Senior Sister Chen, Long Time No See

The Chen Family was a tangled web of factions. The three branches—"Zhun," "Qiu," and "Shan"—stood like three legs of a tripod, while Chen Feng, representing the family's highest authority, stood in the middle, balancing them.

Strictly speaking, there were four factions, and Chen Feng played a crucial role in keeping them in check.

Chen Han was indeed a little genius, well worth cultivating. But Chen Feng couldn't openly favor him; that would earn the leaders of the three branches' displeasure.

There was simply nothing he could do to help.

"So, I need to rely on myself and take things step by step, finding opportunities to benefit from the three of them."

Thinking this, Chen Han clenched his fist tightly.

By afternoon, Chen Han was still on the martial arts practice grounds, his fists raining down on the iron post. Each punch hit harder and faster than the last. In the blink of an eye, several muffled thuds rang out.

Chen Qiuyu, dressed in a white gown, watched from the side, her heart pounding. The hairs on her back stood on end.

Though she was also a Dark Force martial artist, she considered herself utterly powerless against Chen Han.

For some reason, his punches had grown heavier and faster. His attacks were decisive and vicious, leaving her dumbfounded.

"Not enough! Still not enough!"

The qi and blood inside Chen Han surged wildly, turning his skin crimson. A sharp pain stabbed through his heart, but he took it for a side effect of breaking through and didn't pay it much mind.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed. He threw punch after punch, the veins in his arms bulging as his fists became a blur. At a certain moment, he gave a low shout and drove down a punch with all his strength.

Bang!

A heavy thud rang out as his fist bent the iron post out of shape, rendering it completely useless.

[Mountain Breaking Fist +1]

[Skill: Mountain Breaking Fist (Proficient) 1/500]

At that moment, Chen Han broke through Dark Force and reached Transformation Force. He had become a bona fide Transformation Force martial artist!

It had all happened right before Chen Qiuyu's eyes.

Having witnessed it firsthand, Chen Qiuyu stared in disbelief. Her expression shifted between stormy and pale, her face turning green with anger one moment and white the next.

She never imagined that the brat she'd once looked down on would break through to the Transformation Realm at the age of twenty, becoming one of the Chen Family's mid-to-high-tier fighters!

He was simply a wonder of the heavens!

It wasn't just her. Even the two well-traveled Dark Force guards she'd brought along to meet Chen Han felt a chill run through them.

They couldn't help but marvel at how ferocious this kid was!

He was a monster!

"Senior Sister Chen, long time no see..."

Chen Han turned to look at her. His gaze was cold, murderous intent hidden beneath it, and Chen Qiuyu couldn't help but shiver.

"Senior Sister Chen, if you wanted to see me, you could've come alone. Why bring so many people? Were you afraid I'd do something improper?"

Chen Han's voice was low, like a demon lurking in the depths. The smile that curled his lips was perfectly measured, yet seemed to conceal something deeper, inspiring fear in those who saw it.

At that moment, Chen Qiuyu only wished she'd brought more people. She was afraid Chen Han might remember the foolish thing she'd done before and, in a fit of rage, do something unpredictable.

"Hehe, Junior Brother Chen Han, you're teasing me. With your fine looks and extraordinary talent, why would you have designs on a weak woman like me? I'd be more than happy to throw myself at you, Senior Sister."

She forced down her growing panic and gave Chen Han a bright smile, as if his joke had genuinely amused her.

"Oh? You want to throw yourself at me? Well, I happen to be without a concubine. Why don't you take that position?"

Be his concubine?

Chen Qiuyu's expression darkened even further. She was a young lady of the Chen Family's Qiu branch. The family's martial apprentices usually bowed and showed her great respect whenever they saw her.

And now, this young lady, usually as cold as frost and keeping everyone at arm's length, was being humiliated by some brat. It was an unprecedented insult.

Her little fists clenched tightly beneath her skirt, but she didn't dare rebuke him aloud.

"Junior Brother, you're joking..."

In the end, she swallowed her anger—not because she wanted to win him over, but because she was afraid.

Today, she'd learned something.

Black Blade, Death Blade, and Hou Chun of the Black Mountain Gang were all dead.

They had all been beaten to death by Mountain Breaking Fist. More than fifty people in total, including two Dark Force martial artists and thirty Bright Force martial artists!

And it had happened within two hours of Chen Han's return to the family. She already had a good idea who was responsible.

This Junior Brother Chen Han was no longer the person he used to be. More than fifty lives had been slaughtered in a single night. Chen Han was now a bloodthirsty fiend, and she'd do best to avoid provoking him.

"Senior Sister, don't be nervous. I was only joking with you."

Chen Han smiled and went straight to a chair to sit down.

"Just tell me what you came for, Senior Sister. What are the terms your branch is offering?"

Chen Qiuyu didn't sit down. For one thing, there were no chairs nearby. For another, she didn't dare get close to Chen Han.

She managed a strained smile.

"It's like this, Junior Brother Chen. If you take up a post in my branch, we can promise you ten taels of silver a month. You'll only need to make the rounds now and then and patrol the surrounding area."

"Additionally, you'll get one bowl of Yang-Invigorating Medicinal Soup a day and one meal of Exotic Beast meat each month."

Chen Han pretended to consider it.

"If there's anything you're unhappy with, Junior Brother Chen, you can tell me. I'll do my best to accommodate you, as long as it's within my power."

"Since you put it that way, Senior Sister, I won't hold back."

Chen Han's gaze fell on the beautiful, dazzling woman before him.

A flush of embarrassed annoyance instantly spread across Chen Qiuyu's fair cheeks. Beneath her skirt, her long legs drew nervously closer together.

"I want half a jin of Exotic Beast meat every month..."

Half a jin—Heaven knew he was already holding himself back.

Thinking back to his seclusion, he'd practically eaten Exotic Beast meat as his staple food.

"Ah! Half a jin!"

Most of the embarrassed annoyance vanished from Chen Qiuyu's face, replaced by utter disbelief.

A whole half a jin!

That was enough to feed an ordinary martial apprentice for more than half a year. The price was one thing; the meat's properties were another.

Exotic Beast meat was hailed by martial artists as essential for reaching the heights of martial training because, above all, it contained a massive amount of qi and blood.

A martial artist's qi-and-blood reserves were limited. A Martialist's reserves were merely doubled on that basis.

At one meal—a mere one liang of meat—the body could consume at most that much qi and blood over a month of training, and might even have some left over.

But this kid was asking for half a jin right off the bat—five times as much as anyone else. It was unbelievable. She couldn't help wondering if Chen Han hoped to profit from it.

"Junior Brother Chen, the Exotic Beast meat comes through a channel exclusive to the family. It's only for our own people, and selling it outside is strictly forbidden."

"I understand. Exotic Beast meat is so precious that I wouldn't dream of selling it."

Hearing this, Chen Qiuyu didn't try to dissuade him.

If Chen Han really broke the family rules, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. In other words, unless Chen Han went and got himself into trouble, she had no way to handle this Junior Brother. He might even find a chance to toy with her instead.

A twenty-year-old who had broken through to Transformation Force—a once-in-a-generation prodigy in Black Lion City. Unless he committed some serious offense, no one would punish him harshly.

"Then, Junior Brother, I'll need to go back and discuss this with my elders. Please wait patiently for a day. Whatever the decision is, I'll come and let you know."