Chapter 3: Hiding One's Brilliance

“We are not members of the Yu family, so we should be allowed to leave, right?”

The head disciple, Zhu Fang, did not look at Yu Zhentian’s current expression, but instead looked up at Zha Laosan on the roof.

Zha Laosan suddenly burst into laughter, squinting his eyes as he said

“Naturally, that is no problem. However, you only have two breaths of time left.”

“That is enough.”

Zhu Fang let out a heavy sigh of relief. After saying this, he turned and sprinted rapidly toward the courtyard exit, and the two junior brothers beside him followed without the slightest hesitation.

“You… a bunch of ungrateful disciples!!”

Yu Zhentian was overcome with rage. He leaped into the air, reaching out to grab the three of them.

He might have let others go, but these three disciples were ones he had adopted since childhood and raised with meticulous care. Over the years, he had poured countless efforts into them.

Therefore, he could not accept their betrayal no matter what.

“Everyone, run! If you don’t run now, it’ll be too late!”

Zhu Fang shouted loudly, and together with the other two disciples, he unleashed his full strength, trading several blows with Yu Zhentian.

Amidst a series of violent explosions of energy, Zhu Fang and the other two were sent flying by Yu Zhentian, crashing into the rockery nearby and cracking the hard stone.

All three of them suffered internal injuries, spitting out a mouthful of blood as they rolled to the ground, barely able to stand up again.

Taking advantage of this opening, the other martial arts hall disciples and apprentices no longer hesitated; they seized the opportunity and fled in all directions.

If even the head disciple was running for his life, staying behind would only mean certain death.

At this moment, Yu Zhentian’s white hair was disheveled, and his body was trembling.

“Why?”

He ignored the others, instead gritting his teeth as he questioned Zhu Fang, his gaze filled with both anger and deep disappointment.

“Time is up!”

Zha Laosan raised his hand and swung his blade, sending a blade aura through the air that split a willow tree in the courtyard in two.

“From now on, whoever dares to move again will end up like this tree!”

Seeing this, those who hadn’t yet escaped were terrified out of their wits. They stopped in their tracks immediately, not daring to move an inch.

“It’s over!”

Zhang Dazhuang swallowed hard, looking at the thigh-thick broken tree, his face ashen.

Li Musheng shook his head without speaking. Zhang Dazhuang turned and asked with a trembling voice

“Ah Sheng, why aren’t you running?”

“That seems like something I should be asking you,” Li Musheng replied, tilting his head.

Zhang Dazhuang gripped his staff tightly. His fleshy face revealed a bitter expression as he sighed

“Actually, I’m afraid of death too. But if the old master hadn’t taken me in back then, I would have frozen to death in that winter many years ago.”

“So I can’t leave, even though I know staying behind won’t do any good.”

There were not many people left in the courtyard now. Li Musheng sat on the stone steps nearby and nodded slowly

“One thing is one thing. Although Old Man Yu is selfish, stingy, and snobbish, a debt of gratitude must be repaid.”

Meanwhile, facing Yu Zhentian’s questioning, the head disciple Zhu Fang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly laughed

“Master, you ask me why? Then let me ask you, where are the eldest young master, the second young lady, and the rest of the Yu family members right now?”

Hearing this, Yu Zhentian was suddenly stunned, his overflowing rage stalling.

Zhu Fang continued

“Master, you actually knew the Seven Thieves of Zha River would come today, so you arranged to send the eldest young master and the others away in advance, while leaving us disciples behind to die for your Yu family, didn’t you?”

Yu Zhentian did not speak. Zhu Fang’s face gradually became distorted

“You usually say you treat us like your own sons, but in the end, we just became cannon fodder for you, Yu Zhentian?”

“If I hadn’t discovered it by accident, we wouldn’t even know how we died today. We would have even died foolishly working for your Yu family.”

Once these words were spoken, the disciples and apprentices in the courtyard were shocked.

Only now did they realize that during the big event of the old master’s retirement today, they hadn’t seen the eldest young master or the second young lady at all.

For a moment, everyone looked at Yu Zhentian, who was standing in the courtyard.

Zhang Dazhuang did the same, but when he saw Yu Zhentian’s aged and weary face, his expression slowly dimmed, and he whispered

“Sigh, I can understand the old master.”

He paused, then added

“But Ah Sheng, you always complain about the old master being stingy, why did you stay in the end?”

Li Musheng spread his hands and said

“Old Yu said he would give everyone five taels of silver after his retirement ceremony. I haven’t gotten the money yet, have I?”

Hearing this, Zhang Dazhuang looked up and stared deeply at Li Musheng

“It’s not worth losing your life for those five taels of silver. Actually… you don’t have to be like me, throwing your life away for the sake of repaying a debt.”

Li Musheng smiled and waved his hand

“Once I get the silver, I’m not staying at this Yu Family Martial Arts Hall.”

……

“We don’t have time to watch your master-disciple drama.”

Zha Laoer’s hoarse voice came from the roof. He waved his hand.

A masked man in black, holding a long rope, lifted two coarse hemp sacks from behind him and threw them directly in front of Yu Zhentian.

Two pained groans sounded from within, and the sacks were torn open by a powerful burst of energy, revealing the two figures inside.

“Xian’er! Second Sister!”

Yu Zhentian’s expression changed drastically; the two people before him were his eldest son and second daughter, whom he had secretly sent away.

“Trying to pull tricks under our noses? You underestimate the Seven Thieves of Zha River too much.”

Zha Laosan sneered as he looked down at Yu Zhentian, squinting his eyes slightly

“Hand over the item, and I might show mercy and let your whole family have a complete corpse.”

Yu Zhentian’s body stiffened, but he didn’t reply, instead rushing to check on his children.

However, he discovered with shock and fury that his son’s limbs had been broken, and his four-hundred-pound second daughter was covered in wounds and blood, with white fat spilling out from the gashes.

“You are courting death!”

Yu Zhentian was overcome with rage. His internal energy surged, creating a gust of wind. He roared, drew his sword, leaped onto the roof, and charged at Zha Laosan and the others.

Soon, sword energy crisscrossed and tiles flew everywhere. Yu Zhentian began fighting the five of them, excluding Zha Laoer.

To everyone’s immense surprise, Yu Zhentian was not at a disadvantage at all while fighting five opponents at once.

“Old thing, you were still holding back even when death was at your doorstep.”

Zha Laosan’s gaze was gloomy, his blade flashing like lightning, every strike a lethal move.

He had originally planned to hold back to capture Yu Zhentian alive for interrogation, but now, he couldn’t suppress his opponent without going all out.

Zhu Fang and the others were stunned where they stood. They truly hadn’t expected their master to be hiding his true strength, possessing martial arts far more powerful than what they had seen on a daily basis.

“You ungrateful disciples, quickly take Xian’er and Second Sister and leave! I will hold them off!”

Yu Zhentian’s thunderous voice rang in everyone’s ears. Before Zhu Fang and the others could react, Zhang Dazhuang rushed to Yu Xian’s side, trying to help him escape the courtyard.

However, when he saw the battered Yu Second Sister on the other side, he hesitated visibly and cast an urgent, pleading look at Li Musheng.

“Brother Zhang, leaving this four-hundred-pounder to me is a bit too much!”

Li Musheng frowned, his dissatisfaction clearly written on his face.