In the main room, Shen Wan'er kept glancing outside anxiously. Shen Yue'er lay in her arms, sobbing. The bald man had deliberately made a ghastly face at her outside earlier and given her quite a fright.
Chen Han kept his head lowered and said nothing.
Not long after, the old couple returned, their faces full of worry. Clearly, they had handed over the three taels of silver.
But the matter was far from over.
Their family's wealth was worth far more than three taels. Given the Black Mountain Gang's ways, they would never let up until they had squeezed the family dry.
Virtue had to match one's station, and wealth had to match one's strength.
The more power you had, the more wealth you could protect. If you couldn't hold on to it, the Black Mountain Gang would covet it—or the Black Bird Gang or Black Dog Gang would.
Shen Wuren glanced at Chen Han without revealing his thoughts. He wanted to scold him, but didn't know where to begin.
He had agreed to the marriage not only because the other party was willing to become a live-in son-in-law, but also because he had counted on the martial arts lineage behind him.
He knew he was getting old, and his old injuries were beginning to resurface. Joining this family at least meant they wouldn't be bullied by others. But the ones causing trouble were the notorious Black Mountain Gang, and to put it bluntly, this son-in-law had been cast aside by his own family's ancestors. They wouldn't care much about him at all.
At that moment, a sense of helplessness unlike anything he had ever felt swept over him.
Perhaps in just a couple of years, the Black Mountain Gang would drain them to the bone, and they would be reduced to scraping out a living in the outer districts beyond the city.
It was hardly unusual. There were more families on this street who had been driven out and forced to make a living beyond the city than you could count on your fingers.
Chen Han's eyes remained downcast. He said nothing.
That night, rain pattered steadily down, and water pooled in the corners of the courtyard.
Knock, knock, knock~
Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
Chen Han went outside to see who it was. When he opened the gate, he saw three figures. They were the same three Black Mountain Gang thugs who had come by earlier that day, led by the same burly, bald man.
Chen Han noticed that there was blood on the man. Most of it had been washed away by the rain, but Chen Han could tell it was fresh.
"Master Bear, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"
Chen Han asked with a nervous, obsequious smile.
The burly bald man held an index finger to his lips, signaling Chen Han to keep quiet. Then he lowered his voice. "Some brat just ran into your house. Let me go in and take a look!"
The three men had no umbrellas and were soaked from head to toe. Blood smeared their faces, and their eyes were fierce, like man-eating black bears!
All three ignored Chen Han and stared in unison at a small room in the courtyard.
Chen Han's heart sank. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant, and he resumed his obsequious, ingratiating expression.
"Hey, hey, Master Bear, you can't do that! That's Xiao Mei's bedroom. How can you let outsiders just walk in?"
There was no way he believed a word those bandits said. If he let them go in there, he wouldn't be a man.
Chen Han hurried to stop them, but a rough, broad hand was what greeted him.
Master Bear grabbed him by the throat. The force was so great that Chen Han couldn't draw a breath, and his face soon turned purplish red.
"Don't think I wouldn't dare kill you just because you're part of the Chen Family, you little punk. You're nothing but a useless dog. I'm telling you, if you dare defy me again, I'll send you straight to see Buddha!"
Only then did he let go, shoving Chen Han to the ground. The three men strode straight toward Shen Yue'er's bedroom.
At that moment, in Shen Wuren's bedroom—
Shen Wuren's eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted with fury as he stared fixedly at the figures behind the window screen. His knobby, deeply wrinkled hands clenched into fists.
"You really think I'm too old and useless? If you dare try anything tonight, I swear—even if it costs me my life... I'll tear a chunk of flesh off each of you!"
Shen Wan'er watched helplessly through a crack in the door. Her delicate body trembled as she sobbed, feeling as if her heart were breaking.
Just as Master Bear's huge hand was about to touch the door, someone called out, "Hey!"
The three men stopped in their tracks. At the same time, a flash of lightning split the sky with a crack, its white light illuminating the whole world for an instant.
Drip, drip, patter~
After a deafening crash, the steady patter of rain returned, and everything fell silent. But Master Bear was different. His eyes were wide, as if he'd seen a ghost!
Shen Wuren looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. For a moment, even his breathing stopped.
Inside the room, Shen Wan'er's sobs ceased, and she stared in disbelief.
As for Shen Yue'er and the drenched young man hiding with her behind the door, they were both struck dumb with fright.
Behind the window screen, four figures could vaguely be seen. One figure's fingers were buried deep in another's throat!
Decisive, fierce, all in an instant!
Outside, the Black Mountain Gang thug stared dumbly at Chen Han. Chen Han's two fingers were sunk deep into his throat. Gurgle, gurgle—
He wanted to say something, but all that came out was the strange sound of bubbles bursting. Blood poured from his neck in a stream, staining Chen Han's hand red.
Rain dripped from Chen Han's hair onto his face. His lips were pressed tightly together, and he said nothing. His gaze was cold and sharp!
The Chen Family martial arts of Black Lion City: a move derived from the Mountain Breaking Fist—the Two Yang Finger!
"You! You're asking for death, brat!"
Master Bear came to his senses, furious. He clenched both fists and threw a heavy punch at Chen Han.
Chen Han's brows knitted tightly. He pulled out his two fingers and retreated again and again, barely managing to dodge.
If he'd been as he was before, he wouldn't have been in such a sorry state. He would've put all his strength into meeting that punch and smashed the man's bones to pieces.
But with his body in such poor condition, all he could do was avoid his opponent's strongest attacks.
"Go on, dodge, brat! Let's see how long you can keep it up!"
Master Bear naturally knew Chen Han's background. After an accident, his bones and sinews had been shattered, and his life had hung in the balance. He'd been lucky to survive, but he'd become a cripple. Cast out by his family, he'd ended up as a live-in son-in-law just to stay alive.
But now... how was this possible?!
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Right now, he had only one thought: beat this man to death.
Master Bear charged forward, his Amber Fist whistling through the air. Every move was heavy and forceful, enough to make anyone watching tremble with fear.
If a punch like that landed on an ordinary person, it would break bones on impact. For Chen Han, it went without saying—he could only dodge and parry again and again, not daring to take even a single blow head-on.
In the space of a few breaths, the two exchanged dozens of blows!
Thanks to the muscle memory from his days of martial arts training, he wasn't going to get beaten to death right away. Yet, unexpectedly, the two of them were evenly matched.
Much of this was thanks to his Taiji Health Cultivation Technique, which he had brought to the Minor Achievement stage.
The Health Preservation Technique had not only helped his body recover somewhat, but had also made his hands, feet, fists, and palms more agile, nimble, and coordinated.
Everyone knew that the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique could preserve one's health. Few realized that if you set aside the words "health cultivation," it was also a proper martial art. But few ever grasped its underlying principles, and so the art fell into decline, never to be mentioned again.
And I have a proficiency panel. As long as I persevere, given enough time, I'll naturally grasp some of its principles.
Chen Han had noticed this about the martial art earlier. Advancing from Beginner to Minor Achievement was the first time he had crossed its threshold. Sufficient qi and blood weren't needed; comprehension... that was the threshold.
Chen Han... was a Mingjin Martial Artist!
Even so, his physical condition was still making the fight harder and harder for him. Gradually, he began to fall behind.
Just then, Shen Wuren burst through the door, his face alight with joy. He laughed heartily. "Well done, lad! Let this old man give you a hand!"
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