Translator: AnubisTL
As the winter snow melted, Shengtian City burst with vitality, with withered branches gradually sprouting new buds, showcasing the tension of life.
The city-wide search for the Star-Stealing Divine Thief had been ongoing for a long time, but no useful clues had been found yet. As a result, the Prince's Mansion had wasted thousands of taels of silver in vain.
During this period, the imperial capital had gathered a considerable number of martial artists, a mix of all sorts, from various sects and backgrounds.
In various taverns, it was common for martial artists to get into fights over disagreements, causing a lot of chaos.
In addition, because the Nine Lotus Sect had been driven out of Shengtian, a large area of territory had become a target for many martial artists to fight over.
Occupying a street meant they could legitimately collect protection fees, which was a tangible benefit!
Who wouldn't want to sit back and earn money?
So even though the hope of finding the Star-Stealing Divine Thief was slim, these rough men from the martial world were willing to stay, trying to carve out a piece of territory in this bustling imperial capital. If successful, they wouldn't have to worry about their livelihood for the rest of their lives.
Because of these events, even the three major martial arts schools, which had some official backing, faced significant challenges.
Originally, they thought they could smoothly take over the territory left by the Nine Lotus Sect, but now they were severely disrupted by these mixed martial artists.
As a result, the smaller martial arts schools under the command of the three major schools also suffered considerable impact.
Chiming Street.
A group of rough men dressed in coarse linen clothes gathered in a wonton shop. Seven or eight of them ordered only three bowls of wontons, but they asked the boss for extra bowls and divided the wontons among themselves, so each could have a small portion.
"Hey, the food in the imperial capital is really something else. This chili oil is really strong!"
"Whew! It's a pity it's so expensive, otherwise I'd definitely eat seven or eight bowls."
"Hahaha, Young Yang, stop wasting the boss's chili oil!"
Among the rough men, a clean-faced young man smiled shyly, then drank down the bright red, oily wonton soup in one gulp, even licking his lips afterward.
It was hard to imagine why such a shy young man would hang out with a group of rough men, standing out like a crane among chickens.
But the others just teased him with a laugh, without any malice.
At this moment, the boss came over and replaced their jar of chili oil and vinegar.
"Take your time, sirs. It's just some chili oil, not worth much," the boss said with a flattering smile.
He was good at reading the room. Although these men looked strapped for cash, they were clearly not people he could afford to offend.
From the fact that they only ordered three bowls of wontons, it didn't seem like they were here to dine and dash.
Just as the wonton shop boss was about to leave, the leader of the group, a man with a toothpick in his mouth, crossed his legs and asked boldly, "Boss, hold on a second."
Boss Zhang of the wonton shop shivered at the words, then turned around and continued to smile flatteringly, "What is it, sir? Is there something else?"
The leader chuckled lightly and waved his hand, signaling him not to be nervous.
"Don't be afraid. I'm asking you, who do you usually pay protection fees to?"
Boss Zhang's forehead was slightly damp with sweat as he said in a trembling voice, "There's a martial arts school on our street called Green Mountain Martial Arts School. Usually, the neighborhood's protection money is handed over to them."
"So, it's a martial arts school again? How much do you pay each month?"
"It used to be two taels of silver, but recently it's been raised to three taels. They said it's to show consideration for the efforts of Flying Cloud School in capturing the Star Thief. Once the thief is caught, it will be reduced back to two taels," Boss Zhang said bitterly.
The man sneered coldly and said disdainfully, "For a small business like yours, the monthly earnings aren't much to begin with. Yet you still have to pay three taels to that martial arts school. How much can you possibly keep for yourself?"
At these words, Boss Zhang's face grew even more bitter. Ground down by life, he dared not complain too much.
Having less money in his pocket was still better than having none. All he hoped for now was that the turmoil caused by the Star Thief would pass quickly. Seeing Boss Zhang's meek demeanor, the other burly men became even more incensed. One of them even slammed the table in anger.
Bang! "What does capturing the Star Thief have to do with these small shop owners?"
"Exactly! Those martial arts schools must have just found an excuse to squeeze more money out of you. It's called 'using a pretext to act.'"
"Exploiting the situation!"
"That's right, exploiting the situation! Those martial arts school masters are no good."
"..."
The men took turns venting their anger, their rough voices carrying far and wide, reaching the ears of nearby shops.
The owner of the wonton shop turned pale with fear. He nervously said, "Gentlemen, it's best to keep such talk to a minimum. The old master of Green Mountain Martial Arts School is a martial arts expert, and he has the backing of Flying Cloud School. If these words reach their ears, it could bring trouble."
The leader of the group chuckled, putting on an air of confidence.
"Hahaha, from now on, you don't have to pay three taels to Green Mountain Martial Arts School. Just pay us one tael!"
"Remember this, Boss. We are the Liangzhou Heroes!"
After saying this, the hero from Liangzhou neatly placed the payment for three bowls of wontons on the table and stood up.
"Brothers, let's go. It's time to challenge the school!"
Whoosh! The remaining seven men also stood up in unison, pulling out objects wrapped in hemp rope from their waists or backs.
As they walked, they untied the ropes, revealing the cold, sharp weapons hidden within. Boss Zhang, watching this scene, was utterly terrified, his back drenched in cold sweat.
He tremblingly collected the money for the wontons and quickly ran back into his shop, clearly intending to close up immediately.
Chiming Street might witness a major incident today! At that moment, a lazy voice drifted over.
"Hey, Boss Zhang, why are you closing up so early in the day? Hurry up and serve me two bowls of wontons!"
It was Li Qing, yawning as he walked over.
"Oh my, Master Li, didn't you hear just now? How can you still have the mood to eat wontons at a time like this? There's a Dragon Crossing the River causing trouble, and we need to be careful not to get caught up in it!" Old Zhang said urgently.
However, Li Qing couldn't be bothered to respond. He waved his hand and said, "No matter how much trouble they cause, it won't affect us here. Kicking down the doors of a martial arts school is something done behind closed doors. If they were to fight and kill in the streets, the authorities wouldn't just sit back and do nothing."
"Alright, hurry up and bring me the wontons. I've been exhausted from forging these past few days," Li Qing urged.
"You... alright, alright, just wait a moment, they'll be ready soon," Old Zhang finally said, draping the towel over his shoulder and getting back to work.
Meanwhile, among the Liangzhou Heroes who hadn't gone far, the young man surnamed Yang suddenly stopped in his tracks and squinted as he looked back.
"What's wrong, Young Yang?" the leader of the group immediately noticed this.
The young man surnamed Yang shook his head and said, "It's nothing, Brother Fang. I just felt that the person who just walked into the wonton shop seemed a bit different, maybe someone who practices martial arts."
Fang Long laughed heartily, "Hahaha, why bother with them? We're here to kick down the doors of the Green Mountain Martial Arts School. As long as they don't get in our way, we don't need to pay them any mind."
"True enough."
Yang Xing withdrew his gaze and followed the group as they continued towards the Green Mountain Martial Arts School.
TL/N: Guys, let those collections, reviews and power stones pour in. If you have read so far, it's fair to say you are enjoying it.
(End of the Chapter)
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