Hu Zhou caught the blade Lu Zheng tossed him, struck a stance, and swung.
As the first move began, a shimmering tiger’s shadow, glowing with moonlight, emerged from the blade’s tip.
“Roar!”
At the same time, a low growl sounded. As Hu Zhou’s blood qi surged, a fierce, violent aura suddenly enveloped him.
“Demonic energy!”
Lu Zheng’s eyes widened.
Having dealt with many demons before, he recognised it instantly.
This demonic energy was not only fierce and brutal but carried an arrogant, domineering presence, stirring a bloody wind and an oppressive force that filled the courtyard, pressing towards Lu Zheng.
It was as if a real tiger had appeared, gazing imperiously, its might dominating the world.
Hu Zhou was that tiger.
At that moment, the sound of breaking dishes came from Aunt Liu’s kitchen in the front yard. Shouts of alarm rose from the neighbouring Liu household, and a white figure flashed. Liu Qingyan appeared atop the wall of Lu Zheng’s back courtyard.
“Mas… Master…” Hu Zhou halted his blade, trembling as he spoke, then looked at Liu Qingyan with astonishment.
“Lu Lang!” Liu Qingyan floated down to Lu Zheng’s side, staring at Hu Zhou in surprise, “How did Xiao Zhou…”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered as he suddenly asked, “Did your mother never tell you about your father?”
He recalled the first time he met Hu Zhou, sensing the pressure Hu Zhou emitted in rage, which seemed to enhance his own strength.
At the time, he taught Hu Zhou martial arts and examined his meridians and bones, finding nothing unusual, assuming it was Hu Zhou’s unique talent, so he paid it no mind.
Now, it seemed…
“She didn’t,” Hu Zhou shook his head.
Lu Zheng nodded, “I think this is likely tied to your father. Best let your mother explain.”
“My father?” Hu Zhou blinked, the word feeling utterly foreign.
Lu Zheng looked at Liu Qingyan, “I’ll go with Hu Zhou to his home. You start dinner without us.”
“I’m coming with you,” Liu Qingyan shook her head, her eyes showing concern for Hu Zhou.
“Alright,” Lu Zheng nodded, then glanced at Liu Qingquan, whose head peeked over the wall, “Qingquan, tell your parents we’re going to Hu Zhou’s house first. We’ll come later.”
“Got it!” Liu Qingquan replied, slipping back down.
“Let’s go!”
The three left Tongyi Lane, following Hu Zhou home.
“Sister Liu, you…” Hu Zhou looked at Liu Qingyan with curiosity.
In his mind, Liu Qingyan was a delicate woman, skilled in acupuncture and diagnosis. Leaping over walls—what was that about?
Liu Qingyan smiled softly, “Let’s sort out your issue first.”
“Oh, okay!” Hu Zhou nodded eagerly, then turned to Lu Zheng, “Master, is this energy in me tied to my father?”
“Almost certainly, unless your mother has issues too,” Lu Zheng said.
Liu Qingyan shook her head, “Big Sister is just an ordinary person, or she wouldn’t have been exhausted to death.”
“Then it’s definitely your father, or perhaps your grandparents,” Lu Zheng said, “Ask your mother, and we’ll know.”
They hurried along, soon reaching a northwestern part of the county.
Though old, it wasn’t rundown.
Since becoming Lu Zheng’s apprentice and helping at Benevolent Heart Hall, Hu Zhou earned a decent income, and with support from Lu Zheng and Old Liu, he had moved out of the slums into a small courtyard.
“Master Lu? Miss Liu?”
Hu Zhou’s mother had finished dinner and was washing dishes in the yard. Seeing the three arrive together, she was surprised and worried, looking at her son.
“Did you get into trouble again?” she asked, alarmed.
“No!” Hu Zhou pouted, frustrated that his mother always thought he was immature, constantly urging him to grow up.
He was already quite sensible, wasn’t he?
“Big Sister, Xiao Zhou is fine, very sensible. We’re here because of an unexpected discovery during his martial practice,” Liu Qingyan explained.
“An unexpected discovery?” Hu Zhou’s mother blinked, confused.
“Mother, who’s my father?” Hu Zhou asked bluntly.
Her expression shifted.
“Big Sister,” Liu Qingyan clarified, “When Xiao Zhou practised his blade, his blood qi, combined with the ‘Tiger Roar Blade’ stance, triggered a bloodline aura. We suspect it comes from his father.”
Her expression shifted again.
“So, Hu Zhou has inherited power from his father. He deserves to know its origin,” Lu Zheng said.
Hu Zhou looked at his mother expectantly.
She stood frozen for a moment, then resumed washing dishes. Hu Zhou started to speak, but Lu Zheng held him back.
After a while, she finished, returned the dishes to the kitchen, came back, wiped her hands on her apron, sighed, and gave Hu Zhou a deep look.
“Master Lu, Miss Liu, let’s talk inside.”
Lu Zheng nodded, nudged Hu Zhou, who quickly stepped forward to support his mother, leading the way into the house.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan exchanged a glance, nodded, and followed.
…
Inside, Hu Zhou helped his mother sit on the bed. Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan sat to the side. A lone oil lamp burned, casting a faint yellow glow over the room.
“I was only sixteen then.”
Hu Zhou held his mother’s hand tightly, giving her strength as she sank into memories.
“We lived at the edge of the village, backed by a big mountain. My father died early, so my mother and I survived on three mu of thin farmland by the mountain.”
“One night, I heard a noise in the backyard. I crept over and saw an injured spotted tiger hiding in the woodshed.”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered. He exchanged a glance with Liu Qingyan and nodded.
Hu Zhou wasn’t clueless; he sensed something odd.
“I was terrified, but the tiger spoke,” his mother continued, “It begged me not to shout and asked for medicine to treat its wounds.”
“My father was gone, and my mother was busy in the fields. I often went to the mountains to gather common herbs, so we had some hemostatic medicine at home.”
“Maybe out of fear, or maybe because the tiger seemed so pitiful, I didn’t make a fuss and treated its wounds.”
“My mother was too busy, and I handled cooking and chopping wood, so she never noticed. I spent time with the tiger daily, and while I treated it, it talked to me, keeping me company.”
“About a month later, it said its injuries had healed. Then, right before my eyes, it rolled over and turned into a man.”
