Seeking Revenge?

Unknowingly, Duan Mu had arrived in West District 3.

Walking on the bustling street, Duan Mu felt as if he had traveled through time. The aroma of alcohol wafting from the taverns lining the street made Duan Mu, who had been holding back for over a month, almost rush in.

Too bad…

He didn't have any money on him, and with no work for a month, the shop probably didn't have many savings left.

"As expected, I need to work hard."

Duan Mu swallowed, the 'aroma of alcohol' making his mouth water, and headed towards District 38.

If he remembered correctly, the shop should still have a few bottles of good wine brewed by the Brewing Granny. He had to drink to his heart's content when he got back, and then have a good sleep.

"Huh? Isn't this young Duan Mu?"

"Duan Mu? Where?"

"It really is you. Where have you been this past month?"

"..."

As soon as he stepped into District 38, Duan Mu was recognized. The enthusiastic greetings from his neighbors made him involuntarily smile.

But for some reason, Duan Mu felt that the gazes of these people towards him subtly revealed a hint of worry. Many of them looked as if they had something to say but couldn't, and some were constantly signaling to Duan Mu.

Did something happen?

Sensing the abnormality of his neighbors, a flicker of vigilance flashed in Duan Mu's eyes.

"Little Duan Mu, I just brewed some wine. Take it back and drink it."

The Brewing Granny, carrying a bottle of wine, walked over and shoved the bottle into Duan Mu's arms. Before Duan Mu could thank her, she suddenly whispered, "Did you offend someone? These past few days, some menacing guys have been coming to your shop. I heard they were from the districts with later numbers."

"They came today too. That girl Uzuki has been dealing with them. If you have..."

The Brewing Granny's words stopped because Duan Mu, standing before her, had vanished from the street in the blink of an eye. This scene immediately caused an uproar.

But Duan Mu, the instigator, couldn't bother with the reactions of the crowd. He directly used Shunpo and quickly made his way towards the shop.

People from the districts with later numbers?

Could it be Daimaru's subordinates coming to seek revenge?

His thoughts raced, and within a few breaths, Duan Mu had arrived near the shop.

Before he could get close, he sensed many Spiritual Pressure fluctuations in front of his shop.

Looking around, he saw many figures leaning in the shadows outside the Yorozuya, like guards, standing on both sides of the shop entrance.

Duan Mu's footsteps faltered, and his expression instantly turned grim.

That's right, it was Daimaru's subordinates.

Although he didn't know their specific names, among these Spiritual Pressures, there were indeed many that Duan Mu had sensed before.

Fortunately, Uzuki's aura inside the shop was stable, so she should not have been harmed.

But even so, Duan Mu's gaze towards the people standing on both sides of the shop entrance became incredibly sinister.

Killing intent silently enveloped the entire area.

The villains, who were extremely sensitive to killing intent, couldn't help but tense up and look in the direction of the killing intent.

When they saw Duan Mu, with his sinister aura and murderous intent, walking towards the shop, they were first delighted, then their expressions changed as if they had thought of something.

"Wait!!"

A scarred man hurriedly waved his hand, but Duan Mu, in his field of vision, suddenly disappeared.

An unprecedented sense of crisis instantly surged into his heart.

Whether it was because he was naturally clever or because he was scared stiff, at this critical moment, the scarred man directly yelled at the top of his lungs, "Big Sister Uzuki, help!!"

Buzz~

Looking at the fist that suddenly stopped in front of him, and Duan Mu, who looked stunned behind the fist, the scarred man's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. He then slumped to the ground.

"Who are you calling Big Sister! You scoundrels are blocking the shop entrance, scaring away customers who wanted to commission work." Uzuki's angry voice came from inside the shop. The door of the Yorozuya was kicked open: "I'll say it one last time, Duan Mu isn't here, and I don't know when he'll be back..."

Uzuki, who was angrily reprimanding the villains, suddenly stopped and looked at Duan Mu, who was equally stunned: "...Uh, he's back..."

The scene unfolding before him left Duan Mu momentarily unable to react.

Was he dreaming?

When did his own weak little shop assistant become so domineering, daring to yell at a large group of villains?

"Old... no, Big... no, Brother Duan Mu..."

The scarred man on the ground swallowed, his voice filled with fear, "We... we came to commission work. Big Sister Uzuki can vouch for me!!"

"..." Duan Mu looked at Uzuki.

Uzuki nodded, her face filled with disgust. "These guys came five days ago and have been lingering here, saying they wanted to commission work. But when asked what kind of work, these scoundrels refused to say anything." She then glanced at the scarred man on the ground, "Especially staying at the shop entrance every day, scaring away customers for days."

The scarred man's mouth twitched slightly. As far as he knew, there were no customers before they arrived, after all, the people who did the work were not there...

However, he didn't dare to refute Uzuki's words. Who knew if this lunatic in front of him would kill him for a single sentence.

He didn't want to end up like the others who died by the opponent's hand, becoming Spirit Particles to reinforce Seireitei.

A customer, huh...

Though he felt a bit speechless, Duan Mu forced a stiff smile. "Since a customer has come to the door, please come in and let's talk. Don't stand outside," Duan Mu said, leading the way into the shop.

Even though there was some animosity between them, since the other party was here to commission work, he didn't mind hearing their request.

Business is business, nothing to be ashamed of!

The scarred man and his companions exchanged glances, finally adopting a "we've got nothing to lose" attitude as they entered the Yorozuya.

Seeing this, Uzuki pouted but said nothing, returning to the counter to brew several cups of tea and place them on the coffee table.

Duan Mu sat down, gesturing to the only sofa in the hall. "Sit, don't be shy. I'm always very gentle with customers, provided you are actually customers and not here to mess with me."

"Uh..."

The scarred man hesitated before finally sitting down opposite Duan Mu. The men behind him stood ramrod straight, their eyes fixed intently.

"Allow me to introduce myself."

Although still somewhat intimidated by Duan Mu, the scarred man, being a villain accustomed to life and death, had calmed down. "My name is Diao Ao. I'm Daimaru's second-in-command. The one who stood beside Daimaru back then. You should remember me, right?"

"I don't."

Duan Mu told the truth. Back then, his attention was focused entirely on Daimaru; he had no interest in paying attention to any second-in-command.

"Esteemed customer, you can just tell me what kind of work you want to commission from this shop. I don't mind accepting the work you commission, but I also don't want any dealings with you beyond that."

"..."

The scar on Diao Ao's face twitched. "I want you to help us hold onto our territory in District 79."

"Huh?"

I've gone back home for the New Year, but I won't stop updating. I've saved up some chapters in advance and set them to release automatically. One chapter per day, scheduled for 6 PM.