Old Steward shook his head, sighing again and again.
Chen Lei was already so arrogant as a Bright Force Martial Artist. What would happen if he reached Dark Force?
More than fearing the trouble he might cause, Old Steward feared he would offend someone he shouldn't and lose his life.
He was utterly at a loss with this young man.
Old Steward turned to Hou Chun and said, "Hou Chun, let this matter end here today. You may go back now, and don't trouble my nephew again."
"Of course. This junior understands."
Hou Chun agreed readily, but after he left, his eyes were filled with deep malice.
"Old bastard, little calf, just you wait. Don't you dare let me get an opening..."
He was the sort who always repaid a grudge. One day, he would return this favor tenfold!
·····
In the room on the other side, "Xiao Han, why don't you consider moving? This man is vicious by nature and holds grudges over the smallest things. I'm afraid this matter won't be settled so easily."
"I can protect you for a while, but not for a lifetime."
How could Chen Han not understand? He fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
Move? Where could they go but outside the city?
And out there, order was even more chaotic. People were murdered in broad daylight all the time!
If they went there, who knew when they might run into more trouble and be stabbed to death, or fail to earn enough silver and starve at home?
That was simply how the world worked: wine and meat rotted behind vermilion gates, while frozen corpses littered the roadside. The lives of commoners were cheap as grass...
"How about this, old brother? Wasn't your nephew Chen Han once a Dark Force Martial Artist? Let him teach my good-for-nothing son martial arts. He can live and eat in the inner city, all expenses covered, and I'll pay him one tael of silver each month."
At these words, Chen Han's eyes lit up. This was an unexpected stroke of good fortune.
Old Steward was overjoyed. "That would be wonderful... Then I thank you, Brother Li."
As he spoke, he clasped his hands in thanks.
Squire Li had originally wanted a proper Dark Force Martial Artist, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. Given the current situation, his request would have been asking for the moon.
So he had to settle for the next best thing and choose Chen Han.
"Chen Han, you haven't practiced martial arts in a long time. Are you confident?"
Chen Han's face brimmed with joy. How could he say no? Besides, he had once been a Dark Force Martial Artist, and his understanding of every move and stance of the Mountain Breaking Fist was etched into his bones.
He couldn't guarantee he could teach someone to become a Dark Force Martial Artist, but reaching Bright Force would be a piece of cake.
"I understand the Mountain Breaking Fist deeply and haven't forgotten a single thing. Of course I'm confident."
"Good, then it's settled!"
Squire Li declared.
·····
"Brother Chen, the situation at the front is grim. Three of the five Martial Masters sent to suppress Red Spider have suffered serious injuries. A great calamity is coming, and by then I may not even be able to protect myself. You must be careful."
Old Steward and Squire Li had already left with their people, leaving Chen Lei behind to have a long talk with Chen Han.
He gazed at Chen Han, his face full of worry. All the words in his heart came down to just that one sentence.
"I understand..."
Chen Han's heart turned bitter. He felt deep despair at the calamity awaiting them.
"Take care!"
Chen Lei shoved a bag of silver into Chen Han's arms, catching him off guard.
Looking at the bag, which held at least thirty taels, Chen Han knew it was most of his brother's wealth.
"What are you doing? Take it back!"
A flicker of anger rose in Chen Han's face.
Chen Lei was already in his twenties and still hadn't married. If he gave Chen Han this money too, how much longer would it take before he could start a family?
"Brother Chen, this is just a little something from me. Keep it. The Lineage thinks highly of me, so I don't lack resources for training. Besides, I've been used to living freely on my own since I was a child. You're different. You have a family now, and people who depend on you. You all have to stay safe."
Stay safe...
Chen Han had heard the same words a few days earlier, from Shen Wufu.
By now, Shen Wufu might already be dead.
Chen Han's face turned dark and pale by turns, his expression ugly.
After a long while, he couldn't utter another word. He simply clasped his fists and looked intently at Chen Lei, wanting to burn his appearance into his memory. "Brother, take care!"
A few days later, Chen Han brought his family to the inner city.
They had sold all their possessions, getting just over a hundred taels of silver in total. In the past, it would have been a deal that left them at a total loss.
Holding Shen Yue's hand and leading Shen Wan'er and Lu, Chen Han found the temporary lodgings Squire Li had arranged for them.
It was a small courtyard tucked deep in a narrow alley, hemmed in by three little rooms. It was cramped indeed.
Two households lived there, with the vacant room surrounded on either side. That was where they would stay.
Clearly, they had all been afraid to live in the outer city, so they had sold everything they owned to rent this tiny patch of land in the inner city.
They exchanged a few simple greetings, just enough to get acquainted.
One household had three people: a middle-aged couple and their sixteen- or seventeen-year-old son.
The other household had a young couple in their twenties. The man was fat and burly, with a face full of flesh. Just one look at him told Chen Han he would be hard to get along with. The woman was frail and delicate, with an unhealthy pallor.
Chen Han also noticed the fat man's gaze drifting from time to time over Shen Wan'er and Shen Yue.
A man's nature was to lust after women. Chen Han didn't warn him aloud, but he kept a close eye on him.
After arriving at their new home, the three women cleaned up. Shen Yue was dissatisfied with how cramped it was, but she was a sensible girl and didn't complain.
Chen Han found a wooden mallet and some thick boards, then reinforced all the doors and windows. He also told the three women not to go out unless absolutely necessary, unless he was home.
The world was chaotic. Even in the inner city, if some official took a liking to Shen Yue or his wife, he could simply have them dragged away.
Then, if he came home and found no one there, he would truly be calling to heaven and earth for help in vain.
That was something Squire Li had specifically warned him about.
After taking care of everything, Chen Han watched the door close securely with his own eyes before leaving, reassured.
Starting today, Chen Han would teach Li Mubai martial arts.
It was still morning, and he had something to take care of before going to Squire Li's home.
Chen Han went to the tavern where he had previously worked as a bookkeeper. Carrying a bag of food and a few taels of silver, he went to see the owner.
He had asked the man to put in a good word for him earlier, but hadn't given him a thank-you gift yet.
But when he found the old owner, his expression darkened.
"Old bastard, are you looking to die?"
"You said there was a fly in your food, so there was a fly in your food. What the hell are you arguing for? I'm telling you right now: pay us fifty taels, or... we'll burn down your tavern!"
Several burly ruffians glared furiously at the old owner, holding wine that they spilled everywhere.
Clearly, if the old owner dared say no, they would burn the whole place down.
"Good sirs, this little shop is just trying to make an honest living. We can't withstand you wrecking the place like this. You can't bully people this way!"
The old owner pleaded, his face stricken.
"They're the ones causing trouble!"
At that moment, a graceful, beautiful woman rushed through the door. She brought several men with equally rough skin and pointed at the group.
"Fuck your mother! Get them!"
In an instant, the two groups of men were brawling.
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