Warmth

"Hu... Zhou Qiao is my sister. I need to speak with her about something. Can you let her come out with me for a while?"

Chen Cheng cast the manager a cold, indifferent glance.

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"Yes, yes, yes! Of course!"

Cold sweat had long seeped from the manager woman's forehead as she bobbed her head like a pecking chicken.

All she knew was that Hu Niu had an older brother who ran with a gang, and that he had been crippled by severe injuries a few days ago. Who could have imagined that the girl also had an older brother who was a Martial Artist from Dragon Mountain Hall!

Back then, she had merely been sharp-tongued toward Hu Niu, yet Xiao Long—then still a mere gang lackey—had taught her a lesson.

And now, the man standing before her was a genuine Martial Artist master of Dragon Mountain Hall. If he decided to pursue the matter of her deliberately skimming Hu Niu's wages...

"Hiss—"

She did not dare think any further and forced an almost servile smile onto her face.

"Qiao girl, what are you standing there for? Hurry, hurry and go with your brother! Important business comes first!"

As she spoke, the manager woman snatched the work from Hu Niu's hands.

"Don't worry, Auntie will do this work for you! It won't count as leave, and... and not a single copper of your wages will be docked!"

Hu Niu froze for a moment, then nodded lightly and followed Chen Cheng out of the workshop.

The workshop was so quiet that a needle dropping could be heard. Several women bent over their work secretly exchanged glances, and even the needlework in their hands slowed.

As for the manager woman, she no longer dared make a sound.

Bitter Locust Village.

In a pitch-black, foul-smelling alley, Hu Niu pushed open a crooked, broken wooden door that looked as though a single cough could shake it down.

A hot, damp stench of mold, mixed with the strong smell of medicinal broth, rushed out at them.

Chen Cheng swept his eyes over the room and saw Zhou Long lying on the bed.

"...Xiao Long."

"Brother A-Cheng..."

Xiao Long's face was deathly pale, his lips dry and peeling. He tried to struggle upright, but the moment he lifted his neck, a violent coughing fit seized him.

His entire thin upper body shook. His right hand clenched the flimsy clothes over his chest so tightly that the veins on its back stood out one by one, as if they were about to burst through his skin.

"Lie down! Don't move!"

Chen Cheng crossed the room to the bedside in two strides.

Hu Niu silently followed him in and bolted the broken door behind them.

"How did you end up like this?" Chen Cheng's brows drew tight.

"That night... our Clear River Gang and the Black Wolf Gang fought until our eyes turned red... Several strange people wrapped head to toe in black cloth had mixed in on their side..."

After catching his breath, Zhou Long continued.

"We'd never heard of them before, so we didn't know their depth... I took a solid punch right in the chest..."

"What did the doctor say?"

Chen Cheng glanced at the medicine pot and dregs in the corner, his brow furrowing even deeper.

"...More than half my breastbone was shattered, and my heart and lungs suffered grave internal damage... Even if they save me, I'll still be crippled..."

"Forget practicing martial arts in the future. I won't even be able to do heavy labor..."

Zhou Long's voice was hoarse, carrying the hollow emptiness of someone resigned to fate.

"I... I'm completely finished."

"Xiao Long..."

Chen Cheng reached out and pressed a hand to Zhou Long's shoulder, his expression solemn.

"As long as a person is alive, there is still hope for everything. Don't think so much. Focus on recovering first."

With that, Chen Cheng reached into his robes, took out his entire money pouch without even looking at it, and set it directly beside Zhou Long's pillow.

"Brother A-Cheng... don't, don't do this... You still have to train in martial arts. There are plenty of places where you'll need money..."

Zhou Long hurriedly said.

"I saved up some myself before... Father, Mother, and Hu Niu are still working to earn money too... It's enough to keep this rotten life of mine hanging on..."

Hu Niu stood in the corner, tears falling to the ground in heavy drops, yet she kept her lips clenched tight and did not make a sound.

"This is only a small token from me. It isn't much money. Take it with peace of mind—just treat it as though I brought an old hen and cut some meat to come see you."

Chen Cheng did his best to restrain his emotions, unwilling to wound what little self-respect Zhou Long had left.

Zhou Long's lips trembled. His gaze drifted, intentionally or otherwise, toward Hu Niu. Then the taut line of his jaw suddenly loosened, and in the end, he did not refuse again.

Just as Chen Cheng was preparing to take his leave, Zhou Long seemed to have been stung by something and suddenly remembered a matter.

"Brother A-Cheng, from now on, don't let Aunt Li take any work from Red Moon Nunnery... And think of a way to move out of Bitter Locust Village..."

Chen Cheng's expression sharpened. "Red Moon Nunnery? What happened?"

"There have been many rumors on the streets about Red Moon Nunnery lately. Every single one reeks of something sinister..."

Zhou Long steadied his breathing and continued.

"Some say ghosts wail in the nunnery every night and red mist fills the sky. Some say the Cat-Faced Nun gnaws on corpses beneath the moon. There are even stranger tales, saying that the corpses they buy back all... all come alive!"

He paused, unable to conceal the fear in his eyes any longer.

"I've been lying here thinking about it for days... Those strange people who injured me that night... Their attacks had no form or pattern at all, yet they were wickedly fast, and their force was strange too... They looked soft and weak, but touching them meant injury."

"And... they always carried a smell... like temple incense mixed with something else... the strange stench left after rot and sour decay."

"I can't say exactly what is wrong, but you know the Black Wolf Gang has dealings with Red Moon Nunnery... Staying farther from Black Wolf Gang territory can't be wrong!"

Chen Cheng listened in silence, his thoughts far from calm.

Whether based on Zhou Long's advice or the experience from his Past Life Wisdom, he should leave Bitter Locust Village as soon as possible.

But just now, Chen Cheng had given all his money to Zhou Long...

If he wanted to move, he first had to make money!

After Chen Cheng left, the atmosphere in the room did not return to its usual freezing point.

Zhou Long stared blankly at the money pouch beside his pillow for a long while before murmuring.

"Hu Niu, they say true feelings show in adversity... Now that I've fallen this low... Other than you and Father and Mother, Brother A-Cheng is the only one left who can still sincerely treat me well..."

He paused, pulling a smile more painful than crying onto his lips.

"Liang Guang... Cao Badou... and all those sworn brothers who called themselves my ironclad friends... They talked a sky full of flowers every day, but when it came down to the real thing... heh..."

"We must remember Brother A-Cheng's kindness... Remember it to the death!"

"I will, Brother."

Hu Niu nodded hard. After thinking for a moment, she added.

"Oh, right. When Brother A-Cheng came looking for me today, that manager woman in the workshop was scared out of her wits. I think she mentioned... mentioned that Brother A-Cheng came from Longshan Middle Academy..."

"Longshan Middle Academy!?"

Zhou Long sharply sucked in a breath, aggravating his wound. Pain drained his face white, but after a long while, a relieved smile instead rose at the corner of his mouth.

"Good... very good. Brother A-Cheng has truly made it out..."

He turned to look at his sister, and a long-lost trace of faint light appeared in his eyes.

"Hu Niu, remember this: Brother A-Cheng is completely different now... This little bit of warmth he has given us... We must use it sparingly, live well, and not let it go to waste..."

Hu Niu gave an uncertain "Mm."

Clearly, she had not yet realized how much warmth Chen Cheng's appearance at the workshop would bring her in the future.

After returning to Annan Ward, Chen Cheng went straight to Yongsheng Trading Firm.

The Tea-Horse Caravan had already set out. The courtyard, once bustling with voices and ringing with the neighs of mules and horses, now seemed exceptionally spacious and deserted.

The heavy wooden gates stood open, but only a few laborers could be seen inside, lazily handling odd chores.

The moment Chen Cheng stepped into the courtyard, a gaunt youth in shabby clothes soon came forward to greet him.

The youth kept his head lowered, only daring to let his gaze fall on Chen Cheng's cloth shoes. His voice was so faint it seemed the wind could scatter it.

"May, may I ask... who are you looking for?"

"Da Gou."

Chen Cheng smiled and called out the other's nickname in one breath.

This youth was named Gou Fu. He was one of Chen Cheng's few friends at the trading firm, and the two often helped each other while working.

"It hasn't been that long since we last met. You don't even recognize me?"

"Y-you are?"

Gou Fu slowly raised his eyes and stared carefully for a long while before suddenly coming to his senses.

"Xiao Cheng!? My heavens! It really is you! How did you end up looking like some young master? If you hadn't spoken, beat me to death and I still wouldn't have dared recognize you!"

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