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

Chen Wen observed the reactions of the crowd but did not rush to refute them.

Instead, he suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question:

"Let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen houses built by foreigners? They all have a narrow and tall chimney."

"If it burns for a long time, the ash will accumulate inside, forming a thick layer that blocks the passage. How do you clean it then?"

This question surprised everyone.

Why did we suddenly get onto the topic of chimneys?

Someone thought for a moment and tentatively answered:

"Use a long bamboo pole? Tie a brush or shovel to it, and poke it from top to bottom?"

Someone nearby immediately shook their head:

"That won't do! Foreigners' chimneys are especially tall, and bamboo poles are too limp and won't provide enough strength; they'll break easily! Even if they don't break, you can't see down there, and you'll just poke around aimlessly and not get it clean!"

"Then... how about tearing down the chimney and rebuilding it?" someone else suggested.

"Nonsense! How much money would that cost? How much time would it take? Would the factory even be able to operate?" This was immediately refuted.

Everyone offered several suggestions, but they were all rejected by each other.

Cleaning those tall, narrow chimneys seems to be an unsolvable problem.

Chen Wen watched them argue and slowly began to speak:

"Yes, bamboo poles that are too long won't work, and tearing them down and rebuilding them is even worse. So what should we do?"

"Some people thought, since the inside of the chimney is narrow, let's find someone who is particularly thin and small to crawl in and clean it from the inside."

"An exceptionally small person?" someone frowned. "How small must they be? Unless they're... a dwarf who was born never to grow taller?"

Chen Wen nodded.

"But dwarfs are rare, hard to find, and expensive. What can we do?"

"So, they found someone more 'suitable' than a dwarf."

"More suitable than a dwarf?" someone repeated instinctively. "What kind of person is as short as a dwarf?"

Immediately, many people had a terrible thought, and their faces turned deathly pale.

Chen Wen didn't keep them in suspense and directly revealed the cruel answer:

"They're just three to five-year-old children."

"What?!"

A collective gasp filled the courtyard; everyone froze, as if struck by lightning.

"In the United States, the chimneys of those mansions are almost entirely cleaned by children of this age."

"Why three to five years old? Because if they get any older, they won't be able to squeeze in."

"Inside the chimney, it was narrow, dark, and stuffy, filled with toxic ash. Children were stuffed inside, and the ash choked their lungs and stuck to their skin."

"Many children can't work for more than a few years before they get lung disease, skin ulcers, go blind... and then die."

With a loud bang!

Something seemed to explode in everyone's hearts.

They couldn't imagine! What a hellish scene that must have been!

Three- to five-year-old children, who should be nestled in their parents' arms, are instead stuffed into dark, filthy chimneys like tools.

Struggling to survive in deadly tobacco ash until their last breath is drained?

"Beast! Absolutely a beast!"

"May they be struck by lightning! Are they even human?!"

"Letting such young children do this? This...this is crueler than killing them!"

The courtyard instantly erupted in chaos.

The militia members were all furious, slamming their fists on the table, glaring, and shouting curses.

Most of them came from poor backgrounds and had suffered hardships and tribulations!

But I can't imagine that such cruel things could exist in the world!

Yan Zhendong held the bowl of wine, his hands trembling so badly that the wine spilled out, but he was completely unaware of it.

He just stared intently at Chen Wen, as if he were realizing for the first time how terrifying those foreign devils were.

Toothpick Su lowered his head deeply, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Although he always boasted that he was doing very well abroad, he was actually from the lower class.

Of course I know that what Chen Wen said is true.

It was precisely because he knew how terrible the outside world was that he came back, wanting to learn medicine so that he could at least support himself.

Lin Shirong was so angry that he trembled all over and slammed his hand on the table.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he was clenching his teeth, but he couldn't speak, only breathing heavily.

Thirteenth Aunt was already in tears, sobbing silently.

She recalled that when she was abroad, although she also experienced discrimination and injustice, at least she lived in a relatively well-off circle of international students.

I have never truly encountered such shocking darkness at the bottom of society.

Huang Feihong was completely stunned.

Having practiced medicine for many years and witnessed countless human tragedies, the scene described by Chen Wen still exceeded the limits of his understanding.

Sending three- to five-year-old children to unclog chimneys? That goes beyond the realm of hardship.

He shook his head subconsciously and murmured:

"No...it's impossible...this is too...too..."

Chen Wen turned his gaze to him, his expression eerily calm:

"Master Huang, do you think I'm lying to you?"

"If you don't believe me, you can ask Aunt Thirteen to find you some books to read."

"An American named Dickens wrote *Oliver Twist* and *A Tale of Two Cities*. And Engels wrote *The Condition of the Working Class in England*."

"These are books written by their own people, detailing these events. You'll see when you look at them."

Huang Feihong suddenly looked at Aunt Thirteen.

Aunt Thirteen wiped away her tears and nodded, her voice choked with sobs:

"Feihong...I think I've heard of Dickens...but I haven't read his books..."

Huang Feihong fell silent.

Chen Wenlian even mentioned the specific book title and author, which didn't seem like he was just making things up.

Moreover, given Chen Wen's previous knowledge and skills, it seems unnecessary for him to fabricate such a shocking lie to deceive them on this matter.

If this is true... if the most powerful nation, the United States, hides such a dark inferno beneath its glamorous exterior...

What about other Western countries?

What about those places that were colonized and oppressed by the United States?

What kind of inhuman lives do ordinary people lead?

Looking at the complex expressions of shock, anger, pain, and confusion on everyone's faces, Chen Wen sighed softly.

His tone carried a heavy sense of regret:

"The average lifespan of people in the United States is no more than thirty years, and a few decades ago, it was only fifteen years."

"Fifteen years old?" someone exclaimed. "Then...aren't they all going to die soon? Where are there any left in the city?"

"How could everyone die?" Chen Wen retorted. "People in the city died, but then there were people in the countryside. And then people in the countryside died too..."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone in the courtyard.

"Guess where else they can find people?"

Everyone was taken aback at first.

Immediately, a terrifying answer surfaced in their minds, sending chills down everyone's spines.

"Of course it's from here! From our own land of China. From those 'coolies' who were tricked onto the ships by promises of 'gold mines,' 'Southeast Asia,' and 'labor recruitment.'"

Chen Wen's voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like heavy hammer blows.

"Why do foreigners go to such lengths to trick our people into going abroad?"

"Because people are dying too quickly, too many of them!"

"They couldn't fill the lives of their own poor people, so they set their sights on something far away, on us 'piglets'."

Chen Wen stood up, scanning everyone present with a grim expression:

"When Qin Shi Huang built the Great Wall, he wouldn't have used three- or five-year-old children. When Yang Guang dug the Grand Canal, at least he allowed the laborers to lie on the ground and sleep."

"So, Master Huang, brothers!"

Chen Wen's voice suddenly rose.

"We shouldn't hate people from any particular country!"

"What we should hate are those slave owners who grovel over everyone, exploiting and sucking the marrow from their bones!"

"Foreigners' ordinary people are ordinary people just like everyone else!"

"The slave owners of China, including those who sell thallium, are also slave owners!"