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

The atmosphere in the courtyard grew increasingly lively.

The members of the militia had a way to make a living and were able to earn money to support their families. Their faces were filled with a long-lost joy.

They clinked bowls together and laughed loudly.

It was as if he wanted to wash away all the frustrations of the past few years in this drink.

Chen Wen, holding a wine glass, walked up to Ling Yunkai and said with a smile:

"Brother Ling, I must thank you today. It was truly abrupt to pull you into my clinic to take the blame."

"However, when I get busy in the future, I'm afraid I'll still need to trouble you to look after the clinic. As for compensation, you will definitely not be stingy."

Ling Yunkai quickly stood up, holding a glass of wine in his hand, but his face showed some hesitation.

Chen Wen's payment was indeed generous; the one or two taels of silver he received today was equivalent to his wages for many days.

But since he was a disciple of Po Chi Lam, he went to help out at the clinic across the street.

What... what's going on here?

Feeling guilty, he opened his mouth, wanting to politely decline:

"Boss Chen, my master needs more help here, I..."

Huang Feihong, who was listening nearby, spoke up:

"Kai, Brother Chen is a man of great ambition and destined for great things. He needs help there, so you can go."

"Besides, Brother Chen's clinic only provides medical consultations, not prescriptions. You still have to come to our Baozhilin clinic to get your medicine, right?"

"Your past help will bring us more patients, which is a good thing. Don't worry about it."

The master spoke and pointed out the connection between them.

Ling Yunkai was finally relieved, a smile spreading across his face as he raised his glass to Chen Wen:

"Since Master says so, then I shall respectfully comply. If Boss Chen needs anything in the future, please don't hesitate to give the order! I respect you!"

"Okay!" Chen Wen smiled, clinked glasses with him, and drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Wen's gaze then turned to the somewhat reserved Yacha Su.

When Toothpick Su saw Chen Wen approaching, he hurriedly stood up, his face flushed red, unsure of what to do with his hands, and stammered:

"Master Chen... I... I..."

Lin Shirong laughed heartily beside him and shouted:

"Boss Chen, please don't take offense. This guy is a real 'fake foreigner,' he grew up abroad, ate foreign bread and drank foreign ink, he can't even speak our language well, he stutters when he gets anxious!"

"But he's not a bad person; he's my junior brother!"

Although he looked down on Toothpick Su in private, he was still his fellow disciple, so he had to protect him in front of outsiders.

Chen Wen nodded, then looked at Toothbrush Su and smiled:

"Hello..."

Toothpick Su was startled, his eyes widening in surprise as he stared at Chen Wen, almost unable to believe his ears.

He instinctively answered quickly and clearly in English as well:

"Oh!...Mr. Chen! You speak English! And fluently at that! It's my honor!"

This scene left everyone in the courtyard stunned.

"What kind of gibberish is he speaking?"

"Why isn't Toothpick Su stuttering anymore?"

"Boss Chen can speak foreign languages ​​too?!"

The crowd looked at each other and whispered among themselves.

But Huang Feihong and Aunt Thirteen suddenly seemed to remember something, and a hint of sympathy appeared in their eyes as they looked at Chen Wen.

Chen Wen once said that he was tricked into going overseas to be a "coolie" (a laborer in China), so it's not surprising that he speaks English.

But this is not something to be proud of; rather, it is a tragedy.

Yan Zhendong also thought of this.

He instinctively gripped the wine glass in his hand, his face somber, a hint of grief and indignation flashing in his eyes.

Huang Feihong's expression also darkened, and he silently took a sip of wine.

Aunt Thirteen empathized deeply, having also experienced language and cultural barriers and discrimination abroad.

He also stepped forward and spoke to Chen Wen in English:

"Mr. Chen...you must have suffered a lot back then, right?"

Chen Wen nodded to Aunt Thirteen, but replied in Chinese:

"The past is the past."

"Moreover, to be honest, I met Brother Long not long after I was arrested, so I didn't actually suffer much."

"If we're talking about suffering... there are too many people suffering in this world."

"Regardless of region or country!"

These words surprised everyone.

"There are many suffering people? Can anyone be suffering more than us?" a member of the militia couldn't help but shout. "We're almost starving!"

"Exactly! Those foreigners are all fat and bloated, dressed in gold and silver. What hardship could they possibly have?"

"I heard that foreigners live on a mountain of gold! They could kick up gold with a single kick! Is that what you call hardship?"

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, clearly not believing that there were poor people outside.

Even Wong Fei-hung looked puzzled.

He had met foreigners and knew that not all of them were extremely wealthy.

But he could hardly imagine that they were suffering more than the common people at the bottom of the Qing Dynasty.

Chen Wen shook his head:

"You can't compare them like that. In any country, there are those who live a life of luxury and indulgence, and there are also those who freeze to death on the streets. You can't generalize."

"Among the foreigners, there are many who are poor and cannot make a living."

"Boss Chen, we don't believe that!" Lin Shirong shouted. "You say foreigners suffer? Tell me, how do they suffer? Can they be worse off than us?"

Seeing their disbelieving expressions, Chen Wen thought for a moment and asked:

"You all know about the US, right?"

"I know! It's that most powerful foreign country! I heard they have the most warships, the largest territory, and even the United States is their vassal state!" someone immediately replied.

Huang Feihong nodded in agreement:

"The United States, indeed, is now arguably the strongest nation in the West. Brother Chen, are you saying... that its people also suffer?"

Chen Wen sighed:

"It's more than just suffering! The poor there can't even sleep on the ground."

"Huh? Why can't we sleep lying down?" Everyone was taken aback.

Chen Wen explained:

"Because there are laws prohibiting people from sleeping on the streets or the ground. But what about those who are so poor that they don't even have a shack to shelter them from the wind and rain?"

"So, someone came up with a business idea... renting out ropes!"

"Rent a rope? How do you sleep on a rope?"

"It's not about lying down to sleep. It's about tying a rope to both ends, and then, like hanging clothes to dry, you lean against the rope, half-sitting and half-hanging there, just to make do for the night. And for that, they charge you! No money? Then get out, and nobody will care if you freeze or starve to death."

The courtyard was completely silent; everyone was stunned by this unprecedented way of sleeping.

Sleeping while hanging from a rope? And you want money for it?

This...this is worse than livestock!

Chen Wen continued:

"Also, in their area, houses with more windows have to pay taxes, and the tax varies depending on the size of the windows."

"Some poor people block up their windows or make their houses very small in order to pay less tax, making the rooms dark and stuffy."

"What...what kind of logic is this?" someone murmured.

Chen Wen's voice lowered.

"There, even young children have to earn money to support themselves, otherwise they can only wait to die."

Lin Shirong's face was filled with disbelief, and his voice even changed tone.

"How old is your child? Must they be working to support themselves, or just waiting to die?"

"This...how is this possible?! What kind of work can a child do? Isn't this forcing someone to die?!"

The others also shook their heads, their faces full of doubt.

Some even began to doubt whether Chen Wen was joking with them or lying.

But what's the point of lying to them about this?

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"No matter how bad foreigners are, they shouldn't let a young child risk their life, right?"

"Boss Chen, did you... mishear me? Or did those foreigners lie to you?"

They could not imagine the legendary empire on which the sun never sets.

How could the lower classes of that powerful Miqi Kingdom, which even the imperial court feared, be in such a state?

Even if they thought about it, they couldn't come up with an answer!