In the world of martial arts, grind your skill level to become a saint.

Before Su Hao could see what was happening, five or six burly men rushed out from the crowd and started punching and kicking Old Sun who had fallen to the ground!

"You dare steal my stuff? I'll beat you to death!"

The crowd that had been gathered in a circle quickly retreated and watched from a distance, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Su Hao's gaze also fell on the group that had just made their move, and he discovered that it was Chen Biao and his group whom he had just met earlier.

Seeing that his path was blocked by Chen Biao and his group, he stepped back slightly and did not continue forward, standing quietly in the crowd watching.

Although it's unclear what grudge exists between Old Sun and Chen Biao, it's always best to stay away from such situations.

In my memory, this old man Sun wasn't a very good person. Back then, because he was close to Chen Biao, he used that relationship to speak ill of the original owner's father behind his back, naturally with the aim of stealing business.

The fact that they are now being taught a lesson by Chen Biao is most likely due to a conflict of interest.

Chen Biao and his men hit him hard, kicking and punching Old Sun like a football. Soon Old Sun could no longer make a sound and lay on the ground groaning.

At this moment, another member of the Fierce Tiger Gang ran out of the shop, carrying a cloth bag, and whispered a few words to Chen Biao.

Chen Biao nodded with a gloomy face, then kicked Old Sun on the ground a few more times. His eyes swept fiercely over the surrounding crowd. When he saw Su Hao's figure, he paused for a moment, then snorted coldly and strode away with his men.

Only after Chen Biao and the others had gone far away did the surrounding crowd come forward again to check on Old Sun's condition.

At this moment, Old Sun was lying on the ground covered in blood, motionless, and it was unclear whether he had fainted or died.

Su Hao didn't go over to join the fun. He glanced in the direction Chen Biao and the others had left, touched the cloth bag at his waist, then bypassed the crowd, turned into another alley, and left Blackwater Street.

Such things happen frequently in Blackwater Street, and Su Hao is already used to it. Besides, it's best not to get involved in these kinds of things, lest you get targeted and get into trouble.

Su Hao lived in Laoshu Lane, an outer city of Yanshan City, which was one of the largest slums in the outer city area.

After walking through a series of dark and narrow alleys, Su Hao returned to his residence, a dilapidated mud house courtyard located on the east side of Laoshu Alley.

After opening the courtyard gate, Su Hao put away the copper coins he had earned that day and began to start a fire to cook.

Dinner was very simple: a bowl of coarse grain rice with some lard and salt, and a few green vegetable leaves.

Although Su Hao is now a blacksmith and suffers from oppression by gangs and has a low status, he is still considered a craftsman and at least he can make a living in this world.

In times of peace, life should be even more comfortable.

However, the current court is corrupt, taxes are heavy, gangs are rampant and oppressive, and there has been a severe drought for several months, resulting in a serious reduction in grain production. Su Hao had previously heard in Hongqiao Town that some villages outside the city had already seen people starving to death, and there were even cases of refugees fleeing the famine killing each other to seize grain.

So these days, it's already difficult to have anything to eat.

A bowl of rice mixed with lard was quickly finished, and Su Hao then drank two large bowls of water before he felt full.

After clearing away the dishes, Su Hao glanced at the sky, then went back inside and began to write by the dim light of a lamp.

Although he had transmigrated and was given a second chance at life, Su Hao did not give up his old profession, after all, it was something he once loved and a means to create wealth.

Perhaps my interests have shifted slightly now... but in a world where entertainment is extremely scarce, they are even more sought after...

Bai Jie, her eyes blurry with tears, gazed at her husband, who lay unconscious and drunk on the table. A pair of warm, strong hands gently covered her fair, firm breasts from behind…

……

"Tsk tsk, I really don't know how your brain works, how could you come up with such a plot, it's really exciting! ...And is the story over for today!?"

In a bustling night market in Hongqiao Town, a burly man with a thick beard and a long face held several pages of paper in his hand, his eyes constantly scanning the contents. He licked his lips, his tone still carrying a hint of lingering interest.

"Okay! The new content will be released in a few days, and you should also pay me back the money from last time."

Beneath a black veil and a bamboo hat, Su Hao spoke in a low voice.

"Another three days?!" The burly man with a thick beard and a long face sighed, then pulled a money pouch from his pocket and handed it to Su Hao. "If you keep doing this, the gentlemen in the inner city won't be happy. They have plenty of money. Can't you write a little more each day? That way you'll earn more!"

"I need to ensure quality; writing too much would be counterproductive, and besides, aren't there two other articles?"

Su Hao took the money bag, opened it, and examined it, saying as he looked at it.

"I've already read those two, but they still prefer this Bai Jie thing. I like it too! It's so awesome, damn it…!"

The horse-faced man scratched his chest, a lewd smile on his face. Thinking of the explicit scenes in the book, he leered at Su Hao, leaning closer. "Speaking of which, Bai Jie, are you... hehehe..."

The horse-faced man made a clenching motion with his hand, giving Su Hao a wink.

"I'm leaving now. See you in three days."

Su Hao put away his money pouch, too lazy to pay any more attention to the old lecher, shook his head and turned to leave.

"Ugh...you!"

The horse-faced man watched Su Hao leave. He wanted to call out to him, but considering the man's somewhat eccentric personality, he could only shake his head helplessly, suppress his burning desire, put away the papers in his hand, and walk away.

"I didn't expect the income to be so good this time. At this rate, I should be able to save up for the tuition to go to the martial arts school in no time..."

Su Hao walked down the street, dodging pedestrians as he made his plans.

He learned from the original owner's memories that people in this world could practice martial arts.

The so-called martial arts practice is not the physical fitness martial arts of the previous life, but rather a real high-level martial arts world similar to the novels of the previous life.

For the past two months, he has been blacksmithing during the day and writing books at night, saving up his savings in order to learn martial arts and strengthen himself so that he can protect himself in this world.

In this city of Yanshan, no matter what industry you're in, you can't escape the word "gang"!

Whether it's street vendors, shop owners, restaurants, gambling dens, brothels, or other establishments, they are all inextricably linked to gangs.

Above the gangs are various martial arts academies and some family forces, which are entities that the gangs dare not easily provoke.

Having transmigrated, Su Hao naturally didn't want to spend his life as a blacksmith, suffering oppression from others.

Especially after witnessing Old Sun's ordeal today, being beaten like a pig or a dog, his determination to learn martial arts has become even stronger.

Composing himself, Su Hao did not linger in the market. Instead, he quickened his pace and left the market, preparing to return home.

Although this market is the largest and most bustling market in the entire Red Bridge Town, it is controlled by gangs, but it is also a mixed bag, gathering many people from all walks of life, and is not a place to stay for long.

Not to mention carrying money on you, who knows if you'll be targeted.

Unperturbed on the way, Su Hao left the market and returned to the vicinity of Rat Alley.

As he passed through an alleyway, he suddenly heard a series of sounds, like a wooden stick being struck hard, coming from a half-open window of a house at the end of the alley, accompanied by a woman's cries and pleas for mercy.

Su Hao glanced in the direction from which the commotion came, his expression slightly grim, but he did not stop, instead quickening his pace to continue forward.

In today's world, everyone is minding their own business and not caring about what others are going through. It's best not to get involved in many things, or you'll only bring trouble upon yourself.

Back home, Su Hao bolted the door shut before finally feeling a little relieved.

On the way back, I don't know if it was because I was carrying money, but I always felt like someone was following me.

Fortunately, nothing happened along the way, so he was probably overthinking it.

After hiding the hundred copper coins he had earned that night, Su Hao felt exhausted. He fetched some water, washed up quickly, and then went to bed to rest.

Not long after lying down, Su Hao vaguely heard a series of noisy sounds coming from outside, accompanied by what sounded like people shouting slogans in unison.

"May all beings enjoy ultimate bliss and eternal peace...May all beings enjoy ultimate bliss and eternal peace..."

Noticing the sound was very close to him and the streaks of firelight shining through the eaves, Su Hao immediately became alert. He went to the edge of the eaves on one side of the room, stood on a chair, and looked out.

At that moment, in an alleyway below the house, there was a line of people dressed in different ways, holding torches and white banners, chanting slogans such as "May all beings be in bliss".

The banner had the character "众" (meaning "all") written on it.

Su Hao looked at the people in the group. There were men and women, old and young, and some of them were even residents of this Rat Alley.

What are they doing?

Just as Su Hao was wondering, a streak of fire was suddenly thrown from the crowd and hit him in the face.

Su Hao was startled and quickly ducked to avoid it, falling off the chair.

pat!

The next second, the torch hit the eaves, knocking off a few tiles and sending sparks flying before falling down. For a moment, the shouts of the crowd outside paused slightly.

Su Hao's expression changed, and he quickly got up and went to the door to get a sharp, forged knife. He leaned against the wall and looked warily at the direction of the eaves.

Clearly, his previous spying had attracted the attention of those outside. Although they didn't know what these people were doing, the fact that the other side suddenly attacked him left them wondering what they would do next.

Fortunately, after a brief pause, the commotion outside returned to normal, with slogans ringing out again and the crowd continuing to move forward.

No one made any further moves.

"What on earth are these people doing?"

Su Hao frowned, watching the flames outside pass by. He did not relax his vigilance and remained on alert.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the sounds outside gradually faded away, and Su Hao finally felt a little relieved.

He was drenched in sweat, whether from the heat or from nervousness, it was unclear.

Su Hao lay back on the bed, the knife in his hand leaning against the headboard, but all the weariness he felt earlier had been swept away by what had happened.

Although those people did nothing else after discovering him, the thought of such a group of people wandering and gathering outside made it impossible for anyone to sleep peacefully.