CHAPTER 558: CHAPTER 15: GANGSTER STREET

After escaping from the Duke Mansion, Yue Jinghua finally let out a sigh of relief.

Since Fa Xiao’s death, to prevent her from being reminded of it, mother had not mentioned her marriage for quite some time.

Unexpectedly, after returning to the Imperial City, mother began to worry about the marriages of her twin children.

In the 23rd century, Yue Xiaoqi never took matters of love to heart; even after arriving here, despite having met many people including outstanding figures like Zong Shaoqing, Xie Yu, and Ni Qianjun, she never considered settling down for life.

Subconsciously, she always thought that the existence of Mo Xi Treasure Book was like a time bomb, uncertain of when she might suddenly return to the 23rd century.

To her, emotions could probably only be considered a by-product.

After clearing up the whimsical thoughts in her mind, she called upon Hongling and Shalman and started walking along Wohua Avenue.

Wohua Imperial City truly lived up to its reputation as a super metropolis of the Eastern Continent. Not long after leaving the Duke Mansion, what they saw and experienced along the way was vastly different from that in Shang Kingdom.

Wohua Avenue was extremely wide, with four lanes symbolizing different social statuses and walks of life.

Along the way, they indeed saw many Dark Practitioners swaggering through the markets with their Dark Beasts, yet everything was orderly and didn’t seem crowded at all.

All kinds of weapon shops, Elixir Medicine Shops, and daily necessities dazzled the eyes. From the mountain delicacies of the northern lands to the southern coral, everything was available.

In the Imperial City, as long as you have money, from a house to a needle, anything can be bought if you can name the right price.

However, the excessive prosperity also led to incredibly high real estate prices in the main city area of the Imperial City, and the cost of living was at least thirty to forty percent higher than other places.

Yue Jinghua originally thought that with her current fortune of several tens of millions of Dark Pills, she could make a difference in the Imperial City. But as soon as she inquired, she was shocked by the astronomical rent of the local shops and was driven out of the store disdainfully by others.

"Fifty thousand Fourth-level Dark Pills for only a six-month lease, isn’t this ripping people off?" Yue Jinghua instantly went from being wealthy to a pauper, expelled from the shop with a look of contempt.

The commercial situation in the Imperial City was much more complicated than what Jin Nuo had previously informed her about. According to the data collected by the Eagle Department, sixty percent of the streets in Wohua Imperial City were monopolized by the Yunhu Commerce and Yanyue Guild, while the remaining thirty to forty percent were owned by the noble families of the Imperial City.

What was most infuriating was that thirty percent of these were originally owned by the Duke Mansion, which were transferred out after the bankruptcy incident.

"Jinghua, didn’t Uncle Hong previously mention that the Duke Mansion still had a few old shops? It’s just that they are located in remote areas. Our shop has quality goods, and even in Shang Kingdom, didn’t we also start in a secluded location? The fragrance of wine needs no bush—let’s go take a look at the shops. If they are decent, we can just set up in a remote area," Shalman optimistically suggested, full of confidence in Yue Jinghua’s unique treasures.

After considering it, Yue Jinghua had no choice but to search for the shops Uncle Hong had mentioned, which couldn’t be rented out.

After circling around seven or eight streets, away from Wohua Avenue, they continued from the main urban area into the suburbs.

The expressions on the faces of Yue Jinghua and the two women changed from initial excitement to a hint of complexity.

Whether in the 23rd century or on the Canglong Continent, there is one commonality, and that is the disparity between the rich and the poor.

If the main city area of Wohua Imperial City is wealthy and prosperous, then Linlan Street is the shadow beneath the prosperity, the shadow that the Empire is most reluctant to show to outsiders.

Even on a sunny day, the road was so muddy as to be unbearable, and the eaves were so low they could bump one’s forehead, with children in tattered clothes dragging their green snot all over the streets.

The sour and stinking odor of vomit exposed to the air, the aged looking like zombies and the voluptuous prostitutes with their chests bared, stimulated the senses.

Broken liquor jars, drunkards staggering even in broad daylight, this was the scene that Yue Jinghua and Shalman saw as they entered Linlan Street.

The few stores mentioned by Hong Shan appeared to Yue Jinghua like haunted houses.

Both of them felt a sense of disarray in the wind.

"Why don’t we go to Yun Luo and think of a way? Perhaps her grandfather would be willing to help us?" Shalman’s courage was waning; not to mention business, simple safety was a concern for shops located in this area.

Although the attire of the three women was not luxurious, it stood out distinctly fashionable on Linlan Street.

On their way here, they had already been followed by at least four or five malicious stares.

"Let’s leave this place first," Yue Jinghua also noticed that from the time they left the Duke Mansion, entered Wohua Avenue, and up to Linlan Street, there were a few strands of Dark Energy following them.

Since the other party had not attacked and it was a public area, wary of the law enforcement in the Imperial City, those people did not show themselves, and Yue Jinghua would not rashly make a move either.

After entering Linlan Street, there were still a few shops in this area. Business wasn’t entirely impossible; if the public safety here could be managed well, everything would take a turn for the better.

She should return to the Eagle Department and investigate the situation on Linlan Street thoroughly before making plans.

Yue Jinghua understood that to survive in the Imperial City, one must have their own force. Here, unlike in Fengdan County, dragons and serpents mixed. To survive, one not only had to deal with the high and mighty dragons but also had to deal with the local tyrants who hid in dark corners ready to bite at any moment.

No sooner had Yue Jinghua and Shalman left when a few young men dressed as Martial Artists emerged from a shadowy corner of Linlan Street. "Boss, is that the person Young Master Ji talked about?"

It turned out that since Ji Yun was warned by his own father, he had seemingly quieted down a lot on the surface, but behind the scenes, he was harboring ill intentions.

Since he couldn’t move against Yue Jinghua openly for the time being, he would find a way in the shadows.

He wanted to let Yue Jinghua know that the Imperial City was not a place where a destitute noble could run wild.

Ji Yun secretly contacted several gang leaders in the Imperial City and put out the word; whoever crippled Yue Jinghua would be supported as the leader of the city’s underground forces.

This move was quite devious. Knowing that the dark forces in the Imperial City had been evenly matched for many years, there had not been a single force dominant over the others.

When the news reached the major forces, they reacted like cats smelling blood. Overnight, the names of Yue Jinghua and the Blood Cherry Duke Mansion spread throughout the underworld of the Imperial City.

"That’s him, looks neither male nor female, tender and delicate. Always with a couple of women by his side, the kind of pretty boy I hate the most," those Dark Practitioners glanced at the run-down shops near the Duke Mansion and sneered a few times, "Set a fire and burn down these shops; when that kid comes back next time, he should never return."

As the man spoke, several prostitutes standing at the street corner also looked over. The two forces exchanged cold smiles and dispersed.