Scheme Foiled, Release

Li Mo waved his hand. "Junior Brother, although I helped you this time, those gangs won't let this go. You still need to be careful. If possible, it would be better to move near the Martial Hall. No matter how lawless they are, they won't dare cause trouble near the Martial Hall."

Su Chen nodded. If he had the money, he wanted to as well.

"Alright, it's getting late. I should be heading back too."

Li Mo said, then took a silver ingot from his robes and handed it to the bewildered Su Chen.

"I didn't know why you were in such a hurry before, so I accepted it for the time being. Now I'm giving it back to you. You should keep this money for yourself."

"Senior Brother..."

Su Chen began, but Li Mo interrupted him. "Take it. It's not like I'm short of this little money from you."

After placing the money in Su Chen's hand, Li Mo turned and left.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Watching Li Mo's retreating figure, Su Chen murmured softly. Those words carried deep sincerity.

Only after Li Mo vanished into the night did Su Chen let out a slow breath and return indoors.

The moment he entered the room, Su Chen's face darkened abruptly.

The entire home looked as though it had been ransacked by bandits.

The cabinet had toppled over, pots and bowls lay shattered across the floor, and clothes and bedding were strewn everywhere.

There was not even a place to set foot in the room.

"Damn it!"

Su Chen cursed under his breath. He did not need to think to know this was Chen Ergou's handiwork.

He drew a deep breath, calmed himself, and tidied the room up a little.

After washing up, he returned to his room and sent his consciousness into the panel.

"How am I supposed to use this?"

Su Chen studied the panel and pondered.

Suddenly, Su Chen felt the silver in his hand vanish. One tael of silver had disappeared.

The panel had changed as well:

Easy Mode: Iron Wire Fist 1 time (5 taels of silver/time)

"Use?" Su Chen asked tentatively.

Easy Mode activated: Punch at empty air for ten minutes to train Iron Wire Fist to Minor Mastery.

Hm?

It was that simple?

Su Chen froze for a moment, doubting whether the panel's prompt was real.

He extended his hand and threw a punch into empty air. Then he saw the Iron Wire Fist progress leap straight to 3%.

"This... is way too easy!"

Su Chen's expression stiffened, unable to hide his astonishment.

"Again."

+1%

+1%

Ten minutes later, Su Chen had brought Iron Wire Fist to the beginner stage. The loose muscles on his arms instantly became somewhat firmer.

With a casual swing, he could feel a sense of strength he had never possessed before.

The thirty-six forms were etched firmly into his mind, as though they had become instinct, ready to be unleashed at will.

He looked at the panel. By now, it had completely refreshed:

Name: Su Chen

Martial Art: Iron Wire Fist (Minor Mastery 1%)

Easy Mode: Iron Wire Fist 0 times (5 taels of silver/time)

"The next time I activate Easy Mode, it'll cost five taels of silver!"

"Money. As long as I have money, I can quickly grind Iron Wire Fist to perfection!"

Su Chen silently made up his mind, his face filled with resolve.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

"Someone's outside!"

All at once, Su Chen heard faint, fragmented sounds from beyond the door, and his heart jolted.

Using the weak moonlight, he poked his head out and looked outside.

"They're from the Black Water Gang!"

He recognized at a glance that the furtive figures on the path before his door were Chen Ergou and the other two who had just left.

The three had returned, clearly having guessed that Li Mo would not stay at Su Chen's house.

So they had seized the chance to come back and deal with Su Chen.

It had to be said, they had made quite a fine calculation.

Unfortunately, their calculations would fall through today.

A sharp glint flashed through Su Chen's eyes, carrying a faint chill.

At that moment, old grudges and new hatred erupted completely.

He turned, picked up the woodcutting axe, and gradually concealed himself in the darkness.

Outside.

"Big Brother, that brat really is still here!"

From afar, the three saw the faint light glowing inside Su Chen's home, and delight spread across their faces.

Chen Ergou sneered. "Hmph, this is his only place to live. Where else could he go?"

"But Big Brother, didn't they say he'd latched onto the Hong Family Martial Hall? If we make a move on him, what if the Hong Family Martial Hall comes after us..." another lackey asked worriedly.

"What's there to fear? That brat probably stepped in dog shit and got lucky enough to connect with the Hong Family Martial Hall. As long as we kill him tonight, even if the Hong Family Martial Hall finds out, what can they do to us? At worst, we hide outside for a while. I refuse to believe the Hong Family Martial Hall would care that much about him!"

Chen Ergou snorted coldly. As they drew closer, their footsteps became increasingly light.

"You two be careful. Don't let that brat spot you. This time, we absolutely can't let him get away again!"

The three slowly approached. Chen Ergou waved his hand, signaling his two underlings to split up.

He guarded the front door and had them watch the window, preventing Su Chen from smashing through it to escape.

Once everything was ready, he suddenly exerted force and kicked the wooden door open. He used too much strength, however, and staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

The wooden door had not been locked at all.

Chen Ergou's heart tightened. He hurriedly raised his head, only to discover that Su Chen was nowhere to be seen inside the room.

Where was he?

"Ah..."

Suddenly, Chen Ergou heard a scream from the window, and his eyes sharpened.

"Trying to run!"

Luckily, he had been farsighted enough to know Su Chen would escape through the window, so he had arranged men there in advance.

Now it seemed his underlings had already captured Su Chen.

He quickly turned to head out, but the moment he reached the doorway, an axe came flying at him head-on.

Crack.

The axe cleaved directly into Chen Ergou's chest, brutally piercing through his body.

"You... you..."

Chen Ergou stared blankly at Su Chen, disbelief in his eyes. He had never expected Su Chen to dare kill him.

At that moment, Su Chen's face was filled with savage ferocity.

After crossing into this world, the long-suppressed pressure in his mind burst forth completely the instant he struck Chen Ergou.

"Ah..."

A scream pulled Su Chen back from Chen Ergou's death. He turned his head and saw that one person still remained.

"No, I absolutely can't let him escape!"

If that man got away, the Black Water Gang would surely hunt him down. As he was now, he had no ability to contend against the Black Water Gang!

Su Chen pulled out the axe with a wet tearing sound, and blood sprayed forth.

Several drops of crimson blood splashed onto Su Chen's face, adding a few more shades of killing intent to his presence.

He charged forward violently, moving even faster than the fleeing man.

Just as the man was about to escape, the axe in Su Chen's hand suddenly left his grip as he hurled it with all his strength.

With a wet thud, it struck the man squarely in the back. His steps abruptly halted, and his body pitched forward.

Whew.

Having dealt with all three, Su Chen let out a long breath. All his tension turned into sweat at that moment, soaking through his clothes.

"Fortunately, all the nearby neighbors have moved away. Otherwise, such a commotion would have drawn their attention long ago."

The aftereffects of killing someone came crashing down. His expression shifted as he looked at the three corpses, but ultimately settled into calmness.

A moment later, Su Chen searched the three bodies and found some money, then disposed of their corpses.

After finishing all that, he returned to the room.

"What a pity, there isn't even half a tael. It's not enough to activate Easy Mode one more time!"

He had already fallen in love with Easy Mode. This way of training was simply too satisfying, but unfortunately, he did not have enough money.

"Their deaths can't be hidden for long. Once the Black Water Gang reacts, they'll definitely come after me again!"

Su Chen fell into thought. A strange light flickered in his eyes as he looked at the messy room, and a vague idea began to form in his heart.

But for now, he should sleep first.