Generous Terms

After politely declining Fang Cai and seeing him off, the Du Family, a wealthy household in Red Rock County, arrived to invite Chen Jing to serve as their head of security.

The price offered by the Du Family was significantly higher than what Fang Cai had proposed, yet it still fell slightly short compared to the offer from Senior Brother Zhuang.

More importantly, taking a position as a security head for the Du Family would likely strip away his free time for martial arts training, which would inevitably hinder his progress.

Shortly thereafter, another wealthy household and a tavern arrived one after another, extending similar invitations for security and venue-guarding roles.

Seeing this, Chen Jing declined them one by one.

As the sky grew dim and Chen Jing assumed no one else would come, he saw a lean young man approaching, followed by two burly men with fierce auras.

The moment this group reached the entrance, Chen Jing caught a pungent scent of fish, clearly indicating they were involved in business down at the docks.

"Brother Chen, I am Zou Cheng of the Canal Gang. I have come to invite you to join us as a leader!"

Zou Cheng looked at Chen Jing, cupped his hands in a salute, and introduced himself with the straightforward, respectful tone characteristic of a man of the pugilistic world.

"A leader?"

Chen Jing was momentarily stunned.

The Blue Scarf Gang had also come to invite him earlier, but that was merely an invitation to hold a nominal position.

He had not expected the Canal Gang to offer him a leadership role right out of the gate.

Was their offer really that generous?

"That is correct!"

Zou Cheng said with a firm tone, "Brother Chen, you are now a First Blood Martial Artist. To be blunt, you may not be considered a top-tier expert in all of Red Rock County, but for our Canal Gang, you are more than qualified to be a leader!"

Zou Cheng then shifted his tone, quickening his pace as he began to introduce the leader of the Canal Gang: "Furthermore, our gang leader, Ji Wen, is a Second Blood Martial Artist! He is currently looking to expand and unify the northwest territory of Red Rock County, and he is truly thirsty for talent!"

"As long as you agree, our gang will immediately provide food, forty taels of silver per month, and arrange a position within the gang for your father. Most importantly, we will provide you with two catties of Water Bone Snake Exotic Beast Meat every month!"

As Zou Cheng laid out the terms, the two men behind him stared at Chen Jing with such intense, burning gazes that they almost seemed to be boring holes into him.

Chen Jing had to admit that the offer from the Canal Gang was indeed extremely generous, even more so than what Senior Brother Zhuang had proposed.

After all, the Canal Gang was also arranging a job for Chen Sanwu.

However, such a lucrative offer also made Chen Jing feel a sense of apprehension.

It was simply too good—so good that it made one feel uneasy.

He had only just broken through to become a First Blood Martial Artist; while he wasn't exactly a dime a dozen in Red Rock County, there were at least a hundred others like him.

As a newcomer, was he really worth such a generous offer?

Perhaps there was some situation here he was unaware of.

Chen Jing took a deep breath, refusing to let the generous terms cloud his judgment, and asked, "I wonder, besides serving as a leader, are there any other requirements?"

Zou Cheng cupped his hands again and explained candidly, "I can see that you are an honest man, Brother Chen, so I will be direct."

"Our leader, Ji Wen, has grand ambitions, and this northwest region will be unified sooner or later."

"Once you become a leader in our Canal Gang, clashes with the Blue Scarf Gang will be inevitable, and we will expect you to contribute your strength when the time comes."

Hearing this explanation, Chen Jing understood and nodded. "I see. However, this is a major matter; I need to think it over and will give you an answer in a few days."

"There is no rush."

Zou Cheng waved his hand dismissively. "However, Brother Chen, although we have only just met, I feel we are of a similar temperament, so I would like to say one more thing."

"If you decide not to join our Canal Gang, please do not join the Blue Scarf Gang. Our two factions will inevitably clash, and when that time comes, I only ask that you remain a bystander."

Zou Cheng said with a sincere expression, "Of course, regardless of whether you join us or not, the Canal Gang will never collect protection fees from you."

Zou Cheng's words were sincere and quite moving.

Hearing this, Chen Jing replied, "I will keep that in mind."

Then, under Chen Jing's gaze, Zou Cheng and his two companions departed.

To be honest, between the two gangs, Zou Cheng of the Canal Gang left a much better impression on Chen Jing than Fang Cai of the Blue Scarf Gang.

Especially that final promise about never collecting protection fees—it felt like genuine, tangible sincerity.

If Chen Jing were just a seventeen-year-old boy, combined with the experience of his two lifetimes, he might have truly been impulsive enough to join the Canal Gang on the spot.

"Jing'er..."

At this moment, the voice of Chen Sanwu pulled Chen Jing out of his thoughts.

"Father, what is it?"

Chen Jing turned his head quickly to ask.

Chen Sanwu took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "Jing'er, you have more ability than I do, so you should make the decisions regarding these matters."

"But I have lived for many years, and there are some truths that you might not have seen clearly yet, but I am aware of them."

"The reason the Canal Gang is trying to win you over with such generous terms is, firstly, because they value your ability, and secondly, it is possible they value your identity."

Chen Jing was startled, then fell into deep thought. "Value my identity?"

After what Chen Sanwu said, Chen Jing began to recall.

Zhuang Tao had mentioned before that every disciple of the River-Breaking Fist Academy was affiliated with a different faction, clearly to prevent conflicts between them.

Now that the Canal Gang had come looking for him, it was obviously not just because they valued his status as a First Blood Martial Artist, but also because they coveted his identity as a disciple of the River-Breaking Fist Academy!

Thinking of this, Chen Jing said earnestly, "Father, I understand."

Clearly, compared to the Canal Gang, Zhuang Tao's side was much more suitable for him.

Not only could he continue his training as usual, but he could also accumulate practical combat experience.

Seeing that Chen Jing was willing to listen to his advice, Chen Sanwu breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "As long as you understand. You have more talent than I do; in the future, you must think several steps ahead before acting."

After saying this, he scooped rice from the pot, and he and Chen Jing began to eat.

The next day arrived.

Chen Jing rose early as usual and headed toward the River-Breaking Fist Academy.

When Chen Jing arrived at the Central Courtyard and didn't see a trace of Zhuang Tao, he began practicing his punches on his own.

After all, Zhuang Tao came from a wealthy family and was a Second Blood Martial Artist; furthermore, due to his personality, he did not possess the near-obsessive fixation on the martial path that Chen Jing had.

Unable to see Zhuang Tao, Chen Jing practiced his punches while sensing his own blood energy.

Although his blood energy growth rate was much faster now under the enhancement of the Five Harms Technique than it had been practicing the River-Breaking Fist, the growth rate of the Five Harms Technique had slowed down since he broke through to become a First Blood Martial Artist.

If the blood energy growth before the breakthrough was like a torrential downpour, it was now like a heavy rain—still rapid, but undeniably slower.

However, this was understandable; after all, the capacity of his blood energy had increased, while the growth rate of the Five Harms Technique remained the same. When compared, the speed of the Five Harms Technique appeared to have diminished.

The Five Harms Technique is still sufficient for me now, but once I break through to the Blood River Realm, I will likely need to switch to a different evil technique.

I wonder if there will be any evil techniques that meet my requirements in the Ghost Market by then...

As these thoughts surged, Chen Jing continued his training.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Zhuang Tao strolled over.

Zhuang Tao walked over, spotted Chen Jing still practicing his punches at a glance, and asked, "Junior brother, how is it? Have you made up your mind?"