Misunderstanding

The captain of the Constabulary listened to the commotion around him, his eyes fixed on Lu Zhen, sizing him up from head to toe.

As a local snake of the South City, he saw the truth of the matter at a glance. To cave in a man's chest with a single punch—this was the terrifying strength exclusive to the mid-stage of the Force Refining Realm!

He looked again at the black martial arts uniform Lu Zhen wore, the mark of an inner-sect disciple of the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, and the captain made his calculations in an instant.

An inner-sect disciple of Yan Tieqiao.

As for those lying on the ground, they were nothing more than starving, wandering vagrants and petty thugs.

Offend a promising martial arts expert for the sake of a few pieces of human trash who weren't worth mourning? He would have to be out of his mind to do that! In this day and age, what was the difference between a few dead drifters and a few dead stray dogs?

The captain coughed, his face hardening instantly as he pointed at the limp form of He Gui and cursed:

"You wretch, He Gui! You have the audacity to commit home invasion in my jurisdiction! Men, cuff these surviving thugs and drag them back to the station for a rigorous interrogation!"

With that, the captain turned to Lu Zhen, his stern face shifting into an expression that was professional yet hinted at flexibility:

"Since this was a home invasion, Master Lu acted in self-defense. It was only right and proper, absolutely right and proper!"

"I appreciate your discernment, Officer."

Lu Zhen smiled faintly, and as he took two steps forward, he reached into his tunic with a natural, fluid motion.

When his hand emerged, two rolls of silver dollars wrapped in red paper were pinched between his fingers. A full twenty dollars, heavy and substantial.

He seized the captain's hand, slipping the silver into the man's wide sleeve without a sound, his tone gentle yet seasoned with the ways of the underworld:

"It's a cold day, and you and your men have gone to the trouble of coming all this way. Please, take this for some good wine and a few pounds of dog meat to ward off the chill."

As the captain felt the weight in his sleeve and heard the faint, crisp clink of silver coins, his professional mask melted into a smile as warm as spring.

Twenty silver dollars! That was worth half a month's worth of bribes for his squad! This inner-sect disciple of the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall was truly wealthy, generous, and knew how to play the game!

"Oh, Master Lu, you are too kind! A man of true class!"

The captain gripped Lu Zhen's hand, acting as intimate as a long-lost brother, and loudly introduced himself:

"I am Li Biao, captain of the Third Squad of the South City Constabulary! I've long heard that the inner-sect disciples of the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall are all dragons among men. Seeing you today, Brother Lu, you are truly a hero among youths!"

"Don't you worry, brother, I'll take care of this! These scoundrels deserved to die. I'll have my men drag the corpses to the mass grave so they don't bring you any bad luck! If you ever need anything in the South City, just say the word!"

"Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Li. Another day, I'll host you at Wangjiang Pavilion for tea."

"Hahaha, it's a deal, it's a deal!"

The men from the Constabulary came quickly and left just as fast.

The corpses were dragged away like dead dogs, and the bloodstains on the ground were diligently covered with yellow dirt at the order of Captain Li Biao. The alley returned to a deathly silence, and the neighbors who had been watching the spectacle retreated into their homes.

A gust of cold wind blew, and the broken wooden door of the He household creaked, hanging precariously on its hinges.

Inside the threshold, Shen Yun seemed to have had all the strength drained from her, collapsing against the doorframe.

Lu Zhen's gaze swept over the drafty, dilapidated shack, and his brow furrowed.

In this world, there were too many wolves. Even with He Gui arrested, there was no guarantee that a Li Gui or a Zhang Gui wouldn't appear tomorrow. Shen Yun was a widow of no small beauty, and living in this doorless shack was like throwing a piece of fat into a pack of starving wolves.

Lu Zhen thought of his own ramshackle wooden house.

Now that he was an inner-sect disciple, he had to train his body at the hall during the day and pull a rickshaw to earn extra money morning and night. With Wan'er, a sixteen-year-old girl, left alone at home all day, he always had a stone of worry in his heart. Even though the neighbors feared him now, outside of Pig Cage Alley were swarms of starving, desperate drifters.

Before, he had worried about appearances and gossip.

But now, he, Lu Zhen, was at the mid-stage of the Force Refining Realm, wearing the black inner-sect shirt of the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, capable of caving in a man's chest with a single punch! His fists were the law of Pig Cage Alley! Who would dare whisper a word against him?

Having Shen Yun move in, with two women keeping each other company behind locked doors and looking out for one another, was the most secure solution.

"Sister Shen," Lu Zhen began.

Shen Yun looked up, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Little Lu... no, Master Lu, if it weren't for you today, I..."

Lu Zhen stepped forward, firmly supporting her arms.

Under his touch, he felt how pitifully thin her arms were; her flimsy clothing could not block the chill at all.

Lu Zhen withdrew his hand and pointed at the broken door. "This door is ruined; it keeps out neither the wind nor thieves. Pack your things and move to my place. I'm out during the day, so you can keep Wan'er company, and I'll be able to rest easier."

As soon as the words left his lips, Shen Yun's body stiffened.

Move to his place?

In this conservative and feudal slum, a lone man and a lone woman.

A widow who had just lost her husband moving into the home of a hot-blooded bachelor in the middle of the night—the implications were self-evident. It meant living together, becoming his concubine, his woman.

Shen Yun lowered her head, a flush of crimson instantly spreading across her pale cheeks, burning all the way to her ears.

She bit her lower lip, stealing a glance at Lu Zhen's broad, upright chest and his crisp black uniform, her heart hammering like a drum. If she were to be with him... it would be better than being defiled by those thugs, and besides, he was a man of honor who could shoulder any burden.

"I... I will listen to you," Shen Yun whispered, her voice as thin as a mosquito's.

She turned back into the house, grabbing only a few patched old clothes and a small, shriveled bundle before walking out.

The two walked through the dim alleyway. Lu Zhen pushed open the door to his home, which was propped shut with a wooden stick.

"Wan'er, come out and give me a hand."

Hearing her older brother's voice, Lu Wan hurried out from the inner room. Upon seeing Shen Yun behind him, her cheeks flushed red and clutching a bundle tightly, the young girl paused in surprise.

"From now on, Sister Shen will be staying with us. You two sisters can keep each other company and look after one another," Lu Zhen said straightforwardly as he took off his coat, which was damp with the chill of the night.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wan's large, dim eyes instantly lit up.

Children of poor families never forget a kindness. Back when the heavy snow had sealed their door shut, if it hadn't been for the hot porridge and those two life-saving silver dollars that Sister Shen had secretly slipped them, she and her brother would have long since starved or frozen to death. She had always kept Sister Shen's kindness in her heart.

"That's wonderful! Sister Shen, come in quickly, the wind is strong outside!" Lu Wan ran over joyfully, grabbed Shen Yun's icy hands, and ushered her into the house.

The young girl's eyes darted around, looking from her heroic and masculine brother to Shen Yun, who kept her head lowered with the gentle, graceful air of a woman from the water towns. She grinned, unable to stop herself from whispering:

"How nice... Sister Shen is such a good person; if she could be my brother's wife, that would be even better..."

Although the words were spoken softly, they were heard clearly in the quiet room.

Shen Yun's face, which had not yet lost its flush, turned even redder in a flash, looking just like a ripe tomato. She lowered her head in a panic, her hands twisting the cloth of her bundle and clutching at her hem. She was so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into a crack in the floor, unable to utter a single word of defense.

Lu Zhen's hand, as he poured water, came to a sudden halt.

He turned his head to look at his little sister, who was wearing a look of expectant, self-satisfied cleverness, and then at Shen Yun, who was too shy to lift her head and remained silent.

The corner of his eye twitched slightly.

"What are you muttering about!"

Lu Zhen put on a stern face and glared at his little sister, speechless.

"Hurry up and take Sister Shen to the inner room to make the bed and rest. I have to get up early tomorrow to practice at the martial arts hall!"

Lu Wan stuck out her tongue playfully and pulled the still-dazed Shen Yun toward the inner room.

"Sister Shen, we'll sleep in this room; I've already warmed the quilt. Don't mind my brother; he's just a rough martial artist who doesn't understand these things."

The night was deep, and all was silent.

Lu Zhen sat cross-legged alone on the hard wooden bed in the outer room.

[Daily Settlement Panel Opened]

[Today's Settlement: Practiced martial arts at the hall for three hours, pulled the rickshaw for two hours...]

[Base Earnings: Silver Dollars +2, Profession EXP +10, Physique EXP +20, General EXP +10]

[Level Bonus Triggered: Daily Settlement Level Lv.3 (Daily rewards multiplied by 3)]

[Final Gains: Silver Dollars +6, Profession EXP +30, Physique EXP +60, General EXP +30!]

[Lu Zhen (30 years old)]

Wealth: 46 Silver Dollars

Current Profession: Rickshaw Puller

Level: Daily Settlement Lv.3 (20/800)

Skills:

Rickshaw Puller Lv.3 (50/800)

Coiling Dragon Stake Lv.3 (30/800)

Iron Wire Fist Lv.3 (25/800)

Physique: Tendon Stretching and Bone Strengthening Lv.3 (545/800)

General EXP: 70 points