Moving into the Inner City

The old steward shook his head, sighing incessantly.

If Chen Lei was already this arrogant while still a Mingjin martial artist, what would happen if he reached the Anjin realm?

Compared to the trouble he might stir up, the old steward was more afraid that he would provoke someone he shouldn't and lose his life.

He was truly speechless regarding this lad.

The old steward looked at Hou Chun and spoke, "Hou Chun, let today's matter end here. You may return now, and do not seek trouble with my nephew again in the future."

"Yes, this junior understands."

Hou Chun agreed readily, but after leaving, his eyes were filled with intense malice.

You old thing, you little calf, you had better not let me find an opportunity...

He was the type to hold a grudge, and he would certainly repay this matter twofold in the future!

In the room on the other side, "Little Han, why don't you consider moving? This person is sinister by nature and vengeful; I fear this matter will not be resolved so easily."

"I can protect you for a moment, but I cannot protect you for a lifetime."

Chen Han understood this point well; he was silent for a moment before finally nodding.

Move? Where could they move to? It would be nothing more than outside the city.

And there, order was even more chaotic; people were killed in the streets from time to time!

If they went there, who knew when they might provoke other trouble and be stabbed to death, or fail to earn silver and starve to death at home.

Such was this world: the vermilion gates reeked of wine and meat, while the road was littered with the bones of the frozen; for the lowly, life was as cheap as dust...

"How about this, old brother? Wasn't nephew Chen Han an Anjin martial artist before? Let him come and teach my good-for-nothing son martial arts. How about it? I will cover all food and lodging within the inner city, and pay a monthly wage of one tael of silver."

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Han's eyes lit up; this was an unexpected joy.

The old steward was overjoyed, "That would be excellent... Then I thank you, Brother Li."

As he spoke, he cupped his hands in gratitude.

Squire Li had originally wanted a proper, high-level Anjin martial artist, but after some thought, he decided against it; given the current situation, his requirement was perhaps a bit too demanding.

He had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and choose Chen Han.

"Chen Han, you haven't practiced martial arts for a long time; do you have confidence?"

Chen Han's face was full of joy; how could he say a word of refusal? Moreover, having once been an Anjin martial artist, his understanding of every move and stance of the Mountain Breaking Fist was etched into his bones.

He could not guarantee he would produce an Anjin martial artist, but for Mingjin, it was more than enough.

"This nephew has a deep understanding of the Mountain Breaking Fist and has not forgotten a single bit; naturally, I have confidence."

"Good, then it is settled!"

Squire Li said loudly.

"Brother Chen, the situation on the front lines is not optimistic. Three of the five martial masters sent to suppress the Red Spider have suffered significant injuries. A great disaster is coming, and I may not even be able to protect myself by then. You must be very careful."

After the old steward and Squire Li left with their people, Chen Lei stayed behind to have a long talk with Chen Han.

He looked at Chen Han with a worried expression, a thousand words converging into this one sentence.

"I understand..."

Chen Han felt bitter in his heart, feeling a deep sense of despair for the coming catastrophe.

"Take care!"

Chen Lei stuffed a bag of silver into Chen Han's arms, catching the latter off guard.

He looked at the silver in his arms—at least thirty taels—and knew this was the majority of his brother's life savings.

"What are you doing? Take this back!"

A trace of anger appeared on Chen Han's face.

Chen Lei was in his twenties and still hadn't taken a wife; if he gave this money away, who knew how long it would be before he could start a family.

"Brother Chen, this is a small token of my heart. Please keep it well. The family values me highly, and I do not lack resources for martial arts. Besides, I have been used to living freely on my own since I was young. You are different; you have a family now, you have relatives. You must all stay safe."

Stay safe...

Chen Han had heard the same words a few days ago; they were spoken by Shen Wufu.

Now, he was likely already dead.

Chen Han's face turned a shade of blue and black, looking quite unsightly.

For a long while, he could not say another word, only cupping his hands and looking earnestly at Chen Lei, wanting to imprint his image deeply into his mind, "Brother, take care!"

A few days later, Chen Han brought his family to the inner city.

All their property had been sold, totaling over a hundred taels of silver—a deal that would have been a total loss in the past.

Chen Han held Shen Yue's hand and led Shen Wan'er and Lu to the temporary residence provided by Squire Li.

It was a small courtyard tucked deep within a narrow alley, cramped and surrounded by three tiny huts.

Two of the huts were already occupied, leaving the middle one, flanked on both sides, as their new home.

It was clear that the other tenants were also people who dared not live in the Outer City, having scraped together every last copper to rent this sliver of space in the Inner City.

The group exchanged brief greetings to get acquainted.

One family consisted of three people: a middle-aged couple with a son of sixteen or seventeen.

The other family was a young couple in their twenties; the man was burly and thick-necked, his face etched with a surly expression that made him look difficult to deal with. The woman was frail and delicate, exuding a sickly air.

Chen Han noticed that the fat man's gaze wandered toward Shen Wan'er and Shen Yue from time to time.

Lust was a man's nature; Chen Han did not voice a warning, but he kept a sharp eye on him.

Upon arriving at their new home, the three women began to clean. Although Shen Yue was clearly dissatisfied with the cramped quarters, the boy was sensible and did not complain.

Chen Han specifically fetched a wooden mallet and thick planks to firmly reinforce the doors and windows, warning the three women not to leave unless absolutely necessary, or unless he was home.

The world was in chaos; even in the Inner City, if some official took a fancy to Shen Yue or his wife, they could be snatched away in an instant.

If he returned home to find everyone gone, he would truly be left crying to the heavens and earth with no one to answer.

This was a point Squire Li had specifically cautioned him about.

After handling everything and seeing the door firmly shut with his own eyes, Chen Han finally left with peace of mind.

From today on, Chen Han was to begin teaching Li Mubai martial arts.

It was still morning, and there was one more thing to attend to before heading to Squire Li's estate.

Chen Han arrived at the tavern where he had previously worked as an accountant, carrying a bag of food and a few taels of silver to find the proprietor.

He had yet to offer a token of gratitude for the man's help in providing an introduction earlier.

But when he found the old proprietor, his expression darkened.

"You old bastard, are you looking for death!"

"I said there was a fly in the dish, so there was a fly! What are you yapping about? I'll lay it out for you right now: pay up fifty taels, or... I'll burn your tavern to the ground!"

Several rough men glared fiercely at the old proprietor, holding bottles of wine and splashing the contents everywhere.

It was clear that if the old proprietor dared to say a single word of refusal, they would torch the entire shop.

"Good sirs, this is just a small business; I can't afford such destruction. You can't bully people like this."

The old proprietor wailed with a bitter, pained expression.

"It's them causing trouble!"

At that moment, a graceful and elegant woman rushed through the front door in a panic, leading several men with similarly rough skin, and pointed at the troublemakers.

"Screw your mother, fight!"

In an instant, the two groups of men collided in a brawl.