“Brother Chen, the firewood in the stove is almost gone, can you…” Jiang Qingyu called out as she walked out from the kitchen, but the moment she stepped into the courtyard, she saw two corpses lying there.
If it had been someone else, they would’ve screamed and fled in terror. But Jiang Qingyu had seen many corpses before, and had even killed a beggar herself. She wasn’t afraid. Instead, she stared warily and asked, “Brother Chen, what happened just now?”
Lu Chen tucked the money pouch into his inner clothes, then pulled her into the side room. “Xiao Yu, pack your things. We have to leave right away.”
“But Brother Chen, we just moved in a few days ago, and we’ve already paid the rent…”
“It’s only a couple of taels for the deposit and rent. We can afford to lose that.”
As he packed, Lu Chen briefly explained how the Wild Wolf Gang came to extort them and ended up being killed by the old beggar.
Jiang Qingyu quickly understood the full story. She looked up and asked, “So that old beggar was someone you asked for help?”
Lu Chen said, “Something like that.”
Only then did the frustration Jiang Qingyu had been bottling up all morning completely vanish. “No wonder you let him eat the whole rooster. You were planning to have him deal with the Wild Wolf Gang.”
“But the Wild Wolf Gang is a big force. Half of Luo City is their territory. Now that their men have died in our courtyard, what if they…”
Lu Chen patted her little head and said, “That’s why we have to pack up and leave immediately.”
Jiang Qingyu nodded, “Got it, Brother Chen.”
Soon, the two of them finished packing. Most of it was just spare clothes and a few books Jiang Qingyu liked to read. Lu Chen stuffed everything into a bundle, grabbed Jiang Qingyu, and hurried out of the courtyard.
As they passed the corpses, Jiang Qingyu angrily kicked them. “It’s your fault! Now Brother Chen and I don’t even have a place to stay. Bastards!”
“It’s alright, Xiao Yu. As long as you’re with me, it doesn’t matter where we go,” Lu Chen said, comforting her as he stroked her head.
Jiang Qingyu nodded, “Wherever Brother Chen goes, I’ll follow. We’ll never be apart.”
Lu Chen smiled, “Alright. We’ll never be apart.”
After making sure no one was watching, Lu Chen held Jiang Qingyu’s hand and quickly made their way to the Lin Martial Hall in the north of the city. They moved fast the entire way, worried someone from the Wild Wolf Gang might catch up.
To keep up with Lu Chen, Jiang Qingyu used all her strength, her cheeks flushing red. Ever since her family was killed by rebel forces, she had lived a lonely and bitter life. Sometimes, to fill her stomach, she even dug through trash for food.
Many nights, she thought about ending her life. But she feared death, and feared that even in death, she might not reunite with her family. So she kept living, like a stray cat, surviving purely by instinct. If she died one day, it wouldn’t matter.
Until now.
Her once-numb heart was now full of hope again. Even if they were on the run, Jiang Qingyu wasn’t afraid, because Lu Chen was by her side. Wherever Lu Chen was—that was her entire world.
Before they knew it, they reached the gates of Lin Martial Hall. Just as they were about to go in, a disciple wearing a black martial outfit stepped forward and blocked them.
“This is Lin Martial Hall. Outsiders are not allowed inside!” he said with a cold face.
Lin Martial Hall was the largest martial arts hall in Luo City, with over a thousand disciples. Whether rich or poor, anyone could join if they pledged complete loyalty to the hall. In all of Luo City, the Lin Martial Hall was second in power only to the Wild Wolf Gang.
Usually, those who came to seek apprenticeship were as numerous as fish crossing a river. But Lin Martial Hall was not a charity. Without money to pay for tuition, even if you were the Emperor himself, you wouldn’t be allowed in.
Lu Chen and Jiang Qingyu clearly looked poor and couldn’t afford the tuition, so the disciple in black stopped them.
“Excuse me, I need to see Hall Master Lin,” Lu Chen said anxiously.
The man stretched out his hand and asked, “Do you have an invitation?”
Lu Chen shook his head. “No.”
“Then get lost!” the man said coldly. “Our hall master doesn’t waste time on nobodies like you.”
Lu Chen took out the iron token the old beggar gave him and handed it over. “Please give this to Hall Master Lin. Just say that a disciple of Hong Qi seeks an audience.”
The man glanced at the token, then tossed it back. “It’s just a scrap of iron. Worthless.”
“Hong Qi? Never even heard of him.”
“Now scram before you waste more of my time!”
Just as he was about to drive Lu Chen and Jiang Qingyu away, a man in a blue martial outfit strode over.
He came up to Lu Chen and said, “Little brother, may I take a look at that token?”
Lu Chen hesitated, but handed it over.
The moment the man saw the character “Hong” on the token, his expression changed drastically.
“So you’re a disciple of Senior Hong? My apologies!”
He respectfully handed the token back to Lu Chen.
Just then, the black-clad disciple stepped up and said, “Instructor Wang, this guy clearly looks poor. He’s probably here to scam us out of food and drink…”
Before he could finish, Instructor Wang slapped him across the face. A loud smack echoed, leaving a red handprint on the disciple’s cheek.
“Open your dog eyes and look carefully! This is the disciple of Beggar Sect’s chief, Senior Hong Qi! You dare show him disrespect—are you tired of living?”
The black-clad disciple turned pale with fear and immediately ran to Lu Chen, slapping himself while crying, “Please, sir, don’t hold it against me. I was blind. Please forgive me…”
Lu Chen ignored him and turned to Instructor Wang, “I’d like to meet Hall Master Lin. Could you take me to him?”
“Of course,” Instructor Wang said readily.
…
Thanks to Instructor Wang’s introduction, Lu Chen and Jiang Qingyu were granted an audience with Hall Master Lin.
His full name was Lin Tao, a bold and straightforward middle-aged man.
After hearing Lu Chen’s explanation, Lin Tao immediately arranged accommodations for both of them and even assigned a maid and servant to take care of their daily needs.
“Rest assured, as long as you’re in Lin Martial Hall, no one in Luo City will dare lay a finger on you!” Lin Tao said with conviction.
Those words put Lu Chen and Jiang Qingyu at ease.
Meanwhile, back at their old courtyard, a group from the Wild Wolf Gang had arrived.
Leading them was a burly man in a green robe—Han Qingfeng, the gang’s deputy leader and actual controller.
After the old gang leader died of illness, his son Guo Kang inherited the gang. But Guo Kang was young, weak in martial arts, and obsessed with eating, drinking, and gambling—an absolute wastrel. None of the gang’s upper or middle ranks respected him.
So power quickly shifted to Han Qingfeng.
“Who killed these two?” Han Qingfeng asked coldly, looking at the corpses.
A gang member replied, “Someone saw an old beggar kill them.”
“An old beggar?” Han Qingfeng frowned. “Hong Qi from the Beggar Sect again. Damn it!”
He had fought with Hong Qi earlier and, being slightly weaker, was badly injured—he’d need years to recover fully.
Now, hearing that Hong Qi had killed two of their men, Han Qingfeng was furious. But with his strength, he knew he couldn’t take on Hong Qi.
Still, he had to give his men an explanation. Everyone was watching.
He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Who lived in this courtyard?”
A senior member responded, “A young man and a girl—Lu Chen and Jiang Qingyu. They just moved in recently. Our brothers came to collect tribute and were killed by the beggar, so those two must be his accomplices.”
Han Qingfeng sneered, “In that case, let them pay with their lives!”
But the man added quietly, “Deputy Chief, we searched earlier. It seems they’ve already escaped.”
“Escaped? Not a chance!” Han Qingfeng barked. “Post their names and portraits all over the city. A reward of 100 taels of silver for their heads! Anyone who gives us a lead gets 50 taels!”
“Yes, Deputy Chief!”