An Anxious Director Li

"Wife, what did you say this person's name was?"

Director Li stared blankly, unable to believe his ears.

His grip on the portrait tightened involuntarily, crumpling the paper.

Impossible, impossible!

That Li Mubai at the City Guard Office must just have the same name.

Right! That has to be it! How could there be such a coincidence in the world? If he really were the Tenth Elder, he would have revealed his identity long ago. There's no way he would have let a mere Xiao Li arrest him!

Director Li kept denying the astonishing news in his heart.

But at that moment,

his wife said, her lovely eyes sparkling with infatuation:

"His name is Li Mubai, isn't it? The Tenth Elder of Spirit Hall. I heard through the grapevine... this Tenth Elder is only twenty-seven. He reached the level of a Titled Douluo at such a young age. He really can be called a heaven's chosen of his generation. And the best part is, he's handsome too. He's truly a dragon and phoenix among men..."

What? Twenty-seven!

Director Li erupted, crying out in alarm.

His greasy face was full of terror, and it turned deathly pale in an instant, without a trace of color.

Now,

Director Li could no longer find any reason to deny it.

He had seen the register Xiao Li had filled out.

The name was indeed Li Mubai, and even the age was twenty-seven!

Now,

Director Li had no choice but to panic.

How could there be so many coincidences in the world? He was almost certain.

Their City Guard Office really had arrested the newly appointed Tenth Elder, Li Mubai!

And

they had even restricted his freedom.

Not only that,

he had actually allowed the instigator to do as he pleased!

Although he had not been at the scene and could shift all the blame onto Xiao Li,

he had left well before it was time to get off work.

In other words,

no matter how much blame he shifted, he would still be culpable.

No, I have to hurry over and stop this tragedy from happening.

Director Li made up his mind at once.

He was not worried that the City Guard Office's relatively weak members could do any harm to Li Mubai.

The most important thing

was to stop Xiao Li and the Wild Wolf Gang from acting.

He knew perfectly well

what happened to people who fell into Xiao Li's hands.

A "greeting" was certainly unavoidable.

Although such a greeting could not hurt a Titled Douluo,

it would still seal a deadly grudge between them.

If that angered Li Mubai, even ten City Guard Offices would not be enough to withstand a Titled Douluo's wrath.

Moreover,

he had also heard through the grapevine

that His Holiness the Pope, Bibi Dong, seemed to pay this elder particular attention.

She frequently visited the elder at his home.

No other elder had ever received such treatment.

At this moment,

Director Li was truly afraid that word of this matter would reach Bibi Dong.

If the rumors were reliable,

he might end up angering Bibi Dong, the real big boss.

Leaving aside whether the City Guard Office would disappear because of it,

he, as one of its administrators, would certainly be punished.

At best, he would be stripped of his current post.

The City Guard Office handled all sorts of matters in Spirit City, great and small.

A post there was a prized morsel.

Extortion and taking bribes were commonplace there.

Otherwise, why would everyone there be walking around with a big belly?

Clearly,

everyone had enjoyed plenty of benefits.

His job as director was especially busy.

Almost every day, someone invited him over as a guest.

East Street yesterday, West Street today, North Street tomorrow—he could hardly keep up.

Of those who came to him for help, who didn't bring handfuls of bargaining chips?

Such a comfortable post-

naturally, he did not want to lose it over this.

At that thought,

Director Li immediately bolted out of the house.

"Hey, husband, what are you doing? Are you still going to plow the field tonight or not? If you won't, I'll find someone else..."

His wife's faint shouts came from behind him.

But Director Li had no mind to listen. All he could think about was running toward the City Guard Office.

After a long time spent in pools of wine and forests of meat, he was panting after only a couple of steps.

Bean-sized beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

The sweat ran down his cheeks and soon soaked his clothes.

City Guard Office.

The boss of the Wild Wolf Gang had arrived.

Being knocked unconscious with a slap the moment they met had made him lose face.

It definitely wasn't because I was too weak. I must have been a little dizzy from drinking. Otherwise, how could a level-forty Soul Master have knocked me out in one blow?

What frustrated the Wild Wolf Gang's boss most

was that the other man had knocked him out with a casual slap.

It was an utter humiliation!

So he kept looking for reasons for his defeat.

The excuse that he had been drunk from drinking was perfectly reasonable.

Otherwise,

he would not know how to maintain his standing before his underlings.

"Sir, about the cause of the conflict..."

The Wild Wolf Gang's boss silently set a palm-sized cloth pouch on the table and pushed it toward Xiao Li, who was sitting in a chair.

Xiao Li picked up the pouch and weighed it in his hand a couple of times, then curled his lips:

"Just this much? I'm afraid it won't be easy for me to do you that favor!"

"You..."

The Wild Wolf Gang's boss was instantly filled with frustration.

He wanted to let loose a string of curses, but forced himself to hold them back because of the other man's position.

The little cloth pouch was full of Gold Soul Coins, several dozen in all.

Yet the other man had opened his mouth as wide as a lion's, and even that was not enough.

Jingxi Street was not wealthy to begin with.

That little cloth pouch already contained a month's worth of protection fees.

Any more...

Even as the boss of the Wild Wolf Gang, he could not produce it.

Wasn't this piling snow on top of frost in his already impoverished life?

But

he had to punish Li Mubai, who had knocked him out with a slap.

If he did not punish him, how could he maintain his footing on Jingxi Street in the future?

The Wild Wolf Gang was weak to begin with.

If word got out that he had been slapped unconscious and could do nothing to the man responsible,

the Wild Wolf Gang would be in grave danger.

Jingxi Street was no place of great wealth, but there were still quite a few people eyeing it.

And to punish him, the boss had to go through the City Guard Office.

As for fighting Li Mubai one-on-one, he had neither the courage nor the nerve.

The man had been able to slap him unconscious, so his strength was certainly the real thing.

At that thought,

the Wild Wolf Gang's boss gritted his teeth.

Then he took a thumb-sized sapphire from inside his clothes.

He had found it while searching an old man's home.

As for why the old man had let him steal it?

Naturally, he had sent the old man to the Western Heaven.

When he found it, the old man had insisted on resisting to the death.

The outcome went without saying.

He had given the old man a shove, and the man's forehead had struck the corner of a table.

After twitching twice, he stopped moving.

The Wild Wolf Gang's boss felt no guilt over the old man's death.

On the contrary,

getting the gem had kept him happy for quite some time.

Now,

he could only part with it through the pain.

As long as the green mountains remained, there was no need to worry about firewood.

As long as Jingxi Street remained in the Wild Wolf Gang's hands, he would not have to worry about going without meat.

"Sir, do you think... you could add a few words to the register?"

The Wild Wolf Gang's boss looked around, then took out the gem and placed it on the table.

The blue gem reflected a brilliant color in the lamplight, making it hard to put down!

Xiao Li fell in love with the gem at first sight.

He had originally only wanted a little more in bribes.

He had not expected the other man to produce such a fine thing.

Judging by its size, the gem was obviously worth far more than the dagger from before!

Xiao Li was delighted.

He had not expected a blessing to come from misfortune.

Trading a dagger for this gem was obviously a huge profit!

"Easy, easy."

Xiao Li promptly tucked the gem inside his clothes.

At the same time, he put the register he held in his other hand on the table and pushed it over to the Wild Wolf Gang's boss.

His meaning was clear.

Whatever cause of the conflict he wanted, he could write it himself!

The Wild Wolf Gang's boss watched Xiao Li tuck the gem away, his face twitching. He was clearly pained to part with it.

But

when he saw the register on the table, a smile appeared on his face again.

As long as he wrote down some serious charges, wouldn't Li Mubai be his to handle as he pleased?

At that thought,

the Wild Wolf Gang's boss picked up the brush and laid all the blame on Li Mubai.

"That's all?"

Taking back the register, Xiao Li looked at the stated cause and raised an eyebrow.

"That's all."

The Wild Wolf Gang's boss gave an awkward smile.

"Are you stupid? None of these reasons could possibly be used to convict Li Mubai of anything."

Xiao Li laughed and scolded him.

Then he picked up his pen again and added several more serious offenses.

He tapped the booklet and nodded in satisfaction.

"These offenses should be enough to put him in jail for at least three months."

"Thank you, officer!"

The Wild Wolf Gang's boss broke into a beaming smile.

Looks like that gemstone was well spent!

Soon.

Xiao Li took the booklet to the interrogation room where Li Mubai was being held.

Then he tossed it onto the table in front of Li Mubai.

"Put your fingerprint on it. There's ink on the table."

Xiao Li spoke in a firm, commanding tone.

"My fingerprint?"

Li Mubai picked up the booklet.

Then he read through its terms.

When he saw the stated cause of the fight, even he couldn't help frowning.

Almost every clause written there placed the blame on him.

Wasn't this the legendary tyrant's contract, an unequal treaty?

Anyone who didn't know better would think the Eight-Nation Alliance had come rolling back.

"Aren't these terms a little too one-sided?"

Li Mubai asked suspiciously.

"One-sided? My rules are the rules!"

"Here, if you're a dragon, you'll coil up for me; if you're a lion or a tiger, you'll lie down!"

Xiao Li immediately burst out laughing, his voice full of arrogance.

It was as though he alone stood supreme under heaven and on earth.

"Oh? You have that much authority?"

Li Mubai demanded.

He hadn't expected a mere underling like Xiao Li to be so arrogant already, throwing his official weight around without restraint.

And that was after Li Mubai had said he was a level forty Soul Master.

If an ordinary commoner were sitting in that chair instead, wouldn't Xiao Li eat him alive?

People like that...

Li Mubai had always hated them.

They used the little authority they held to make endless trouble for others.

This was why Spirit Hall couldn't sustain a prolonged fight.

Its people were at odds with one another,

and in the end, the two great empires wore it down until it died.

Spirit Hall was a gathering place for powerhouses, and the idea that the strong reigned supreme was deeply rooted in them. These people had no idea how important the people's support was!

At its height in the later period, the Spirit Hall Empire's territory had nearly rivaled that of the two great empires.

Yet even so,

it had been wiped out in the long river of history in a short time.

Given the time, Bibi Dong should be arriving soon, shouldn't she?

He glanced at the small clock on the wall.

A trace of smugness flashed across Li Mubai's face.

Then he looked at the booklet in his hands.

This booklet was evidence of these people's abuse of the law!

"Hurry up. Stop dragging your feet. Do you think you can still escape the palm of our City Guard Office?"

Xiao Li spoke arrogantly.

Outside the room,

the Wild Wolf Gang's second-in-command and boss were also peering inside through the glass in the door.

Without giving it much thought,

Li Mubai readily pressed down his fingerprint.

Seeing this,

Xiao Li immediately smiled in satisfaction.

He had been planning to make Li Mubai suffer if he still refused to give his fingerprint.

He hadn't expected the man to know what was good for him.

Now that he had given his fingerprint, wouldn't he be at Xiao Li's mercy?

"Come with me."

Holding the booklet, Xiao Li looked at the fingerprint and nodded in satisfaction.

Then he opened the door, looking thoroughly overbearing.

Li Mubai said nothing unnecessary.

Following Xiao Li, he walked down to the City Guard Office's basement.

In the dim corridor,

the orange-yellow lamplight made the atmosphere especially gloomy and terrifying.

As soon as he entered, Li Mubai felt a thick dampness in the air, mingled with a distinctive stench that was hard to conceal.

Squeak, squeak...

In the corridor,

two startled rats scurried into a hole.

This place... was truly hard to describe.

Li Mubai could hardly imagine what the prisoners would become after living in such conditions.

Walking ahead, Xiao Li covered his nose and mouth with one hand, a look of disgust on his face.

"Aiyo, aiyoyo..."

Wails echoed through the corridor.

"I've been wronged! Sir, I've been framed!"

Someone's voice rang with indignation.

"Help! Help! I'm dying, I'm dying..."

One man's voice was faint and weak. Just as he said, he seemed to be on the verge of breathing his last.

As they walked along,

Li Mubai saw people in the cells on either side whose flesh had rotted away until even their bones were visible, giving off a terrible stench.

Others were covered in wounds, with rats gnawing at their bodies, while they seemed not to notice.

Still others had clothes covered in black stains formed from congealed blood.

It truly was a scene from hell.

"This one. Get in."

Xiao Li opened an empty cell.

Li Mubai raised an eyebrow slightly but walked in.

A musty smell immediately rushed into his nostrils, making him want to vomit.

Just then,

at the entrance to the City Guard Office,

huff, huff, huff...

A fat man arrived at the entrance, panting for breath.

Without saying much,

he ran straight inside.

He happened to run into the two Wild Wolf Gang brothers on their way out.

"Where is Li Mubai?!"

Gasping for breath, the fat man looked at Ye Lao'er and asked anxiously.

Ye Lao'er was utterly bewildered.

He looked at the fat man and recognized him at once.

Wasn't that Director Li?

Why was he so anxious?

Not knowing what was going on, he was left stunned by Director Li's manner.

"I'm asking you, where is Li Mubai?!"

When Director Li saw that he wasn't answering, he demanded furiously.

At that moment,

he could be said to be frantic out of his soul!