Deliberation

As Chen Chunmiao stepped out of the back hall, she saw Manager Ren—the man who used to snap at her at the slightest thing and complain that she worked too slowly—now wearing a broad smile and bowing and scraping as he said something to a burly man seated in a chair, his body packed with muscle.

The burly man had his back to Chen Chunmiao, so she couldn't make out his face.

"Who is he...?"

Looking at the man's powerful build, Chen Chunmiao's heart gave a tremor.

This stranger radiated an intimidating presence. He was nothing like the people she usually dealt with.

Had he come looking for her? What did he want? What was he planning to do?

The less Chen Chunmiao could guess, the deeper her fear grew, but she still stood rooted in place, forcing herself to keep her nerve.

"My lord!"

When Manager Ren spotted Chen Chunmiao, he looked as if he'd seen his savior. He immediately turned to the burly man and said deferentially, "Chen Chunmiao is here!"

Then, lowering his voice to a near-whisper, Manager Ren asked, "May I ask how Chunmiao offended you?"

Hearing him, Chen Jing waved a hand and turned to look at Chen Chunmiao.

Seeing that she was still studying him with a puzzled expression, Chen Jing called out, "Second Sister, don't you recognize me?"

"You're... Xiao Jing!"

Chen Chunmiao froze at first. Then her eyes widened as she looked him over from head to toe. Only after a long moment did she speak, still unable to believe it.

The broad-shouldered, muscular man before her was a world apart from the younger brother who, two months ago, had been so thin a gust of wind could have blown him away. It was as if they were two different people!

If not for his unchanged voice and the faint traces of his old features between his brows, Chen Chunmiao wouldn't have recognized him at all.

"Xiao Jing, how did you get so tall? Two months ago, you were only as tall as me, and now you're a whole head taller!"

Looking at Chen Jing, Chen Chunmiao smiled.

Seeing how sturdy he was now, she knew that his two months of martial arts training had gone well.

That put her at ease.

Manager Ren, standing nearby, was stunned.

"Chunmiao... he's your younger brother?"

It took a long while for Manager Ren to draw a deep breath and ask in a quiet voice.

"Mm!"

Chen Chunmiao nodded firmly and answered.

"Second Sister, how have things been at work lately? Has anyone been giving you a hard time?"

Chen Jing glanced at Manager Ren, then asked softly.

"No, no!"

Before Chen Chunmiao could say anything, Manager Ren rushed to answer, his voice trembling. "Chunmiao is the most hardworking person here. The young lady likes her, too. No one would dare give her a hard time."

After speaking, Manager Ren turned to Chen Chunmiao and watched her nervously.

Feeling his gaze on her, Chen Chunmiao smiled and nodded. "Everyone's been very kind to me. No one's bullied me!"

"That's good."

Chen Jing could see that Chen Chunmiao didn't seem to be pretending, so he didn't press her further.

Now that he was a First Blood Martial Artist, if anyone here made his second sister suffer, one word from him would be enough to get her moved somewhere better.

With that thought, Chen Jing continued, "By the way, Second Sister, I want to visit Eldest Sister's opera troupe later. Can you come with me?"

"Go see Eldest Sister?"

Chen Chunmiao was tempted, but then she remembered that taking time off would mean losing a day's wages, and Manager Ren might not let her go anyway. Her spirits sank at once. "I... might not be able to get the day off."

"No problem!"

Before Chen Chunmiao had even finished speaking, Manager Ren hurried to chime in, his voice startlingly loud. "Chunmiao, since your younger brother is here and wants to visit your eldest sister with you, take the whole day off!"

The ingratiating smile on Manager Ren's face was practically spilling over. He was afraid that if he didn't speak up quickly enough, Chen Jing would get angry with him.

"This..."

Seeing how quickly Manager Ren had changed his tune, Chen Chunmiao was stunned.

The last time she'd seen Manager Ren grovel like this was when he'd faced the martial artist who wanted to propose to the young lady.

And now... he was acting this way toward her?

"All right, my lord. You and Chunmiao can go about your business..."

Manager Ren spoke to Chen Jing with a fawning smile.

Chen Jing merely nodded. "Let's go, Second Sister."

"Then let's go."

Chen Chunmiao nodded, too, and left Spring Return Hall with Chen Jing.

Once the two had left Spring Return Hall, Manager Ren immediately collapsed into a chair, drenched in cold sweat.

To tell the truth, Chen Jing had put far more pressure on him than the martial artist from the Eight Desolations Academy last time—the one named Xie Chong!

"Chunmiao's younger brother is actually such a powerful expert..."

Manager Ren swallowed hard, a thought flashing through his mind.

"Isn't the young lady being pressured into marrying Xie Chong? If we could get this Chen Jing to step in..."

"After all, the young lady has always treated Chunmiao quite well..."

At the thought, Manager Ren hurried toward the back hall.

"My lady, my lady!"

When Manager Ren ran into the back hall, he saw Ren Zhining and Lvzhu waiting in the courtyard.

"Is Chunmiao all right? Who was that martial artist? What did he want with her?"

Ren Zhining hurriedly questioned Manager Ren as he ran in.

"My lady, that martial artist was Chunmiao's younger brother, Chen Jing. He came to take Chunmiao with him to visit their eldest sister."

Manager Ren explained.

"Chunmiao's younger brother? Didn't she say he was hauling carts? How did he become a martial artist?"

Hearing this, Lvzhu thought back and spoke in disbelief.

"I don't know, but from the way they spoke, they're definitely siblings!"

Manager Ren shook his head, but spoke with certainty. "And, my lady, I could tell that Chunmiao's younger brother is absolutely a First Blood Martial Artist. What's more... the pressure he gave me was even greater than Xie Chong's!"

"Perhaps we should ask him to help us hold Xie Chong off!"

Manager Ren took a deep breath, then laid out all his thoughts.

"Stronger than Xie Chong? I never imagined Chunmiao had a younger brother like that!"

Hearing this, Lvzhu drew in a sharp breath.

Manager Ren had practiced martial arts. Though he hadn't broken through to become a First Blood Martial Artist, he was still very sensitive to a martial artist's aura.

So Ren Zhining and Lvzhu believed him.

Lvzhu quickly turned to Ren Zhining. "My lady, why don't we ask Chunmiao's younger brother to help us hold Xie Chong off?"

Ren Zhining furrowed her brows. "But Xie Chong isn't just a First Blood Martial Artist. He's also the brother-in-law of Hu Duanzhuo, the head of the Eight Desolations Academy... Would Chunmiao's younger brother be willing?"

If Xie Chong had been an ordinary First Blood Martial Artist, Ren Zhining wouldn't have been so worried. More importantly, Xie Chong was Hu Duanzhuo's brother-in-law, and Hu Duanzhuo was one of the few Third Blood Martial Artists in Red Rock County.

Under the circumstances, apart from the Three Great Families in the Inner City, hardly anyone was willing to provoke Xie Chong.

"My lady, in this situation, we can only try. Otherwise, you really will have to marry that Xie Chong!"

As he spoke, Manager Ren let out a heavy sigh.

"Ah, then all we can do is ask whether Chunmiao's younger brother is willing to help!"

Ren Zhining fell silent for a long while, then finally sighed and nodded.

"Even if he refuses to help, we mustn't hold it against him!"

"After all, we have no ties to him. It's perfectly normal for him to refuse!"

Ren Zhining added.

"Mm!"

Manager Ren and Lvzhu answered together.

Meanwhile, Chen Jing and Chen Chunmiao were making their way toward the opera troupe where their eldest sister was.

As they walked, they talked about what had happened over the past two months.

One had been utterly transformed, while the other was both relieved and astonished.

The air between them was filled... with the warmth of family.