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"Miss, have some lotus seed and white fungus soup to cool your temper," said a maid as she brought over a bowl of crystal-clear lotus seed soup.

Tang Wanrou stopped her punches and kicks, staring seriously at the wooden post now lying on the ground, panting.

Her face was flushed with exertion, and beads of sweat glistened on her skin.

If one looked closely, they would see a deep worry and a sense of helplessness burning in her eyes.

Since the demon tiger was killed last month, she had hoped that business at the escort agency would improve and Taiping Escort Agency would bounce back.

But unexpectedly, while business did pick up, the situation outside worsened considerably.

Add to that, the number of capable martial masters in Taiping County had greatly diminished due to the demon tiger incident, resulting in a mix of escort masters of varying abilities.

The Taiping Escort Agency had lost several escorts in quick succession and had suffered heavy losses. This added to the agency\'s already struggling business, making an already bad situation worse.

If things continued this way, they might not be able to keep doing business and would have to close their doors for good.

Facing such a predicament, the always strong-willed Tang Wanrou simply could not find a solution, which made her increasingly frustrated and suffocated by her situation.

After catching her breath, Tang Wanrou said, "Ping\'er, what do you think we should do to change the current situation of our escort agency?"

The maid Ping\'er consoled her, saying, "Miss, there will always be a way. Aren\'t the lord and the others actively seeking solutions outside? Maybe our fortunes will turn any day now."

Actively seeking solutions?

Tang Wanrou no longer held much hope for her father.

If he were ten years younger, full of vigor and able to fight, maybe others would have shown him some respect.

Now, many gangs and sects are struggling to survive, and with her father\'s Qi-Blood declining, no longer as strong as before, who would lend a helping hand?

Given the shaky state of the Taiping Escort Agency, not being kicked while down would be considered fortunate enough.

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As if thinking of something, Tang Wanrou asked, "The greeting cards I asked you to deliver to Shen Qing, Master Shen, last month, have they been sent?"

"They\'ve been delivered. I went with Brother Yuan," the maid Ping\'er confidently replied.

"There\'s been no news until now; I suppose they must not be interested," Tang Wanrou said with a sense of loss.

Seeing Tang Wanrou like this, Ping\'er placed the lotus seed and white fungus soup on the nearby table and hurriedly consoled her, "That\'s not necessarily the case. Miss, think about it, Master Shen showed his interest when he sent someone to propose marriage. As long as you, miss, lower your pride a bit, Master Shen will surely still want to marry you."

"Not receiving a reply now might mean our greeting card got buried under too many others, perhaps he didn\'t see it. Let\'s write another one and send it later. Maybe he will see it then."

"This Master Shen, having slain the tiger demon and secured a place on the martial arts register, has connections with the Wang and Li families, even with the Lord County Magistrate himself. With such strength, if he is willing to help, all the problems of our escort agency could easily be resolved."

Tang Wanrou let out a bitter laugh and shook her head, "It\'s not that simple. I never imagined that a man of such humble origins could one day achieve such accomplishments. If it were a couple of months later, I would have agreed no matter what. But now... it seems we\'re not fated."

"Why\'s that?" Ping\'er pressed.

After a moment of silence, Tang Wanrou sat down and began, "You don\'t know how strong Master Shen really is. I\'ve inquired about it long ago. He achieved the Qi Cultivation Realm within four months of practicing martial arts, surpassing me significantly in strength."

"What\'s terrifying is that not only did he kill the tiger demon, but he also took down the Boss of Mi Gang with almost no effort. Even many martial masters in the Qi Cultivation Realm couldn\'t achieve this feat."

"Such a man has clearly risen to great heights; what sort of woman can\'t he have? Why would he be interested in me? Now he associates with several influential bosses—what are we in his eyes compared to them?"

"Not to mention that at the time, I was thinking of having him marry into our family, which seemed a bit presumptuous. If I were him, I wouldn\'t even spare a glance."

A trace of regret crossed Tang Wanrou\'s face, "To be honest, I have some regrets. If only I had let go of my pride a bit back then."

"Miss..." The maid Ping\'er suddenly found herself at a loss for words of comfort.

"Enough, let bygones be bygones; there\'s no use dwelling on the past. Right now, we should focus on the escort agency."

Tang Wanrou\'s gaze involuntarily drifted towards the gateway of the courtyard, a look of determination in her eyes.

"Miss, Miss!"

Just then, an escort master dressed in grey rushed in, shouting excitedly.

"Good news!"

"What good news?"

"We\'ve landed a big deal," the escort master said with buzzing enthusiasm. "The boss has taken a job of escorting a shipment from the Inner City to the outskirts. There are twenty or thirty rounds in total."

"Ah? Are you serious?" Tang Wanrou stood up and asked.

"Would I lie to you? The boss has already made arrangements with the client."

"That\'s great!" Tang Wanrou said joyfully. "We\'re familiar with the outskirts of Taiping County. There shouldn\'t be any trouble. With this deal, we can finally take a breather."

"Yes, indeed." The young escort master suddenly recalled something and said, "Oh right, something big happened in our city today."

"What happened?"

"Boss of the Song family is dead!"

...

"The boss of the Song family is dead?" Shen Qing, who was practicing his martial arts, was quite surprised. "How did he die?"

Ouyang Tiezhu said, "How would we know? Some say he died of illness, others say he was poisoned, and some say he was assassinated. Overall, his death is quite mysterious."

Shen Qing fell silent.

For some reason, over the past month, Taiping County seemed to have become increasingly unsettled.

Previously, the county government and the various bosses in the Inner City were more or less able to maintain the status quo.

But now, ever since the tiger demon incident, the relationships among the big bosses seemed to have subtly changed, competing silently, and the order within the Inner City had become somewhat unstable.

All sorts of bullies and contemptible characters in the city began making moves, and many gangs grew bolder.

With the death of the weakest Boss Song, his businesses and industries would be of great interest to the other bosses and the government office, resulting in an inevitable scramble for them.

The days in Taiping County were getting tougher.

Shen Qing put his thoughts aside and said, "This matter has nothing to do with us. Let\'s focus on our training. Brother, do you want to spar for a couple of rounds? I\'ll take it easy on you."

Ouyang Tiezhu\'s expression stiffened, showing a hint of fear. "I just remembered I have something to take care of. You go on without me."

With that, he left as if fleeing.

Shen Qing felt a bit helpless. With his improvement in cultivation, there seemed to be fewer and fewer people who could beat him.

His gaze shifted, and the Water Ink Panel appeared in his line of sight.

[Skill: Wind Defying Finger (Great Perfection)]

[Progress: 490/500 points]

...

[Skill: Nine Revolutions Mysterious Skill (Small Success/Fourth Transformation)]

[Skill: Blood Dominance Technique (Small Success)]

[Skill: Bow Technique (Great Perfection)]

[Skill: Dragon Roar Armor (Small Success)]

...

"Wind Defying Finger is almost there, better keep up with the training in hopes of mastering this martial arts technique to the peak in the next few days," he thought.

Shen Qing felt the vigorous Qi coursing through him, and with one finger, he struck, causing the air to explode.

His strength was growing rapidly.