The Black Tiger Gang?
"Why is it those plague gods?"
The blacksmiths' expressions shifted when they heard the words "Black Tiger Gang." Someone muttered under his breath, and at once, everyone set down their hammers and headed outside. Su Mu followed them.
Beyond the forge was a courtyard where forging materials were piled up and Li Tie and his son lived. At that moment, several burly men in black robes stood in the yard, long sabers at their waists.
These men moved with steady, forceful steps, clearly trained fighters. Their leader had a face full of jowls and a large belly, yet there was something about him that set him apart from ordinary people.
"That man is... a Ranked Martial Artist!"
Su Mu immediately realized this man was no ordinary person and came to a conclusion.
Several master blacksmiths stood beside the burly men, smiling apologetically, but none of them dared stop the intruders from entering the courtyard.
"Hall Master Wu, harmony brings prosperity. If you have something to say, you can just tell us. There's no need to get angry."
Before long, Shopkeeper Li Tie came over when he heard the commotion. His heart was full of helplessness. He knew the other party had come looking for trouble, but he could only greet them politely.
The thug called Hall Master Wu gave a cold snort when he saw Li Tie. "Something to say? I've indeed come to your Iron Shop today to demand an explanation."
At the back of the crowd, Su Mu's heart stirred. He had dealt with the Black Tiger Gang several days ago. Sun Li and the thug who had tried to ambush and kill him were probably both members of the Black Tiger Gang.
Could the other party have come because of Sun Li?
But Sun Li was missing, with no body to be found. The other party shouldn't have come knocking.
As Su Mu wondered, Hall Master Wu strode forward aggressively. "Sun Li has vanished without a trace. You must give me an explanation."
So they really had come over Sun Li. But when Su Mu heard Hall Master Wu was demanding an explanation from the Iron Shop rather than coming straight for him, he knew they had no evidence.
At this, everyone from the Iron Shop was taken aback. They knew Sun Li had gone missing, but what did that have to do with the Black Tiger Gang?
Zhou Shan immediately spoke up indignantly from the crowd. "Sun Li was an apprentice at our blacksmith shop. Shopkeeper Li and I already reported this to the authorities. The government will investigate. What does this have to do with your Black Tiger Gang?"
"Let me tell you, Sun Li wasn't just an apprentice at your shop. He was also a member of the Black Tiger Gang, and a distant relative of our Hall Master Wu Heng. By seniority, he was his nephew."
A Black Tiger Gang member stepped forward from behind Wu Heng and spoke sternly.
When they heard the first half, everyone from the Iron Shop looked surprised. But when he said Sun Li was Wu Heng's distant nephew, everyone's expression turned strange, including those of the other Black Tiger Gang members.
Whether Sun Li had been a member of the Black Tiger Gang was one thing, but once they pulled out the claim that he was a distant nephew, everyone present understood. The Black Tiger Gang had simply come looking for trouble on purpose.
They were using Sun Li's disappearance as an excuse to make a scene.
Everyone in the blacksmith shop immediately looked furious.
Noticing their reaction, Wu Heng's face turned cold. He suddenly took a step forward, and everyone present felt a gust of wind rise. The next moment, Zhou Shan let out a muffled groan and flew backward as if struck by a hammer. Several burly blacksmiths instinctively reached out to catch him, only to tumble to the ground like gourds rolling down a hill.
Only after the force seemed to dissipate was Zhou Shan staggeringly helped to his feet.
Wu Heng glanced over, saw a skinny youth, and looked away. He didn't notice the anger showing on the head-lowered youth's face.
At that moment, Zhou Shan clutched his stomach and groaned in pain. The blacksmiths hadn't seen Wu Heng's move, but Su Mu had seen it clearly. After mastering the Five Animal Frolics, his comprehension had reached Modest Potential, and his senses had already grown far sharper than those of ordinary people.
Su Mu had clearly seen Wu Heng strike with a swift palm. The blow that landed on Master Zhou Shan's stomach had been too fast for an ordinary person's eyes to follow.
That palm had also contained a surge of force. Wu Heng really was a Ranked Martial Artist—a true Ninth Rank Qi Refining Martial Artist.
If Su Mu hadn't been there today, no one could have caught Zhou Shan. But Su Mu also knew that there was still a considerable gap between him and Wu Heng.
If several blacksmiths hadn't taken some of the force, Su Mu might not have been able to catch him either. Wu Heng's force was many times stronger than Su Mu's.
"Old Zhou, are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine." Zhou Shan gritted his teeth and answered through the pain.
Everyone was furious and shocked. Two men took Zhou Shan from Su Mu and helped him up. The rest were now enraged and turned to head back to the forge to grab their tools. Blacksmiths swung hammers every day; they were strong men with tempers to match. Besides, this was the Iron Shop—this was their turf.
Wu Heng might be strong, but there were only three of them, while the blacksmiths had more than ten.
"Hmph. Fists and feet have no eyes. That palm was only a warning. Next time, it won't be so light when it lands on you."
Wu Heng's voice turned icy, and a wave of killing intent emanated from him.
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
Li Tie called out to halt everyone. The Black Tiger Gang was the biggest gang in Qingshui Town, and everyone knew it was actually backed by powerful figures from the county seat.
If they completely offended the Black Tiger Gang, not only would the Iron Shop be unable to stay in town, but the gang might also hold a grudge against the blacksmiths and take revenge afterward. That wasn't something Li Tie wanted to see.
"Hall Master Wu, we can talk this out. There's no need to lose your temper."
Seeing that Li Tie was showing signs of backing down, Wu Heng waved his hand. A gang member behind him stepped forward and took a register from his robes. "Shopkeeper Li, take a good look. The Black Tiger Gang didn't come here to stir up trouble for no reason."
The Black Tiger Gang member opened the register to a certain page. Sun Li's name was written there in black and white, and the date he had joined the Black Tiger Gang was three years earlier. The ink had faded somewhat and no longer smelled fresh. It hadn't just been added.
After looking at the register, Li Tie and the blacksmiths were at a loss for words. They hadn't expected Sun Li really to be a member of the Black Tiger Gang. Judging by the date, he had joined before becoming an apprentice at the Iron Shop.
The matter was a stretch, but Wu Heng was a hall master of the Black Tiger Gang and did have an excuse to make trouble. And now that he had come knocking, Li Tie knew the gang would never let the matter go unless they gave them some kind of explanation.
"We've already reported Sun Li's disappearance to the authorities. Whatever happened to him has nothing to do with our Iron Shop. We still haven't found him... May I ask what kind of explanation Hall Master Wu wants?"
After a moment's silence, Li Tie spoke. He naturally wouldn't admit that Sun Li's disappearance had anything to do with the Iron Shop, but he was willing to offer an explanation and put the matter to rest.
"I hope Hall Master Wu can show mercy."
"Show mercy? Sun Li was our Hall Master Wu's nephew. If your son had been killed by my Black Tiger Gang and I told you to show mercy, Shopkeeper Li, what would you do?"
A Black Tiger Gang member sneered at just the right moment.
"What did you say?!"
One of the blacksmiths shouted angrily. Li Tie was a kind and generous man who treated the blacksmiths at the shop very well. Seeing someone insult him like that, they were all furious.
Li Tie was angry too, but after his expression changed, he gestured for everyone to stay calm. Wu Heng saw this and waved his hand, then put on a stern face and pretended to scold his subordinate.
"You bastard, how can you speak to Shopkeeper Li like that? Is it your place to talk? Get back!" After scolding him, Wu Heng changed his tune. "But he did get one thing right. Sun Li was my nephew, and now he's missing, dead or alive, while apprenticed at your Iron Shop."
"But I trust you, Shopkeeper Li. Here's what we'll do... I won't make things hard for you. Give me two hundred taels of silver for a grand funeral for my nephew. If he's found later, the Black Tiger Gang will naturally return every last coin."
Two hundred taels of silver, just like that. One ten-refined saber could sell for five taels. Even without counting costs, two hundred taels would buy forty sabers.
The Black Tiger Gang was robbing them in broad daylight, and demanding an exorbitant sum at that.
As for the promise to return the money if Sun Li was found, no one believed it. Once something entered a tiger's jaws, how could it ever be given back?
Li Tie wrestled with himself, then finally clenched his teeth and spoke in a low voice. "Hall Master Wu, you know two hundred taels is no small sum. Our shop can't come up with that much all at once. I hope you'll give us a few days to gather the money."
"Good. Shopkeeper Li certainly knows how to get straight to the point." Wu Heng chuckled. "I'll give you three days."
With that, Wu Heng took a token from his waist and hurled it forcefully to the ground. With a hiss, it sank straight into the earth. The words "Black Tiger" carved on it trembled with a metallic clang.
"This is my nephew's token. I'll come to your shop for the silver in three days."
With that, Wu Heng turned around with a smile and swaggered away with the two Black Tiger Gang members.
Behind them, Su Mu silently watched it all. His fists clenched without a sound, then slowly relaxed. What had happened today had taught him a vivid lesson.
In this chaotic world, weakness is a sin. The strong prey on the weak... only the fittest survive!
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