My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

The locals called Monkey’s home Mentougou Village, and it wasn’t far from Fishermen’s.

Qin Fang found Monkey’s pace too slow, so he practically carried him, moving at lightning speed. In less than six hours, they had already reached Mentougou Village.

...The journey, however, had left Monkey thoroughly shaken.

At the same time, he was secretly envious. ’I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to be as strong as Master Qin?’

But his envy didn’t last long. As he saw the familiar sights of Mentougou Village, a shadow of gloom passed over Monkey’s eyes.

But he quickly took a deep breath and gestured to Qin Fang, and the two of them headed toward his home.

Night had fallen, and the whole of Mentougou Village was asleep. They navigated the narrow village paths and finally arrived at a dilapidated courtyard.

"This is my home... Master Qin, please, come in."

The dilapidated courtyard didn’t even have a proper wall, just a short fence. With practiced ease, Monkey reached through a gap, unlatched the gate from the inside, and invited Qin Fang in.

"Who’s there?"

Just then, the nervous voice of a young girl called out.

Hearing the voice, Monkey let out a breath of relief and quickly replied, "Sis, it’s me."

After his words, there was a moment of silence from inside, followed by a rustle of movement. Soon, the door to the main room opened, and a girl of about sixteen or seventeen appeared. She looked out in pleasant surprise. "Brother?! You’re back!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she froze, noticing someone else standing beside Monkey.

Qin Fang’s Eye Power was extraordinary, allowing him to see in the dark as if it were day. He got a clear look at the girl in an instant. She was sixteen or seventeen with very delicate features. She must have gotten up in a hurry, as she was only wearing a thin nightgown...

’Sixteen or seventeen, and she’s already so... developed?’

Qin Fang took a quick glance, then immediately averted his eyes.

’Good thing it’s dark,’ he thought. ’Monkey and the girl definitely didn’t notice. That avoids some awkwardness.’

"And... who is this...?"

Seeing that there was someone else, the girl instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, despite the darkness, and asked in a low, hesitant voice.

"This is Master Qin," Monkey said in a low voice. "Don’t ask any questions for now. Just pack your things and come with me."

"Huh? Go? Go where?" the girl asked, looking completely lost.

"I’ll explain on the way," Monkey whispered.

Though confused, the girl had relied on Monkey for survival since they were children. She might not trust anyone else in the world, but she had to trust her brother. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but simply nodded and went back inside to get dressed.

"Brother, where exactly are we going?"

When she came back out, fully dressed, she whispered to Monkey. At the same time, she snuck a peek out into the courtyard. Qin Fang hadn’t come inside.

"And that Master Qin... is he one of... your gang members?"

Her brow furrowed, a hint of worry in her voice.

Then she thought again about this "Master Qin"... and a sudden, terrible thought surfaced in her mind.

’Brother... he wouldn’t sell me, would he?!’

She didn’t get out much, but she had heard plenty of stories about the evil deeds of gang members. It wasn’t unheard of in the village for girls to be sold off to become some man’s concubine...

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Monkey whispered, "Master Qin isn’t in any gang... never mind, don’t worry about that. I got into some trouble, and I’m afraid someone might come to the house looking for me and hurt you. That’s why I’m here tonight to take you away."

Monkey had no idea what was going through his sister’s mind. He thought for a moment, deciding she needed to understand the situation, and quickly whispered a brief explanation.

Hearing this, the girl’s heart leaped in alarm. "Brother, what kind of trouble are you in?"

"That’s got nothing to do with you. Why all the questions? Just come with me," Monkey said, clearly unwilling to say more.

"Ah, but this is so sudden! I have so many things to pack..."

"No time to pack. How much of the silver I gave you the other day is left?" Monkey asked.

"There’s about fifty-three taels left... I haven’t used much..."

"Just bring the silver. We’re going to True Martial County. Master Qin will make arrangements for us there."

"What? We’re going to the county seat?"

The girl was astounded.

For country folk, moving to live in the county seat was something most people couldn’t even dream of.

Monkey heard the shock in his sister’s voice and chuckled. "We’re not coming back. From now on, we’re going to make our home in the county seat!"

Hearing that they were leaving for good, the girl felt a pang of uncertainty, even though the thought of living in the county seat excited her.

She hesitated for a moment. "But we just got some baby chicks... what will happen to them if we leave? Should we... take them with us?"

"Are you kidding me? This is no time to worry about baby chicks! Leave them! Don’t worry, if you don’t feed them, they’ll manage to get away on their own!"

"...But they cost me dozens of coins..."

Naturally, the voices from inside the house did not escape Qin Fang’s keen ears.

Listening to their conversation, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

He didn’t rush them, though.

In the end, no matter how much the girl wanted to bring more, Monkey was more insistent. Soon, she was ready, carrying only a small bundle. It contained a few changes of clothes, some personal trinkets, and the silver. Nothing else.

’In truth, she would have liked to pack up the entire house.’

It was only because Monkey had put his foot down that she brought so little.

"Master Qin."

Monkey walked over to Qin Fang.

Qin Fang nodded. "Let’s go."

"Yes, sir."

The girl, curious, stole a glance at Qin Fang. Despite the darkness, the moonlight allowed her to faintly make out his appearance...

He was strikingly handsome, and much younger than she had imagined... he didn’t seem to be more than a few years older than her.

’And my brother calls him *Master*?’

The girl thought to herself, finding it odd.

Then, she grew worried again...

She had no idea what kind of trouble her brother was in that he had to come get her in the dead of night... and that they would never be coming back...

As they left, she kept looking back over her shoulder, reluctant to leave her home behind.