It was early morning, the sky just beginning to brighten.
Chen Qing quickly washed up and was about to head to the Zhou Institute.
"Ah Qing, something terrible has happened!"
Ms. Han rushed in, her face pale. "Your uncle-in-law has been beaten!"
Chen Qing paused, slightly stunned. "What happened?"
Yang Tiezhu had always been an honest, dutiful man who never argued with anyone. How could such a disaster befall him for no reason?
Ms. Han said anxiously, "I went to Dew City this morning and heard about it from Aunt Wang in Baihua Lane. Your eldest aunt and uncle-in-law are at your grandfather's house right now."
"I'll go take a look now."
Chen Qing strode off the boat, his pace quickening unconsciously.
As he turned into Chaiyu Square, he could hear suppressed sobs coming from the old family courtyard in the distance.
The courtyard gate was wide open. Yang Tiezhu sat hunched over on the stone steps, his left eye swollen shut and a crust of dried blood at the corner of his mouth. His eldest aunt, Chen Jinhua, clutched a handkerchief and wiped away a constant stream of tears.
His second aunt was applying medicine to his uncle-in-law's forehead, muttering, "What a sin…"
Elder Chen squatted by the millstone, PUFF PUFF, smoking his long-stemmed pipe. His face, shrouded in smoke, was as wrinkled as old tree bark.
"Grandfather, Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt…"
Chen Qing walked up and greeted them.
Elder Chen glanced at Chen Qing but said nothing.
Chen Qing walked over to Yang Tiezhu. "Uncle-in-law, what exactly happened?"
Yang Tiezhu's gaze was shifty. "Some men from the Black Water Gang took a liking to Hui Niang. They said they'd pay silver to have her go to the Prefecture City to study at some place called Warm Jade Square… They said she could earn large money after finishing her training."
He trailed off, then touched the wound on his face subconsciously. "Her mother and I… we didn't agree, so they… they got violent…"
"Was this the only time you didn't agree?"
Chen Qing remembered seeing Yang Tiezhu injured before and pressed, "Uncle-in-law, have they caused trouble before?"
Yang Tiezhu stiffened. His lips trembled a few times before he finally lowered his head in despair. "A few days ago in Dew City, Hui Niang was helping me collect money for the fish when Brother Leopard from the Black Water Gang came over. He said some indecent things, and I got angry and shoved one of his men… They kicked me a few times right then and there. The neighbors were all around, so with so many people watching, Brother Leopard and his men just left with a threat… I thought if we just laid low, it would be fine… I never thought they would…"
He couldn't go on, his voice trailing off into a whisper.
In a flash, Chen Qing understood everything perfectly.
Before, his uncle-in-law Yang Tiezhu would have certainly chosen to swallow his anger and wouldn't have dared to say a word.
But ever since Chen Heng started practicing martial arts, his aunt Chen Jinhua and his uncle-in-law had quietly developed a bit of backbone. In their words and actions, the timidness from years of being bullied had unknowingly faded, replaced by a hint of resolve, a refusal to be pushed around any longer.
And this, precisely, had struck a nerve with the sensitive Black Water Gang.
How could their attack this time be merely to retaliate for Yang Tiezhu's earlier shove?
They had clearly sensed this faint spark of resistance from the Yang Family and intended to use this heavy-handed method to brutally "establish their dominance" in front of everyone in Chaiyu Square!
They wanted to take this newly-grown spine of the Yang Family and crush it back into the mud.
"Study what craft? They obviously want to sell her into a brothel!" Chen Jinhua suddenly shrieked, then covered her mouth and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Where's my cousin?" Chen Qing looked around, but didn't see Yang Huien.
Second Aunt lowered her voice. "She's hiding at the clothier's. She hasn't eaten or drunk anything since yesterday, and her eyes are swollen red from crying…"
Just as she spoke, a commotion arose from outside the courtyard.
"Father, Xiaoheng and I are back."
His second uncle, Chen Wen, was seen rushing over with Chen Heng.
"Ah Heng."
Chen Jinhua lunged forward as if grabbing a life-saving rope, clutching Chen Heng's sleeve tightly. "You know so many people, can't you think of something? If they take Hui Niang, her life will be ruined!"
"Eldest Sister, get up first…"
Second Aunt quickly helped the faltering Chen Jinhua to her feet.
His second uncle straightened his back. "Xiaoheng has been training at the Martial Arts Hall for so long. He has connections."
Feeling everyone's burning gazes on him, Chen Heng swallowed hard a few times. "This… I'll think of something. Many of my senior brothers at the Martial Arts Hall hold positions in the big gangs. I'll ask around…"
His voice grew quieter and quieter as a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
'Those senior brothers I usually go drinking with at the flower boats would probably run and hide if they heard about this.'
'As for me… those desperados from the Black Water Gang aren't opponents I can handle like in the sparring matches at the hall where we stop at the first touch.'
Old Chen finally spoke, knocking his pipe bowl sharply against the millstone. "Ah Heng, this is no child's play. Those people from the Black Water Gang…"
"Don't worry, Grandfather."
Chen Heng forced himself to appear calm, his voice rising involuntarily. "The Eldest Senior Brother of Guangchang Martial Arts Hall is a great master who has knocked on the gate three times. They'll definitely have to give him that much face!"
With that, he stood up. "I'm going to find someone now."
As Chen Heng turned to leave, Chen Qing noticed the hand hidden in his sleeve was trembling uncontrollably.
After Chen Heng left, the courtyard fell silent.
Second Aunt forced a smile. "Eldest Sister, don't worry. Xiaoheng will definitely be able to…"
Chen Jinhua nodded numbly, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
Chen Qing's brow furrowed. He had a feeling that Chen Heng wasn't reliable.
.......
Guangchang Martial Arts Hall.
Chen Heng dragged his heavy feet back to the Martial Arts Hall, his face etched with worry.
"Junior Brother Chen!"
A sturdy young man in a brown training uniform walked up to him, draping an arm familiarly around his shoulder. "A few new girls have arrived at the Nanhe Flower Boat tonight. That figure…"
Brother Mao waggled his eyebrows, tracing a suggestive curve in the air with his finger. "I hear they can even do the Sogdian Whirl dance."
Chen Heng forced a twitch of his lips.
Normally, he would have joined in the raucous laughter, but right now, the sound was like a knife to his eardrums. His throat was dry. "Brother Mao… do you know of the Black Water Gang?"
"The Black Water Gang? Never heard of them. Probably just some new mud-crawling gang, right?"
Brother Mao scratched his bushy beard and spat. "In Gaolin County, new gangs pop up every day. Who knows, tomorrow they might be at the bottom of a pond feeding the turtles."
Chen Heng swallowed and explained the difficult situation.
"This…"
Brother Mao suddenly lowered his voice, glanced around, and pulled him under the Old Locust Tree. "Isn't Senior Brother Lin affiliated with the Blood River Gang? I'll ask for you."
"Really?"
Chen Heng's eyes lit up.
Senior Brother Lin was an elite disciple of the Martial Arts Hall, having achieved Great Success in Dark Force.
With Chen Heng's level of strength, it was difficult to break into such circles, so he couldn't even get a word in with him.
Brother Mao clapped him on the shoulder and went to find Senior Brother Lin.
After about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, Brother Mao returned.
"Ah, Junior Brother Chen."
Brother Mao wrung his hands, his brow furrowed deeply. "Senior Brother Lin says that although the Black Water Gang is new, they have a big backer…"
'A big backer!?'
Cold sweat broke out on Chen Heng's back.
"However…" Brother Mao's tone shifted. "Since we're fellow disciples, Senior Brother Lin is willing to make a trip with you. You just need to give him a little something for his trouble."
As he spoke, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together lightly.
"How much?" Chen Heng's voice was strained.
Brother Mao held up two fingers. "Twenty taels. A master like Senior Brother Lin… ordinary people couldn't hire him even if they came with silver in hand!"
"T-twenty taels?" Chen Heng nearly bit his tongue.
Brother Mao's smile faded slightly. "Can't part with the silver? The price to get into Warm Jade Square is much higher than that."
"I… I need to go home and discuss it," Chen Heng said dryly.
Brother Mao snorted. "Senior Brother Lin is a busy man. Give me a definite answer before noon tomorrow. The offer expires then."
With that, he turned and left.
Watching the back disappear completely, Chen Heng collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball.
'How am I supposed to explain this to Grandfather and Eldest Aunt!?'
'I shouldn't go home tonight. I'll put it off for as long as possible.'
.....
In the afternoon, Chen Qing found Xu Chengfeng of the Tiger Gang.
Xu Chengfeng greeted him warmly. "Brother Chen, what can I do for you today?"
The man before him, Chen Qing, was a master who had reached Manifest Force. In a small gang like theirs, he could easily be a leader.
Chen Qing got straight to the point. "I want to ask about the details of a few nearby gangs."
Xu Chengfeng's hand paused as he was pouring tea, the liquid rippling in the cup. "Oh? And which gangs are you interested in, Brother Chen?"
Chen Qing casually listed a few names. "The Black Water Gang, the Giant Bear Gang…"
Xu Chengfeng began to describe them as if listing his family treasures. When he got to the Black Water Gang, Chen Qing's expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he paid close attention.
"The Black Water Gang is a new group that's popped up in Baihua Lane. They have about twenty men and three Manifest Force masters. Their leader, Jiang Hui, is at Great Success in Manifest Force and is said to be not far from reaching Dark Force."
As Xu Chengfeng spoke, a complex expression of disdain mixed with a bit of fear appeared on his face. "This group, they haven't been around long, but they put on quite the airs. They're damn arrogant in their dealings."
"They say they've got some connections in the Inner City, so now they're involved in this low-life business of kidnapping women and selling them off in the Prefecture City? And they've 'pulled several jobs'? If they really had a powerful backer, would they need to stoop to making this kind of dirty money? Their background can't be that deep!"
Xu Chengfeng suddenly lowered his voice. "Could it be that Brother Chen is looking to take up a position with a gang?"
He rubbed his fingers together, a knowing smile on his face.
These days, it was all too common for Martial Artists and gangs to use each other for mutual benefit.
Chen Qing waved his hand. "Brother Xu, you're overthinking it. I'm just asking around."
Xu Chengfeng clearly didn't quite believe him. He said in a low voice, "If Brother Chen is looking to take a position with a gang, why not join my Tiger Gang? Our offer for a Tributor would definitely be more generous than theirs."
Chen Qing nodded and replied perfunctorily, "I'll consider it."
Xu Chengfeng chuckled and said no more. Some things were best left unsaid.
After a few more pleasantries, Chen Qing stood up to leave.
From his conversation with Xu Chengfeng, Chen Qing had gotten a clear picture of how the Outer City gangs operated.
Over twenty gangs formed a tangled web, and behind each of them stood powerful figures from the Inner City.
Among them, the Blood River Gang and the Iron Hand Gang were the undisputed leaders. As for newly established and unstable gangs like the Black Water Gang, even if they had someone backing them, their foundations were very shallow.
'It seems I need to be careful this time and not reveal any weaknesses.'
....