Tendon Changing

"Sixth Master, why are we letting it go like this!?" Two ruffian lackeys flanking Liu'er asked in bewilderment. "Let it go!? Bah!" Liu'er spat a glob of phlegm directly onto the ground, a vicious glint in his eyes. "I knew it! How could Sixth Master just let it go after being slighted like that!" "Say what you will, that kid is still a temporary runner for the Suppression Office. If a conflict broke out in his courtyard and things blew up, we might have ended up on the losing end! Better to wait until tonight to settle the score!" "Sixth Master, are you thinking..." One lackey cautiously leaned in, making a telling gesture with his hand. Liu'er glanced back toward the Chen family courtyard and sneered maliciously. *Just wait until tonight—I'll make you pay dearly!* The Chen kid had the skin of a temporary runner from the Suppression Office. If trouble started in broad daylight and escalated, they wouldn't necessarily come out on top. But at night... If something happened at night, who would know who did it!? Even if they knew, where would the evidence be? *** "Nannan, if anything like this happens again, you must protect yourself first. If he wants money, just give it to him." Chen Ping'an gently helped Chen Er Ya up, his face full of heartache. "That's the money Brother worked so hard to earn! It has to be put to good use later, so we can't give it to him!" Chen Er Ya, who had put on a brave front just moments before, now couldn't help feeling wronged and aggrieved after the danger passed. "There was over two qian of silver in the pouch, and he took all of it!" "It's fine, it's fine, Nannan." Chen Ping'an pulled Chen Er Ya into his arms, comforting her tenderly. "Brother..." The little girl couldn't hold back her tears any longer and began to sob aloud. No matter how strong she tried to be, no matter how much she acted like a little adult, she was still only a nine-year-old child. A scene like the one just now was easy to talk about, but experiencing it firsthand was enough to leave even a timid adult shaken and unable to recover immediately, let alone Chen Er Ya. "It's all small things. Everything will pass." Chen Ping'an gently patted the little girl's back. Holding Chen Er Ya, he looked at the food overturned on the ground and the mess scattered across the courtyard. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes. He comforted his sister by telling her to hand over the money if there were a next time. But in his heart, there would be no next time. He would not allow himself to let Chen Er Ya go through an ordeal like that again. If cultivating the martial path couldn't even protect his family, what was the point of pursuing it? After Chen Ping'an comforted her for a long while, the little girl's emotions gradually stabilized. Looking at the mess strewn everywhere and the spilled dishes, she said regretfully, "All this food is wasted." "It's alright, Nannan," Chen Ping'an said with a smile. "If it's wasted, then so be it." "But... most of the groceries bought today were cooked in that meal. Now there are only a few eggs left in the house." Chen Er Ya looked downcast. "We can just throw together a quick bite tonight. We'll have a big feast tomorrow!" Chen Ping'an livened up the mood. "Nannan, go ahead and cook. Brother will tidy this place up." "Okay." The little girl nodded. Tonight's dinner was very simple for the siblings: two bowls of cooked rice and a large plate of scrambled eggs. After finishing dinner, Chen Ping'an began practicing Flying Locust Stones. The little girl watched from the side, though she often drifted off, seemingly lost in thought. *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* The rhythmic sounds of thrown stones rang out again and again. The white marks on the courtyard wall had converged into an almost solid white patch. As time ticked by, experience symbols appeared in his vision one after another. +1! +1! +1! Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: qi and blood second layer, perfected Martial Art: Iron Shirt (perfected), Flying Locust Stones (entry level) (15/15) …… "Enough experience!" Looking at the faint plus sign beside it, Chen Ping'an focused his mind and clicked on it without hesitation. *Whoosh!* Tiny specks of starlight once again flooded into Chen Ping'an's glabella. At the same time, a vast amount of cultivation experience, application techniques, and insights into nimble adaptability with Flying Locust Stones surged into his mind. Flying Locust Stones, lesser mastery! Beyond the improvement in skill and technique, the qi and blood in Chen Ping'an's body began to churn. His qi and blood coursed through his entire frame, linking and penetrating the major tendons throughout his body. At this moment, a wondrous transformation was taking place within him. After about a dozen breaths, the boiling qi and blood inside Chen Ping'an gradually settled down. "Qi and blood third layer, tendon changing realm—accomplished!" Feeling the seamless, unified power throughout his whole body, infinite confidence welled up within Chen Ping'an. It felt as though even if a boulder blocked his path, he could blast it apart with a single punch. With a slight tensing of his muscles, a series of crackling pops sounded out. This was the unison resonance of the tendons, signifying that he had stepped into the tendon changing realm. The tendon changing realm: strength reaching a thousand jin! "A gentleman's revenge is never too late even after ten years! But for me, ten years is far too long. Better to take revenge tonight!" Chen Ping'an glanced at Chen Er Ya, who was still weighed down with worries, and made his decision. *** Hupao Lane, an outpost of the Tiger Head Gang. In truth, calling it an outpost was an overstatement; it was simply Liu'er's house. For a minor henchman like him in the Tiger Head Gang, his own home served as an outpost for the gang. With that grudge on his mind, Liu'er had collected monthly dues from several more households after leaving Chen Ping'an's home. Then, after buying plenty of food and drinks, he and his two lackeys had feasted heartily at his place. Having eaten and drank their fill, the men sat in the room chatting. "Sixth Master, that Chen kid showed zero respect. Tell us, how are we going to deal with him later!?" A buzz-cut ruffian, his face flushed from drinking, slurred drunkenly. "How else!? Since he dared to disrespect Sixth Master, just kill him!" the other ruffian said. "He's Suppression Office personnel after all. Killing him brings too much trouble. We'll just leave a little souvenir on his face to teach him a proper lesson!" Liu'er lifted a large bowl, gulped down the liquor, and said, "Oh, and that sister of his. A bit young, but that won't stop everyone from having some fun." "Sixth Master is mighty!" The two lackeys cheered in unison. The three continued snacking and drinking, burping and boasting as they waited for the dead of night to arrive. "A bunch of scumbags. Deserving of death!" In the courtyard outside, listening to the voices inside the house, a fierce glint flashed across Chen Ping'an's face. He wore a hood over his head and stood silently in the dark. Having stepped into the qi and blood third layer tendon changing realm, not only had his strength multiplied, but his control over his body had also vastly improved. Infiltrating this place in complete silence had been effortless. After observing for a while and confirming there were only three people inside, Chen Ping'an hesitated no longer. He kicked out directly, smashing the door open. "Who's there!?" Though Liu'er had been drinking, he was a trained martial artist after all. Jolted by the sudden crash, he sprang to his feet. At that exact instant, Chen Ping'an's fist had already slammed violently into the ruffian closest to the door. *Crack!* With the sound of shattering bone, the ruffian's chest caved in, his internal organs ruptured by the blow. Blood splattered outward, instantly soaking his clothes. "Ugh... ah..." Collapsing to the floor, his survival instincts drove him to struggle desperately, but it was utterly in vain. At the same time, Chen Ping'an swept a leg out, knocking down the buzz-cut ruffian. The astonishing force was completely impossible to resist. The unyielding impact snapped his leg bone in an instant. In barely the span of a single breath, both Tiger Head Gang ruffians had lost all ability to fight back. Having stepped into the martial realm of the qi and blood third layer, Chen Ping'an was already separated from ordinary men by an immense gulf.