Chapter Eighty-Six: The Chen Family

Such was the world.

Qin Zhen’s abilities were limited. He could not save everyone. For the moment, all he could do was rescue these two children and ease the burden on his conscience.

“Fool, pay them.”

Li Han took out twenty taels of silver and tossed it into the knife-faced man’s hands, leaving the latter briefly stunned.

“Master Qin, this is…”

“Can’t you understand? These two are ours!” Li Han said coldly, with murderous intent seeping from the sword he carried in his arms.

“You brat, do you know who I am? You dare snatch my people?” Lord Chen sneered, not taking Qin Zhen’s group seriously at all. “I advise you to be sensible. This is Seaward City! Offend me, and I guarantee you won’t see tomorrow’s sun!”

At that moment, the knife-faced man hurried to Qin Zhen’s side and whispered, “Master Qin, this gentleman is from the Chen family of Seaward. The Chen family has immense power in Seaward City. It isn’t worth offending this lord over two slaves!”

The Chen family, one of the three great families of Seaward?

“Do you have some connection with Chen Kuai of the Seaward City Constabulary?” Qin Zhen asked.

Chen Kuai also bore the surname Chen.

“I didn’t expect you to know Chen Kuai. Not bad! He is indeed a member of my Chen family. By seniority, I am his third uncle!”

Only then did Qin Zhen realize that the fat-bellied degenerate before him was none other than the famed Third Lord Chen.

The helmsman of the Chen family.

“Since you know Chen Kuai, I’ll grant him face today. Hand the people over, and I’ll let bygones be bygones. What do you say?” Seeing Qin Zhen’s expression darken, Third Lord Chen could not help but snicker. “If you truly fancy these two little virgins, then when I’ve had my fill, I can give them to you. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin them.”

Damn it!

Qin Zhen drew a deep breath, barely forcing down the killing intent boiling inside him.

Grinding his teeth, he spat out a single word.

“Scram.”

Third Lord Chen thought he had misheard. He hesitated for a moment, until he saw the murderous look in Qin Zhen’s eyes—only then did he realize exactly what the yellow-haired youth had just said to him.

“Ha…”

He laughed.

Right in front of Qin Zhen, he slowly backed away, waving a hand as he did.

The vicious servants around him immediately surged forward.

“Boy, this is Seaward City! I don’t care who you are—if you’re a dragon, you coil; if you’re a tiger, you crouch! Today, you either kneel and beg forgiveness, or leave behind both hands. Kill you, and it won’t matter!”

His answer was met by the ringing draw of cold blades.

No need for Qin Zhen to speak.

The village guards behind him all took up stance and drew their samurai swords, ready for battle.

Those many blades, all brimming with killing intent, made the surrounding onlookers tremble with fear.

One must know: ordinary folk were not permitted to carry swords.

Anyone daring to roam the city with a blade was, by definition, no ordinary person.

Third Lord Chen’s expression was also extremely ugly now.

He had thought the other side was merely a hotheaded fool, never imagining he was a true hard case.

“Hmph!”

In the spirit of a wise man not fighting when the odds are against him, Third Lord Chen—very much attached to his life—finally left with a dark face and his men in tow.

He had no choice. The household servants under him were all good for was stirring up trouble among commoners. Should they meet men with blades for real, no number of lives would be enough to let them escape.

“Find out what sort of background this brat has!” the disgruntled Third Lord Chen barked furiously. “In Seaward, I won’t allow such an arrogant man to exist!”

Elsewhere.

Seeing Third Lord Chen leave in a huff, Qin Zhen and the others sheathed their swords as well.

“Master Qin, what exactly are you people?” The knife-faced man had long since lost his usual swagger; even his voice trembled.

Anyone who dared draw a blade in the city was either heavenly soldiers or savage bandits.

Neither was someone a mere human trafficker like him could afford to provoke.

“Shut your mouth!”

Qin Zhen had never liked the knife-faced man to begin with, and now he found him even more loathsome.

After swiftly selecting more than a hundred people, and leaving behind one hundred taels of silver, Qin Zhen led them straight away.

When they emerged from the dungeon, blinding sunlight crashed down from above, making Qin Zhen squint.

Behind him, the procession of over a hundred people stretched long and grand, drawing curious stares from passersby.

“Zhen’er, you were far too impulsive just now.”

After a long silence, Chen Shu finally could not hold back and spoke with reproach.

“Do you know who this Third Lord Chen is? Nearly half the private salt in Seaward County is sold by him! He’s even involved in iron goods! Both the black and white roads in Seaward County give him face. Offending him will bring us nothing good!”

“Then were we just supposed to watch those two children die?” Qin Zhen walked ahead, his back to them, hiding his expression.

“They’re only two children! There are countless like them throughout the Great Shang. Are you going to save them all? Can you save them all?” Chen Shu advised earnestly. “We’re only ordinary people. The matter at Hat Mountain still isn’t over! We can’t keep making enemies!”

His voice was loud enough for every member of the village guard to hear.

All of them lowered their heads unconsciously, and the atmosphere grew heavy and suffocating.

Suddenly.

Qin Zhen stopped.

He turned around, as if having made some great resolve.

“Do you remember that year when bandits attacked the fishing village and many died? My sister-in-law and I had nowhere to flee. We could only hide inside the heated brick bed and wait for death. The opening was too small for her to enter, so I crawled inside, while she could only hide behind the door…”

His voice was very soft.

“Do you know what I was thinking then? I was wishing someone could come save us.”

“We are poor people.” Qin Zhen pointed to his own chest, then to the slaves. “They are poor people too! When we see the poor being bullied and do nothing to help, do we not become accomplices?”

“Before, I had no ability and could not care about so much. But now I have a blade in my hand, so I must do something.” Qin Zhen looked at the village guard, at those gaunt and weather-worn faces whose eyes nevertheless shone with light. “You all have blades too. Whom you strike, you decide for yourselves. Those willing to follow me, Qin Zhen, come with me. Those unwilling may leave at any time!”

“This world should not be like this.”

Chen Shu fell silent.

Inside him, a storm of waves had already risen to the heavens.

He too had once been full of passion, fighting for country and home! Yet more than a decade of war had shown him the bitterness of this world and the savagery of mankind.

He had grown disheartened and withdrawn into the mountains.

He thought again of that day in the bamboo grove, when Qin Zhen, still a child, had drawn his blade without hesitation and saved his life from the brown bear’s jaws.

He looked down at the sword in his hand. Between flashes of cold light, it reflected his own weathered, fearful face.

“What the hell is that nonsense? I don’t understand a word!” Li Han rumbled. “If it weren’t for Zhen’er, could we have eaten our fill? Could we be living the good life we have now? That damn Third Lord Chen—I'd even dare hack at sea bandits, and he’s just some local tyrant? If it weren’t for giving face to Constable Chen just now, I’d already have chopped off his head to drink with!”

Chen Shu smiled.

The village guard laughed too.

All of them looked at one another, and there was no longer any hesitation or fear in their eyes.

Chen Shu hurried after him and asked,

“What do you plan to do with these people?”

Qin Zhen’s answer struck like a thunderclap.

“Take them to the yamen and erase their household registration.”