Trouble, Part Two

Had I been spotted after all?

Lin Sheng sighed, his heart tightening with helplessness.

While practicing earlier, he had heard some movement here. He had originally thought that wild cat had caused it, but out of caution, he had decided to come take a look.

He naturally recognized whose back it was—it was one of the men who had followed Brother Dog in the narrow alley.

He had thought he had gotten away quickly enough and that there should not have been any trouble. Yet trouble had come knocking all the same.

He could only blame himself for being too careless. He had not even noticed someone following behind him the whole way.

He had naturally noticed the greed in Brother Dog and the others' eyes when they looked at him. It was only some pork and refined rice, yet it had brought him all this trouble.

Now that they had come to scout the place out, they would probably come knocking soon. Lin Sheng did not know exactly what they intended to do, but it certainly would not lead to anything good.

At that thought, a chill appeared on Lin Sheng's face.

He hated trouble, but he was not afraid of it. Since trouble had come knocking and there was no avoiding it, he would find a way to solve it once and for all.

With that in mind, he went back and told Lin Hong that he had something to deal with. Then he quickly headed out and vanished into the streets.

He followed Third Brother all the way, weaving through Crock Street. After nearly half an hour, he finally spotted Brother Dog and the others wandering the streets.

As they walked, they casually took snacks and fruit from the stalls lining the road. The stall owners mostly dared to be angry but not speak out, clearly having suffered at these people's hands before.

Within his sight, Third Brother leaned close to Brother Dog and whispered a few words. Soon after, the group disappeared from the street.

Yet the delight on their faces before they left was clearly seen by Lin Sheng in the distance.

This time, he did not follow them again. Instead, he stopped at an old man's flatbread stall on the street.

"Sir, give me five flatbreads."

"Alright, just wait a moment. They'll be ready right away."

Seeing a customer, the old man immediately answered and got busy with nimble hands and feet.

Lin Sheng then asked casually,

"Sir, I saw those people taking things from your stalls earlier without paying. Who are they?"

"Ah, they're from the Tooth Gang."

Hearing Lin Sheng's question, the old man sighed.

"Young man, you may not know this, but the Fist Gang that used to control the western side of Crock Street has fallen apart. This place now belongs to the Tooth Gang. Not only have the stall fees risen quite a bit, but Tooth Gang thugs and ruffians often roam the streets, bullying men and women alike."

"The skinny fellow leading that bunch just now is called Liu Ergou. He's a minor leader in the Tooth Gang. If you see them in the future, remember to take a detour. Don't let them set their sights on you..."

As he spoke, the old man seemed to recall something and let out another heavy sigh.

"Life is getting harder and harder..."

Lin Sheng nodded in agreement and took his five flatbreads.

Afterward, he probed for more information about Liu Ergou at several other stalls.

As expected, he learned Liu Ergou's exact address and several places he frequented.

After buying some miscellaneous goods, Lin Sheng returned home.

By then, Xie Guihua had already returned from work. She was quite happy to hear that Lin Sheng had successfully joined the Beast Hunter Hall.

The family of three enjoyed a lavish dinner—an absolute rarity for them—in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.

After dinner, Xie Guilan cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. Lin Hong seemed tired and returned to his room to sleep early.

Lin Sheng went outside into the courtyard and continued practicing the Raging Bull Fist.

As he assumed the stance, his blood and qi surged within him. His movements were slow at first, but they grew faster as time passed. Later, every move he made carried the roar of the wind.

Only after a long while did Lin Sheng stop. He could feel his blood and qi churning within him, exceptionally lively.

"My strength seems to have increased again. With every practice session, I can basically feel myself improving."

Looking at his flushed, crimson skin, a smile appeared on his face.

"The key to reaching minor accomplishment in the Raging Bull Fist is to break through the blood-and-qi apertures after stirring the blood and qi within the body, allowing the blood and qi to nourish the body in return and improve one's overall physical qualities."

"Stirring my blood and qi is easy for me. Breaking through the apertures is still somewhat difficult, but not too difficult."

Lin Sheng reflected on the insights from his practice. Reaching minor accomplishment in the Raging Bull Fist meant stepping into the first realm of the Martial Way, the Body Tempering Realm. Once one entered the Body Tempering Realm, one could be considered a true martial artist.

A Body Tempering Realm martial artist received a considerable boost to their physical qualities. Wang Dehai had told him that, with both sides bare-handed, a Body Tempering martial artist could fight five ordinary people alone.

Therefore, compared with the roughly thirty percent Strength Boost gained from merely beginning the Raging Bull Fist, reaching minor accomplishment would undoubtedly bring a far more obvious improvement. It was also the stage where one truly began to pull away from ordinary people.

Meow!

A cat's cry sounded from the eaves. A black shadow flashed past—it was the Black Cat he had seen during the day.

The Black Cat stood on the eaves with its body lowered, its nose twitching constantly as its eyes remained fixed on the stove in the courtyard.

"Don't even think about it. Those things aren't for you."

Seeing the Black Cat's expression, Lin Sheng laughed. He understood that it had set its sights on the leftover pork in the stove.

Meow!

The Black Cat meowed several more times.

Seeing the longing in the Black Cat's eyes, Lin Sheng finally turned and fished out two broken bones from a black earthen jar beneath the stove.

They were leftover pork bones. Xie Guihua had saved them to make bone soup later. Poor families rarely got to eat meat, so naturally they had to squeeze every last drop from everything.

But from now on, they would not have to live like this anymore. Well, at least not as they had before.

Generously tossing the broken bones into the courtyard, Lin Sheng looked up at the sky.

It was already deep into the night. There were barely any stars in the sky, and the moonlight was dim, creating an unprovoked sense of oppression.

"Not bad weather, actually."

Lin Sheng muttered, changed into a set of black clothes inside, then nimbly vaulted over the wall.

Late at night, there were few people on Crock Street.

Though this was within the city, it was an ignored slum district, so public security was naturally poor. Especially now, with the Tooth Gang and Fist Gang changing hands, the area had become even more chaotic.

Thus, few people were still out and about at this hour.

Lin Sheng moved with light steps, swiftly making his way through the streets.

The Fist Gang had originally controlled the western district of Crock Street, but now it had been defeated and replaced by the Tooth Gang. Their territory had all been seized.

During the day, aside from gathering information about Liu Ergou, he had also focused on learning about the Tooth Gang. Thus, he had gained quite an understanding of the recent conflict between the two gangs on Crock Street.

The Fist Gang had operated on Crock Street for years. It had dozens of members, more than a few martial artists, and its leader Tian Song was a genuine Muscle Forging Realm martial artist.

Yet even such a force had been unable to put up much resistance against the newly emerged Tooth Gang. Many of its members had even been beaten to death alive.

Rumor had it that the disturbance had been considerable. Even Tian Song had suffered serious injuries and could only flee in disgrace with his remaining trusted followers.

Yet after causing such a huge disturbance, the authorities had not reacted at all. Lin Sheng knew very well what that meant—the so-called Tooth Gang clearly had deep backing behind it.