A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

One hour later.

Chu Xuan carried a huge package as he walked out of the Black Serpent Gang's headquarters, flames shooting into the sky behind him!

The rain kept pouring down.

When Chu Xuan arrived at his hiding place, his clothes were already soaked through and sticky to his body.

The advantage is that the smell of blood on your body is almost completely washed away.

This torrential rain was enough to cover up all traces.

Chu Xuan lit the firewood, took out clean clothes from the hidden corner and changed into them, then threw his previous clothes into the fire before sitting down to review the situation.

"That Qiu Wu really knew!"

"They actually tried to harm Mother and Xiaohe? Luckily I intervened beforehand; otherwise, it would have been a real problem if he had escaped!"

Qiu Wu was the vice leader of the Black Snake Gang, and also a Ming Jin martial artist.

When the Black Snake Gang occupied the Three Heroes Gang's territory, they had greeted him.

Now that Pang Jiao and Qiu Wu are dead, he has killed all the high-ranking members of the Black Snake Gang!

Even if a few escaped, they won't cause any trouble.

It won't be long before it's swallowed up by other gangs.

After thinking it over several times and confirming that there were no problems, Chu Xuan began to take stock of his gains.

The package was large and bulging, enough to fill a suitcase.

But most of the items inside were loose copper coins, followed by pieces of silver of varying sizes.

They were all plundered from the people of the outer city.

"This is all the people's hard-earned money! I've done something to rid the people of a scourge..."

Chu Xuan roughly estimated that the silver and copper coins together amounted to more than a thousand taels.

In addition, there are two silver notes worth five hundred taels each!

Adding the thousand taels obtained from Pang Jiao, the total comes to over three thousand taels!

"It's out!"

Chu Xuan couldn't help but breathe rapidly.

The huge sum of over three thousand taels of silver, even without the profits from the braised meat, was enough to support all his expenses as he progressed to the Dark Force realm.

One blood-clotting pill a day is more than enough!

However, that would be too extravagant.

It also makes you more noticeable!

After counting the silver, Chu Xuan solemnly took out a cloth bag from his pocket.

This cloth bag was found in Pang Jiao's bedroom, placed together with the silver notes, and wrapped in precious silk.

Chu Xuan opened it and saw a picture on it!

Under the starry sky, a ferocious demonic ape, taller than a mountain and covered in black and gold fur, roared to the sky and raised its paw to grab the stars.

Chu Xuan glanced at it and felt somewhat dazed, as if he was intimidated by the aura of the demonic ape.

It was clearly a painting, and it looked a little blurry, but Chu Xuan felt a sense of horror as if he were truly facing this terrifying giant ape.

"What is this?"

Chu Xuan quickly put the drawing away, intending to deal with it later.

He vaguely guessed that the value of this painting was probably higher than the more than three thousand taels of silver he had received!

By the time I got home, it was almost midnight.

The rain has stopped.

Chu Xuan saw the lights still on in his house from afar, and his heart warmed.

"Brother, why are you only just getting back? Mother and I were so worried!"

As soon as Chu He saw Chu Xuan enter, she ran out in the rain.

When Chu Xuan saw Zeng Ke running out, he quickly explained, "I went to Jinxiu Pavilion to talk to Young Master Ye about something, and I only came back after the rain stopped. I'm sorry to have worried you and Xiao He, Mother."

"It's good that you're alright."

Zeng Ke exchanged a few words with Chu Xuan, then pulled Chu He, whose eyelids were drooping, back to sleep.

The next day.

On his way to the martial arts school, Chu Xuan noticed that there seemed to be more patrols in the city than usual. Many people were posting notices on the streets, seeking the capture of notorious bandits.

Chu Xuan didn't pay any attention. When he arrived at the martial arts hall, he found that some outer disciples were also talking about these things.

Upon arriving at the inner courtyard, Chu Xuan began practicing standing meditation to warm up, and then resumed his boxing practice.

After finishing his set of punches, Dongfang Lin arrived, yawning.

"By the way, something big happened in the outer city last night, did you know?" Dongfang Lin whispered mysteriously in Chu Xuan's ear.

Chu Xuan didn't reply.

He had long understood Dongfang Lin's personality; he liked to keep people in suspense.

Even if you don't ask, the other person will eventually find out!

"Hehe, you used to live in the outer city, so you should know about the Black Snake Gang, right? I heard that last night their headquarters was completely wiped out, and dozens of people were killed! Even the Black Snake Gang leader was beaten to death in the street!"

Dongfang Lin chuckled, "I heard it was a notorious bandit who did it. The Wang family is frantic! They've already offered a reward of five hundred taels of silver for his capture!"

"The Wang family?" Chu Xuan was taken aback. "What does this have to do with the Wang family?"

The Wang family is one of the five major families in the inner city, second only to the Jiang family of the city lord's mansion in strength!

Such a power doesn't even bother to care about the lives of the people in the inner city, so how could it possibly care about the affairs of the outer city?

Dongfang Lin sneered, "You don't really think that those gangs that kill each other all day long control the outer city, do you? Don't be naive!"

The five great families of the inner city are all bad news!

The city lord's mansion controls the entire inner city, so naturally it looks down on the outer city.

The other four major families, however, each controlled their own territory, outwardly appearing superior and looking down on the muddy outskirts of the city. Secretly, however, they continuously exploited the people of the outer city through their gangs!

Those disobedient gangs are either swallowed up by other gangs, or their leaders suddenly die! You think it's a coincidence?

Chu Xuan remained silent.

Unexpected!

But thinking about it, it makes sense!

Dongfang Lin said with a hint of schadenfreude, "The Dongcheng area is Wang family territory! I heard that the Wang family just won over the leader of the Black Snake Gang a few days ago, and even spent a lot of money to let him see the Fundamental Diagram to help him break through to the Dark Force realm. Now, they've even lost the Fundamental Diagram..."

"The fundamental diagram? What's that?" Chu Xuan asked.

Dongfang Lin said leisurely, "The true teaching is contained in a single diagram, while false teachings fill countless volumes! This diagram refers to the fundamental diagram!"

A martial art has stance training, practice methods, fighting techniques, breathing techniques, and killing techniques. There are countless aspects to it.

The fundamental diagram is the most crucial element; you can think of it as the general outline! Only by possessing the fundamental diagram can you integrate these elements and unleash the full power of a skill!

Viewing the fundamental diagram can also help martial artists better understand the essence of martial arts!

Although the fundamental map the Wang family gave to the Black Serpent Gang was a rubbing, it was still incredibly valuable. The key issue wasn't just the money; it also involved the Wang family's secret martial art, the Demonic Ape Force. No wonder the Wang family was in such a hurry!

Our Bajiquan also has a fundamental diagram, but only those who have reached the level of internal strength (Anjin) are qualified to see it from our master!

Dongfang Lin pursed his lips in Xu Yuan's direction, implying that Xu Yuan had already seen it.

At this moment, Xu Yuan and the others were packing their things to prepare for their hunting trip to Yunling Mountain.

Chu Xuan glanced at it, then looked away and continued cultivating.

If these people can hunt down exotic beasts, their strength will surely increase rapidly.

He certainly couldn't be left behind!

At noon, Chu Xuan took a break and went out for a stroll.

Sure enough, the Wang family members were seen posting reward notices everywhere, seeking to capture the notorious bandit.

However, the portrait of that notorious bandit was rather gruesome to look at!

He had a thick beard, a fierce face, and a hideous scar on his left cheek...

It fits the public's stereotypical image of a notorious thief.

He's not exactly the same as Chu Xuan, but... completely unrelated!

Chu Xuan glanced at it a few times and then felt relieved!

The Demonic Ape Star-Picking Map that he obtained from Pang Jiao should be the fundamental map of the Wang family.

It must be hidden well, and absolutely must not be exposed!

If it's discovered, I wonder if Lao Lu's shoulders are strong enough to bear the brunt of the Wang family's blame!

Chu Xuan dared not gamble, nor was he certain that when facing the Wang family, Lu Tong would protect him as forcefully as he had when facing Cao Zhengxiong.

Of course, this feeling of entrusting one's fate to others is not what he wants!

A person must rely on themselves!

We must become stronger!