The Strange Order (Second Update!)

Listening to the chaotic clamor, Zheng Que's mind filled with question marks. He had originally intended to head straight to Luo Fuyu after coming out, but now he sensed that something major had happened in the market district. He needed to quickly get to the bottom of it.

With that in mind, Zheng Que chose caution over haste. Rather than stepping forward to demand answers, he first retreated to the cultivation room in the Market Lord's Residence, opened the Soul-Nurturing Bag, and released the "Belly Specter."

Immediately afterward, he summoned a Ghost Servant from the Soul-Calling Banner and used [Demon Soul Substitute Puppet] to have it swallow the "Belly Specter." Only then did he control the soul puppet and head outside.

Once outside again, Zheng Que immediately walked into the alley beside him.

At that moment, Qing Li's high-spirited voice drifted out from within the alley. "Very good!"

"Remember this, all of you! From now on, you must shout this a hundred times every day when paying your protection fee."

"Whenever you see me, you must shout it like this too."

"And besides, given my exalted status, there's no way I can personally come out to collect protection fees every day."

"Unless something special happens, Nian Nu will collect them on my behalf from now on."

"Of course, Nian Nu is my right-hand woman, and she may not always be free either. So aside from her, I'll select a few of the ghosts most enthusiastic about paying from among you, grant them an opportunity, and have them collect protection fees on my behalf..."

By then, Zheng Que had just entered the alley. It was a straight lane, with shops lining both sides, interspersed with a few spare houses. A row of flowering trees had been planted by the walls, and