Chapter Thirteen: February

Yang Ze had no idea when Yang Yuanzhen had arrived, but out of caution, he wrote another letter and sent it to Yang Yuanzhen after he led his men to set fire to the two bases of the Shark Gang and the Sea Shock Gang, just to see what reaction Yang Yuanzhen would have. He hadn’t expected Yang Yuanzhen to actually show up.

In truth, Yang Yuanzhen had arrived as soon as the conflict began among these people; he simply stood aside, watching how Yang Ze would resolve the situation. When he saw Yang Ze kill Niu Juli, he was somewhat surprised—he hadn’t anticipated that Yang Ze, quietly and without fanfare, had mastered the first move of the Black Tiger Blade to such an extent.

Had the matter ended there, Yang Yuanzhen might not have intervened. However, with Hai Dali from the Sea Shock Gang stepping forward and Elder Hong unable to cope, Yang Yuanzhen had no choice but to act.

The reputation of a man is like the shadow of a tree; Yang Yuanzhen was the top expert in the Southern City. The moment he appeared, the chaotic battle instantly quieted. Those engaged in combat retreated several steps at once.

Hai Dali's strength was enough to astonish them, but with Yang Yuanzhen making a move, escape was the only option left.

Elder Hong was elated; he pressed his palms forward and forced Hai Dali and Geng Song back. "Our family head has arrived. I want to see if you two can still act so arrogantly."

Hai Dali and Geng Song looked grim, ceasing their fight with Elder Hong. With Yang Yuanzhen’s appearance, their attention was solely on him.

"I just heard that the leader of the Sea Shock Gang wants an explanation from the Yang family. I wonder what sort of explanation you seek," Yang Yuanzhen said, now standing before Hai Dali, his tone calm.

Hai Dali, who had been so brash moments ago, suddenly seemed awkward and at a loss for words.

"Vice-leader Geng, if you have anything to say, say it now," Yang Yuanzhen added, turning to Geng Song, who could only inwardly lament.

At this point, Geng Song looked to Hai Dali, clearly indicating he would follow Hai Dali’s lead.

Hai Dali took a deep breath, aware that so many eyes were on him. As the head of the gang, he could not lose face now. He spoke in a deep voice, "Master Yang, our vice-leader of the Sea Shock Gang was killed by your second son. Everyone witnessed it. I hope you can give us an explanation!"

"Otherwise, even if your Yang family is a great household in Southern City, our Sea Shock Gang is not a pushover!"

Hai Dali spoke with righteous indignation.

Yet a peculiar smile appeared on Yang Yuanzhen’s face. He laughed, "An explanation? You want me to give you an explanation? Very well, I’ll give you one right now!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Yang Yuanzhen struck out fiercely, sending a palm directly toward Hai Dali.

Caught off guard, Hai Dali hadn’t expected Yang Yuanzhen to attack at this moment, and his skills were no match for Yang Yuanzhen’s. He had no time to defend, and the palm landed squarely on his chest.

A scream escaped Hai Dali as he was flung backwards, rolling on the ground.

"You two dared to join forces to kill members of the Yang family and damage our property. That is my explanation to you—are you satisfied?" Yang Yuanzhen’s tone was icy as he swept his cold gaze over Hai Dali, who lay wounded on the ground.

Hai Dali could not utter a word. When he tried, his blood surged and he coughed up another mouthful of blood. Geng Song had already backed away in terror.

"It seems I haven’t acted for too long, allowing you to believe I’m easy to bully and forgetting how the Yang family earned its current status.

Don’t play dead. I used only half my strength—you won’t die yet. This matter isn’t settled, and I won’t let you expire so easily."

Under Yang Yuanzhen’s dominance and power, Hai Dali and Geng Song had no chance to resist; they immediately conceded and abandoned any demands for compensation from the Yang family.

"Fine. The two of you will hand over one thousand five hundred taels of silver each, and each will provide a martial arts manual. If you do so, I will let the matter rest. Otherwise, I’ll collect your lives as payment."

Yang Yuanzhen’s calm words allowed no refusal. Though Hai Dali and Geng Song were reluctant, they agreed for the sake of their lives.

Of course, Yang Yuanzhen didn’t trust them, nor would he give them much time. He detained them, ordering their subordinates to act immediately.

Soon enough, the silver was gathered, and the martial arts manuals were delivered to Yang Yuanzhen.

True to his word, Yang Yuanzhen released both Hai Dali and Geng Song, saying not a word more—their abilities simply did not impress him.

He kept eight hundred taels for rebuilding the Wanfu Tavern and as reward for those who had helped. The rest, he had sent back to the Yang family.

As for Yang Ze, Yang Yuanzhen took him onto a carriage.

The carriage headed toward the inner city, and inside, Yang Ze sat opposite Yang Yuanzhen in silence.

"Although you didn’t handle things perfectly, you did preserve the Yang family’s reputation. So I won't punish you, nor will I reward you. Do you have any objections?"

Yang Ze shook his head; outwardly he showed no objection, but inwardly he was full of dissatisfaction.

He had gone through so much trouble to safeguard the family’s honor and deal with Geng Song and Niu Dali, yet Yang Yuanzhen gave him nothing in reward—truly excessive.

At the very least, he thought he should get one of the martial arts manuals. The more Yang Ze learned, the more he realized how rare such manuals were. It was unrealistic to find one on his own at this stage.

"Don’t be disgruntled. My intention was for you to handle the matter alone, but you relied on Elder Hong, and in the end needed me. Always depending on others is not a good habit."

"Still, your martial arts have improved lately. In time, I believe your achievements will be no less than mine. Work hard."

Yang Yuanzhen did not return Yang Ze to the family estate, but instead had him get out halfway, turning elsewhere to visit the City Lord’s Mansion. It seemed he had only managed to come out at the last minute.

After venting inwardly, Yang Ze returned to the Yang family manor. With less than two months left before his duel with Yang Hai, the remaining days would be devoted to diligent training.

The recent events had given him a clearer sense of his own strength. Among those at the early stage of Qi Induction, he was not weak, though not especially formidable either.

After all, his combat experience was limited, and he hadn’t been at this level for long.

But none of this was a problem. With the Black Stone in hand, he could refine his skills in far less time than others. He believed it wouldn’t be long before he could kill someone like Niu Juli at full strength, without waiting for them to be severely wounded so he could pick up the pieces.

Back at his own residence, Yang Ze began a routine of rigorous martial training, spending time in the Black Stone every day until exhaustion forced him to stop.

Seeing Yang Ze’s relentless efforts, Old Xie did his utmost to secure resources for him within the family, at least ensuring proper nutrition so his vitality would not suffer.

A month passed, and one day Yang Ze practiced the Black Tiger Blade in the courtyard.

His movements were seamless, each swing of the blade controlled so that no force was wasted, all energy retained within the blade.

After performing all three moves of the Black Tiger Blade, he slashed forward, the blade’s edge fierce, and a faint Qi struck the ground, shattering the loose stones with startling speed.

"A perfect version of the Black Tiger Blade—I’m getting closer to mastery. Even if I don’t reach mastery in another month, I’ll be very close. In blade technique, I can handle Yang Hai."

Satisfied, Yang Ze sheathed his blade. He had trained himself to exhaustion every day, but in return, his progress with the Black Tiger Blade was remarkable.

Moreover, this was not the ordinary Black Tiger Blade, but an improved, perfected version—its power far greater.

He did not grow complacent at his improvement, and for his final month he continued to train with even greater intensity.

Time passed swiftly, and at last, the three-month deadline arrived!