Black Mountain Gang

The man slowly approached Chen Han, looking utterly unremarkable amid the flow of people.

At last, he came up behind Chen Han. He loosened his grip, and the hammer slid from his sleeve. Gripping its handle tightly, he hefted it, then hardened his gaze, raised it high, and slammed it down on the back of Chen Han's head.

Chen Han sensed something, but it was too late.

The blow struck the back of his head with devastating force. Dazed, he staggered forward two steps, then his strength gave out. His vision went black, and he fell rigidly to the ground.

His consciousness sank into endless darkness.

······

After an unknown length of time, he finally felt something again: waves of pain radiating from the back of his head.

Chen Han gritted his teeth against the pain and slowly opened his eyes. Before him were Li Muyun and Li Mubai, both looking haggard.

When they saw Chen Han come to, joy flooded their faces.

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

"Benefactor..."

Chen Han glanced at Li Mubai, then at Li Muyun. Recalling his last moments before losing consciousness, he wondered who had ambushed him.

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

Li Muyun was frightened by those words too. She hurried over to Chen Han, close enough for him to catch the scholarly scent on her.

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

Chen Han grimaced, speechless at the two of them. "All right, stop talking. I'm not an idiot. Just let me have some peace and quiet."

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

The first person Chen Han thought of was Shen Wan'er. He hoped they didn't know yet; otherwise, they would surely come to visit him, and that could put them in danger.

"Big Sister said she'd tell them once you woke up."

"That's good. Don't tell them for now."

Chen Han couldn't bear seeing his family sobbing their hearts out. It was an awful feeling.

"How many days have I been asleep?"

Li Muyun's clear voice rang out. "Two whole days and nights."

"Please have someone go to my home and tell them I can't come back for now. I don't want them thinking I died out here."

"Teacher, I'll go right away."

Li Muyun took it upon herself.

After Li Mubai left, Li Muyun looked at Chen Han's frail appearance. She pressed her lips together, her gaze downcast as deep guilt welled up inside her. She believed Chen Han had been hurt in retaliation by the people he'd offended when he saved her that day.

"Benefactor, I'm so sorry. You nearly died because of me. I truly don't know how I can make it up to you..."

Chen Han had no idea who was trying to get rid of him, or whether the people that night and the attacker were part of the same group. But he was certain both groups belonged to the Black Mountain Gang.

"Hou Chun..."

He thought of the Black Mountain Gang's petty officer whom the Old Steward had described as vindictive.

Chen Han looked at Li Muyun. "It might not have been those people. You can't be blamed for this."

"Benefactor...I..."

Li Muyun suddenly took his hand, wanting to say something, but it was as if the words had caught in her throat. Chen Han froze, then quietly pulled his hand away and tucked it beneath the covers.

"Miss, there's no need. I did everything willingly. Besides, the Li Mansion has given me plenty of benefits. We're even."

Looking at the innocent, untainted young lady, Chen Han spoke each word deliberately. He realized that it was time to settle things, whether with the Black Mountain Gang or with this lovestruck young lady.

If he didn't find a good way to deal with the Black Mountain Gang soon, he and his entire family might be dead at their hands before he could cultivate to the point of remaking his body.

Wiping out the entire Black Mountain Gang was probably wishful thinking, but there was still hope of killing everyone who'd tried to kill him.

As for this young lady, Chen Han could see she was simply an inexperienced girl, innocent and untouched by the ways of the world. She had already begun entertaining unrealistic fantasies about him.

Men in this world could take three wives and four concubines, but the two families were so mismatched in status that it was best to put an end to this early. Otherwise, it would only become trouble later.

Chen Han's gesture just now left Li Muyun even more dejected. She had never experienced such emotional highs and lows in her life, and her feelings toward Chen Han were beyond her ability to explain.

"I'm just a worthless man with nothing to my name. How could I dare ruin a beautiful woman's life? If you truly feel indebted to me, give me three hundred taels of silver, and then we'll owe each other nothing."

Chen Han spoke impassively, as though it meant nothing to him. Let others call him greedy or shameless if they wanted. Right now, all he wanted was three hundred taels of silver. He had to cultivate. He had to take revenge!

Li Muyun visibly froze at his words. Ever since she was little, she'd always stood out from the crowd. Even compared with the sons and daughters of other wealthy families, she was second to none.

So many people had come seeking her hand in marriage that the threshold had nearly been trampled flat. And the people who tried to curry favor with her every day were too numerous to count.

Yet now, she had been rejected by an utterly ordinary young man over a mere three hundred taels of silver. No, Chen Han wasn't utterly ordinary.

"Benefactor, what do you mean? Do you want to cut ties with me? I was just carried away for a moment. I didn't mean anything by it..."

"Miss, there's no need to say more. Three hundred taels of silver, and then perhaps we'll meet again someday."

Three hundred taels!

That was no small sum. In their current circumstances, even the Li Mansion couldn't simply produce that much without a second thought. It might even have to take a serious hit to its finances.

He could only appeal to the softhearted Li Muyun, taking advantage of her kindness while drawing a clear line between them.

Li Muyun fell silent. For a long time, she didn't say a word, her face unable to hide her sorrow. At last, she spoke.

"Benefactor, three hundred taels, right? Give me three days, and I'll gather it for you. Don't worry, I'll do it in secret. I won't let Father or the others know."

Chen Han nodded without expression, but an odd feeling stirred in his heart. Shen Wan'er had also scraped together money for him. In a way, the two women were alike, and yet they weren't.

Li Muyun left, looking dejected.

Chen Han didn't care and began planning what to do next.

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

"Only a little over a hundred and sixty points left before my bones and sinews are remade, and I break through at last, completely reborn!"

His calculations showed that every pound of meat used entirely for cultivation could raise his proficiency by thirty points. The fighting on the front lines had stabilized, so prices for Exotic Beast meat at the Black Market had naturally risen. Still, they probably wouldn't reach the former sky-high price of fifty taels per pound.

With the Exotic Beast meat he had left, he only needed to buy five more pounds. He'd still have around eighty or ninety taels, enough to find a quiet place to cultivate and deal with any unexpected situations.

"Once I'm reborn, I'll be a true Dark Force expert. With the boost from the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique, even a Dark Force martial artist won't be my match."

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

Two days later, as expected, Li Muyun brought him banknotes totaling three hundred and twenty-two taels. There were even two pieces of broken silver among them. Chen Han guessed that the three hundred taels had come from the Li Mansion's treasury, while the extra twenty-two were her allowance.

Li Muyun placed the money in Chen Han's hands herself. After giving him a long look, she left without saying a word.

Chen Han wasn't indecisive. He left that very day, stopping by home to leave enough money and tell the three women he'd be away for a while, so they shouldn't worry too much.

Then Chen Han went by another name and rented a quiet little courtyard at the other end of the inner city. As expected, he managed to sell all the Exotic Beast meat.

Sitting cross-legged on the rug, Chen Han quieted his mind. "Hou Chun! You people who want me dead! It's time to settle this..."