Suppressing a City

"Get the hell down!"

"Damn it, I told you to stop telling such a trash story, yet you kept going."

Xing Jinglong cursed loudly, casting a sidelong glance at Lin Zheyu and the others, his eyes brimming with provocation.

"Fatty Xing, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to cause trouble on Flying Rainbow Gang territory?!"

Jia Yanyong could no longer hold back. He slapped the table and rose to his feet, roaring angrily.

"I paid to listen to the story. If I think it was told badly, can't I curse a few times?" Xing Jinglong said.

"Young Master Xing, what you are doing is rather excessive. If you think the story is bad, simply do not listen. Why make trouble?" Lin Zheyu rose and said.

"I'm provoking you. So what?"

"Want to fight?"

Xing Jinglong taunted them, and the companions beside him also stood up.

Lin Zheyu held back the impulsive Jia Yanyong and said, "There is no need to fight. You are a distinguished young master of the Xing Family; openly provoking a fight is far too unbecoming."

Xing Jinglong: "???"

Xing Jinglong's face darkened. To hell with dignity. I'm just a young master from a collateral branch of the Xing Family.

This brat can really endure. Even after all this, he still won't make a move.

"Oh, right. Lord Qiu Gaoxuan will be here soon, and he quite likes this story."

"How about you wait a little longer, Young Master Xing? Once Lord Qiu arrives, you can tell him exactly where the story was poorly told."

"If you insist on provoking a fight, let us wait for Lord Qiu. You can explain it to him then, how about that?" Lin Zheyu continued.

"Qiu Gaoxuan?"

Xing Jinglong took a deep breath, feeling somewhat stifled inside.

Qiu Gaoxuan was incredibly powerful and had already reached the peak of the Viscera Refining Realm.

If he came, even the Viscera Refining Realm martial artists Xing Jinglong had brought would not be his match.

But damn it, this was just picking a fight. Why bring Qiu Gaoxuan into it?

Why had these guys suddenly become such cowards?

"Hmph!"

"A bunch of cowards. Keep hiding with your heads tucked in like turtles, then!"

Seeing that he could gain nothing, Xing Jinglong snorted coldly.

Bang—

He stood up and viciously kicked the table, shattering it into pieces, then left with his men.

"That bastard is getting more and more arrogant."

Jia Yanyong sat back down, cursing under his breath.

"There is nothing we can do. The Xing Family has military backing. If the Rebel Army attacks, the Xing Family can use the opportunity to recruit troops and expand its strength."

"This chaos is an excellent opportunity for the Xing Family."

Xie Jiang's expression was grave, his face somewhat unsightly.

After Xing Jinglong left, Steward Wu went up to apologize. Every table received a small dish, and the Storyteller returned to the stage.

"Drink, drink. Why think about such troublesome matters? The gang leader will worry about those things. Small fry like us only need to tend our own little patch of land."

Xie Jiang raised his cup, livening the atmosphere.

The next day.

Early morning.

No. 28 Tongquan Street, Flying Rainbow Building.

Lin Zheyu sat beside Xu Jingwu, accompanying him as he watched the opera.

"I read the book. It was very well written," Xu Jingwu said.

When Lin Zheyu had sold books to the Lu siblings, he had written several extra copies. He gave one to Liang Song, one to Han Mo, and another to Xu Jingwu.

After so much time had passed, Xu Jingwu had finally finished reading it.

"I am glad the gang leader liked it," Lin Zheyu said.

Only after his strength had reached the Qi and Blood Realm did he realize just how terrifying Gang Leader Xu's strength was.

Beneath Xu Jingwu's refined exterior lay an exceedingly powerful force of qi and blood, drawn tight but not unleashed.

With such immense Blood Energy, the attack power unleashed in an eruption would surely be terrifying.

Lin Zheyu felt that the gang leader's strength had likely surpassed the Qi and Blood First Change. He simply did not know how many changes he had reached.

"I said before that if the story was told well, there would be a handsome reward. This story has pleased me greatly."

"Luo Tian, give Lin Zheyu one hundred taels of silver," Xu Jingwu told his subordinate.

"Thank you for the reward, Gang Leader Xu!"

Lin Zheyu said.

Gang Leader Xu was exceptionally generous. Lin Zheyu had thought fifty taels or so would already be good, but he had not expected a full hundred taels of silver.

"A few days ago, Xing Penghai attacked you outside the city?" Xu Jingwu suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"At the time, Senior Brother Han had gone out to suppress bandits, and I specifically left the city to see him off. I did not expect Xing Jinglong and his people to set their sights on me."

"Xing Penghai took out a black pill and made me swallow it, wanting me to join the Xing Family. I refused," Lin Zheyu said without concealing anything.

The Flying Rainbow Gang possessed enormous influence. Many of the events in Songyi City could not escape its ears and eyes.

"The Xing Family holds a place within the City Guard. In the future, it would be best not to leave the city alone. If something happens outside the city, even I would find it difficult to deal with."

Xu Jingwu said.

Lin Zheyu was merely an ordinary junior member recruited by the Flying Rainbow Gang, not a member of the Xu Family. If something truly happened, the most likely outcome would be for the Xing Family to apologize and offer some compensation.

At most, the Flying Rainbow Gang would find some pretext to kill a few skilled fighters from the Unfixed Gang.

But that would be all.

"Mm, I will be careful."

"Do you feel somewhat disappointed?" Xu Jingwu glanced at Lin Zheyu.

"No."

Lin Zheyu shook his head.

That was simply how the world was.

Even after joining the Flying Rainbow Gang, he could only intimidate ordinary people. Before the great families of Songyi City, he amounted to nothing at all.

No matter how exceptional the talent he displayed, before he had grown strong, it was still only talent.

For now, he was merely a small fry.

"The Xing Family is the greatest family in Songyi City aside from the City Lord, and its strength is formidable."

"One-third of Songyi City's City Guard is controlled by the Xing Family. If they set their sights on you outside the city, even I would find it difficult to stand up for you."

Xu Jingwu said.

He represented the Xu Family. He was the gang leader of the Flying Rainbow Gang, which had been jointly founded by several great families; he did not represent himself alone.

He could not possibly completely fall out with the Xing Family over Lin Zheyu alone.

"However, you need not worry too much. As long as you remain within the city, they would not dare cause trouble recklessly. After all, the City Lord is guarding the city."

Xu Jingwu said, telling Lin Zheyu not to worry too much while in the city.

"The City Lord is surnamed Chen, right? Is he from the Chen Family?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

"No. The City Lord is alone; he was sent from the Great Wei imperial court to govern Songyi City."

"The City Lord has no family in Songyi City and no faction either. With the City Lord's strength, one person is enough to suppress a city," Xu Jingwu said calmly.

One person suppressing a city!

Lin Zheyu turned those words over in his mind and found them immensely imposing.

Just how powerful would one have to be to deserve such a description?

"I wonder what level of strength the City Lord possesses. A Grandmaster?" Lin Zheyu could not help asking.

"I do not know. No one knows the City Lord's true strength. They only know that he is very, very strong."

"None of the great families in the city dare defy the City Lord's will. Any that did have vanished from Songyi City," Xu Jingwu said with some emotion.

He had seen several great families disappear from Songyi City just like that.

Overnight, not one was left behind. It happened without a sound, terrifying beyond measure.

Since then, no great family had dared make trouble within the city. There were only small skirmishes in the city. Even when they employed certain schemes, they did so outside the city.

Seeing Xu Jingwu's guarded expression, Lin Zheyu did not continue asking.

The atmosphere cooled.

The opera onstage continued, and Gang Leader Xu occasionally hummed along with a few lines.

"You are not yet married, are you?" Xu Jingwu suddenly asked.

"I am not."

Lin Zheyu's heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling rose within him. He hurriedly added, "I was separated from my parents and relatives, so I have no mind to think about marriage."

"Marriage follows the commands of one's parents and the words of a matchmaker. It is, after all, a major matter in one's life. It should wait until you have found your parents and relatives."

"It is fine, there is no hurry. I was merely asking."

"There are quite a few young women in my Xu Family. When you have time, I will introduce you to some of them."

"If you marry a woman of the Xu Family, you will become one of us. Then the Xing Family would not dare do anything to you."

"You do not need to approach it with marriage in mind. Get to know each other first, and if you take a liking to one another, then consider marriage." Xu Jingwu said.

He thought very highly of Lin Zheyu.

With such talent, if he received guidance from a famous master, he might one day become another Qi and Blood Realm Expert.

"Thank you, Gang Leader Xu."

Lin Zheyu said.

Since Xu Jingwu had put it this way, it would not be good to refuse.

It was only getting acquainted, after all. If he did not like them, Xu Jingwu could not force him to marry, could he?

Lin Zheyu accompanied Gang Leader Xu through several opera performances before leaving.

After walking out of Flying Rainbow Building, he headed straight for the Medicine Shops in the city.

He visited several Medicine Shops in succession before gathering all the medicinal ingredients.

Prices were soaring now. The ingredients for eight doses of Blood Enriching Bone Strengthening Soup cost him a full one hundred and one taels of silver.

Carrying the medicinal ingredients, he returned to the courtyard and continued training.