The Mad Horse Gang had fist techniques and secret medicines; it certainly did not lack formidable experts to hold the fort.
The Wild Fox Gang, which stood alongside it in reputation, surely had trump cards to contend with it. They were far from the rabble Zhou You had previously estimated them to be.
Zhou You realized that Tu Laosan posed a far greater threat than he had imagined.
He lowered his head to look at the Bone Tempering Powder. He was somewhat tempted, but reason told him that Fragrant Bait was poisonous.
Gang property was not easy to take. Once you touched it, you would be covered in filth.
Believe it or not, if he accepted the Bone Tempering Powder today, tomorrow he would be working himself to the bone for them.
"..."
Gao Qiang's heart churned with countless emotions. The gang had truly gone all out this time to recruit Zhou You.
Bone Tempering Powder was worth a fortune. Only gang members who had rendered great service would be rewarded with a little of it.
He had fought in a bloody brawl, suffering more than a dozen wounds, before earning the hall master's favor and receiving one portion of Bone Tempering Powder.
Jealousy rose in his heart. His childhood friend became increasingly grating and detestable in his eyes.
So what if Zhou You had joined the martial arts school? Since childhood, he had never been as daring or as willing to fight and gamble as Gao Qiang. He was merely lucky.
Gao Qiang was convinced that Zhou You would find it impossible to refuse such temptation and would surely join his gang.
For one thing, the Bone Tempering Powder was enticing. For another, Tu Laosan of the Wild Fox Gang threatened Zhou You, leaving him no other choice.
"Please thank the Second Elder for his kindness. I refuse."
Zhou You merely swept a glance over the Bone Tempering Powder and spoke with ironclad finality.
Who did they think they were looking down on? Three portions of Bone Tempering Powder were only equivalent to three packets of Tiger Bone Paste.
Once he became an Official Martial Arts School Disciple, he would get one packet of Tiger Bone Paste every three days. He could obtain it in ten days. Who would be bought off by such trifles?
Joining a gang was like jumping into a great mud pit, willingly sinking into depravity. Even one's horizons became far shallower.
What? He had actually refused?
Disbelief filled Gao Qiang's eyes. "Zhou You, think it over again."
"There's no need to think it over. Farewell."
Without another word, Zhou You pushed open the door and walked out, leaving Gao Qiang utterly stunned.
Gao Qiang did not come back to his senses for a long while. He could not understand it. That was three portions of Bone Tempering Powder—what gave Zhou You the nerve to refuse?
He realized that he truly no longer recognized his former friend.
After Zhou You left, he thought that this friend of his had sunk deeper and deeper into the mire. For the rest of his life, he could only scrape by in gangs.
Moreover, Gao Qiang had repeatedly tried to make use of him, clearly harboring ill intentions.
Had Gao Qiang not kept his malice hidden beneath the surface, Zhou You would have dealt with him long ago.
"Please, have mercy! Give us another two days!"
"It's not that we won't pay. Business has been terrible, and we truly have no cash on hand. If you seal our shop, how will our family survive?"
"Is there no justice left in this world?"
Ahead on the street, cries shook the heavens, accompanied by miserable pleas for mercy.
Passersby whispered among themselves. "The Wild Fox Gang is committing evil again."
It turned out that a shop dealing in woolen thread had recently fallen on hard times. They still had taxes to pay, as well as protection fees.
Today, they finally could not hold on any longer.
This street was Wild Fox Gang territory. The gang reacted faster than the authorities, arriving to seal the shop.
The one leading the operation was none other than... Tu Laosan.
Tu Laosan had been born with the face of a villain. As the saying went, one's appearance was born from one's heart; with him, it was true to the letter.
His cheekbones were exceptionally high, and his narrow eyes stretched long, making him look exactly like a starving wolf.
Several Wild Fox Gang members rushed into the shop and smashed things apart. The shopkeeper's family clung together on the floor, wailing bitterly.
Once the shop was sealed, they would lose their only livelihood and become destitute in the blink of an eye.
Many people watched from all around, but they only dared to look from afar. No one dared intervene, or even discuss it loudly.
"Smash it! Open your eyes and watch closely—if you don't pay protection fees, don't even think of making a living under the Wild Fox Gang's nose."
Tu Laosan glanced at the shopkeeper's daughter. She was short, fat, and ugly, unlikely to fetch a good price. He shook his head in disappointment.
The advisor beside him held an account book and explained, "There isn't much cash recorded for this household, but the woolen thread in their storeroom can offset some silver."
"Then find someone to sell it off."
The advisor eagerly agreed and turned to seek out a buyer.
As Zhou You watched the advisor's departing back, a scheme rose in his mind.
A moment later...
"Third Master! Third Master, something terrible has happened! The advisor has been taken!"
A gang member came running back, panting as he delivered the news.
"What? Someone dared seize my advisor? Who has such dog-sized guts?"
Tu Laosan abandoned the weeping, pleading shopkeeper's family and grabbed the reporting gang member by the collar, demanding an answer.
"It was people from the Mad Horse Gang. It looked like they were heading toward that brat Gao Qiang's turf."
Tu Laosan flew into a rage and immediately gathered the gang members who had been smashing things nearby. "Come on. We're getting the advisor back."
At this moment, where was the kidnapped advisor?
Zhou You carried the unconscious Goatee Advisor in one hand, moving as swiftly as if he had wings. Others saw only a flicker of a figure.
When his level 7 Square Step was activated, he moved as fast as a gale. Others only saw a shadow sweep past, unable to make out his features.
He returned near Gao Qiang's house, deliberately circling around to the secluded rear of the building.
With a casual toss, he threw the still-unconscious advisor into the corner by the wall like a dead dog.
Fierce Tiger Leaps Over the Stream.
Zhou You loosened his limbs. Power surged from his waist through all four limbs, and with one leap, he shot onto the rooftop.
After lifting a roof tile and looking down, he saw no one inside. Clearly, Gao Qiang had gone out.
He jumped down from the roof, crouched, and pulled a box out from beneath the bed. Opening it, he saw that the three portions of Bone Tempering Powder were still there.
Outside, he could hear Mad Horse Gang members talking. They had been ordered to guard the secret medicine.
Zhou You took the Bone Tempering Powder, shoved the empty box back beneath the bed, and leaped back onto the three-meter-high roof.
After putting the tiles back in place, he covered the traces of his visit. Everything returned to how it had been.
A little while later, Gao Qiang hurried back. The moment he entered, he sharply sensed that something was wrong.
His expression changed drastically. He lunged beneath the bed and pulled out the wooden box, both hands trembling.
The three portions of Bone Tempering Powder had been specially approved by the Second Elder and entrusted to him for temporary safekeeping.
With Gao Qiang's status as a minor leader, he had no authority to use such an item. If it went missing, he would face, at the very least, the punishment of three slashes and six holes.
It would have been fine if Zhou You had agreed to the recruitment and accepted the Bone Tempering Powder.
But if it had been lost...
Click. The wooden box opened, revealing nothing but emptiness.
Gao Qiang clutched his chest and staggered back several steps. He cried out hoarsely, "Men! Men!"
The gang members around the house immediately stirred, rushing wildly around it like headless flies.
Just as expected, Tu Laosan's advisor was found.
"Brother Qiang, this old bastard was skulking around behind the house."
Gao Qiang recognized the Goatee Advisor at once. He was Tu Laosan's advisor.
His mind spun at lightning speed. Whether the other side had stolen it or not, only the Wild Fox Gang could bear this black pot.
He immediately screamed, "Tu Laosan sent someone to steal the Bone Tempering Powder! Follow me and take it back!"
The low-ranking gang members were simple-minded. They did not question why Tu Laosan had sent a frail advisor to steal something.
They shouted loudly, grabbing blades and clubs as they followed Gao Qiang to settle accounts with Tu Laosan.
Halfway down the road, Tu Laosan's men came straight toward them.
When Tu Laosan saw his advisor being held by Gao Qiang's subordinates, rage surged from his chest.
"Gao Qiang, you fucking dare seize my man?"
Gao Qiang's eyes were bloodshot. He knew today's matter would be hard to explain.
Three portions of Bone Tempering Powder had gone missing. The hall master could flay him alive. Only by making the matter bigger could he possibly escape.
"Cut the crap. Hand over the Bone Tempering Powder, and I'll spare your life."
Tu Laosan was completely baffled. What was this bastard talking about? He waved a hand and gave the order. "Fight."
The two factions crashed together like torrents, and in an instant, they fought until heaven and earth went dark.
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