"Hmm!"
Chen Jie smiled briefly at Su Yunjin before turning his gaze coldly toward the door. During these times, kindness invited bullying, and tame animals were ridden by others. *In the past, he had been too cowardly, otherwise he wouldn't have been bullied to such an extent.*
*But starting today, all of that would change.*
Thinking this, Chen Jie summoned his interface.
Panel:
[Name: Chen Jie]
[Level: Not yet admitted]
[Cultivation Technique: Yang Chun Skill (Entry-level)]
[Evaluation: An ordinary person who has not yet entered the realm; however, your ancestral Yang Chun Skill is already entry-level, giving you a clear edge over ordinary people.]
Chen Jie glanced at his simple interface and understood his current situation.
*No martial arts technique could be mastered within an afternoon*, and the reason Chen Jie had picked up the Yang Chun Skill so quickly was mainly due to the solid foundation forced upon him by his grandfather since childhood. That foundation had been easily awakened and led to his quick entry-level attainment.
*Glancing at the interface gave Chen Jie fresh confidence. Ever since he'd modified the breathing and exhaling technique of Yang Chun Skill, he'd felt strength surge into his once frail body.*
*Previous feelings of fatigue and the discomfort from excessive drinking were entirely swept away.*
*There was no denying, Yang Chun Skill really had its merits.*
Chen Jie was studying the interface while, outside, Lu San had been stopped in his tracks by Uncle Erba.
With Xiao Hu's support, Uncle Erba managed to block Lu San. Lu San, clutching a stick, glared at Chen Erba and said, "Old Chen, why are you blocking me?"
Chen Erba looked at Lu San and said, "Brother Lu San, I was there and saw everything today. It was my nephew Jiusi's impulsiveness. Could you—"
"Old Chen, don't meddle in this. It's not that I don't respect you, but your boy hit my wife. That's a grudge too big to let go. Today, I will break his legs, no matter what."
"Brother Lu San, Jiusi is my nephew—it's only right for me to intervene. How about this: I have fifty cents here. Take it as me apologizing on his behalf. Let's call this even, shall we?"
Lu San glanced at the fifty coins in Chen Erba's hand and sneered, "Old Chen, are you trying to brush off a beggar? Fifty cents? My wife gets a beating, and that's worth fifty cents? Fine, if you insist on defending him, bring me five hundred cents; otherwise, stay out of this."
Finishing his words, Lu San ignored Chen Erba entirely. Yet Chen Erba refused to give up and tried to shove the fifty cents into Lu San's hand.
"Brother Lu San, come on, just let it go, you—"
Already annoyed, Lu San suddenly bellowed angrily, "Enough! Chen Quezi, I'm warning you, this isn't your business. Scram! Mess with me further, and I'll pummel you too!"
Lu San raised his hand and slapped the copper coins out of Chen Erba's hand. They scattered onto the ground.
Chen Erba, knocked off balance, stumbled and fell. Watching his father being pushed down, Chen Xiaohu immediately erupted with fury and was about to rush forward before Chen Erba grabbed hold of the boy's pant leg.
"Dad."
Chen Erba shook his head silently. *He only wanted a peaceful life, free from trouble.*
Chen Xiaohu clenched his teeth in frustration, barely able to contain himself. Meanwhile, Chen Jie's family's courtyard door creaked open, and Chen Jie stepped out with long strides.
"Who's looking for me?"
Chen Jie walked out calmly and said this. His gaze then quickly landed on Lu Qinsi, who was cowering behind Lu San. "It's you who's looking for me?"
As soon as Chen Jie uttered those words, Lu Qinsi hid behind Lu San, visibly frightened of Chen Jie.
"I'm the one looking for you!"
Leaning on his stick, Lu San stared coldly at Chen Jie.
When Chen Jie spotted Lu San, a small smile appeared on his face. "Oh, Brother Lu San, what's the matter?"
He said this as he strode forward toward Lu San.
At this moment, all the onlookers turned their eyes to Chen Jie, curious about how he would handle the imminent danger. From inside the courtyard, Su Yunjin and Ruirui peered nervously through the doorway.
Su Yunjin tightly grasped Ruirui's hand, visibly tense.
Seeing how casually Chen Jie approached, Lu San became even angrier and shouted, "Chen Jiusi, you've got some nerve! You dare bully my wife? Looks like you're overdue for a lesson!"
Chen Jie still wore a cheerful expression as he approached, seeming like he intended to smooth things over. "Oh no, Brother Lu San, don't say that. What happened between me and your wife was just a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding, my ass! That shameless woman in your family came onto our territory to dig up wild vegetables. Asking her to kneel and apologize—is that so unreasonable? Yet, you dare strike my wife? You're all a bunch of rotten scoundrels in your family!"
"Today, I'll break your legs if it's the last thing I do!"
With those words, Lu San raised his stick, his fierce gaze brimming with hostility. And don't mistake this for mere bluster—he truly intended to break Chen Jie's legs.
Swinging his stick high, Lu San prepared to strike. But just then, Chen Jie suddenly smiled and said, "Brother Lu San, calm down. Look at this."
As he said this, Chen Jie raised his right arm. Lu San, curious, stopped his assault to take a closer look. What could it be—money to compensate him?
But just as Lu San's eyes widened in anticipation, Chen Jie abruptly swung his arm, scattering a handful of sand directly into Lu San's face.
"Ah!"
Unprepared, Lu San took the full brunt of the sand, his wide-open eyes instantly burning in pain. He clutched his face and screamed uncontrollably.
He hadn't anticipated, though, that he was dealing with a disciple of Chen Hegao. And now, he dared to scream?
*In their sect's mental method: fear often leads to desperate retaliation, so one must act decisively.*
Sure enough, as Lu San clutched his eyes, Chen Jie delivered a swift kick to Lu San's groin. The shriek that followed resembled the sound of a pig being slaughtered.
"Ah, goddamn you!"
Cursing furiously, Lu San collapsed as Chen Jie picked up the stick that had fallen to the ground and unleashed a barrage of blows, leaving Lu San with a head battered and bleeding.
Even in such a sorry state, Lu San kept cursing incessantly.
Seeing her husband being brutalized, Lu Qinsi suddenly went berserk, screaming, "I'll kill you for hitting my husband! I'll scratch you to death!"
She charged at Chen Jie like a madwoman.
Chen Jie had no qualms about hitting women. *If they attacked him, they were enemies, flat and simple.*
With a swift sidestep, Chen Jie delivered a kick, sending Lu Qinsi sprawling to the ground.
Once down, Lu Qinsi wailed, "Oh heavens! He's killing someone! Chen Jiusi is killing someone!"
"He's inhuman! He's bullying us as a couple. And you people just stand here watching without doing anything!"
Seeing how pitiful Lu Qinsi looked as she sobbed on the dirt, some bystanders began to feel sorry for her and spoke up. "Jiusi, let it go."
"Yeah, Jiusi, don't be merciless, it's not good for everyone who lives nearby."
"That's right, we're all neighbors. Just hit them a few times to teach them a lesson, then let it be."
...
The neighbors began chiming in, pleading for the couple on Lu San's behalf. Chen Jie lifted his head, gripping the stick tightly, glaring at those around him. "Neighbors, huh? Where were you when he tried to beat me earlier? Why didn't you stop him then? Now you ask me to show mercy?"
Silence hung as the neighbors exchanged awkward looks. Finally, someone spoke, "Jiusi, you're a decent man. Why stoop to Lu San's level? Show some grace, will you? We're all living in the same village—you never know when you might need help from one another."