Aftermath

Luo Bin's shoulders and back were slightly hunched. A breeze slipped into his shirt as he stood tall in the middle of the street, gazing at Shao Yancheng, whose clothes were just as spotless. He smiled faintly and said:

"Master Shao, you flatter me. Zhao Changhe acted with ruthless brutality and treated the lives of ordinary people like blades of grass. That was because of his dark nature and despicable character. What did any of this have to do with you...

So, if a man like him died, then he died. No one would mourn him... After all, he died as he deserved."

Shao Yancheng's expression was slightly blank, but his heart tightened. In an instant, he raised his estimation of Luo Bin's danger by several notches.

With those words, Luo Bin had "distanced" Zhao Changhe from them. Even if only in name, it could still repair some of the Jiang Family's and the Shuo Gang's reputation on Guanglin Street. What Luo Bin had said...

It was undeniably well put.

He had no reason not to go along with it.

"Brother Luo, your insight is truly discerning. I, Shao Yancheng, admire you. As for the lowlifes in the Shuo Gang, when I return today, I'll make sure they're strictly disciplined. I won't let a tragedy like this happen again." Shao Yancheng summoned a trace of authority and spoke solemnly.

At the far end of Guanglin Street, several black cars appeared slowly. The Chen Family had arrived late. Chen Tianren had rushed over as soon as he heard the news, never expecting the conflict to have already ended.

He gazed at Luo Bin in the middle of the street, at the cracked bluestone bricks beneath Shao Yancheng's feet, and at the pristine white shirt, not so much as a speck of dust upon it. A wave of sudden clarity washed over him as he recalled Jiang Ling's assessment... and a line rose unbidden to his lips.

"Luo Bin has astonishing talent in martial arts..."

The muttered words reached Chen Mansheng in the front passenger seat. She, too, was watching Luo Bin with concern. Hearing her father's quiet praise from behind, she could no longer suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth.

The people around her praised Luo Bin like the tolling of a great bell, the sound ringing again and again in her ears... She felt proud of him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Shao Yancheng for appearances' sake, Luo Bin watched him ride away. On the road, Shao Yancheng glanced at Chen Tianren's car before disappearing around the corner...

The moment Shao Yancheng left, cheers rang out across Guanglin Street, which had grown somewhat congested with the crowds surrounding it.

"What's the name of that powerful young man?" someone among the roadside vendors cried out hoarsely, struggling to hold back tears.

Sun Shuhua was the proudest of all. Waving her arm, she called out to the surging crowd:

"His name is Luo Bin, and he's my savior, too!!"

Countless vendors surged toward Luo Bin: women, children, men, even elders in their twilight years, their cloudy eyes glimmering with tears... The Great Xin Republic had a long and ancient heritage, with thousands of years of letters and rites behind it. Heroes who stood up for the people were the ones they revered most.

In voices as faint as a mosquito's wings, they called out the name "Luo Bin." As more and more people joined in, their voices converged like beams of light, gathering immense force. For a moment, it seemed the unfamiliar name could be heard throughout all of Shunzhi District.

Wei Ang watched Luo Bin, surrounded in the middle of the street, and his expression shifted in a complicated way.

When Luo Bin saw Chen Tianren and the others driving toward them, he assured the Chen Family that he was safe. Then Hu Junzhi and several other familiar fighters came over to help disperse the crowd.

"Don't chase them away. We're not the Shuo Gang, and we're not Zhao Changhe..." Luo Bin said.

Hu Junzhi was at a loss, like a college student back in his hometown for the New Year, trying to find something to do—busy, yet not quite sure what he was busy with...

Under the gaze of the crowd, Luo Bin walked slowly toward the stalls belonging to those who had died. Beside a roasted sweet potato stand, he saw a little boy with rosy cheeks, carrying a small sack of sweet potatoes still caked with damp earth, preparing to take them home.

The little boy looked bewildered. His back and neck seemed stiff as he headed in the opposite direction from where a man's corpse lay on the ground.

Luo Bin was about to ask him something when a woman's hoarse, anguished cry suddenly rang out from beyond the crowd.

"Xiao Que'er! Xiao Que'er! I told you to take sweet potatoes to your father. Why have you been gone so long... Where's your father? Where is he?!"

A woman in coarse, patched clothes pushed her way out of the crowd. She looked to be in her thirties, but her cheeks were weathered by hardship. Once she broke through, her eyes were bloodshot, and she sobbed in a strange, staccato rhythm, her voice making a rattling "kekeke" sound.

Then she fell to her knees with a thud, staring at the man lying face-down on the ground before her.

The little boy named Xiao Que'er stared blankly as he turned to look at his mother. His lips trembled as he murmured, "Dad... It seems like he doesn't want us anymore.

"He kept saying a few days ago that he was sick of eating sweet potatoes. Do you think he's gone up to the sky behind our backs to feast on something delicious? Mom—what do you think?"

That final "Mom" rose and fell, a quiver of hurt woven into his voice.

Among those present who still had families, someone with a tender heart couldn't help but begin to weep softly. Like a fuse, the sound instantly ignited Xiao Que'er's emotions.

"Mom—Dad doesn't want us anymore. He went to enjoy the good life in heaven, didn't he—?"

Watching the scene before him, Luo Bin felt a thread of agitation well up inexplicably in his heart. He beckoned Hu Junzhi over, fished a pack of Baoye cigarettes from the man's pocket, asked for a light, and took a deep drag.

Only then did his mind clear a little...

"Miss, I protected you this time. Can I ask for a little compensation?"

Chen Manqing raised her eyes to Luo Bin's face. Seeing that, unusually, he wasn't wearing his trademark smile, she nodded solemnly as well:

"What do you want? As long as it's something I can do..."

"Can you help find homes for these shattered families?"

His words drew countless gazes at once, but Luo Bin didn't notice. He kept his eyes fixed on Chen Manqing's red lips. A moment later, he heard her say, "I can," and instantly felt much lighter.

All around them, noise and confusion reigned as the crowd continued pressing toward the middle of Guanglin Street. But after Luo Bin and the others got into the Chen Family's car, they drove off down another alley... leaving some people behind to care for the disaster-stricken elderly, women, and children.

The story of Luo Bin striking Zhao Changhe dead with a single blow, then exchanging a punch with someone suspected of being a Jade Bone Pass Martial Master, gradually spread among the Zhenyuan Escort Agency's escort guards. He had originally been a young master who had come alone to challenge them, boldly declaring that he would "kick down their doors."

Yet he had "stood up for the people" and killed a Shuo Gang hothead, and even fought Shao Yancheng... It was truly shocking.

"Though Young Master Luo was a bit arrogant before, what he did today really hit the spot...

"We may be Martial Masters, but don't we all have women, children, and old folks at home? If one day we really ran into something like this, and a righteous young master like him was willing to step in... I wouldn't mind selling my life for him, heh heh."

A kindly faced escort guard beside Wei Ang said.