A Clean Break

"...What is this!?"

Though Chen Cheng had already awakened, the strange phenomenon that suddenly appeared within his mind still made his breath catch.

"A golden finger?"

He steadied himself and focused his thoughts on the mark.

After a long while, however, there was nothing unusual about it.

Could it be some filthy thing?

He could not help worrying.

Fortunately, after carefully examining himself all the way home, he found nothing wrong with his body. The dull ache at the back of his head had almost completely faded.

Anping Lane was also part of the slums, but it already had small courtyards built from mud bricks.

Sunlight reached this place normally, and the stench in the air was much fainter.

The Chen Family Old Residence was here.

The pickled-vegetable shop at the front was the old Chen family's ancestral trade. Business had been slow lately, and today its shutters had been closed early.

Turning in through the narrow door beside the shop led to a small square courtyard. The ground was uneven, the earthen walls mottled, and everything bore the faded colors of many years gone by.

"Grandfather, Eldest Aunt."

Old Master Chen reclined in a lounge chair in the courtyard, chatting with the woman beside him.

At the sound of Chen Cheng's voice, the smiles on both their faces instantly froze. The next moment, they both pulled long faces.

"Father, Sister-in-law."

Madam Li hurriedly greeted them as well.

"Second son's wife, what brings you here today?"

the old man asked coldly.

Eldest Aunt's upturned eyes swept over the empty hands of mother and son. Rolling her eyes, she turned and went into the kitchen without even returning their greeting.

"Father, A-Cheng has run into some difficulties. Back then, you promised that you would send him to learn martial arts..."

Before Madam Li could finish,

Eldest Aunt suddenly rushed out of the kitchen again as if someone had stepped on her tail, shrieking sharply.

"Martial arts? What martial arts? Is he even cut out for it?"

Eldest Aunt raised her hand, her fingertip nearly jabbing Chen Cheng in the face.

"He was a block of wood from childhood, and now he's worn his body down to the bone! A rotten seedling that topples in the wind, yet he wants to waste an opportunity to learn martial arts? A lowly life with a coward's nature! Shameless and thick-skinned! Can he bear such heaven-reaching fortune? Isn't he afraid it'll shave years off his life?"

Eldest Aunt's spittle flew as she cursed incoherently, as though she deliberately meant to drive Chen Cheng and Madam Li away.

Madam Li stood there, stunned by the tirade.

A wicked flame surged up in Chen Cheng's heart, yet his mind was far calmer and clearer than before.

Eldest Aunt's excessive reaction only confirmed his suspicions.

That chance to learn martial arts... Eldest Aunt had likely long ago urged the old man into giving it to her precious son, Chen Hao.

"Eldest son's wife, shut your mouth!"

Old Master Chen barked a low rebuke, then softened his tone.

"A-Cheng, it isn't that Grandfather is playing favorites. Martial arts place the utmost importance on Bones, and the expenses are enormous. Given your family's circumstances... honestly selling your strength for labor is what you ought to do."

"Didn't you say he could train for free for half a year?" Madam Li pressed anxiously.

"Yes, but if he fails to achieve anything after half a year, wouldn't that opportunity be wasted?"

Old Master Chen paused, undisguised anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

"A-Hao had someone examine his Bones. An old master personally said his Bones were excellent, that he was first-rate material for martial arts... with such a heaven-sent opportunity, could you really expect me to hold him back from it?"

"...Back then, you swore an oath!"

Madam Li's brows twisted into ravines.

"I... I did swear, that's true!"

Driven into a corner by those words, the old man could no longer save face. Humiliated into fury, he craned his neck stubbornly.

"But A-Hao has already entered the Martial Hall and taken a master! Even if heaven strikes me with lightning, even if you tear apart these old Bones of mine, that chance to learn martial arts can only belong to A-Hao!"

"..."

Tears swam in Madam Li's eyes, and her body trembled so badly she could barely stand.

Had she known it would end like this, she never would have hidden it from Chen Cheng, no matter what.

"A-Cheng... Mother has wronged you... Mother has wronged you..."

"Mother, this isn't your fault."

Chen Cheng clasped his mother's ice-cold, trembling hand. His voice was hoarse and flat, but every word was clear.

"My body really has been frail these past two years. You were afraid I'd end up empty-handed on both fronts and be unable to survive in the future. You weren't wrong."

"It was them..."

Chen Cheng's indifferent gaze swept over the old man and Eldest Aunt.

"Mother and I didn't come today to beg for charity."

"We only wanted a definite answer, so Mother could cut off that last bit of hope she never should have held."

Chen Cheng's gaze finally settled on the old man's face.

"You needn't be so agitated. You and I both know that from the moment you gave that chance to learn martial arts to someone else, Mother and I became nothing to you."

"Since that's the case, I won't acknowledge any of you again... The life I owed the Chen family was repaid by my father. From this day onward, Mother and I will have nothing whatsoever to do with you!"

"...You... you!"

Upon hearing this, the old man was so furious that his beard blew and his eyes bulged. He wanted to rise and argue further, but Eldest Aunt shoved him back into the lounge chair.

"Father! There's no need to waste breath arguing with such an ungrateful thing! Just let them get lost!"

Eldest Aunt could not have been happier for Chen Cheng to sever ties with this family and never see them again. When the old man was buried, there would be one less person to divide the inheritance with.

"Bring me my father's family letter," Chen Cheng said coldly.

"Family letter?"

The old man froze instinctively, not seeming to be playing dumb.

But Eldest Aunt's mouth twisted, and she had no intention of paying Chen Cheng any attention.

Chen Cheng said nothing more. He merely glanced sideways at the firewood cleaver in the corner. Its blade was covered in rust, yet it still carried a dull, heavy menace.

Following his gaze, Eldest Aunt's heart skipped a beat and her throat tightened.

She feared no one when it came to making a scene and cursing in the street, but she truly feared that a rabbit driven desperate would bite.

She swallowed, hurriedly pulled a crumpled ball of letter paper from her sleeve, and tossed it onto the ground. Her eyes held disgust and a faint, barely detectable panic.

Madam Li immediately picked up the paper ball, held it in her hands, and carefully smoothed it flat.

"You can't even read. What's the use of giving it to you?"

Eldest Aunt rolled her eyes viciously and, at the same time, shielded the old man behind her.

"Mother, let's go home."

Supporting Madam Li, Chen Cheng walked straight out of the courtyard.

They had not gone far when they ran into Third Uncle and Little Aunt's family head-on.

Little Aunt and her husband were neatly dressed, carrying heavy bags of rice and flour. Their daughter skipped beside them, chattering and laughing.

Third Uncle and his wife carried only some wild vegetables and firewood. Beneath their empty, ragged coarse clothes, they seemed to be nothing but skeletons, trailing slowly behind.

When the two parties met, they merely nodded at Chen Cheng and Madam Li before entering the courtyard.

Only Third Uncle stopped, forcing out an awkward smile.

"Second Sister-in-law, A-Cheng, where are you going? A-Hao is coming back today. It's rare for the whole family to gather..."

Halfway through, Third Uncle finally noticed Madam Li's reddened eyes and Chen Cheng's clenched jaw. The rest of his words lodged in his throat.

He had already realized that this orphaned mother and son had likely not been invited.

"Sigh... We're all family. What can't be gotten past..."

"Third Uncle, don't say any more."

Chen Cheng had made up his mind and did not wish to hear any persuasion. Supporting Madam Li, he continued onward.

"A-Cheng, wait!"

Third Uncle hurried after them and, without allowing refusal, stuffed the meager wild vegetables and dry firewood in his hands into Chen Cheng's arms.

"Take these home. They can at least help in an emergency... In a couple of days, Third Uncle will come see you..."

"No need... Third Uncle, Third..."

Chen Cheng wanted to decline, but Third Uncle immediately pulled away, lowered his head, and quickly walked into the courtyard.

"A-Cheng, you may refuse to acknowledge the others..."

Madam Li said softly as she looked at the closed courtyard gate.

"But you must remember Third Uncle's kindness."

"I understand."

Chen Cheng clenched the firewood and wild vegetables in his hands.

Mother and son silently turned around and continued deeper into the alley.

A moment later, Eldest Aunt's raised voice came from within the courtyard, mixed with sharp, mocking laughter.

She seemed to be berating Third Uncle for coming empty-handed.

Far from Anping Lane.

They found a corner where sunlight shone.

Chen Cheng took the family letter from his mother's hands, trying to learn about his father's situation from it.

Yet though it contained only a few short lines, Chen Cheng could not recognize even half a character.

The writing of this world had strange, twisted strokes, like the patterns of secret curses.

He had wanted to use the pictographs from his previous life as a reference and muddle through by guessing, but he could not make a single step forward.

"Hm!?"

Just as he was about to give up,

the vertical-eye-shaped mark deep within his mind, which had lain dormant, suddenly grew hot.

His mental "vision" abruptly rose, like a heavenly eye overlooking all living beings, and locked onto the words on the letter.

In an instant, the ghostly scribbles in the letter that resembled a heavenly book were violently broken apart and recombined.

The strokes became their most basic forms, assembling one by one into every character of this world. Chen Cheng instantly understood the meaning corresponding to each of them.

This was not learning, but insight.

The meaning of every character was as though it had long been engraved deep within his mind, only now being completely awakened.

[Word-Breaking Literacy]: Beginner (0/300)