"What?! What did you say? You..." Zhaang Jin never in his wildest dreams imagined that Zhaang Ye, who had always been weak and kept a low profile, would actually dare to mock him. He was so stunned he could hardly believe his own ears.

A slight smile touched Zhaang Ye’s lips as he said, enunciating each word, "You don’t understand? Fine, I’ll say it again. You, Zhaang Jin, are trash among trash. The absolute pinnacle of trash."

"Ah, you dare mock me? You’re courting death!" Zhaang Jin snapped back to his senses and flew into a rage. He took two quick steps forward and lunged for Zhaang Ye.

Although Zhaang Jin’s talent couldn’t compare to Zhaang Fang’s or Zhaang Shu’s, it was far better than Zhaang Ye’s. He had reached the Mid-stage Second Layer of the Martial Dao a year ago and was now pushing for a breakthrough to the Late-stage Second Layer. Though this was a casual grab without any formal technique, True Qi surged between his fingers. He was already using sixty percent of his strength. If it landed, it would leave five deep gouges on Zhaang Ye’s shoulder.

Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation, however, was already at the Martial Arts Third Layer, far surpassing Zhaang Jin’s. Seeing the hand coming for him, a cold sneer appeared on Zhaang Ye’s lips. Without dodging or evading, he met Zhaang Jin’s hand with his own.

When Zhaang Jin saw Zhaang Ye actually meeting his attack head-on, he couldn’t help but rejoice. He snarled, "You piece of trash! Today, I’ll cripple your fingers and teach you to know your place!"

As he spoke, his five fingers made contact with Zhaang Ye’s palm.

The moment they made contact, Zhaang Jin knew something was wrong. He discovered that the power contained within Zhaang Ye’s palm was significantly greater than his own. It was like grabbing a block of solid iron.

Zhaang Jin was startled. As he tried to channel his strength to counter, Zhaang Ye’s hand suddenly shifted, his palm forming a grip that seized Zhaang Jin’s five fingers. Then, he squeezed gently!

With that one squeeze, Zhaang Jin felt a terrifying force erupt from Zhaang Ye’s fingers. His own fingers emitted a series of strange popping sounds, like soybeans being fried, and an excruciating pain shot up from his hand!

"AAAAH—" Zhaang Jin let out a blood-curdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered. "How is this possible!" he shrieked through the pain. "I’m at the Mid-stage Second Layer, about to break through to the Late Stage! With my strength, how could you defeat me in a single move? That’s it! You must have used some dirty trick to ambush me! Aaaah..."

Zhaang Ye sneered. "Trash is trash. Still spouting nonsense at a time like this."

As he spoke, he tightened his grip and, with a single motion, lifted Zhaang Jin’s entire body into the air. "Trash is trash," he sneered. "You can’t even take one of my moves. And if that wasn’t bad enough, you can’t even handle a little bit of pain. You’re an absolute disgrace." With that, Zhaang Ye lashed out with a kick that landed squarely on Zhaang Jin’s rear, sending him flying out the shop’s entrance.

"Agh, it hurts!" Zhaang Jin hit the ground and scrambled back to his feet. He shouted, his voice a mixture of shock, shame, and hatred, "Zhaang Ye, how dare you do this to me! Just you wait! I’ll pay you back for this humiliation tenfold!"

Zhaang Ye just snorted and shot him a glare, which was enough to send Zhaang Jin scrambling away.

Once he was several dozen yards away, a crafty look appeared in Zhaang Jin’s eyes. He chuckled sinisterly to himself. ’Doesn’t Zhaang Ye have a maid? I’ll just goad that brainless lecher Zhaang Tu into taking advantage of her. That’ll be sure to disgust Zhaang Ye! Hehe, I wonder how he’ll feel when he gets back and discovers someone’s had their way with his precious little maid?’

At this thought, Zhaang Jin burst into loud laughter.

...

After dealing with Zhaang Jin, Zhaang Ye resumed haggling with the Shopkeeper. Having witnessed Zhaang Ye’s display of power, the Shopkeeper found his own imposing manner had unconsciously weakened a bit. After a few more exchanges, Zhaang Ye bought the Purple Copper Thick-Backed Saber for two thousand taels.

With the transaction complete, Zhaang Ye didn’t immediately head back to the Zhaang Mansion. Instead, he continued to wander through the market. After a while, his eye fell on something else—Body Refining Pills.

Body Refining Pills were elixirs used by Martial Artists to hone their physical bodies, and their effects were somewhat similar to Body Tempering Pills. The difference was that Body Tempering Pills expelled impurities from within, making the body more perfect. Body Refining Pills, on the other hand, continuously increased the body’s physical strength, making it tougher and more powerful.

Using Body Refining Pills and Body Tempering Pills at the same time produced even better results. Ever since he began his Cultivation, Zhaang Ye had increasingly realized the importance of a powerful physique. Thus, he wanted to buy some Body Refining Pills to take along with the Body Tempering Pills he had left, making his body even tougher and more powerful.

Zhaang Ye still had twenty-three Body Tempering Pills, so he bought twenty-three Body Refining Pills to match. These pills were not cheap; a single one cost three hundred taels of Gold. Just like that, Zhaang Ye spent another six thousand nine hundred taels of Gold.

Feeling the Golden Tickets in his robes, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but sigh. ’Cultivation is just too expensive,’ he thought. ’A single Elixir costs hundreds of taels of Gold, and a saber costs thousands. I’m lucky I had a few windfalls during my recent expedition and happened to acquire those Jade Blue Flowers and two Snake Hides. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford even one Elixir.’

After stowing his purchases, Zhaang Ye returned to the Zhaang Mansion. As soon as he stepped through the main gate, he noticed some servants pointing and whispering as he passed. Zhaang Ye found it a bit strange, but his temperament was now firm and mature. He paid them no mind and headed straight for his small courtyard.

Before he even entered, he heard a grating, duck-like voice from inside the courtyard. "Gak gak, Cyan Lotus, just give in and be mine. That master of yours hasn’t been seen in a year. He’s probably long dead and rotten by now. Come with me, and I’ll dote on you every day. I guarantee I’ll make you feel like you’re in heaven, and you’ll eat and drink only the best..."

"Third Young Master, no, please don’t! Please, show some respect..." A delicate female voice replied. It was none other than Zhaang Ye’s personal maid, Cyan Lotus.

Any man hearing that exchange would know exactly what was happening inside. Even with his steady temperament, Zhaang Ye felt a fire of rage ignite within him. He reached out and pressed a hand lightly against the courtyard gate. With a soft CRACK, the wooden latch was shattered by his True Qi, and the gate slammed open with a loud BANG.

The sound of the gate bursting open startled the person inside. "Who the hell dares to disturb my fun?" the man roared. "Show yourself! I’ll beat you half to death, or my name isn’t Zhaang!"

"Beat half to death?" Zhaang Ye sneered as he strode into the courtyard. "Zhaang Tu, you’ve got some nerve. Not only do you come to my courtyard to harass my maid, but you dare to run your mouth like that. Now, let’s just see who’s going to be beaten half to death!"

"Young Master!" Hearing Zhaang Ye’s voice, Cyan Lotus hurried out, tears welling in her eyes. It was clear she had been wronged. Behind her stood a youth of fourteen or fifteen—Zhaang Ye’s other half-brother, Zhaang Tu.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the Zhaang family’s trash, finally back home," Zhaang Tu said sarcastically upon seeing Zhaang Ye. "What’s the matter? I was just having some fun with your maid. You look angry. You want to hit me? Heh, go on. I’ll even let you try."

Zhaang Ye didn’t answer. He shot Zhaang Tu a cold glance, then said to Cyan Lotus, "Go and stand to the side."

Zhaang Ye had lived alone in this courtyard since he was five, and Cyan Lotus was the one who had taken care of him. Though she was only a maid, to Zhaang Ye, she was closer than family. Seeing her so aggrieved, the rage in Zhaang Ye’s heart became uncontrollable. He stared at Zhaang Tu, a chilling smile spreading across his face. "Zhaang Tu," he said with cold menace, "if I don’t beat the shit and piss out of you and leave you half dead today, then my name isn’t Zhaang!"