A Difficult World, Easy Mode

Great Qian, Qinzhou, White Stone City.

The sun blazed overhead, and the sky was clear as far as the eye could see.

Caw, caw, caw.

A crow let out a mournful cry and soared on beating wings over forests and farmland, city walls and tall buildings. It swooped down and landed on the window of a dilapidated mud-and-stone house.

Suddenly, as if something had startled it, it flapped its wings and took off.

"Ah!"

Inside the room, Su Chen jerked upright.

Fragmented, mottled memories stabbed into him like blades, leaving him in unbearable pain.

"I've transmigrated!"

After a long while, having absorbed the memories, Su Chen murmured to himself.

In his previous life, Su Chen had been a truck driver. While driving at night, he had collided at a certain intersection with a Red Flag that had gone out of control.

The Red Flag had been smashed to pieces, and he had crashed into a mountainside because he couldn't turn in time, losing consciousness.

By the time he woke up again, he was in another world.

It was a world much like ancient China, yet belonging to no dynasty in particular.

The dynasty he lived in was called the Da Qian Dynasty, and it had a history of more than seven hundred years.

After more than seven hundred years, Great Qian had still failed to escape the fate of dynasties. It had already reached the twilight of its days.

In the dynasty's final years, chaos ran rampant, the people were turned upside down, and the common folk suffered terribly.

All kinds of gangs sprang up like mushrooms after rain, bullying the good and wreaking havoc wherever they went.

And the previous owner of this body had been driven to his death over his house by a small gang.

Half a month ago, some gang members had come to the previous owner, intent on forcing him to sell his house.

The previous owner had refused to sell it for a pittance.

That very night, two men in black had beaten Su Chen severely and warned him to behave.

The previous owner knew the Wild Dog Gang was behind it, so he reported them to the authorities. But the constables wouldn't even hear him out. They chased him away, threatening to teach him a lesson if he came back.

He had been utterly disappointed.

But for some reason, the Wild Dog Gang never showed up again. He thought the matter was over, only for two members of the Black Water Gang to come looking for him three days ago.

It turned out the Black Water Gang had replaced the Wild Dog Gang.

They found Su Chen and told him to pack his things and get lost!

The previous owner was furious. From their mouths, he learned that his house was blocking the gang's path to prosperity and had to be torn down.

They gave him three days. When the deadline arrived and the previous owner still refused to move, they beat him savagely and ordered him to leave within a day—or face the consequences.

Grief and fury overwhelmed the previous owner. With his internal and external injuries piling up, his soul departed for the afterlife, and Su Chen took over his body.

After receiving the previous owner's memories, Su Chen felt a pounding headache, as if he could feel the helpless despair that had consumed him.

Gang oppression had become an everyday occurrence here. Ordinary people were squeezed dry at every turn.

Living in an era like this, the people at the bottom had to spend every last bit of their strength just to stay alive.

"The Black Water Gang..."

Su Chen murmured, his expression grave. The Black Water Gang wouldn't let him go without getting the deed to the house.

These gangs resorted to every vile trick in the book. If threats and bribes failed, they would simply use force. The authorities turned a blind eye, only emboldening them to act without restraint.

There was no way Su Chen could take on a gang by himself.

"Unless... I learn martial arts!"

As Su Chen pondered, a transparent panel appeared in his mind:

Name: Su Chen

Martial Arts: None

Easy Mode: 0 (can be activated after acquiring martial arts)

This was his cheat. He could activate Easy Mode for any martial art he cultivated, allowing him to master it quickly.

But it wasn't available yet.

As far as Su Chen knew, martial artists existed in this world.

He didn't know if they were as powerful as the heroes in the martial arts novels from his previous life, but they held high status.

Martial artists were said to be involved in the affairs of many industries.

It was said that the Black Water Gang's leader was a martial artist, which was how he had managed to wipe out the Wild Dog Gang.

"I have to learn martial arts!"

Su Chen said firmly. It wasn't just to unlock his cheat; it was also so he could survive.

At the end of a dynasty, money, power, and a house were all just drifting clouds. Only by becoming strong himself could he live better!

Knock, knock, knock!

As he was thinking, a series of urgent knocks came from outside, followed by a loud, arrogant curse.

"Su Chen, quit pretending you're dead and get your ass out here!"

"It's the Black Water Gang!"

Su Chen's expression darkened. He hadn't expected the Black Water Gang to show up just after he woke.

"They've got the numbers. If I go out recklessly, I'll end up like the previous owner. But if I stay inside, they'll eventually smash through the door and barge in. Then I'll get beaten all the same!"

Even now, Su Chen's body still ached. If they beat him again, he might follow the previous owner to the grave.

"Damn it, brat! Don't make me break down the door!"

The knocking grew more frantic, the noise louder and louder, like a death knell tolling for him.

"Screw it!"

Su Chen gritted his teeth, picked up a blunt kitchen knife and a woodcutting axe, and went outside.

With a bang, the door was kicked open.

Three thuggish Black Water Gang members, their faces covered in flesh and their expressions grim, strode inside.

As soon as they entered, they spotted Su Chen approaching them, holding an axe and a kitchen knife.

"Y-you, what are you doing?"

Su Chen's fierce appearance, coupled with the dim light, made the three men's eyelids twitch and their hearts seize up.

"D-don't come any closer!"

When Su Chen didn't answer and simply kept walking toward them, the three men—who had been wearing murderous expressions just moments earlier—panicked.

They hadn't expected Su Chen to attack without a word.

They'd come in a hurry this time and hadn't brought any weapons. Faced with a desperate Su Chen, they were genuinely afraid he wouldn't care if he died and would attack them.

The three of them backed away in alarm, threatening him as they retreated.

Yet Su Chen said nothing. His fierce gaze stayed fixed on them as he came closer, one step at a time.

That frightened them even more, and they scrambled away from him.

"Su Chen, you're asking to die! The Black Water Gang won't let you off!"

One of them spoke, trying to stall Su Chen and remind him to fear the Black Water Gang.

He grabbed a wooden stick and pointed it at Su Chen, as if that gave him confidence. But his trembling body betrayed him.

"Get lost!"

Su Chen growled. His hoarse voice carried a bone-chilling coldness.

His hands never stopped moving, and he made as if to throw the axe.

The three men were immediately terrified. Forgetting all pride, they turned and bolted outside as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Brat, just you wait! This isn't over!"

The three decided not to tangle with Su Chen any longer. They left him with a threat and ran off.

But they kept glancing back, murder in their eyes.

The three had clearly been driven into a fury by Su Chen. When they came back, even if he had weapons, he would likely be doomed.

Clang.

Su Chen let go of the blunt knife and axe. He panted heavily, and the tension in his nerves eased a little.

But the heavy stone hanging over his heart did not fall.

He knew the three men who had just left would be back before long.

Next time, there was no way he could scare them off.

By then, his life would surely be in danger.

His expression shifted back and forth. He stood there for a long while, then turned and went inside.

A short while later, Su Chen came back out. The only difference was that the cloth bag at his waist bulged slightly.

"I can hide for a while, but I can't hide forever. If that's the case, then I'll learn martial arts!"

After firming his resolve, Su Chen took all his belongings and headed to an old courtyard. A plaque above the entrance bore four large characters: "Hong Family Martial Hall."

It was the only well-known martial hall in the Outer City where one could learn martial arts by paying a fee, and it was the reason he had come here.

Standing at the entrance, Su Chen hesitated for a moment, then finally walked into the courtyard.