This time, Dongzi wasn't foolish; after all, he was young. He spun around and bolted out of the storefront, dashing down the road he’d come from in a flash. He felt quite pleased with himself; he’d managed to get away with it. Although he’d stumbled twice, it hadn't hurt much. But after only a few steps, he froze dumbfounded in the middle of the main road. Staring directly at him was a face, and the stern expression rooted Dongzi to the spot.

“You little brat, I can’t even get a peaceful nap without you causing trouble again. What mess have you stirred up now?” The speaker was Zhou Huan. How had he gotten here? It turned out Xiao Li had called Zhou Huan, mentioning that Dongzi had been to the police station and inquired about Hong Kun. Dongzi’s acting had, in fact, been seen through by Xiao Li.

Seeing Zhou Huan, Dongzi felt an intense awkwardness. He knew he was in trouble and had caused Zhou Huan more worry. Dongzi stammered, “Brother, I... I just came to offer my apologies. I wanted to save you some trouble, too!”

“You weren’t lying to me?” Zhou Huan’s gaze was filled with suspicion, his stern eyes fixed on Dongzi.

Dongzi had lied, and he felt ashamed. Because he was an honest person, anyone could tell when he lied, and Zhou Huan certainly could. But Zhou Huan wanted Dongzi to confess himself. To Zhou Huan’s disappointment, that didn't happen.

“You bastard, don't run! You hit someone and now you’re trying to flee!” Shi Bingyuan was in hot pursuit right behind Dongzi. Even though he was over fifty, his speed when running was no less than that of a young man; one could even say he was faster.

Zhou Huan’s eyes widened. He placed one hand on Dongzi’s shoulder, then leaned down close to Dongzi’s ear and whispered, “You must apologize properly in a moment. If I hit you, you have to act the part—go down with the first strike. Otherwise, your big brother might just have to set an example by punishing his own kin!” With that, Zhou Huan exerted force with one hand, grabbing Dongzi’s collar, and shouted loudly, “You little scoundrel, what exactly did you do? Tell me!”

Shi Bingyuan caught up to Dongzi, stopped short upon seeing Zhou Huan, then moved in front of Dongzi, pointing a finger at him. “So you hit someone, and you still try to run? Do you really think you’re some great hero who knows when to yield and when to stand firm?”

“Master Shi, I apologize. Has my unworthy disciple caused you any trouble?” Zhou Huan said with a forced smile, bowing slightly.

Shi Bingyuan put his hands on his hips and glared at Zhou Huan. “Hmph! Look at the good disciple you’ve raised! He beat up my apprentice, knocking out two of his front teeth! If I hadn’t stopped him today, I swear I would have caught this boy, and I guarantee he wouldn’t have made it back to your hall.”

“Yes, yes, Master Shi’s skill is formidable. My young disciple must have done something that caused you such great anger.” With that, Zhou Huan raised his hand and delivered a sharp slap to the back of Dongzi’s neck. “You wretched fellow! Pay your respects to Master Shi and apologize!”

Dongzi took the slap, but unexpectedly, he was so convincing that his legs instantly gave way, and he crumpled to the ground. Then he began to wail and cry, “Master! I was wrong, Master Shi, please forgive me! I promise I won’t lay a hand on you again!”

Shi Bingyuan was startled by the performance from the master and disciple. Zhou Huan’s palm strike was potent enough to bring Dongzi down instantly. He looked at Zhou Huan, then at Dongzi sprawled on the floor, and remained silently speechless.

“Waaaah… my teeth!” At that very moment, Hong Kun arrived, chasing after them, clutching two front teeth in his hand. He spoke with a clear whistle. Plop! He threw himself down in front of Shi Bingyuan. “Master, you must get justice for me!” It turned out Hong Kun was quite the actor too; his condition hadn't been that severe, yet he managed to perform so realistically that tears even streamed down his face.

Seeing his own apprentice arrive, Shi Bingyuan no longer felt the need to hold back. He clasped his hands in a traditional gesture of courtesy toward Zhou Huan and asked, “Zhou Huan, it seems neither you nor your disciple will be leaving today. What should we do about my apprentice’s two front teeth?”

Zhou Huan leaned toward Hong Kun, tilted his head to examine the missing teeth, and then asked with great gentleness, “Master Hong, does it hurt terribly?”

Hong Kun dramatically lengthened his voice, feigning childishness. “It hurts!”

Dongzi scrambled to his feet, clutching his shoulder. He then rushed over to Hong Kun, pretending to be in even greater pain, and mumbled, “Master Hong, my master struck me with deadly force! Please forgive me, or I’m done for! Waaah!”

Now, Dongzi and Hong Kun were both weeping buckets—it had become a contest of acting to see whose portrayal was more convincing.

At this point, Zhou Huan and Shi Bingyuan, both masters of their craft, were inwardly chuckling at how vividly their apprentices were dramatizing a situation that was largely fabricated.

“Master Zhou, here is my proposal. My disciple suffered a loss today, and it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t seek satisfaction. How about this: let us masters spar. I saw your palm strike earlier; it was extraordinary. If you win, we concede that we were simply inferior today. If you lose, I won’t press you further; you simply arrange for permanent caps for my apprentice’s teeth, and your disciple must serve my disciple a cup of apology tea. That will settle the matter. If you don't wish to fight, then serve the tea immediately. What do you say?” Shi Bingyuan wasn't truly backing down; he was setting a stage for himself. Despite his secret admiration for Zhou Huan’s palm strength, he was still supremely confident he could prevail.

When Zhou Huan heard this, a knot tightened in his stomach. Since his reincarnation, he had never fought anyone, and he had no idea how deep his true martial prowess ran. That earlier strike had been pure pretense, too. Zhou Huan hesitated, delaying his answer.

Seeing Zhou Huan’s hesitation, Shi Bingyuan grew even more confident and resorted to provocation: “Since Master Zhou is unwilling to exchange blows, shall we go prepare the tea?”

The goading worked. Zhou Huan squared his shoulders and firmly stated, “Fighting is not a problem, but I have one condition: we compete best two out of three. The first round is martial strength; the second is talismans; the third is formations. How does that sound?”

“That is excellent! I, Shi Bingyuan, could ask for nothing more! Fine, let’s do it right now! Let’s go to my place and begin.” Shi Bingyuan had two goals in coming here: one was to resolve the current ‘Midnight Flute Cry’ incident, and the other was to challenge Zhou Huan, whom he fundamentally did not respect.

“Please, Master Zhou!” Shi Bingyuan said triumphantly, taking Hong Kun, who was still busy acting with Dongzi, by the arm and heading toward the storefront he had recently taken over for the temporary spiritual investigation office.

Upon receiving the invitation, Zhou Huan adjusted his satchel, deferentially let Shi Bingyuan walk ahead, and followed behind, leading Dongzi as they hurried along.

Entering the empty room, the large central space of the storefront was perfect for the two men to duel and set up formations. Dongzi and Hong Kun took their positions behind Zhou Huan and Shi Bingyuan, respectively.

“Master Zhou, shall we begin with martial strength?” Shi Bingyuan spoke first.

Zhou Huan was already in a stance, though he didn't actually know what style he was using; he just felt comfortable holding the position.

Shi Bingyuan studied the posture for a long time but couldn't recognize the opening form of any known school. “Master Zhou, what style is that?”

“I don’t know. I just held it because it felt right!”

“Very well, I, Shi Bingyuan, will make the first move!” As soon as the words left his mouth, Shi Bingyuan executed the Tai Chi Eight Trigram Step and rushed forward, launching a rapid flurry of punches and palms toward Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan was still trying to figure out how to engage, but inexplicably, his hands moved with astonishing speed and dexterity, blocking Shi Bingyuan’s onslaught. Then Zhou Huan’s right foot lifted in a kick. The leg moved with startling velocity, completely catching Shi Bingyuan off guard. The imprint of Zhou Huan’s foot landed squarely on Shi Bingyuan’s abdomen.

Shi Bingyuan felt a sudden sharp ache in his gut and instinctively prepared to retreat, but what shocked him even more was that after the first kick, Zhou Huan’s other foot was already behind him. Zhou Huan pushed forward with both palms. Shi Bingyuan's legs lifted entirely off the ground, and he flew backward, landing hard on his backside.

Shi Bingyuan was stunned. Looking at Zhou Huan’s slender frame, he couldn't fathom such immense power. Zhou Huan’s martial skill was so profound; in this modern age of advanced technology, a man like Zhou Huan was truly rare. This forced Shi Bingyuan to respect Zhou Huan’s capabilities.

“Master Zhou, I concede the first round, as we agreed.”

“Master Shi, you are too kind. It was merely luck. To be honest, this is the first time I have actually fought someone. I really didn't know how high my own combat skill level was,” Zhou Huan stated honestly. But as Shi Bingyuan listened, he felt an uneasy sensation—wasn't this Zhou Huan mocking him? To be defeated in his very first fight? The respect Shi Bingyuan had just begun to feel evaporated.

“Fine. Since you say so, Master Zhou, your talisman and formation skills must also be exceptional. Let’s set it this way: we will resume our match tonight at midnight. At that time, the ghosts and demons will be rampant, and we shall see who can command more of them to obey.” Shi Bingyuan finalized the arrangements for that evening.

Zhou Huan agreed readily. He checked his watch—there were nearly eight hours left. He decided to take Hong Kun to get his teeth fixed. “Master Shi, may I borrow Hong Kun for a while? I won’t leave; I’ll have Dongzi take him to handle the matter.”

“Hmph. You want Dongzi to take him? How can I trust that Dongzi won’t attack Hong Kun again?” Shi Bingyuan asked sharply.

Zhou Huan smiled faintly. “If Dongzi dares to harm your apprentice again, you may deal with him as you see fit.” Without waiting for Shi Bingyuan’s assent, Zhou Huan called out, “Dongzi, come here!” He then whispered a few instructions into Dongzi’s ear, concluding with a stern warning: “Remember, do not hurt Hong Kun again. Complete the tasks I assigned you. You’ve caused me enough trouble already; we’ll settle accounts when I get back.”

Shi Bingyuan clearly heard those last few sentences. He gave Hong Kun a meaningful look, and Hong Kun nervously followed Dongzi out the door. Meanwhile, Zhou Huan and Shi Bingyuan sat cross-legged inside the storefront, saying nothing.

The sky changed quickly; in the blink of an eye, the time approached midnight. Dongzi and Hong Kun had not yet returned, yet neither Zhou Huan nor Shi Bingyuan had moved. The only sound filling the large hall was the heavy, measured breathing of the two men.