Trouble Comes Knocking

I declined the aunties' well-meaning offers, asking my younger sister to look after everyone.

Luo Yi walked out of the courtyard and to the county town's wine shop, where he bought two jars of white liquor.

Carrying the white liquor back home, he saw his younger sister and the aunties engaged in a heated discussion.

He smiled at them, then entered the main house with the white liquor and began to steep the Tiger Bone and the Tonic purchased from Dongsheng Town in the alcohol.

After finishing, Luo Yi took the Bear Gall and started practicing the "Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique."

He practiced until noon. The aunties needed to go home to cook, and they left one after another. His younger sister, Luo Xi, went into the kitchen to start preparing the meal.

Sensing the medicinal effects of the Tonic fading, Luo Yi took out the Three Shi Hunting Bow and began practicing archery.

And so, he spent his mornings and evenings practicing the "Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique," filling the time in between with archery practice.

Seven days passed in this monotonous, repetitive routine.

The morning of the eighth day.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" The Green Wolf Gang was collecting taxes. Those inside immediately opened the door.

The violent banging made the courtyard gate tremble violently.

Luo Yi, who was practicing the "Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique" in the courtyard, was interrupted by the noise from outside the gate.

He stopped practicing, walked to the courtyard gate, and was about to open it.

"Crack!"

The courtyard gate was kicked open from the outside, and the bolt used to secure it snapped in two.

Looking at the gate that had been forcibly kicked open, a sharp glint flashed in Luo Yi's eyes. These people dared to break into a private residence in broad daylight.

According to the laws of Great Qi, trespassing on private property without the owner's permission was punishable by at least three years of corvée labor.

The officials had not shown up for a long time. It seemed the county town was not as safe as he had imagined!

Just as Luo Yi was sighing, several figures walked into the courtyard.

The leader was tall and burly, with a bronze complexion. A scar about an inch long on his left cheek disappeared into his hairline. His blue martial arts uniform was open, revealing his sturdy muscles.

"Skin Refining Great Accomplishment." Looking at the burly man's skin, Luo Yi judged his cultivation realm.

A scrawny young man walked out from behind the burly man and looked at Luo Yi.

"New here?" You didn't open the door after knocking for so long, and we "Little Wolf Head" had to put a little more effort in. Do you have a problem with that?

Looking at the man with a sharp, monkey-like face, Luo Yi didn't know their exact identities and didn't dare to make a move against them for the time being.

He smiled and said, "Where did you get that from, sirs? It was my fault for opening the door slowly. It's not your fault. But sirs, what brings you here today?"

Seeing that the new resident was so sensible, the monkey-faced man smiled.

"This alley is now officially managed by us, the 'Green Wolf Gang.' From now on, we, the 'Green Wolf Gang,' will guarantee the safety of all residents. However, we also require you residents to pay a small price."

Extorting protection money and speaking so righteously, Luo Yi roughly understood their intentions.

"Oh! Sir, may I ask what price we need to pay?"

Seeing the young man actively engaging, the monkey-faced man felt even more that this person was easy to bully.

"You're a sensible kid!"

"How about this? We won't make things difficult for you. Since so many of our brothers are here today, each of them needs one tael of silver for their hard work, plus five taels of silver for street patrol fees. The total is twelve taels of silver. How about it, kid?"

Hearing the price quoted by the monkey-faced man, Luo Yi was startled. What was the difference between this and robbing him?

"Sirs, I just bought this courtyard and spent all the savings my parents left me. I really can't come up with so much silver. Could you please give me some more time?"

"Brother, I'm done with breakfast!" Luo Xi walked out of the kitchen, having prepared breakfast.

The leader, Little Wolf Head, saw Luo Xi, and a greedy glint flashed in his eyes. He walked up to Luo Yi and patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother-in-law, it's okay if you can't afford the patrol fee. As long as you marry my younger sister to me, we'll be family. Then, brother-in-law won't need to pay any patrol fees."

Listening to Little Wolf Head's words, Luo Yi's expression gradually turned grim. How dare they have designs on his younger sister? These people were courting death.

It seemed like today wouldn't end peacefully. He reached for the long saber at his waist, just as he was about to make a move.

"The constables are here! The constables are here!"

Hearing the commotion from outside the courtyard, the thugs following Little Wolf Head showed worried expressions.

The monkey-faced man walked up to Little Wolf Head and whispered, "Boss, the constables are here today. Who knows if some troublemakers will cause problems! Why don't we withdraw first? We can come back for this kid later?"

Hearing his subordinate's report, Little Wolf Head patted Luo Yi on the shoulder!

"Kid, I'll give you a few more days. If you can't come up with the silver then, I'll take your younger sister. After saying that, he had a very lewd expression on his face."

The thugs behind him also started smirking lewdly at their boss's words.

"Monkey and the rest of you brothers, let's go."

With that, Little Wolf Head waved his hand and walked out without looking back. The monkey-faced man shot Luo Yi a vicious glare before jogging to catch up.

Luo Yi watched them leave with a smile, until their figures disappeared from sight.

The smile on Luo Yi's face vanished instantly, his expression turning grim.

He had originally thought moving to the county town would give him more time to train, but only a few days in, trouble had found him.

As soon as Little Wolf Head and his group left, several constables in official uniforms entered the courtyard and looked at Luo Yi.

"Kid, are you alright?"

Hearing the constables' inquiry, Luo Yi quickly cupped his hands. "This junior is fine, thank you all for your concern, sirs."

"Report to us immediately if anything happens." After scanning the courtyard, the constables nodded and walked out.

Seeing the constables leave, Luo Yi closed the courtyard gate and walked to his panicked younger sister's side, ruffling her hair.

"Don't worry, Xiao Xi. With me here, no one will be able to harm you."

Xiao Xi nodded. "Brother, I'm not scared! I want to train martial arts too, so I can protect you!"

"Hahaha." Hearing his younger sister's words, Luo Yi's gloomy mood lifted.

"Let's go, we should eat first before the food gets cold."

On the exquisite wooden table were: a plate of stir-fried pork belly, a plate of pickles, and a basin of thin congee.

After the two finished breakfast, Luo Yi sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.

He had spent a large sum of money buying this courtyard a few days ago and only had a little over twenty taels of silver left.

Now that they had moved into Yunlu County, Xiao Xi's martial arts training needed to be put on the agenda, and there would be many places where silver would be needed.

Luo Yi returned to his room, packed the Tiger Hide from the shelf into his hunting bag, and prepared to go to the "Qipi Collection Shop" to see how much this Zhang of Tiger Hide could be sold for.

Shouldering his backpack and taking his weapon, Luo Yi briefly said goodbye to his younger sister and headed towards the liveliest market in Yunlu County.