The Caobang Gang's Great Chieftain-Li An!

As soon as Lu Feng arrived at the County Yamen, a Yamen Runner hurried over. "Constable Lu, something's wrong! The Caobang Gang ran into trouble over on West Street. Constable Fan went ahead, and he told me to ask you to hurry over and help."

Lu Feng raised an eyebrow. "Xiao Zhang, what kind of trouble did the Caobang Gang run into?"

Xiao Zhang shook his head. "I don't know the specifics, but judging by Constable Fan's expression, it must be urgent."

"All right. I'll head to West Street and help Fan Tao. Please report this to Captain Wang for me."

With that, Lu Feng turned and left the County Yamen, heading toward West Street.

Judging by what Xiao Zhang had just described, the Caobang Gang had probably clashed with an outside gang.

He and Fan Tao happened to be responsible for patrolling West Street today. To keep the two gangs from causing serious trouble, they had to go and maintain order.

But Lu Feng was only a Third-Rank Martial Artist, and Fan Tao was only a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist. The two of them would have a hard time holding back both gangs.

Lu Feng raced all the way to West Street. Two groups of gang members were facing each other down.

Seeing that neither side had started fighting yet, Lu Feng felt somewhat relieved.

Just then, Fan Tao, who had been hiding to one side, suddenly grabbed him and whispered, "Lu Feng, don't go over there!"

Lu Feng nodded slightly, then asked, "What's the situation?"

Fan Tao didn't answer right away. Instead, he led Lu Feng behind a crate and said, "As far as I know, half an hour ago, the Blood Eagle Gang came from outside the city with over a hundred men and caused trouble on the Caobang Gang's turf. They said they wanted to take over the river transport business. The Caobang Gang naturally refused, so the two gangs' leaders are discussing it inside. They probably won't fight until they reach a decision."

After thinking it over, Lu Feng said, "If these two gangs start fighting, there's no way our strength will be enough to hold them back. Shouldn't we report this to Captain Wang?"

The Great Chieftains of both the Caobang Gang and the Blood Eagle Gang were Seventh-Rank Martial Artists, while Captain Wang of the yamen was an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist. If they asked Captain Wang to come, he could certainly keep the gangs in check.

Fan Tao gave a helpless smile and shook his head. "Lu Feng, don't take this the wrong way, but do you think Captain Wang would listen to two constables like us?"

Lu Feng raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Fan Tao, what do you mean?"

"Heh. I mean, even though we and Captain Wang all work for the yamen, we're still just earning a salary. We won't get involved in gang disputes like this. As long as they don't disrupt the county's normal operations, the higher-ups won't care. Understand?"

At that, Lu Feng understood.

"So, by your reckoning, we just keep watching them?"

Fan Tao nodded. "That's right. As long as they don't bother the other residents of the county, whether they fight to the death is their own business."

"All right!"

Lu Feng had only been worried that if the two gangs fought, the higher-ups would blame them once they found out.

As for disputes between gangs, he naturally had no intention of interfering.

Before long, the two gangs' Great Chieftains came out of the building. Lu Feng took a careful look and saw that the Caobang Gang's Great Chieftain looked displeased, while the Blood Eagle Gang's Great Chieftain wore a broad smile.

Seeing this, Lu Feng had a rough idea of what had happened. The Caobang Gang's Great Chieftain had probably given up some of his profits, which explained their expressions.

Lu Feng nudged Fan Tao and asked, "How does the Blood Eagle Gang's strength compare to the Caobang Gang's?"

Although Lu Feng had inherited the original owner's body, the original owner hadn't known much about the county's gangs.

At Lu Feng's question, Fan Tao began, "The Blood Eagle Gang is the strongest gang outside the city, and they're also connected to the bandits in the nearby mountains. But overall, their strength is about the same as the Caobang Gang's."

"Oh? Then why did the Blood Eagle Gang dare to come looking for trouble with the Caobang Gang? Weren't they afraid the Caobang Gang would fight them to the death?"

Fan Tao smiled at him, then said, "The Blood Eagle Gang wouldn't have dared to do this before. But half a month ago, they seem to have found a powerful backer in the county, which is why they're acting so recklessly."

"A powerful backer? Who?" Lu Feng asked, puzzled.

"I don't know. We little constables aren't in a position to know about people that important."

Hearing that, Lu Feng didn't ask any more questions.

After the two gangs' Great Chieftains reached an agreement, the Blood Eagle Gang led its men away from the West Street docks.

Seeing that it was over, Fan Tao slowly stood up and said, "Lu Feng, we can get back to patrolling."

"Mm. Let's continue our patrol."

With that, the two headed toward the docks. Just then, the Caobang Gang's Great Chieftain, Li An, suddenly spotted them.

But when he saw Lu Feng, a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes.

In the next instant, Li An's expression returned to normal, and he walked over to them.

"Constable Lu, Constable Fan, good afternoon!" Li An greeted them first.

Fan Tao smiled. "Good afternoon, Great Chieftain Li. We saw a lot of people gathered here, so we came to take a look."

"Oh, we were just discussing business with outsiders. Nothing important."

Although Li An was answering Fan Tao's question, he kept glancing at Lu Feng.

Lu Feng had been invited to dinner by this man last night, then attacked by thugs on his way home.

If anyone was the prime suspect, it was this man.

And now Li An was paying such close attention to him. That left little doubt.

Lu Feng looked at Li An and said, "Great Chieftain Li, thank you for hosting me last night. I, Lu, won't forget it."

Li An smiled. "Heh, Constable Lu, you're too polite. It was just a meal together. There's no need to take it to heart."

As he spoke, Lu Feng stared intently at Li An. Unfortunately, no emotion showed on Li An's face; he kept smiling the whole time.

A moment later, Lu Feng cupped his fist toward Li An. "Great Chieftain Li, I still have to patrol the streets, so I won't stay and chat. Farewell!"

With that, Lu Feng strode away. Fan Tao cupped his fist toward Li An as well, then followed after him.

Once they had left the docks, Fan Tao suddenly asked, "Lu Feng, do you have a grudge against Li An?"

Lu Feng turned to look at Fan Tao and asked with interest, "Oh? What makes you ask?"

"Heh. My martial arts may be mediocre, but I'm pretty good at reading people. The way you and Li An spoke just now, and the look on your faces—it was obvious something was off."

Lu Feng simply smiled faintly and said nothing more.

But from Fan Tao's words, he could tell that Fan Tao probably wasn't the one who had tried to harm him.

"Come on. Let's finish patrolling West Street before we talk about anything else."

Seeing that he didn't want to say more, Fan Tao didn't press him. The two continued their patrol.

Soon, evening came. The two returned to the County Yamen to sign out, then went home separately.

As soon as he got home, Lu Feng locked the front door. The events of the day had confirmed a few things for him.

His uncle's family and the Caobang Gang's Great Chieftain both meant him harm. He had to get stronger faster, or he wouldn't live much longer.

Once he had thought it through, Lu Feng began practicing Cloud-Dispelling Palm in the courtyard again.

[You used Cloud-Dispelling Palm once. Proficiency +1]

[You used Cloud-Dispelling Palm once. Proficiency +1]

...

After his fifth strike of Cloud-Dispelling Palm, a strange force suddenly flowed into his body, making him shudder.

[Your Cloud-Dispelling Palm proficiency has reached 100. The Martial Skill's proficiency level has advanced from Beginner to Lesser Completion]

[Your Martial Realm has successfully advanced to Fourth-Rank Martial Artist]