You Want to Touch My Family!

"Uncle Lin, don't be so formal."

Hearing the man address him as "Master Chen" repeatedly, Chen Jing was stunned for a moment before saying, "Just call me by my name like you used to."

This Old Man Lin before him was an old acquaintance of Chen Sanwu.

Back when the family was struggling, before his eldest sister Chen Chunmiao and second sister Chen Chunhe had found work, and before he himself was able to pull a rickshaw, the whole family relied on Chen Sanwu's labor to barely scrape by, often going without their next meal.

Old Man Lin had a kind heart; he would occasionally share half of his own dry rations with the Chen family, or speak a few words of justice when his father was being bullied by other rickshaw pullers.

Chen Jing had always kept this meager support in his heart, and naturally felt a sense of closeness toward him.

"Little... no, no..."

When Old Man Lin heard Chen Jing call him "Uncle Lin," he was startled at first. A light instantly flickered in his cloudy eyes, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift, bunching up the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

He had been worried that Chen Jing would turn his back on them now that he had become a martial artist, but it seemed he had overthought it.

However, when his peripheral vision caught the awe-filled gazes of the other rickshaw pullers nearby, he swallowed the "Little Jing" that had reached his lips. He subconsciously hunched his back and said respectfully, "You are a martial artist now, your status is different. How can I address you by your name as before? It should be Master Chen. The rules cannot be broken."

Seeing his firm attitude, Chen Jing knew that the ingrained awe of the lower class was at work, so he didn't force it and asked directly, "Is Boss Wang inside?"

"Boss Wang?"

At these words, Old Man Lin's expression shifted slightly. He instantly recalled how, a few days ago, Chen Sanwu had come to resign, only for Wang Chi to withhold most of his wages on the grounds of a mid-contract breach.

"Yes! He's inside!"

Old Man Lin subconsciously lowered his voice, leaned in closer, and warned anxiously, "Master Chen, you're here to ask for your father's wages, aren't you? That Wang Chi is not someone to be trifled with. You must be careful!"

"I know. Thank you for the warning, Uncle Lin."

Chen Jing nodded, then took three taels of silver from the pouch at his waist and stuffed them directly into Old Man Lin's hand. "Take this money, buy some meat to nourish yourself, and stop eating only dry rations."

With that, Chen Jing said no more and walked straight into the rickshaw firm.

Old Man Lin stood frozen in place, clutching the heavy silver in his hand, staring blankly at Chen Jing's retreating back as his eyes grew slightly hot.

Three taels of silver might not mean much to a martial artist like Chen Jing, but for a bottom-tier laborer like him, it was enough for his family to live frugally for half a month.

"Old Man Lin, you're truly blessed!"

Seeing this, the other rickshaw pullers immediately crowded around, their eyes fixed on the silver in Old Man Lin's hand, full of envy. "Master Chen actually still remembers you! He gave you several taels of silver just like that!"

"Isn't that right! If it were anyone else who became a martial artist, would they still acknowledge us poor pullers?"

Amidst the envy, someone couldn't help but worry, "But Master Chen is surely here because of the wages withheld from Old Man Chen, right?"

"This Wang Chi is no pushover. His brother, Wang Cheng, is the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang. He has the strength of a First Blood peak, with over a hundred gang members under him. He has a violent temper and hits people at the slightest provocation!"

"That's right! Even though Master Chen is a martial artist, Wang Cheng has the numbers. If they really start a fight, Master Chen might be in trouble!"

The men spoke one after another, their tones filled with concern, their eyes fixed on the firm's gate as they secretly broke into a cold sweat for Chen Jing.

At this moment, Chen Jing had already walked into the courtyard of the rickshaw firm.

The courtyard was not small. Besides dozens of rickshaws parked there, there were sundries piled in the corners. Several bare-chested, burly men were sitting to the side smoking and playing cards. Seeing Chen Jing enter, they stopped what they were doing and sized him up vigilantly.

Just then, a servant wearing a cyan short jacket and sporting a small mustache hurried over, looking Chen Jing up and down.

Seeing Chen Jing's upright posture, sharp gaze, and the abundant blood and energy radiating from his body—a presence that suggested he was not to be trifled with—the servant quickly put on a smile and asked, "Sir, who are you looking for? Is there something you need?"

"My name is Chen Jing. I'm looking for your boss, Wang Chi. I have an important matter to discuss."

Chen Jing's tone was flat, his voice not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable power.

The servant's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the name. He had a vague impression of "Chen Jing"—it seemed to be the son of a rickshaw puller from the firm who had gone off to learn martial arts.

At first, he had even mocked Chen Sanwu, thinking his actions were a complete waste of effort!

How could the son of a mere rickshaw puller possibly become a martial artist?

But who would have thought that only two months later, news would arrive that the puller's son had actually succeeded.

This made him incredibly envious, and he couldn't help but remark on the puller's good fortune.

Seeing the imposing aura of the man before him, the servant dared not be negligent. He quickly nodded and bowed, saying, "So it is Master Chen. Please wait a moment, I will go report to the boss immediately!"

With that, the servant scurried into the main hall, fearing that even a moment's delay would offend Chen Jing.

Not long after, the servant came out and led Chen Jing toward the side hall. "Master Chen, our boss will be here shortly. Please rest in the side hall and have some tea."

Chen Jing said nothing. He followed the servant into the side hall, found a seat, and picked up the teacup on the table. He didn't drink, but simply waited quietly.

A moment later, the sound of chaotic footsteps approached, and Wang Chi entered, accompanied by four or five burly men.

Wang Chi was dressed in silk robes, his belly round, his face plastered with a fake smile, though his eyes were scrutinizing, sweeping over Chen Jing as if weighing his worth.

"You are Chen Jing? Chen Sanwu's son?"

Wang Chi spoke, his tone condescending, as if he were conducting an interrogation.

Chen Jing stood up slowly and bowed slightly to Wang Chi. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he got straight to the point: "Boss Wang. I have come here for no other reason than to reclaim the wages you withheld from my father."

As his words fell, the air in the side hall instantly grew heavy.

The burly men behind Wang Chi immediately took a step forward, their eyes fixed fiercely on Chen Jing, as if they would pounce and tear him apart the moment Wang Chi gave the order.

Wang Chi was visibly stunned when he heard the words "collecting wages."

The next moment, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world, he threw his head back and burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha..."

The laughter echoed through the side hall, his greasy belly trembling with every heave, the fat on his face bunching up in a display of pure mockery and contempt.

"Collecting wages?"

Wang Chi wiped away tears of mirth, squinted at Chen Jing, and said, "You must be Chen Jing, right?"

Without waiting for Chen Jing to answer, he began to sneer to himself: "Your father, Chen Sanwu, broke his contract halfway through. According to the rules of my carriage firm, he doesn't get a single cent!"

"Not only that, he owes me for my losses! The fact that I haven't gone after him for damages is already a sign of my, Wang Chi's, kindness."

At this point, Wang Chi's tone shifted abruptly, dripping with sarcasm: "And you, of all people, have the nerve to come here and demand wages?"

As his voice fell, the several burly men behind Wang Chi immediately joined in with raucous laughter. The sound was grating, and their eyes scanned Chen Jing without restraint, as if he were not a martial artist, but a fool who had delivered himself to their doorstep.

After a while, Wang Chi reined in his laughter and said in a measured tone: "Besides, you brat used to work at my firm too."

"You quit just to pursue martial arts, not only breaking my firm's rules but also stirring up the other drivers."

Wang Chi extended a thick, greasy finger, pointed it at Chen Jing, and said coldly: "You still owe me ten taels of silver for breach of contract! I haven't come after you for it yet, which is already giving you face!"

"Ten taels of silver?"

Chen Jing was stunned on the spot, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes.

He never imagined that instead of successfully collecting his father's wages, he would be hit with a counter-accusation and saddled with a debt out of thin air.

Wang Chi's shamelessness had completely surpassed his understanding.

Seeing Chen Jing silent, Wang Chi became even more smug. He crossed his arms, puffed out his chest, and spoke with extreme arrogance: "Brat, if you're smart, get lost!"

"Otherwise, don't even talk about your father's wages—you'll have to honestly pay me that ten taels of silver for the breach of contract!"

In Wang Chi's eyes, Chen Jing was merely a bottom-tier First Blood Martial Artist who had taken two months just to reach his current level; he had no backing, no connections, and couldn't make a splash.

Furthermore, his own younger brother, Wang Cheng, was the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang in the West City!

With hundreds of men under his command, fully equipped with blades and clubs, they had always done as they pleased in the West City district.

A mere nobody of a First Blood Martial Artist dared to run wild on his turf?

He was simply tired of living!

More importantly, if he gave the money to Chen Jing today, tomorrow all those other drivers would learn to come knocking for their own claims.

If he opened this door, how would he, Wang Chi, continue to bleed them dry?

Therefore, regardless of whether Chen Jing was a martial artist or not, he had to shut this down completely!

Chen Jing looked at Wang Chi's face, his fists slowly clenching, and said softly: "I'll ask one more time: my father's wages—are you going to pay them or not?"

Hearing this, Wang Chi's gaze turned abruptly cold. A cruel grin spread across his lips, and he lowered his voice, filled with malice: "What? Not convinced?"

"Let me tell you, I call the shots in this West City district!"

Wang Chi then leaned in a step closer, his tone sinister: "If you don't know what's good for you, do you believe I'll have someone sell your two sisters into a brothel?"

"I'll have them serve guests to pay off the debt!"

As the words fell, the air in the side hall seemed to freeze instantly.

The smiles on the faces of the burly men became even more wanton, as if they were long accustomed to such things.

Wang Chi, feeling the fire wasn't hot enough, sneered and continued to twist the knife: "And your father, Chen Sanwu."

"Since he dared to break my rules, I have plenty of ways to deal with him."

"I'll break his legs and make sure he can't pull a carriage for the rest of his life!"

"When that time comes, he'll only be able to kneel on the ground and beg me to toss him a scrap of food!"

As his voice faded, the entire side hall fell into a deathly silence.

"So that's how it is..."

At this moment, Chen Jing slowly raised his head, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"You want to touch my family."

The next instant, the blood and qi within Chen Jing surged violently, and a red mist emerged from his body, like exploding streamers of light.

Chen Jing stomped his foot!

His figure vanished from the spot instantly, and when he reappeared, he was already right in front of Wang Chi.