The Visitor Came with Ill Intent

Chen Cheng really had been lost in thought—thinking about the other promissory note, the one for five taels of silver.

In his memories, the debtor was named Jiang Rongxuan. He had once been a prison guard as well and had been as close as brothers with Father Chen. Later, he quit his job as a prison guard and opened a small tavern in Ruyi Ward. When his business failed to turn a profit, he borrowed five taels of silver from Father Chen to keep things afloat.

Jiang Rongxuan had a daughter, Jiang Yun, the same age as Chen Cheng. The two families had arranged a childhood betrothal, agreeing that their children would marry when they turned fourteen.

Later, the Jiang Family tavern business improved. Instead of repaying the money, Jiang Rongxuan agreed with Father Chen that the five taels would serve as the betrothal gift. Father Chen naturally agreed without hesitation.

But the Jiang Family business only grew larger and larger. They had attached themselves to the Zhou Family, a great clan in the south of the city, and became a lofty household themselves.

When Chen Cheng turned fourteen, it was time for the two families to honor the marriage agreement. Father Chen brought Chen Cheng to their door, but Jiang Rongxuan repeatedly avoided seeing them. Later, he simply had his guards keep Father Chen from entering, clearly intending to break off the engagement.

Father Chen was only a lowly prison guard and had no way to do anything about it. It was that same year that he bought Mu Xiaowan as Chen Cheng's child bride.

In the end, the matter came to nothing, leaving behind only this promissory note.

The Jiang Family was no simple household now. They alone kept several martial artists as guards.

The guards and martial artists employed by wealthy households were formidable. Any one of them was more than the current Chen Cheng could handle.

"Looks like I can't count on these five taels for the time being."

Chen Cheng sighed inwardly.

If he had those five taels, he could buy more meat and nourish his body properly. Cultivating the Iron Garment Art would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

"That Jiang Rongxuan is really something. Fine, break off the engagement if you want, but with such a huge estate, he still can't bear to repay five taels of silver. What a miser. Damn him! Sooner or later, I'll let that old bastard learn just how treacherous the martial world can be!"

Chen Cheng clenched his fists and silently made up his mind.

"Brother Cheng, the bed's warmed up. Come sleep."

Mu Xiaowan lay bundled beneath the quilt, her voice soft and faint.

"Mm."

Chen Cheng answered, blew out the oil lamp, and lifted the quilt. His hand met a patch of warm, silky softness.

He instinctively drew back his hand, only for it to be caught by Mu Xiaowan's warm little hand.

"Brother Cheng..." Mu Xiaowan's voice was so low, it was like the buzzing of a mosquito.

"Mm." Chen Cheng answered gently, then added, "Go to sleep peacefully."

"Brother Cheng, what if we have a child..."

"You little girl, what are you thinking about?" Chen Cheng gently pinched her cheek.

"How am I little? After the New Year, I'll be fourteen! Chunhua from the alley is only thirteen, and she's already about to give birth," Mu Xiaowan said.

The Great Yu Dynasty stipulated that girls came of age at fifteen, but common folk married their daughters off earlier. As the saying went: thirteen or fourteen is just the time; eighteen or nineteen is marriage delayed.

Chen Cheng and Mu Xiaowan had not formally married, nor had anything happened between them. After awakening the memories of another world, it was even less likely that Chen Cheng would entertain such thoughts.

"Be good. Sleep."

The night passed without incident.

The next day was Chen Cheng's day off, so he did not have to report to the prison for work.

At daybreak, Chen Cheng rose early. The snow had stopped, but snow lay everywhere, and the weather had grown even colder.

After washing up in haste, he hurried to the market to buy firewood.

As expected, the price of firewood had risen again—twenty-five copper coins for a load.

Even at that price, people had to scramble to buy it.

After busying himself all morning, Chen Cheng finally bought ten loads of firewood and stacked them neatly outside the kitchen.

Widow Tian's courtyard gate had remained tightly shut, while Ma Liu and Second Fool had yet to return.

Chen Cheng practiced the Iron Garment Art in his own courtyard. After getting started with the technique, his strength had surged greatly. Even while carrying weights, he still had strength to spare. Thus, as he cultivated the Iron Garment Art, he also held his constable's saber and slashed about wildly, practicing some loose-hand techniques he had learned from the other prison guards.

As the saying went, no matter how high one's kung fu, one still feared the butcher's cleaver. With Chen Cheng's current strength, having a blade and not having one made a world of difference.

Even without a saber technique manual, becoming more proficient in a few basic loose-hand techniques was still a good thing.

At first, Mu Xiaowan worried that Chen Cheng might injure himself practicing martial arts. But after seeing him wield his constable's saber for most of the day and remain as vigorous as a dragon and tiger, she stopped trying to persuade him otherwise.

Her own man wanted to become stronger—how could she possibly discourage him?

Near noon, Chen Cheng suddenly stopped practicing and went to the courtyard gate to peer down the alley.

At Widow Tian's door, Ma Liu and Second Fool were knocking. Ma Liu carried a burlap sack over his shoulder, while Second Fool held two hens in his hands. It looked like the pair had gone somewhere to shake down a meal the previous night and returned laden with spoils.

Chen Cheng had been waiting until his eyes nearly wore out. At once, he picked up his constable's saber, stepped out into the courtyard, and strode toward them.

"Well, if it isn't Chen Er! It's almost time to eat—where are you rushing off to in such a fiery hurry?"

Ma Liu turned around with a contemptuous grin. Chen Cheng had once had an elder brother who had died young. Ma Liu called him Chen Er purely to mock him.

The former Chen Cheng had been honest and dutiful, and his body had been weak. Whenever he saw ruffians like Ma Liu, he had always kept his distance.

In Ma Liu's eyes, Chen Cheng was a weakling he could knead and pinch as he pleased. If Chen Cheng had not been a prison guard carrying a constable's saber, Ma Liu would have bullied him countless times already.

Stopping before them, Chen Cheng ignored Ma Liu and stared at Second Fool instead. He asked coldly, "Yesterday, was it you who threw stones at Xiaowan and called her a little jinx?"

"Y-you... what are you trying to do?" Second Fool knew he was in the wrong. Seeing Chen Cheng's aggressive manner, he instinctively tried to hide behind Ma Liu.

How could Chen Cheng allow him to hide? He leaped forward and kicked out.

Bang!

Chen Cheng's kick was driven by fury, and he used seventy percent of his strength. It struck Second Fool squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward to smash heavily against the courtyard gate.

"Chen Er, you've got some nerve!"

Ma Liu came to his senses. This Chen Er had clearly come with ill intent.

He set down the sack, grabbed a wooden stick, and raised it as if to strike. But fearing the constable's saber in Chen Cheng's hand, he did not dare make a move.

At that moment, the courtyard gate opened. Seeing her son on the ground vomiting blood, Widow Tian immediately began making a scene.

"Chen Er, you damned bastard! You dare hit my son? I'll fight you to the death!"

As she spoke, Widow Tian bared her claws and lunged for Chen Cheng's face.

Chen Cheng kicked out again, sending her sprawling onto the ground face-first.

"Murder! Everyone, come look! Chen Er is killing people! Ma Liu, you heartless bastard, are you just going to watch us mother and son get beaten to death?"

Widow Tian had suffered a loss and no longer dared attack again. Sitting on the ground, she wailed at the top of her lungs.

"Chen Er, if you've got the guts, put down that constable's saber and fight me one-on-one!" Ma Liu snarled. He was still afraid of the saber in Chen Cheng's hand.

Chen Cheng hung the constable's saber back at his waist. "What, you want to fight me?"

"Hmph! Not only am I going to fight you, I'm going to beat you until you're crawling around looking for your teeth!"

Ma Liu snorted, raised the wooden stick in his hand, and smashed it down at Chen Cheng's head.

What ruffian cared about martial virtue? He had made up his mind to crack Chen Cheng's head open with one blow and establish his dominance.

Chen Cheng had long been prepared. He darted forward, then swung his arm fiercely.

Crack!

Their arms collided, and the crisp sound of bone breaking rang out.

While cultivating the Iron Garment Art, Chen Cheng had iron plates bound to his arms as weights. It was no different from wearing iron bracers.

"Ahhh!!!" Ma Liu let out a miserable scream.

Chen Cheng swept his right leg out sharply, striking Ma Liu squarely in the shin.

Crack!

Another crisp snap of breaking bone sounded.

Chen Cheng had iron plates bound to his legs as weights too—as though he wore iron greaves.

Arm broken! Leg broken! Ma Liu rolled about on the ground in agony!

Seeing Ma Liu suffer, Widow Tian began wailing again.

"Murder! Chen Er is killing people! Everyone, come look, Chen Er is killing people! Is there no law left in this world?!"

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors emerged from their courtyards one after another to watch the spectacle, but none dared utter a word.

The entire alley echoed with nothing but Widow Tian's wailing.

"What's going on?"

Just then, several patrolling constables passed the mouth of the alley. Hearing the commotion, they hurried over.