Big Brother

"Did I just break through?"

Chen Ming looked at his hands, feeling the very real strength coursing through his body, along with the many new insights into the "Iron Horse Stance" that had appeared in his mind. An indescribable feeling welled up within him.

The original owner had begun training in martial arts at thirteen, starting with this "Iron Horse Stance." After practicing for three years, he had hit a bottleneck, as though he were stuck fast. No matter how hard he trained, he found it difficult to improve.

And he had been stuck there for four whole years.

Even after becoming a clerk at the Merchant Guild, busy with work, he had still persisted in practicing his stance every day, rain or shine. Yet he had only barely managed to maintain his level.

Now, with only two experience points, he had broken through that bottleneck and climbed to a higher level.

He glanced at the panel.

Name: Chen Ming

Level: 3

Current Points: 0

Cultivation Method: "Iron Horse Stance" (Second Level 0/200+)

Martial Skills: "Three Powers Fist" (Proficient 21/200+), Bagua Saber Technique (Beginner 12/100+)

Suddenly, Chen Ming turned his head toward the two prisoners cowering in the corner and strode over.

Hearing his footsteps, the two prisoners shrieked in terror. "Mercy... I'll never dare again... Ah..."

Then came a barrage of punches and kicks, accompanied by one miserable scream after another.

The prisoners in the neighboring cells all cheered. It was a pity that it was too dark to see what was happening, but judging by the sounds of the blows, the beating was truly savage.

Chen Ming beat them for several straight minutes. By the time their pleas for mercy had grown weak, he finally stopped.

"Why didn't I get any experience points this time?"

He began to ponder.

Was it because he could only gain experience from the same person once?

Or was it because they had utterly lost their will to fight, so this did not count as combat?

Which was it? He would need more data to confirm it.

"Looks like I need to find a way to get out of this prison."

Listening to the pair's whimpering groans, Chen Ming grew irritated. "Shut up."

The two prisoners immediately trembled in fear and did not dare make another sound.

He moved to a spot far from the latrine, found a relatively clean place to sit, and began studying the cheat ability he had just obtained.

Before he knew it, dawn had broken.

Chen Ming spent his first night after transmigrating in such an environment.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside.

Two prison guards had arrived. One called out, "Chen Ming, come out."

As he spoke, he took out a key and unlocked the chains.

Chen Ming felt somewhat uneasy, not knowing what awaited him. Interrogations in this era had always been simple and brutal. If you refused to confess, severe torture awaited.

He was not afraid of being beaten. He was afraid these people might play dirty and cripple him.

With a fawning smile, he said, "Honored officers, may I ask why you have summoned this humble one?"

One of the guards, dark-skinned and swarthy, glanced at him and laughed. "If you'd been this sensible yesterday, you wouldn't have needed that beating."

So the original owner had been beaten to death by you lot.

Chen Ming lowered his head even further and said, "Yesterday, this humble one was ignorant and caused trouble for the two honored officers."

The guard recalled how this brat had been beaten until his flesh split open yesterday, yet had still craned his neck stubbornly, refusing to confess even unto death. He had seen few people with bones that hard.

Yet after only one night, the boy seemed like a completely different person.

No matter how hard one's bones were, they could not be harder than instruments of torture.

He teased, "Looks like yesterday's beating knocked some sense into you."

"This humble one truly was beaten into fear."

The guard was about to say more when he suddenly heard his companion clear his throat. "Chen Ming, The Jin Family has withdrawn its complaint. You may go home."

"Ah? Really?"

Chen Ming was overjoyed.

"Of course. Collect your belongings, and you can leave."

After the two prison guards saw him off.

The dark-faced guard was somewhat puzzled. "Brother Sheng, why were you so polite to that brat? And why return that set of clothes to him? The fabric is new—worth quite a bit of money."

Brother Sheng said earnestly, "You saw yesterday just how hard Chen Ming's bones were. Overnight, his temperament changed completely, and he became so restrained. Do you think he is afraid?"

"If not, then what?"

Brother Sheng said darkly, "I once saw someone like this. He had suffered injustice, and his bones were just as hard. He refused to confess even unto death. After being locked up for several years, his temperament changed completely. Once he got out of prison, he vanished without a trace. Several years later, he suddenly returned to the city with a band of mountain bandits and slaughtered every last enemy who had wronged him."

The dark-faced guard swallowed. "Brother Sheng, don't scare me."

Brother Sheng clasped his hands behind his back and walked inward as he said, "That man was Azure-Back Wolf."

Azure-Back Wolf?

The dark-faced guard was shocked, and his scalp prickled.

This was the largest band of mountain bandits in the prefecture. They had run rampant for ten years, plundering passing merchants and travelers, their vile name spreading far and wide. They were terrifying enough to make children stop crying.

As Chen Ming stepped out through the prison gates, he felt the joy of escaping a cage, like a tiger returning to the forest. The gloom in his heart was swept away.

"Ah Ming."

Suddenly, he heard someone calling him. Turning around, he cried out in surprise, "Big Brother?"

Standing not far away was the original owner's elder brother, Chen Rui.

Chen Ming suddenly understood. It was this elder brother who had gotten him out.

No wonder The Jin Family had suddenly withdrawn its complaint, and the Yamen had abruptly released him.

Chen Rui looked somewhat exhausted, but the moment he saw him, his tightly furrowed brow relaxed.

Chen Ming walked over and said solemnly, "Brother, thank you."

"We're brothers. Why say such things? Come on, let's go home. Your Elder Sister-in-Law is still waiting at home for news."

After saying that, he climbed into the somewhat old carriage beside them.

Chen Ming followed him into the carriage, his emotions stirring.

In the original owner's heart, there had been some estrangement between him and this elder brother. Their relationship had not been close.

After their father died, Chen Rui inherited the family business. Not long afterward, he cut off Chen Ming's allowance and no longer supported his martial arts training.

Left with no choice, Chen Ming could only accept Chen Rui's arrangements and enter Golden Source Commerce as a clerk.

Naturally, resentment had grown in his heart. From then on, he had hardly returned home.

Yet when trouble came, only this blood brother had run about everywhere and pulled him out of prison.

Unfortunately, the original owner would never see it.

More than an hour later, they finally arrived home.

Chen Ming stepped down from the carriage and saw Elder Sister-in-Law Wei Shi had prepared a brazier at the entrance. She had him step over it, then took a willow branch and brushed him several times, sweeping away his bad luck.

Quite a few neighbors had gathered nearby to watch.

"Chen the Second is out?"

"It's good that he's out."

"A perfectly fine person, beaten into such a state. How pitiful."

"That's what I said. We watched Chen Ming grow up from childhood. He would never do something so wicked and criminal..."

"..."

Chen Rui cupped his hands and bowed all around to the neighbors before leading his family inside.

Chen Ming's hearing was sharp enough to catch a few discordant voices among the crowd. "Chen the First probably emptied the Chen Family's savings to get that useless younger brother out this time."

"Isn't that so? I heard Wei Shi even took out her dowry to sell."

"How pitiful. Chen Rui is such an honest, decent man, yet he's been dragged down by a brother like that."

"If you ask me, they never should have gotten him out..."

"Look how clever The Zhang Family was. The moment Chen the Second got into trouble, they came to call off the engagement. They refused to be dragged down by him."

"..."