Chen Chunmiao

"Senior Brother Zhuang, after looking into things yesterday, your family's offer still seemed the most reasonable."

"But I still want to keep practicing martial arts... so, could I go to the Beast-Hunting Squad less often?"

Chen Jing spoke up.

Zhuang Tao waved a hand, unconcerned. "What's the problem with that? You only need to go with the Beast-Hunting Squad once a month. As for the restaurant, when it opens in a few days, just show your face and lend it some support. If anyone causes trouble later, we'll call you over. The rest of the time, you can focus on practicing martial arts at the Fist Academy. If anything comes up, someone will let you know in advance."

Chen Jing cupped his hands. "Then I'll be counting on you to look after me, Senior Brother Zhuang."

Zhuang Tao laughed and patted Chen Jing on the shoulder. "We're friends. Would I ever shortchange you?"

After that, the two began sparring.

That afternoon, for once, Chen Jing didn't stay at the martial hall to train. Instead, he headed toward Spring Return Hall.

After all, Zhuang Tao had brought him fifty taels of silver. He kept twenty taels to buy meat and replenish his energy, left ten taels for Chen Sanwu, and planned to give the remaining ten to his elder and second sisters.

They had helped him so much. Now that he had some spare money, he couldn't just think of himself.

Although practicing martial arts cost a great deal, the ten taels left over amounted to nearly a year's wages for his elder and second sisters.

His second sister's Spring Return Hall was in South City, near the inner city, while his elder sister's Four Joys Troupe was in East City.

The River-Breaking Martial Hall stood west of Cold River, so visiting his second sister first and then going to his elder sister's place was the most convenient route.

After two months of martial arts training, Chen Jing was no longer as scrawny as before. He had grown several inches taller and filled out considerably.

As he walked, the street vendors who spotted him made way, keeping their heads down and not daring to look at him for long, afraid of getting into trouble.

The closer he got to South City, the more people appeared on the streets.

Meanwhile.

Spring Return Hall was divided into a front hall and a back hall. The front hall was used for consultations and dispensing medicine, while the back hall was where medicinal herbs were processed and the owners lived.

Chen Chunmiao worked in the back hall, processing herbs. Sometimes, when the front hall got too busy, she went there to help.

At that moment, three or four older women were sorting herbs in the back courtyard, muttering among themselves. "I heard there's fighting up north."

"Really? If war breaks out, won't everything descend into chaos again?"

"But why do I keep seeing more and more of these blood-activating herbs piled up in the courtyard? It's been five or six days, and not one bundle has sold."

One of the older women pointed to the herbs piled beneath the eaves nearby.

These herbs helped invigorate the blood and disperse stasis, and needed to dry in the sun for several days.

They usually sold very well. They would be snapped up after just a day or two of drying, but now they had been piled up for nearly a week. Clearly, something was wrong, and it was enough to make anyone uneasy.

Just then, one of the older women asked Chen Chunmiao, "Chunmiao, you're always going back and forth to the front hall. Do you know what's going on?"

"I don't know..."

Chen Chunmiao shook her head, then went back to the work in her hands.

"That girl's so wooden! Going to the front hall might as well be the same as not going at all!"

The older woman who had spoken first shook her head. "I'd been thinking of playing matchmaker for you and finding you a good husband, but with that blockheaded look of yours, how could I bring it up?"

The other women nodded in agreement.

"I did hear something."

One of the women's eyes lit up. She lowered her voice and said, "I heard a martial artist from the Eight Desolations Academy took a liking to our miss and came to ask for her hand. She refused, and the martial artist got angry and cut off Spring Return Hall's business!"

After speaking, the woman shook her head. "If you ask me, if miss doesn't agree, Spring Return Hall might as well close for good."

Hearing this, another woman quickly chimed in, "Isn't it a good thing that a martial artist wants to marry her? If miss stubbornly refuses, won't we end up without wages?"

The more they talked, the more chaotic the discussion became, but Chen Chunmiao kept working in silence, as though she hadn't heard a thing.

"You bunch of foul-mouthed old hags, what are you gossiping about? Get back to work!"

A sharp, scolding voice rang out.

The speaker was a young woman dressed in green.

The older women immediately fell silent and busied themselves with their work.

"Hmph! If miss hadn't been kind enough to let you work here, you'd have nothing! Instead of being grateful, you're gossiping behind her back. If you do it again, I'll throw every one of you out!"

After saying this, the young woman in green swept into the house.

Only after she had gone did the older women dare to complain in low voices. "That Lvzhu girl is awful! Miss hasn't said a thing, but she's already bossing us around!"

The others shook their heads. "She's miss's personal maid. We can't compare. Just get back to work."

Lvzhu walked straight into the room and immediately said, "Miss, those women outside are getting more and more out of line. They've even started gossiping about you!"

Hearing Lvzhu's words, Ren Zhining sighed, set down the account book in her hands, and said softly, "Spring Return Hall is going through a difficult time. It's only natural for them to gossip."

"But that's just too..."

Lvzhu began to speak, but when she thought of the martial artist who wanted to marry miss, she shook her head instead.

"Miss, Spring Return Hall's business is getting worse by the day. What are we going to do?"

After thinking it over, Lvzhu quickly suggested, "Should we find a martial artist to protect us, too?"

Ren Zhining gave a bitter smile. "I've thought about that before, but the martial artist who wants to marry me is a First Blood Martial Artist from the Eight Desolations Academy. Once ordinary martial artists learn where he comes from, they naturally won't dare oppose him and risk offending the Eight Desolations Academy."

Ren Zhining sighed and shook her head. "And we can't afford to hire a powerful martial artist..."

A resolute look appeared in Ren Zhining's eyes. "If we really can't hold on, I'll have no choice but to agree to his demand... Spring Return Hall has been passed down by my ancestors. I can't let it end in my hands."

Lvzhu's face went pale. She shook her head quickly. "Miss, you mustn't! I made inquiries. That martial artist already has five concubines, and when he first takes a new one, things are fine. But once the novelty wears off, he beats her or curses her. He even drove two of his concubines to their deaths."

"If you go there, you'll be jumping straight into a pit of fire!"

Ren Zhining shook her head bitterly. "But even so, what else can we do..."

Just as mistress and maid were at their wits' end.

Chen Jing arrived at the entrance to Spring Return Hall.

"Y-Your Excellency, are you here to buy medicine or see a physician?"

A young attendant spotted Chen Jing's tall frame and felt the powerful qi and blood radiating from him. He immediately realized Chen Jing was a martial artist and trembled. Approaching carefully, he asked in a low voice.

After all, when the martial artist who had taken a liking to their miss came by, he had smashed the counter with a single palm.

The attendant didn't want to take a martial artist's palm for no reason.

Chen Jing replied, "I'm here to see someone. Chen Chunmiao."

"Chen Chunmiao? Please wait a moment. I'll call him out right away."

The attendant forced a smile, then poured every ounce of strength into racing toward the back hall.

As soon as he ran into the courtyard, he shouted, "Chen Chunmiao! Did you offend someone?"

"A martial artist is here for you!"

The older women nearby erupted at once. "What? She offended a martial artist?"

"Chunmiao, what's going on? This won't drag us into it, will it?"

"Chunmiao, we've always treated you well, haven't we?"

After what had happened with Ren Zhining, the older women had become jumpy at the slightest hint of trouble.

"I don't know. What does he look like?" Chen Chunmiao asked the attendant.

The attendant panted as he hurriedly replied, "Tall as a horse, built like an ox. He's obviously trained in martial arts!"

Then he urged Chen Chunmiao on. "Hurry, Chunmiao! If you keep him waiting and upset him, it'll be bad!"

Hearing the attendant's words, Chen Chunmiao took a deep breath and braced herself before heading toward the front hall.