These people kept mumbling the same phrase over and over. Different regional accents, but the same words, all coming together to create a strange and inexplicable sense of irritation.

Henry Webb quietly lowered the window, not daring to look any longer.

He recognized many of the people passing by; quite a few were neighbors living nearby. He just hadn’t expected that they all had this hidden side.

Uncle Uncle Scott the blacksmith, Sister Sister Hill who sold steamed buns, Boss Mr. Ford from the pawnshop—all of them were in the procession, their expressions devout, as if under some kind of spell.

Henry Webb quietly moved away from the window and returned to his bed, saying nothing.

The procession slowly moved away, and the voices gradually faded. After that, Henry Webb drifted in and out of sleep.

It wasn’t until dawn was approaching that he got up on time, woke his second sister, and the two of them quickly gathered their luggage and remaining money, heading to Huishan Fist Sect.

Right now, he didn’t know any martial arts and was no match for William Brooks and his two companions. Besides, in these chaotic times, trouble was everywhere. Learning real skills was the only way to protect himself.

Henry Webb took this opportunity to learn martial arts very seriously.

He also had the special ability of the Breaking Realm Pearl, and with the world in turmoil, he knew that learning martial arts was the best guarantee for survival.

When the two of them left the house, the weather outside was still a bit chilly and overcast; the sun hadn’t fully risen yet.

Henry Webb led his second sister on a detour, taking a slightly longer route to arrive at the courtyard of Huishan Fist Sect.

Early in the morning, shouts and grunts from people practicing their strength could already be heard from the courtyard.

Henry Webb stepped forward and knocked on the door, announcing his name.

“Coming.” Soon, the heavy wooden door slowly opened.

A pockmarked man glanced at Henry Webb, then turned to look at Emily Webb. Instantly, his previously lazy expression became enthusiastic.

“Come in, come in! Master is already having his tea. You must be little junior brother Henry Webb, right? Not bad, not bad. My name is Samuel Hayes, I’m ranked third here! Just call me Third Senior Brother.”

The pockmarked man introduced himself in a friendly manner, though his eyes kept drifting toward Emily Webb.

Henry Webb secretly chuckled. Martial artists had strong vitality and high testosterone; it was only natural for them to react this way when encountering a beautiful woman.

He didn’t mind and led his somewhat nervous and timid second sister inside.

“Third Senior Brother, I’ll go pay my respects to Master first. We can chat afterward,” he said sincerely.

“Sure, sure!” Samuel Hayes replied with a smile.

As soon as Emily Webb entered, many of the men practicing in the courtyard couldn’t help but cast their eyes her way.

Henry Webb brought his second sister over to stand before their teacher, Old Man Grant, and bowed deeply.

“Master Grant, I’ve brought my sister. If you have any work, please assign it to her,” Henry Webb said.

Old Man Grant glanced at Emily Webb, but his gaze showed no particular emotion. She seemed honest and well-behaved, so he nodded.

“Let’s be clear: you’re the ones who said you don’t want any wages, right?”

“Yes, we said it ourselves,” Henry Webb quickly replied.

“All right then. From today on, you’ll practice boxing here, and your sister will be responsible for cleaning, cooking, and laundry. Is that okay?

But the tuition you paid only covers one year. After that, you’ll have to pay again, understand?”

Old Man Grant looked Henry Webb up and down with his small eyes, speaking coldly.

“Understood, Master,” Henry Webb nodded.

“Of course, if you have good aptitude and master everything I teach you, I’ll continue teaching you more advanced stuff—as long as it’s within this year.”

Old Man Grant waved his hand, signaling a hired middle-aged woman to come over and show Emily Webb around and explain her duties.

Then he stood up and circled around Henry Webb.

“Brace yourself.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out and pinched a rib under Henry Webb’s armpit.

Ugh!

Henry Webb felt a jolt all over, half his body nearly going numb.

“Not bad,” Old Man Grant nodded. “Your aptitude isn’t great, but it’s not bad either. Even though you’re a bit old, you can still master the basics.”

“Yes,” Henry Webb quickly replied. “I’ll leave everything to Master’s guidance.”

Seeing that Henry Webb had a good attitude from start to finish and had even brought a free laborer, Old Man Grant was in a better mood.

“All right, since you’re just starting today, let me tell you what martial arts training is really about—why we’re stronger than ordinary people, why we can fight.”

Henry Webb immediately showed an attentive expression.

Perhaps because Henry Webb was literate, Old Man Grant paced around, then sat back down in his armchair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

A few others, who seemed to be new disciples as well, gathered around, looking interested.

Old Man Grant cleared his throat, coughed a few times, and began to speak.

“My mouth’s a bit dry. Go get me some snacks.”

Chapter 4: Settling Down

“I’ll go!” A quick-witted short guy hurried into the inner room and soon came out with a wooden tray divided into many small compartments, each holding a different snack.

Chicken feet, sunflower seeds, grapes, chestnuts, malt candy—at a time like this, in a place like this, it was surprising to have such treats.

Clearly, Old Man Grant lived quite a comfortable life.

He picked up a chicken foot and gnawed at the center.

“A bit salty.”

“All right, let me explain this in detail—the reason behind it.”