Resolution

No wonder these Tooth Gang members acted so domineeringly, without the slightest restraint.

Now that these people had set their sights on him, he did not need to think to know trouble would be unavoidable.

He had also considered using Town Mountain Tower's connections.

But although he had joined the Beast Hunter Hall, he was still nothing more than a lowly pawn. What real connections did he have to make use of?

Wang Dehai?

He had considered seeking out that fat man as well, but after learning how deep the waters behind the Tooth Gang ran, he had dismissed the idea.

Wang Dehai was ultimately only a Body Tempering martial artist. Even if Lin Sheng brought him in, it might not actually help, and whether the other man would be willing to assist him was another matter entirely.

Rather than pin his hopes on others, hopes as vague and intangible as clouds, he might as well handle it himself.

As for how to handle it, that was simple.

Lin Sheng turned several street corners before finally stopping outside a courtyard with red gates and gray walls.

Though the courtyard was not large, it was still far better than most homes on Crock Street.

This was Liu Ergou's residence.

After sweeping his gaze over the surroundings, Lin Sheng sprang up, grabbed the eaves, and peered into the courtyard.

The courtyard was pitch-black. Once he confirmed there was nothing unusual, Lin Sheng flexed both arms and vaulted inside.

Liu Ergou lived alone and was unmarried, so he was the only one residing here.

Lin Sheng moved lightly to the window and looked inside by the dim moonlight. The room was a mess, its quilt thrown haphazardly across the bed, but there was no one there.

"Not home?"

One glance was enough for Lin Sheng to reach that conclusion.

He knew Liu Ergou was fond of wine and women. Spending nights away from home was commonplace for him.

Since the master of the house was absent, Lin Sheng had no intention of lingering and planned to check the next location.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps approaching from outside the courtyard.

His reaction was swift. He immediately concealed himself and stared fixedly toward the gate.

"Damn it, you bastards get to hold women and have fun while you send me here to fetch your medicinal wine... Every last one of you is a goddamn piece of work. Bah!"

Amid curses dripping with resentment, the courtyard gate opened inward, and a bald man reeking faintly of alcohol walked in.

Lin Sheng saw clearly that although this bald man was not the one who had followed him during the day, he was one of the hoodlums who followed Liu Ergou around.

"Damn bunch of bastards. One day, when I become a martial artist, let's see if you still dare order me around like this. And that bastard Liu Ergou too—so what if he's a martial artist? He needs medicinal wine just to fuck a woman. What kind of man is that..."

The bald man continued cursing under his breath, venting his dissatisfaction.

After entering the courtyard, he headed straight for the room, paying no attention at all to what was around him.

When he opened the door, a clatter of objects came from inside. Before long, he emerged carrying an oval black wine jar in his hands.

After shutting the door, he could not even be bothered to lock it. He spat a thick gob of phlegm viciously, then turned to leave.

But the moment he turned around, he froze in place.

At some point, an extra figure had appeared in the courtyard.

The bald man rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was dreaming.

Before he could look again, a gust of wind swept past his ear, followed by a sharp pain in his neck.

Only then did he realize this was no illusion. Someone really had broken in.

"You are..."

He opened his mouth to shout, but a rough, powerful hand had already clamped around his throat.

With a bang, the door was kicked open. The bald man felt an immense force hurl him directly into the room, leaving him no chance to react.

Smash!

The wine jar in his hands shattered on the floor. He had no time to care about the costly medicinal wine. One hand desperately pried at the palm gripping his throat, while the other wildly punched forward.

Yet the instant he raised his fist, he received two vicious slaps to the neck.

The bald man was slapped senseless on the spot. For a moment, he had no strength left to resist. Golden stars swam before his eyes, and his face twisted savagely from having his throat strangled.

Don't tell me he died already?!

Seeing him like that, Lin Sheng was startled as well and quickly released his grip.

He had little experience fighting others, so he had not controlled his strength when he first attacked. Given his current power, he was truly afraid he might accidentally kill someone.

He stepped forward and checked the man's breathing. Only after confirming he was still alive did he let out a breath of relief.

Then he scooped a ladleful of water from the water vat in the room and poured it directly over the man's face.

The cold water jolted him awake. The bald man pointed at Lin Sheng and immediately cursed.

"I'm with the Tooth Gang. Are you fucking blind, daring to touch me..."

He had always swaggered about with Liu Ergou. Now that he had awakened, not only was he not afraid, he directly threatened Lin Sheng instead.

"Say one more word of nonsense, and I'll kill you."

Lin Sheng had no intention of indulging him. He reached out and snapped one of his fingers.

The bald man immediately let out a pained howl, but Lin Sheng quickly seized him by the throat again, leaving him able to make only agonized whimpers.

"I ask, you answer. Say one word of nonsense, and I break one finger. Understand?"

Only then did the bald man clearly see Lin Sheng's dark gray clothes and the cloth covering his face, hiding nearly all of it and leaving only his eyes exposed.

That attire clearly marked him as no kind soul, especially with the ruthless way he had snapped a finger without a word.

The bald man no longer dared make any moves. Enduring the sharp pain in his hand, he nodded forcefully.

"Where is Liu Ergou now?"

"At... at Flower Willow Alley, north of the street."

"How many Tooth Gang members are there?"

"..."

Before long, Lin Sheng had obtained the information he wanted from this Tooth Gang member.

"Liu Ergou is actually a Body Tempering martial artist!?"

He truly had not expected that. A loafer and street thug who bullied men and preyed on women was actually a martial artist.

Although the man said Liu Ergou had only entered the Body Tempering realm in recent days, he was still a Body Tempering martial artist. Compared to ordinary people, he was considerably stronger.

There was another troublesome point as well: Liu Ergou's identity.

He was actually the younger brother of the Tooth Gang's Second Gang Leader.

And that Second Gang Leader was a martial artist in the Muscle Forging realm.

Lin Sheng had not expected one street thug to drag so much trouble into the open.

Seeing Lin Sheng fall silent, the bald man understood that this person had come for Liu Ergou. He hurriedly spoke up.

"Brother... no, no, hero, I've told you everything you wanted to know. For the sake of how cooperative I've been, can you spare my life?

"I have an eighty-year-old mother at home to care for. I don't want to hang around with Liu Ergou either; I was forced into it... Please, hero, for my old mother's sake, just let me go like a fart. I swear I'll forget everything that happened today..."

As he spoke, the bald man even squeezed out a few tears, making himself look rather pitiful.

Lin Sheng watched him in silence for a long while, seemingly moved by his appearance, before slowly speaking.

"I can spare your life. Remember what should be said and what should not. If you continue committing evil deeds in the future, otherwise..."

Lin Sheng did not continue, but the bald man's eyes lit up. He hurriedly agreed.

"I understand. I understand what to do. I'll rot today's matter in my belly. Tomorrow... tomorrow I'll quit the Tooth Gang..."

Lin Sheng ignored the bald man, turned, and strode away. Before long, he vanished from the courtyard.

"Thank you, hero... Thank you, hero..."

The bald man continued muttering even then. Several minutes passed before he raised his eyes and looked carefully around, confirming Lin Sheng was nowhere to be seen.

He took a deep breath. The nervousness on his face faded, replaced by deep resentment and venom.

"That bastard dared treat me like this. My finger..."

He stared at the finger that had completely deformed and bent backward against the back of his hand, muttering viciously.

"This man was clearly after Liu Ergou. I need to report this to the Second Gang Leader at once..."

Ignoring the piercing pain in his finger, he rose to his feet and ran toward the courtyard gate.

"Idiot, so what if you know some martial arts? Once I notify the Second Gang Leader, you'll have hell to pay."

The reason they followed Liu Ergou around was because of the Second Gang Leader behind him. Liu Ergou might have been a complete bastard, but Second Gang Leader Liu Yuanshan was a genuine ruthless brute.

Thinking that after he brought this news to the Second Gang Leader and they caught that thief, Liu Yuanshan would surely reward him somewhat, considering how much he doted on his younger brother.

Most importantly, he could make an impression before the Second Gang Leader. If he could directly serve under the Second Gang Leader, that would be even better.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that not only had he not lost out from this injury, he had struck it rich.

He pushed open the courtyard gate and hurried toward the Tooth Gang.

But the moment he stepped out of the alley, a sigh suddenly sounded behind him.

"Isn't living good enough?"