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Chapter 102: Chapter 26: With a Loud Bang, They All Died in the Explosion
Chapter 102: Chapter 26: With a Loud Bang, They All Died in the Explosion
The dazzling fireball in the courtyard shot up into the sky, intermingled with yellow flashes of lightning, as if a sleeping fire dragon had been awakened in an instant, furiously tearing at its surroundings, lunging in all directions.
Immediately afterward, a thunderous boom exploded like thunder, deafening to those who heard it.
The vermilion back gate was instantly shattered by the blast, and even the courtyard walls did not escape unscathed.
The sturdy cyan bricks collapsed in one corner under the force of the explosion, the fragmented stones bursting forth along with the flames.
When the light from the fire dissipated, countless pieces of stone showered down.
The air was thick with the scent of scorched earth and gunpowder, pungent and intense.
Having already stepped outside the gate, Shen Qing, upon witnessing the scene unfolding before him, was somewhat surprised, "This power is much greater than I anticipated."
Shen Qing glanced around swiftly, charged back inside, brushed off the dust in the air, and scanned his surroundings.
A short while later, he discovered the remains of Zhou Yu, Chang Guanshi, and a gatekeeper who had become charred beyond recognition amidst the rubble.
The faces of the three bodies were beyond recognition, their features blurred from the blast impact, contorted in a perverse state, limbs stretched abnormally, their shredded clothes caked with dust and blood.
If it were not for Shen Qing having seen the two just now, anyone else arriving would have to spend a long time identifying them.
"Quick, quick, quick, let's see what happened at the fifth room!"
Urgent footsteps echoed from all around.
The Zhou Family members rushed here immediately upon hearing the explosion.
Having confirmed the death of those inside with no need for further action, Shen Qing activated his Turtle Breath Technique, pushed off the ground, and dashed into the alley, leaving the scene before the Zhou Family members arrived.
Only when he reached the bustling streets and merged with the crowd did he slow down his pace a bit.
Upon escorting Zhou Yu back to the Zhou Family Mansion, Zhou Yu promised him a Cultivation Technique and Elixir plus a hundred gold taels.
Both were valuable items.
But you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Zhou Yu wanted him to choose one over the other.
This left Shen Qing torn and troubled the whole way.
It wasn't until he stood at the gate of the Zhou Family's backyard that he thought things through and finally made his decision.
Only children make choices.
He wanted the Cultivation Technique and Elixir, and he wanted those hundred gold taels as well.
So he took the Cultivation Technique first, using his Never Forget ability to glance at it and memorize it, then pretended to have a change of heart and gave it back, taking the hundred gold taels instead.
In this way, he obtained both the Cultivation Technique and the gold.
He was able to keep both.
To avoid being too obvious, Shen Qing only used his Turtle Breath Technique to return after they saw him leave, intending to give back the Martial Arts.
He unexpectedly caught them off guard and overheard fragments of their conversation.
They were plotting against him!
All along the way, Shen Qing felt something was off about that woman, so he had been cautious from the start.
The Martial Mechanism Bomb he had got from Eagle had been hidden in his sleeve all along, ready but unused.
Hearing their words, Shen Qing simply decided to go all in, giving them the Martial Mechanism Bomb along with the Cultivation Technique.
Then, with a loud boom, he blew both of them to pieces!
The seed of enmity—no, the enmity hadn't even started before he avenged it.
He didn't hesitate for a moment.
After a careful review, Shen Qing recalled that in the backyard, only the gatekeeper, Chang Guanshi, and Zhou Yu were present.
When he returned later, he was more careful to avoid being seen.
Now, the people who had seen him were basically dead.
With Zhou Yu intentionally concealing the information, even if the Zhou Family members wanted to investigate, it would be difficult for them to trace it back to him.
Safe.
It was still early.
After today's turmoil, his clothes had gotten quite bloody.
Shen Qing found a clothing store to change into fresh garments and then hit the bathhouse for a soak, washing away the filth from his body.
After wandering around the city and burning his old clothes in a secluded spot, he leisurely made his way towards Linfeng Hall.
When Shen Qing returned to Linfeng Hall, he found Tian Xiaohu pacing at the entrance, looking hesitant to go in or stay out.
Shen Qing approached and called out.
Tian Xiaohu snapped his head up and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing Shen Qing, his worries easing.
"The Zhou Family members didn't give you a hard time, did they?"
"No," Shen Qing replied with a calm smile, "The Zhou Family members are quite righteous. They gave me everything that was due to me. We got along like a house on fire, quite familiar now."
"That's good. After all, the Zhou Family is a big boss. If you can establish a connection with them, it would be greatly beneficial to you."
"That's a matter for later. Let's talk about it then," Shen Qing patted his shoulder and said, "You've worked hard. I'll go in and check with my uncle, the Hall Master, to see how our five Martial Arts Secret Manuals are coming along."
"Okay, go ahead with your tasks. I'm heading back too," Tian Xiaohu said, cupping his fists without lingering and striding off.
Inside Linfeng Hall.
There were still quite a few people practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
Most of them were unaware that Shen Qing had been taken as a direct disciple; they only knew that he was Miss Qi's nephew who had benefited from her favor and was regarded differently by Li Linfeng who personally instructed him.
After Shen Qing entered, most people looked at him with envy, while a few showed disdain and jealousy.
Shen Qing didn't care about this, greeted the familiar Xiao Zhi and others as usual when arriving in the courtyard, and went straight to the back courtyard.
Now that he had been designated a direct disciple by Li Linfeng, he did not need the housemaids or servants to announce his presence anymore.
Apart from the bedchambers and quarters of the female family members, which he couldn't enter, he was free to come and go as he pleased in other areas.
A lot freer than before.
Entering the room, Shen Qing saw the three senior brothers, as well as Li Lingchan and Li Hongyang practicing together and sparring against each other.
Li Lingchan was still dressed like a young nobleman, her chest padded.
After all, training martial arts would be inconvenient if she wore skirts and hairpins.
Ouyang Tiezhu was still indifferent, sparring with the third senior brother: "Third junior brother, have you been frequenting the brothels too much lately? I feel like your waist lacks strength and your reaction is much slower. I remember you invented a Finger Skill that even impressed the ladies there. Heh heh..."
"I'm slow in reaction? Big senior brother, you should be careful."
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The third senior brother, Dong Zizhuang, pointed his fingers together and jabbed fiercely several times into the empty space in front of him.
But the first senior brother, Ouyang Tiezhu, was agile in his movements, dodging left and right to avoid the attacks.
Ouyang Tiezhu, seeing Shen Qing approaching, hastily retreated, getting out of the attack range of Dong Zizhuang: "Little junior brother's here, stop training."
Dong Zizhuang turned at the mention, noticing Shen Qing standing in the courtyard and pausing in his actions as he stopped.
Ouyang Tiezhu walked up to Shen Qing, looked him up and down, and commented curiously, "Little junior brother, how is it that you seem to have grown even taller?"
After changing into a new set of clothes that better fit his body, Shen Qing indeed appeared different from before.
With months of martial arts training and nourishment from various foods and medicinal herbs, his body was growing rapidly, changing almost daily.
Now he had shot up from a height of around 1.70 meters to nearly 1.80 meters, and his whole body had beefed up considerably.
Shen Qing replied with a smile, "Ever since I started training in martial arts with Master, I've been eating well and sleeping well, so I've naturally been growing. Life was too hard before."