The snow fell, heavier and heavier.
The branches of the crabapple tree had long been bent low by the heavy snow, like a herd of small deer carrying burdens of silver.
The blue-brick ground, whose outline was once visible, had now completely disappeared.
The entire courtyard was a vast expanse of white.
Cao Feng and Zhao Tianxing had already left.
He said he was taking Zhao Tianxing to the South City to visit a master archer so Tianxing could learn his archery skills.
This made Zhao Tianxing so happy he couldn't stop grinning.
Zhao Tianxing's archery was already quite good. Although he hadn't reached the point of hitting his mark every time, he had shot and killed many tigers, leopards, and Exotic Beasts over the years.
With such a foundation, learning a powerful archery technique that could manipulate Qi Blood Power would surely yield twice the results with half the effort.
When that time came, his strength would surely skyrocket!
Chu Fan was also very happy.
'Once Tianxing learns that archery technique, I'll be able to use Spiritual Essence to freeload off his archery experience.'
...
Chu Fan took a light breath and looked at his panel.
[Skill: Twelve Forms Fist (Small Success) Progress: (299/300) (Trait: None)]
That last run-through of the Twelve Forms Fist had increased his Experience Points by 6.
'Just one more point and I can break through to Great Success...'
He strode to the center of the courtyard and began performing the Twelve Forms Fist once more.
The fierce wind from his fists intertwined with the biting cold, sweeping up the withered leaves in the courtyard and sending them dancing endlessly.
Each step was a stance, his footing as steady as a boulder;
Each fist held an intent, the moves slow yet hiding a sharp edge!
Between breaths, his respirations were orderly. The sounds of "HAA" and "HUU" were clearly audible, faintly syncing with the rise and fall of his fists.
HAA!
HAA!
His fist techniques and step techniques grew increasingly swift!
One punch after another...
His palms were like steel blades cleaving the dark night.
His fists were like sharp arrows shooting through the cold glint of steel.
The swirling snowflakes were pulverized by the wind from his fists, scattering through the air like shattered jade and fine blossoms.
At the same time, it was as if thunder rumbled in Chu Fan's ears. The Qi and blood in his body surged like a mighty river!
BOOM!
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chu Fan's body suddenly trembled!
A hot current surged out from his Dantian, instantly sweeping through his entire body!
[Twelve Forms Fist Experience Points +7]
[Skill: Twelve Forms Fist (Great Success) Progress: (6/800) (Trait: None)]
This breakthrough seemed different from the previous ones.
Besides the countless fist-shadows flashing through his mind, Chu Fan also felt a searing, sharp pain spreading rapidly through his body.
His organs, bones, and meridians...
Even his eyes throbbed with a piercing pain!
He endured the pain and closed his eyes, beginning to absorb the sublimation of the fist techniques that came with achieving Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist.
A short while later...
He snapped his eyes open and clenched both fists at once!
BOOM!
A ferocious aura erupted from his body, sweeping out in all directions. The surrounding snowflakes were blasted away!
His sinews and bones sang in unison!
His power permeated in all directions!
A surging power flowed through Chu Fan's limbs and bones!
'So this is the change that comes after achieving Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist...'
Chu Fan looked up at the swirling snowflakes.
Time seemed to slow down.
He could actually see the rustling, falling snowflakes clearly. They looked like intricately cut, six-sided paper window decorations, their edges lined with tiny serrations, every pattern as distinct as if carved by a needle's point.
'Great Success in the Eagle Form allows the eyes to see minute objects...'
After achieving Great Success in all Twelve Forms of the Twelve Forms Fist, the enhancement of his five senses was surprisingly significant!
This level of improvement was something others could only achieve after breaking through to the Blood Nourishing realm!
No wonder achieving Great Success in just one form was enough to enter the Seven Stars Gang.
Even with Great Success in just one form, a Cultivator's Qi, blood, sinews, and bones were enough to rival someone who had broken through to the Blood Nourishing realm!
Now, with Great Success in all Twelve Forms, Chu Fan felt an even more ineffable and profound wonder!
He dashed forward, stepped onto the courtyard wall, and leaped to the top as if he were scaling walls and leaping over eaves.
Immediately, he ran several meters along the high wall, spread his arms, and landed lightly like a hawk, standing steadily in the middle of the courtyard.
He had not yet cultivated Qinggong, so he couldn't perform the legendary "Stepping on Snow Without Trace."
But the Water-Stealing Essence of the Swallow Form, the Skill of Flipping Over from the Hawk Form, and the Floating Water Ability of the Tuna Form made it seem as if he had learned several types of Qinggong, making his Body Technique extremely agile!
Chu Fan walked to the edge of the courtyard wall.
A row of stone locks of various sizes was placed there.
The smallest weighed over a hundred pounds.
The largest was said to be over eight hundred pounds.
He walked up to one of the stone locks.
That particular stone lock weighed over three hundred pounds and was covered in a thick layer of snow.
Chu Fan reached out with his right hand, his fingers like an eagle's talons, piercing through the snow to grip the stone lock's handle.
A bone-chilling cold...
"HAH!"
With a light shout, Chu Fan directly lifted the stone lock of more than three hundred pounds over his head!
Despite lifting such weight with a single hand, he was as steady as Mount Tai, with strength to spare.
If it weren't too much trouble, he would have even wanted to try throwing the stone lock out of the courtyard!
HUFF!
After pressing the stone lock up and down a few times, Chu Fan set it back down.
Lifting the heavy as if it were light...
He had yet to condense a single strand of Qi Blood Power and hadn't truly crossed the threshold of the Martial Dao, but Chu Fan could already sense a trace of the extraordinary.
Compared to when he had just joined the Seven Stars Gang, the change in him was already world-shattering!
After familiarizing himself with the changes brought by achieving Great Success in the Twelve Forms Fist, he went inside, got a piece of black cloth from Mrs. Zhang, cut it into the shape of an obtuse triangle, and tucked it inside his clothes.
Afterward, he tucked a Firewood Splitter into his waistband, then went to his daily wood-chopping spot. He picked up the Firewood Splitter he usually used and tucked it inside his clothes as well.
Only then did he leave the Seven Stars Gang and head for home.
His home and the Seven Stars Gang were both in the North City section of the Outer City, not too far from each other.
After walking down the main street and through a small alley, Chu Fan arrived at his front door in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
But he saw that the two stone lions at his entrance had been toppled over...
And two large holes, big enough for a person to crawl through, had been smashed into his front gate!
Through the holes, he could see that the courtyard was in complete disarray...
The broken water vat had been smashed to bits.
The fishing nets were torn to shreds.
The doors to several rooms had also been smashed.
The firewood originally stacked in the corner was scattered all over the ground.
Even the small stool he sat on while chopping firewood had not been spared; it was smashed to pieces on the ground.
The accumulating snow was about to completely cover the firewood and debris...
'Liu Da...'
A flash of coldness crossed Chu Fan's eyes.
"Fan?"
The voice of his neighbor, Zhao Hu, came from Chu Fan's right.
Chu Fan turned to look to his right.
As Zhao Hu walked toward him, their eyes met. Zhao Hu's heart suddenly leaped as if he'd been targeted by a ferocious beast, and he stopped dead in his tracks!
The person before him was clearly Chu Fan...
And yet, having not seen him for half a month, Chu Fan's aura now made him seem like a completely different person!
Zhao Hu didn't even dare to look directly into Chu Fan's eyes...
"Mr. Zhao, what happened to your face and leg?"
Chu Fan couldn't help but ask as he watched the bruised and swollen Zhao Hu limp over.
"I was beaten by Liu Da and his men..."
Zhao Hu limped over and said, "I don't know what's gotten into that Landlord Huang. Not only does he want to take your family's ancestral home, but he also wants to snatch my dilapidated house."
"I wouldn't allow it, so they had Liu Da and his men break into my house and beat me into this state."
"If I weren't afraid that my child and his mother would have no one to care for them after I died, I would've fought them to the death!"
Chu Fan was taken aback. "Huang Shouliang wants your house too?"
It made some sense that the wealthy upstart Landlord Huang wanted the Chu Family's ancestral home.
After all, the Chu Family's ancestral home was considered the best house in the neighborhood.
But Zhao Hu's house was dilapidated and old...
"He doesn't just want our two houses..."
A hateful glint flickered in Zhao Hu's eyes as he said, "Zhang Mazi's family in Qingfeng Lane, Li Si's family in Black Water Lane, and Chen Qiang's family in Wugu Lane have all been 'visited' by Liu Da and his men."
"What?" Chu Fan was even more confused.
He didn't know any of the people Zhao Hu mentioned.
But of course, he knew of places like Qingfeng Lane, Black Water Lane, and Wugu Lane.
These lanes weren't in the same area; they were scattered and far apart.
'What on earth is that Huang Shouliang planning?'
Although that wealthy upstart Huang Shouliang couldn't compare to the great families in Cyan Yang Ancient City's Inner City, his son, Huang Yu, was a Small Leader in the Blood Saber Sect, and their family had some money.
He could easily afford to buy a large residence in the Inner City.
Why would he target the shabby houses and yards of poor people in the Outer City?
Targeting these dilapidated properties would be one thing. It was true that some wealthy families would buy up all the houses in a single area, demolish them all, and then build a large mansion.
But Qingfeng Lane, Black Water Lane, and Wugu Lane, which Zhao Hu had just mentioned, were not in the same area!
'Is this the work of Huang Shouliang's son, Huang Yu, or is it the Blood Saber Sect's doing?'
'What are they really after?'
Chu Fan felt that something was very wrong.
After a moment of contemplation, he crawled through one of the holes in his front gate.
He had just come to a stop in the courtyard...
When he crawled back out through the hole.
Then he took out a Copper Key, unlocked the main gate, pushed it open, and walked inside.
"..." Zhao Hu stared blankly for a moment, then followed him in.
He tried to persuade him, "Fan, you can't just keep hiding like this... These people are utterly devoid of conscience. They even tore up your fishing nets. They're not leaving you any way to survive!"
"If it comes to it, I think you should find a broker, sell this house, and go hide in the South City!"
"If you can't afford to provoke them, can't you at least afford to hide?"
"I know." A cold sneer formed in Chu Fan's mind, but his face remained perfectly calm.
Immediately, he turned and asked, "Mr. Zhao, have they caught the Fishery Tyrant who beat the Liu Family's eldest son to death?"
"Hah!" Zhao Hu shook his head with a bitter smile. "He wasn't from a rich family, and it didn't happen in the Inner City. Why would those officials bother putting in the effort to catch a murderer?"
"Even if they did go after the killer, it would only be to squeeze some money out of him."
"Actually, everyone knows those Fishery Tyrants are from the Blood Saber Sect, but so what?"
"Those officials in the Government Office are counting on gangs like the Blood Saber Sect to pay them tribute. Why would they make trouble for the Blood Saber Sect's people?!"
"I see." Chu Fan didn't say anything more.
He had, in fact, long expected this outcome.
He only asked to make sure he was justified in what he planned to do next.
Human life is as worthless as weeds. That's just how the world is...
But that didn't mean he could act wantonly and kill indiscriminately.
Cao Feng had told him to kill people to develop a ruthless edge.
That didn't mean he could be mindlessly ruthless.
'Either I do nothing, or if I'm going to do it, I'd better do it cleanly.'