Heaven-Class

After lunch, Lu Chen had just returned to the entrance of Sheep Dung Alley when he ran into Jin Ming, who was waiting there.

The moment Jin Ming saw him, his face immediately crumpled into a hurried, obsequious smile. He stepped forward and bowed repeatedly, "Brother Lu! Brother Lu, please stay! It was my foolishness last time; I'd had a few too many cups of liquid courage and lost my head, causing much offense to you. This humble one deserves to die, truly deserves to die..."

As he spoke, he actually raised his hands and slapped his own face twice, neither too hard nor too soft.

Lu Chen didn't say a word, merely watching him quietly.

Jin Ming's eyes darted around, and he hurriedly pointed behind him, "Actually, it was all the fault of that blind servant of mine! He thought we had truly fallen out and took it upon himself to find Boss Mo of the Rat Gang, wanting to teach Brother Lu a lesson to vent my anger... Look, I've brought this idiot here tied up. Whether you want to beat him or punish him, it's all up to you, Brother Lu!"

Lu Chen glanced over; the servant from the brothel that day was indeed kneeling in the corner, bound and bruised.

"Brother Jin, you speak too seriously," Lu Chen said flatly. "Since it was a misunderstanding, it is enough to have cleared it up. Take him back and discipline him yourself."

Jin Ming's heart lightened, and he nodded repeatedly, "Brother Lu is truly magnanimous! This humble one..."

Lu Chen interrupted him, "If there is nothing else, I shall return home first."

"Yes, yes, yes, please go ahead, Brother Lu!"

Lu Chen said no more and walked straight into the alley.

Not until that back disappeared behind the courtyard gate did Jin Ming let out a long, relieved breath.

He never would have imagined that Lu Chen had broken through to the External Force realm the day before yesterday!

Yesterday, he had sent men to the Rat Gang to find Boss Mo, wanting to ask how things had gone.

Who would have thought that Boss Mo would jump up in a rage? Not only did he refuse to give him a pleasant look, but he also had his men beaten, cursing, "You dare ask me to move against an External Force martial artist, you mother-fucker? Jin Ming, are you tired of living, or do you think I've lived long enough?"

An External Force martial artist!

Jin Ming had been stunned on the spot, his guts twisting into a knot of regret. He shouldn't have downed those few cups of swill that day; for the sake of a measly thirty taels of silver, he had torn his face off with an External Force martial artist.

Fortunately, judging by Lu Chen's attitude just now, he had no intention of flipping the table and pursuing the matter on the spot.

Since he was willing to accept the olive branch, there was still room for things to turn around.

Jin Ming's heart settled slightly, his thoughts racing. Since Lu Chen had broken through to External Force and had also entered the Plum Blossom Martial Hall, how could his future be anything but limitless? His previous schemes now seemed utterly ridiculous. The only thing to do now was to make up for it twofold, lower his posture even further, and show absolute sincerity; perhaps then he could repair this relationship.

Lu Chen pushed open his courtyard gate, his face devoid of expression.

Not pursuing Jin Ming was, naturally, not out of a soft heart.

The Jin family held significant influence in Wen'an County, and moving against him now would invite too much trouble. More importantly, this man, Jin Ming, still had great utility.

In the afternoon, Lu Chen summoned all his subordinates before him.

He began the plan he had long since formulated.

That night.

Oil Stick Alley, Sun Stone.

Shoulder Pole Lane, Wang Iron Egg.

Pig Slaughter Street, Zhao Big Shoulder.

Vegetable Market Street, Qian Full Cabinet.

Bench Alley, Limping Zhang.

Brick and Tile Lane, Du Shorty.

Chicken Feather Street, Gao Tall Guy.

Nearly half of the gang leaders in the South City were eliminated in a single night. The methods were clean and efficient; no witnesses, no survivors.

The killer remained a mystery.

The only clue was the four blood-soaked characters on the wall of every crime scene—Deliver Justice for Heaven.

The common folk of the South City whispered among themselves that a chivalrous hero had arrived, one who specialized in executing evildoers.

Many who had been oppressed for years finally felt a long-held resentment released. They gave this untraceable reaper a nickname—the South City Yama.

They said he was a judge who had climbed up from the underworld specifically to deal with scoundrels.

The men at the yamen did not pursue the true culprit; instead, under the guise of investigating the cases, they arrested hundreds of people, extorting them one by one to line their own pockets.

With the gangs left leaderless, they descended into chaos as internal factions fought for power and profit.

Lu Chen watched with cold eyes, feeling the timing was just right, and only then did he make his move.

His speed of expansion was shockingly fast. Within a few days, all the scattered and messy lottery stalls in the South City had switched to his banner.

The process went surprisingly smoothly, meeting almost no resistance.

Lu Chen was an External Force martial artist—this news had long since spread throughout the South City.

To the gang members of the South City, an External Force expert was the strongest backer one could have.

Moreover, these days, the South City had known no peace; gang feuds raged daily, and everyone feared for their own safety.

Now that Lu Chen had come to consolidate power, many people not only didn't resist but secretly rejoiced, scrambling to pledge their loyalty in the hopes of securing a more stable livelihood under this new boss than they had ever known before.

Soon, the entire lottery business in South City had been brought under Lu Chen's command.

With the operations consolidated and the people united, the next step was management—transforming this scattered sand into an iron plate. Lu Chen knew well that while conquering the world relied on the sharpness of one's blade, ruling it required the establishment of rules.

The first thing he did was to set regulations and clarify rewards and punishments.

He divided South City into several districts, assigning them to Blind Man, Baldy, Er Gou, and the other brothers who had followed him earliest and held his greatest trust.

Each district was assigned a head stall, which oversaw the dozen or so smaller stalls beneath it.

He required that the accounts for every stall be cleared daily, with the earnings turned over according to a fixed quota, and no private hoarding was permitted.

Furthermore, he provided all his subordinates with a fixed monthly salary, with additional rewards for meritorious service.

But strict rules and generous benefits alone were not enough; he had to make this pool of water flow.

He needed to ensure that all participants—whether they were stall owners or common folk clutching their small change and dreaming of riches—could see a greater hope, prompting them to spontaneously uphold this new order.

Thus, Lu Chen unveiled the new game he had been planning for a long time.

He had his men post large notices in the busiest areas of South City and beat drums to announce the new rules:

"Listen up! Starting tomorrow, our lottery is adding a grand prize!"

"Every day when the market opens, Master Lu will personally draw six characters in public to determine the day's 'Heaven-Class'. These six characters will be carved onto wooden plaques and hung at every stall! Whoever can draw the characters, whoever collects all six—"

The man making the announcement deliberately drew out his tone, watching the crowd gather and the eyes of the commoners brighten, before suddenly raising his voice:

"A reward of fifty taels of silver! Paid out on the spot, with absolutely no delays!"

Fifty taels!

This sum was like a red-hot branding iron, searing itself into the heart of every listener. For the vast majority of people in South City, this was a fortune capable of changing their destiny.

Wherever the notices appeared, the crowds instantly boiled over, with discussions, gasps, and heavy breathing rising in a chorus.

This was exactly the effect Lu Chen wanted.

The probability of winning this grand prize was extremely low, practically non-existent.

Yet, this seemingly unreachable jackpot acted like a carrot dangled before a donkey, igniting an unprecedented buying frenzy among the people of South City.

The commoners, who had originally only gambled for small stakes and a bit of hope, now felt the burning thought of those fifty taels roll through their minds every time they placed a bet, causing the amount and frequency of their wagers to quietly increase.

As for the stall owners and subordinates who relied on him, Lu Chen further bound them to his cause through this new game.