Evening, the Slums.
The murky ditch reeked, its sides thick with yellow-green moss.
Muffled voices drifted from an old house beside the ditch.
"Are you sure Chen Feng lives here?"
"Positive. I collect that kid's maintenance fees. He lives in the alley across the way."
The old house faced the alley's entrance, offering a clear view of everything.
"Good. When that kid comes back, point him out to me."
"Yes, yes."
Liu Dabiao bent low, rubbing his hands together as he beamed obsequiously at the Black Robe Man before him.
His ferocious face bunched up.
His smile was hideously ugly.
His old arrogance had vanished without a trace, leaving only fawning submission.
"I'll do everything as you say, sir."
"Good. The Gang Leader's father's birthday is coming up. If you make a big contribution, you might have a chance to climb the ranks."
The Black Tiger Gang's Hall Master spoke in a low voice.
"Yes, yes."
Liu Dabiao nodded over and over like a pecking chick.
"When are you planning to make your move, sir? Should we call in a few more men?"
Liu Dabiao quietly reminded him.
"I heard that kid's started learning martial arts. If we don't prepare properly, something could go wrong."
"Are you questioning me?"
The Hall Master frowned, deeply displeased by Liu Dabiao's suggestion.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"
"Don't worry your head over it. When the time comes, I'll go over and crush him. Why make it complicated?"
The Hall Master didn't care in the least.
He was a Blood Refining Realm Martial Artist, for heaven's sake. Taking on a kid who'd been learning martial arts for less than a month would be a piece of cake.
"That Lin Family sure is willing to spend. They're paying so much just to kill a little brat. Even the Gang Leader was tempted, so he sent me all the way out here."
"Yes, yes..."
Liu Dabiao stood respectfully to one side.
All he did was nod in agreement.
He didn't dare say much.
"That Chen Feng of yours—how'd he get on the Lin Family's bad side? He's just a boy living in the Slums. How'd he get tangled up with them?"
Liu Dabiao recalled, "I think he got on the Li Family's bad side, and that's what drove him to this godforsaken place."
"The Li Family..." The Hall Master lowered his head, pondering.
Liu Dabiao stood to one side, his smile stiff.
In truth, he felt utterly miserable.
Not because of the Black Tiger Gang's Hall Master before him...but because he'd just lent Chen Feng Five Taels of Silver!
Five taels!
That was a fortune to him, too.
He collected maintenance fees in the Slums. At five copper coins per head, he'd have to collect from a thousand people just to make it back!
There were only a handful of people in this alley!
How long would it take him to recover his loss?
Liu Dabiao felt his heart bleeding.
How had Chen Feng managed to get on the Lin Family's bad side out of nowhere? And now they'd sent a Hall Master to kill him.
The Hall Master would surely strip Chen Feng of everything he had.
He wouldn't leave Liu Dabiao a single coin!
If only he'd taken the money back that day...
Liu Dabiao sank into deep regret.
He glanced out the window at the sun sinking in the west and felt that his life was steeped in sorrow.
His first investment had failed completely.
Liu Dabiao's eyes flicked aside, and he spotted a familiar figure passing the alley's entrance.
It was Chen Feng!
"Sir! Sir! That's him!"
Liu Dabiao jolted, hurriedly alerting the Black Robe Hall Master beside him.
Chen Feng strolled along the road.
In the filthy Slums, people were numb and busy.
Every day, they struggled just to live until tomorrow. They had neither the energy nor the interest to learn what was happening beyond their little world.
Unless the news could put food in their stomachs.
So naturally, word that Chen Feng had become a Martial Arts Hall Personal Disciple hadn't reached this place yet.
Some people saw that Chen Feng was dressed much better than before and thought only one thing: Could they rob him?
Then they took another look, saw how strong and sturdy he was, and gave up on the idea.
They lowered their heads and went back to work.
Once upon a time,
Chen Feng had been one of them, too.
But he was young and had hope. He'd saved money to learn martial arts, and had been lucky enough not to fall ill, lucky enough not to get robbed, and luckier still...
To become a Personal Disciple.
Things had changed... Experience +222
Chen Feng: "???"
That counted?
Maybe it was better to be a sentimental person after all. He could get free Experience.
Chen Feng lengthened his stride. He'd come today to put his past behind him.
More precisely,
he was going to sell his house and get some silver.
He had nothing else to do, so he'd decided to sell the house first.
Before he forgot.
Senior Brother Lu had given him fifty taels as a meeting gift, and then another Ten Liang when he'd told him to practice his punches earlier.
But Chen Feng believed that when it came to silver, the more the better.
Now that he'd entered the Blood Refining Realm, he'd have to start buying Blood Food, too.
Ordinary meat was no longer enough.
Blood Food from Exotic Beasts cost dozens of taels at a time. It was far too expensive.
Chen Feng hadn't even tried any yet.
Knock, knock.
Chen Feng knocked on a house beside the road.
It wasn't a manor with gray tiles and green bricks, but this dingy gray house was still far better than the other houses around here.
"Liu Dabiao! You in?"
Chen Feng called twice.
No one answered.
Chen Feng frowned. Where could Liu Dabiao have gone?
Maybe he'd gone to visit a brothel?
"The boss ain't here! What d'you want?" A bald man poked his head out from the alley beside them.
"Where's Liu Dabiao? I need to talk to him," Chen Feng asked.
The bald man frowned instead, stepped out of the alley, and pointed at Chen Feng's nose as he cursed:
"Watch your mouth, you bastard! You think you can call Master Biao by his name?"
Chen Feng's gaze turned cold.
The bald man froze, cowed by his presence.
When he realized what had happened, he felt humiliated and grew furious. He continued cursing:
"You've only been learning martial arts for a couple of days, and look how cocky you've gotten!"
As if certain Chen Feng wouldn't dare lay a hand on him, the bald man pushed his luck.
"I'm talking to you, damn it! You hear me or not?"
His index finger nearly jabbed Chen Feng in the face.
Even a clay doll had a temper.
Chen Feng felt he'd been plenty amiable already.
Why did people keep looking for trouble?
He stopped hesitating and grabbed the bald man's outstretched index finger.
Crack!
"What are you—ahhh!"
A sharp snap rang out as the finger was twisted and broken.
Pain shot through every finger. Sweat poured down the bald man's face as he howled.
His finger bent backward, completely broken and dangling over the back of his hand.
"Ahhh! You—you just wait! When Master Biao gets back, I'll make you pay!"
Chen Feng charged forward and kicked the bald man to the ground, unable to stop himself from grumbling:
"You're still making threats?! You're all alone, and you can't even beat me, yet you're still mouthing off! Do you have a brain?"
The bald man clutched his hand, rolling on the ground in pain.
"Can you talk properly now?"
Chen Feng walked closer, about to ask where Liu Dabiao had gone.
Suddenly, a sense of danger welled up inside him.
After becoming a Martial Artist, Chen Feng's five senses had grown far sharper.
He keenly sensed a rush of air behind him.
A hand wrapped in a fierce palm wind shot toward the vital point between his shoulder blades. It carried a bone-chilling killing intent and left him no room to escape.
The attacker clearly meant to kill Chen Feng outright!
Under ambush... Experience +500
Chen Feng's heart clenched.
Instinct overpowered every thought in an instant.
He didn't look back. He drove the tip of his foot hard against the ground and shot up like a startled swan, shifting sideways three feet by sheer force.
He dodged the perilous strike.
Chen Feng spun and landed, finally getting a clear look at his attacker:
A lean man in a black robe, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
"Who are you?"
Chen Feng's voice was low.
His aura abruptly settled into a taut calm, wariness rising in his heart. He could tell the man before him was a genuine Martial Artist.
He was nothing like the likes of that bald man.
Before you continue