After a moment of silence, Mei Shuangfeng spoke slowly, “Go out of the city first, and I will accompany you. If what you say is true, and it really is that Silverback Precious Fish... my Mei Family Martial Arts Hall will certainly not treat you poorly.”
Whew...
Shen Xiuhan let out a long breath, the massive boulder weighing on his heart finally crashing to the ground.
This move had been the right one.
He immediately bowed deeply and said, “Your righteousness is noble, Hall Master. I shall lead the way...”
“No need.”
Mei Shuangfeng raised her hand and said, “Go on ahead. The Inner City has too many eyes and ears. To avoid drawing attention, I have my own ways of trailing behind you. Go on.”
“...As you command.”
Shen Xiuhan did not waste words either. He cupped his hands in another bow, slung the fish basket onto his back, and respectfully backed out of the room.
...
Once the sound of his footsteps faded into the distance.
The woman in martial attire stepped forward quickly, a trace of worry flickering in her eyes. She lowered her voice and said, “Mother... can we truly trust this kid's words?”
“Most likely.”
Mei Shuangfeng stood with her hands behind her back, her voice calm. “But the human heart is treacherous, and there is always a chance of being deceived. However... if he dares to use this as a pretext to play me for a fool...”
She paused, a sudden, fierce light exploding from the depths of her eyes. “No matter what immense difficulties he might have, I will make him wish he were dead.”
Inside the warm room.
A brief, dead silence fell.
The charcoal fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across half of her face.
After a moment, Mei Shuangfeng suddenly recalled something, and the corners of her mouth curled upward. “Heh... did that kid just say that I have always possessed a righteous character?”
“Hahahahaha!”
A shrill, piercing laugh exploded in the hall, sounding like the screech of a blood-weeping screech owl, sending shivers down one's spine.
“My Mei family was indeed an orthodox sect in the past. From top to bottom, everyone practiced noble righteousness!”
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Mei Shuangfeng's elegant and graceful face instantly twisted with deep resentment. “But ever since...”
“Ever since your younger brother was thrown alive into a boiling iron cauldron and cooked to death by those scoundrels who are worse than pigs and dogs...”
Crack!
Her fingers clamped down on the red sandalwood desk.
The corner of the desk, which was harder than iron, was actually crushed into a handful of fine powder by her grip, rustling as it fell to her feet.
“From that day onward, there is only a ruthless, vengeful...”
“Face-Tearing Demon!”
...
Leaving the martial arts hall, Shen Xiuhan made his way toward the city gates.
As he passed by the teahouse, he deliberately scanned the area.
The two Golden Dragon Gang lookouts from before were nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps they went to corner me at the fish market?
Shen Xiuhan pondered as he kept moving forward.
He walked briskly all the way into the depths of the reed marshes.
Finding the rock-solid block of ice hidden in the snow, he patted it clean.
Shen Xiuhan sat down cross-legged on the spot, holding his breath and calming his mind as he waited quietly.
The cold wind whistled through the woods, rustling the withered reeds.
After an unknown amount of time, his ears suddenly caught a faint rustling sound.
She was here!
Shen Xiuhan's heart tightened, and he was about to stand up.
“Where is the fish?”
A cold, eerie female voice sounded right against the back of his neck without any warning.
The hairs all over Shen Xiuhan's body stood on end, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back!
He whipped his head around, shocked to find that Mei Shuangfeng was already standing three feet behind him like a ghost, her hands clasped behind her back!
On the melting snow, not only were there no footprints, but not even a single indentation had been left behind.
Was this a martial artist?
It truly was... supernatural and unpredictable!
Shen Xiuhan's heart hammered wildly, but his movements did not slow down at all. He lifted the heavy block of ice with both hands and said respectfully,
“Hall Master, this is the Silverback Fish.”
Mei Shuangfeng took it with one hand, the block of ice weighing over a hundred catties feeling as light as a feather in her palm.
After examining it through the ice for a moment, her expression softened visibly, and a strange light flashed in her eyes as she said softly,
“Not bad...”
“Its vital energy is abundant, and its silver scales are brilliant. It is indeed a genuine Silverback Fish.”
“Judging by its size, it is at least five years old.”
Seeing Shen Xiuhan's bewildered expression, she glanced at him and explained calmly,
“For any precious aquatic creature, the older it is, the more majestic the vital energy it contains, and the harder it is to obtain even with a thousand gold pieces.”
“A normal Silverback Fish is a Tier Two Precious Fish, which is not particularly rare. The two counties surrounding Cloudwater Lake catch several of them every two or three months.”
“A newly matured one is worth ten taels of silver, but yours...” Mei Shuangfeng pondered slightly before continuing, “can be valued at twenty taels.”
Twenty taels of silver!
Shen Xiuhan felt a chill in his heart.
He suddenly thought of the Silverback Fish that Shen Sanhuai had caught back then.
In his memory, Shen Sanhuai had mentioned that its size was almost identical to this one.
Yet, it had been taken away by the Bai family's steward for a mere single tael of silver...
The Bai family.
Ma Xianyang.
In this dog-eat-dog world, those at the bottom were treated like worthless weeds!
He had to learn martial arts!
Only by learning martial arts would there be a way out!
Shen Xiuhan gritted his teeth, bent his knees, and knelt in the snow, saying in a deep voice,
“This junior, Shen Xiuhan, is wholly dedicated to the martial path! I am willing to offer this fish as a gift and beg Hall Master Mei to accept me as a disciple!”
Mei Shuangfeng looked down at him, not agreeing immediately.
“There is no need for a gift. My Mei Family Martial Arts Hall has its own set of rules for accepting disciples.”
“I will not give you a single copper less than what this Silverback Fish is worth.”
“As for becoming a disciple...”
She paused, scrutinizing him.
“How old are you this year?”
“Just turned seventeen.”
“Seventeen... is slightly late for laying a foundation in martial arts.”
Before her voice could fade, Mei Shuangfeng extended her right hand. Her eagle-claw-like fingers clamped onto Shen Xiuhan's shoulder blade, squeezing with force.
Sss!
An excruciating pain pierced his heart, as if his bones were about to be crushed raw!
Shen Xiuhan sweated profusely from the pain, his teeth grinding together with a clicking sound, yet he did not make a single peep.
“Hmm, your bone sutures have not completely closed, and your tendons still possess flexibility. There is still room to sculpt you.”
Mei Shuangfeng slowly withdrew her hand, but her tone suddenly shifted as she said solemnly,
“But let me lay down the ugly truth first.”
“To become my disciple, you must pay tuition. How much you pay determines how much martial arts you learn. If your pockets run dry in the future, do not blame my martial arts hall for being heartless... Do you understand my meaning?”
Shen Xiuhan did not hesitate at all. “I understand! The tuition can simply be deducted from the money for the Precious Fish!”
“Very well.”
Mei Shuangfeng pondered for a moment, then untied a cloud-patterned pouch from her waist.
“For an outer courtyard disciple, the tuition is eight taels of silver for half a year. This half-year will be enough to test whether you are a dragon or a worm on the path of martial arts.”
“If you can develop some skill, such as breaking through the Blood Tempering Rank and entering the early stage of Mingjin, you can enter the inner courtyard in the future to continue your advanced studies.”
“If there is no progress... then give up on this idea as soon as possible and find another way to make a living.”
Shen Xiuhan was ecstatic. He clasped his fists tightly once more.
“This disciple will certainly study with unflagging resolve and practice diligently, never failing to repay Master's grace in fulfilling my wish!”
Looking at the blazing yearning for martial arts in the youth's eyes, a trace of daze flickered imperceptibly in the depths of Mei Shuangfeng's eyes.
As if touching upon some memory, a rare trace of softness actually appeared on that face, which was usually covered in frost, before vanishing in an instant.
Mei Shuangfeng composed herself and spoke slowly once more,
“Come to the outer courtyard of the martial arts hall to report before the hour of Si tomorrow. Someone will naturally teach you the basic stance work. As for what realm you can reach, that will depend on your own fortune.”
Having said that, she reached into her pouch. After rummaging around for a moment, a sudden look of embarrassment crossed her face.
“Ahem... your master left in a hurry today and did not bring enough silver.”
She pursed her lips and withdrew her hand. Quietly resting in her palm were three thumb-sized ingots of fine silver.
“Take these three taels of silver first. After deducting the eight taels for tuition, the remaining nine taels...”
“will be paid to you in full when you come to the martial arts hall tomorrow, how about that?”
“Of course, that is fine.”
Shen Xiuhan respectfully accepted the silver ingots.
Perhaps feeling that owing money was a bit embarrassing, Mei Shuangfeng's tone became even gentler.
“Once a Precious Fish is out of water, the pure vital energy in its body quickly dissipates. Fortunately, you were quick-witted and knew to preserve it in ice, barely managing to protect its medicinal efficacy.”
Shen Xiuhan was slightly startled.
How could he have known about such details?
It was purely to avoid drawing attention that he had frozen it into a block of ice.
But since Mei Shuangfeng had said so, he could only thick-skinnedly lower his head and agree.
“We will discuss everything tomorrow. I am off!”
Having settled the matters, Mei Shuangfeng lifted the frozen block containing the Silverback Fish with one hand, and her figure suddenly moved!
With a light tap of her toes on a reed stalk, she soared into the air like a spiritual swallow piercing through the clouds and mist.
Her black gauze robe rustled loudly in the cold wind as she glided dozens of feet through the air, leaving no trace upon the snow.
Within two or three leaps, her figure melted into the far end of the vast, white blizzard.
Rate on N.U.
