Jing Kingdom.
Ford City.
The night was black as ink.
"Creak." The wooden door of Red Sleeve Beckons was pushed halfway open.
Three girls leaned out, holding the doorframe, their lips lightly rouged, their skirts slit high enough to reveal the creamy white flesh of their legs.
Decadent sounds filled this pleasure house every night. Long accustomed to making a living from their flesh, they swept languid gazes over the alley entrance.
"Brother Chen! Brother Chen! Something terrible's happened!"
At the end of the alley, a boy suddenly came scrambling toward them, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Following his cries, they saw a man nearby leaning against a brick wall, flirting with the alluring woman selling late-night food.
The man was around twenty, with a somewhat gallant face, close-cropped hair standing straight up, and a figure as upright as a pine. He was the "Brother Chen" the boy was calling for-Qing Chen.
With the boy interrupting his enjoyment of teasing the young married woman, Qing Chen's expression darkened.
He swiftly withdrew his hidden left hand from where he had placed it, reached into his robe with his right, and pulled out a few copper coins, slapping them onto the counter with a clatter.
"What's the panic? What the hell are you howling like someone died for?"
"B-Brother Chen! Your second brother's been surrounded out back!" The boy shuddered in fright, looking at Qing Chen with some fear.
Qing Chen frowned. "Who?"
"Who else but those people from the [Twin Eagles Association]! I only just managed to slip out through the side door to find you. They've had their eyes on your house for ages."
Qing Chen narrowed his eyes. This was exactly what he had expected, so he said no more and strode off.
The two hurried along, one behind the other, through several narrow alleys, reaching the path behind Red Sleeve Beckons, roughly ten feet wide, in moments.
Three thugs had cornered a fourteen-year-old boy against a wall. Two unmistakable slap marks still stained the boy's face.
The scar-faced man leading them had a face full of savage flesh and kept laughing lewdly. "Little bastard, hurry up and call your mother out to keep me company, then knock your head on the ground nine times, good and loud, and I won't beat you today.
"I've heard that little bitch still has her charms even after having a few children. Quite a tempting figure, eh? Heh heh!"
The idle men watching all around burst into laughter.
Once someone started, the others joined in with bawdy cries, each wave louder than the last. Such was the trouble that gathered at a beautiful widow's door.
A chill flashed through Qing Chen's eyes at the sight as he arrived.
He had transmigrated into this world over a month ago. With the black-hearted nature he had honed working in sales in his previous life, he had already adapted to this man-eat-man world.
And this second brother of his was an important pawn.
Over the past few days, Qing Chen had brought his second brother, Qing Jie, near the brothel precisely so the Twin Eagles Association would discover him.
But discovering him was one thing, humiliating him another. They could not cripple him or beat him into a useless wreck; he still had considerable value to exploit.
"You're asking for death!"
The low shout exploded like thunder.
Qing Chen shot forward, pouring all the internal energy of his Jade Forging Art into his legs, his speed astonishing!
Like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, he lunged first at the skinny, monkey-like thug on the left.
Before the man could react at all, Qing Chen seized his collar in an iron grip.
The skinny thug was vicious enough himself and actually opened his mouth to bite Qing Chen's arm.
Qing Chen snorted coldly, his right elbow like iron as he drove it into him with brutal force!
"Crack!"
Bones cracked, the skinny thug's mouthful of yellow teeth shattered loose, and blood smeared his entire mouth.
Then Qing Chen followed through with a forceful fling, sending him flying to the ground like a torn burlap sack. A great cloud of dust rose, and he lay there twitching without end.
The other two thugs froze in shock at the sudden turn. Since when had Eldest Son Qing become this ruthless?
The scar-faced man was not frightened off by Qing Chen. He charged viciously at him. "Eldest Son Qing's grown some skills, has he? You think you can afford to cross our Twin Eagles Association?"
Qing Chen sneered and stood his ground, neither dodging nor retreating.
When the scar-faced man reached him, he suddenly thrust out his arm, wielding the power of the Jade Forging Art to clamp down on the man's wrist like an iron band.
Then he exerted force through his arm and twisted savagely!
"Crack!"
Another sharp crack rang out. The scar-faced man's wrist was dislocated outright, and just as his scream left his mouth, Qing Chen's knee slammed hard into his groin!
"Urgh-"
The scar-faced man's eyes bulged, his face turned deathly pale, and his legs buckled. He fell to his knees, then collapsed on the ground, unable to move.
Only then did the last thug arrive with a sneak attack from the side and rear.
As though he had eyes in the back of his head, Qing Chen twisted at the waist and spun, sweeping a whipping kick into the man's ribs like a heavy axe.
"Bang!"
The man flew backward at the impact and slammed heavily into the wall, falling silent.
In a flash of lightning and a spark from flint, all three thugs were down.
The vicious gleam had not faded from Qing Chen's eyes. Gathering power in both palms, he was about to deliver another brutal blow to the scar-faced man sprawled on the ground.
A shout came from the outer edge of the crowd:
"Eldest son! Eldest son! Spare a man when you can! You mustn't! If you keep hitting him, someone will die!"
A dark, skinny old man squeezed out, stamping his feet anxiously.
Hearing this, Qing Chen stopped and glared expressionlessly at the old man.
"What are you staring at!" The dark, skinny old man stiffened his neck, looking deeply distressed as he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I'm your clan granduncle! Why would I say this if not for your own good? If someone dies and the authorities investigate, you'll have more trouble than you can stomach."
"Bang!"
Before he finished speaking, Qing Chen's heavy fist had already smashed into his chest.
"Smack!"
A ringing slap followed immediately, spinning the old man halfway around on the spot. His left cheek instantly swelled red, five clear finger marks standing out starkly.
"For my own good?"
Qing Chen stared viciously at the old man and spat onto the ground, his gaze sinister:
"Spare you, my fucking ass! You were shouting louder than anyone just now, you old bastard! Keep yammering and I'll cripple you too!"
With that, his icy gaze swept over everyone present.
Everyone he looked at felt a chill in their hearts and lowered their heads to avoid him.
The formerly clamorous street fell silent at once. The onlookers glanced at one another, then slunk away until none remained.
Qing Chen watched the three thugs struggle to their feet and stagger away, supporting one another, without stopping them.
Crippling them was fine, but killing someone in the street really was rather inconvenient.
Killing them behind the scenes was more convenient.
Just as he was considering how to deal with the aftermath and advance his plan-
"Get away! I'm the woman of Master Eagle's son from Northern Mang Mountain! You dare touch me?!"
Suddenly, a woman's shriek came from nearby, accompanied by a jumble of footsteps.
A reasonably attractive woman came stumbling out toward the back door of Red Sleeve Beckons.
She looked as though she had been drugged, her steps unsteady and weak.
A large group chased after her, shouting noisily and surrounding a pale-faced young man in fine clothing.
One look at him was enough to tell he had long been steeped in wine and women, his face full of lechery.
And the servants' short jackets all bore a conspicuously embroidered character for "Zhao."
It's the city lord's manor, the Zhao Household!
Qing Chen's heart tightened.
Only when he looked again from closer by did he notice the woman's seductive figure and the faintly visible, astonishing curve of her hips.
The woman glanced frantically around and spotted Qing Chen standing stunned. As though clutching a straw that could save her life, she pleaded mournfully:
"Young master, please save me!"