Chapter 37: The Salt Smuggler Defeated, Bloodshed to Prove Kinship

"Hold on, brave man!" The salt smuggler leader, seeing how fierce Ma Jun was—coming up without a word and ready to cripple someone's limbs, and even revealing their backgrounds without fear—hurried forward with a much more respectful tone. "It was our brothers who were at fault earlier. Please, brave man, spare him this once. If you ever find yourself in trouble in the future, the Green Gang will surely lend you our full support!"

Businessmen seldom provoke trouble without reason; profit is their priority, as harmony brings wealth. Bloodshed is only ever driven by gains.

Ma Jun gave them no face at all, shouting, "You salt smugglers, you’ve been causing trouble for the Heaven and Earth Society—I’ve long found you disagreeable! Then you went and laid hands on my son's mother; how could I let this slide? No matter what you say today, I must teach this fellow a lesson!"

With that, Ma Jun seized the burly man's fingers in his left hand and twisted hard. There was a series of sharp cracks, and the man howled in agony. Ma Jun let go, and the injured man stood clutching his hand, looking to his leader.

The elder salt smuggler narrowed his eyes, first waving to restrain his men from acting rashly, then shouted angrily, "Are you truly intent on making an enemy of our Green Gang?"

Ma Jun laughed aloud, raised the wine jug from the table, and took two deep gulps. "You conduct your business, making a living, which is fair enough! But today, never mind the Heaven and Earth Society, you’ve bullied women and children—is that the act of a true hero? If you wish to oppose me over this, then the Green Gang is nothing to fear!"

"Hmph! If my brother bullied women and children, there are rules within the gang to punish him. But for an outsider to step in—that’s looking down on us. Today, we have no choice but to fight, lest the world mock the Green Gang as lacking men!" The elder sneered, then waved his hand; several strong men immediately charged at Ma Jun.

In this world, martial arts had fallen into decline. Unless he encountered a master like Chen Jinnan, Ma Jun, armed with a pistol, would rarely lose a fight. These men possessed only basic skills, not even internal energy; Ma Jun, relying on his elementary special forces training, feared nothing.

With experience in battling groups, Ma Jun was calm and poised. He set his stance, left arm blocking, right fist striking one man in the chest. He ducked to evade an attack from behind, swept his leg to trip another, then spun and landed an elbow into a third man's chest.

In merely five minutes, Ma Jun had knocked over a dozen men to the ground. He grabbed Wei Xiaobao, affectionately ruffling the boy's hair, then looked at the salt smuggler leader, saying, "We are all Han people; internal strife is no skill! I’ve already shown mercy today—take your men and leave. Jia Lao Liu isn't here, and the heroes of the Heaven and Earth Society are not ones your Green Gang can provoke!"

The elder's expression shifted several times, but his composure was deep. He cupped his fists, saying, "Since this brave man has made it clear, our Green Gang will show you respect. May I ask your name, sir?"

"My name is Ma Jun—just an unknown nobody. If you wish to settle the score, I’ll be ready anytime!"

"The mountains remain, the rivers flow on—Brother Ma, let us part ways here!" The elder smiled, his thoughts unreadable, and led his men away.

"Wow, big brother, you’re amazing! Truly a great hero!" Wei Xiaobao, delighted to see the bullies who harassed his mother chased off, looked at Ma Jun with newfound admiration. He slapped Ma Jun’s horse, but did not call him father.

"You rascal, call me father!" Ma Jun laughed heartily, then shouted, "Brave friends, it’s all over—let’s enjoy ourselves!" Turning, he called, "Chunhua, come keep me company!" Then he looked to the distance and shouted, "Quickly, bring me a table full of good dishes!"

Soon, music and laughter resumed, as if the chaos had never occurred. Yet many glanced at Ma Jun, curiosity piqued, but none dared approach, wary of his fierceness. Upstairs, the muscular Mao Shiba kept eyeing Ma Jun, as if hoping to make friends.

Wei Chunhua pondered deeply. Before she conceived Xiaobao, she was quite attractive; her clients included Han, Manchu officials, Mongol officers, Hui people, and even Tibetan lamas. But surely she’d never served a twelve-year-old boy? Yet this youth was so certain—could her memory be wrong?

"Oh, sir, thank you so much today!" Lost in thought, Wei Chunhua still professionally toasted Ma Jun.

After two drinks, Ma Jun looked at Wei Xiaobao with affection. "Chunhua, you’ve had a hard time these years, raising a child alone. It must have been very difficult. Don’t worry, I intend to do great things—restore Ming against Qing! When it’s done, you and your son—"

"Please, Ma, don’t say such things!" Chunhua, secretly pleased to have such a handsome benefactor willing to care for her and her son, was terrified to hear of rebellion. "The Great Qing is just fine; Manchu and Han are one family—don’t speak recklessly! Besides, Xiaobao isn’t your child. Before I had him, I’d never met you!"

"Oh, really?" Ma Jun laughed inwardly, but put on a displeased face. "You wicked woman! I finally have a son to raise for the battlefield, and now you say he’s not mine. Look at him—his forehead and nose look just like mine!"

Wei Xiaobao scratched his head, seeing no resemblance at all, but grinned, "Great hero, your ambition is admirable. I, Wei Xiaobao, will be your friend—from now on, if you are in Yangzhou and need help, just call for me! I’ll give you my full support!"

He had learned from the salt smuggler’s words, acting like a small adult—quite amusing.

"Good son, always boasting!" Ma Jun took another drink, laughing, then suddenly his face darkened. "Chunhua, since you claim this boy isn’t mine, let’s do a blood test to prove kinship! I refuse to believe it!"

As a modern man, Ma Jun knew even with half-baked science that the blood test for kinship was unreliable—pull in any random person and the test would declare them family.

Soon, a bowl of clear water was brought over. The guests crowded to watch the spectacle.

Ma Jun, calm and composed, drew a finely crafted knife, pricked his finger, and let blood drip. He did the same with Wei Xiaobao.

All eyes were fixed on the bowl, watching the two drops of blood.

"See, I told you!" After a moment, Chunhua patted her chest and laughed, "Ma, Xiaobao isn't your son!"

Damn, Ma Jun was embarrassed. He coughed twice and quickly asked Chunhua, "Darling, tell me what’s going on?"

"I think you’ve gone mad, hogging the spotlight shamelessly. The blood test failed—I know why, but I won’t say, hehehe!"

Ma Jun felt exasperated, muttering to himself, Someday, I’ll spank you for this!