Black Mountain Gang

This person slowly approached Chen Han, appearing so unremarkable amidst the bustling crowd.

Finally, he arrived behind Chen Han. With a flick of his hand, a hammer dropped from his sleeve. He gripped the handle tightly, weighed it, and then, with a ruthless glint in his eyes, raised it high and brought it down heavily onto the back of Chen Han's head.

Chen Han sensed something, but it was already too late.

Struck hard on the back of his head, he felt a wave of dizziness. He swayed forward for two steps, then his body went limp, and his vision went black as he collapsed straight to the ground.

His consciousness plunged into an endless darkness.

He did not know how much time had passed, but he finally regained sensation—a series of throbbing pains originating from the back of his head.

Chen Han endured the pain and slowly opened his eyes, his vision filled with the haggard faces of Li Muyun and Li Mubai.

Seeing Chen Han wake up, expressions of wild joy flooded their faces.

"Teacher, how are you feeling now? Does it still hurt?"

"Benefactor..."

Chen Han looked at Li Mubai, then at Li Muyun, recalling his final memory and wondering who exactly had ambushed him.

"Oh no, Teacher's brain must have been damaged. Teacher, do you still recognize who I am?"

Li Muyun was also frightened by these words and quickly leaned in close to Chen Han's face, so close that the latter could smell the faint scent of books on her.

"Benefactor, please don't scare me. I haven't even had the chance to properly repay your kindness..."

Chen Han wore a bitter expression, feeling speechless toward the two. "Alright, stop talking. I'm not stupid yet. Just let me have some peace and quiet."

"By the way, does my family know about this?"

Chen Han's first thought was of Shen Wan'er. He hoped they didn't know, for if they did, they would surely come to see him, and that would put them in danger.

"My sister said she would inform them only after you woke up."

"That's good. Do not tell them for now."

Chen Han truly could not stand the sight of his loved ones weeping; that feeling was simply too hard to bear.

"How many days have I been asleep?"

Li Muyun's crisp voice rang out, "It has been two full days and two nights."

"Please have someone go to my home and tell them I am temporarily occupied and cannot return, so they don't think I died out here."

"Teacher, I will go right now."

Li Muyun took the task upon herself.

After she left, Li Muyun looked at Chen Han's frail appearance, her lips pressed together. Her gaze was filled with loss, and a deep sense of guilt surged in her heart; she believed Chen Han's injury was a retaliation from the people she had offended while he was saving her that day.

"Benefactor, it is my fault. I almost caused your death. I truly don't know how I can make it up to you now..."

Chen Han was not clear on who exactly was targeting him, or if the people from that night were the same as this one, but he was certain both groups belonged to the Black Mountain Gang.

"Hou Chun..."

He remembered the small leader of the Black Mountain Gang, known for being petty and vengeful, whom the old steward had once described.

Chen Han looked at Li Muyun. "Perhaps it wasn't those people, and this matter cannot be blamed on you."

"Benefactor... I..."

Li Muyun suddenly grabbed Chen Han's hand, wanting to say something, but it seemed as if the words were stuck in her throat. The latter was startled and quietly withdrew his hand, tucking it under the covers.

"Young Miss, there is no need for this. Everything was done of my own free will. Besides, the Li Mansion has already given me quite a few benefits; we are even."

Chen Han looked at this pure, naive young lady and spoke word by word. He realized it was time for things to come to an end—whether it was the Black Mountain Gang or this young lady who had lost her head to a crush.

If he didn't find a good way to deal with the Black Mountain Gang soon, perhaps before he could cultivate to the point of rebirth, he and his entire family would die at the hands of these people.

Although wiping out the entire Black Mountain Gang was a bit of a pipe dream, killing the people who were targeting him was still a possibility.

As for this young lady, Chen Han could see she was just a sheltered girl, simple-minded and inexperienced in the ways of the world, already harboring unrealistic fantasies about him.

Even though men in this world could take multiple wives and concubines, given the disparity in their social status, it was better to break free early, or it would only lead to trouble later.

Chen Han's recent action made Li Muyun feel even more dejected. She had never experienced such emotional highs and lows in her life, and her feelings for Chen Han were indescribable.

"I am but a useless man with nothing to my name; how could I dare to mislead a beauty? If you truly feel guilty, just give me three hundred taels of silver, and from then on, we shall owe each other nothing."

Chen Han said this expressionlessly, unbothered. Whether others called him greedy or shameless, he only wanted three hundred taels of silver right now. He needed to cultivate, and he needed revenge!

Hearing this, Li Muyun was visibly stunned. Since childhood, she had been a dazzling presence in any crowd, surpassing even the daughters of other wealthy families.

The threshold of her home was nearly worn down by suitors, not to mention the countless people who tried to curry favor with her daily.

Yet now, she was being rejected by an unremarkable young man, and merely for three hundred taels of silver—no, Chen Han was not unremarkable.

"Benefactor, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to draw a line between us? I was just emotional earlier, I had no other thoughts..."

"Young Miss, no need to say more. Three hundred taels of silver, and if fate allows, we shall meet again."

Three hundred taels!

This was not a small sum. In the current situation, even the Li Mansion could not say they could produce it easily; it might even cause them significant financial strain.

He could only set his sights on the naive Li Muyun, exploiting her soft heart while taking the opportunity to draw a clear line between them.

Li Muyun fell into silence. She did not speak for a long time, her face unable to hide her sorrow, until finally, at some moment, she opened her mouth.

"Benefactor, three hundred taels of silver, right? Give me three days, and I will gather it for you. Don't worry, I will do it secretly so my father and the others won't find out."

Chen Han nodded expressionlessly, though a strange feeling stirred in his heart. Shen Wan'er had also once gathered silver for him; in a sense, they were the same kind of person, yet in another, they were not.

Li Muyun left, her face full of desolation.

Chen Han did not care in the slightest and began to plan his next steps.

[Taiji Health Cultivation Technique (Proficient): 344/500]

"Only one hundred and sixty-some points left until my tendons and bones are reshaped, allowing for a final breakthrough and a complete rebirth!"

After calculating, one jin of meat used entirely for cultivation could increase proficiency by thirty points. With the situation on the front lines stable, the price of exotic beast meat in the Black Market had naturally risen, but it was unlikely to reach the sky-high price of fifty taels per jin as it once had.

Adding in the remaining exotic beast meat, he only needed to buy five more jin. With about eighty or ninety taels left over, it would be enough for him to find a quiet place to cultivate and deal with any unexpected situations.

"Once I successfully achieve rebirth, I will be a genuine Dark Force expert. With the buff from the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique, even other Dark Force martial artists will be no match for me."

"--Black Mountain Gang! Just you wait..."

Two days later, as expected, Li Muyun brought him the silver notes, totaling exactly three hundred and twenty-two taels, including two pieces of broken silver. Chen Han reckoned the three hundred taels had been taken from the Li Mansion treasury, while the twenty-two taels were her own pocket money.

Li Muyun handed the silver to Chen Han personally, gave him one deep look, and then left without saying a single word.

Chen Han was not a man of indecision. He left that very day, returned home to leave behind enough silver, and informed the three women that he would be away for a while, telling them not to worry too much.

Afterward, Chen Han went incognito and rented a quiet small courtyard on the other side of the Inner City, successfully purchasing enough exotic beast meat as expected.

On the carpet, Chen Han sat cross-legged, calming his mind. "Hou Chun! And all those who want me dead! It is time for an end to this..."