Beauty brings disaster

"Tiantian, don't talk nonsense."

Su Qingrou spoke up at once, her tone stern.

Chen Shi'an coughed awkwardly. "Little girl, you can't judge everything by appearances. What you see isn't necessarily the truth.

"Your uncle keeps a low profile. When I work hard in private, I never let anyone see."

Chen Tiantian pursed her lips and was about to argue, but Su Qingrou pulled her out of the kitchen.

"Shi'an, her father spoiled Tiantian from the time she was little. That mouth of hers never lets anyone off easy. Please don't take it to heart." Su Qingrou hurried back, apologizing repeatedly.

Chen Shi'an shook his head. "Qingrou, you don't need to be so cautious around me. Tiantian is my niece. How could I blame her?

"My brother is gone. From now on, I'll protect you both."

At his words, Su Qingrou blinked, a faint sheen of tears rising in her eyes.

"Qingrou, don't teach anyone else how to make chili sauce. This is a business that can earn us serious silver."

Chen Shi'an set half a sack of soybeans on the stove counter. "Fermented black beans are essential to making chili sauce.

"The ones you bought are decent, but they're still missing something.

"From now on, you'll need to make your own fermented black beans for the chili sauce."

Su Qingrou looked ashamed. "I've made fermented black beans before, but they tasted awful. I can't get them right."

Chen Shi'an smiled faintly. "You still have me, don't you? I'll watch you make them and tell you what needs improving."

With that, he found a bucket and poured the soybeans into it. "The soaking time is important. In summer, they need six to eight hours. It's winter now, so we need to double that.

"If we soak them now, we can start making them around noon tomorrow."

Understanding dawned on Su Qingrou's face. "So they need to soak that long. I was doing it wrong from the very start.

"Did you learn all this from books too?

"What book was it? How come I've never seen it? Do they sell it in the Stronghold?"

Chen Shi'an scratched his head. "I read all sorts of books. I've forgotten which one it was. If I come across it someday, I'll bring it back for you."

At that, he smiled. "Qingrou, it's getting late. I need to practice my saber."

Without waiting for Su Qingrou's reply, he strode out of the kitchen.

He kept drawing his saber without pause.

Whenever his arms grew sore and swollen, Chen Shi'an took out the Army-Breaking Saber Technique to study and ponder.

Occasionally, he practiced a few strokes as well.

Meanwhile, he bought a pile of books and squeezed out time to read them, gaining a better understanding of this world.

The body's original owner had been an ignorant good-for-nothing with precious little useful knowledge in his head.

The City Construction Tax was paid on time, and Chen Tiantian began attending the Private School. At last, the smile long absent from Su Qingrou's face returned.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

Su Qingrou had become proficient at making fermented black beans and chili sauce. More than a dozen jars of finished chili sauce now sat in the cellar, waiting for fermentation to finish.

Chen Shi'an had mastered the movements of the Army-Breaking Saber Technique. His saber-draw count rose rapidly, already exceeding a hundred and fifty thousand.

Although no further marrow-washing and bone-tempering had occurred after seven thousand draws, he could feel his strength, speed, and physical toughness slowly improving as the count increased.

Everything seemed to be heading in a good direction.

That day, school had already let out, but Chen Tiantian had yet to return.

Su Qingrou grew worried. After telling Chen Shi'an, she prepared to go look for her at the Private School.

Before she could leave, Chen Tiantian returned.

Unlike usual, however, she neither skipped about happily nor clamored that she was hungry. Instead, she hung her head and slowly stepped over the threshold.

When she raised her head, tears brimmed in her eyes. There was also a conspicuous bruise beneath her left eye.

"Tiantian, what happened? Did you get into a fight?" Su Qingrou's face changed in alarm, and she hurried over.

Chen Shi'an put away the Horizontal Saber as well, his brows drawing together slightly.

"Mother, I don't want to go to the Private School anymore." Chen Tiantian's voice was thick with tears.

"What happened? Tell your mother."

Su Qingrou pulled her daughter into her arms and gently touched the bruise on her face. "Does it hurt?"

Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Chen Tiantian burst into loud sobs.

"Tiantian, what happened? Please tell me." Su Qingrou patted her daughter's back gently, her heart aching.

Chen Tiantian cried for a while before saying through her tears, "He called me names and tore my book. He said I don't have a father anymore, and my uncle is a useless gambler. He said we'd be thrown out of the Stronghold sooner or later, and I'm not worthy of studying with him."

Those words stirred the sorrow buried deep in Su Qingrou's heart, and she, too, began to weep.

For a while, mother and daughter clung to each other, sobbing too hard to speak.

Chen Shi'an wanted to go over and comfort them, but after some thought, he remained quietly to one side.

Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian had accumulated too much grief over the past six months. Letting it out through tears was a good thing.

Only after a full incense stick's worth of time did the crying in the courtyard subside.

"Mother, go get the tuition back. I'm not going to the Private School anymore," Chen Tiantian said quietly.

Su Qingrou looked hesitant. She was about to speak when hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.

Four people stormed through the gate, three adults and a child.

There were three sturdy men, along with a plump, fair-skinned boy with a two-inch bloody scratch on his face.

Leading them was a red-faced man with a brutish face.

Chen Shi'an recognized him. Zhang Mazi ran a butcher shop on the street. He was naturally strong and had a violent temper.

In business, he fawned over the wealthy and powerful, while habitually shortchanging those beneath him.

The moment the plump, fair-skinned boy entered, he pointed at Chen Tiantian and shouted, "Father, she's the one who scratched me!"

Clearly frightened by their approach, Chen Tiantian hastily hid behind Su Qingrou.

"Su Qingrou, so your little girl has been bullying my son."

Zhang Mazi pushed his son forward. "Look at what your daughter did! She scratched up my son's face.

"What are you going to do about it?"

As he spoke, the two butcher-shop assistants behind him stepped forward, glaring menacingly at Su Qingrou and her daughter.

Zhang Mazi and his men had naturally seen Chen Shi'an, but they all chose to ignore him.

Chen Shi'an was in no hurry to intervene either, standing quietly to one side.

Seeing their threatening manner, Su Qingrou hastily took her daughter's hand and backed away fearfully. "Butcher Zhang, look, your son hurt my daughter too. He nearly injured her eye..."

"So what if he did hurt her eye? Is your daughter's eye worth more than my son's face?"

Zhang Mazi raised his thick, black brows. "Since your husband just died, and life isn't easy for a widow and her orphaned daughter, give me one tael of silver and we'll call it settled."

"One tael of silver!" Su Qingrou paled in shock.

Zhang Mazi sneered. "If you can't come up with a tael, work as a servant in my house for a month. Wash clothes, cook meals, and serve tea and water."

As he spoke, his eyes roamed over Su Qingrou's body, gleaming with greed.

As a fellow man, Chen Shi'an immediately saw through Zhang Mazi's intentions.

Ah, beauty brings disaster!

Sometimes, being beautiful was no blessing for a woman, especially in a chaotic world, where it all too easily invited calamity.

Resolving the trouble before him would not be difficult.

But in such a short time, first Zhao Desheng and now Zhang Mazi had come along. If he did not seize this chance to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, who knew whether Li Donggua or Wang Laitou might show up next...

"He called me names first, and he hit me first too! Why should we pay him?" Chen Tiantian protested angrily.

"What a sharp-tongued little brat!"

Zhang Mazi sneered. "You still dare spout nonsense and turn black into white? Since your father's gone, I'll teach you a lesson in his place."

With that, he strode forward to grab Chen Tiantian.

Chen Tiantian's little face went deathly pale, and she hastily hid behind Su Qingrou.

Zhang Mazi did not stop, heading straight toward Su Qingrou.

"Butcher Zhang, what are you doing?" Su Qingrou was alarmed and about to retreat when her vision blurred. A tall, slender figure appeared before her, blocking Zhang Mazi. It was Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an was considered tall in Windrise Stronghold, and had recently gained a solid layer of muscle. Yet compared with the powerfully built Zhang Mazi, he was still considerably shorter.

Standing before him, he looked somewhat slender.

"Chen Shi'an? A useless gambler like you dares get in my way? Do you think your big brother's still alive? Get the hell out of my way!"

His face full of contempt, Zhang Mazi raised a palm as broad as a cattail fan and swung it straight at Chen Shi'an's head.

Chen Shi'an seemed frozen with fright. He watched the slap coming without moving.

"Shi'an, get out of the way!"

Su Qingrou cried out urgently.

Chen Tiantian also cried out in alarm, "Uncle!"

At that very moment, Chen Shi'an moved. His hand seemed to reach out lightly, yet it seized Zhang Mazi's wrist, stopping his palm in midair and preventing it from advancing another inch.

Zhang Mazi looked astonished. He tried to pull his hand back, but Chen Shi'an's grip felt like an iron clamp locked around his wrist. He could not move it at all.

At the same time, he saw Chen Shi'an staring straight at him. His eyes were like two pitch-black wells, as though ferocious gods and monsters lurked within them, making him shudder for no apparent reason.

Zhang Mazi had slaughtered countless pigs and picked up a measure of killing intent. His gaze was fierce enough that an ordinary person's heart would tremble under it.

Yet now, he did not dare meet Chen Shi'an's eyes.

Because he could feel killing intent in them.

Not the killing intent of someone who slaughtered pigs, but of someone who killed people.

"Chen Shi'an, what are you doing? This is the Stronghold! What do you think you're doing in broad daylight?" Zhang Mazi was frightened. He spoke hurriedly, his voice trembling noticeably.

Seeing the stark change in Zhang Mazi's behavior, Su Qingrou, her daughter, and the two butcher-shop assistants all looked puzzled.

Chen Shi'an released his wrist and smiled faintly. "Naturally, I want to discuss a solution with you. We're all neighbors. Whatever the problem is, we can talk it over."

Zhang Mazi swallowed. "Your niece hurt my son. Shouldn't you compensate me?"

Chen Tiantian was about to protest indignantly, but saw Chen Shi'an shake his head at her.

This time, Chen Tiantian did not argue with him. Instead, she obediently closed her mouth.

"The Stronghold is a place with rules. My niece scratched your son's face, so naturally we should compensate you," Chen Shi'an said with a faint smile.

Zhang Mazi froze. He had not expected Chen Shi'an to be so accommodating.

Could it be that he's afraid of me after all?

That's right. This brat may be freakishly strong, but without his big brother, he's still just a rotten gambler. Why should I fear him?

Suddenly, Zhang Mazi felt that his wrist no longer hurt. He raised his head. "Just as I said before. Either pay one tael of silver, or have Su Qingrou work as a servant in my house for a month."

Seeing Zhang Mazi become overbearing again, Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian both grew nervous and frightened.

Yet the sight of Chen Shi'an standing before them brought an inexplicable sense of reassurance to their hearts.

At the same time, Su Qingrou recalled what Chen Shi'an had said before: "Don't worry. With me here, the sky won't fall."

"One tael of silver? No problem!"

Chen Shi'an immediately took a tael of broken silver from inside his robe.

Zhang Mazi and his men were astonished again.

The child had only suffered a scratch. It would heal in a few days. There was no real need for compensation.

Su Qingrou was a renowned beauty on this street. Countless men lusted after her body, and Zhang Mazi was no exception.

Now that her husband was dead and the only man at home was a rotten gambler of a brother-in-law, she had no one to rely on. It was the perfect time to make his move.

As luck would have it, Zhang Mazi's son had gotten into a fight with Chen Tiantian, giving him the perfect pretext.

For all his scheming, he had never expected a rotten gambler like Chen Shi'an to possess such astonishing strength.

Still less had he expected Chen Shi'an, who had regularly needed his big brother to repay his gambling debts, to produce a tael of silver so easily.

Still, even if he had failed to get his hands on Su Qingrou, a tael of silver was a decent haul. Zhang Mazi was reasonably satisfied with the outcome.

Chen Shi'an weighed the silver in his hand, then tucked it back into his pocket. "I can compensate you with a tael of silver, but I can't give it to you right now."

Zhang Mazi's brows shot up. "What do you mean?"

Chen Shi'an lifted his eyelids slightly. "If I pay you today, but you deny receiving it and come back tomorrow to pester me, what am I supposed to do?

"How about this? Go find some people to act as witnesses, and I'll give you the silver immediately."

After a brief hesitation, Zhang Mazi jerked his chin toward one of the assistants.

The assistant promptly turned and left the courtyard.

A short while later, he returned with more than a dozen people behind him, all neighbors from nearby.

"Chen Shi'an, the witnesses are here. You should hand over the silver now, shouldn't you?" Zhang Mazi urged coldly.

Chen Shi'an smiled faintly. "There's no hurry. I'll certainly give you the silver.

"But before that, I want to explain what happened to our neighbors."

With that, he cupped his hands slightly toward the assembled neighbors.

"Neighbors, our Chen Family had a bit of a dispute with Butcher Zhang today.

"We invited you here in the hope that you could witness its resolution.

"Living in the Desolate Ruins, we're fortunate to have the Stronghold's protection. Naturally, we must abide by its rules.

"My niece scratched Butcher Zhang's son on the face. If you injure someone, you must compensate them. That is only right, and it is also the Stronghold's rule. Our Chen Family won't shirk that responsibility.

"Now, Butcher Zhang is demanding one tael of silver in compensation."

At this, the neighbors who had come to witness the settlement immediately changed expression and began murmuring among themselves.

"Children scuffle, and a little scratch on the face will heal in a couple of days. Zhang Mazi actually wants a tael of silver? That's blatant extortion."

"Would Zhang Mazi dare do this if Su Qingrou's husband hadn't died? All she has left is that brother-in-law, mud that can't be plastered onto a wall. They're a soft persimmon, easy to squeeze."

"How pitiful. Misfortune always favors those with bitter lives! The Chen Family's leaky boat has run into a night of unending rain."

"Ah! Chen Shi'an clearly invited us here hoping we'd mediate. But Zhang Mazi is as tyrannical as they come. Who would dare offend him?"

"Su Qingrou is certainly pitiful, but Chen Shi'an is a rotten gambler who deserves no sympathy. Back when his big brother was a City Guard Squad Leader, he threw his weight around in front of us often enough. Now retribution has come for him. He deserves it!"