Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Born Martial Talent

The sky grew dark. After the Fu Family finished dinner, lights flickered on one by one throughout the estate.

As was customary, the off-duty Nursing Homes should have been in the backyard practicing their Stances and boxing, or drinking and playing cards in a side courtyard.

Today, however, was an exception. A dozen or so able-bodied men were following Wang Shuisheng toward the Young Master’s private training hall.

The men followed behind Wang Shuisheng, exchanging glances from time to time. The closer they got to the brightly lit training hall, the more their steps faltered.

Everyone was envious of Wang Shuisheng’s job as a sparring partner—the work was easy and the pay was generous. But now that they had a real chance to take his cushy position, they felt deeply uneasy.

Wang Shuisheng had made it sound good, but who knew if the Young Master would blame them for being presumptuous?

Sun Youzhu, walking at the front, forced himself to look calm. Seeing that he was holding it together, the others had no choice but to brace themselves and follow.

The training hall was ablaze with light, a Western-style chandelier overhead illuminating every corner.

Their Young Master, Fu Juemin, was slumped languidly in a Taishi Chair, chatting idly with Li Tong.

Little Locust Flower stood quietly to the side, occasionally refilling their cups with hot tea.

"What is it?"

Seeing a group of Nursing Homes gathered at the door, Fu Juemin set down his teacup, his sharp brows knitting together slightly.

The men lowered their heads in unison. Only Wang Shuisheng stepped forward quickly, leaning in to whisper in Fu Juemin’s ear.

Soon, Fu Juemin’s knitted brow gradually relaxed, and he finally let out a soft chuckle.

He rose slowly to his feet, his Profound-colored silk shirt shimmering with a fluid luster under the lights.

"So you all want to spar with me?"

He flexed his wrists, his gaze sweeping over their faces. "Fine."

He pointed casually. "Sun Youzhu, Wang ManCang, Zhao... just you three."

The three men who had been called out stepped forward from the crowd.

Fu Juemin undid the knotted button at his collar, strolled to the center of the room, and beckoned to the three men. "Don’t just stand there. Come at me together."

Sun Youzhu and the other two stood on the soft pinewood floor of the training hall, exchanging glances. No one dared to make the first move.

Finally, after receiving a look from Sun Youzhu, Wang ManCang steeled himself, took a step forward, and cupped his fist. "Young Master, forgive my offense!"

Fu Juemin smiled. With a flicker of his body, he took the initiative and threw a straight punch at Wang ManCang.

Wang ManCang instinctively raised his arm to block. Though it was his first time as a sparring partner, he knew what made a *good* one: defend and block a lot, feign an attack at the right moment, and keep the Young Master happy. That was how you earned a reward.

He had planned it all out before stepping up, but he never expected Fu Juemin’s punch to suddenly transform into a claw mid-strike. Five fingers like iron hooks clamped onto his wrist and, with a smooth pull—

Wang ManCang felt an irresistible surge of power. His nearly 220-pound body was lifted like a scarecrow and slammed hard onto the soft mats several meters away....

This scene left the crowd of Nursing Homes watching from the sidelines completely stunned.

’This is completely different from what any of us expected. Wang ManCang might not be at Bone Forging, but he’s one of the best among the Skin Grinding Realm Nursing Homes. Even if he was holding back on purpose, to be tossed aside like a ragged sack... Is that something a person who’s only been training for a month can do?’

Seeing the dazed look on Wang ManCang’s face as he lay heavily on the ground, Sun Youzhu and the other man, who had not yet moved, now had faces full of shock and disbelief.

The two exchanged a look and hesitated no longer, attacking Fu Juemin from the left and right.

The Nursing Home surnamed Zhao threw a fierce and powerful punch straight at Fu Juemin’s face, while Sun Youzhu swung his leg like a whip, aiming for Fu Juemin’s lower body.

Seeing them both come at him, the smile on Fu Juemin’s face grew wider. Instead of retreating, he advanced.

He first raised a hand and casually met the punch of the Skin Grinding Realm Nursing Home, Zhao. Then, with a light tap of his right foot, he dodged Sun Youzhu’s sweeping kick. He immediately dropped his shoulder, sidestepped, and slipped into the opening right in front of Sun Youzhu like a slippery fish.

Before Sun Youzhu could react, Fu Juemin’s shoulder and back trembled slightly. He closed the distance with his side, ramming half his body weight heavily into Sun Youzhu’s chest...

"CRACK—"

The Nursing Homes watching from the sidelines weren’t sure how many bone-cracking sounds they heard. They only saw the Zhao-surnamed Nursing Home who had traded punches with Fu Juemin stagger back, his face pale as he clutched his wrist. Then, in a repeat of Wang ManCang’s "history," the tall and sturdy Sun Youzhu was sent flying backward like a cannonball, as if hit head-on by a speeding carriage. He crashed to the ground with a loud "THUD."

Sun Youzhu lay on the ground, one hand clutching his chest, his face flushed as he struggled to breathe. He tried to get up several times but couldn’t, having clearly injured his ribs....

It all happened in a flash. Within the space of a few breaths, the three-on-one sparring session was over.

The vast training hall fell into a dead silence.

"That’s enough for today."

Fu Juemin took the hot towel offered by Locust Flower and wiped his hands, his tone flat as he spoke:

"The injured are granted three days of leave. Go to the accounts office and each of you can collect twenty silver coins."

With that, he slowly sat back down in his Taishi Chair, as if he had only stood up to brew himself a pot of tea.

The group of Nursing Homes helped the injured Sun Youzhu and the others, leaving the training hall in a daze.

It wasn’t until they had passed through the covered corridor that someone finally broke the silence:

"The Young Master... has he really only been training for a month?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the somber procession came to a dead stop.

But no one answered the question. Only Wang Shuisheng, who had remained expressionless the entire time, let out a cold laugh.

"Did you think sparring with the Young Master was like playing house with a child?"

Wang Shuisheng’s gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes filled with unconcealed mockery and ridicule. "I might as well tell you. The Young Master is a natural martial genius. Ten days to master his Stance, one month for Skin Polishing, and now, he has long since entered Bone Forging!

"And another thing—the Young Master hits hard. Not just ordinarily hard. Even proper Bone Forger Boxers like myself and Sun Youzhu can’t take more than a few of his full-power punches..."

Wang Shuisheng paused for a moment, his tone softening. "But the Young Master is kind and knows how to hold back. He won’t kill or cripple anyone. And he’s more than generous with rewards for medicine and recovery.

"Tomorrow, if any of you still want to be the Young Master’s sparring partner, we meet at the same time, same place!"

With that, Wang Shuisheng turned and walked away.

He left behind a group of Nursing Homes, who could only stare at each other, their expressions a mixture of emotions.

....

’These guys... they actually ganged up to force my hand...’

Inside the training hall, Fu Juemin took a sip of tea, shook his head, and said to Li Tong beside him, "Only you can keep them in line, Uncle Tong."

Li Tong said lightly, "After tonight, Young Master, you too will have them docile and obedient."

Fu Juemin gave a noncommittal response.

Sun Youzhu and the others ganging up to "block his door" had genuinely angered him tonight, so he had intentionally struck a bit harder.

Of course, he also wanted to test his own current strength.

Three days ago, he had achieved Great Success in Skin Polishing and officially entered the Bone Forging Realm.

After sparring in turns with the two "veteran" Bone Forgers, Wang Shuisheng and Sun Youzhu, Fu Juemin felt that he was probably a bit stronger than an average Bone Forging Realm practitioner.

But he wasn’t sure by how much.

After all, the people he usually trained with were the family’s Nursing Home bodyguards. Who knew how much they were holding back when they fought him?

Thinking of this, Fu Juemin couldn’t help but ask Li Tong, "Uncle Tong, do you think I should find some real opponents to test myself against?"