The winter snow melted, and a burst of vitality erupted within Sheng Tian City, as withered branches gradually sprouted new buds, showcasing the tension of life.
It had been a long time since the city had been searching for the Star Snatcher, yet no useful clues had been found, resulting in the royal family wasting several thousand taels of silver.
During this period, a considerable number of martial artists gathered in the imperial capital, representing all walks of life, a chaotic mix of fish and dragons.
In various taverns, it was common for people from the Jianghu to get into fierce fights over trivial disagreements, causing quite a bit of chaos.
Moreover, due to the defeat of Jiu Lian Men in Sheng Tian, a large territory had become available, which many martial artists were eager to seize.
Occupying a street allowed one to collect protection fees with legitimacy, a tangible benefit!
Who wouldn’t want to earn money while sitting idle?
Thus, even though the hope of finding the Star Snatcher was slim, these brash men from the martial world were willing to stay, attempting to carve out a piece of territory in this bustling imperial capital. If successful, their later lives would be worry-free.
Because of these events, even the three major Martial Halls with some official backing faced significant challenges.
What they had thought would be an easy opportunity to take over the territory left vacant by Jiu Lian Men was now severely disrupted by these mixed martial artists.
As a result, the smaller martial schools under the command of the three major schools were also impacted.
On Chi Ming Street.
A group of rough men dressed in coarse linen gathered in a wonton shop. Seven or eight of them ordered only three bowls of wontons, but they asked the owner for several more bowls to share, ensuring everyone could have a small portion.
“Hey, the food in this imperial capital is indeed different; this chili oil is really strong!”
“Phew! It’s a pity it’s too expensive; otherwise, I’d definitely eat seven or eight bowls.”
“Hahaha, Brother Yang, stop pestering the owner about his chili oil!”
Among the rough men, a clean-faced young lad smiled shyly, then gulped down the bright red, oily wonton soup, not forgetting to wipe the corners of his mouth afterward.
It was hard to imagine why such a shy youth would associate with such a group of brutes, making him stand out like a crane among chickens.
However, the others around him merely laughed teasingly, with no malice intended.
At this moment, the owner approached, bringing them a new jar of chili oil and vinegar.
“Gentlemen, please enjoy. It’s just some chili oil, not worth much,” the owner said with a forced smile.
He was quite perceptive; although these people looked poor, they were clearly not someone he could provoke.
From their action of ordering only three bowls of wontons, it was evident they were not there to dine and dash.
Just as the wonton shop owner was about to leave, the leading man, with a toothpick in his mouth and legs crossed, boldly asked, “Owner, please stay a moment.”
Hearing this, the wonton shop owner, Zhang, couldn’t help but shiver, then turned around, continuing to smile nervously, “What is it, sir? Is there something else?”
The leading man chuckled lightly, waving his hand to indicate there was no need to be nervous.
“Don’t be afraid. I want to ask you, who do you usually pay protection fees to?”
Zhang’s forehead broke out in a light sweat as he stammered, “There’s a martial school on our street called Qingshan Martial Hall. The usual neighborhood fees are paid to Qingshan Martial Hall.”
“Oh, it’s a martial school. How much do you pay each month?”
“It used to be two taels of silver, but recently it has increased to three taels, saying it’s to compensate Feiyun Martial Hall for their efforts in capturing the Star Snatcher. Once that thief is caught, they’ll revert it back to two taels,” the owner said bitterly.
The man sneered, disdainfully saying, “For a small business like yours, you can’t be making much each month, yet you still have to pay three taels to that martial school. How much can you possibly keep?!”
Upon hearing this, the owner’s expression grew even more bitter. Having been worn down by life, he didn’t dare to complain further.
Having less money in his pocket was still better than having none at all; he only hoped the turmoil caused by the Star Snatcher would pass quickly. Seeing the owner’s cowardly demeanor, the other rough men became furious, with some even slamming the table in indignation.
Bang!
“What does catching the Star Snatcher have to do with the owners of these small shops?”
“Exactly, those martial school people must have found some excuse to extort more money from you. What do you call that? Borrowing a topic to exploit.”
“Borrowing a topic to exploit!”
“Exactly right, borrowing a topic to exploit! Those martial school heads are no good.”
Several of them began to angrily denounce, their rough voices carrying far, and nearby shops could hear them.
Meanwhile, the wonton shop owner turned pale with fright, nervously saying, “Gentlemen, it’s better to say less about this. The old master of Qingshan Martial Hall is a martial arts expert, and he has the backing of Feiyun Martial Hall. If this reaches their ears, it could bring trouble.”
The leading man smiled, adopting an air of confidence.
“Hahaha, from now on, you won’t have to pay those three taels to Qingshan Martial Hall. You’ll only need to pay us one tael from now on!”
“Owner, remember, we are the good men of Liangzhou!”
After saying this, the Liangzhou man stacked the money for the three bowls of wontons neatly on the table and stood up.
“Brothers, let’s go kick some doors down!”
Swish!
The remaining seven stood up in unison, each pulling out items from their waists or backs, all of which were wrapped in hemp ropes.
As they walked, they untied the ropes, revealing the cold, gleaming weapons!
Old Zhang, the wonton shop owner, was dumbfounded at this scene, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
He trembled as he collected the wonton money, then hurriedly ran back into the shop, seemingly wanting to close up immediately.
Today, something big might happen on Chi Ming Street!
At that moment, a lazy voice drifted over.
“Hey, Old Zhang, why are you closing up now? It’s broad daylight; hurry and serve me two bowls of wontons!”
Li Qing walked over while yawning.
“Ah, Little Li, didn’t you hear? There’s a River Dragon causing trouble; be careful not to get caught up in it!” Old Zhang said anxiously.
However, Li Qing was too lazy to respond. He waved his hand and said, “No matter how much trouble they cause, it won’t affect us here. Kicking doors down is something done behind closed doors; fighting in the streets won’t be tolerated by the authorities.”
“Alright, hurry and serve me the wontons. I’ve been exhausted from forging these past few days,” Li Qing urged.
“Alright, alright, just a moment, it’ll be ready soon.” Old Zhang finally draped the cloth over his shoulder and got back to work.
Meanwhile, among the Liangzhou men who hadn’t gone far, the young man named Yang suddenly stopped, squinting his eyes to look back.
“What’s wrong, Brother Yang?” the leading man immediately noticed this.
Yang shook his head and said, “It’s nothing, Brother Fang. I just felt that the person who just walked into the wonton shop was a bit different; he might also be a martial artist.”
Fang Long laughed heartily, “Hahaha, who cares about that? We’re here to kick down Qingshan Martial Hall; as long as they don’t get in our way, we need not bother with them.”
“True enough.”
Yang retracted his gaze and followed the crowd as they continued toward Qingshan Martial Hall.
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(End of Chapter)