Luo Wendi nodded. "The Black Sheath Hall has always eaten from the Chen Family's table. It was long overdue..."
Ran Shaohua had never treated him like a person. Now that the Chen Family wanted to cut ties with the Black Sheath Hall, Luo Wendi couldn't have been happier.
Luo Bin wore Chen Tianren's suit. Its fabric held the scents of tobacco and sandalwood. He lowered his eyes slightly and said nothing, neither surprised by the earth-shattering decision nor reacting to it.
In the eyes of the others, this made him seem mature beyond his years, calm in the face of great affairs...
The Green Bamboo Gang's split and the Chen Family's awkward predicament were not his concerns. Chen Tianren would handle all of that.
Right now, Luo Bin had only one burning desire: to grow stronger without end, glimpse the realm beyond the Fifth Realm, and truly take in the world's real scenery.
Chen Tianren, however, had surely been having a hard time lately.
The Chen Family had spread its influence across Ping City and held the juiciest piece of the pie for years. Now that Old Master Chen Shuo had passed away and could no longer keep everyone in line, Chen Tianren would inevitably have to make some concessions to the enemies circling around him.
That meant giving up a share of the profits to maintain a healthy balance of power in Ping City.
Otherwise, it would hardly be surprising if everyone ganged up on them.
Chen Tianren glanced at Luo Bin. Seeing that he remained as still as an ancient well, he couldn't help feeling even more satisfied.
"What are you all standing around for?
Clear the place out. See the guests off, and seal off whatever needs sealing. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible!" Chen Tianren turned and barked at the guards and stewards nearby.
Su Yunong and Hong Ling, the two "pure songstresses" from Qunyu Garden in the western part of the city, approached Luo Bin and curtsied together, saying softly:
"We owe you a great deal for stepping in today, Mr. Luo. Otherwise, we would never have known that something so terrifying was lurking upstairs in Moon Veil Pavilion...
"If there's ever anything our sisters can do for you, just send word to Qunyu Garden. We'll do everything in our power to help..."
Su Yunong was more mature and worldly. Knowing this was no place to linger, she exchanged a few more pleasantries with Luo Bin, then thanked Chen Tianren, Chen Jing, and the others in turn before taking her leave.
Luo Bin had no interest in making small talk with these leading ladies from the opera house. His mind was still turning over the question of the "Crimson."
Spirit Charm and modification points were the Martial Arts Modifier's two most important modules. Today, he had killed a Strange Specter close to the Jade Bone Pass and earned seven modification points.
How many would he get for killing that bulletproof Black Bone Scaled Snake outside the city?
Desire burned in Luo Bin's heart like a spark catching fire. He longed to grow stronger, to take in the wondrous scenery of this mysterious world, and to visit great cities like Tianhai and Jinmen...
How did Western methods compare with martial arts?
He still had to bring Wen Li's daughter back...
Once the crowd had dispersed, the doors of Moon Veil Pavilion slammed shut. Chen Tianren said, "Come on, let's go back to the residence. Second Brother, you're coming with us too."
Chen Jing nodded at once, then sidled up to Luo Bin and showered him with praise again. Yet Luo Bin didn't dislike compliments like these... From the first time he had met Chen Jing and Chen Manqing, he had felt that, for all their arrogance,
they didn't have that spoiled, haughty look of people who looked down on poor folk from the bottom of their hearts...
By the standards of his previous life, the Chen Family likely had a fine family tradition and strict rules—or perhaps Old Master Chen Shuo, the man who had laid the family's foundations, had simply set a good example.
On the way back to the Chen Residence, they chatted about all sorts of things: daily life, their interests, even Luo Bin's path in martial arts. Chen Tianren offered advice at just the right moments.
Before long, the atmosphere in the car felt almost like that of a family, and Luo Bin and the others came to understand one another much better...
The car pulled into the Chen Residence as dawn was breaking.
The eastern sky had turned pale, and the white mourning drapes in the courtyard swayed gently in the night breeze, lending the place a solemn air.
Chen Jing led Luo Bin into the main hall on the first floor of the Chen Residence, but no one was there. They went upstairs and searched several rooms, but still found no one...
"Dad, Big Sister and Mansheng are missing, and Aunt Ji is gone too... Didn't you say on the way here that Elder Jiang was watching the house?" Chen Jing shouted toward the courtyard.
The Aunt Ji Chen Jing mentioned was Chen Tianren's second wife, and the daughter of a marquis from the former Great Li dynasty. After the old dynasty fell, she had sought refuge with the Chen Family... All four of Chen Jing's siblings were children of Chen Tianren's first wife.
"Are you brain-dead?
"With all the commotion we made last night, your sister must have thought a war had broken out. She's probably taken the family to hide at the estate outside the city." Chen Tianren lit a cigarette and scolded him.
Chen Jing's eyes widened. "It's so dangerous outside the city. How did they dare go there?
"Elder Jiang isn't here either, so he must have gone with them... Good, that's all right."
Chen Tianren came into the hall and sat beside Luo Bin. He gently patted the younger man's thigh. "Luo Bin, this afternoon, go with Chen Jing and bring everyone in the family back.
"Those useless fools in Ping City won't dare do anything. I'll deal with things here, so you can focus on practicing martial arts..."
When Luo Bin heard Chen Tianren say "the family," his heart skipped a beat.
Chen Tianren was being a little too familiar with him. Whether this was "no smoke without fire" or "getting exactly what one asked for," Luo Bin was rather overwhelmed by the favor.
"T-thank you, Uncle Chen."
Chen Tianren had someone prepare Qinghui Courtyard, a small residence next to Qufang Garden, for Luo Bin. He would move in after a couple of days; for now, he would still stay in his room at Qufang Garden.
By afternoon, the time had come.
Four jeeps slowly pulled out from the Chen Family's grounds. Their tires rolled over the rutted dirt road, sending clouds of dust billowing behind them, while the scenery outside the windows shifted from newly paved streets to stretches of barren fields and wooded thickets.
Chen Jing leaned against the car window, idly turning a silver revolver in his hand as he chattered away. "Brother Luo, you don't know my Big Sister. She looks as cold as a block of ice, but she's more timid than a rabbit.
"When we were kids, the family hired an opera troupe to perform Mulian Rescues His Mother. She saw the ghost guards and hid under a table, crying for half the night. I could tease her about that for the rest of my life.
"Hahahaha."
Hu Junzhi and Zhang Huai, sitting in the front, both smiled at that, but Zhang Huai kept his fingertips resting on the pistol at his waist.
After about half an hour, the convoy finally reached the estate.
The cars had barely entered the courtyard and hadn't even come to a full stop when several people appeared beneath the portico of the Western-style house.
At the front stood a woman in her thirties, dressed in a pale moon-white qipao with a subtle floral pattern. Her hair was pinned up without a strand out of place, and a smooth pearl adorned her temple. An air of nobility surrounded her.
She was Chen Tianren's second wife, Ji Xuan, daughter of a marquis from the former Great Li dynasty. When she saw Chen Jing get out of the car, her anxious heart finally settled. She hurried over to greet him.
"Ah Jing, you're finally here. Gunshots rang through the city for half the night. I've been on edge the whole time."
"Aunt Ji, we're fine!" Chen Jing grinned and pulled Luo Bin forward. "Let me introduce you. This is Luo Bin, Brother Luo! We were lucky to have him last night. Otherwise, that Strange Specter really would have gotten its way..."
Luo Bin gave a slight nod. "Madam Ji."
Ji Xuan hurriedly returned the greeting. After looking him up and down for a moment, she smiled with satisfaction. "You're Luo Bin, right? Then I'll call you Ah Bin... Come here, I want to have a little private chat with you."
Luo Bin was a little taken aback, but listened attentively.
"What do you think of Manqing?"
"..."
Just then, a young woman stepped out of the Western-style house at the center of the estate and called to Chen Jing, "There's a River God Festival at Yingshui Ferry nearby! Chen Jing, want to go have a look? It's something really novel!"
Before you continue