The County Town Situation

Wang Meng lived in an alley not far from Luo Yi. Considering that he had organized his men to hunt in the mountains yesterday and suffered serious injuries, visiting empty-handed would be a breach of etiquette.

Luo Yi walked to the busiest market in town, wandered around a few times, and remembering that Wang Meng had a wife and son, an idea struck him.

He entered the best rouge shop in town and bought a box of rouge worth 200 wen.

Then he went to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion and purchased several portions of pastries, food, and a few jugs of clear wine.

Only when both hands were full did he stop shopping, carrying a large pile of things toward Wang Meng's house.

The entire Dongsheng Town wasn't very large, so it didn't take long to reach the alley where Wang Meng lived.

Unlike the usual quiet, the alley was now packed solid with a crowd of women.

Not knowing the situation, Luo Yi didn't rush over. He stepped aside, preparing to ask a "middle-aged auntie" who loved watching the excitement for the scoop.

"Auntie, did something happen at Captain Wang's place? Why are so many people blocking the door today?"

Hearing the word "auntie," the woman was quite displeased, but seeing the handsome face of the speaker, she swallowed her cursing words.

In a syrupy voice, she said, "Little brother, haven't you heard? Captain Wang led most of the village's hunters into the mountains yesterday. On the way, they were attacked by a Wolf Pack, and only a few came back alive."

"This matter has spread like wildfire through town. They say Wang Meng deliberately harmed the other hunters. These women blocking his door are all families of the hunters who died in the mountains, here to demand an explanation from Captain Wang."

After hearing the auntie's account and seeing the door completely blocked, Luo Yi knew forcing his way through the front would cause no end of trouble. He scanned the surroundings and came up with an idea.

He went to the alley behind Wang Meng's house, took a few sprinting steps, and smoothly vaulted over the not-too-tall wall.

Wang Meng, sitting in the courtyard with a worried frown, heard the noise from behind the house. Gripping his hunting knife, he charged toward the backyard.

"Uncle Wang, it's me, Luo Yi. Don't make a move!"

"You little rascal, why did you climb over my backyard wall?"

"Your front door is packed solid with people. There's no way in from the front."

Hearing this, Wang Meng forced a bitter smile and changed the subject.

"Look at you, coming to your Uncle Wang's house and still bringing gifts."

"Uncle Wang, just a small token. Please don't refuse."

With that, Luo Yi handed the gifts to Wang Meng's wife, Aunt Song.

Wang Meng smiled helplessly and led Luo Yi into the living room to sit down. He asked, "Xiao Yi, is there something you came to see me about today?"

"Uncle Wang, I mainly came to ask you about the basic situation in the county town and the realm divisions for martial artists."

Wang Meng pondered for a few seconds before speaking. "The nearest county town to Dongsheng Town is called Yunlu County. It's named after the endless Yunlu Mountain Range nearby. Yunling Mountain near our town is just one branch of the Yunlu Mountains."

"The entire Yunlu County town is divided into four districts: East, South, West, and North. They're controlled by the Four Great Clans—Chen, Huang, Li, and Zhang—each ruling one area. The Four Great Clans live in the Inner City and monopolize all the openly profitable businesses in the county."

"Besides the Four Great Clans, there are also Two Gangs and Three Halls. The Two Gangs are the Caobang and the Yanbang."

"The Caobang controls all the freight docks in Yunlu County. Any goods entering Yunlu County by water pass through the Caobang's hands. Privately, the Caobang also plunders ships passing through nearby waters."

"The Yanbang is made up of a group of salt smugglers. All the smuggled salt in Yunlu County comes from the Yanbang."

"Both gangs deal in matters that cost lives. Usually, anyone who offends them won't live to see the next day's sun."

The Three Halls are the three most famous martial halls in the county town:

The White Ape Martial Hall, the Black Bear Martial Hall, and the Cloud Hawk Martial Hall. Whether it's the hall master or the deputy hall master, all of them are at the Bone Forging Realm.

The rest are small factions struggling to survive under the shadow of these major powers.

Besides the forces in the town, there are also county soldiers stationed ten li outside the county. But the county soldiers don't handle town affairs, so you'll almost never run into them.

As for realm divisions, your Uncle Wang is only a Skin Refining Realm martial artist. I only know the Four Body Refining Realms: Skin, Flesh, Sinew, and Bone, plus the Five Viscera and Six Bowels—six realms in total. I don't know what comes after that."

After hearing Wang Meng's account, Luo Yi felt greatly enlightened and cupped his hands to Wang Meng.

"Thank you, Uncle Wang."

Wang Meng waved his hand, signaling it was nothing.

Having gotten the information he wanted, and hearing the quarreling voices of the hunters' families outside, Luo Yi looked at Wang Meng's worried face.

He felt it was inappropriate to stay any longer.

"Uncle Wang, I'll be going now. I won't disturb your recovery."

Just as he was about to ask Luo Yi to stay for lunch, Wang Meng found the kid had already vanished. He shook his head with a smile—young people these days really did things with lightning speed.

Reaching Wang Meng's backyard, Luo Yi pushed off with his legs and leaped straight over the wall.

Just as he was about to head home, he saw several officers in official uniforms walking toward Wang Meng's house.

The crowd of women in the alley, seeing this, rushed to the officers and knelt on the ground, shouting:

"Your Honor! Your Honor! You must seek justice for us! Yesterday, Wang Meng took so many men up the mountain, and only a few came out alive. There must be something wrong! Your Honor! You must get to the bottom of this and avenge our husbands!"

Seeing the kneeling women, the leading officer waved his hand. The officers behind him stepped forward.

One kick each, they shoved the women blocking the way to either side.

"A bunch of unruly villagers—the County Magistrate has his own judgment. How dare you spout nonsense here."

"Keep talking out of turn, and we'll haul you all back to the county seat for trial."

The cluster of women in the alley, hearing this, quickly shut their mouths and hurriedly cleared a path for the constables.

The leading constable, spotting among the crowd blocking the way a few familiar women with pretty faces and pear-shaped figures that were utterly irresistible, felt a heat stir in his lower abdomen. He glanced back at his men.

"These women strike me as suspicious—could be accomplices of the criminals. When we head back to the county later, make sure to bring them along."

The underlings, hearing the order, leered at the women's delicate features with obscene grins.

The women named by the leading constable, upon hearing this, fell to their knees in terror, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Injustice, sir! Injustice! My husband went out hunting—alive, we never saw him; dead, we never found a body. How could I be the killer?"

Standing at the alley entrance, Luo Yi watched this scene unfold, a doubt stirring in his mind. If his strength weren't enough, would he and his younger sister end up just as easily trampled?

A few constables reached Wang Meng's door, and the leading man knocked.

"Captain Wang, please open up. There's a case that requires your assistance in the investigation."

Wang Meng's wife, Aunt Song, opened the courtyard gate.

"Wang Meng's badly injured and can't get out of bed. Sir, if you have business, please step into the yard first."

"Guard the gate. No one comes in without my word," the leading constable ordered his men.

He then strode into the yard first.

Wang Meng, sitting inside the yard, saw the newcomer and silently cursed his luck, but still put on an act, pretending to be gravely wounded.

"Captain Qin, what wind blows you here?"

Qin Feng sized Wang Meng up and asked, "What happened yesterday? How did so many people die?"

At the question, Wang Meng recounted the general events, omitting the part where Luo Yi had stepped in to help.

When he finished, he pointed to the wolf hides drying in the yard.

Seeing so many wolf hides, greed flickered in Qin Feng's eyes—these were all gleaming silver.

"Captain Wang, your words alone aren't proof. We need to send men to Yunling Mountain to get to the bottom of this. Until we find evidence clearing you, you may need to come with us."

"Who paid you to come after me?"

"Captain Wang, you're a smart man. You can guess without me saying. This time, that person used some treasure to move the County Deputy Magistrate to act, ordering us to 'handle the case by the book.'"

"Quite the expense. Going to all this trouble just to deal with a Skin Refining Martial Artist like me."

Wang Meng thought of his wife and children at home—if he clashed head-on with Qin Feng, they might get hurt.

Suppressing the urge to strike, Wang Meng simply gave up resisting.