Three Major Events, a Journey to the Chen Family Mansion

Luo Bin's blunt, brutal approach was something no one had expected. With such bloody methods, if Liu Lang's injuries weren't treated properly, his life might well be hanging by a thread.

Everyone stared at the boy, whose frame had grown noticeably more imposing, and felt a chill creep into their hearts. He hadn't said a word—he'd simply come up and crippled the ringleader, Liu Lang...

Wen Li and the women hurriedly shut their eyes and turned away. They had been fierce enough just moments ago, but that was all talk. If it came to actually fighting, it was anyone's guess whether they'd dare to draw blood.

Luo Bin's voice was cold as he pointed at the unconscious Liu Lang:

"Why are you standing around? Hurry up and carry your boss to the Jishi Hall next door. Have Old Master Sun stop the bleeding and make sure he gets plenty of rest..."

"Yes, yes."

The group of ruffians fearfully dropped their "weapons," swarmed forward, and lifted the battered Liu Lang, carrying him toward the door.

"Hold it."

A middle-aged man with a bit of sense scrunched his face into a servile, pained smile. "Brother Luo, this... this was our fault too. We were blind with greed. Who knew Scarface Liu was setting his sights on someone under your protection?

"Rest assured, since Hall Master Luo has settled us here, we'll keep our heads down and behave. We won't go looking for trouble, hehe..."

Luo Bin slowly advanced, making the men carrying Liu Lang retreat several steps.

"Right, his medical bills should be charged to me, shouldn't they? But I'm going to the Chen Family Mansion to train tomorrow. You can send someone to ask the Second Young Master for the money then.

"Go on. Don't waste time that could be spent treating him."

The group nodded like pecking chickens. "Yes, yes."

Then someone seemed to realize something. His face turned deathly pale, and he shook his head, eyes full of fear. "No, no, we'll cover the medical bills ourselves. We'd never dream of troubling Young Master Luo..."

Wen Li was strikingly beautiful, in her late twenties, and even without makeup, she carried the gentle allure of a woman in her prime. Her dark hair was pinned into a low bun with a plain hairpin, and a few wisps fell beside her temples. Her cheeks were as pale as polished jade.

Seeing Luo Bin's forceful manner had completely shattered the timid, cowardly image of him in her mind. When Zhang Xin's wife had told her that Luo Bin had killed someone at the docks to save their men, she'd found it hard to believe.

After all, though she couldn't claim to know his character inside and out after these past two or three years, she had gradually gotten a good sense of him.

But the boy before her was both familiar and strange...

"A Bin really has grown into a fine young man..."

Wen Li wore a moon-white, fine cotton qipao, one Luo Bin had bought for her a couple of days ago. The fabric was smooth and soft, and the color lovely. It was a style she'd never even dared dream of owning before...

She hadn't known where Luo Bin had gotten the money to buy these things. But after seeing the strength he'd displayed today, she understood at once: with abilities beyond what most people could hope to match, he could make a good life for himself anywhere.

Zhang Xin's wife was named Li Wan—a name that couldn't have been more at odds with her personality. Now she was making a fuss, eyebrows raised and voice loud.

"Just look at her, look at her! Sister Wen sure is lucky. Not only did her daughter come with her to Tianhai to escape the trouble, she's also got a capable young man like Luo Bin looking out for her here in Ping City.

"Ah, I bet those sharp-tongued women in the back rooms are green with envy!"

Zhang Xin quickly let go of Xu Ping and rushed over to cover his wife's mouth, afraid she'd keep going.

"Why do you always twist a nice thing into something else?"

"You useless pretty-boy, what's wrong with me saying a few words? Mm-mm..."

"..."

After Liu Lang's lackeys had carried his broken body away, Luo Bin turned to Wen Li.

"Aunt Wen, if you run into another filthy, foul-mouthed lowlife like that, come tell me. I'll stand up for you."

Wen Li straightened unconsciously and nodded softly. "Mm."

Since Luo Bin was going to the Chen Family Mansion tomorrow to train under the Jiang-surnamed Great Martial Master, he would most likely be staying there for some time. Liu Lang's gang of thugs had been given a stern warning, but in a large residence where men and women lived together, someone might still try something underhanded. So Luo Bin turned to Zhang Xin and instructed him:

"Uncle Zhang, I'm going with the Chen family's Second Young Master to train tomorrow. I may not be back for a while, so I'll leave things in this residence to you and Uncle Xu.

"If anyone else gives you trouble, send someone to find me at the Chen Family Mansion."

Zhang Xin knew Luo Bin had a bright future ahead of him and didn't dare take the matter lightly. He immediately agreed. From the way Luo Bin treated Wen Li, Zhang Xin understood him perfectly.

The boy was loyal and grateful.

He'd just climbed the ladder a little too quickly. A few days ago, he'd still been a poor laborer risking his life alongside them for the Pei Family. Then, in the blink of an eye, he'd become a trusted subordinate of Luo Wendi.

And after Feng Yi had explained the details of the Elite Selection, they'd realized Luo Bin had already made connections with the Green Bamboo Gang's boss. He might not rise to the very top overnight, but he wouldn't be stuck scraping by at the bottom anymore.

Zhang Xin thumped his chest and promised:

"A Bin, don't worry. You saved all our lives, and our wives and children are here. We won't let outsiders take advantage of us!"

Luo Bin smiled faintly. "Then I can relax. By the way, Uncle Xu, are your injuries serious?"

A warm current trickled through Xu Ping's heart. He spoke in his honest, booming voice:

"Don't worry, A Bin. Your Uncle Xu has thick skin. That club barely hurt me. I stopped, hacked Liu Lang with several blows, and finally caught him on the ribs, cutting him open. Made a killing!"

Without the Pei Family's oppression, the large household had started to band together for warmth amid the chaos, and their spirits had gradually lifted.

Luo Bin smiled. "That's good. Uncle Xu, you were mighty!"

By May, Ping City already had a hint of midsummer in the air, and the heat was oppressive. This land was constantly witness to slaughter, hunger, homelessness, and bloody clashes.

Ever since the Westerners had brought their legendary enchanted cannons and blasted open the passes of the former Great Li, it was as if the written traditions and rites of thousands of years had been swept from this vast land.

Everything had fallen into chaos.

Three major events had taken place in Ping City that May, and the already boiling city had become a hotbed from which all manner of demons and monsters were bursting forth.

The first was the Chen family's campaign against the Pei Family, which had forced the entire clan to migrate to Tianhai.

The second was the appearance of many "Demon Specters" along the banks of the Li River outside the city. They were said to be connected to the Pei Family, and foreign merchants wanted to claim the area where the specters appeared, calling it a prime "Yin-Nurturing Ground."

The third was the death of Chen Shuo, head of the Chen family and Chen Jing's grandfather...

The sun was blazing in the stifling heat. At Luo Wendi's instruction, Ruan Pei had taken one of the gang's Champion Brand cars to pick up Luo Bin from the Pei Family's former mansion and take him to the Chen Family Mansion.

The car was said to be worth eight thousand silver dollars. At the wages of a dockworker, a man would have to work for decades without eating or spending a cent to save that much.

With Wen Li, Zhang Xin, Xu Ping, Li Wan, and the other robust women there to see him off, Luo Bin climbed into Ruan Pei's car.

The whole car was gleaming black, its polished finish looking exceedingly luxurious in the sunlight. In the era of the Great Xin Republic, an ordinary person wouldn't dare dream of owning a car in ten lifetimes.

Everyone watched it drive off, unable to hide their envy.

Li Wan poked her husband. "How did that boy change so suddenly...? And where did he get those skills?"

Zhang Xin thought it over carefully before explaining, "Brother Feng Yi said A Bin learned the Chen family's superior martial arts during the Elite Selection. Could he really be a genius? I always knew that kid had it in him!"

Li Wan raised an eyebrow, utterly exasperated, then spat. "Pah! You've known him less than three years, and now you're claiming you knew him as a boy..."

Wen Li covered her mouth and giggled. In an instant, everyone was laughing.

"Old Zhang, you're really trying to take credit for yourself, hahaha!"

"Exactly!"

After roughly twenty or thirty minutes, Ruan Pei drove up to the Chen Family Mansion.

Luo Bin gazed out the window, weighing his options. He still lacked a mainstream cultivation method to build a solid foundation, and obtaining one from the Chen family was undoubtedly the fastest path available. He just didn't know what price he would have to pay...

Ruan Pei glanced at Luo Bin's somewhat grave expression and chuckled, his manner warm and kind as he explained:

"Luo Bin, I imagine you're worried the Chen family values you because they're plotting something, right? If so, there's no need to worry. Just relax. This will only do you good."