Half a Year

Just like that.

Another half month flew by.

Then news came that surprised Chen Mu somewhat: his Third Aunt's family had gotten Zhang Hai out of prison.

It was said Butcher Zhang had sought out an influential member of his own clan and begged heaven knew how hard. In the end, it had worked. Nearly two months later, Zhang Hai had been released from prison.

This matter had not gone through Chen Mu, so he did not learn of it until several days later, when Chen Hong came to his door.

"Third Aunt, you can visit anytime, but there's no need to bring rice and flour every time. I didn't really help you with anything."

Chen Mu invited Chen Hong inside and looked at the sack of rice she was carrying.

His cousin Zhang Hai had come with Chen Hong as well. Compared to over a month ago, he had clearly lost a great deal of weight. But having been released from prison and presumably recuperated at home for several days, his complexion had improved considerably.

As Zhang Hai followed Chen Hong into the house, he surveyed the cramped, shabby room, then looked at Chen Mu. A trace of indescribable meaning flickered in his eyes, and inwardly he shook his head. After returning home, he had heard that Chen Hong wanted to arrange a marriage between his cousin You Ying and Chen Mu. But how could his cousin marry into a place like this? There was not even a decent courtyard. Fortunately, You Ying had not agreed either.

Chen Hong had insisted he come personally to thank Chen Mu, but Zhang Hai did not feel there was much to thank him for. Chen Mu might have exerted some effort, but other than passing silver along to the Prison Warden, he had not done much.

Chen Mu noticed Zhang Hai's unusual attitude, but did not care. His strength was now steadily improving, and his life was getting better and better. Naturally, his state of mind had become increasingly calm, and he cared even less for the opinions of others.

"Am I not allowed to bring some rice and flour to see my niece? You may not be afraid of starving, but I'm afraid Yue Er will grow thin."

Chen Hong said with a beaming smile.

With Zhang Hai rescued, her spirits had clearly returned to what they once were. She was no longer as lifeless and dispirited as last time.

"Third Aunt."

Chen Yue came out from the back and called sweetly.

Ever since Chen Mu had improved the food at home, her complexion had visibly improved. She was even beginning to look soft and dewy, and her little face had filled out some more. Chen Hong was astonished, and even Zhang Hai was briefly stunned.

"Yue Er is getting prettier and prettier. What delicious things have you been eating?"

Chen Hong held Chen Yue's little face and teased her with a smile.

Chen Yue sat there with an innocent, slightly dazed look, but did not answer.

Chen Hong and Zhang Hai sat at Chen Mu's home for a while, but did not stay long before taking their leave. Their main purpose in coming had been to tell Chen Mu about Zhang Hai, as well as thank him for what had happened before.

Chen Mu saw Chen Hong and Zhang Hai out. Once he turned back and shut the door, he looked at Chen Yue with a smile. "Your Third Aunt asked what good things you've eaten lately. Why didn't you tell her we've had fish and meat these days?"

Chen Yue tucked her head down and said, "What if Cousin found out and insisted on staying at our house to eat too? Third Aunt would be fine, but Cousin could probably eat as much as five Yue Ers in one meal."

Chen Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Though he suspected Chen Yue might be making excuses, it was still good that the little girl could resist showing off to others.

Elsewhere.

After leaving Chen Mu's house, Zhang Hai had barely followed Chen Hong into an alley before he could not help complaining, "Mother, how could you think of marrying You Ying off to him? Look at how poor his family is. What good days could You Ying possibly have if she married him?"

He paused, then thought of Chen Yue and added, "Well, Yue Er is getting prettier and prettier. If she can marry into a good family, maybe he'll be lucky enough to get some support through her..."

Having such a pretty younger sister meant he was not completely worthless after all.

"What nonsense."

Chen Hong glared at Zhang Hai. "Your cousin works for the Yamen. Even if he does not have much silver, his life is secure, and no hooligans or ruffians dare cause him trouble. That is a capability in itself. Yue Er is still young, so don't get any crooked ideas."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Zhang Hai answered perfunctorily.

Though he had no particular grudge against his cousin Chen Mu, he still felt that Chen Mu had not done his utmost during the prison matter, and his dissatisfaction only deepened.

But in truth, if Chen Mu had been a Head Runner or even an official of the Runner Office, then even if he had merely said a word or casually asked after the matter, Zhang Hai would likely have been profoundly grateful. Yet because Chen Mu was only a lowly Yamen runner, even if he had truly done his utmost, Zhang Hai did not feel Chen Mu had done anything at all.

The world had always been like this.

The days passed one by one.

Chen Mu practiced his saber every day, rain or shine, slowly accumulating experience points.

The step from Major Accomplishment to Perfection in the Whirlwind Saber Technique required a great many experience points—three thousand in total. For him, that meant at least half a year of accumulation. The road was long and the burden heavy, but fortunately, the direction was clear and there were no obstacles. As long as he worked hard and persevered, he could steadily cross that threshold.

The Outer City remained as chaotic as ever, but in the past, Chen Mu had relied on reading faces and situations, acting with utmost caution, to live safely for more than two years. Now that he possessed strength, as long as he neither provoked trouble nor meddled in it, no trouble would naturally come looking for him.

The woodshed.

The Yamen Saber in Chen Mu's hand flew up and down. As he swung it, it seemed to carry a faint gust of force, sending dust swirling through the woodshed. Yet all the dust spiraled outward from him as its center. It looked chaotic, but there was order within it.

He practiced like this for an unknown length of time. When "Experience +1" appeared in his vision, Chen Mu slowly sheathed his saber and stopped.

"Six months."

He sighed.

Without realizing it, nearly six months had passed since his saber technique reached Major Accomplishment.

Since he had acquired the Whirlwind Saber Technique and activated the system, he had practiced the saber for nearly nine months in total.

Chen Mu summoned the system interface.

Martial Arts: Whirlwind Saber Technique (Major Accomplishment)

Experience: 2917 points

"Just a little more."

Chen Mu looked at the accumulated experience and nodded slightly.

Now, he could gain roughly a dozen experience points each day from practicing his saber. He was not far from three thousand points. At this rate, seven or eight more days at most would be enough to gather the rest.

"Brother, you're up so early again."

Chen Yue appeared at the woodshed door, yawning.

"It's not early anymore."

Chen Mu moved aside and said, "After resting a little longer, it'll be time to report for duty."

"Alright, out, out."

Chen Yue pushed Chen Mu outside. She needed to start the fire and cook.

Pushed out of the woodshed by Chen Yue, Chen Mu smiled inwardly. Rather than return to the bedroom to rest, he pushed open the door and went outside, stretching his body and taking several breaths of fresh air.

He stood at the doorway for a while, listening to Chen Yue bustling about in the woodshed. Just as he was about to return inside, he suddenly heard a commotion from not far down the alley, mixed with cries and wails.

"So early in the morning..."

Chen Mu shook his head.

From the sound of it, it seemed to be Old Man Wang and his granddaughter, who lived at the south end of the alley.

Old Man Wang had actually lived a fairly decent life before. He had raised a son, who had a wife, and the couple ran a small business. They did not lack food or clothing. Yet not long ago, his son and daughter-in-law had suddenly disappeared, never to be found again.

Because he still had a granddaughter to raise, Old Man Wang had no choice but to return to his old trade, taking an axe outside the city to chop firewood. But he was old, and had not gone out to chop wood for years. After only a few trips, he accidentally broke his leg in a fall.

Then the Red Gold Gang swallowed up the Black Snake Gang.

They began aggressively collecting "Protection Money."

"In this world, once an ordinary family suffers one or two misfortunes, they basically can never climb back up again."

Chen Mu sighed inwardly.

Listening to the commotion over there, he did not go over. He merely stood at his doorway and looked into the distance. He could vaguely see two men dragging away a little girl of around ten.

Then an old man with a lame leg hobbled out after them. Someone shoved him, and he fell straight to the ground.

"Dead old man, your family's Protection Money has been overdue for four months already. Do you really think we're made of mud? If you can't pay today, we'll take your granddaughter to settle the debt. That's only right and proper."

One of the men's voices carried down the alley.

People from several nearby homes had long since heard the commotion, yet not a single household opened its door. At most, some peered out through the cracks. Even more households did not bother to look at all, remaining motionless inside.

Old Man Wang's granddaughter cried and struggled desperately, but how could she pull free from two bare-chested men? She was dragged farther and farther away.

"What a sin... what a sin..."

Old Man Wang had fallen to the ground and struggled to rise, but his crutch had flown aside. With his lame leg, he could not get up no matter what he did. He could only watch helplessly as his granddaughter was dragged away, tears streaming down his aged face.

Even Chen Mu found the sight deeply unpleasant.

The Black Snake Gang had been rather overbearing in the past, but when people truly could not pay, they usually did not drive them to utter ruin. The Red Gold Gang, however, was far more tyrannical, driving people straight onto the road to death and even committing outrages in broad daylight.

Order in the Outer City was becoming more and more chaotic. The Red Gold Gang had become so despicable in its conduct, yet those above in the City Guard turned a blind eye.

He had seen quite a few such incidents before. Following the cautious principle of preserving oneself when poor, he had always ignored them. But this time, they were neighbors from the same alley, which was different after all.

Just then.

As Old Man Wang's granddaughter struggled and cried, she spotted the only open door in the alley—and him standing there. She cried out, "Brother Chen, save me!"

So be it.

Chen Mu shook his head inwardly and took several steps forward.

They were, after all, familiar fellow villagers and close neighbors. If he were still as poor and destitute as before, able only to preserve himself, then he could only choose to remain indifferent. But now, things were different after all.