CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: SUPPRESSING AN ENTIRE CITY

"Get lost."

"Damn it, this lousy story, I told you not to tell it, but you won’t stop."

Xing Jinglong scolded loudly, glaring at Lin Zheyu and the others, eyes full of provocation.

"Xing, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to cause trouble on the Feihong Gang’s territory?"

Unable to hold back, Jia Yanrong slammed the table and shouted angrily.

"I paid to hear the story, can’t I complain if it’s bad?" Xing Jinglong said.

"Mr. Xing, your behavior is quite excessive. If you don’t like the story, just don’t listen. Why cause trouble?" Lin Zheyu stood up and said.

"I’m provoking you, so what?"

"Want to fight?"

Xing Jinglong challenged, and his companions stood up as well.

Lin Zheyu restrained the impulsive Jia Yanrong, saying, "Let’s not fight. As a son of the Xing family, publicly provoking a fight would be quite disgraceful for you."

Xing Jinglong: "???"

Xing Jinglong’s face turned dark. To hell with disgrace, I’m just a collateral descendant of the Xing family.

This kid can really endure; after all this, he’s still not making a move.

"By the way, Lord Qiu Gaoxuan is arriving soon, and he quite likes this story."

"Why don’t you wait a bit for Lord Qiu to come, and tell him where the story’s bad?"

"If you insist on provoking a fight, let’s wait for Lord Qiu, and you can tell him?" Lin Zheyu continued.

"Qiu Gaoxuan?"

Xing Jinglong took a deep breath, feeling a bit unsettled.

Qiu Gaoxuan is extremely powerful, having reached the peak of the Refining Internal Organ Realm.

If he comes, even the Refining Internal Organ Realm martial artists he brings wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

But damn it, it’s just causing a scene, having a fight, what’s bringing Qiu Gaoxuan into this supposed to mean?

Why have these guys suddenly become so cowardly?

"Hmph!"

"A bunch of cowards, keep being turtles, then!"

Seeing that he wasn’t getting anywhere, Xing Jinglong snorted coldly.

Bang—

He stood up, kicked the table hard, shattering it into pieces, then left with his people.

"That bastard is getting more and more arrogant."

Jia Yanrong cursed as he sat back down.

"We can’t help it, with the Xing family having military connections. If chaos breaks out, the Xing family can seize the chance to recruit soldiers and strengthen their power."

"This chaos is a great opportunity for the Xing family."

Xie Jiang said with a heavy expression and a somewhat gloomy look.

After Xing Jinglong left, Mr. Wo came to apologize and sent a plate of snacks to each table. The storyteller began again.

"Let’s drink, why think about these bothersome matters? These things are for the gang leader to worry about; we small fry should just manage our little patch." Xie Jiang raised his glass, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

...

The next day.

Morning.

Tongquan Street No. 28, Feihong Tower.

Lin Zheyu sat beside Xu Jingwu, accompanying him to watch a play.

"I read the book, it’s very well written," Xu Jingwu said.

When Lin Zheyu sold books to the Lu siblings before, he wrote a few extra copies. One was given to Liang Song, one to Han Mo, and another to Xu Jingwu.

It had taken Xu Jingwu this long to finish reading it.

"I’m glad the gang leader likes it," Lin Zheyu said.

After his strength advanced to the Qi Blood Realm, he realized just how terrifying Mr. Xu’s power was.

Under his refined exterior, Xu Jingwu harbored extremely thick Qi blood strength, held in reserve but not unleashed.

Such tremendous Qi blood energy must surely unleash incredibly terrifying attack power when it erupts.

Lin Zheyu felt that the gang leader’s strength might have surpassed the Qi Blood First Transformation, though he wasn’t sure by how many transformations.

"I said before, if the story is good, you’ll be richly rewarded. This story pleased me greatly."

"Lun Tian, give Lin Zheyu a hundred taels of silver," Xu Jingwu instructed his subordinate.

"Thank you, Mr. Xu, for the reward!"

Lin Zheyu said.

Mr. Xu was exceedingly generous; he had thought fifty taels would be a good amount, but didn’t expect to receive a hundred taels of silver outright.

"A few days ago, you were attacked by Xing Penghai outside the city?" Xu Jingwu suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"At that time, Mr. Han was out suppressing bandits, so I specifically went out of town to see him off, but unexpectedly, I was targeted by Xing Jinglong and his group."

"Xing Penghai offered me a black pill to take, to make me join the Xing family, but I refused," Lin Zheyu said, not hiding anything.

The influence of the Feihong Gang is immense, and many events in Songyi City do not escape the eyes and ears of the Feihong Gang.

"The Xing Family holds a position within the City Guard. It’s best if you don’t leave the city alone in the future. If something happens outside the city, even I would find it difficult to handle,"

said Xu Jingwu.

Lin Zheyu is just an ordinary recruit of the Feihong Gang, not a member of the Xu Family. If something serious does happen, the most likely outcome would be that the Xing Family apologizes and offers some compensation.

At most, the Feihong Gang might find a pretext to take down a few skilled members of the Wuding Gang.

But that’s about it.

"Alright, I will be cautious."

"Are you feeling a bit disappointed?" Xu Jingwu glanced at Lin Zheyu.

"No."

Lin Zheyu shook his head.

This is how the world works.

Even having joined the Feihong Gang only gives him a slight deterrent effect over ordinary people; it means nothing against the major aristocratic families of Songyi City.

No matter how great his displayed talent is, before he grows, it’s still just talent.

For now, he’s still a minor figure.

"The Xing Family is the largest family in Songyi City besides the City Lord; their power is formidable."

"One-third of Songyi City’s City Guard is under the control of the Xing Family. If you get targeted by them outside the city, even I would find it hard to stand up for you."

said Xu Jingwu.

He represents the Xu Family, the gang leader of the Feihong Gang, established by several aristocratic families, not just as an individual.

It’s impossible to completely fall out with the Xing Family over just Lin Zheyu.

"But you don’t need to worry too much. As long as you’re in the city, they wouldn’t dare to make trouble easily, after all, the City Lord is overseeing the city."

said Xu Jingwu, reassuring Lin Zheyu not to worry too much while inside the city.

"The City Lord’s surname is Chen, right? From the Chen Family?" Lin Zheyu inquired with curiosity.

"No, the City Lord is directly appointed from the Great Wei Palace to govern Songyi City."

"The City Lord has no family or faction in Songyi City. With the City Lord’s strength, they alone can suppress a whole city," said Xu Jingwu indifferently.

Suppress a whole city by oneself!

Lin Zheyu savored this phrase, feeling it was immensely powerful.

What kind of formidable strength would justify such a description?

"What kind of strength does the City Lord have? A Grandmaster?" Lin Zheyu couldn’t help but ask.

"Not sure, no one knows the City Lord’s true strength, only that they are very, very strong."

"Within the city, no aristocratic family dares to defy the City Lord’s will; those who do simply disappear from Songyi City," said Xu Jingwu with a sigh.

He had seen several aristocratic families vanish from Songyi City for that reason.

Overnight, leaving none behind, silent and extremely terrifying.

From then on, no family dared to cause trouble within the city; only minor squabbles occurred. Even if there were any underhanded tactics, they were done outside the city.

Seeing Xu Jingwu’s somewhat cautious expression, Lin Zheyu did not probe further.

The atmosphere cooled down.

The opera continued on stage, and Mr. Xu occasionally hummed along with a few lines.

"You aren’t married yet, are you?" Xu Jingwu suddenly asked.

"Haven’t married."

Lin Zheyu felt a pang of unease in his heart and quickly added, "I’ve lost contact with my parents and family, so I haven’t given any thought to marriage."

"Marriage is a major life event, sanctioned by parents and matchmakers, so it should wait until I find my parents and family,"

"It’s fine, no rush, I was just asking."

"Our Xu Family has quite a few young ladies, I can introduce you to some,"

"If you were to marry one of the Xu Family’s daughters, you’d become one of us, and the Xing Family would dare not harm you."

"There’s no need to aim for marriage right away; get acquainted first, and if you find someone suitable, then consider marriage," Xu Jingwu said.

He held Lin Zheyu in high regard.

With such talent, under proper guidance, he could one day become a powerful Qi Blood practitioner.

"Thank you, Mr. Xu."

said Lin Zheyu.

The suggestion being put forth, it was difficult to refuse.

But it’s just socializing; if he finds no interest, it shouldn’t compel him to marry, right?

...

Lin Zheyu listened to a few operas with Mr. Xu before leaving.

After leaving Feihong Tower, he headed straight for the city’s pharmacies.

He visited several pharmacies before finally collecting all the necessary medicinal herbs.

With prices soaring, purchasing herbs for eight portions of Blood-Nourishing and Bone-Strengthening Soup cost a total of one hundred and one taels of silver.

Holding the herbs, he returned to his courtyard to continue his martial arts practice.

...