You Want to Lay a Hand on My Family!

"Uncle Lin, there's no need to be so formal."

Hearing the other man call him "Master Chen" over and over, Chen Jing froze for a moment before saying, "Just call me by my name, like before."

The Old Man Lin before him had been an old friend of Chen Sanwu's.

Back when the family was struggling—before his eldest sister, Chen Chunhe, and second sister, Chen Chunmiao had found work, and before he was able to pull a rickshaw—the whole family had relied on Chen Sanwu's rickshaw fares just to scrape by. More often than not, they went hungry.

Old Man Lin had a warm heart. Now and then, he would share half of the dry rations he brought with the Chen family, or speak up on their behalf when other rickshaw pullers gave his father a hard time.

Chen Jing had always remembered that small kindness, and it naturally made him feel closer to the old man.

"Xiao... no, no..."

When Old Man Lin heard Chen Jing call him Uncle Lin, he was stunned. A glimmer appeared in his cloudy eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted despite himself, crinkling the wrinkles around his eyes.

A moment ago, he'd still been worried that Chen Jing would become a martial artist and turn his back on everyone. Now it seemed he'd been worrying for nothing.

But when he caught the other rickshaw pullers watching with reverence from the corner of his eye, the name Xiao Jing, already at the tip of his tongue, went unsaid. His back instinctively bent, and he said respectfully, "You're a martial artist now. Your status is different. How could I call you by your name like before? I should call you Master Chen. We can't ignore the rules."

Seeing how resolute he was, Chen Jing knew it was the reverence ingrained in people of humble station at work. He stopped pressing him and asked directly, "Is Boss Wang inside?"

"Boss Wang?"

At Chen Jing's question, Old Man Lin's expression changed slightly. He immediately remembered how, a few days earlier, Chen Sanwu had quit, only for Wang Chi to withhold most of his wages on the grounds that he'd broken his contract early.

"He is! He's inside!"

Old Man Lin lowered his voice without thinking, then leaned closer and hurriedly warned him, "Master Chen, you're here to get your father's wages, aren't you? Wang Chi isn't someone to trifle with. You'd better be careful!"

"I know. Thanks for the warning, Uncle Lin."

Chen Jing nodded, then took three taels of silver from the pouch at his waist and pressed them into Old Man Lin's hand. "Keep this. Buy some meat and nourish yourself. Don't live on dry rations all the time."

With that, Chen Jing said no more and went straight into the carriage firm.

Old Man Lin stood rooted to the spot, cradling the heavy silver in his hands as he stared blankly at Chen Jing's retreating back. His eyes grew slightly hot.

Three taels of silver might not mean much to a martial artist like Chen Jing, but to a lowly rickshaw puller like him, it was enough to keep a family living frugally for half a month.

"Old Man Lin, you're one lucky fellow!"

The other rickshaw pullers immediately crowded around. Their eyes were fixed on the silver in Old Man Lin's hands, their faces full of envy. "Master Chen still remembers you, and he just handed you several taels of silver!"

"Exactly! If anyone else became a martial artist, would they even remember poor rickshaw pullers like us?"

Even as they envied him, someone couldn't help voicing their concern. "But Master Chen must be here because they docked Old Man Chen's wages, right?"

"Wang Chi is no pushover. His younger brother, Wang Cheng, is the boss of the Blue Scarf Gang, a peak First Blood martial artist. He has a hundred or so men under him, and he's got a nasty temper. He beats people at the drop of a hat!"

"Yeah! Master Chen may be a martial artist too, but Wang Cheng has the numbers on his side. If things really get ugly, Master Chen could be in trouble!"

The men chimed in one after another, their voices full of worry. They kept their eyes fixed on the carriage firm's entrance, silently holding their breath for Chen Jing.

By then, Chen Jing had already entered the carriage firm's courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't small. Besides the dozens of rickshaws parked there, some odds and ends were piled in a corner. A few bare-chested, muscular men sat nearby smoking and playing cards. When they saw Chen Jing enter, they stopped what they were doing and eyed him warily.

Just then, a young servant in a short blue-green jacket, with a little mustache, hurried over and sized Chen Jing up.

Seeing his upright build, sharp gaze, and abundant qi and blood, along with the faint aura that warned people to keep their distance, the servant knew he wasn't an ordinary man. He hurriedly put on a smile and asked, "Sir, who are you looking for? What can I do for you?"

"My name is Chen Jing. I'm here to see your boss, Wang Chi. I have important business with him."

Chen Jing spoke calmly. His voice was quiet, but carried an undeniable force.

At the name Chen Jing, the servant's heart gave a jolt. He vaguely remembered hearing it before. Chen Jing seemed to be the son of a rickshaw puller who'd once worked at the firm, and he'd heard that the boy had gone off to learn martial arts.

At first, he'd even mocked Chen Sanwu, thinking the man was wasting his time!

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

But who would have thought that barely two months later, word would spread that the rickshaw puller's son really had become one?

The news had made him green with envy. He'd even exclaimed that the puller was blessed with incredible luck.

Seeing how imposing Chen Jing was, the servant didn't dare neglect him. He bowed and nodded eagerly. "So you're Master Chen! Please wait a moment. I'll go inform the boss right away!"

With that, the servant dashed into the main hall, afraid that even a moment's delay might offend Chen Jing.

Before long, the servant came back and led Chen Jing toward a 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, took a seat, and picked up the teacup on the table. He didn't drink, simply waiting in silence.

A moment later, a jumble of footsteps approached. Wang Chi walked in with four or five burly men.

Wang Chi wore silk clothes and had a round belly. A false smile covered his face, but his eyes appraised Chen Jing from head to toe, as if weighing him up.

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

Wang Chi spoke in a condescending tone, as if he were interrogating him.

Chen Jing slowly rose and gave Wang Chi a slight bow. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he got straight to the point. "Boss Wang, I've come for one reason: I want you to pay back the wages you withheld from my father."

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

The burly men behind Wang Chi immediately stepped forward, glaring viciously at Chen Jing, as if they'd pounce and tear him apart the moment Wang Chi gave the word.

When Wang Chi heard the words "pay back the wages," he was visibly taken aback.

The next instant, as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, he threw back his head and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha..."

His laughter echoed through the side hall. His greasy belly jiggled, and the fat on his face bunched up with scorn and contempt.

"You want the wages back?"

Wang Chi wiped away tears of laughter and eyed Chen Jing sidelong. "You're Chen Jing, aren't you?"

Without waiting for Chen Jing to answer, he sneered to himself. "Your father, Chen Sanwu, broke his contract early. According to my carriage firm's rules, he doesn't get a single cent!"

"Not only that, he should pay me for my losses! The fact I haven't demanded compensation from him is proof of how kind-hearted I, Wang Chi, am."

Then Wang Chi's tone abruptly shifted, dripping with mockery. "And here you are, daring to come to my place and demand your wages?"

The burly men behind him immediately burst into laughter as well. Their laughter rang harshly, and their eyes roamed over Chen Jing without restraint, as though he weren't a martial artist but some fool who'd walked right into a joke at his own expense.

After a while, Wang Chi reined in his laughter and spoke leisurely. "Besides, you used to work at my carriage firm too."

"You quit without a word so you could learn martial arts. You broke my firm's rules, and you led the other rickshaw pullers astray."

Wang Chi pointed a thick, pudgy finger at Chen Jing and said coldly, "You owe me ten taels of silver in breach-of-contract fees! The fact I haven't come after you for it is already a kindness!"

"Ten taels of silver?"

Chen Jing froze on the spot, the surprise in his eyes vanishing in a flash.

He'd never imagined that he'd come to claim his wages only to have the blame turned back on him, saddling him with a debt out of nowhere.

Wang Chi's shamelessness had surpassed anything he could have imagined.

Seeing Chen Jing fall silent, Wang Chi grew even more pleased with himself. He folded his arms and stuck out his belly, his voice unbearably arrogant. "Boy, if you know what's good for you, get out of here!"

"Otherwise, not only will you get none of your father's wages, but you'll also have to pay me those ten taels in breach-of-contract fees!"

In Wang Chi's eyes, Chen Jing was no more than a low-level martial artist who'd taken two months to reach First Blood. He had no backer and no connections, and couldn't stir up the slightest trouble.

What's more, his younger brother, Wang Cheng, was the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang in West City!

With a hundred or so men under him, armed with knives and clubs, he'd always thrown his weight around in West City.

A mere First Blood martial artist with no roots or backing dared to make trouble on his turf?

He was practically asking for death!

More importantly, if he paid Chen Jing today, all the rickshaw pullers would come demanding answers tomorrow.

Once he gave in on this, how could Wang Chi keep bleeding them dry?

So whether or not Chen Jing was a martial artist, Wang Chi had to hold the line!

Chen Jing looked at Wang Chi's smug face and slowly clenched his fists. In a quiet voice, he asked, "I'll ask you one more time. Are you paying my father's wages or not?"

At that, Wang Chi's gaze turned icy. His lips stretched into a sinister grin, and he lowered his voice, his words brimming with malice. "What? You don't like it?"

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

Then Wang Chi suddenly stepped closer and said grimly, "If you don't know what's good for you, believe me, I'll have your two sisters sold into a brothel!"

"I'll make them serve customers to pay off your debt!"

The moment those words fell, the air in the side hall seemed to freeze.

The burly men's grins grew even more brazen, as if they'd long since grown used to this.

But Wang Chi still wasn't satisfied. He sneered and twisted the knife further. "And your father, Chen Sanwu."

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

"I'll break his legs and make sure he can never pull a rickshaw again!"

"Then he'll have to kneel on the ground and beg me for a bowl of rice!"

As his words fell, the entire side hall sank into dead silence.

"So that's what this is..."

At that moment, Chen Jing slowly lifted his head, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"You want to lay a hand on my family."

The next instant, qi and blood roared through Chen Jing's body. Red mist rose around him, bursting like streaks of light.

Chen Jing stamped his foot!

His figure vanished on the spot. When he appeared again, he was already right in front of Wang Chi.