Guo Huai

To put Wu Qi at ease, Wu Ming briefly mentioned how he had dealt with some bandits in the city and was scouted by a Patrol Officer from the Cautious Punishment Division, who then recruited him to work there. This news left Wu Qi stunned for a moment.

As an ordinary citizen, Wu Qi didn't know much about the affairs of martial artists. However, he understood the distinction between commoners and officials. While ordinary martial artists held a certain status and could bypass official greetings, they weren't true "officials" and lacked real power. But once one joined the Cautious Punishment Division, everything changed.

The Cautious Punishment Division wielded immense power, capable of influencing every aspect of Jingye City. Apart from the Demon Suppression Bureau, all other government departments were either under its jurisdiction or were its subordinate branches. In this era where martial prowess was paramount, the Cautious Punishment Division, as the purest martial force department, ruled Jingye City through sheer power.

The far bank of the Quicksand River.

The Quicksand River was a vast, surging river about a hundred zhang wide, flowing past Jingye City. The section near Wu Village was actually a series of diverging tributaries of the Quicksand River. Several li away from Jingye City, the river's current slowed considerably, and this was where a wide dock was located.

Not far from the dock stood a cluster of houses, home to residents who lived by the river.

In this era, the inner city of Jingye City maintained order through the Cautious Punishment Division. The surrounding villages and towns were managed by their respective Clan Heads and Village Elders. As for areas like docks and riverbanks, which were considered less regulated, they were governed by various mixed gangs.

The gang that controlled this area was the Sandboat Gang, formed by all the boatmen on the entire dock. However, ordinary boatmen were merely the lowest rung in the gang, possessing no status. Only Blood Forging martial artists held positions as gang leaders.

At this moment, A man reeking of alcohol strolled casually into a courtyard.

"Brother Huai!"

"Brother Huai is back, quickly get him some tea!"

Some members of the Sandboat Gang in the courtyard greeted the newcomer enthusiastically as they rushed forward.

Guo Huai lazily made his way into the courtyard and sat down on a stone bench with his legs spread wide. He remained silent, waiting until the thugs in the courtyard brought him a teacup and brewed him a pot of tea. Only then did he slowly take a few sips.

"Brother Huai, why didn't you go out in the city today?"

A man wearing a training mandarin jacket, who appeared somewhat more presentable, walked out and sat down next to Guo Huai with a smile, greeting him.

"Someone invited me for drinks, so I didn't go. Besides, there's nothing fun to do in the city, it's too restrictive and troublesome everywhere."

Guo Huai burped lazily.

Jingye City was a melting pot of all sorts, and even he dared not act too recklessly, as it would only cause trouble for his elder brother. However, in the villages and towns ten li outside the city, he could essentially do as he pleased. If he fancied a woman from a village, regardless of whether she was a widow, he could force himself upon her, and no one would dare to do anything about it.

"Hahaha, that's true. The city has too many rules; it's not as comfortable as outside."

Lu Yuan grinned. Then, as if struck by a thought, he said, "Oh, right, Brother Huai, you beat someone up at the market a few days ago. That person seems to have some connections. Their family also has a martial artist who makes a living in the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall in the city."

Guo Huai had long forgotten about the incident from a few days prior. Hearing Lu Yuan's words now, he vaguely recalled it, furrowed his brow, and shook his head. "There was such a thing? Hmm, I didn't pay much attention. But if he's just making a living in the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall, it's not a big deal."

A hint of disdain flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes. He actually looked down on Guo Huai quite a bit. What was so great about acting arrogantly by relying on his elder brother? Although Lu Yuan was also a Blood Forging martial artist, he usually neglected his training. If he were to face a proper Blood Forging martial artist who trained diligently for a living, he probably wouldn't last three to five moves.

However.

Despite his inner disdain, Lu Yuan showed nothing on his face. He only reminded Guo Huai in a low voice, "People from the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall are naturally nothing to Brother Huai. It's just that the martial artist from that family is only twenty years old. If he gets angry and comes looking for trouble with Brother Huai without regard for consequences, Brother Huai should still be cautious."

In this era, open attacks were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against. He feared encountering a reckless youth who would seek revenge on Guo Huai without hesitation. If such a thing were to happen, even their Sandboat Gang could be dragged into trouble.

Guo Huai paid no attention to Lu Yuan's reminder. In fact, as the alcohol began to take effect, he felt a surge of anger and abruptly stood up. "No need to talk about such trivial matters. I'm feeling agitated right now, I'm going to vent."

With that, He turned and left the courtyard.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly. He couldn't control Guo Huai, let alone him, even the few leaders of their Sandboat Gang couldn't control him. After all, the Sandboat Gang existed as a subordinate gang to the Black Fiend Sect. Given Guo Xiang's status in the Black Fiend Sect, even the top leaders of the Sandboat Gang had to show him respect, and naturally, they had to treat Guo Huai courteously.

Guo Huai left the main courtyard of the Sandboat Gang, took a few turns, and arrived at a room, kicking the door open with a bang.

Inside was a rather simple bedroom. On a slightly messy bed sat a woman with disheveled hair, exposed clothing, and vacant eyes. Upon seeing Guo Huai enter, the woman showed no reaction.

Guo Huai lunged at her viciously, pushing her onto the bed. But no matter how he behaved, the woman remained expressionless and unresponsive, like a walking corpse.

"Damn it, this is really boring!"

Guo Huai cursed in frustration. He remembered how the woman had struggled and made a scene the first day she was brought there, which had fueled his interest, and he had toyed with her for over half a month. But later, she gradually became like this, making him find it utterly uninteresting.

Just as Guo Huai pushed the woman aside, pulled up his pants, and stood up, turning to leave the room.

Chii!

A sharp glint of cold light flashed, piercing through the door crack and hovering at his throat.

This sudden movement sent a chill down Guo Huai's spine, making him tremble violently and fall onto the ground. The sharp spearhead still pointed at his neck, and he could even feel its cold, sharp touch against his skin!

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Guo Huai looked at the figure standing at the doorway, his heart filled with dread. Although the person appeared very young, he could clearly sense a chilling aura of malevolence, an aura that had clearly seen bloodshed and had taken more than one life!

The person who had arrived was Wu Ming.

Finding Guo Huai was easy. After a little inquiry, he learned that Guo Huai often frequented the Sandboat dock and was a member of the Sandboat Gang. The Sandboat dock was also not far from Wu Village.

Wu Ming looked at Guo Huai with cold eyes. This local bully who terrorized the surrounding villages was unexpectedly pathetic. Compared to the fierce bandits and desperate outlaws he had killed the previous night, this man was insignificant.