The Black Dragon Gang never dared to mistreat Martial Artists who had successfully broken through the gates; the ones they made things difficult for were always the powerless, ordinary people.
This was exactly why everyone and every family viewed practicing martial arts as their only way out, willing to take the gamble despite knowing the immense risks.
"Aunt, go ahead and eat first. I’m going out for a stroll." Chen Yuan’s thoughts were restless.
"Be sure to stay safe and come back early," Huang Juan reminded him. Knowing her nephew had already eaten before coming back, she only gave a brief warning.
Chen Yuan nodded in agreement and stepped over the threshold.
Walking forward along the bluestone path, he soon caught sight of Qian Bao and his group entering another household to collect the settlement fee and tribute money.
Chen Yuan waited outside. He could faintly hear arguments and crying, followed by the sharp CRASH of a rice bowl shattering. Clearly, not everyone could easily cough up this extra tribute money. In this day and age, an ordinary person couldn’t even afford to fall ill.
"So ungrateful. They always need to suffer a bit before they learn to behave," Qian Bao cursed as he walked out, weighing a coin pouch in his hand. Spotting Chen Yuan, he narrowed his eyes. "Younger Brother Chen, is there something you need?"
Chen Yuan indeed had something in mind. Lowering his voice, he said, "Mr. Qian, I have a private matter and would like to trouble you for a favor."
Seeing this, Qian Bao shot a glance at his two lackeys. They tactfully stepped away to keep watch.
Only then did Chen Yuan speak in a low, serious tone, "Brother Leopard, on my way home earlier, I was ambushed. After I subdued them, I discovered they were men from the Black Dragon Gang. Someone must have hired them. I’d like to ask you to help me look into it."
Qian Bao immediately frowned, looking troubled. "Younger Brother Chen, it’s not that your older brother here doesn’t want to help you, but the Black Dragon Gang is a mixed bag. Even in this territory..."
Before he could finish, Chen Yuan shoved the prepared one mace of silver into his hand. "Brother Leopard, a little something for your trouble."
Qian Bao weighed the silver a couple of times before pocketing it with a sly chuckle. "As expected of a talent favored by the Gu Family, you’re quite generous. Those little bastards must have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to dare attack the Gu Family’s man. They must be tired of living."
No one woke up early without a profit in mind. Since Chen Yuan had paid him, he would give him face. More importantly, getting counter-killed during a sneak attack? Weren’t they pure trash?
Chen Yuan explained, "One of them was half a head shorter than me. He had a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, a black mole on his left cheek, a wart on his neck, and a knife scar on his left upper arm. The other guy took a punch to the face from me and lost a few teeth; he should be quite heavily injured."
With that description, Qian Bao already had the right candidates in mind. He knew everyone in this area. He immediately said, "Don’t worry, leave this to me. I’ll get you news tomorrow."
Investigating two people was an easy task, and it allowed him to sell Chen Yuan a favor.
Chen Yuan cupped his hands and smiled. "Many thanks, Brother Leopard. There’s one more thing. I wonder if Brother Leopard could help me keep an eye on things in the dark? If someone wants to deal with me, I would be endlessly grateful if you could give me advance notice."
Qian Bao frowned again, putting on a troubled expression. "Younger Brother Chen, you think too highly of me. I don’t get involved in things like hiring thugs for murder. I’m just a minor leader of a branch hall. This..."
Chen Yuan caught his drift and pulled out two mace of broken silver, stuffing it into his hand.
Qian Bao’s eyes instantly lit up. He took the silver and immediately pocketed it, though his tone remained somewhat solemn. "Younger Brother Chen, I can only guarantee the Black Dragon Gang’s side. Aside from the Gang Leader, if anyone else wants to touch you, you’ll know in advance. As for other factions, it’ll depend on luck."
Chen Yuan nodded. "That’s enough. Thank you, Brother Leopard."
As he watched Qian Bao leave once more, his gaze darkened along with the evening sky. Finding out who was behind those two men was an absolute must. He refused to suffer in silence, and he certainly wouldn’t let it happen a second time. Having Qian Bao keep an eye out was simply a preventative investment.
As for why he had sneaked out, it was naturally because he didn’t want his aunt to know he was associating with thugs who bullied men and oppressed women like Qian Bao. However, sometimes it took a wicked person to deal with the wicked. Besides, his, Chen Yuan’s, money wasn’t that easy to take.
The next day.
The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was check his interface. Sparring with Gao Mingchang and seeking Qian Bao’s help did not violate his low-profile principles, settling a total of eight Low-key Points. He had now accumulated another ten Low-key Points, which he once again invested into his Root Bone.
The number 39 flashed, turning into 40.
Chen Yuan had no idea if a Root Bone of 40 was considered Grade C-Upper, or if he needed 45. Or even 50? He figured it wasn’t worth the headache; as long as it kept improving, it was fine.
Additionally, the system provided a prompt:
[Detected that the host’s Martial Dao progress is steadily improving, and your interpersonal network has grown more complex, drawing various converging gazes. If you can maintain your low profile, the base settlement points will increase.]
Was this a reminder? Message received!
Thinking about it, Chen Yuan realized that compared to his life hauling cargo at the docks, his interpersonal relationships were indeed much more complex now, and he was dealing with higher-tier figures. However, he didn’t feel any nervousness. In this situation, he just needed to grasp the crux of the problem. Two words: become stronger!
He arrived at the Huo Courtyard to practice martial arts as usual. Alternating between the Rocky Pile Skill, the Xin Yi Liu He Fist, and practical sparring, he made steady progress.
A heavy-hearted Sun Chengjie had engaged in a war of words with the Zhou Brothers but failed to fish out any substantial evidence. However, around dinnertime, Chen Yuan learned the clear details of their scheme directly from Qian Bao’s mouth.
Those two had put some thought into it. They hadn’t dared to make a move recently, but after hearing that Sun Chengjie wasn’t highly valued by the Gu Family, they hatched a plan. Through a cousin in the Black Dragon Gang, they paid two lackeys to cripple Sun Chengjie. They just hadn’t expected the two targets to be walking together.
Those two lackeys were also stubborn blockheads. They figured crippling one was the same as crippling two, so they had attacked directly.
Qian Bao lowered his voice. "Younger Brother Chen, every wrong has its cause, and every debt has its debtor. You should pin this grudge on those two brothers. I’ve already taught those two pieces of trash a lesson, but I’m keeping them around because they’re still useful." They were currently warring with other gangs, so they still needed cannon fodder.
Chen Yuan nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Brother Leopard."
Upon returning to the courtyard, he glanced at the Zhou Brothers from afar but didn’t say much. Now was not the right time; he would just jot this grudge down for the moment.
Time flew by like a fleeting white steed, and before he knew it, another half a month had passed.
Chen Yuan maintained a simple routine between two points: sleeping at home at night and soaking himself in the Martial Arts Academy during the day. No trivial matters disturbed him. The disciples in the courtyard also saw a turnover of old and new. Several senior disciples left, either because they failed to break through the gates or couldn’t afford the tuition. There were also a few new faces; watching them learn from the Rocky Pile Skill was like looking at his past self.
As for geniuses with Grade B-Upper Root Bones like Xu Heng—or even Grade B-Lower or Grade C-Upper—there wasn’t a single one.
A Grade B-Upper Root Bone was truly rare. It was hard to recruit a disciple like Xu Heng even once every few years. Some said that the disciples in the same batch as Xu Heng were quite pitiful, all reduced to mere green leaves serving as foils.
One day, the peaceful atmosphere in the courtyard was shattered by a shout:
"Senior Brother Xu Heng has successfully broken through! He’s now a Skin Gate Martial Artist!"
Following that, a high-spirited Xu Heng walked out from the Inner Courtyard, his head held high as he complacently basked in the crowd’s praise and envious gazes.
Master Huo was also in an excellent mood, announcing with a resonant voice, "From today onward, Xu Heng shall be my Direct Disciple. You all should take him as an example."
Song Bridge walked over and handed him a wooden box quite naturally, smiling as he said, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Xu. Here are three Blood Qi Pills. I hope you will continue to advance triumphantly on the path of the Martial Dao!"
Afterward, the other senior brothers and sisters who had successfully broken through also presented gifts. Naturally, this was a treatment reserved only for geniuses. When an ordinary disciple succeeded, usually only Tao Ping would present something on behalf of their master as encouragement.
Chen Yuan also walked over silently, cupping his hands as he said, "Congratulations on your successful breakthrough, Senior Brother Xu."
To break through the gates in less than a month and a half was indeed impressive. Since the other party was stronger than him and was now a Direct Disciple, it would be impolite to still call him "Junior Brother."
Xu Heng gave the senior brother he was once close with an indifferent glance and preached, "Junior Brother Chen, since your aptitude is mediocre, you should just train hard and try to scrape by with a decent position. Also, don’t set me as your goal. It’ll be a huge blow to your morale."
Chen Yuan smiled, nodding as he stepped back. He didn’t feel much grievance; considering his current performance, what Xu Heng said was the truth, so he just had to take it. However, flowing water does not compete for the first place; it competes to flow endlessly. He was smiling because returning those exact words to him someday in the future would surely be quite interesting.