Chapter 54: A Marriage Proposal

In the days that followed, the Zhou Academy returned to a superficial calm.

Chen Qing's life became a rigid routine of two points: during the day, he practiced the Tongbi Stance in the Zhou Academy to temper his muscles and bones; at night, he returned home to focus his mind on cultivating the Fishing Toad Strength and honing his Gale Saber Technique in his small courtyard.

Aside from the necessities of eating and sleeping, he poured almost all his time into cultivation, completely undistracted.

This near-masochistic bitter training lasted for over two months.

【Fate: Heaven Rewards the Diligent; Success is Inevitable】

【Tongbi Stance: Great Success (952/2000)】

【Tongbi Fist: Great Success (815/2000)】

【Gale Saber Technique: Great Success (21/1000)】

【Fishing Toad Strength: Minor Success (287/500)】

Under the blessing of [Heaven Rewards the Diligent], the progress bar of the Tongbi Stance pushed forward slowly but steadily. Everything seemed to be proceeding according to plan, in an orderly fashion.

Initially, his master, Zhou Liang, held a glimmer of expectation for Chen Qing, this newly promoted Martial Xiucai. He would occasionally check on Chen Qing's progress to see if this "mediocre talent" of a rough gem truly had a chance to knock on the door of the third stage of Jin-transformation.

However, Chen Qing's speed in tempering his internal strength was ultimately not spectacular; the limitations of his physical constitution became undeniably apparent through day after day of cultivation.

Without the [Heaven Rewards the Diligent] fate, his destiny would likely have been no different from that of Guo Dachui, who had left in disgrace.

Gradually, Zhou Liang checked on him less and less.

Beyond the fact that Chen Qing's progress failed to ignite hope, what worried Zhou Liang even more was that the Zhou Academy's "blood-making" ability was rapidly declining.

There was a time when new faces flocked to the gates every month, sometimes even reaching double digits.

But in the last two months, the number of new disciples could be counted on one hand—no more than three or five in total.

The fact that the Songfeng Martial Arts Hall had crippled Qin Lie in a martial examination affected far more than just their personal reputation; it dealt a heavy blow to the prestige of the Zhou Academy.

Coupled with the rumors secretly spread by the Songfeng Martial Arts Hall, many who originally intended to apprentice were deterred from the Zhou Academy.

The furrow between Zhou Liang's brows grew deeper by the day. His mind was adrift, his gaze often wandering past the academy walls, lost in thought.

One day, just as Chen Qing finished his second round of the Tongbi Stance, his clothes soaked with sweat, he sat on a stone bench under the corridor wiping his forehead.

His gaze drifted toward the guest rooms deep within the academy.

A distinguished guest had arrived today. Zhou Liang had personally welcomed them, with Zhou Yu accompanying them.

The visitors were a composed middle-aged man and a sharp-eyed youth.

The disciples in the courtyard were already whispering amongst themselves.

"Who are those two?"

"It's Master Liu Ze of the Mantis Boxing! Beside him is his only son, Liu Nianbo, the ninth-ranked Martial Xiucai on the B-list!"

"Ninth on the B-list? That's higher than Senior Brother Chen's ranking?"

"I heard he has already reached the perfection of Dark Jin and will attempt his third breakthrough by the end of this year..."

...

Liu Ze was not only a Mantis Boxing expert but also a Martial Scholar, possessing considerable fame within High Forest County.

Zheng Ziqiao leaned toward Sun Shun, who had just emerged from the guest rooms, and whispered, "Senior Brother Sun, what is Master Liu doing here?"

The other disciples also pricked up their ears.

With a complex expression, Sun Shun said slowly, "He is here to propose a marriage."

Zheng Ziqiao's eyes widened instantly. "A proposal?! To whom? Could it be... Junior Sister Zhou?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the surrounding disciples changed, their hearts feeling as if gripped by an invisible hand.

"Is Senior Sister really getting married?"

"Has Master... agreed?"

"Who knows... *sigh*..."

The sighs were filled with unmistakable loss and resentment.

Zhou Yu was the flower blooming in the hearts of all the Zhou Academy disciples; seeing her about to be carried away by an outsider in a single pot, how could they not feel a tightness in their chests?

Sun Shun nodded. "Yes, but Junior Sister Zhou declined on the spot. She said... we shall see after Liu Nianbo successfully breaks through his third stage."

Hearing this, the tension in everyone's hearts relaxed slightly.

Zheng Ziqiao frowned deeply and muttered, "The third breakthrough... that is no easy feat."

That being said, he knew in his heart that Liu Nianbo was a genius, and with the full support of his father, a Martial Scholar, his chances of success were far beyond those of an ordinary Dark Jin practitioner.

Chen Qing silently wiped away his sweat, his gaze darkening slightly.

To propose marriage at a time when Zhou Liang's sole disciple had just been crippled—the timing was quite telling.

After all, Zhou Liang had only one daughter.

***

At the Cheng family, the atmosphere was as frozen as an ice cellar.

In the center of the main hall, two corpses covered in white cloth lay side by side on the cold floor.

When the cloths were pulled back, they were revealed to be Jiang Han and Pang Shuhua, guests of the Cheng family.

Two Dark Jin experts who had guarded the Niangniang Temple Pier for years!

Cheng Huan stared fixedly at the corpses, forcibly suppressing the surging rage in her throat. "Who... is the killer?"

Beside her, Cheng Ming's face was ashen as he struggled to utter three words: "Tian Yaozong."

The hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Several young disciples turned pale as paper, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"The Wu family... they have gone too far!" Cheng Huan clenched her fists.

Since the Cheng and Wu families had "split" the Niangniang Temple Pier, the Wu family had been quiet for only a short while before beginning their endless encroachment.

To maintain the big picture, Cheng Huan had endured time and again, only to be met with even more aggressive coercion.

"The Wu family... has sent word."

A Cheng family elder spoke in a dry voice, breaking the suffocating silence. "They say... in half a month, the deadline arrives. Either the Cheng family leaves the Niangniang Temple Pier entirely, leaving not an inch behind; or, we follow the old rules of the martial world and settle it with a 'Duel of Fists.' The loser... leaves with nothing."

The air solidified; even breathing became difficult.

"The Wu family intends to drive us to extinction!"

Cheng Huan took a deep breath, her eyes filled with a desperate resolve. "We have no way to retreat. There is only... the Duel!"

She knew well that even if they yielded now, the Wu family would never let the Cheng family go.

Cheng Ming's face was full of bitterness.

The few remaining Dark Jin experts of the Cheng family were either dead or elderly and physically declining.

Forget facing a peak Dark Jin Great Success practitioner like Tian Yaozong; even against an ordinary Dark Jin expert, they would have little chance of winning.

He had previously gone to seek help from an old acquaintance, Xue Gaojian of the Xue family, but had been flatly rejected.

To avoid meeting him at such a critical juncture made their stance clear: no one was willing to offend the rising Wu family for the sake of the declining Cheng family.

Such was the coldness of the world and the fickleness of human hearts.

The Wu family had been plotting this for a long time, and their approach was aggressive, clearly intending to swallow the Cheng family's last territory in one gulp.

"Sigh!"

Cheng Ming let out a heavy sigh. "If all else fails... we can only ask Jiang Yang to step in."

Jiang Yang was a talent the Cheng family had invested everything into cultivating. He had previously been injured while attempting his third breakthrough, and the Cheng family had spared no expense in providing precious medicines and fish to aid his recovery. It was said his injuries were now seventy to eighty percent healed.

However, every time his recovery was inquired about, Jiang Yang's answers were always vague.

Cheng Huan nodded wearily, the last glimmer of light in her eyes fading. "At this point... we can only treat a dead horse as if it were alive."

(End of Chapter)