I Can See Your Combat Power

10 : Blood is Thicker than Water
Translator: 549690339
Building number two, seventh floor of the five buildings located in the South Ninth District, it’s the southernmost structure, built near Bishui Lake. Off in the distance, there are undulating hills surrounding the lake waters and the sky filled with flowing white clouds.

“It’s surprising that such a fantastic house is unoccupied,” exclaimed Tang Luo. It seemed that time travel indeed had its perks.

He tested the floor with his foot, there was no sense of shaking. He couldn’t believe that this seven-story wooden building was so solidly built. Tang Luo was extremely satisfied.

Now, he just had to wait for the servitude from the mansion to move the living supplies into the room. What a luxurious life indeed, he thought to himself.

Tang Luo, sitting on the wooden bed, sighed and decided to have a chat with his younger brother.

Tang Xing had been intrigued by such an exotic architecture ever since he arrived, running around exploring, and if it wasn’t for Tang Luo calling him over, he’d probably still be out of sight.

Tang Luo instructed him, “Starting from tomorrow, you will be training with Tang Man and Tang Zheng.”

Tang Man and Tang Zheng were the sons of their third uncle, Tang Kuan, both were eleven and ten years old respectively, and were good friends of Tang Xing. Uncle Fu had mentioned that they had also arrived at the Martial Hall, they can be companions to Tang Xing, preventing him from feeling too lonely during training.

Tang Xing, presently looking out of the window at the Bishui Lake, turned around quickly upon hearing his brother’s words and asked, “Aren’t you training with me?” He was greatly disappointed, all this while, he had been under the impression that coming to the Martial Hall meant that he would be training with his brother.

Tang Luo couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s eager and hopeful look. He shook his head and explained, “My martial art technique does not need to be relearned, only the cultivation level needs to be restored. The Heavenly Pathway Technique should still be taught by the uncles in the Martial Hall.”

“Oh…ok then,” Tang Xing was slightly disappointed, but he nodded in agreement. The unwillingness on his face was quite evident. He quickly lifted his head and asked, “So, will you be having meals with me?”

His younger brother could be quite clingy at times, but still, he was very adorable.

Tang Luo smiled and walked towards the window. The nine-year-old was only as tall as his shoulders.

“Of course.” He ruffled his brother’s hair and looked at the distant green hills and white clouds.

…….

“Tang Luo has arrived at the Martial Hall.”

“Didn’t they say he lost all his cultivation due to his Innate Hollow Body?”

“I’m not sure, I heard it from others.” Tang Rong and Tang Yunying were whispering and gossiping.

…….

“Tang Luo has arrived at the Martial Hall.” Tang Hong said to the sweaty youngster standing in front of him.

“Oh? Really?” Tang Peng wiped the sweat off his face with his training clothes. He was somewhat surprised.

Tang Luo’s name as a genius was well-known among their generation, but Tang Peng had always looked down on him, considering his talent as nothing more than luck. However, despite losing all his cultivation overnight, Tang Luo managed to restart his martial arts training heart as a man of the Tang Family. This was unexpected.

“Are you going to greet him, elder brother?” Tang Hong said, his eyes filled with a teasing look because he knew his elder brother loved to “greet” new members.

“No need.” Tang Peng threw his sweat-soaked training clothes onto the weapons rack, picking up the stone weights on the ground.

After all, losing all his cultivation and being able to reignite his martial heart was very impressive. There was no need for him to demoralize him further.

…….

Steward’s room

Mu Fei’s eyes were red with anger, glaring furiously at Chang Fu. He came here today to demand an explanation from this bastard.

With a “slam,” Mu Fei’s both palms hit Chang Fu’s table, creating a loud noise and leaving two deep handprints on the one-foot-thick table.

“I don’t know how many relationships and deals I had to make to get that house in the South Ninth District. You dare to assign it to someone else on your own? Don’t you respect me at all?”

Mu Fei was the runner-up in this year’s North District Ring Fight, an expert in the Mortal Realm. His powerful hands were famous in the streets. However, in order to please an attractive actress from the Tianxiang Building, he offended a passing ranger and had no choice but to seek refuge with the Tang Clan.

After joining the Tang Clan, Mu Fei was treated with great respect. He was assigned to the sixth group of the Battle Hall, considering himself as one of the core battle powers in the Tang Family. He had spent a fortune and used a lot of persuasion to get the house from another martial artist who had just touched the Mortal Realm limits.

Unexpectedly, a lowly elderly figure who was only in charge of accommodations and meals, didn’t give him any face. When he came to claim the house today, he was told it had already been assigned.

This enraged him. He had long been yearning for that house, especially the small window facing the lake. He had imagined numerous times the pleasure of pressing a woman against that window. Now, this old man had dared to interfere with his plans.

“All vacant houses in the Martial Hall are assigned by the Steward’s room, it’s just that you came late, Master Mu,” Chang Fu calmly said to Mu Fei, showing great respect in his words.

“You old man, don’t mess with me. You better ask him to pack up and leave, and give the house back,” Mu Fei looked down on the obsequious Chang Fu, pointing at his nose, and with another palm, added yet another handprint on the table.

Chang Fu glanced at the table that now bore three handprints and lowered his head respectfully towards Mu Fei, “Master Mu, that really can’t be done. Once the Steward’s room assigns a house, we can’t take it back. Please consider choosing another house for exchange.”

Perhaps Chang Fu’s assertiveness gave Mu Fei a boost in confidence. Ever since he joined the Tang family, he had only encountered martial artists who were stronger or just as strong. No one had ever been so obliging in front of him, which almost made him forget about the time he had to fight from one end of the street to the other.

In his arrogant and irrational state, Mu Fei seemed to have forgotten that he was in the main hall of the Tang Clan, not the familiar streets of his past. He spat on the ground with contempt in his eyes and said, “Can’t take it back, huh? What about if he voluntarily gives it back?”

The threat in his words was heavy. Most inhabitants of the South Ninth District were martial artists of different surnames. The newcomer moving in today was just another one. Mu Fei was confident in his ability to force the newcomer to surrender the room plaque.

Chang Fu’s retreat reminded Mu Fei of the time when he could make thunderous waves in the streets, showing no concern for consequences. He decided to head straight to confront the person who had taken his quarters and turned to leave.

“Slap!” The submissive-looking Chang Fu suddenly slapped his palm onto Mu Fei’s left hand that was pressed on the table. The mighty force nearly crushed the bones of Mu Fei’s left hand.

Mu Fei’s hand felt as if it was trapped under a mountain. He was unable to move it no matter how hard he tried. And the pressure on his palm seemed to be increasing continuously, his bones beginning to make creaking noises under the crushing weight.

Looking terrified but trying to look brave, Mu Fei turned to Chang Fu and angrily said: “What are you doing, old man?”

He tried unsuccessfully to intimidate the now furious housekeeper with his stern words.

Chang Fu, expressionless, stretched out his other hand towards Mu Fei’s head, as if planning to slay him under his palm.

“Monument Breaking Hand!” Terrified, Mu Fei did not have time to think. He immediately deployed his strongest palm strike, aiming at the palm that was coming towards his head with alarming speed.

Streams of greenish-black force flowed around Mu Fei’s hand, giving it an iron-like feel. The strike was staggeringly powerful. It could crush boulders without a doubt, and it was this iron palm strike that had gained Mu Fei his formidable reputation.

“Slap!” Their palms met, and Chang Fu casually slapped away the greenish-black Monument Breaking Hand as if it was a mere mosquito. Mu Fei’s right hand went numb instantly.

It was at this moment that Mu Fei felt a chilling fear of death. The opponent’s palm was extraordinarily mighty. It was evident that his cultivation and palm technique were both superior to his own.

The mighty palm force not only easily broke his Monument Breaking Hand but also dispersed the spiritual power on his hand. The overpowering force numbed his right hand, rendering it practically useless.

Swallowed by a tsunami of fear and regret, Mu Fei was unable to utter a plea for mercy as he saw Chang Fu’s palm getting closer and getting pressed on his right cheek.

“Whizz!”

“Bang!”

A wave of dizziness flooded over him as his head was smashed onto the table, the overpowering force threatening to shatter his skull. The dents with handprints on the table, pressed by him earlier, sent chills down his spine.

“Spare me, Housekeeper Chang, please!” he stammered.

“I failed to recognize you, sir,” he said with desperation.

“Spare me, Housekeeper Chang, for the meritorious service I have done for the Tang Family.”

“Agh!” Before he could finish pleading, the force in Chang Fu’s palm seemed ready to crush his bones into dust. The intense pain elicited a scream from him.

“Listen, I’m speaking.” Chang Fu’s expression was calm, and his eyes cold. He looked entirely different from his usual kind and friendly self. To him, Mu Fei, pinned to the table, was no more significant than an ant.

Just as Mu Fei was about to reply, the throbbing force in Chang Fu’s palm shoved his words back into his throat. It dawned on him that Chang Fu only wished him to listen, so he promptly shut his mouth and kept quiet.

“Firstly, this is the Tang Family’s Ancestral War Hall. Keep your crude behavior in check,” Chang Fu instructed.

“Secondly, if you dare to harass the inhabitant of room number 7 on the fifth floor of the South Ninth District, I will tear your head off,” he stated coldly.

“Thirdly, all fixtures in this Steward’s Room belong to the Tang Family. Bring an identical table here tomorrow,” he ordered.

To Mu Fei’s relief, there was still a tomorrow for him. He could agree to anything in exchange for leaving this terrifying Steward’s Room. “Yes, Boss!” he thought.

“Lastly, I may have white hair, but it doesn’t make me some ‘old man,’ got it?”

The force holding Mu Fei down suddenly disappeared, and he sprung up like a coiled spring, falling onto the floor due to the excess force.

Looking at Chang Fu, who had already settled back down, Mu Fei was filled with fear. He didn’t even have the courage to stand up without Chang Fu’s command, so he sat stiffly on the floor.action

Chang Fu resumed writing, and Mu Fei remained rigid on the floor, not daring to move.

“Is there anything else, Mr. Mu?” asked Chang Fu, raising his head and looking at Mu Fei who was still sitting on the floor. He addressed him with the proper respect as if he wasn’t the one who had pinned Mu Fei to the table just now.

“N…No,” Although Chang Fu had resumed his agreeable demeanor, the fear in Mu Fei’s heart remained.

Before him was far from the universally praised kind elderly man; instead, he saw a terrifying beast, ready to devour people.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

He had no idea how terrifying he looked in Mu Fei’s eyes. “If you have nothing else, then you may leave, Mr. Mu,” Chang Fu said casually. “I have many things to deal with. I cannot keep you here any longer.”

“Al…Alright. Please, continue with your work,” Mu Fei couldn’t believe his luck. He clambered to his feet and scrambled out of the Steward’s Room, disappearing in no time.

Chang Fu watched Mu Fei’s retreating figure shake his head, and sighed.

Martial artists like Mu Fei, who strutted around while in power and shrank back when confronted, were nothing more than common thugs. All their fierceness fell flat when they faced true powers. Such martial artists could never make anything significant of themselves. They were just cannon fodder.

The real power comes from cultivating one’s own clan’s martial artists. Only those who knew what they were fighting for could truly use their weakness as their strength, he thought with a sigh.