and I'll write down the rest of the Profound Heart Myriad Wonders for you. There's a lot of content, so it might take a while."

Su Chen nodded, originally intending to take Ma Chen to the rented courtyard house in Fengdong City.

However, Ma Chen said he was more comfortable in the previous courtyard and planned to go back, which Su Chen did not refuse.

Half an hour later, the two returned to the courtyard.

Although it was still early, Su Chen did not let Ma Chen start memorizing, as he was not in the mood for it at the moment.

While Ma Chen stayed in the room, Su Chen went to the courtyard to cultivate the Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart Style.

The third golden needle was half-formed, and Su Chen planned to take advantage of the situation to complete it.

He slowly and carefully channeled the energy within his body, and even after he had condensed two golden needles, he dared not relax.

To condense one's energy into a hair-thin golden needle, one must have a very high degree of control over that energy; otherwise, such a subtle operation is impossible.

The half-golden needle gradually took shape and floated on Su Chen's palm. With the continuous flow of energy, it eventually became complete.

After being washed hundreds or thousands of times, a sharp gold needle about the length of an index finger was finally formed.

After the golden needle was formed, Su Chen could subtly feel that his control over the force had deepened a bit.

After glancing at the sky, Su Chen got up, washed up, and went back to his room to rest.

In the dead of night, the moonlight became hazy, and the earth was completely silent, as if asleep.

A figure darted through the darkness and arrived outside the courtyard where Su Chen and his companion lived.

Inside the room, Su Chen suddenly opened his eyes, noticing the commotion outside the courtyard, a strange look flashing across his face.

"what happened?"

He got up and found Ma Chen, who was sleeping soundly. After Su Chen covered his mouth, Ma Chen looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"somebody is coming."

Su Chen lowered his voice and said that the other party was still outside the courtyard and had not entered, as if waiting for an opportunity.

Upon hearing this, Ma Chen's drowsiness vanished. After Su Chen released his hand, he asked, "Where is he?"

“Still in the yard,” Su Chen replied.

A strange light flashed in Ma Chen's eyes as he asked, "Is it the Dragon Guard?"

"No, it should be some kind of assassin. They are very good at concealing their presence," Su Chen said, shaking his head.

"How did you know?"

"Based on my experience, I've seen more assassins than you've eaten rice," Su Chen glanced at Ma Chen and replied calmly.

Ma Chen: "...!"

"So what do we do now?" Ma Chen asked.

Su Chen smiled upon hearing this: "Guess why I woke you up?"

"You're not planning to let me do it all by myself, are you?"

"Go ahead." Su Chen nodded.

Outside the yard.

After observing for a while, the man in black entered the courtyard and turned his gaze to the dark house.

Although I don't know the target's strength, he probably isn't that great, after all, how powerful can a young kid be?

He walked to the window and peered inside by the faint starlight. When he saw the blankets pulled back on the bed, his gaze froze.

What about people?

A hint of doubt stirred in his heart, followed by a sense of foreboding, and then he heard a whooshing sound behind him.

"Discovered!"

The man in black did not turn around. He dodged the sudden attack with a swift movement, then turned to look at Ma Chen standing in the courtyard.

"Who are you?" Ma Chen stared at the newcomer and asked in a deep voice.

"Kill your people!"

The man in black snorted coldly, a hint of killing intent flashing across his face. Then, wielding his long sword, he flicked his wrist and slashed diagonally.

Seeing this, Ma Chen suddenly took a step forward, his body shooting out like a cannonball, rushing over in the blink of an eye with lightning speed.

"Such speed." The man in black was slightly surprised, then gripped his longsword tightly, his strength rapidly gathering on the blade.

With a soft shout, he unleashed a torrent of powerful energy.

Ma Chen once again used his maximum speed to avoid a direct confrontation with the man in black.

The man in black was at the second level of the Blood Refining Realm, while he was at the first level. Although there was a difference of one level, he still wanted to test the other's strength.

"Hide? Where can you hide?"

Having been dodged time and again, the man in black flashed with anger and snorted coldly.

He struck again, leaping in front of Ma Chen and slashing down at his face with his knife.

boom!
"What kind of force is this?"

Suddenly, goosebumps rose all over the man in black's body. A faint sense of danger rose up inexplicably. He dared not be careless and retreated immediately.

Just then, a cold glint pierced through the void, shot out from Ma Chen's fingertip, and hurtled towards him.

In a flash, the light struck the hilt of the man in black's knife, making a clicking sound.

Immediately, the man in black felt the long sword tremble violently, emitting a buzzing sound, and his arm also began to shake.

Kaka.

A crack appeared on the blade in an instant, and spread rapidly with the vibration. In the blink of an eye, the part of the longsword that was hit was dented.

Although it wasn't broken, the shocking cracks made the man in black feel as if the long sword was about to shatter at any moment.

He stared at Ma Chen in surprise, a rare look of apprehension rising in his eyes.

Ma Chen didn't pay attention and was about to make another move when he suddenly stopped and froze in place.

This change startled the man in black, but he quickly realized what had happened.

Snapped!
Unbeknownst to anyone, Su Chen appeared on the man in black. Without any warning, the man in black was slapped unconscious by Su Chen.

After a while.

The man in black woke up and looked at the two people standing in front of him, his heart skipped a beat.

"Who sent you?" Ma Chen asked first.

The man in black did not answer, but snorted coldly.

Snapped!
"Say!"

Suddenly, Ma Chen slapped the man in black across the face, his expression turning fierce.

Snapped!
"Say!"

Another slap landed, drawing blood from the corner of the man's mouth, but he still didn't utter a sound.

He stared at Ma Chen with eyes full of resentment, but chose to ignore him and continued to whip the man in black.

Clap clap clap!

"Stop, stop hitting me, I'll talk!"

The man in black wasn't as tough as he'd imagined. After being slapped more than ten times, almost all the teeth on one side of his face were knocked out, and he stammered as he spoke.

Clap clap clap!

Another series of slaps followed the man in black.

"I'll talk, I'll talk..." the man in black raised his voice, indignant.

clap clap.

In the end, it was Su Chen who stopped Ma Chen, giving the man in black a chance to speak.

"Yes, they are from the Chu family."

"Who?"

"Mistress".

"why?"

"what?"

The man in black was taken aback. How did he know why?

"No, you're lying to me."

Click.

Ma Chen roared, his state becoming frenzied, and suddenly struck, snapping the neck of the man in black.

Su Chen watched silently from the side without saying a word.

"I'm going to sleep first."

After a long while, Ma Chen lowered his head, slowly got up, said something, and went into the house.

Looking at Ma Chen's sorrowful figure, Su Chen sighed softly. The mistress mentioned by the man in black, if nothing unexpected happened, was Ma Shiman.

Although no one knows what happened, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Ma Shiman is preparing to kill her own son.

Ma Chen had obviously guessed these things, but he simply refused to believe it.

Shaking his head, Su Chen temporarily hid the black-clad man's corpse and then went back to his room to rest.

After an unknown amount of time, when he heard the noise coming from Ma Chen's room, Su Chen slowly opened his eyes, sat up, and watched silently as Ma Chen left the courtyard with the corpse of the man in black.

He left in the direction of Fengdong City.

"Never mind, let's go and see."

Watching Ma Chen leave, Su Chen thought for a moment and decided to follow him to check on him. After all, the Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart Technique was still on Ma Chen's body, and he didn't want anything to happen to him.

With that thought, Su Chen put on his clothes, moved as lightly as a swallow, and transformed into a black shadow, disappearing into the vast night.

(End of this chapter)