Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill-Chapter 51: Welcoming Spring and Xi’Er

Another day on duty passed as usual. Chen Cheng still hadn’t heard any news about the Black Lotus Sect. As for the Jiang Family, aside from the official record of Jiang Yun’s attack filed with the City Guard Department, there was nothing. Everything was calm and quiet, which put his mind at ease.

After his shift, Chen Cheng went to the market, bought some food, and started for home.

As he passed the vicinity of Xia Ban Lane, he didn’t even spare the alley a glance. But after walking a little further, he saw two members of the Flying Eagle Gang—one tall, one short—chasing a tattered beggar child into another alley.

Chen Cheng frowned. A quick glance was all it took to realize that this was the same little beggar he had knocked unconscious the day before.

The beggar was small and gaunt; how could they possibly outrun a grown man? They had barely taken a few steps into the alley when the pursuing Flying Eagle Gang member—a man as tall and thin as a beanpole—caught up, seized them by the scruff of the neck, and lifted them into the air.

The little beggar flailed their arms and legs, struggling desperately, but they were too small and weak. They had no hope of breaking free from the lanky man’s grip.

The lanky man gasped for breath, letting the child thrash about as he cursed, "You little brat, you can really run. Had me chasing you for half a block! Damn you! Go on, run! Why have you stopped now?"

"Behave yourself, you little brat," the shorter gang member said as he caught up. He slapped the child across the face and immediately began to search them.

As the local tyrants of the surrounding streets and alleys, the Flying Eagle Gang oppressed and exploited people from all walks of life. Even beggars wandering the streets had to pay the Flying Eagle Gang example money; otherwise, they weren’t even allowed to beg.

No one knew where this little beggar had drifted in from. They had been hiding here and there, but these two members of the Flying Eagle Gang had finally found them.

After being slapped, the little beggar seemed to grow scared. They stopped struggling and didn’t dare cry out, falling silent. They knew that in front of members of a Jianghu Gang, screaming was useless. No one would dare to intervene; it would only earn them a savage beating.

The shorter gang member searched them all over but didn’t find so much as a single copper coin. However, he quickly noticed something unusual about the child. He suddenly grew excited, pinching the little beggar’s chin and wiping away the grime on their face with his sleeve.

"Well, what do we have here? This ’kid’ is actually a girl. And a pretty one, at that."

The lanky man’s eyebrows shot up. He laughed, a smug look on his face. "Haha, I heard a few days ago over on East Street, Qiu the Third and his men lost a few of their ’packages.’ They’re searching everywhere. This little girl must have been one of the ones who escaped."

"It’s perfect. We can take her back to them and get a nice sum for drinks."

"Mm, not bad, not bad!" the short one agreed, then immediately shook his head. "How much could Qiu the Eighth and those other traffickers possibly pay? We’d be better off selling her to the Spring Breeze Tower. The Madam there pays more."

"Sell her to the Spring Breeze Tower? Not a bad idea."

The lanky man set the girl down and began to look her over. A lecherous smile crept onto his face as he shot a wink at his shorter companion.

"This little thing is a bit on the young side, but she’s a virgin, at least. How about you and I have the first taste?"

The short man snickered. "Sounds good to me. Just as long as we don’t kill her."

While the two were lost in their sordid discussion, the girl seized her chance. She grabbed the lanky man’s wrist and bit down hard. Then, dropping into a crouch, she bolted for the alley entrance.

"OW!" the lanky man yelped in pain. Blood trickled from his wrist, where a deep set of teeth marks was now visible.

"Grab her! Just wait and see how I’m gonna deal with her!"

The two men turned and gave chase, but they stopped dead in their tracks after just a few steps.

At the mouth of the alley stood a young constable in the gray uniform of the City Guard Department. His jewel-black eyes, simmering with a quiet rage, were fixed upon them.

Meanwhile, the little beggar had seized the opportunity to hide behind the constable.

The newcomer was none other than Chen Cheng. He might remain indifferent to the infighting among Jianghu Gangs, but when their members preyed on common folk, he felt compelled to intervene.

"Mas... Master Chen, what brings you here?" The two cautiously approached, the lanky man’s face a mask of fawning flattery.

As members of the Flying Eagle Gang, they naturally recognized the local constables from the City Guard Department. And Chen Cheng was someone even their Incense Master, Zhou Biao, was wary of and dared not easily provoke.

Chen Cheng beckoned to the two of them. "You two. Over here."

"Yes, yes, of course." The lanky man and his short companion hastily lowered their heads, shuffling closer with the meek obedience of children awaiting a lecture.

But Chen Cheng offered no lecture. He simply lashed out with his foot, kicking twice in quick succession.

With two sharp thuds, both the lanky man and his short companion took a solid kick to the face. They collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

’I’m still too soft-hearted!’

Sighing to himself, Chen Cheng turned to leave, but he saw the little beggar standing nearby, watching him with pleading eyes.

"Go on," he said. "Those two won’t be waking up anytime soon. They won’t be chasing you."

He pulled out a few copper coins, pressed them into the girl’s hand, and turned to walk home.

’Knocking out the Flying Eagle Gang members was to stop them from chasing the girl. As for giving her copper coins, there’s a certain logic to that as well. You can’t give too many. A large sum would be more than a little beggar could handle; even if she avoided other gang members, she’d likely be robbed by other beggars.’

He was a man of flesh and blood, with passions of his own. He could be ruthless enough to cut down anyone who threatened his life, yet he couldn’t bring himself to be indifferent to the suffering of common people.

Chen Cheng harbored no grand ambitions, like the old saying about tending to oneself in poverty and aiding the world in prosperity. He just wanted to live his life well, acting on his convictions, and staying true to himself.

After walking some distance, he suddenly stopped. Turning, he saw the little beggar trailing him from afar, matching him step for step.

"You should run for your life," Chen Cheng said with a small smile.

In these chaotic times, there were far too many beggars. The most he could do was give a few copper coins.

Anything more was beyond his power. He was, after all, just a minor figure himself, struggling to survive.

The little beggar ran forward, suddenly dropped to her knees, and kowtowed.

Chen Cheng quickly reached out to help her up.

"There’s no need to thank me. You should go, run for your life. This is all I can do for you."

With that, Chen Cheng turned to leave, but to his surprise, the girl started following him again.

"What is it now?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Chen Cheng spun around abruptly. His gaze turned icy, his expression severe. As a Martial Artist who had killed before, he naturally possessed a ferocious aura.

He was no bleeding-heart saint and hated being pestered, even by a pitiful little beggar girl.

The girl flinched, startled by the sudden intensity of his aura.

"I-it’s nothing... My name is Xi’Er. I just wanted to ask my benefactor’s name. You gave me nine copper coins. I can’t repay you, so I can only hope to serve you like a horse or an ox in the next life to repay this kindness."

’Nine copper coins?’ Chen Cheng’s eyes narrowed. He grabbed the girl’s shoulder and pulled her into a deserted corner.

He had only given her four copper coins just now, but he had given her five the day before. Together, that made nine.

For her to mention nine copper coins meant she clearly knew he had been to Xia Ban Lane. News of that could not be allowed to spread.