Chen Chunmiao

"Senior Brother Zhuang, after thinking it over yesterday, your offer is the most practical one."

"However, I still wish to continue my martial arts training... so, could the number of times I join the Beast-Hunting Squad be reduced?"

Chen Jing spoke up.

Zhuang Tao waved his hand dismissively upon hearing this: "What kind of problem is that? Once a month for the Beast-Hunting Squad is plenty. As for the restaurant, just show your face to hold down the fort when we open in a few days. If anyone actually tries to cause trouble later, I'll call you over then. The rest of the time, you just focus on your training at the Fist Academy. If anything happens, someone will notify you in advance."

Chen Jing cupped his hands and said, "Then I shall rely on your care, Senior Brother Zhuang."

Zhuang Tao laughed and patted Chen Jing on the shoulder, saying, "We're friends, aren't we? Would I ever treat you unfairly?"

With that, the two began to spar.

By the afternoon, Chen Jing did something he had never done before: instead of staying at the Fist Academy to train, he headed toward Spring Return Hall.

After all, Zhuang Tao had given him fifty taels of silver. He kept twenty taels for meat and tonics to nourish his qi, left ten taels for Chen Sanwu, and set aside the remaining ten for his eldest and second sisters.

They had helped him so much; now that he had some spare money, he couldn't just look out for himself.

Although his martial arts training was expensive, those ten taels were nearly a year's wages for his sisters.

His second sister's Spring Return Hall was in the south of the city near the inner walls, while his eldest sister's Four Joys Troupe was in the east.

Since the River-Breaking Martial Hall was located to the west of the Cold River, visiting his second sister first and then heading to his eldest sister's place was the most logical route.

After two months of training, Chen Jing's physique was no longer as frail as it had been; he had grown sturdier and a few inches taller.

As he walked, the small vendors saw Chen Jing and hurriedly cleared a path, lowering their heads and not daring to look, fearing they might provoke some trouble.

As he neared the south of the city, the number of pedestrians on the streets gradually increased.

Meanwhile.

Spring Return Hall was divided into a front hall and a back courtyard. The front hall was used for consultations and dispensing medicine, while the back courtyard was for processing herbs and served as the living quarters for the owner.

Chen Chunmiao's job was to process herbs in the back courtyard, though she would occasionally help out in the front hall when it became too busy.

At this moment, three or four old women in the courtyard were whispering while sorting herbs: "I heard that fighting has started up north recently."

"Is that so? If a war breaks out, won't everything fall into chaos again?"

"But why do I see these blood-activating herbs piling up more and more in the yard? It's been five or six days, and not a single pack has been sold."

One of the women pointed to the herbs stacked under the eaves nearby.

These herbs, used for promoting blood circulation and removing stasis, needed to be dried in the sun for a few days.

Usually, these herbs sold extremely well and would be bought up after just a day or two of drying, but they had been sitting there for nearly a week. This was clearly suspicious and couldn't help but make people anxious.

Just then, one of the women asked Chen Chunmiao: "Chunmiao, you run to the front hall often, do you know what's going on?"

"I don't know..."

Chen Chunmiao shook her head at the question and continued with her work.

"This girl is too dull! Running to the front hall is the same as not going at all!"

The woman who had spoken earlier shook her head: "I was thinking of playing matchmaker to find you a good husband, but with your dim-witted nature, how could I even bring it up!"

The other women nodded in agreement.

"I've heard a little something."

At this, one woman's eyes lit up, and she lowered her voice: "I heard that a martial artist from the Eight Desolations Academy took a liking to our mistress and came to propose marriage. When she refused, the martial artist got angry and cut off the supply lines for our Spring Return Hall!"

After saying this, the woman shook her head: "If you ask me, if the mistress doesn't agree, our Spring Return Hall is truly finished."

Hearing this, another woman quickly chimed in: "Isn't it a good thing to have a martial artist proposing? If the mistress keeps up this stubborn temper, won't we stop getting paid?"

The group grew more agitated, but Chen Chunmiao remained silent, working as if she hadn't heard a word.

"You bunch of lowly hags, what are you gossiping about! Get back to work!"

A sharp, shrill voice rang out.

The speaker was a young girl dressed in green.

Seeing her, the women hurriedly stopped talking and busied themselves with their tasks.

"Hmph, if it weren't for the mistress's kindness in letting you work here, you should be grateful, yet here you are gossiping. If there is a next time, don't blame me for kicking you all out!"

The girl in green flicked her sleeves and walked into the house.

Only after the girl had gone far away did the women dare to complain in low voices: "That Lvzhu girl is truly vicious! The mistress hasn't said anything, yet she comes to boss us around!"

The others shook their heads and said, "She is the mistress's personal maid; we can't compare to her. Just get back to work."

Meanwhile, Lvzhu walked straight into the room and said urgently: "Mistress, those women outside are getting more and more out of line; they've actually started gossiping about you!"

Hearing Lvzhu's words, Ren Zhining sighed, put down the ledger in her hand, and said softly: "It is only natural for them to gossip, given that Spring Return Hall is going through such troubled times."

"But this is just too..."

Lvzhu wanted to say more, but at the thought of the martial artist who wanted to marry her mistress, she shook her head.

"Mistress, our Spring Return Hall is going from bad to worse. What are we to do?"

Lvzhu pondered for a moment before hurriedly suggesting, "Should we find a martial artist to protect us?"

Ren Zhining heard this and immediately offered a bitter smile. "It's not as if I haven't thought of that, but the martial artist who wants to marry me is a First Blood Martial Artist from the Eight Desolations Academy. Ordinary martial artists know his background, so naturally, they wouldn't dare offend the Eight Desolations Academy to oppose him."

Speaking of this, Ren Zhining sighed and shook her head. "And we simply cannot afford to hire a powerful martial artist..."

As she spoke, a trace of resolve flickered in Ren Zhining's eyes. "If we truly cannot hold on, I will have no choice but to agree to his demands... After all, Spring Return Hall was left to me by my ancestors; I cannot let it end in my hands."

Lvzhu turned pale with fright upon hearing this and hurriedly shook her head. "Miss, you cannot do that! I've inquired about him; that martial artist already has five concubines. While he might be fine while the novelty lasts, once it wears off, he either beats or curses them. He has even driven two of his previous 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 the mistress and servant were at their wits' end.

Chen Jing arrived at the entrance of Spring Return Hall.

"Th-this lord, may I ask if you are here to fill a prescription or seek a consultation?"

At this moment, a servant saw Chen Jing's tall, imposing figure and felt the blood energy radiating from him. Realizing that Chen Jing was a martial artist, the servant trembled and approached cautiously, asking in a low voice.

After all, when the martial artist who had taken a fancy to their young mistress arrived, he had shattered the counter with a single palm strike.

He did not want to take a palm strike from a martial artist for no reason.

Chen Jing heard him and said, "I am looking for someone. I'm looking for Chen Chunmiao."

"Chen Chunmiao? Please wait a moment, I will go call him out immediately."

The servant heard this, offered a hurried, apologetic smile, and then used every ounce of his strength to sprint toward the back hall.

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

"A martial artist is here to see you!"

The older women nearby heard this and immediately erupted in a panic. "What? You provoked a martial artist?"

"Chunmiao, what is going on? You won't drag us into this, will you?"

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

The previous situation with Ren Zhining had made these women extremely jumpy.

"I don't know either. What does the person look like?"

Chen Chunmiao heard this and asked the servant.

The servant gasped for air and hurriedly said, "He's tall and broad, built like an ox. You can tell at a glance he's a seasoned fighter!"

He then urged Chen Chunmiao, "Chunmiao, hurry up! It won't be good if we keep that martial artist waiting and he gets unhappy!"

Listening to the servant's words, Chen Chunmiao took a deep breath, braced himself, and walked toward the front hall.