Ye Miao

Shopkeeper Chen said nothing.

The ruthless feared the reckless; the reckless feared those who did not value their lives.

Xu Yi was one of those who did not value his life.

"Over two silver dollars... was this really necessary?!"

Shopkeeper Chen's face darkened.

In troubled times, human lives were as cheap as grass. This kid was using his worthless life to trade for the fruit firm, and Shopkeeper Chen could not afford that trade.

Hongfa Fruit Firm was his life, and the livelihood of his entire family. No matter what, he could not let it burn down.

He walked behind the counter, took out two silver dollars, and silently handed them to Xu Yi.

He said nothing, using silence to convey his displeasure.

Xu Yi carefully accepted the silver dollars. From the inner pocket of his black traditional jacket, he took out a strip of white cloth, wrapped up one of the silver dollars and put it away, then handed the other one back.

"Here, Shopkeeper Chen. Keep this silver dollar for the child's schooling."

Shopkeeper Chen stared at Xu Yi in utter astonishment, unable to react for a moment.

Xu Yi looked completely serious.

"I'll come by to inspect things every Wednesday. If anyone dares give Shopkeeper Chen trouble, tell me and I'll handle it.

"Also, if Shopkeeper Chen has urgent business, go to Golden Orchid Nunnery by the Green Shore River, west of 38th Shop District, and ask for the Green Gang. I'm usually there at night.

"From now on, Hongfa Fruit Firm is under my protection."

Xu Yi stuffed the silver dollar into Shopkeeper Chen's still-unresponsive hand, put away the soda bottle filled with gasoline, cupped his hands in salute, and called out, "May your business prosper!" His smile shone with the brilliance of victory.

"See you next Wednesday, Shopkeeper Chen!"

Only after Xu Yi had vanished from sight did Shopkeeper Chen darken his face, curse, "To hell with you," and return behind the counter.

Shopkeeper Chen looked at the account book, but his gaze drifted uncontrollably to that silver dollar.

That kid...

That vicious little bastard—perhaps he really could protect the place?

38th Shop District was not a place made up of thirty-eight shops.

In recent years, the Great Yan Dynasty had known no peace. Wars raged everywhere, and Puxi City had formed the Militia Corps to resist invading bands of soldiers.

The local people called the Militia Corps "shops."

From the First Shop to the 38th Shop, there were thirty-eight militia corps in all, stationed at Puxi's checkpoints, wharves, and strategic crossings, resisting the attacks of roving soldiers.

As the thirty-eighth militia corps, the 38th Shop's defensive zone stretched along the Green Shore River. Since the Green Shore River connected to the sea, the 38th Shop had become a naturally excellent harbor.

In recent years, the world had grown ever more chaotic. More and more refugees flooded into Puxi City, while great numbers of foreigners arrived by sea and marked out concession territories.

Puxi City had gathered a vast population of outsiders: peddlers and porters, people from every trade and walk of life, all three religions and nine schools, the three hundred and sixty professions—everyone had come together here!

It was chaotic, all right.

But it was prosperous too.

Xu Yi had been transported here for half a month already, and he had grown used to this messy prosperity.

Half a month ago, he had just graduated from university. One moment he was eating hotpot and singing, and the next, for no reason at all, he had been transported into this world. Holding a letter of recommendation, he had taken a boat from the countryside by waterway to the 38th Shop and, with that letter, become a disciple of Mister Ye Hai.

Over those half a month, he had learned some martial arts and principles from Mister Ye Hai at Golden Orchid Nunnery. Now he was being sent out to "do some business for the gang."

Xu Yi had made the matter clear to Shopkeeper Chen. His first business deal of the day had gone off smoothly enough.

It was around eight at night. Darkness deepened as day-shift workers from Dafeng Textile Factory, the British-American Tobacco Company, Jiangnan Machinery Factory, Kangtai Flour Mill, and Jiuzhou Pharmacy around the 38th Shop got off work. Travelers from other places had settled in and headed out in search of food. Only then did the 38th Shop's nightlife truly begin.

Xu Yi crossed the bustling main street of the 38th Shop, headed west all the way to the end, then followed a small riverside path into a courtyard compound with two successive courtyards.

This courtyard compound was the Puxi branch of the Green Gang, under Jiahai Hall—Mister Ye Hai's nunnery, Golden Orchid Nunnery.

Golden Orchid Nunnery was divided into inner and outer courtyards. Mister Ye Hai's family lived in the inner courtyard, while the outer courtyard was where Mister Ye Hai and his disciples handled gang affairs.

The rooms on the left side of the outer courtyard held communal sleeping platforms where disciples could rest temporarily.

At the center of the outer courtyard stood the incense hall, built with considerable grandeur. Its blue bricks and black tiles were topped at each corner of the eaves by four small stone beasts: chiwen, chaofeng, heavenly horses, and fighting bulls.

The incense hall was where disciples were accepted, promotions were held, and major gang affairs were handled. At its center stood a statue of Lord Guan. On the offering table before it, tablets for the patriarchs were arranged in a row, and before the tablets sat an incense burner, candleholders, command flags, and the rules of punishment.

Disciples did not enter the incense hall casually. Usually, only Mister Ye Hai went in, to ensure that the incense offerings before Lord Guan never went out.

On the right side of the outer courtyard was Mister Ye Hai's tea hall.

Xu Yi entered Golden Orchid Nunnery, went around the screen wall, and could vaguely make out Lord Guan's lifelike statue inside the incense hall through the night.

He did not know which craftsman had made that statue. Not only did it look alive—it inspired awe at a glance.

Xu Yi did not even dare raise his head before it. It felt as though the statue would come alive the instant he met its gaze.

Xu Yi assumed it was merely his imagination.

The courtyard was fairly quiet at this hour, with no one moving about.

Though the place was not large, it had pavilions, terraces, and towers in full array. A faint fragrance drifted through them on the breeze from the Green Shore River. It was the sandalwood incense offered to Lord Guan in the incense hall.

The Green Gang worshiped Lord Guan and placed the word "righteousness" at the forefront of all dealings in the martial world. No matter how filthy and vile the things they did in private, outwardly they always spoke of "honor among brothers" and "righteousness first."

Xu Yi had just entered Golden Orchid Nunnery and was about to go to the tea hall to find Mister Ye Hai when he suddenly caught another distinctive scent amid the faint sandalwood fragrance.

He turned his head and saw a girl about his age leaning over the railing of the covered corridor. She wore a dark blue training outfit, her hair tied into a Daoist topknot with a ponytail trailing behind it, and she was watching him.

The girl was beautiful, no less striking than the dancing stars at Puxi City's Paramount Ballroom.

She never dressed herself up. She simply wore two ponytails and went barefaced all day long.

The distinctive scent on her body was very faint. It was somewhat like that of a young puppy, though not as sharp. It was more like a light milky fragrance mixed with a trace of cinnamon's spice. It made Xu Yi's nostrils slightly uncomfortable, yet he found himself lingering over that hint of pungent sweetness.

"Xu Yi! Come over here!"

The girl called to him softly.

Xu Yi did not dare disobey, because this girl was Mister Ye Hai's only daughter—the true number-one tyrant of Golden Orchid Nunnery, Ye Miao.

If he made Ye Miao unhappy and she complained to Mister Fan Hai, Xu Yi would be in for a world of trouble.

Xu Yi obediently went to Ye Miao's side and said politely, "Eldest Miss."

It was "Eldest Miss," not Miss Ye. The "eldest" here did not refer to birth order, but was a term of respect, showing reverence for her status and position within the gang.

The Green Gang was full of rules like that.

At Golden Orchid Nunnery, everyone except Mister Ye Hai addressed her that way.

Ye Miao grabbed Xu Yi by the wrist and dragged him behind the artificial rockery in the corner of the courtyard, her eyes shining.

"You came back alive!"

Xu Yi looked at her warily.

"Yes. Shopkeeper Chen of Hongfa Fruit Firm is a decent enough man. His temper is bad, but at least he listens to reason."

Ye Miao held out her hand.

"Where's the money?!"