Martial Arts Across the Heavens: Becoming a Martial God Starting from the Big Boss in Tangshan

The table was quickly filled with dishes, their aroma filling the air.

Yan Zhendong looked at the glistening char siu, the translucent shrimp dumplings, and the steaming lotus seed paste buns on the table, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily as he swallowed.

During this period, he was sometimes hungry and sometimes full, and he survived by drinking cold water.

Suddenly faced with so many exquisite dishes, my stomach started rumbling uncontrollably.

But he didn't touch his chopsticks; instead, he continued to stare at Chen Wen.

"My fellow villager, we're complete strangers, and I shouldn't accept a meal without having done anything for you. This meal seems to be more than just a formality, doesn't it?"

"Do you want me to teach someone a lesson for you? Or do you want me to do something shady?"

Clearly, he misunderstood Chen Wen's purpose, thinking that the other party wanted to hire someone to kill him.

Chen Wen chuckled upon hearing this and shook his head, saying:

"Master Yan, you're really overthinking it. This meal is just a friendly reunion between fellow villagers; I'm treating you to a good meal, nothing more."

"When you're traveling, having more friends means having more options; it's just about looking out for each other."

Yan Zhendong, however, did not believe it and remained seated, only looking at Chen Wen, his meaning quite clear.

He'd rather not eat the meal than not explain it clearly.

Seeing his insistence, Chen Wen knew that if he didn't reveal his intentions, this guy probably wouldn't touch his chopsticks.

He sighed and instead asked:

"Master Yan, actually I'm quite curious. With your skills, back in your hometown of Shandong, even if you don't become extremely wealthy, it shouldn't be difficult for you to make a living peacefully and be respected by others."

"Why leave your home and travel thousands of miles to this place, only to end up in such a state?"

These seemingly casual words caused Yan Zhendong's expression to change, and his previously wary gaze instantly sharpened.

With a hint of surprise and tension, he lowered his voice and shouted:

"Who are you?! Why are you asking all this?!"

Chen Wen's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he might have inadvertently touched upon the real reason why the other party had gone south.

The reaction was far more intense than expected.

It seems that some of the speculations in later generations about Yan Zhendong going south because he offended someone or was trying to avoid trouble may not be unfounded.

He immediately raised his hands, a sincere look of helplessness on his face, and quickly changed the subject:

"Master Yan, please don't get agitated. I was just asking casually and meant no harm."

He paused, then continued Yan Zhendong's earlier guess.

"Okay, I admit, I did have some ulterior motives for inviting you to dinner. But it's nothing shady, and it's certainly not about asking you to teach anyone a lesson."

Yan Zhendong's eyes remained wary as he stared intently at him, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Wen stated his intentions:

"I want to hire you."

"Employment? You want me to be your slave?! To be at your beck and call?!"

Yan Zhendong frowned, then his face flushed with anger, and he slammed his fist on the table!

With a muffled thud, the cups, plates, and bowls on the table jumped up, and the soup almost spilled.

Although he didn't use his full strength in that shot, the force was still considerable.

Plates, bowls, chopsticks, and steamers were all shaken and flew into the air, and it looked like they were about to fall to the ground along with the char siu buns and shrimp dumplings.

Chen Wen reacted quickly, his hands suddenly reaching out to grab the bowls and plates, catching everything.

"Hey, Master Yan, you're too impatient. Can't you let people finish speaking?"

Chen Wen put the things back on the table, shook his head and sighed.

"The employment I'm talking about isn't about being a slave. You can think of it as a guard. I pay you wages, and you work for me, it's that simple."

Yan Zhendong, however, had no time to be angry at that moment.

His pupils contracted. Chen Wen's seemingly casual move was incredibly fast, and the control of his strength was absolutely exquisite. He was definitely not an ordinary person!

He didn't even see the specific movements clearly!

This young man... is a master! His martial arts skills are definitely not inferior to mine!

He immediately became more vigilant, and at the same time, a greater sense of doubt arose in his heart.

Yan Zhendong sat back in his chair, looked at Chen Wen again, and asked in a deep voice:

"You yourself are a master, with extremely impressive martial arts skills. Why would you need to hire me as a bodyguard? What powerful enemy have you offended that requires you to find help?"

Even at this point, he still believed that Chen Wen was going to hire someone to kill him.

Chen Wen appeared calm:

"I can't explain it to you. I've only been in Foshan for a short time, and I hardly know anyone on the street. How could I have any enemies?"

"I only came to invite you because I saw how skilled you are."

He was half telling the truth and half lying; he did have some plans to find Yan Zhendong.

More importantly, I wanted to get up close to this Iron Shirt master and perhaps learn something from him.

After all, the Heaven Rewards Diligence system prefers those who are masters of observation and enlightenment.

Yan Zhendong fell silent, looking at Chen Wen's eyes, then at the fragrant dishes on the table, and then at the few cold copper coins in his pocket.

There is a battle between heaven and man in my heart.

The person in front of me is mysterious, wealthy, highly skilled in martial arts, and his motives are unclear.

But the meal and the job were just too tempting for him.

Seeing the other party's conflicted expression, Chen Wen directly stated his conditions:

"Master Yan, we won't sign any indenture, and there's no coercion involved. I'll pay you twenty taels of silver a month as payment, including room and board."

"If you feel it's not suitable halfway through, or if you have other plans, you can leave at any time. I won't make things difficult for you. How about it?"

"Twenty taels?!" Even though Yan Zhendong was somewhat prepared, he was still shocked by the number.

One tael of official silver could be exchanged for about a thousand copper coins; if the quality was good, it could be exchanged for more.

For example, the new silver coins Chen Wen just took out could easily be exchanged for three or four hundred more.

Previously, he risked his life to perform the act of piercing the throat with a silver spear, but he only earned a dozen or so coins!

Twenty taels a month!

After working for a few months, you can not only afford to eat and dress well, but you might even save up enough to open a martial arts school!

What's more, the other party even allowed him to leave at any time?

These conditions are so generous it's almost unbelievable!

Faced with such a huge temptation, Yan Zhendong became even more vigilant.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head, looking at Chen Wen with a complex expression, his tone carrying a resolute determination:

"Since you're offering such a price, you must be asking for something substantial. Just tell me, who do you want me to kill? Though I'm down on my luck, once I've taken your money, I'm ready to go through fire and water!"

Chen Wen was both amused and exasperated, and waved his hands repeatedly:

"Master Yan, why are you going back to the same old story again? I told you I don't need to kill anyone! If I wanted to kill someone, I could do it myself. Why bother you?"

"Never mind, it seems I can't eat in peace unless I put your mind at ease."

As he spoke, he took out two ten-tael silver ingots from his pocket, brand new and gleaming, and slammed them onto the table, pushing them in front of Yan Zhendong:

"Here's your pay for this month. Keep it. Our employment relationship is now complete, it's that simple."

Yan Zhendong stared wide-eyed at the two gleaming silver ingots on the table.

Pay first? And in full?

This person is either a novice who hasn't experienced the dangers of the world, or someone with enough strength and confidence to not be afraid of him running away with the money.

Judging from the move Chen Wen just showed, it was clearly the latter.

He took a deep breath, no longer hesitated, solemnly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Chen Wen:

"Since my master trusts me so much, I will certainly live up to his expectations! From this day forward, I will be at your service!"