A Cry for Help in the Night

Night fell.

Bibi Dong had already taken Hu Liena back to Spirit Hall.

Stars filled the sky above Spirit City.

Built on the windward side of the hills, the city enjoyed a relaxing evening breeze in midsummer, delightfully cool.

Beneath the dazzling river of stars,

The vast Spirit City bustled with life, brilliant crimson lights illuminating the entire city.

They burst into light against the dark night sky.

However,

Beneath this magnificent, dazzling scene, an unseen dark side lay hidden.

Jingxi Street.

It was located in the west of Spirit City.

It was one of the less prosperous streets in the city.

Under the sparse lights, pedestrians came and went, too few to form a crowd.

On this street,

Even vendors were scarce, let alone pedestrians.

The houses on both sides of the street were all shut up with remarkable uniformity.

There was only one reason.

A gang without a shred of honor operated on this street.

The Wild Wolf Gang.

Unlike the gangs on other streets,

The Wild Wolf Gang of Jingxi Street was outrageously brazen.

Everything it did was a reckless outrage.

The street was far too deserted.

So the Wild Wolf Gang couldn't collect management fees, such as stall fees, like other gangs.

But the Wild Wolf Gang still had to survive.

So forcing people to buy and sell, and collecting protection fees, became everyday affairs.

At that moment, Jingxi Street was utterly quiet.

It was as though the bustle and clamor of the other streets had nothing to do with it.

However,

Amid the desolate silence,

A shrill scream pierced the air, shattering the peace.

"Help!"

In an unlit alley off the street,

A woman

Clutched the young child in her arms with both hands, staring in terror at the tall figures at the alley entrance.

The streetlights danced in the cool breeze,

Making their light flicker.

Only a small portion of that light reached into the dead-end alley.

"Widow Zhao, you'd better not make a fuss!"

"If you disturb the child, don't blame us for not playing fair."

The people outside the alley approached slowly, taking small steps.

A burly man with a long scar across his face made no effort to hide the blatant threat in his voice.

The woman's eyes were red and filled with terror as she was backed into the corner.

She had originally wanted to shout for help.

But when she heard Scarface threaten her daughter,

She could only grit her teeth and clamp her mouth shut.

After all,

Scarface

Was a notorious ruthless man on Jingxi Street, capable of anything.

Some time ago,

An old man had all the money in his home squandered by members of the Wild Wolf Gang.

As a result, he had no money left to pay the so-called protection fee.

That very night, scoundrels broke into his home and gave him a savage beating.

The old man was already advanced in years. How could he withstand such a battering?

He died a few days later.

The neighbors all knew what had happened.

Some even said

That the man seen that night was Scarface.

He was the one who had committed that monstrous deed.

But what could they do?

They could only swallow their anger.

Who dared report the matter to Spirit Hall?

In a place where Soul Masters were everywhere, how insignificant was the death of an ordinary old man?

Would those Lord Soul Masters make a great fuss over such a small matter?

Of course not!

The woman's eyes brimmed with glistening tears.

But the child in her arms gave her the last of her strength, allowing her to resist the urge to cry.

She knew

That if she did, she might stir up the brutality in the hearts of the people before her.

Meanwhile,

On a street near Jingxi Street,

Li Mubai stood outside the door, watching the carriage turn the corner and disappear from sight. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had finally seen that great aunt off!

After standing there for a long time,

Li Mubai silently prayed

That tomorrow,

That great aunt wouldn't cause him any more trouble.

He really didn't want to waste time with her.

Nor did he want to do anything for her.

That very afternoon,

She had heard that Bibi Dong seemed to be considering going to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast.

She wanted to obtain a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring that way and become a Titled Douluo with a Twin Martial Soul.

The idea had given Li Mubai quite a fright.

From everything Bibi Dong had said, she even wanted to take him along!

Wasn't that just delivering themselves like a package?

Li Mubai hadn't lived enough yet and didn't want to rush to his death.

Although he was very strong now, that was only relative.

In the Star Dou Great Forest,

Were those two Soul Beasts easy to provoke?

Obviously not.

Otherwise,

Bibi Dong couldn't have gone so long without taking them down.

"Master, come inside and bathe."

Just as Li Mubai was lost in thought,

With long hair draped over her shoulders and a loose bathrobe on,

Xiao Qian, whose ample curves were shown to full advantage, came to the door and called to Li Mubai in a seductive voice.

The sight

Nearly made Li Mubai's eyes pop out when he turned around.

Seeing Xiao Qian dressed like that,

He understood what would happen when he bathed later.

At the thought,

Li Mubai couldn't help feeling his blood surge.

This was the kind of life he wanted.

Not going to the Star Dou Great Forest to risk his life alongside someone.

As for making sacrifices for Spirit Hall,

To hell with that!

He had worked tirelessly and diligently for twenty-one years.

Only after great difficulty had he cultivated from a weak ant into a powerful Soul Master.

How could he go and take such a risk?

Twenty-one years of effort, and all the hardships he had endured,

Had taught Li Mubai one thing.

To change this somewhat twisted world on his own,

With the strength of one person, was almost impossible.

So,

If he had the means,

He absolutely had to enjoy life!

That was the true way.

For example...

Right now.

A moment of a spring night was worth a thousand pieces of gold, so he had to make the most of it!

Just as Li Mubai gave Xiao Qian an "You understand me best" smile,

And Xiao Qian shyly dipped her head,

A voice pierced the calm.

"Help!"

A woman calling for help?

The smile vanished from Li Mubai's face, and he frowned as he looked toward the next street.

The next street.

Li Mubai knew a little about it, but not much.

Compared with the rest of Spirit City, that street was rather out of place.

It was as if no one managed it.

Dirty, chaotic, and run-down-

The street had all three.

There was a great deal of uncollected garbage on the street.

What was more,

Once, when Li Mubai happened to pass through,

He had been in a good mood, but who could have known

That he was in such a good mood that he barely watched where he was going?

He stepped right into trouble, his foot landing on an inauspicious pile of fresh crap.

It had broken him right then and there.

Because that pair of shoes had been made by Xiao Qian herself.

Just like that, they had been sacrificed for nothing.

It made him rather angry. Who the meow had such lousy manners?!