Elite Selection

A warm current flowed through his limbs and bones, as if a precious ginseng remedy were slowly repairing Luo Bin's body. Some lingering ailments from the inhuman treatment he had endured at the Pei Mansion were even beginning to heal.

More remarkably, the foggy mind he'd had in his previous life from malnutrition was starting to clear.

The current gradually grew scorching hot, seeping into Luo Bin's muscles and meridians. They filled with blood, tore and stretched, then repaired themselves. Yet all he felt was the muscles beneath his skin writhing. There was no pain.

"What a strange sensation."

"Is this what it feels like to be bursting with power?"

Feng Yi shoveled in a mouthful of food and glanced at Luo Bin. "Brother Luo, you look about sixteen or seventeen. How come you're so sturdy? I didn't notice at the dock just now because it was dark. Hall Master really does have a good eye."

Luo Bin was about to make a polite excuse, but Feng Yi's trusted subordinate, Liu Chuang, stepped forward and said:

"Brother Luo, there's a woman making a fuss, insisting she has to see you in the kitchen. We couldn't stop her. Hall Master Luo thinks highly of you, so we weren't sure what to do..."

At that, Feng Yi raised his brows and snapped, "You useless fool! If she wants to see Brother Luo, she must be family! Have you got a pig's brain?"

Liu Chuang suddenly understood. "Oh, right! I'll bring her over at once."

Feng Yi wiped his mouth, patted Luo Bin on the shoulder, and left, giving him the kitchen to speak with the woman in private.

Luo Bin was feeling a little overwhelmed. So much had happened in a single night: the Pei Family had assigned him to a ruined building, he had crossed over in the middle of the night, made a life-or-death choice at the dock, and then "negotiated" with Luo Wendi.

Even a living soul from the twenty-first century like him could hardly take it. He'd nearly been riddled with machine-gun fire, after all. Who could handle that?

But now Luo Bin was beginning to understand the kind of world he was in. Twenty years ago, the Dali Dynasty had collapsed under the onslaught of the Western powers, ushering in the Republic era. The social backdrop was similar to that of his previous life...

Except this world was a place where people were "eaten alive" in the most literal sense. After the Westerners had blasted open the country's gates with their ironclad ships and cannons, they had taken control of foreign concessions, canal transport, trade routes, and many other sectors.

More importantly, this world also had something called "martial arts," and demons, monsters, and spirits had always existed.

Take the Pei Family, for example. Luo Bin didn't know what connection they had to "demons," but they really did spend vast sums recruiting capable people from the martial world.

One of their Daoist priests even wielded a divine power called "Spirit Binding and General Commanding," a fact known throughout the Pei Mansion.

His previous self had been too low-ranking to hear about many things that were amiss. After hearing Feng Yi's explanation just now, Luo Bin finally realized... this really was a high-risk world.

He needed to study the panel carefully and grow stronger as quickly as possible. Only then could he feel safe staying alive.

A heart-wrenching sob rang out. "A Bin! A Bin! Thank goodness you're alive!"

At the kitchen door, beside several French roses, stood a young woman in plain clothes, her face smeared with ash. Tears shimmered in her eyes. The moment she saw Luo Bin, the gloom in her eyes gave way to light.

"Aunt Wen? Why are you here alone? Where's Wen Xue?" Luo Bin asked with a frown.

The woman before him was his previous self's aunt, Wen Li. She had lived in Stone Slab Alley near the Pei Mansion. Three years ago, she had found his previous self homeless on the street and taken him in. Later, when he joined the Pei Family as a guard, Zhang Xin and the others introduced him, and Wen Li began doing odd jobs at the Pei Mansion.

That was how Wen Li and her daughter, Wen Xue, had managed to survive in Ping City as it grew more and more turbulent.

At Luo Bin's question, Wen Li's eyes reddened, and tears fell like pearls from a shattered plate.

"Xue'er... I hid her with Yu Ping. She's already gone aboard the ship with her... I once saved Yu Ping's life, so this time I asked her to help us in return..."

Yu Ping was the senior maid of the Pei Family's second branch and held some influence there. Pei Yuan, of the first branch, was ruthless and had perfectly inherited his father Pei Song's nature. But the second branch was still young, and showed some of its mother's generosity.

That meant Wen Xue had a good chance of surviving.

Luo Bin nodded and led Wen Li into the kitchen. He served her a bowl of hot congee and asked the kitchen hands to heat up some food. They knew the young man was someone Hall Master Luo valued, so they prepared everything with care.

"Now that things have come to this, all we can do is hope Xue'er makes it to Tianhai and lives a good life."

"Aunt Wen, the Green Bamboo Gang didn't do anything to you, did they?"

Luo Bin looked at Wen Li's deliberately disfiguring makeup, his heart aching. For years, a woman in her late twenties had disguised herself and bound her chest so tightly she could barely breathe, just to escape with her life.

His previous self had seen what her face looked like beneath the disguise—so striking and beautiful.

Wen Li's eyes were faintly red. She swallowed her mouthful of congee and said:

"The Green Bamboo Gang is much more reasonable than those beasts from the Pei Family. They didn't lay a hand on us. They even sent people to protect us.

"The Pei Family left a few people behind with guns, planning to kill us old folks and women and children. The Green Bamboo Gang members beat them all to death."

Then she added, "I wonder where all those stories about the Green Bamboo Gang being vicious and evil came from."

Given what his previous self knew, it had been hard to make sense of it. But now that he thought about it, the Pei and Green Bamboo factions simply stood on opposite sides. Naturally, each would do everything it could to smear the other. One thing was certain now: the Pei Family really was vicious...

Thinking of how the Pei Family had tried to wipe out even a group of women and children, Luo Bin felt as if a boulder were pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Don't worry, Aunt Wen. One day, I'll go to Tianhai, find Xue'er, and bring her back to you."

Wen Li's tear-red eyes turned to the boy, who had suddenly become so much more resolute. He seemed almost like a stranger. But when she thought of the three years they had supported one another, that flicker of doubt vanished like a gust of wind.

A man had told her on the way in that Luo Bin was now one of the most promising young men in the Green Bamboo Gang, valued by Luo Wendi, the hall master of the Black Sheath Hall, one of the gang's strongest branches. The news had shaken her to the core...

She had thought that a poor nobody like her was fated to serve her betters for the rest of her life. She had never imagined that the timid boy from years ago would become the pillar she could lean on.

"I believe you."

Afterward, Luo Bin discussed the arrangements with Feng Yi. The former Pei Mansion guards would continue living together, while the women would be given a separate courtyard for the time being.

There were plenty of empty quarters, and they simply waited for the other group Luo Wendi had arranged to move in.

Luo Bin continued rooming with Zhang Xin, Xu Ping, and the others. The courtyard had belonged to Pei Yuan of the Pei Family's first branch. It was spacious, and its rooms were tastefully furnished. Luo Bin chose one of the side rooms to sleep in.

That night, he found himself restless and burning all over.

He knew it was because of everything that had happened that night... It had been his first time killing someone, and he hadn't been very practiced. He hadn't prepared himself mentally, either.

Luo Bin tossed and turned. In the end, he simply got dressed and began practicing the White Ape Through-Arm Fist.

The memories of the technique were crystal clear in his mind. His muscles remembered every movement as if he had been throwing these punches for years.

Now, he was simply taking up the technique again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

His forceful punches sent gusts of wind through the courtyard, making the leaves on the trees rustle through the night. The people sleeping inside thought a strong wind had risen after dark.

"Sure enough, the White Ape Fist I knew before can't hold a candle to this set of techniques!"

Luo Bin practiced excitedly until daybreak, then returned to his room and slept for a while. Not long after the sun rose, Feng Yi sent someone to call him:

"Brother Luo, get up! I'm taking you to the gang. The gang's holding the Elite Selection today. If you miss this chance, you'll have to wait three months!"