Body Refinement for Longevity: From Health Cultivation Exercises to Overcoming All Techniques

"Master Ma is so generous, Master Ma is so generous..."

As he spoke, he patted Chen Han's butt, as a subtle hint.

Chen Han belatedly thanked him repeatedly.

"Okay, work hard, don't starve to death."

After saying that, Master Ma strode away.

"Brother Chen, you'd better remember this guy, Master Ma, a prominent figure in the Daohe Gang. In our area, he's the one who calls the shots."

Master Ma is actually a decent guy. He seems fierce, but he's much better than other gangs. For people like us who make a living off others, other gangs charge 40% tax, but we only need 30%.

"Don't underestimate the power of 30%. Master Ma still needs to maintain good relations with the officials. Otherwise, how would we have the opportunity to sell wild game here? The soldiers would smash our stall every time they saw us."

Li Gao reminded Chen Handao.

Chen Han feigned surprise, "Oh! Then Master Ma must be a martial arts practitioner."

"That's right. Master Ma is a true master of internal strength martial arts. Even martial arts school disciples don't dare to provoke him easily. In this place, if he stomps his foot, the ground will shake three times."

"A martial artist with hidden strength! That's incredibly powerful!"

Chen Han's mouth dropped open.

"By the way, do you know... the Black Mountain Gang?"

"The Black Mountain Gang?"

Li Gao asked in confusion, "There are quite a few gangs in this capital city, and I've heard of many of them, big and small, but the Black Mountain Gang you mentioned... I've never heard of it before. What kind of gang is it?"

"They're from my hometown. It seems they also fled here. Judging by the time, it must have happened more than a month ago."

Li Gao suddenly realized, "Oh, I don't know about that. Gang affairs are incredibly complicated, especially since the so-called Black Mountain Gang is an outside gang. Perhaps only a few local gang leaders know about it."

"so...."

After the morning market ended, Chen Han and Li Gao took on a short job together, heading to Kaitian outside the city.

Carrying a hoe, he cleared the wasteland, which was full of weeds and pebbles. Clearing the land was quite troublesome and tiring, but that was for others. For Chen Han, it was not even a warm-up, but he still showed a laborious look.

He heard from Li Gao that this was a rare and desirable job, with high pay, and it was the best thing to get such a job while hunting in the mountains.

Under the blazing sun, Li Gao spat into his palm, rubbed it together—this way, the hoe wouldn't slip—and lectured Chen Han again.

"In our line of work, the income is unstable, so don't complain about the hard work. Earn as much money as you can. Although the capital is big enough to accommodate the poor, quite a few people still starve to death every winter."

"Work yourself to the bone as long as you don't die, even if you can't get any jobs..."

Li Gao, panting, continued, "We'll also try our hand at being beggars, but that might get us beaten up by the Beggars' Sect."

Chen Han smiled to himself, thinking, 'The Beggars' Sect... I wonder if their leader knows the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms...'

By the end of the day, Li Gao was exhausted, his steps unsteady. Chen Han helped him to his lodging, a dilapidated house in the outskirts of the city. Nobody wanted it, so Li Gao took it over and became a bandit.

The room was a bit drafty, and it was still a bit chilly at night.

In reality, people like them, to put it nicely, make a living with their skills; to put it bluntly, they're only slightly better off than beggars, without even a proper place to live.

"Did you see that? The master's new concubine, my goodness, that waist, that hip, those long legs, hey, she's got it! Master Xu is so old, and he's still playing around like this, isn't he afraid of getting crushed by those long legs..."

"To be honest, the mistress isn't bad either. Although she's a bit older, her elegant demeanor is quite appealing. I just wonder if she moans during lovemaking..."

"Keep your voices down, you two. Aren't you afraid the walls will hear you? Master Xu is rich and powerful, and he's on good terms with the gangs. Even the gang leaders have to give him some face. Taking your lives is like crushing an ant. You dare to say that? You're really not afraid of death."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. You're such a blockhead, so boring. How could the master hear what we're saying in this godforsaken place..."

Just then, the sound of several old men talking and laughing came from next door.

"Master Xu? Brother Li, do you know who he is?"

Li Gao glanced at Chen Han, assuming he was interested in what had just come from next door, and smiled knowingly before speaking.

"Master Xu is in the grain business and is one of the most prominent figures in the city. He is wealthy and influential and has connections with various powerful forces, especially gangs."

"Master Xu is particularly fond of dealing with gangs and has a good relationship with several gang leaders. As a result, his business has grown bigger and bigger, even attracting the attention of the royal family, and he has recently been deliberately suppressed."

"By the way, this Mr. Xu is quite old but still has a particular fondness for women. He can't even count all the young and beautiful women in one breath. I bet he secretly tries to emulate the emperor by choosing his concubines."

Li Gao said while munching on a large steamed bun, "What? Envious?"

Chen Han smiled and countered, "Aren't you envious?"

"Envious..." Li Gao sneered. The chill of the night made him shrink his neck. His eyes changed as he thought how wonderful it would be if he had been born into the Xu family.

After a long pause, he smiled bitterly and said, "Envy? How can I not envy? I've been envious since I was a child. When my parents died, I didn't even know how old I was, what my name was, or even if my surname was Li."

"I was sold to a brothel as far back as I can remember, and became a slave. I had to clean up after the women there, wash their dirty clothes, and if I did anything wrong, I would be beaten and scolded. Once, even my fingernails were pulled out."

"Hmph, these bitches, they're clearly bastards themselves, yet they still try to make things difficult for me..."

As he spoke, Li Gao's eyes welled up with tears. Realizing this, he wiped them away and calmed down.

"Sometimes I think, how wonderful it would be if I were a rich young master. Maybe I'd still be in school learning poetry and painting from my teacher..."

Chen Han looked at the boy and was slightly moved by his words, but he was not good at comforting people and did not say anything.

Late at night, Chen Han sneaked out, changed into that familiar black veil hat, and his face was completely covered, making it impossible to see his features.

During the day, concealing himself would attract too much attention, giving the impression of trying to hide something obvious; but at night, when there are few pedestrians and he is deliberately hiding, no one can find him.

But if someone does discover it, they won't dare say a word and will silently leave.

Chen Han moved through the city like a ghost, easily bypassing any patrolling martial artists he encountered.

Finally, he arrived at his destination, the Xu residence.

Hearing that there were several martial artists guarding the Xu residence, Chen Han did not take it seriously and easily bypassed the guards patrolling the residence, arriving at Master Xu's window.

A woman's seductive voice came from inside. He opened the door a crack, and the scene before him stunned Chen Han.

Wow, that's some serious fancy stuff...

With a thought to himself, Chen Han pushed open the door and entered.

Five breaths later, several disheveled young women lay on the ground, unconscious.

Kneeling before Chen Han were an old man nearing fifty and a middle-aged man in his thirties.