Fifty silver coins—a colossal fortune!
But Chen Han's mind was clear as a mirror. Even if it were a hundred taels, it would all end up back in this man's hands sooner or later.
In these troubled times, whoever had the hardest fists called the shots.
"Big brother, I don't want to."
Shen Yue shot a disdainful glance at the freak, who was neither man nor woman. She gripped Chen Han's sleeve nervously with one hand and whispered miserably,
"Just staying alive and getting enough to eat in these troubled times is lucky enough. But that man looks like no good. Who knows what strange habits he might have?"
Besides, she didn't trust anyone else.
The only people she could call family were safest when they stayed by her side.
"Marquis, I'm afraid that won't do. Xiao Mei is still young, and I can still earn enough to put food on the table. I haven't made any plans for Xiao Mei's marriage yet."
Chen Han shielded Shen Yue, speaking in a meek, deferential tone.
"Oh?"
Hou Chun watched Chen Han, his gaze growing dangerous. He had meant to name a price Chen Han couldn't refuse, but then he froze.
This was the second time he'd seen Chen Han, but the first time he'd truly looked at him.
Chen Han's face was as sharply carved as a knife, his features angular and well-defined, with a hint of easy grace between his brows. At first glance, he seemed ordinary, but the longer one looked, the more pleasing he became.
Practicing the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique nurtured the body and refined one's bearing. Chen Han now truly was as graceful as a jade tree and as dashing as a charming young nobleman.
With a little dressing up, he'd be a bona fide handsome man.
Hou Chun had never seen such a strikingly handsome man. His gaze shifted several times in the space of a few breaths. "If she won't do, then you'll take her place."
Chen Han didn't understand at first. He thought he'd misheard.
"I'll give you thirty taels of silver. Come with me."
Chen Han's expression changed. He'd once heard a ridiculous rumor in the city: one of the Seven Sha of the Black Mountain Gang was especially fond of beautiful people, and had an obsessive, feverish fascination with handsome men.
Yet within just a few days, any man he took away would end up dead, crippled, or insane. No one knew what they'd suffered.
At the thought, a chill of revulsion swept through Chen Han. I can't believe this has finally happened to me! I'm done for!
His heart pounded, and his face filled with terror. "Marquis, please, never mind me. Spare this humble man! If I leave, what will become of my family?"
"So you're saying you won't?"
The Marquis's gaze turned colder. He'd grown up in a twisted family, and it had left him neither wholly man nor woman. His only pleasure was tormenting those blessed with good looks.
Men in particular. Whenever he sliced off their flesh, they let out heart-rending screams, roaring like savage beasts, full of pain and despair.
It never failed to fill him with delight.
"Marquis, I truly can't agree to this."
Chen Han looked away, acting as though he didn't dare meet Hou Chun's eyes.
The several hired thugs in the courtyard exchanged knowing smiles.
"Very well. You won't come willingly? Then don't blame me."
The Marquis looked around and spotted the mother and daughter peeking from a corner. "That girl's rather pretty too. She could fetch a good price in a brothel. The woman in her forties could be sold for a bit of silver as well..."
Then he looked at Shen Yue. "And this young girl—tsk, tsk, she's quite lovely. The Music Conservatory should take her."
Shen Yue trembled with fear, her palms sweating. She kept her head down, not daring to look at Hou Chun.
Chen Han's heart sank.
With the Red Spider incident, the city government's forces were severely depleted. It was anyone's guess whether the army sent to put down the Red Spider would even succeed. The city itself might not survive. In such circumstances, the darkness of human nature was laid bare.
Before, these gangs had at least pretended to behave, collecting only protection money—or, at worst, raising the amount they demanded.
Now they'd started robbing people in broad daylight!
No wonder Shen Wuren had taken him aside before leaving to say those things. He'd clearly anticipated this.
"M-Marquis, come back tomorrow. Give this humble man a little time to think it over."
"Think it over?"
Hou Chun was displeased. He took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll give you one day to consider it. I'll be back tomorrow."
After seeing off the burly men of the Black Mountain Gang, Chen Han turned around to find Shen Yue throwing herself into his arms.
"Big brother, don't go with those bad men! Waaaah!"
The girl sobbed uncontrollably, her tears soaking the front of his shirt.
"Dear, you... are you really going to do this? If you leave, the three of us will be sold by those villains from the Black Mountain Gang sooner or later. Maybe we'll meet an even worse fate!"
Shen Wan'er was frantic.
Lu kept wiping away her tears.
"Don't worry. I'm not that foolish."
Chen Han's expression was calm and easygoing, nothing like the meek, ingratiating man he'd been moments before. He knew that if he panicked too, the three women would feel even more helpless.
He lifted Shen Yue's face and gently wiped the tears from her dewy, flushed cheeks. Her watery eyes were enough to melt anyone's heart.
"That was just a stopgap measure. Don't worry."
"Really?"
Chen Han patted her head. "What do you think?"
......
That day, Chen Han went to his family's residence. After asking around, he found out where the family's steward was.
That's right—his plan was to borrow someone else's prestige to strengthen his own position.
A frontal assault was the worst possible strategy. His right hand had already suffered one devastating injury after another, and he couldn't use Dark Force. His Bright Force came only from the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique: it had some power, but no foundation.
Even if he knew martial arts, his body wasn't strong enough to put them to use.
The Chen Family's Mountain Breaking Fist was even worse.
If he tried to throw a proper Mountain Breaking Fist, his right hand—which had been injured again and again—would die on the spot, beyond all hope of recovery.
He had no chance against any martial artist.
He'd had no choice when he killed Master Bear and his men. Otherwise, he never would have risked tearing his whole family apart by striking first.
Now he had room to maneuver. Naturally, he would avoid his own weaknesses, exploit his opponent's, and win through cunning.
The Chen Family couldn't resolve the matter for good, but they could still cow the gang for a while. It was the best solution available.
At last, Chen Han found the Old Steward on a path beside a lake. The Old Steward seemed to have aged even more. His wrinkles had deepened, but his face was still as kind as ever.
At the moment, he was strolling leisurely with a woman, chatting as they walked.
Chen Han recognized her. She was Chen Qiuyu, the very woman who had humiliated him before.
Chen Qiuyu wore a flowing blue-green dress, her long hair drifting in the breeze. Her beauty was breathtaking, yet Chen Han found her utterly repulsive.
A face like peach blossoms, a heart like a venomous snake!
That phrase suited her perfectly.
"Old Steward."
Chen Han stopped before the Old Steward and bowed.
"Little Han, what brings you to see me all of a sudden? Has something happened?"
Worry filled the Old Steward's aged face. He hurriedly helped Chen Han up and asked him.
"Old Steward, your nephew was bullied out there!"
Chen Han's voice was hoarse, and he spoke with a sob.
The original Chen Han's deep-rooted memories of the Old Steward surged through him. Though he hadn't lived through them himself, he was still deeply moved. The grievances he'd carried for days briefly found an outlet, and his eyes reddened and filled with tears before he knew it.
The Old Steward had never practiced martial arts. He had worked diligently for the Chen Family for many years and treated its descendants as his own, holding them dear.
Chen Han, in particular, had been left without father or mother, alone in the world. The Old Steward had raised him with his own hands.
He had always been unable to resist the pull of old affection. Now, after such a long separation, seeing the young man he'd watched grow from a child standing before him in tears softened his heart at once.
"Who? Who dared bully a son of the Chen Family?"
His frail, aged body seemed to grow sturdy in an instant.
"It was the Black Mountain Gang. They want to take my wife and daughter!"
Chen Han gritted his teeth, tears in his eyes.
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