Black Water Gang

"Black Water Gang's Huang Sheng?"

After seeing that the visitor was Zhong Lin, Doctor Xu nodded. "Who else could it be? It used to be two to the white, three to the black. Now it's three to the white, four to the black. These times are getting harder and harder."

By "two to the white, three to the black," Doctor Xu meant that the lawful authorities took twenty percent of the profit, while the underworld gangs took thirty percent.

The former could be understood as taxes—if one pinched every penny, there would still be some money left to save. The latter was protection money, and the key was that one could not refuse to pay it. The gangs' methods were even more disgusting than the authorities'.

Zhong Lin was quite thankful that the authorities had taken notice of him and made him a painter for the yamen. Though he was only an outside hire, no one dared come collect protection money from him.

"Let's not talk about that. Did you buy the medicine?"

"I did."

"How was the effect?"

Zhong Lin clenched his fist, feeling the strength greater than before, and said with satisfaction, "Very good."

"And very expensive, I imagine?"

The smile on Zhong Lin's face froze. That struck right through the heart, brother.

Xu Lewu sighed. "When I was young, I apprenticed at Hundred Herbs Hall in Heavenly Sun County. Unfortunately, my aptitude was a little lacking, and I failed to advance to pharmacist. That was an even more wondrous field—gathering the essence of a hundred herbs and condensing it into a single pill. What a pity!"

"Was that where you learned your Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup as well?"

"That's right. Strictly speaking, Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup should be called Eight Treasures Blood Replenishment Powder. It is a watered-down version of the Blood Replenishment Pill, made for Hundred Herbs Hall apprentices to practice with. Only by refining a true Blood Replenishment Pill could one qualify to become a Hundred Herbs Hall pharmacist. I was just one step away—just one step!"

Doctor Xu's face was filled with regret, just like those classmates from Zhong Lin's past life who had failed to get into college and ended up muddling through society.

"Ah! Stop hitting me! Stop!"

As the two spoke, cries of agony came from outside.

Zhong Lin and Doctor Xu exchanged a glance, then stepped outside together to look.

Across the street from the clinic, Huang Sheng was directing his thugs as they beat a father and son. The miserable screams from earlier had come from them.

"That's... Old Wang Tou and his son?"

Standing in the street, Huang Sheng shouted to the crowd, "Old Wang Tou and his son resisted paying their share of the profits. That means resisting me, Huang Sheng. It means resisting the Black Water Gang. And he even dared lay hands on me..."

"Pah! Old Wang Tou and his son are as meek as lumps of dough. How could they possibly have laid hands on him? He's doing it on purpose, killing a chicken to scare the monkeys." Doctor Xu cursed under his breath, his face full of fury.

Sure enough, Old Wang Tou opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to defend himself.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, Huang Sheng delivered a vicious kick, sending Old Wang Tou tumbling to the ground, where he wailed in pain.

"Drag them away and beat them hard. Daring to defy the Black Water Gang? Today, I'll teach him how the word 'death' is written."

The two lackeys behind Huang Sheng hurried forward, kicking and stomping on Old Wang Tou and his son until their screams came one after another.

"This won't do. If they keep hitting them, they'll really beat them to death."

Doctor Xu shoved through the crowd and walked up, cupping his hands toward Huang Sheng. "Master Huang, show mercy, show mercy! If this continues, someone really will die."

"Old Man Xu, looks like you aren't afraid of death either!"

Seeing someone actually dare to step forward and stop him, the chill on Huang Sheng's face deepened.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," Doctor Xu quickly said. "Old Wang Tou was badly ill just a few days ago. His body hasn't recovered yet. Beating him like this really could kill him! Besides, there are people from the yamen watching!"

As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully toward Zhong Lin, who had been standing at the back of the crowd.

Huang Sheng's gaze followed, and when he saw Zhong Lin, his expression darkened further. Clearly, he recognized Zhong Lin's identity.

Zhong Lin: "..."

Fuck me.

Zhong Lin had not expected to be used as a shield. In that instant, he felt the urge to slap Xu Lewu to death.

From afar, Huang Sheng cupped his hands toward Zhong Lin. "So Painter Zhong is here. Then today, I'll give Painter Zhong some face. Let's go."

With that, he led his thugs away, and before long they had left the street.

"Master Huang, isn't that guy just a painter from the yamen? Why give him face?" one of the thugs asked in confusion.

Huang Sheng snorted. "A painter? He's no ordinary painter. Do you know Chi Yan?"

"You mean that constable who often gambled at Pleasure Quarter? Didn't he already die?" another thug chimed in.

"That's him. An Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm martial artist—and that painter killed him."

The moment those words fell, the thugs around Huang Sheng all sucked in a breath of cold air.

As thugs, they knew about Ranked Martial Artists. Their own Master Huang was a Ninth Rank martial artist; otherwise, he would never have been able to become the minor boss in charge of a street.

The Eighth Rank was stronger than the Ninth Rank, yet such a man had been killed by a painter who looked rather thin and weak. It was truly unbelievable.

Ignoring the conversation of Huang Sheng and the others, Zhong Lin stood in the clinic, staring expressionlessly at Xu Lewu.

Xu Lewu also knew that what he had done just now was improper, and that he might even have made Zhong Lin an enemy. He said awkwardly, "We couldn't just stand by and watch Old Wang Tou get beaten to death! He really has no money left. He was seriously ill some days ago, and all the family savings went toward medicine."

"So you used me to do someone a favor?"

"How could that be? It was just that in a moment of urgency—"

"Doctor Xu, do you want to make money?"

"Huh?"

Xu Lewu froze for a moment. He had not expected Zhong Lin to change the subject so quickly. One moment he was demanding an explanation; the next, he was asking whether he wanted to make money.

"I asked whether you want to make money," Zhong Lin repeated.

Xu Lewu looked at Zhong Lin warily and shook his head. "I won't earn black-hearted money."

Xu Lewu was a physician at the clinic. If he wanted to make some black-hearted money, it would be easy enough—for example, passing off inferior herbs as good ones, or prescribing several extra doses of medicine.

But though Xu Lewu had a fiery temper, he still possessed the integrity he ought to have. He was unwilling to earn money that weighed on his conscience.

Zhong Lin rolled his eyes helplessly. "Don't worry. Neither will I."

"Then tell me."

"Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup."

"Hah! I thought you had some grand idea. Are you planning to sell Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup to those martial schools? It's useless. Every martial school has its own secret medicine, and its effects are no weaker than Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup. Besides, those martial schools would never allow it. You'd be stealing their business."

Xu Lewu waved his hand. He had thought Zhong Lin had some good idea.

"Who said I was selling it to martial schools? There's another place we can sell it."

"Where?"

"The Black Market."

Xu Lewu froze at those words. His mind kept turning over its feasibility, while his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

The Black Market was a chaotic mix of dragons and fish, and some of those there were people who could not stand in the light. They did not even dare enter the County Town during the day, let alone go buy medicine. These medicines happened to suit such people perfectly.

"You handle making the medicine. I'll take it to the Black Market and sell it. We split it fifty-fifty. How about it?"

With a smile on his face, Zhong Lin laid out his plan.

"Why fifty-fifty? I provide the herbs, and I make the medicine. You're only running errands, yet you want too much."

"Then go yourself."