The City Under One Man's Heel

"Get the hell down!"

"Damn it, that story's garbage. I told you to stop talking, and you kept going."

Xing Jinglong cursed loudly, casting a sidelong glance at Lin Zheyu and the others, his eyes full of provocation.

"Fatty Xing, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to cause trouble on Flying Rainbow Gang turf?"

Jia Yanyong couldn't hold back any longer. He slapped the table and sprang to his feet, shouting angrily.

"I paid to listen to the story. If I think it's no good, I can't even complain?" Xing Jinglong said.

"Your conduct is going a bit too far, Young Master Xing. If you don't like the story, you can simply stop listening. Why cause trouble?" Lin Zheyu said, rising to his feet.

"I'm provoking you. So what?"

"Want to fight?"

Xing Jinglong taunted them, and his companions stood up as well.

Lin Zheyu restrained the hotheaded Jia Yanyong and said, "Let's not fight. You're a young master of the Xing Family, after all. Picking a fight in public like this is rather undignified."

Xing Jinglong: "???"

Xing Jinglong's expression darkened. To hell with being dignified. He was only a young master from a collateral branch of the Xing Family.

This kid really could hold back. Even after all that, he still wouldn't fight.

"By the way, Lord Qiu Gaoxuan will be here soon. He likes this story quite a bit."

"How about waiting a little longer, Young Master Xing? Once Lord Qiu arrives, you can tell him what you think is wrong with the story."

"If you insist on picking a fight, we can wait for Lord Qiu. You can tell him about it then," Lin Zheyu continued.

"Qiu Gaoxuan?"

Xing Jinglong took a deep breath, his heart full of frustration.

Qiu Gaoxuan was incredibly strong, already at the peak of Organ Refining.

If he came, the Organ Refining martial artists he brought along wouldn't be a match for him either.

But damn it, they were only looking for trouble and picking a fight. What was the point of bringing Qiu Gaoxuan into it?

Why had these guys suddenly become so timid?

"Hmph!"

"A bunch of cowards. Keep hiding like turtles in your shells!"

Seeing that he couldn't get the better of them, Xing Jinglong snorted coldly.

Smack—

He stood up and kicked the table hard, smashing it to pieces, then left with his men.

"That bastard's getting more and more arrogant."

Jia Yanyong sat back down, cursing under his breath.

"Can't be helped. The Xing Family has military connections. When the rebel army comes, they can use the chaos to recruit troops and expand their power."

"This upheaval is a golden opportunity for the Xing Family."

Xie Jiang's expression was grave, his face troubled.

After Xing Jinglong left, Steward Wu went up and apologized. A plate of side dishes was sent to every table, and the storyteller returned to the stage.

"Come on, let's drink. Why fret over all this? The Gang Leader can worry about it. We little people just need to look after our own patch of land."

Xie Jiang raised his cup, lightening the mood.

The next day.

Early morning.

28 Tongquan Street, Flying Rainbow Pavilion.

Lin Zheyu sat beside Xu Jingwu, watching an opera with him.

"I've read the book. It's very well written," Xu Jingwu said.

When Lin Zheyu had sold books to the Lu Siblings earlier, he had written a few extra copies. He gave one to Liang Song, one to Han Mo, and another to Xu Jingwu.

After all this time, Xu Jingwu had only just finished reading it.

"I'm glad you liked it, Gang Leader," Lin Zheyu said.

Only after reaching the Blood Energy Realm had Lin Zheyu realized just how terrifying Gang Leader Xu's strength was.

Beneath Xu Jingwu's refined exterior lay a body that held an incredibly vast reserve of Blood Energy, ready to erupt at any moment.

An attack unleashed with such immense Blood Energy would surely be terrifying.

Lin Zheyu suspected that the Gang Leader had surpassed the first Blood Energy transformation. He just didn't know how many transformations he had reached.

"I told you before: if the story was good, you'd be rewarded handsomely. I enjoyed it very much."

"Luo Tian, give Lin Zheyu a hundred taels of silver," Xu Jingwu told his subordinate.

"Thank you for the reward, Gang Leader Xu!" Lin Zheyu said.

Gang Leader Xu was exceptionally generous. Lin Zheyu had thought fifty taels or so would be plenty, but he hadn't expected to receive a full hundred.

"Were you attacked by Xing Penghai outside the city a few days ago?" Xu Jingwu suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"Senior Brother Han was heading out to suppress bandits, so I went out of the city to see him off. I didn't expect to run into Xing Jinglong and his men."

"Xing Penghai took out a black pill and tried to make me swallow it, hoping to get me to join the Xing Family. I refused," Lin Zheyu said, making no attempt to hide anything.

The Flying Rainbow Gang was powerful. Few things happened in Songyi City without reaching its ears.

"The Xing Family has a foothold in the City Guard. From now on, try not to leave the city alone. If something happens to you outside the city, even I would have a hard time dealing with it," Xu Jingwu said.

Lin Zheyu was just an ordinary member recruited by the Flying Rainbow Gang, not part of the Xu Family. If something really happened to him, the most the Xing Family would likely do was apologize and offer some compensation.

At most, the Flying Rainbow Gang might find an excuse to kill a few capable members of the Wuding Gang.

But that would be all.

"Understood. I'll be careful."

"Are you disappointed?" Xu Jingwu glanced at Lin Zheyu.

"No."

Lin Zheyu shook his head.

That was just how the world worked.

Even after joining the Flying Rainbow Gang, he only had some sway over ordinary people. Against the great clans of Songyi City, he was nothing.

No matter how remarkable his talent seemed, until he grew stronger, it was only potential.

For now, he was still a nobody.

"The Xing Family is the most powerful clan in Songyi City after the City Lord's, and its strength is considerable."

"One-third of the Songyi City Guard is under the Xing Family's control. If they set their sights on you outside the city, even I would have a hard time standing up for you," Xu Jingwu said.

He represented the Xu Family and was the leader of the Flying Rainbow Gang, which several clans had established together. He didn't represent himself alone.

He couldn't turn against the Xing Family completely for Lin Zheyu's sake.

"But you don't need to worry too much. As long as you stay in the city, they won't dare cause trouble freely. The City Lord is here to keep the peace, after all," Xu Jingwu said, reassuring Lin Zheyu that he didn't need to worry too much while in the city.

"The City Lord's surname is Chen, right? Is he from the Chen Family?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

"No. The City Lord stands alone. He was sent from the Great Wei court to govern Songyi City."

"He has no family or faction in Songyi City. With the City Lord's strength, one man is enough to keep an entire city under his heel," Xu Jingwu said calmly.

One man, holding an entire city under his heel!

Lin Zheyu savored the words, finding them incredibly imposing.

Just how powerful did someone have to be to deserve such a description?

"I wonder what level of strength the City Lord has reached. Is he a Grandmaster?" Lin Zheyu couldn't help asking.

"No one knows. Nobody knows his true strength. All we know is that he's incredibly powerful."

"None of the clans in the city dare defy the City Lord's will. Anyone who does disappears from Songyi City," Xu Jingwu said with a sigh.

He had seen several clans disappear from Songyi City just like that.

In a single night, not one person was left. They vanished without a trace. It was terrifying.

Since then, no clan had dared cause trouble in the city. Any disputes were kept small. Even when they resorted to underhanded tactics, they did so outside the city.

Seeing that Xu Jingwu seemed reluctant to say more, Lin Zheyu didn't press him.

The mood turned subdued.

The opera continued onstage, and every so often, Gang Leader Xu hummed along.

"You're not married, are you?" Xu Jingwu suddenly asked.

"I'm not."

Lin Zheyu's heart lurched. He had a bad feeling about this, so he hurriedly added, "I got separated from my parents and relatives. I'm not in the mood to think about marriage."

"Marriage is a major event in life, and it should be arranged by your parents and a matchmaker. Let's talk about it after you find your family."

"It's fine. No rush. I was only asking."

"My Xu Family has plenty of young women. I can introduce you to some sometime."

"If you marry a woman from the Xu Family, you'll become one of us, and the Xing Family won't dare lay a hand on you."

"You don't have to go in with marriage in mind. Get to know each other first. If you hit it off, then you can consider marriage," Xu Jingwu said.

He thought very highly of Lin Zheyu.

With talent like his, and a good teacher to guide him, he might well become another Blood Energy Realm expert in the future.

"Thank you, Gang Leader Xu," Lin Zheyu said.

With the conversation already at this point, it would be awkward to refuse.

Besides, they were only talking about getting to know each other. If he didn't like anyone, surely Xu Jingwu couldn't force him to marry?

Lin Zheyu stayed with Gang Leader Xu for a few opera performances before leaving.

After leaving Flying Rainbow Pavilion, he headed straight to a medicine shop in the city.

He ran around to several shops before managing to buy all the medicinal ingredients.

Prices had been climbing steadily, and the ingredients for eight batches of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Soup had cost him a full 101 taels of silver.

With the medicinal ingredients in hand, he returned to the courtyard and continued training.