Repaying Kindness

"...Uncle, the mountain tax was advanced by several months this year, and the harvest in the fields has plummeted again, it really is... I beg you to show some mercy and give us two more days!" Uncle Zhao pleaded with a hoarse voice.

When Lu Chuan strode to the neighboring courtyard gate, this was the exact scene that met his eyes:

Uncle Zhao's family was being held down by two Black Tiger Gang members, struggling and crying desperately.

Meanwhile, the leading man was firmly gripping Zhao Chunfang's wrist with one hand.

Zhao Chunfang was pale with terror, twisting her body desperately to break free as she cried out, "Dad! Mom! Save me... Let go of me!"

The leading man wore a cold, mocking smile, his fingers brushing against Zhao Chunfang's cheek:

"We notified every village and household long ago that our brothers would arrive today, and now you're telling me you're still short of one silver liang? Do you really take the Black Tiger Gang for a charity hall that's easy to talk to, huh?"

His tone shifted abruptly, turning extremely tyrannical:

"Since the cash on hand isn't enough, using a person to clear the debt is an old rule. This little girl doesn't look half bad, take her back, and she'll always be worth something..."

"Animals! Let go of my daughter!" Uncle Zhao's eyes split with rage as he fought and struggled violently, Aunt Zhao's cries growing even more piercing.

Lu Chuan stood at the courtyard entrance, taking everything in.

Fury surged violently within his chest, but he took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed it.

The leading man possessed formidable strength, and Lu Chuan could not guarantee victory in a single-handed fight, let alone against his two other helpers.

Furthermore, a direct confrontation at this moment would inevitably result in the Zhao family getting hurt.

He stepped into the courtyard, his voice ringing out clearly into everyone's ears: "How much is the shortage?"

The courtyard fell quiet.

Everyone looked toward the suddenly appearing youth.

The leading man turned his head sideways, sizing Lu Chuan up and recognizing him as the kid from the household next door that had paid their share just moments earlier, a hint of playful amusement crossing his face: "What, you want to bail them out?"

"Yes." Lu Chuan's gaze swept past Chunfang's terrified face and landed on the leading man.

"How much is lacking, I'll make up the difference. Uncle Zhao is a benefactor to my family, paying him back is only right and proper."

Hearing this, a stream of moved tears fell from Uncle Zhao's face.

The leading man gave a cold chuckle: "Hoh, you talk big. Fine, since you're willing to play the good guy,"

He held up two fingers. "His household of five, two silver liangs, not a single coin less."

Uncle Zhao, being held down, panicked. "Big Brother! We clearly paid over a liang just a moment ago..."

The leading man's gaze turned cold.

Yet Lu Chuan acted as though he hadn't heard Uncle Zhao's rebuttal, calmly drawing two silver pieces from his tunic and stepping forward two paces to hand them over.

"Two silver liangs, check it."

The leading man snatched the silver, weighing it in his hand—it was of full weight.

He looked at Lu Chuan with a flicker of surprise, as if he hadn't expected the youth to be so straightforward without even haggling over the price.

Only then did he release Chunfang's wrist.

Chunfang stumbled into her mother's arms and burst into loud sobs.

The leading man tucked the silver away and let his gaze fall back onto Lu Chuan's face.

The youth stood right there, meeting his gaze with a calm expression that held neither cowering nor provocation, exuding a steady composure unbefitting his age.

"Kid," Wang Kun narrowed his eyes, "interesting. You part with your money readily and speak with backbone."

"My name is Wang Kun. Kid, I'll remember you. In the future... we might just cross paths again."

With that, he tilted his head toward his two underlings. "Let's move."

The three of them swaggered away.

After Wang Kun left with his two underlings, the courtyard was left with only the weeping of those who had survived a calamity.

Aunt Zhao tightly hugged her daughter Chunfang, the mother and daughter's cries coming in fits and starts.

Zhao the Carpenter sat collapsed on the ground, his face a mix of gratitude and humiliation.

"Chuanzi, this money..." Zhao the Carpenter struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse, "I, Zhao the Third, will definitely pay you back. Even if I have to smash the pots and sell the irons, I'll return it..."

"Uncle Zhao," Lu Chuan turned around, his expression gentle, "there's no rush about the money. As long as Chunfang is fine, that's what matters."

"If it weren't for those five catties of grain you lent Uncle Zhao back then, we might not have even made it this far..."

Hearing this, Uncle Zhao immediately said with gratitude, "Those five catties of grain weren't worth much, and you've brought us rabbit meat before... This..."

After comforting Uncle Zhao a bit more and seeing that the Zhao family had gradually settled down, Lu Chuan turned and walked back to his own courtyard.

Seeing his son return, Lu Danian hurried up to him, lowering his voice:

"How was it? You didn't start a fight, did you? I heard crying and shouting over there..."

"No fight," Lu Chuan shook his head and walked into the house. "Gave them two silver liangs, the matter is settled."

"Two liangs?!" Lu Danian felt a pang of heartache, but seeing his son's expression, he knew this money was unavoidable.

Sighing, he said, "Spending money to avert disaster, spending money to avert disaster... As long as people are safe. That Wang Kun... didn't give you a hard time?"

"He remembered me, but... I remembered him too."

The news of Lu Chuan covering the two silver liangs for the Zhao family swept through every corner of Kaoshan Village like a gust of wind before half a day had passed.

During the farming lull, the slightest ripple could be chewed over repeatedly, let alone an act of righteousness like this.

"Did you hear? That kid from the Lu family didn't even blink an eye before filling a two-silver-liang hole for Zhao the Carpenter!"

"Two liangs! How much grain is that enough to buy? Lu Danian's son is truly righteous! Back then, Zhao the Third only shared five catties of grain, look how they're paying it back!"

"Why do you think good people get rewarded? Look at the Lu family recently—a snow fox, golden pheasants, such a huge wild boar... This kind of fortune must be the result of accumulated virtue!"

Lu Chuan, however, acted as though he couldn't hear the talk outside; he simply went about his routine of practicing the saber and hunting.

For the next month, Lu Chuan went up the mountain with his father almost every single day.

Relying on his increasingly refined archery of piercing a willow leaf from a hundred paces, wild chickens, hares, and even serows in the forest all became frequent guests on their dining table.

In the Lu family's kitchen, the fragrance of meat drifted almost daily, a thoroughly prosperous sight in Kaoshan Village.

Yet the vital energy nourishment brought by these ordinary game animals had an increasingly diminishing effect on Lu Chuan now.

The most obvious sign was that his rate of progress was slowing down more and more.

On this day, after running through Mountain Splitting Saber once, Lu Chuan looked at the status panel visible only to him.

[Name: Lu Chuan]
[Age: 16 years old]
[Martial Arts: Basic Archery · Perfection (Open a Stone Bow, within a hundred steps, never miss a shot)
Mountain Splitting Saber · Minor Success (81/500)]
[Talent: Eagle Eye]
[Absorbable Weapon Count: 0]

"Two months of hard training before and after, plus the replenishment of these meats, my accumulation is considered quite solid by now... The Blood Pass layer is finally not far off."

He could sense his physical strength increasing vastly, but whenever his vital energy circulated, it repeatedly hit snags before a certain intangible barrier.

Senior Disciple Brother Zhou's words from before echoed in his ears once more.

"Breaking through the Blood Pass is the true first threshold of the Martial Way. Success or failure depends on two things: bone root aptitude and vital energy accumulation. Those with fine bone roots experience naturally smooth vital energy circulation, breaking the pass is as effortless as water channeling a canal; those with mediocre bone roots require several times the vital energy to force it, and the risk of failure increases drastically. Once the breakthrough fails, the vital energy backlash will at best damage the meridians and leave hidden injuries, and at worst impair the foundation, destroying any possibility of ever breaking the pass again."

Lu Chuan possessed a clear-headed understanding of his own bone root—it was of lower-middle tier.

This meant his innate conditions for breaking the pass were poor to begin with.

Without an overwhelmingly massive accumulation of vital energy to serve as a backing, forcing an impact against the barrier carried an extremely high probability of failure.

"No need to rush... I'll go ask the senior brothers for some experience," Lu Chuan's gaze carried a solemn weight.

If you feel this book is good, to avoid not finding it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf!