The two sides were locked in a brawl when the old shopkeeper was caught off guard by a wine jar that came flying at his head.
"Smash!"
The jar shattered across the floor, and the old shopkeeper toppled stiffly to the ground, unconscious.
Chen Han's heart sank. He hurried over to check on him, and only after examining him for a while did he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"He's only unconscious, thank goodness."
The fight was also beginning to turn into a one-sided rout. The helpers the woman had brought were clearly weaker. One after another, they were beaten to the ground in just a few blows, their cries of pain filling the place.
"Damn! You sure hit hard!"
A man wiped the blood from the corner of his eye and grinned viciously at the woman, his expression hideous and terrifying.
But the next moment, when he got a good look at her, he froze.
Only then did Chen Han take a proper look at her, too. She wore a spotless long green cotton dress, cinched tightly at the waist. Her face was as lovely as a goose egg, lightly made up, with a beauty mark beneath the corner of one eye. She was delicate and captivating, beautiful as a celestial maiden.
The rare beauty left the men staring, their eyes practically glowing green.
The woman in green had never encountered anything like this before. She was already regretting her rash actions with all her heart.
Facing their vicious stares, she was so terrified she forgot to breathe. Her little face turned deathly pale, and her legs trembled.
"Do you know who I am? If you dare lay a hand on me, you'll regret it!"
The woman forced herself to stay calm and warned them.
"Regret it? Hahaha! Beauty, the world's about to descend into chaos. You think a few of us are afraid of that?"
He waved a hand, his voice leering. "Tie up this beauty! The brothers are going to have some fun tonight!"
When her warning failed, despair washed over the woman. Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked ready to burst into tears.
All her life, she had dealt either with elegant young masters or with servants who obeyed her every command. When had she ever seen such vicious thugs?
The tavern's customers had fled long ago, afraid of getting caught up in the trouble. These men were clearly desperadoes who had come to rob them. They had no time to spare for another look.
The martial artists who worked as guards at the tavern happened to be away today. The thugs must have learned of that and taken advantage of it to commit their crimes.
She looked left and right. Seeing no one else, she finally turned her pleading gaze toward Chen Han, who stood beside the old shopkeeper.
Chen Han was taken aback, too. He had no intention of getting involved.
Play the hero and rescue the beauty?
Ridiculous.
What did it matter to him whether she lived or died? None of the burly men were martial artists, but he couldn't guarantee he could make them all disappear for good. Better not to meddle. He had family and people he cared about; he couldn't afford to invite trouble.
Call him a coward or a useless wretch if you wanted. In a chaotic age, the only victory was staying alive—himself and his family, all safe and sound.
He avoided the woman's gaze, and her heart sank at once.
But then the old shopkeeper came to. When he saw what was happening, he stepped resolutely in front of the woman and shielded her behind him.
"What do you think you're doing? I'm telling you—"
The burly man's expression hardened. "You old fool, you had a chance to live and threw it away. Looking to die? I'll grant your wish!"
As he spoke, he swung a fist down toward the old shopkeeper's head, intent on beating him to death with one blow.
"Who did you say you'd grant a wish to?"
Chen Han couldn't bear to watch the old shopkeeper, who had once humbled himself before him, die right in front of him. Without a moment's hesitation, he seized the thug's wrist and squeezed with all his might!
Crack!
Splurt!
"AAAH!!!"
A piercing scream rang out. Chen Han snapped the man's entire arm on the spot. At the same time, Chen Han raised two fingers and tensed them like iron. With lightning speed and no mercy, he plunged them into the man's eyes and burst both eyeballs!
A move derived from the Mountain Breaking Fist—Two Yang Finger!
A strip of cloth covered the lower half of Chen Han's face, obscuring his features. His gaze was cold as ice, and his two fingers dripped with fresh, steaming blood. He looked so terrifying that no one dared meet his eyes!
The woman in green had never witnessed such a bloody scene. She gasped and covered her little mouth with both hands, her heart pounding as she dared not look.
"A Mingjin Martial Artist! You little bastard, just you wait! Think you can throw your weight around because you're a Mingjin Martial Artist? You dare mess with the Black Mountain Gang? We'll wipe out your whole family! Just you wait!"
Seeing how ruthless he was—and realizing he might be a Mingjin Martial Artist—the men didn't dare hesitate. After cursing him and shooting one last furious look at his face, they turned and ran.
Chen Han's worst fear had come true. They had memorized his face, and they would surely come for revenge.
He took off after them at a sprint. He had to kill them and silence them for good!
"Sir!"
The woman tried to call him back, but Chen Han left her with nothing but his retreating figure.
The old shopkeeper asked anxiously, "Miss, are you all right?"
The woman shook her head. Watching the direction Chen Han had vanished in, she worried over his safety. "I'm fine. Who was that man? Will he be all right?"
By afternoon, Chen Han had taken four lives in a single day. He had tailed the men in secret, waited for his chance with each of them, and killed them without mercy.
Against martial artists, he was no match. But against those who had yet to break through, he was a god of death!
When he encountered someone stronger than himself, he would readily back down. But when he faced someone weaker, he either stayed his hand or left no one alive.
"Who did this?! Who did this?! How dare anyone kill members of the Black Mountain Gang!"
Two Mingjin Martial Artists returned from a sweep with a group of their men. When they saw the bodies strewn all over the room, their fury blazed, and their eyes seemed to spit fire.
At their head stood two of the Black Mountain Gang's Seven Sha: Death Blade and Black Blade.
"This is..."
One of them crouched down and carefully examined the wounds. "A move derived from the Mountain Breaking Fist—the Two Yang Finger! This is a move that only someone with Dark Force could comprehend. How did they provoke someone like this?"
The other's expression turned grave as he spotted something amiss. "No. The move was swift, but it wasn't as practical as the Mountain Breaking Fist. It could only catch someone off guard. And look at the other men—every one of them was killed with a move that used little energy but was extremely troublesome."
"Exactly. If this man were truly a Dark Force Martial Artist, he could have killed them each with a single punch. It wouldn't have taken more than a few breaths."
"Either his qi and blood are weak, or he's badly wounded."
His veins bulged as he roared, "Find him! Damn it, search everywhere!"
At Li Mansion, Li Muyun wore a green dress and was still shaken. What had happened at noon had left a deep scar on her mind. Even thinking about it now made her snow-white calves tremble uncontrollably.
She had told her father what happened, and from him and the old shopkeeper, she had learned who Chen Han was.
Now she stared eagerly toward the entrance, hoping to see that familiar figure. She wanted to thank him properly—even offer herself to him, if he'd accept.
Squire Li sat beside her. He had already sent people out to look for Chen Han.
When Li Mubai had heard Li Muyun recount what happened, he had panicked. But once he learned that Chen Han had crippled an eight-foot-tall brute in an instant, his blood surged with excitement. He wished he could drop to his knees and beg Chen Han to take him as a disciple right then and there.
Over the past few days, as he gradually learned more about martial arts, he had found himself wanting to practice them more and more. He felt he had been born into this world for the sole purpose of becoming a martial artist.
"Martial arts, martial arts! I want to become a hero, too—so handsome everyone will swoon!"
At last, a servant came running over in a panic.
"Master, Chen Han is here to see you!"
"Quick, show him in! Quickly!"
Li Muyun sprang to her feet. As if a thought had just occurred to her, her cheeks flushed red. "Wait. I... I'll go meet him."
Before you continue