Chapter Two: Fierce Tiger Fist

Chen Fan suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his heart and moved skillfully through the streets. He walked for half an hour before turning into a narrow alley.

The houses around here were much lower and humbler. Unconsciously, his steps grew lighter. This was the locust-tree street on the western outskirts of the county, one of the most remote corners of Feiling County.

He stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard and pushed open the door.

“Brother! Sister-in-law!”

Chen Fan called out excitedly as soon as he entered the yard.

“I got my monthly wage today—”

But the moment he set foot inside, his cheerful expression froze, and the words stuck in his throat.

In the dim main room stood three or four shadowy figures. The leader sat on a chair, idly toying with a dagger, the corners of his mouth curled in a smirk as he stared at Chen Fan.

At the sight of him, Chen Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

This man was known as Pi Liu, a notorious thug from the neighborhood, a member of the Black Tiger Gang, an underground force in Feiling County.

Just then, Chen Fan vaguely heard the sound of a woman and a little girl weeping from the side room. He recognized the voices instantly: his sister-in-law and his four- or five-year-old niece.

A sense of foreboding filled his heart, anger simmering inside, but he dared not show any trace of it.

Times were far from peaceful. The Black Tiger Gang was the undisputed overlord of the western outskirts—definitely not someone he could afford to provoke.

Pi Liu’s eyes swept over Chen Fan, a mocking smile in them.

“Little Chen, you’ve really made something of yourself. I hear you’re working as a bookkeeper for the Great Prosperity Trading Firm?”

Chen Fan forced a bitter smile. “Brother Liu, you’re teasing me. I’m just helping out in the office, hardly a real bookkeeper…”

His gaze flickered, ears straining to catch any sign of his elder brother, but he heard nothing.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced over the burly men before him, quickly judging that with his slight build, he stood no chance against them.

His agitation faded into cold clarity. He forced a smile. “Brother Liu, what brings you here…”

Pi Liu sneered. “Let’s not waste words. Your elder brother gambled with me at Master Bai’s casino and lost twenty taels of silver. Now he’s fled, so I can only come to your house!”

The mention of twenty taels made Chen Fan’s heart lurch again.

With a wave of his hand, Pi Liu tossed a slip of paper before Chen Fan—a promissory note.

“Now that you’re capable, if your family can pay up the twenty taels, all the better. If not… don’t blame me for being rough!”

Veins stood out on Chen Fan’s forehead, but he was utterly powerless.

According to his memories, the original owner’s parents had died years ago. His elder brother made a living as a laborer, earning barely one tael a month—less than two, just enough to feed the family.

As for Chen Fan, before crossing over, he had been young and frail, unable to do hard labor and earning next to nothing.

Since coming to this world, Chen Fan had finally managed, with wit and effort, to land a “high-paying” job, earning three taels a month. Life had just begun to improve, and now this disaster had struck.

He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and handed over all he had in his pouch—a string of copper coins and a tael of broken silver. He pleaded with Pi Liu for more time.

Pi Liu snorted and pocketed the money. “Chen the Younger, you’ve got prospects now. I believe you’ll be able to pay back the twenty taels… this can count as interest!”

Circumstances left him no choice; Chen Fan agreed on the spot.

In truth, had he not joined the Great Prosperity Trading Firm and shown some earning potential, Pi Liu likely wouldn’t have let the matter rest so easily.

“I’ll be back this time next month. Don’t forget to prepare the money—”

With that, Pi Liu and his two lackeys left, leaving Chen Fan fuming with helpless rage.

Going inside, he found his sister-in-law collapsed on the ground, clutching her daughter and weeping.

His little niece, thin and small, her face streaked with tears, reached out to hug her mother. “Don’t cry, Mama!”

Chen Fan’s heart was heavy with sorrow. He could only count his blessings that his niece was still so young, and his sister-in-law had lost her looks.

He comforted them as best he could, cursing his wayward brother in his heart.

Yet, though his brother was indeed somewhat irresponsible, Chen Fan had never known him to gamble so recklessly.

He understood well that Pi Liu and the casino must have lured him in.

The owner of the casino, Master Bai, was closely tied to the Black Tiger Gang.

Chen Fan could only sigh inwardly.

After a simple dinner, he lay awake under the starry sky, the events of the day playing over in his mind, the urge to train in martial arts only growing stronger.

…

Early the next morning, he went to the Great Prosperity Trading Firm to ask Steward Hou for half a day off.

Thanks to his quick mind and efficient work, even though he hadn’t been employed long, Steward Hou was quite fond of him and granted his request without hesitation.

He then made his way to the eastern district, stopping at the entrance to White Cloud Training Hall.

After asking around, he finally learned that, though called a “Daoist Hall,” White Cloud was, in fact, the premier martial arts school in Feiling County—well-connected and powerful, often producing skilled fighters.

The hall was grand, situated in a bustling part of town and covering vast grounds. Most of the people coming and going were well-dressed young men and women; only a handful wore coarse homespun like himself.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Fan went in.

But before long, he came out again, frustration written on his face.

He’d gotten the facts: White Cloud was indeed a martial arts school, and the reason so many well-off youths trained there was simple—the tuition was sky-high.

Registration alone cost fifty taels of silver!

“Even if I ate nothing and spent nothing, it’d take me over a year to save up that much…”

Chen Fan shook his head bitterly.

His brother had abandoned wife and child over a debt of twenty taels. If Chen Fan had fifty taels to spare, things would never have come to this.

He had counted all the family’s savings the night before—not even five taels.

Looking at the few plain-dressed youths inside the hall, he sighed inwardly. For them to come up with fifty taels must have emptied their coffers, a desperate gamble for a better future.

“Only because White Cloud produced someone as legendary as Li Linliu can they dare charge so much. Other schools must be cheaper, right?” he consoled himself and set off to find another.

Half an hour later, he left the so-called “Flying Tiger School” disappointed once more.

Despite its humble reputation, Flying Tiger charged thirty taels of silver for tuition—still far out of his reach.

Even if he had thirty taels, he doubted he had the nerve for such a risky gamble.

He sighed, about to leave, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Turning, he saw a scruffy man smiling at him. The man was unshaven, disheveled, wearing coarse cloth, but broad-shouldered and sturdy.

“Want to learn martial arts, but can’t afford the tuition?”

Chen Fan could only give a wry nod. His expression at the school’s entrance made his situation obvious.

The man glanced around furtively, then leaned in and whispered, “Come with me. I’ll show you something good…”

With that, he turned and walked off.

Chen Fan hesitated but followed. After all, this was the county town; he doubted the man would dare do anything to him.

They reached a deserted alley before the man stopped.

“I’ve got a friend who’s an entry-level disciple at Flying Tiger, a real martial artist. He can’t lower the tuition, but…”

Chen Fan’s expression grew wary.

The man pulled a thin booklet from his coat and tossed it over.

Chen Fan caught it carefully. On the cover, three bold characters declared: “Tiger Fist.”

“Tiger Fist is one of Flying Tiger’s famous foundational styles… Normally, you’d never get to learn it outside the school, but now, if you want to…”

The man grinned slyly, holding up three fingers. “I’ll let you have it for three taels of silver!”

Chen Fan hesitated, suspicion rising.

He had heard of many scams and tricks in his previous life. This man’s tactics reeked of con artistry.

Three taels was a month’s wages—enough for him to live comfortably for quite some time.

He frowned and began leafing through the thin booklet.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he’d read it from cover to cover.

And just then, a string of strange characters suddenly appeared in his vision:

[Tiger Fist (Locked)]
[Unlock to activate Auto-Practice Function]

The characters were translucent gray, shifting as his gaze moved, yet not obstructing his view. It seemed only he could see them.

“What is this?”

Chen Fan yearned to become a martial artist, though he had little confidence. But the sudden appearance of these strange words made his heart race wildly.

A thought flashed through his mind: “If I master Tiger Fist, will I unlock this so-called auto-practice function?”

The scruffy man watched him peruse the book, smiling with unconcealed confidence.

“You can tell it’s the real thing, right?”

His tone was casual but full of assurance.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, pondering for a long moment. “Could you let me have it for a bit less?”

The scruffy man only grinned wider.