Stop flattering me, system! I'm about to become a saint!

Chapter 18 Step by Step

Upon hearing Yang Song's question, Lu Qiyang asked in confusion, "You don't know what Fang Zheng did? This matter has already spread throughout Anping County."

Yang Song looked completely bewildered.

"oh."

Lu Qiyang slapped his forehead: "I forgot you've only been in Anping for a little over half a month."

"Where should I begin?"

Lu Qiyang thought for a moment and then recounted Fangzheng's past experiences.

Fang Zheng lost both his parents at a young age, leaving him and his sister to depend on each other for survival.

To support himself and his sister, he carried sacks at the docks, worked in a brick kiln, and even served as a training dummy at the Eagle Martial Arts School.

"Fang Zheng is working as a dummy at the Eagle Martial Arts School, not just to earn a living."

He couldn't afford the tuition for the martial arts school, so he tried to sneak in a move or two using this method.

Lu Qiyang said with a deep expression, "Being a live dummy in a martial arts school means you could lose your life if you're not careful."

Fang Zheng worked so hard because the butcher living next door, relying on his ruthlessness, wanted to force himself on his sister.

"As a result, Fang Zheng served as a training exercise at the Cangying Martial Academy for more than half a month. One night, he sneaked into the butcher's house, beat him to death, and then reported it to the authorities."

Seeing his courage, resourcefulness, and willingness to risk his life, Pang Daren allowed him to enter the martial arts academy.

Lu Qiyang paused at this point.

He said with an even more serious expression, "I suspect that Fang Zheng planned this all along, acting as a live target, killing the butcher, and then reporting to the authorities, all just to get into the martial arts academy."

Upon hearing this, Yang Song's expression turned serious.

Judging from Lu Qiyang's words, Fang Zheng is indeed a cunning and ruthless person.

His exceptional talent, which blocked Fang Zheng's path to advancement, would surely breed resentment in him.

"No wonder his eyes were so fierce just now."

Yang Song smiled. If Fang Zheng really intended to kill him, then it could only mean that this man had had enough of living.

"Brother Yang, why are you asking about Fang Zheng? Did he offend you?"

"without."

Yang Song said, "He was staring at me just now, and his gaze was very strange."

"Oh, is that so?"

Lu Qiyang chuckled and said, "That's just his personality. Sometimes he looks at me with a fierce glint in his eyes."

I guess he was unwilling to fall behind and was determined to surpass me in martial arts to prove that he was stronger than me.

However, despite his fierce gaze, he never resorted to any underhanded tactics to scheme against me; he shouldn't be the kind of person who is treacherous and malicious.

After a pause, Lu Qiyang spoke up for Fang Zheng again.

"Although Fang Zheng is a cunning man, everything he does is to prevent his siblings from being bullied."

After getting to know him, I felt that he wasn't a bad person at heart; he just had an exceptionally strong desire to succeed.

[Whispering and rambling, Lu Qiyang was just like a fly.]

You can tell what kind of person someone is just by looking at them. Do you need Lu Qiyang to tell you what's going on in their head?

He thinks he can teach you how to judge people?

[Reward: Seven days of cultivation points]

"Brother Yang, why didn't you wait for me?"

As they were talking, Li Liang caught up with them.

Before Yang Song could speak, Lu Qiyang interrupted, "Who do you think you are? You expect Brother Yang to wait for you? You have quite the nerve!"

Li Liang was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "No, no, that's not what I meant."

Lu Qiyang laughed heartily: "I was just joking with you, why did you take it so seriously?"

……

As the three were chatting and laughing, Fang Zheng was walking westward with his back to them when he ran into Liu Zhen, the owner of the Cangying Martial Arts School.

The two met face to face, and Liu Zhen's eyes immediately showed a change.

He stopped Fang Zheng and said with a smile, "Fang Zheng, it's been a long time."

"Master Liu."

Fang Zheng clasped his hands in a respectful but not arrogant manner and said, "It has indeed been a long time. Where are you headed?"

Liu Zhen's expression remained unchanged: "I'm just taking a walk."

Pang Jianxiong asked him to send five hundred taels of silver to the martial arts academy to apologize to Yang Song, but he delayed doing so until evening because he didn't want to lose face in front of the other young people.

"Fang Zheng, did you just come from the martial arts academy?"

Liu Zhen glanced at Fang Zheng from head to toe and then said, "You look like you've been pulled out of the water. You must have worked really hard today."

Back when we were at the Eagle Martial Arts Academy, I knew you were a talent, but before I could even take you on as my apprentice, you caught the eye of the county magistrate and your career took off!

Fang Zheng shook his head: "Master Liu, you flatter me. I'm just an ordinary person in the martial arts academy, how could I possibly have soared to great heights?"

"You're joking," Liu Zhen said. "With your intelligence, you're destined for greatness. Don't be so modest."

Fang Zheng exchanged a few polite words before getting straight to the point: "Master Liu, did you stop me just to catch up? Is there something else?"

"It's nothing major, it's just...did Yang Song go to your martial arts academy today?"

Fang Zheng's eyes flickered for a moment: "Yes."

"How talented is he?"

"He is extremely strong. The adults praised him highly and even passed on their family's martial art, the Dragon Claw Hand, to him."

Liu Zhen was startled: "Family martial arts? What rank?"

"The master did not say what grade that martial art is."

However, since it's a family-inherited martial art, it's naturally not ordinary. Don't forget that Master Pang was once a disciple of the True Martial Sect.

Liu Zhen's expression changed drastically several times before he asked in a deep voice, "Just how high is Yang Song's talent that makes the powerful Minister value him so much?"

"This... I can't say. When we left the martial arts academy, the adults repeatedly told us not to talk about it to outsiders."

Fang Zheng bowed to Liu Zhen with clasped hands and said, "Master Liu, it's getting dark soon."

My sister must have already heated the bathwater and is waiting at home. If I delay any longer, the water will probably get cold. I'll go now.

"Hey, what's the rush?"

Seeing that Fang Zheng was about to leave, Liu Zhen took a step back and blocked his way.

Then, he took out a silver note from his pocket and stuffed it into Fang Zheng's hand: "Tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Fang Zheng glanced down at the silver note; it could be exchanged for one hundred taels of silver at HSBC.

He refused, saying, "Master Liu, this isn't about money. If Lord Pang finds out I've been talking nonsense everywhere, he'll definitely not let me off the hook. I can't risk my future like this."

Fang Zheng said this, but he held the silver note tightly and had no intention of returning it.

How could Liu Zhen not understand what this kid meant?

He then took out a silver note from his pocket and stuffed it into Fang Zheng's hand: "Nephew, only Heaven, Earth, you, and I know."

Fang Zheng sighed and put the silver note away.

He lowered his voice and recounted Yang Song's performance at the martial arts academy in detail.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhen found it absurd.

He grasped the basics of swordsmanship with just one glance.

He grasped the essence of claw techniques with just one glance?

What kind of monster is this?!

"Master Liu, I've said everything I needed to say. I'll be going now."

After saying this, Fang Zheng walked quickly towards home.

The powerful man never asked them to keep the secret, and probably guessed that the group of kids couldn't keep it to themselves.

He made two hundred taels of silver from this news and also stirred up Liu Zhen's fear of Yang Song. He made a fortune!

As for what conflict existed between the two, he would have to find out by asking around.