Chapter 005: Conflict

Zhou Lie... Xu Shaoyou suddenly pointed at Zhou Lie and sneered, "If you are not convinced, you can come over and compete with me. From now on, the rules of Kaiyuan Village will be determined by me"

When Xu Shaoyou arrived surrounded by a dozen or so teenagers, the atmosphere in the square noticeably became oppressive, with several youths clenching their fists, seemingly unable to express their anger.

With a soft buzzing sound, Zhou Lie widened his eyes

Only then did Xu Shaoyou's arms reveal two strings of characters inscribed in frost, and as the frost shattered, an oppressive chill emanated from the square

Zu Wande and Xu Tianbao exchanged a glance and began to practice at a leisurely pace

After being busy in the kitchen for a while, Zhou Lie greeted his family and walked towards the square. His stepfather was still working in the fields, and at this time, he could not be seen.

Wow, wow, wow, let go of me. You sleep with the dead all day long, who else could you be but Zhou Da Gui? The children in the village all call you Zhou Da Gui

"Enough with the nonsense." Xu Shaoyou was speaking as he had already taken charge, yet what he never expected was that suddenly, out of nowhere, Zhou Lie had somehow moved to his side.

Xu Shaoyou walked to the front of the square, looked at the crowd, and said loudly: "Today, my third uncle has matters to attend to, so he has asked me to supervise your practice of boxing and palm techniques. Here, I want to make it clear from the outset: if any of you do not practice earnestly later on, you will be sent to the ancestral hall for ten days of confinement, during which you will only be allowed one meal every two days as punishment"

That's great! If I could really sleep one hour less, how much could I accomplish each day

Turning the corner, a howl was heard: "Ah, Zhou Daguai is back, Zhou Daguai is back!"

Lier, hurry up and eat! There are freshly steamed sweet potatoes in the pot

The village youth were quite surprised by Zhou Lie's early arrival today, but the atmosphere felt somewhat off

After consuming two sweet potatoes, I immediately felt a bit full in my stomach. There are quite a few prey near the village, but it is still not easy to obtain meat on ordinary days. The combination of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and eggplant stew with sauce, along with two large pancakes, constitutes a hearty breakfast

Although it is once again the "important" moment for Elder Three to impart the palm technique this morning, there is still some time left, and I will definitely not be late today; in fact, I might even have time to warm up in advance

Understood, mother

Zhou Lie, feeling somewhat bored, engaged in some physical activity. He has always adhered to a principle: if I do not provoke you, you should not provoke me either. If you deliberately challenge me, I will ensure to leave a lasting impression on you, regardless of the cost.

"How is that possible? This guy is so fast." Before Xu Shaoyou could react, he heard three loud bangs, and he felt as if his right arm had lost all sensation, quickly slapping at his waist.

Hehe, I woke up an hour early, worried that you would come to call me, so I specifically came back to let you know. Zhou Lie said this while looking at his mother, who was picking vegetables.

A scolding voice came from the courtyard: "Xiao Wei, you are not allowed to speak of your elder brother like that"

Oh dear, is this the rhythm of directly tackling a tough challenge?" Zu Wanhao grinned, swaying his hefty body as he moved forward

With another sound of "bang," Zu Wande and Xu Tianbao simultaneously stepped back, both looking at the young master who had never shown his skills in front of others with a sense of disbelief

At that moment, Xu Shaoyou's voice came through: "Zu Wanhao, Xu Tianbao, the two of you come over and demonstrate for everyone. First, perform the Bagua Palm taught by our third uncle from beginning to end, and then the two of you will spar with each other."

Zhou Lie walked over, shaking his head and said, "Brother Cao told me a few days ago that he hates the village bullies who occupy the mountains as kings. I was still pondering whether there are such people in our village? Hey, I didn't expect you to jump out today.

What? Only one meal allowed in two days? Isn't that almost starving to death? Below, there was a flurry of discussions, but when everyone caught sight of Xu Shaoyou's gaze, they quickly fell silent

To be honest, over the years he has become accustomed to living in the ancestral hall and rarely returns home. From childhood to adulthood, his stepfather has never said a kind word to him, treating him as an outsider with cold sarcasm; only his mother and Xiao Huan have been considerate.

Zhu Wanhao nodded and said: "It is indeed somewhat strange. Xu Shaoyou prefers to operate in the shadows, calling upon his underlings whenever issues arise. What has gotten into him today? Is he trying to take down all the underage brothers in the village? Is it to make himself appear more impressive?"

Xu Tianbao was equally unafraid, his footsteps carrying a strangely soft lightness. He had originally been following the fat man, but by the time they reached the front of the square, his frail figure had somehow moved ahead of the fat man.

Could it be the result of practicing Baguazhang? Or perhaps it is because I have completed all seventy-two poses of yoga, which caused me to sleep one hour less

Indeed, he is the king of all beasts disguised in sheep's clothing, infiltrating the flock. Even though this king of all beasts is still quite young, he is by no means comparable to lowly weeds. Today, in order to establish his authority, he might as well kill a chicken to show the monkey.

It must be said that the techniques of the two appear to be very smooth, even producing a hint of palm wind, clearly indicating that they have put in considerable effort in private.

However, where can one not find faults when trying to nitpick even the smallest details?

"Xiao Ning, you go out to help your mother, I will take care of things here." Zhou Lie picked up the firewood and got busy.

Zhou Lie shook off the meat | Qiu Didi entered the kitchen and saw his second sister Xu Xiaoning adding firewood. This girl has always been a quiet one since childhood and has never taken the initiative to speak to her elder brother.

My mother was extremely beautiful in her youth, but due to increasing toil, she had a few gray hairs at the temples by the age of forty, and in recent years, her forehead has developed quite a few wrinkles

Zhou Lie felt that he should work harder so that his mother could enjoy a better life sooner. This trip to the town might be an opportunity to sell more blind fish; as long as he could dive into Longjing Pool a day in advance, perhaps enduring hardship once could equal half a year's income

Xu Shaoyou knew that Zhou Lie and the other two were not to be trifled with, yet he had never looked them in the eye. He stubbornly believed that a mere village boy was like a lamb in front of a young tiger

The next morning, when Zhou Lie got up, he realized that he had woken up an hour earlier than usual

Mother! Zhou Lie took two steps at a time into the small courtyard, reached out and grabbed the meatball, chuckling as he said: "I didn't expect that just a few days away, you would become this fat, and your mouth has become quite skilled too"

It is unclear when, but Zu Wanhao and Xu Tianbao mingled around Zhou Lie, whispering: "This guy is not normal! Although he used to call friends and acquaintances, he has never been so openly confrontational with everyone like this."

"Big brother, you got up really early today!" Xu Xiaohuan lifted the door curtain and walked out from the side room

Hmph, completely missing the point. Is this the technique you two have learned? It has all been in vain for your great-uncle's efforts.

After the howling, a mass of flesh was seen rolling rapidly into the dilapidated courtyard, shouting: "Second sister, hurry and save me, Zhou Daguai is back."

Zhou Lie was filled with joy as he hummed a little tune while walking out of the cave, preparing to go home and take a look

As soon as the two figures, one stout and one slender, began their practice, a loud "bang" echoed as Xu Shaoyou forcefully inserted himself between them. Following that, this fellow rapidly vibrated his arms, unleashing a surge of fierce energy at the critical moment.