A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

23. There is fraud.

Upon seeing this, Liang Qiusong and Cui Jiang exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a hint of a smile.

"Junior Brother Chu, actually, Pavilion Master Cui has another purpose in coming here, which is to invite you to serve as an honorific in the Thousand Gold Pavilion," Liang Qiusong said with a smile.

"worship?"

Chu Xuan opened his eyes, his hand still roaming over the songstress's fair skin, and asked in surprise, "With the wealth of Qianjin Pavilion, hiring a martial artist as a retainer shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Cui Jiang laughed and said, "Of course it's not difficult! To tell you the truth, your third senior brother is a retainer of my Qianjin Pavilion."

Chu Xuan looked at Liang Qiusong.

Liang Qiusong grinned and said, "Junior Brother Chu, being a retainer at Qianjin Pavilion is a great job. Not only is the pay higher than elsewhere, but you also get a discount when buying Blood Coagulation Pills. That's why I recommended you to Pavilion Master Cui."

Chu Xuan asked, "Then, I wonder what Pavilion Master Cui needs me to do?"

Cui Jiang laughed and said, "Brother Chu, I, Old Cui, am a rough man, and I might speak a bit bluntly. With your current strength, having just broken through to the Ming Jin realm, you can't help us much! You just need to be affiliated with my Qianjin Pavilion and continue practicing your martial arts. I'll subsidize you twenty taels of silver every month, what do you think?"

"Junior brother, Pavilion Master Cui is truly sincere! What are you still hesitating about?" Liang Qiusong said from the side.

Chu Xuan listened and his face showed a thoughtful expression, as if he was considering it.

But he became increasingly wary!

It's a trap!

Cui Jiang is a figure on par with Boss Bai, and it's already a shame that he would lower himself to teach a martial artist like me who has just entered the Ming Jin realm and whose physical constitution is only at the lower grade. But he even offered me a monthly salary of twenty taels of silver!

This is double the market price!

He doesn't need to do anything!

How could there possibly be such a good thing in the world?!

He didn't know what the other party was planning, but there must have been some scheming involved that he was unaware of.

"this……"

Chu Xuan's face showed a hint of difficulty.

"Third Senior Brother, Pavilion Master Cui! To be honest, the conditions offered by Pavilion Master Cui have already given me a lot of face, and it is the most generous I have received so far! However, I am truly sorry!"

"I owe my current status as a martial artist, and even my ability to stand before you two, entirely to the support I received from the Bai family back then!"

"Although the Bai family did not invite me to be their retainer, their kindness remains. I do not wish to cause trouble for the Bai family, nor do I want to be criticized for being ungrateful. Therefore, I can only decline Pavilion Master Cui's kind invitation."

Did the Bai family provide financial assistance?

Cui Jiang was taken aback.

Liang Qiusong was also taken aback.

They really didn't know that.

Qianjin Pavilion and Bai Family's Baicao Hall are not just competitors; they have also secretly sabotaged each other in many ways.

Cui Jiang's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a forced grin. "I have a feeling Brother Chu looks down on me, Cui Jiang? In that case, let's drop this matter and pretend I never mentioned it!"

"Don't be angry, Pavilion Master Cui. My junior brother didn't mean that."

Liang Qiusong quickly reassured Cui Jiang, and then advised Chu Xuan, "Junior brother, since the Bai family didn't invite you, it's your freedom to choose which family to serve as an patron. Pavilion Master Cui is still very sincere!"

"I'm sorry, Third Senior Brother, Pavilion Master Cui, I really don't want to bear the infamy and be accused of being ungrateful! I can only appreciate Pavilion Master Cui's kindness, and I will visit you another day to apologize." Chu Xuan bowed apologetically and then took his leave.

Soon, Chu Xuan's figure disappeared.

Cui Jiang waved his hand impatiently, dismissing the songstresses.

He stared at Liang Qiusong, his face grim, and said, "Elder Liang, your junior brother was actually sponsored by the Bai family! You didn't even bother to find out before bringing him here?"

To be honest, after learning that Chu Xuan was sponsored by the Bai family, he gave up the idea of ​​making Chu Xuan a retainer.

Even if Chu Xuan agreed, he wouldn't dare use it!

Who knows if Chu Xuan is a spy sent by the Bai family?

Liang Qiusong's previous magnanimity vanished, replaced by a somber tone as he said, "I only got back last night, how would I know any of this!"

Cui Jiang snorted and sneered, "Chu Xuan's matter is a small matter. I didn't think much of him anyway!"

"However, Lord Liang, you've taken so much money from me in Qingshan City all these years! If we can't find someone to replace you, then you'll have to make the trip to the depths of Yunling Mountain yourself."

A sinister glint flashed across Liang Qiusong's face as he said in a deep voice, "Don't worry! I know what to do!"

"Good to know! Hehe, then I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, he gave a perfunctory bow and turned to leave.

After leaving Buzuiju, Chu Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully he had used the Bai family as a shield to deflect the attack.

Then, he began to think about what Wei Hong had said the night before.

He actually wanted to ask Wei Hong if Liang Qiusong treated other disciples who entered the inner courtyard the same way.

Wei Hong seemed not to understand his meaning, and casually mentioned that Liang Qiusong had been frequenting the Yunling Mountains since the Ming Jin stage.

What is the Yunling Mountains?

The area was teeming with poisonous insects, ferocious beasts, and bandits, making it a place even for martial artists with internal strength to venture into. Yet, when Liang Qiusong was at the level of external strength, he frequently appeared in the Yunling Mountains, not only without any mishaps but also progressing all the way to the pinnacle of internal strength!

How could such a person be a kind-hearted man or woman?

"Was it intentional or unintentional?" Chu Xuan wondered to himself.

If it weren't for Wei Hong's words, he wouldn't be so vigilant today, and might have actually fallen into their trap.

After all, there's nothing wrong with Liang Qiusong taking care of his junior and introducing him to a good temporary post.

It's quite reasonable for Cui Jiang to give his junior brother more money, considering Liang Qiusong's mastery of internal strength.

After leaving Buzuiju, Chu Xuan did not return to the martial arts school. Instead, he changed into the attire of a gang disciple and went to Rouge Street, which is located at the junction of the inner and outer cities.

This is also the border area between the Three Heroes Gang and the Black Snake Gang.

The entire street was lined with brothels and entertainment venues, all of which were booming businesses. For both the Black Snake Gang and the Three Heroes Gang, it was a piece of lucrative territory!

The two gangs have had quite a few conflicts recently due to the issue of protection money, but both have been relatively restrained.

Today is the day to collect protection money. If Chu Xuan is not mistaken, the two gangs have been at each other's throats for the past few days, and a major conflict is likely to break out.

He found a teahouse and sat down.

Sure enough, in the afternoon, members of the two gangs began to gather and confront each other.

The Three Heroes Gang had several dozen men, all armed with short knives, iron rulers, and other weapons. Their deputy leader, Robin, had also arrived personally. On the other side, the Black Snake Gang also had several dozen men, but Robin was facing off against a young man in his twenties.

After days of surveillance, Chu Xuan had learned the other party's identity: Pang Jie, the son of Pang Jiao, the leader of the Black Snake Gang! He looked young, but he was just as ruthless!

"Robin, your Three Heroes Gang has occupied Rouge Street for so many years, it's time to move around! These days, eating alone is easy to get stuffed to death!" Pang Jie said with a forced smile.

"Heh, who do we have here? It's Young Master Pang!"

Robin grinned and retorted, "Young Master Pang, don't blame me for not warning you. The waters of Rouge Street are too deep; I'm afraid you won't be able to handle them!"

"If you're free, go to the 'Drunken Abode' and find some girls. It's full of roughnecks there, all fists and kicks. If they hurt you, don't go crying to your dad, haha..."

Upon hearing this, a burst of laughter, whistles, and strange cries erupted from the Three Heroes Gang.

Pang Jie's face turned red instantly!

What he hates most is being told that he got where he is today because of his father.

Although this is true!

"Robin, you're asking for it!"

Pang Jie roared angrily, "Today, I'll show you what someone you can't mess with really is! Beat them!"

Robin's face darkened, and he sneered, "You think you can threaten me, you good-for-nothing who only relies on your father? Brothers, teach them a lesson!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the two groups of people simultaneously brandished machetes and iron rulers, and a chaotic battle broke out!

Although these people were not martial artists, they were all brave and fierce, and had extensive fighting experience. Now, when they fought, it was far more ruthless and bloody than ordinary people.

Chu Xuan stood in an inconspicuous corner, watching the two sides fight, his brows furrowing slightly.

Although the scene was extremely intense, with people frequently getting injured and bleeding from head wounds, it was clear that both sides were showing some restraint and had no intention of killing anyone!

This is not what he wanted to see!