M-Master Chen

"One sentence, and he'll come crawling over to kowtow and apologize?"

Chen Jing froze at that, a hint of confusion appearing on his face. "Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

As Chen Jing saw it, Wang Chi, the owner of the Carriage Firm, had trained in martial arts himself, and his younger brother was the Blue Scarf Gang's leader and a First Blood Martial Artist.

Chen Jing had broken through to Second Blood, but making the other man crawl over to apologize still seemed a bit much.

"Exaggerated?"

Zhuang Tao raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of matter-of-fact disbelief, "How is that exaggerated? Junior Brother, I'm afraid you still don't understand what a Second Blood Martial Artist represents in the outer city of Red Rock County!"

Chen Jing nodded, then honestly shook his head.

If Yan Peng hadn't beaten him to death with a single punch back then, Chen Jing would probably still be pulling a rickshaw through the streets and alleys, scrabbling for a few copper coins.

Since he'd started training in martial arts, Chen Jing had devoted himself to it completely. He'd had no chance to come into contact with the world of martial artists, so naturally, he couldn't understand the power and intimidation a Second Blood Martial Artist commanded.

Seeing that Chen Jing really didn't know, Zhuang Tao drew a deep breath and patiently explained, softening his tone. "The outer city of Red Rock County has a permanent population of a hundred thousand, not counting the surrounding villages or the Inner City! Do you know how many martial artists there are among those hundred thousand?"

Chen Jing blinked and said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"There are, at most, a little over a hundred First Blood Martial Artists—fewer than two hundred!"

Zhuang Tao held up a finger and enunciated each word. "And there are only fifty or sixty Second Blood Martial Artists! Think about it. Out of a hundred thousand people, there are only fifty or sixty standing above them all. What does that mean?"

Zhuang Tao paused, then spoke more emphatically. "It means that as long as you reveal that you're a Second Blood Martial Artist, you can throw your weight around in most places in the outer city!"

"Of course, what matters most is our own strength. A Second Blood Martial Artist can kill an ordinary person with a casual punch. Even a hundred burly men rushing at you wouldn't stand a chance if you got serious! That's the real worth of a Second Blood Martial Artist!"

"There are actually fifty or sixty of them? That many?"

Chen Jing paid little attention to what Zhuang Tao said afterward. His focus was entirely on the number of Second Blood Martial Artists.

After seeing Zhou Xiu fail three times to break through to Second Blood, his qi and blood breaking down each time, Chen Jing had assumed that Second Blood Martial Artists were extremely rare in the outer city, perhaps no more than a dozen. He'd never imagined there could be as many as fifty or sixty.

"That's the illusion that comes from being in a different stratum."

Zhuang Tao smiled and explained in a way Chen Jing could understand. "It's like when you used to pull a rickshaw. You worked yourself to the bone and earned half a tael of silver a month. All the other rickshaw pullers around you made the same, so you thought everyone earned that much."

"But after you became a martial artist, you started getting more than twenty taels a month in wages. The martial artists around you earned the same, and you realized there was another way to live."

"Back when you pulled rickshaws, you only came into contact with ordinary people at the bottom, so of course you thought martial artists were rare."

"But once you reach the level of Second Blood, you'll find that martial artists are everywhere. It's just that before, you weren't qualified to enter their circle."

Zhuang Tao's words were like a key, instantly opening Chen Jing's mind. Thinking of Liu Chuzhou's origins in the Inner City, Chen Jing asked, "What about the Inner City? How many people live there, and how many are martial artists?"

At the mention of the Inner City, Zhuang Tao grew more serious. He sorted through what he knew and said quietly, "The Inner City probably has around a hundred thousand people too. After all, the Three Great Families have run it for over a hundred years, and it's long since become a city within a city. Aside from the core members of the three families, outsiders can't say for sure what things are like inside."

"To get into the Inner City, you either have to pay a hefty entrance fee or have a pass from one of the Three Great Families or the authorities. For ordinary people, getting in is harder than climbing to heaven."

"Those who can settle there are either rich and powerful or martial artists of exceptional strength."

"As for the number of martial artists in the Inner City... no one can say for sure."

At this, Zhuang Tao shook his head. "The Three Great Families have deep foundations and must have plenty of experts hidden away. Their martial artists also never publicly flaunt their strength, so outsiders can only guess. But one thing's certain: the Inner City's martial artists are superior in both quality and quantity to those in the outer city."

"I see."

After hearing Zhuang Tao's explanation, Chen Jing nodded slowly, the confusion in his eyes completely gone.

A Second Blood Martial Artist stood at the top of the pyramid in the outer city. The status and deterrence that came with it were beyond anything Wang Chi, a Carriage Firm owner propped up by his younger brother and gang, could resist.

It wasn't just that Chen Jing could demand the wages back. Even if he told Wang Chi to hand over the entire Carriage Firm, the man would probably have to agree.

Now that he understood the weight of being a Second Blood Martial Artist, Chen Jing had made up his mind.

Once he'd taken care of the odds and ends at the martial hall, he would head straight to the Carriage Firm in West City and demand that Wang Chi return Chen Sanwu's hard-earned wages.

Not a single coin could be missing!

"Junior Brother Chen, from that look on your face, Wang Chi must have really crossed you."

Seeing the coldness hidden in Chen Jing's eyes, Zhuang Tao immediately thumped his chest and declared heartily, "Tell me what he did to offend you. Once I step in, I guarantee I'll make him behave himself and not dare breathe too loudly!"

Zhuang Tao was generous by nature. Chen Jing was now a Blood River Realm martial artist, and he was a brother he valued.

Now that Chen Jing had a problem, he naturally wanted to help with all his might.

Besides, to Zhuang Tao, dealing with a Carriage Firm owner propped up by his younger brother and a small gang was as easy as crushing an ant.

"It's nothing serious."

Chen Jing waved a hand. "He withheld my father's wages. My father's honest and didn't dare demand them from him, so I'm planning to go over later and get them back for him."

"What?!"

Zhuang Tao's eyes widened. Fuming, he said, "He even dared withhold your father's wages? Wang Chi must be tired of living!"

Before he'd even finished speaking, Zhuang Tao turned to call for help. "Wait here, Junior Brother. I'll get a few of my men, smash up his Carriage Firm, drag him out, and make him kowtow and apologize to your father. Then I'll make him cough up double what he withheld!"

"Thanks for your concern, Senior Brother."

Seeing this, Chen Jing hurriedly stopped Zhuang Tao. "I can handle this myself, so there's no need to trouble you. I'll go over in a bit and get the wages back."

To Chen Jing, getting the wages back was a small matter; there was no need to make a big fuss.

Seeing how firmly Chen Jing stood his ground, Zhuang Tao realized he didn't want to trouble him and had no choice but to give up on calling anyone over. He reminded Chen Jing earnestly, "All right, then. Be careful."

"But if Wang Chi doesn't know what's good for him and tries to throw his weight around, just tell me. I'll bring people over in full force, and we can tear his Carriage Firm apart if we have to!"

Chen Jing cupped his hands toward Zhuang Tao and said sincerely, "I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother."

The two then briefly discussed a few key points in training the River-Breaking Fist.

Zhuang Tao spoke frankly, sharing everything he'd learned about circulating qi and blood and linking one movement of force to the next. He held nothing back.

As Chen Jing listened, he compared Zhuang Tao's advice with his own experience. Many things that had been unclear suddenly made sense, and he gained a great deal.

A moment later, Chen Jing cupped his hands in farewell and walked out of the River-Breaking Martial Hall.

Without stopping, Chen Jing turned his gaze toward West City and headed that way.

He'd pulled a rickshaw for that Carriage Firm before, so he knew exactly where it was. There was no need to ask for directions.

It was midafternoon, and the streets were crowded with people. The cries of vendors mingled with the clatter of carts and horses, making for a lively scene.

Chen Jing's steps were steady, and he kept his qi and blood subtly restrained. He looked no different from an ordinary passerby, yet anyone who came near could feel an invisible pressure and instinctively move aside.

Before long, Chen Jing arrived at the Carriage Firm in West City.

It was a fairly large firm, with more than a dozen rickshaws parked outside. Several rickshaw pullers sat on the stone steps, smoking and chatting, enjoying their precious time off.

The moment Chen Jing appeared, the noisy chatter outside the Carriage Firm stopped almost all at once.

Several pullers resting in a crouch by the wall looked up together. When they recognized him, surprise flashed across their faces. Then, as if in unspoken agreement, they straightened up. Their expressions quickly shifted from astonishment to undisguised awe.

Of course they recognized Chen Jing.

After all, just three months ago, Chen Jing had been just like them, wearing a patched short jacket, bent over and sweating as he pulled rickshaws through wind and rain across the city.

When customers scolded them or managers withheld their wages, they all swallowed their anger. None of them had the standing to raise their voices.

But the Chen Jing standing before them now had a straight back and a steady presence. Even one step from him carried an indescribable pressure.

Clearly, Chen Jing was no longer the rickshaw puller anyone could order around as they pleased.

What's more, they'd heard from Chen Sanwu that Chen Jing had joined the River-Breaking Martial Hall, trained successfully, and formally entered First Blood, becoming a true martial artist.

To these working-class pullers who made their living through hard labor, martial artists were lofty figures who existed only in rumors.

Even standing there casually was enough to make people lower their heads and give way without thinking.

So along with the awe in their eyes as they looked at Chen Jing, there was also unmistakable envy.

They envied how Chen Jing had ascended in a single bound, escaping the mire they would struggle all their lives to climb out of.

They envied Chen Sanwu even more for having raised such a promising son.

One of the pullers, a little older than the rest and on fairly good terms with Chen Sanwu, hurried to his feet. With a fawning smile, he rushed over and greeted him respectfully. "M-Master Chen!"

They'd all called Chen Jing "Little Chen" before, but now that he was a martial artist, his status was worlds apart. The man naturally didn't dare address him by name and instinctively used an honorific.

The other pullers also got to their feet and nodded to Chen Jing, their eyes full of awe. Not one of them dared show the slightest disrespect.