Chapter 2: Big Brother
"This is a breakthrough already?"
Chen Ming looked at his own hands, feeling the solid strength within his body, along with the many new insights into the "Iron Horse Stance" that had erged in his mind.
A feeling he couldn’t quite put into words surged in his heart.
The original host began martial training at the age of thirteen, starting with this very "Iron Horse Stance."
He practiced it for three years before hitting a bottleneck.
It was as if sothing was stuck—no matter how hard he trained, he couldn’t improve any further.
He was stuck for four years.
Even after working as a clerk at a trading firm, despite his busy schedule, he still persisted in practicing the stance every day, rain or shine.
All he managed to do was maintain his condition.
Now, with just two experience points, he had broken through that bottleneck and stepped up to the next level.
He glanced at his status panel.
【Na: Chen Ming】
【Level: 3】
【Current Points: 0】
【Cultivation thod: Iron Horse Stance (Second Layer 0/200 )】
【Martial Skills: Three Talent Fist (Proficient 21/200 ), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Beginner 12/100 )】
Suddenly, Chen Ming turned his head toward the two prisoners cowering in the corner and walked over to them.
The two prisoners heard his approaching footsteps and scread in fright, "Spare us... we won’t dare again... ahhh..."
Then ca a storm of fists and kicks, accompanied by agonizing screams.
The other prisoners locked nearby all shouted and cheered.
Unfortunately, it was too dark to see clearly, but judging by the sounds of the beating, it was brutal.
...
Chen Ming kept beating them for several minutes until their pleas for rcy grew faint.
Finally, he stopped.
"Why didn’t I get any experience points this ti?"
He began to ponder.
Was it because you could only gain experience from a person once?
Or was it because they had no fighting will whatsoever, so it didn’t count as a battle?
Which reason it was, he needed more data to confirm.
"Looks like I need to figure out a way to get out of this prison."
Chen Ming listened to the groaning and whining of the two prisoners and felt irritated. "Shut up."
The two prisoners imdiately shrank back in terror, not daring to make another sound.
He moved away from the toilet and found a relatively clean spot to sit down and study this freshly obtained golden finger.
...
Unknowingly, dawn arrived.
Chen Ming spent the first night after transmigrating in this kind of environnt.
Suddenly, there were footsteps outside.
Two jailers called out, "Chen Ming, co out."
One of them took out a key and unlocked the chains.
Chen Ming felt a bit nervous, unsure of what he was about to face.
The interrogation thods of this era were always straightforward and brutal—if you didn’t confess, you’d be tortured.
He wasn’t afraid of getting beaten, just afraid these people might maim him.
He put on a submissive smile and said, "Dear sirs, may I ask what this humble one is being summoned for?"
One of the jailers, dark-skinned, glanced at him and said with a grin, "If you had behaved this well yesterday, you wouldn’t have had to take that beating."
So, it was you lot who beat the original host to death.
Chen Ming lowered his head even more and said humbly, "It was this one's fault yesterday for being ignorant and troubling the two officers."
The jailer recalled how this kid had been beaten to a bloody ss yesterday and still refused to confess, stubbornly holding his ground.
He hadn’t seen many with such a spine.
Unexpectedly, after just one night, the kid seed to have turned into a completely different person.
Looks like no matter how tough the bones, they still can’t beat torture tools.
He teased, "Looks like that beating yesterday really knocked so sense into you."
"I truly was scared straight by the beating."
The jailer was about to say sothing else when his companion suddenly gave a light cough and said, "Chen Ming, the Jin family has withdrawn their charges. You can go ho now."
"Huh? Really?"
Chen Ming was overjoyed.
"Of course. Collect your belongings and you can leave."
...
After sending him off, the two jailers spoke.
The dark-faced jailer looked puzzled. "Brother Sheng, why were you so polite to that kid? You even gave his clothes back? That outfit was new and worth quite a bit."
Brother Sheng said aningfully, "You saw it yesterday too. That Chen Ming—how hard his bones were. Overnight, he completely changed, beca so restrained. Do you really think he was afraid?"
"What else could it be?"
Brother Sheng said in a low tone, "I've seen soone like this before. Wronged, just as stubborn—refused to confess no matter what. After being locked up for a few years, he completely changed. When he got out, he vanished. A few years later, he returned with a gang of bandits and wiped out everyone who had wronged him back then."
The dark-faced jailer swallowed hard. "Brother Sheng, don't scare ."
Brother Sheng clasped his hands behind his back and walked deeper inside, saying as he went, "That man was Qingbei Wolf."
Qingbei Wolf?
The dark-faced jailer was shocked, his heart beginning to race.
That was the largest bandit group in the entire commandery, rampaging for ten years, robbing rchants and travelers alike, infamous across the region—even children stopped crying when his na was ntioned.
...
As Chen Ming stepped out of the prison gates, he felt a rush of joy, like a tiger returning to the mountains after escaping a cage.
The gloom in his heart was completely swept away.
"Ah Ming."
Suddenly, he heard soone call his na. He turned around and said in surprise, "Big Brother?"
Standing not far away was the original host's older brother, Chen Rui.
Chen Ming suddenly understood—it was this elder brother who had gotten him out.
No wonder the Jin family had suddenly withdrawn their charges, and the magistrate's office had suddenly released him.
Chen Rui looked sowhat tired, but when he saw him, the deep frown on his face imdiately eased.
Chen Ming walked over and said solemnly, "Brother, thank you."
"We're brothers—no need for that. Co, let's go ho. Your sister-in-law is still waiting for news at ho."
With that, he got into a slightly worn carriage nearby.
Chen Ming followed him into the carriage, his emotions stirring.
In the original host’s heart, there had been a bit of estrangent between him and his brother.
Their relationship wasn’t close.
After their father died, Chen Rui inherited the family business.
Not long after, he cut off Chen Ming’s funds and stopped supporting his martial arts training.
With no other option, Chen Ming had to accept his brother’s arrangent and beco a clerk at Jinyuan Prosperity Trading .
Naturally, he harbored resentnt. From then on, he had rarely returned ho.
But when trouble struck, it was this very blood brother who ran all over the place to get him out of prison.
Unfortunately, the original host was no longer here to see it.
...
More than an hour later, they finally arrived ho.
As soon as Chen Ming got off the carriage, he saw his sister-in-law, Madam Wei, waiting at the door with a brazier.
She had him step over it, then used willow branches to sweep him a few tis, brushing away bad luck.
Quite a few neighbors were watching the scene with curiosity.
"Chen Er is out?"
"Good to see him back."
"Such a good kid, beaten up like that—so pitiful."
"I’ve said it before, we watched Chen Ming grow up. No way would he ever do anything criminal..."
"..."
Chen Rui cupped his hands in a circle, bowing to the neighbors all around, then led the family back into the house.
Chen Ming had sharp ears and caught so less friendly voices among the crowd.
"This ti, to get that good-for-nothing brother out, Chen Da probably emptied out the Chen family’s savings."
"Isn’t that the truth? I heard Madam Wei even sold off her dowry."
"So pitiful. Chen Rui is such an honest and upright man, dragged down by a brother like that."
"If it were , I wouldn’t have bothered getting him out..."
"Look how smart the Zhang family was. As soon as Chen Er got in trouble, they imdiately ca over to break off the engagent. Didn’t get dragged down at all."
"…"
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