A Rainy Night is Good for Killing!

In the main hall, Shen Wan'er peered outside with worry from time to time, while Shen Yue sobbed in her arms, having been thoroughly frightened by the bald man's intentional grimacing earlier.

Chen Han kept his head lowered, remaining silent.

Before long, the elderly couple returned with faces full of sorrow; it was clear the three taels of silver had already been handed over.

But the matter was far from over.

Their family savings amounted to much more than just those three taels, and given the nature of the Black Mountain Gang, they would certainly not stop until the family was bled dry.

Virtue must match one's position, and wealth must match one's capability.

You can only hold as much wealth as your strength allows; if you cannot hold it, even if the Black Mountain Gang didn't covet it, others from the Black Bird Gang or the Black Dog Gang would.

Shen Wuren looked at Chen Han calmly, wanting to scold him, yet not knowing where to begin.

He had agreed to this marriage not only because the young man was willing to be a live-in son-in-law, but also because he valued the backing of the martial arts family behind him.

He knew he was old and that old injuries were beginning to resurface; he had hoped that by tethering himself to this line, he would at least be spared from bullying. But as it turned out, the ones causing trouble were the notorious Black Mountain Gang, and this son-in-law—to put it bluntly—had been abandoned by his own clan and was not held in high regard by anyone.

At this moment, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness washed over him.

Perhaps in less than two years, they would be picked clean by the Black Mountain Gang and reduced to begging for a living in the outer districts.

Such things were not rare; on this very street, the number of families forced to move to the outskirts to survive could not be counted on ten fingers.

Chen Han remained with his eyes downcast, saying nothing.

That night, a drizzling rain fell with a rhythmic patter, and the corners of the courtyard were filled with stagnant water.

Thump, thump, thump.

Just then, the courtyard gate was knocked upon.

Chen Han went out to check, and upon opening the gate, he saw three figures—the very same thugs from the Black Mountain Gang who had come earlier, led by the same burly bald man.

Chen Han noticed that the man still had blood on him; though mostly washed away by the rain, Chen Han could tell it was fresh.

"Master Bear, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"

Chen Han asked with a fearful, humble smile.

The burly bald man held a finger to his lips, signaling Chen Han to be quiet, then lowered his voice. "A little brat just ran into your house. Let us in to take a look!"

The three men carried no umbrellas, their bodies soaked through, their faces stained with blood, their gazes fierce like man-eating black bears.

All three ignored Chen Han, their eyes fixed collectively on a small room in the courtyard.

Chen Han's heart sank, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his previous fawning and humble demeanor.

"Oh, oh, Master Bear, Master Bear, you can't do that. That is my little sister's boudoir; how can we let outsiders just walk in?"

He didn't believe a word of these bandits' lies; if he let them pass, he would be no man at all.

Chen Han hurriedly tried to block them, but he was met with a rough, massive hand.

Master Bear grabbed him by the throat with such force that the latter couldn't draw a breath, his face turning the color of liver in an instant.

"Don't think just because you're from the Chen Family that I wouldn't dare kill you. You're nothing but a useless dog. Let me tell you, if you dare defy me again, I'll send you to see the Buddha right now!"

With that, he finally released his grip and shoved Chen Han to the ground, and the three men strode directly toward Shen Yue's room.

At this moment, in Shen Wuren's bedroom.

Shen Wuren's eyes were bloodshot and his face twisted in a snarl as he stared at the figures behind the window screen, his knuckles white and his wrinkled hands clenched into tight fists.

Do they really think I am old and useless? If you dare to act recklessly today, old man, even if I die... I will tear a piece of flesh from your bodies!

Shen Wan'er watched the scene helplessly through a crack in the door, her body trembling and her sobs uncontrollable; she felt as if her heart were breaking.

Just as Master Bear's massive hand was about to touch the door, "Hey!"

At the call, the three men stopped in their tracks. Simultaneously, a crack! echoed as a bolt of lightning struck, illuminating the world in a flash of white light.

Pitter-patter.

After a thunderous boom, the sound of the drizzling rain returned, and everything fell into silence. But the difference was Master Bear; his eyes were wide, as if he had seen a ghost!

Shen Wuren was also struck as if by lightning, his breathing stalling for a moment.

Inside the room, Shen Wan'er's sobbing stopped, replaced by a look of utter disbelief.

And the soaked youth hiding behind the door with Shen Yue was left completely stunned.

Behind the window screen, four silhouettes were vaguely visible, and at that moment, the fingers of one silhouette were buried deep into the neck of another!

Decisive, sharp, and executed in a single heartbeat!

Outside the door, the Black Mountain Gang thug stared blankly at Chen Han. Chen Han's two fingers were buried deep into the man's throat, gurgle, gurgle...

He wanted to say something, but could only emit the strange sound of bursting bubbles. Blood flowed in a stream from his neck, staining that hand red.

Rainwater dripped from Chen Han's hair onto his face. His lips were pressed tight, he remained silent, and his gaze was cold and sharp!

A derivative technique of the Black Lion City Chen Family martial arts, the Mountain Breaking Fist—Two Yang Finger!

"You! You brat, you're courting death!"

Master Bear snapped back to reality, his rage boiling over. He clenched his fists tight and unleashed a heavy, powerful punch toward Chen Han.

Chen Han's brows furrowed tightly; he pulled back two fingers and retreated repeatedly, only just managing to dodge the blow.

If this were the old him, he would never have been in such a sorry state; he would have met the strike head-on with full force and shattered the man's bones.

But given his poor physical condition, he had no choice but to avoid the brunt of the attack.

"Keep dodging, brat! Let's see how far you can run!"

Master Bear naturally knew Chen Han's background: an accident had left his tendons and bones shattered, his life hanging by a thread. He had luckily survived only to become a cripple, abandoned by his family and forced to live as a live-in son-in-law just to stay alive.

But at this moment... how could this be!

These thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, but he now had only one goal: to beat this man to death.

Master Bear stepped forward, his Amber Fist whistling through the air. Every strike was heavy and fierce, enough to make onlookers' hearts race with fear.

If these blows landed on an ordinary person, they would surely result in broken bones; for Chen Han, it was even worse, forcing him to dodge and parry repeatedly, not daring to take a single hit head-on.

In the span of a few breaths, the two had exchanged dozens of moves!

Relying on the muscle memory from his past martial arts training, he wasn't killed instantly, but the current situation had reached a stalemate.

This was largely thanks to the minor accomplishment level of his Taiji Health Cultivation Technique.

This health technique had not only allowed his body to recover somewhat but had also made his hands, feet, and fists far more agile, nimble, and coordinated.

Everyone knew the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique could promote health, but few realized that if one set aside the "health" aspect, it was also a legitimate martial art. It was just that almost no one grasped its true essence, leading to the decline of the art until it was no longer mentioned.

And I, possessing a proficiency panel, only need to persevere; given enough time, I will naturally be able to grasp a thing or two.

Chen Han had discovered this long ago, and advancing from entry-level to minor accomplishment was the first hurdle of this martial art. It required no great surge of blood energy; enlightenment... was the key.

Chen Han... a Mingjin martial artist!

Yet even so, his physical limitations caused him to struggle more and more, and he gradually began to fall behind.

Just then, Shen Wuren burst through the door, his face filled with wild joy. He laughed heartily, "Good lad! Let this old man come and give you a hand!"