From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

The early morning in Chicken and Goose Lane is dim and hazy, with light but no heat.

Black smoke billowed from several chimneys, drifting away under the sky, while the snow on the streets was hardened by the hooves of horses and the feet of people.

Zhu Hong carried the meat buns as he walked through the narrow alley.

Most of the neighbors I encountered along the way had their hands clasped together and necks hunched as they hurried past. Their stalls were covered with thick cotton blankets, with only a corner peeking out as they loudly called out their wares.

"Come and see, come and buy!"

"Freshly baked Goubuli buns! Perfect for warming up!"

Zhu Hong kept his eyes straight ahead and walked straight into the depths of the alley.

After several turns and passing Chicken and Goose Alley, you arrive at the even more dilapidated "Mud Alley". The area is low-lying, and when it rains, water accumulates into puddles, and the snow in winter is difficult to melt.

Liu Guaizi's house is at the very end of the alley.

It was a low, mud-brick house with peeling paint, a sparse thatched roof, and several holes that were barely covered with tattered mats and stones. The snow in front of the door had been swept away and piled up in the corner, frozen into dark lumps of ice.

"That is?"

Before he even got close, Zhu Hong's eyes suddenly narrowed as he saw a green-canopied carriage parked at the alley entrance.

The carriage was of ordinary design, but the horses pulling it were rare, strong northern steeds with thick hooves and glossy coats. A coachman wearing a straw hat sat on the shaft, his head bowed, as if he were dozing off.

How could such a fine steed and precious carriage appear in this wretched place of muddy alley?

He remained calm and continued walking inside.

The further I walked, the heavier the doubts became. Although the muddy alley was dilapidated, it should still be inhabited. Today... it was too quiet.

They walked a few more steps.

There were two people standing outside Uncle Liu's door.

One was tall and the other short, both wearing blue cotton robes with windproof cloaks over them.

The taller one was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a short beard, and looked to be around forty years old. The shorter one looked younger, but his complexion was sallow, and his posture was unsteady.

"Who should I look for?"

Upon seeing someone approach, the burly man with a bushy beard lazily lifted his eyelids, his voice deep and unreadable.

"I'm sending you something."

Zhu Hong shook the oil paper package in his hand.

"Let's go." The man raised his hand calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Liu the Cripple is busy right now."

"Is he really here for Uncle Liu?"

Zhu Hong frowned and glanced at the two of them.

The sallow-faced young man was probably nothing to fear; he stood slouching, his shoulders hunched, as if a strong wind could blow him over. Only this burly, bearded man exuded the composure of a seasoned martial artist, clearly no ordinary person.

He countered with a question:

"Is Uncle Liu sick?"

"None of your business," the sallow-faced young man next to him said coldly.

"Hurry up and get out of here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Pan rolled his eyes a hundred times in his mind and glanced at Zhu Hong sideways.

Seeing his coarse clothes, patched upon patched, I guessed he was one of the same kind as Liu Guaizi, both poor people struggling to survive. I felt that saying even one more word would be too much trouble and would only sully my tongue.

"Pah! A bunch of trash." His eyes were full of disdain.

"This person doesn't seem to have good intentions..."

Seeing this, Zhu Hong frowned slightly, and a bitter smile rose in his heart: "Of all the difficulties in the world, the most difficult is the entanglement and unpredictability of human relationships."

Doumi En has unexpectedly found himself in a predicament today. In fact, given his current situation, the best thing he should do is turn around and leave without causing any further trouble, but if he really retreats like this, his conscience will not be at peace.

In this life, one can be indifferent and tactful in avoiding trouble, but if one accepts the cause of another's actions, one should bear the consequences.

"Ha ha……"

Zhu Hong chuckled softly, seemingly admitting defeat, yet also mocking himself, and shook his head: "Plum Blossom Divination, one divination after another... In the future, I must never recklessly accept favors without a clear cause." Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and he said:

"I've known Uncle Liu for many years, so naturally I should deliver the gift to him."

"What? What did you say...?" Ma Pan seemed to have heard something amusing and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Kid, are you stupid? How come you have no sense of right or wrong, yet you dare to talk so much?" His laughter suddenly stopped, the playfulness on his face vanished, and his eyes darkened:

"Let me give you a piece of advice: mind your own business, or you'll only bring trouble upon yourself."

Zhu Hong pretended not to hear, a smile playing on his lips, and said casually, "What if I insist on interfering?"

"Ha!" Upon hearing this, Ma Pan was furious, his face turning pale and then red. He never expected to lose face to a peasant like him.

"Dare you say that again?!"

His voice was pressed so hard and forcefully that it almost cracked.

"I'm going to take control now." Zhu Hong no longer held back, all his previous gentleness vanished.

"What do you think?"

These words instantly ignited Ma Pan's fury: "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences!" He pointed at Zhu Hong and blurted out:

"Li Hang!"

"Beat him up! If he gets seriously injured, my dad will take responsibility."

Li Hang, the burly man who had remained silent all along, finally moved upon hearing this. He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze as deep and cold as a still pool, and swept over Zhu Hong:

"If you keep bothering me about Liu Guaizi, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"He's a rich young master?"

Zhu Hong frowned, realizing something was wrong.

This burly man was actually under Ma Pan's command; this young master must have some connections. As the saying goes:

I'm not afraid of a reckless brute, but I'm afraid of a dog relying on its power.

"Things are more complicated than I imagined." He sighed inwardly. "Every day is bad, everything is bad."

When bad luck strikes, even drinking cold water can cause problems.

"That's enough." Zhu Hong was unwilling to think about it any further.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and he dismounted, ready to strike first.

But then, a piercing scream rang out:

"Ouch—!"

"My ears, you damned little bastard, I'll kill you!"

Ma Pan's anger froze instantly, and he subconsciously turned his head to look back. "What happened? Even such a small thing went wrong?" Li Hang also frowned and hesitated before saying, "How about..." Before he could finish speaking, a blur flashed by, and his words were abruptly cut off.

"Hmm?" His pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the retreating figure and said in a deep voice:

"That kid is a martial arts performer."

"A martial arts student?" Ma Pan was taken aback, and asked suspiciously, "That kid?"

……

Taking advantage of the moment when the two people outside the door relaxed their guard, Zhu Hong shot into the inner room like an arrow.

"Bang." The wooden door swung open, and "This..." The scene of violence instantly assaulted his eyes, causing his heart to tremble.

All I saw was:

Several hooligans cornered Liu Guaizi against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), taking turns punching him in the back and shoulders while cursing him.

"You damn old bastard, you don't know what's good for you!"

"You don't know what's good for you? Serves you right for being so ungrateful! Today I'll break your other leg!"

The man with the flat nose was the most vicious. His left ear was wrapped in a tattered cloth, and his eyes were full of resentment. He would kick Liu Guaizi in the face, saying, "You bastard, you damned little bastard, how dare you bite my ear! I'll beat you to death!"

Uncle Liu was in so much pain that he didn't even have the strength to groan, but he still forced himself to bend over and tightly protect the unconscious child beneath him, even if it meant he was going to die at the hands of the men.

"Master, Master..."

Aunt Liu, standing to the side, was crying her heart out. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked pitiful. "Please, gentlemen, have mercy and spare the kidnapper!"

But who would bother with a woman like her?

"No, no!" Seeing that the men were becoming increasingly ruthless, Aunt Liu disregarded everything and crawled a few steps forward, grabbing the feet of the man with the flat nose. She looked up and pleaded, "Please stop hitting him! Have mercy! If you keep hitting him, he'll really die..."

"You filthy old woman, get out of my way!"

The man with the flat nose was in the middle of a fight when he got impatient with being pestered. He swung his elbow back and slashed hard, aiming straight for his opponent's eyebrow.