Chapter 7: Thirteenth Aunt! A Master of Peak External Strength
“Remember! Don’t mention to Aunt Thirteen that my brother fought at the street corner arena, or I won’t let you off!”
The woman whispered a warning into Chen Jie’s ear.
At that moment, a woman stepped out from inside the house.
“Eighth Sister! Weren’t you out with Seventh Brother? Why are you back so soon?”
The woman appeared to be in her thirties, with delicate features, dignified and graceful. From her appearance alone, it was clear she came from a wealthy family and had received a fine education. Even though she wore simple cloth garments, her aura of refinement could not be concealed.
Chen Jie was utterly stunned, unable to collect his thoughts.
Aunt Thirteen?
What’s going on?
Could she really be the Aunt Thirteen from the Lion King Tournament?
The timeline didn’t seem to fit.
Wasn’t Aunt Thirteen supposed to be with Wong Fei-hung?
Seventh Brother Gui Jiao was not even twenty yet; he clearly hadn’t met Wong Fei-hung, so how could he know Aunt Thirteen?
It must be a coincidence!
Though this woman was also called Aunt Thirteen, she was definitely not the same Aunt Thirteen who was by Wong Fei-hung’s side.
Hissing softly—
The next moment, Chen Jie looked up at Aunt Thirteen and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Her beauty, her figure, her presence—it was simply extraordinary!
The woman called Eighth Sister leaned close to Aunt Thirteen’s ear and spoke softly:
“Aunt Thirteen, this young man looks fair-skinned, clearly the son of a wealthy family.”
“Besides, his clothes resemble those worn by foreigners, clean and tidy. Unless I’m mistaken, his family must be quite rich.”
“There are so many expenses at the carriage company; we’re out of money. We don’t even have next month’s rent.”
“Seventh Brother bought several rickshaws on credit last month, the bills are due at the end of this month. If we don’t pay, it will be a huge problem.”
“This young man wants to learn martial arts and doesn’t seem short on money. Why not—?”
Eighth Sister winked at Aunt Thirteen, giving a knowing look.
Poverty breeds desperation!
At the street corner arena, Liu Qi, the head rickshaw puller of West Gate Carriage Company, had won and basked in glory.
But who would have guessed the company was so broke it could barely make ends meet?
Eighth Sister had no choice. Seeing Chen Jie’s confident air, she thought to get some money from him to ease their urgent plight.
Aunt Thirteen frowned and whispered sharply:
“Eighth Sister, how have I taught you? How can you lie?”
Eighth Sister replied earnestly, “I didn’t lie to him; he told me himself just now that he wants to learn martial arts!”
Aunt Thirteen lowered her voice, “And you say that? Have you checked his age? He’s long past the age to start learning martial arts!”
Turning to Chen Jie, she apologized sincerely:
“Sir, I’m sorry, but our carriage company only hires rickshaw pullers, not apprentices.”
“If you want to learn martial arts, you can visit the major dojos on West Gate Street.”
Her voice was pleasant and melodious, soothing to the ear.
Eighth Sister grew anxious. Finally catching a ‘golden opportunity,’ she wasn’t about to let it slip away. She tugged Aunt Thirteen’s sleeve and whispered urgently:
“Aunt Thirteen, although his age is advanced and he missed the foundational years, he hasn’t reached any high level yet. How do you know he can’t learn?”
“What if he has good innate talent and just wants to learn the basics?”
Never mind whether he was past the prime age for martial arts; teach him a few fundamentals, let him practice, and at least collect a registration fee.
Chen Jie overheard Eighth Sister’s voice and worried Aunt Thirteen would refuse. He quickly said, “I want to learn martial arts. No matter the level, I’m willing to pay tuition. Rest assured, I can endure hardship!”
“You—!”
Aunt Thirteen glanced at Chen Jie seriously. “You really want to learn martial arts?”
Chen Jie nodded firmly.
“Alright, let me first assess your physique. Hold still and don’t make a sound!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Aunt Thirteen kicked forward, grabbed Chen Jie’s arm, and at the same moment struck the joint of his arm with her foot.
In the blink of an eye, her legs danced lightly like a dragonfly skimming water, striking all the major joints of Chen Jie's body with pinpoint kicks.
The force was like needle pricks, causing Chen Jie to break out in a sweat from pain, nearly screaming out loud.
He felt as if he were dying, the bone-cracking agony nearly driving him to madness.
Just as Chen Jie was about to shout “Stop,” his mind suddenly thundered.
In his brain, the ‘Blood Dragon Jade’ kept flashing:
[Martial Merit Points: +1!]
[Martial Merit Points: +2!]
—
[Martial Merit Points: +1!]
In less than a minute, his Martial Merit Points rose swiftly from 78 to 96.
Hissing—
As the pain continued to stimulate his joints, Chen Jie felt his body heat up, his blood surge with vitality.
Aunt Thirteen halted her footwork, shook her head helplessly as she regarded Chen Jie.
His physique was quite good, but having never practiced martial arts from a young age, his tendons were stiff. Even with training, his achievements would be limited.
Within less than a minute, Chen Jie was drenched in sweat.
He looked at Aunt Thirteen and asked, “Thank you. What foot technique did you just use? Can you continue?”
This bone-loosening method was top-notch!
It had increased his Martial Merit Points by 18 points in an instant—so thrilling!
Only 4 points short of 100 Martial Merit Points, which would activate the Blood Dragon Jade and open the path to the Martial Saint Gate.
Though the pain was intense just now—
After Aunt Thirteen stopped, Chen Jie found his body warm, blood flowing vigorously, and his spirit highly exhilarated.
This sensation was indescribable.
He felt deeply moved, thinking, “I never expected just loosening my bones could make me feel so powerful and my blood surge. What kind of skill is this? Master, please teach me martial arts.”
Chen Jie was brimming with interest in the martial arts of this world.
Aunt Thirteen smiled wryly and said calmly,
“I can’t be your master. Your physique is indeed good, but you’ve passed the best age for martial arts training.”
“If you start now, it will be difficult to achieve much, perhaps even to get started.”
Her martial arts skills were impressive, stemming from the ‘Toe Pointing Sect,’ also known as the ‘Mandarin Duck Legs.’
But Chen Jie was almost twenty-three years old; starting martial arts now would yield little success.
Eighth Sister grew anxious again and grabbed a towel from the rack, tossing it to Chen Jie to wipe his sweat.
“Sir, don’t worry. Aunt Thirteen is a master of the Copper Skin and Bright Energy realm, just one step from the Iron Bone realm of hidden force mastery. She can definitely teach you!”
“Why not stay here for now? There are empty rooms nearby; we can clean one for you.”
After speaking, Eighth Sister tugged Aunt Thirteen’s sleeve and winked at her.
The family was out of money!
The West Gate Carriage Company owed many debts. They must not miss this chance to make a fortune!
Otherwise—
Next month, not only would the carriage company collapse, but the three of them might be thrown out, with nowhere to live.