Chapter 0030: Unexpected Situation

"Ah Kan, you've been off lately, always in a daze. Is there someone you like?" Nong Jinshun joked.

"Uncle, you're joking. It's just some confusion about my martial arts training that I haven't figured out yet," Chen Zheng sighed.

"I can't help you with that, but if it's about someone you like, I might have some advice for you, hahahaha... You didn't come here to talk about that, did you?"

"No, today I came to ask you a question."

"What's the question?"

"Did the Huo family owe a lot of debt here?" Chen Zheng stared at Nong Jinshun's eyes and asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Nong Jinshun calmly countered.

"I overheard a conversation between my master and Uncle Fu yesterday, and I wanted to verify it with you," Chen Zheng said, still looking at Nong Jinshun. Though Chen Zheng already had a hunch about the answer, he still wanted to hear it directly from Nong Jinshun.

Nong Jinshun paused for a moment before answering, "Yes." He stood up, walked to the desk, and picked up a thick ledger.

"You can take a look," he said, placing the ledger on the coffee table.

"All of this is related to the debts?" Chen Zheng glanced at it.

"Yes," Nong Jinshun replied.

"I understand now." Chen Zheng extended his hand to take the ledger.

"You don't need to repay this money. Over the years, your advice has helped me earn far more than this amount," Nong Jinshun said as he gently pressed down on the ledger.

"No, Uncle, this money must be repaid." Chen Zheng picked up the ledger and spoke firmly. When he said this, a strange feeling stirred within him, but the sensation was fleeting, and he couldn't grasp it again.

Nong Jinshun looked at him for a while before saying, "It's up to you."

Knock knock knock.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It was a servant from Gu Yue Lou, who said, "Master, Young Master Qin Lang has arrived. Should I…"

"I'll be right there. Let Young Master Qin wait in the hall," Nong Jinshun responded.

"Yes, Master."

"Uncle Nong, what's going on? I saw that the whole place is decorated with red banners. Is someone celebrating today?" Chen Zheng asked.

"Yes, today is Old Master Qin's 50th birthday. Young Master Qin is a very filial son and rented out the entire Gu Yue Lou to celebrate his father's birthday."

"Old Master Qin!" Chen Zheng recognized the name. He knew that Qin was the biggest opponent of Huo Yuanjia's ambition to be the strongest in Tianjin. When Huo Yuanjia had mentioned, "I haven't defeated him, so I'm not the true number one in Tianjin," he was referring to Old Master Qin.

As he recalled the details from the movie, Chen Zheng realized that the duel between them was likely not far off.

Chen Zheng left Gu Yue Lou, but instead of returning to the Huo family compound, he headed toward the outskirts of the city. He needed to clear his mind and search for the fleeting insight he had during his conversation with Nong Jinshun. He instinctively felt it was important—it could very well be the key to his breakthrough into Dark Strength.

He spent hours by the river, but the sensation never returned, and he reluctantly decided to head back. 

"Senior Brother!" 

"Hmm, Li Zi, what's the matter?" Chen Zheng turned around to see Li Zi, who had been working hard on his martial arts ever since the time Chen Zheng defeated Yang Jun. Although his aptitude was average, he hadn't yet reached the level of Bright Strength, but his diligence had earned him the approval to stay and train at the Huo family. Chen Zheng often guided him, and they were close.

"Senior Brother, hurry back! Master went to find Old Master Qin to challenge him to a life-and-death duel!"

"What? What happened?" Chen Zheng's face changed. Could it be today?

"It's all because of Zhao San. He had an affair with Old Master Qin's eighth concubine, and when Old Master Qin found out, he didn't kill him, but he crippled his legs. Master got angry when he heard about this and went to confront Old Master Qin with a knife and a life-and-death challenge!"

"What? Let's go, quickly!" 

Chen Zheng immediately grabbed Li Zi, and they hurried toward Gu Yue Lou. Huo Yuanjia had never used weapons in his previous life-and-death duels, but now he was taking a knife—this was a no-return situation. Moreover, it was Old Master Qin's birthday today, and this disturbance would surely enrage him. This could end in a life-or-death battle, and Chen Zheng knew that Zhao San and his group had likely kept the true reason for his mutilation from Huo Yuanjia.

Chen Zheng wasn't sure if this was part of the movie's plot or if his presence had caused a butterfly effect, but no matter what, he had to get there.

After about twenty minutes of running, they arrived at Gu Yue Lou. The place was already surrounded by people. The Huo and Qin families were at a stand-off, both staring at the building.

"What's going on?" 

"Senior Brother, Master and Old Master Qin are inside fighting a life-and-death duel!"

"Hmph, after this, I'll deal with you!" Chen Zheng said angrily, looking at a few people from Zhao San's group. They had previously provoked Chen Zheng in the martial arts hall.

The sight of Chen Zheng exuding such a murderous aura silenced them—they couldn't even dare to speak.

The doors and windows were closed, and no one knew what was happening inside except for the sounds of metal clashing.

Huo Yuanjia was in the mid-stage of the Transformation realm, and he had heard that Old Master Qin was also at this stage, though Qin had more experience in it. He might have already broken through to a higher stage. However, Huo Yuanjia was younger and in better health, so who would win was still uncertain.

Chen Zheng, who considered Huo Yuanjia as both his teacher and family, didn't want anything bad to happen to him. Weapons were far more dangerous than bare fists. If not careful, even someone at Bright Strength could be killed by a sword if it struck deep enough.

"Senior Brother, do you think Master will…?" Li Zi asked, anxiety evident in his voice.

Chen Zheng didn't answer. He just stared at the Gu Yue Lou with a tense expression. The sounds of metal clashing continued, and though they couldn't see what was happening, they could tell the battle inside was fierce.

After a while, the sounds stopped. No one knew if the fight had ended or if it had turned into a melee. They all stared at the door.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a figure staggered out—---