That Lord

Not long after, on Yan Pingsheng's side.

Li Xiangzhi, worried that returning too late would be unsafe, suggested they head back now.

Zhuang Xun and An Dafu readily agreed. Thus, the three of them boarded An Dafu's carriage and returned to the Wanxing Martial Academy.

In the days that followed, Zhuang Xun dedicated himself to his cultivation, living a peaceful and stable life.

After a few days passed in this manner, an event suddenly occurred in the Outer Court that became the talk of the town—Guichen was madly challenging the top experts on the Outer Court Disciple Ranking.

This Outer Court Disciple Ranking was a list of the top one hundred disciples in the Outer Court, compiled by busybody disciples based on the results of the monthly examinations.

Yan Pingsheng happened to be ranked exactly hundredth on this list.

Meanwhile, Guichen had failed to make the list because his strength at the end of the previous month's examination was only Five Stones of strength.

He started by challenging the disciple ranked fiftieth on the Outer Court Disciple Ranking. In just over a week, he fought his way up to eleventh place.

But just as he was about to challenge the tenth-ranked disciple, an accident occurred.

Guichen had his leg broken by someone while he was out. Although the injury was not severe, it would take at least a month for him to recover.

With less than three months remaining before the promotion assessment, losing a whole month meant that, in the eyes of others, his previously guaranteed spot in the Upper Two Courts had instantly become bleak.

Zhuang Xun sighed with emotion when he heard this news in the dining hall.

Sigh, this guy is way too reckless. He had a guaranteed spot in the Upper Two Courts if he had just cultivated quietly, but he went and ruined it by showing off. Now we'll just have to see if some so-called protagonist halo kicks in for him.

In Zhuang Xun's view, challenging the Outer Court Disciple Ranking was an incredibly foolish move.

It offered no real benefits and was an easy way to offend people.

Guichen had likely offended some young master or young lady because of it, which was why he had his leg broken outside.

As the days passed, discussions about Guichen in the Outer Court gradually died down. When he was occasionally mentioned, it was merely as a joke. Everyone was focusing on preparing for the promotion assessment in just over two months.

However, just over a week later, Guichen suddenly challenged Liang Shaohua, who was ranked tenth on the Outer Court Disciple Ranking, and won. This sparked a heated discussion throughout the entire Outer Court once again.

Many talked about his immense strength and his incredibly fast recovery speed.

But when someone suddenly pointed out that he possessed only a Low-grade Skeletal Structure, yet had increased his strength from Five Stones to Eight Stones in just a single month without growing severely obese, the discussion shifted entirely to what kind of fortuitous encounter he must have obtained.

This news spread rapidly and widely.

For a time, many began to dig deep into Guichen's background and past experiences. Even some Inner Court disciples were secretly asking around about him.

After this, Guichen settled down completely. No more news of him challenging the Outer Court Disciple Ranking came out, and his figure was rarely even seen.

...

On this day, Zhuang Xun finished reading the storybooks he had on hand.

He controlled Yan Pingsheng to leave the academy to buy more storybooks, and unexpectedly spotted Guichen on the street.

Guichen looked highly alert, shielding a bundle in his arms as he darted through the crowd, eventually ducking into a dark alleyway.

A moment later, several fierce-looking men ran over. They looked around before rushing into the same dark alleyway Guichen had just entered.

Having witnessed the entire scene from a bookstall across the street, Zhuang Xun remained expressionless. He took a couple of bites of his candied hawthorn, picked up his newly purchased storybooks, and walked away.

The best way to avoid trouble was to mind one's own business.

Ever since experiencing several major setbacks, Zhuang Xun had come to firmly believe in this saying and strictly adhered to it.

Upon returning to the academy, he first took a bath, then lay on his bed to read his new storybooks. When he grew a bit sleepy, he lay down to sleep, having a wonderful dream in the process.

...

The slums outside the Wanxing Market.

Amidst a cluster of crude shacks built from wood and rags, there stood a grand courtyard that looked exceptionally imposing by contrast—this was the headquarters of the Wild Wolf Gang.

Inside, the gang's leader, Lord Wolf, sat quietly in the main seat, waiting for news from his subordinates.

With a creak, the courtyard doors were pushed open.

Several muscular gang members dressed in coarse hemp clothes walked in, surrounding an elderly man dressed like an advisor.

Lord Wolf opened his eyes and asked, “How did it go, Mr. Qi? Did you catch that kid?”

Mr. Qi, the advisor, shook his head with a grim expression. “That kid escaped again, and we even lost a few brothers.”

“Hmm?” Lord Wolf frowned, only now noticing the few men behind Mr. Qi carrying corpses on their shoulders.

Before Lord Wolf could ask what had happened, Mr. Qi spoke up first:

“That kid has quietly tempered his strength to Nine Stones of strength. He managed to break through the trap I set by sheer force. However, he also suffered significant injuries and won't recover anytime soon. We will definitely capture him next time.”

Lord Wolf's frown deepened, and he said in a low voice, “Mr. Qi, this is already the second 'next time' you've promised.”

“Rest assured, Lord Wolf, there won't be a third time.”

Mr. Qi said confidently, “I have already figured out his general movements after he leaves the Wanxing Martial Academy. When the time comes, we only need to station men outside the academy to watch him and set up an ambush in advance. We will definitely catch him.”

“Even if he manages to escape again, one more attempt will be enough for me to pin down his exact destination after leaving the Wanxing Martial Academy.”

A greedy smile appeared on Mr. Qi's face. “Ye Guichen knows we are trying to catch him, yet he repeatedly leaves the Wanxing Martial Academy. The place he wants to go to definitely holds a great secret—perhaps it is the very source of his sudden rise!”

“As long as we find that place, we won't need to waste our efforts trying to capture and interrogate him for his secret.”

A smile also appeared on Lord Wolf's face. “I have always been at ease with how Mr. Qi handles things.”

However, next to Mr. Qi, a gang member with long limbs and a slightly monkey-like appearance showed little interest.

“Even if we find it, won't we just have to hand it all over to that lord? After all this effort, how much would we actually get to keep?”

“Lord Wolf, why don't we take advantage of the fact that the lord still needs us and use his influence to pull off a few big scores right now!”

Mr. Qi agreed, “Lord Wolf, Little Four makes a good point! No matter how great Ye Guichen's fortuitous encounter is, it won't fall into our hands. We might as well use this opportunity to get some things we can actually keep.”

Lord Wolf was somewhat tempted. After weighing the pros and cons, he said:

“Fine, we'll do as you say. But we can't make too much of a scene. We will only target small fry with no background.”

“The Law Enforcement Hall of the Wanxing Martial Academy has ignored us lately. Aside from that lord working things from the inside, it's also because that kid Ye Guichen has no background and has offended many people. If we target someone with even a bit of a background, things might not go so smoothly.”

Mr. Qi thought for a moment and said, “Lord Wolf, I actually know of a target. An Outer Court disciple named Yan Pingsheng. He has no background, has received no backing from any influential family, and is merely the son of a hunter. Yet, the benefits we could reap from him are definitely substantial. I heard that he gained a hundred jin in a short period! Such an effect would be impossible without consuming a massive amount of precious meat.”

“Mr. Qi, are you sure about this?”

Lord Wolf asked, “As a hunter's son, where would he get so much money to buy precious meat? Is there really no one secretly backing him?”

Mr. Qi hesitated for a moment before saying:

“It seems not. Although there are rumors that his background is not simple, I believe those are just fabrications made up by a young man to save face.”

“‘Seems’ and ‘believe’ mean you aren't certain.” Lord Wolf waved his large hand. “Since you aren't certain, investigate it thoroughly first. Before we have clear answers, no one is allowed to act on their own, or else...

“...they will face the gang's laws!”