Tiger Fist

Chen Fan suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his heart and skillfully threaded through the streets.

He walked for half an hour before turning into an alley.

The surrounding houses grew much lower.

Chen Fan's steps unconsciously became lighter.

This was Sophora Street in the western outskirts of the county town, one of the most remote places in Flying Spirit County.

He stopped before a dilapidated courtyard and pushed the door open.

"Big Brother! Sister-in-law!"

Chen Fan shouted excitedly from the courtyard.

"I got my monthly pay today—"

But the moment he stepped into the small yard, the smile on his face froze, and he could no longer continue speaking.

Three or four figures stood in the dim main hall.

The leader sat in a chair, idly playing with a dagger as he watched Chen Fan with a crooked smile.

The instant Chen Fan saw him, his heart gave a violent thud.

This man went by the nickname Pi Liu.

He was a notorious local thug.

He was a member of an underground force in Flying Spirit County known as the Black Tiger Gang!

At that moment, Chen Fan faintly heard the cries of a woman and a little girl coming from the side room!

He naturally recognized them as the voices of his sister-in-law and his niece, who was only four or five years old.

His heart sank. Fury surged within him, but he did not dare show even the slightest trace of it.

These were not peaceful times.

The Black Tiger Gang could be called the overlords of the western outskirts. They were not people he could afford to provoke.

Pi Liu swept his smiling eyes over Chen Fan.

"Little Chen, you've really made something of yourself. I heard you became an accountant at the Great Passage Trading Company?"

Chen Fan forced out a bitter smile. "You're joking, Brother Six. I just help out in the accounting room. I can't be called an accountant..."

His gaze wandered, and he pricked up his ears, yet he seemed unable to hear any sign of his elder brother.

He took a deep breath and swept his gaze over the burly men before him.

He estimated that his slight frame was no match for them.

The turmoil in his heart completely cooled.

He forced a smile onto his face. "Brother Six, what is this about...?"

Pi Liu sneered. "I won't waste words with you. Your eldest brother gambled against me at Lord Bai's casino and lost twenty taels of silver. He's already run away, so I had no choice but to come looking for your family!"

The words "twenty taels of silver" made Chen Fan's heart thud again.

Pi Liu flicked his hand.

A sheet of paper drifted before Chen Fan.

It was an IOU.

"Little Chen, you've got some ability now. If your family can come up with twenty taels of silver, that would be best. If not... don't blame me for being impolite!"

Veins bulged on Chen Fan's forehead, yet he felt utterly helpless.

In the original owner's memories, his parents had died many years ago.

His elder brother did hard labor and earned only a little over one tael, less than two taels of silver a month, barely enough to feed the family.

Before Chen Fan transmigrated, he had still been young. Frail and thin, he could not do physical labor and could not earn much money.

After transmigrating, Chen Fan had finally relied on his own Wisdom and ability to find a "high-paying" job that paid three taels a month. Just when life seemed to be improving, this happened.

Chen Fan drew a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and handed over the string of copper coins and one tael of loose silver from the cloth pouch at his waist.

After much pleading, he asked Pi Liu to give him more time.

Pi Liu snorted coldly and accepted Chen Fan's money. "Chen Second, you've got prospects now. Brother Six believes you can repay those twenty taels of silver... Treat this as my interest!"

When the situation outweighed the man, Chen Fan immediately agreed!

In truth, if Chen Fan had not entered the Great Passage Trading Company and gained a modest ability to earn money, Pi Liu probably would not have let the matter end so easily!

"I'll come again on this day next month. Don't forget to have the money ready—"

Pi Liu left with two lackeys, leaving Chen Fan grinding his teeth in hatred.

When he entered the room, he found his sister-in-law collapsed on the floor, clutching her daughter as she wept.

His little niece was tiny and skinny, her face streaked with tears, yet she held her mother with both arms spread wide. "Mama, don't cry!"

Chen Fan felt a deep melancholy.

He could only count himself fortunate that his niece was still young and his sister-in-law was no great beauty.

He comforted his sister-in-law and niece.

In his heart, he also cursed his elder brother, who was riddled with bad habits, a few times.

But.

His elder brother was indeed somewhat fond of having fun, yet Chen Fan had never heard of him gambling so heavily.

Chen Fan knew that Pi Liu and the casino must have lured him into it...

Lord Bai, the owner of the casino, also had close ties with the Black Tiger Gang.

Chen Fan felt helpless.

After making do with a simple dinner, he stared at the stars filling the sky, his heart heavy with gloom. Recalling what he had seen on the main road today, his desire to practice martial arts became even more urgent!

Early the next morning, he first went to the Great Passage Trading Company and asked Steward Hou for half a day off.

Because Chen Fan was quick-witted and efficient, Steward Hou liked him greatly despite his short time on the job, and agreed with a single word.

Chen Fan then made inquiries and arrived outside the White Cloud Martial Academy in the eastern district of the county town.

Along the way, he finally learned that although White Cloud Martial Academy was called an academy, it was actually a martial arts school—indeed, the number one martial arts school in Flying Spirit County!

He had heard it had a powerful background and formidable strength, and often produced martial artists.

White Cloud Martial Academy was imposing, located in a relatively prosperous part of the county town and occupying a vast area.

Most of those coming and going were young masters and ladies dressed in fine silk, while only a very small number were commoners in hemp clothes.

He took a deep breath and walked straight inside.

Yet before long, he came back out in helplessness.

He had already asked about the general situation.

White Cloud Martial Academy truly was an establishment much like a martial arts school.

He finally understood why most of those entering and leaving wore luxurious clothes: joining White Cloud Martial Academy required an exorbitant tuition fee.

The registration fee was fifty taels of silver!

"Even if I neither eat nor drink, I'd need to save for more than ten months..."

Chen Fan shook his head.

His elder brother had abandoned his wife and child and run away over a debt of twenty taels. If Chen Fan could produce the money, things would not have reached this point.

Yesterday, he had counted all the family's savings, and they did not even amount to five taels of silver!

Yet when he looked at the occasional plainly dressed youths inside the academy, he could not help sighing inwardly.

It probably was not easy for those people to come up with fifty taels either. They might have emptied their family coffers and were placing everything on one desperate gamble...

"White Cloud Martial Academy dares charge fifty taels because it produced someone as formidable as Li Linliu. The other martial arts schools should be cheaper, right?"

Chen Fan comforted himself before making further inquiries and heading toward the next martial arts school.

Half an hour later, Chen Fan walked out of a boxing school called Flying Tiger Sect and shook his head in disappointment once more.

Though Flying Tiger Sect did not sound particularly famous, it still charged thirty taels of silver in tuition!

It was beyond what he could afford.

And even if he had thirty taels of silver right now, he doubted whether he would have the courage to place such a desperate wager.

With a sigh, he was about to leave when someone patted him from behind.

He turned his head and saw a scruffy man smiling at him.

The man had an unkempt beard and a disheveled appearance. He too wore coarse hemp clothes, and his body was sturdy and muscular.

"Want to learn martial arts? Can't afford the registration fee?"

Chen Fan nodded with a bitter smile.

With an expression like his outside a martial arts school, it was naturally not hard to guess the reason.

The man furtively turned to look around before quietly saying, "Come with me. I'll show you something good..."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Chen Fan's heart stirred at his words, and he followed.

This was the county town, after all. Chen Fan did not believe the man would dare do anything to him.

The man did not stop until they reached an empty alley.

"I have a friend who's an entry-level disciple of Flying Tiger Sect, a genuine martial artist. He can't help lower the Flying Tiger Sect tuition, but..."

Chen Fan's expression sharpened.

The scruffy man took out a thin booklet from his clothes.

He tossed it over.

Chen Fan hurriedly caught it with care and saw the three vertical characters, "Tiger Fist," written on its cover.

"Tiger Fist is one of Flying Tiger Sect's famous foundational martial arts..."

"Ordinary people can't learn this skill without entering a martial arts school, but now, if you want to learn it..."

The scruffy man chuckled and held up three fingers. "I only want three taels of silver!"

Chen Fan froze. He glanced at the scruffy man, and countless suspicions rose in his heart.

In the complicated society of his previous life, he had heard plenty about all kinds of scams and tricks.

This man's methods looked exactly like those of a swindler!

Three taels of silver was Chen Fan's monthly wage. If spent on living expenses, it would be enough for him to live comfortably for a long time.

He furrowed his brow, but immediately opened the thin booklet and began reading.

The manual was only a slim volume. Chen Fan finished flipping through the entire book in no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

And just as he finished reading Tiger Fist from beginning to end, a string of strange characters abruptly appeared before his eyes.

[Tiger Fist (Locked)]

[Unlock to activate idle cultivation function]

The characters were gray and translucent. They shifted with his gaze without obstructing his vision in the slightest.

And it seemed that only he could see them.

"What is this?"

Chen Fan longed to become a martial artist, but he had never held much confidence.

Yet at the sight of the characters that had suddenly appeared before him, his heart began pounding wildly again!

He could not help thinking, Could it be that once I master Tiger Fist, I can unlock this so-called idle cultivation function?

The scruffy man merely smiled as he watched Chen Fan read Tiger Fist, making no move to stop him.

"Little brother, you can tell that the manual is genuine too, can't you?"

His voice was frivolous, yet his expression brimmed with confidence.

Clearly, he had considerable faith in this manual.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and pondered for a long while. "Could this manual... be a little cheaper?"

The scruffy man smiled even more happily.

Because releases had to pass review, only one chapter was posted yesterday. Let me explain: during the new book period, there will temporarily be two updates a day, with extra updates from time to time.