Hugh Hu was explaining things to Evan Lin, and in his words, he seemed to harbor a deep fear of this Martin Wu.
The Wu family values martial prowess, and Warren Wu has trained since childhood. That's why he can protect Selina Wu and act so domineering.
When Hugh Hu mentioned the name Martin Wu, his brow furrowed with worry—he was clearly nervous and uneasy.
Soon, footsteps echoed from the back courtyard.
The steps were steady and powerful—so much so that even from a distance, you could clearly hear the deep, solid sound of each footfall.
At the same time, a hearty laugh rang out.
"Well, well, Hugh, it's been years since you dropped by! What's up today? Not only have you grown up, but you've got guts now too? If your dad finds out, he'll probably be thrilled!"
The man's body hadn't appeared yet, but his voice came first—full of energy and cheer.
Moments later, a middle-aged man, about 1.8 meters tall, walked out from the back courtyard. His skin was pale, and at first glance he seemed scholarly, but on closer look, you could sense the explosive power hidden in his body.
He strode over, and a woman followed behind him.
"Uncle Wu." Hugh Hu quickly stood up when he saw Martin Wu approach.
Martin Wu walked over, laughing as he reached out and gave Hugh Hu a heavy slap on the shoulder.
The slap landed so hard it nearly knocked Hugh to the ground. He grimaced in pain, forehead beaded with cold sweat, but managed to steady himself.
"Look at you! What, your dad's a major and can lead troops, but can't train you? And isn't the Grant family an affiliate of the Southriver Sword Sect? All these years with Grant Zhengping by your side and he hasn't taught you any body-strengthening skills?"
Martin Wu eyed Hugh Hu with obvious disappointment. "With a body like yours, you're way too weak. You really need to toughen up!"
"You haven't come to my place in years. Don't tell me Warren scared you off? If he beats you up, just fight back—break him if you have to!"
Martin Wu's voice was deep and powerful, his face wreathed in smiles.
"Like I could ever beat him," Hugh said, feeling defeated. "One slap from Warren and I'm done for."
"Come on, you're still young. Start training now and you'll flatten him sooner or later!" Martin Wu laughed. "So, how's your dad lately? I heard the other day that Deputy Commander Su's men have become real standouts, and Colonel Sean Chen's Flying Eagle Company has also done well in the drills. But your dad's troops haven't been doing so hot, right?"
"My dad's pretty open-minded about it, but he was a bit down lately. Yesterday, though, he mentioned maybe inviting that new instructor under Uncle Su to train his men—he was thrilled at the idea." Hugh's face brightened at the thought.
"I've heard about that new instructor too—he's incredibly strong, able to beat Grant Yuan, the former instructor of the Tiger Special Forces. That's real power," Martin Wu said, his expression turning serious. "If Old Hu can get this guy to train his troops, their combat ability will skyrocket. Once they get results, moving up the ranks will be much easier."
Martin Wu nodded in agreement.
"Uncle Wu, is that instructor really so amazing? Have you met him? I only know what my dad said, but I have no idea what he even looks like," Hugh Hu asked, curiosity piqued.
"No, I haven't seen him myself. I was going to go that day, but a last-minute meeting came up, so I missed it—what a shame," Martin Wu sighed. "If that guy does end up training your dad's troops, I'll definitely make time to watch. In just a week, he boosted Deputy Commander Su's Knife-Edge squad beyond Hawkeye's Flying Eagle Company and sent all five of them into the Tiger Special Forces. That's a miracle worker, a true blessing for Huaxia."
"But unfortunately, I tried to find out more, but couldn't track him down. Guys like that are usually loners, drifting through life," Martin Wu said with regret.
Martin Wu looked genuinely disappointed as he spoke.
"You two can't stop talking shop! If you think that instructor's so great, why not have Warren apprentice under him? He's just a temp coach at Jinnan Military District—how good could he really be? Even if he beat Grant Yuan, that doesn't mean much. Grant hasn't been Tiger Special Forces instructor for years. He's spent most of his time following Old Master Xu, rarely fighting, so of course his skills have faded. If it was Grant at his peak, maybe that guy wouldn't even last a punch." The woman beside them smiled and shook her head.
Martin Wu nodded, agreeing, "That's possible."
Evan Lin sat quietly to the side, listening to Martin Wu and Hugh Hu chat. He was still waiting to see when Selina Wu would come out, debating whether to bring up his concerns now.
At the moment, Evan Lin didn't know where Selina Wu was, nor how to resolve the situation.
Should he just admit to hitting Gavin Guan himself?
Even if he did, it probably wouldn't solve anything. After all, you couldn't just beat up Selina Wu's whole family until they gave in.
Thinking this way, Evan Lin felt at a loss, sighing inwardly. Family politics were always the most troublesome to deal with.
"And this is?"
After chatting with Hugh Hu for a while, Martin Wu finally turned his attention to Evan Lin, who was sitting quietly nearby.
"Uh, this is my friend—and he's trained in martial arts," Hugh Hu quickly explained.
"Oh? A martial arts kid, huh? Young people should train more—not just for fighting, but to build a strong body. Good, good." Martin Wu gave Evan Lin a quick once-over. At first, the boy looked sharp and clean, maybe even a little dangerous, but with a second glance, Martin saw his thin frame and smooth fists—no calluses at all. He immediately lost interest, just nodded as a greeting, and wrote Evan off as another bragger. After all, Hugh Hu's reputation wasn't great, and besides Grant Zhengping, his friends weren't exactly impressive.
"You two chat here—I need to get ready in the back. When he arrives, we'll have someone to greet him." The woman said, then headed to the courtyard.
Today, someone from the Oceanport Guan family was coming to discuss Selina Wu's situation.
Old Master Wu was sunning himself in the courtyard, waiting for their arrival—not expecting Evan Lin and Hugh Hu to show up first.
"So, Hugh, what brings you here today? Surely you didn't just come to see me," Martin Wu laughed, looking at Hugh Hu.
Hugh Hu glanced over at Evan Lin, hesitating.