A Man Not Played With

"I'm not planning to eat them all in one day."

Seeing Feng Yue's shock, it was Ye Li's turn to smile:

"Besides, ten pills only cost one tael; it's not like the gang can't afford it!"

While he spoke, Ye Li was still calculating the gains and losses in his mind:

"At this rate, three Dragon Tiger Pill a day, sixteen hours of cultivation, with six of those hours spent digesting the Dragon Tiger Pill."

"Plus the two Body Tempering Pill per month, I should reach the mid-stage of the Body Tempering Realm within three months."

"However, having to maintain an excited state for six hours every day... if an emergency arises, my mobility will be severely compromised..."

Hearing Ye Li's request, Feng Yue was left completely speechless.

He had seen people fighting over Body Tempering Pill, but this was his first time seeing someone fight to consume Dragon Tiger Pill!

However, he did not refuse Ye Li's request.

Young people always think their willpower is ironclad, but surviving this time doesn't mean they can survive every time that follows!

There were plenty of young men who had experienced "Day One of Abstinence" countless times.

"You can have a dozen pills if you want, but you must consume at least one Dragon Tiger Pill under our supervision every day! To prevent fraud."

"No problem!" Ye Li said nonchalantly: "Can you give me the Dragon Tiger Pill now? I still need to go check on the shops assigned by the gang!"

Seeing Ye Li agree so decisively, Feng Yue leaned in and asked: "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"

"Consider what?"

"You're already in the Flower-and-Willow Alley; don't you want to consider having a real, physical encounter?"

"Sorry, I refuse!" Ye Li raised his hand decisively.

"You brat, why!" Feng Yue was baffled.

To this, Ye Li only gave a faint smile, offering no rebuttal.

He had no interest in multiplayer online games; he preferred single-player games where he could control multiple characters!

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Ye Li, Feng Yue sighed helplessly and led him to collect the Dragon Tiger Pill.

The person distributing the Dragon Tiger Pill was none other than San Niang, the woman with the fallen-horse bun who had led the way earlier.

It was also from Feng Yue that Ye Li learned this San Niang was actually a Post-Heaven Realm elder within the gang.

When she heard Ye Li wanted a dozen pills at once, the way San Niang looked at him made her eyes glow, giving him the creeps.

"Little brother~ why not come over to sister's place tonight? Sister will teach you the gang rules!"

San Niang's tone was flirtatious. Ye Li smiled and politely declined, using the same attitude he used to handle captains in his past life:

"Sister is too kind, but this little brother has just entered the Body Tempering Realm. My foundation is not yet stable, and I am devoted to cultivation, so I truly cannot spare the time."

Being rejected didn't annoy San Niang. She smiled and pressed the ten hot, wax-sealed pills into Ye Li's palm, her fingertips brushing against the back of his hand as if by accident:

"Fine, you unromantic little brother~ sister will wait for the day you finally open your heart."

The two exchanged a few insincere, teasing remarks. Under Feng Yue's speechless gaze, Ye Li waved goodbye to San Niang.

Only after leaving the Flower-and-Willow Alley did he let out a sigh of relief in his heart:

"This gang is truly full of people suppressing their urges. What kind of old leek thinks they can nibble on a fresh sprout like me!"

Of course, in front of Feng Yue, Ye Li couldn't voice his inner thoughts, so he asked:

"Now that everything is settled, you should take me to see those ten shops."

"What's there to see..."

Feng Yue curled his lips and said: "Fine, follow me. Those ten shops are all together on Yunjin Street, just a few miles away!"

As they walked, Feng Yue explained:

"Thirty percent of the shops in the East City fly the banner of our Azure Dragon Gang. Once they pay the protection fee, they are under our wing."

"As for the silver collected from your ten shops at the end of the month, after deducting half for the gang, what lands in your pocket... will be at least one and a half taels, and at most ten taels!"

He glanced at Ye Li, "Doesn't sound like much? Let me tell you, this is money earned while lying down! Ordinary Body Tempering Realm cultivators work themselves to death as guards or escorts, and they might not even make that much in a month!"

Ye Li nodded; he could do that math.

The main benefit of being a core disciple lay in this money.

"However, since we take the money, we must provide real protection. If any trouble arises that they can't handle, we have to step in."

"You can think of yourself as a guard. You practice martial arts when there's nothing going on, and you only step out when there's trouble."

"After all, the East City isn't like the South City; it's full of martial arts schools, and martial artists are the easiest to get into conflicts with."

"You don't need to worry about places like tailor shops, but you need to pay special attention to one of the restaurants!"

"Look! It's this one!"

Feng Yue stopped and pointed at a three-story restaurant with a plaque that read "Wanchuan":

"People, you know, once they get drunk, they tend to cause trouble. Places like restaurants and teahouses are the easiest spots for chaos to erupt."

"Drunks acting out, brawlers trying to skip the bill, freeloaders, or hot-headed martial arts students who just don't like the look of each other and flip tables at the slightest provocation... which month doesn't have two or three of these incidents?"

Ye Li listened attentively, learning the ropes of the ancient bodyguard business.

"So, after the trouble starts, I step in to clean them up?"

"Wrong!" Feng Yue denied.

"Do you think a core disciple is a beat cop? If you handled every petty grievance, when would you have time to train?"

He pointed to a few men wearing the Azure Dragon Gang uniform near the tavern. "See them? They are the ones who handle the small fry."

"For ordinary disturbances, you don't need to lift a finger; these common gang members who have trained for half a year can handle it."

"If core members handled every little thing, why would we bother feeding the bottom-tier members?"

"Only when they can't handle the situation do you get involved! And if even you can't handle it, there are still Post-Heaven Realm elders and the gang leader backing you up!"

Ye Li silently noted the experience Feng Yue was imparting. "So, basically, I don't have to do anything and I still get paid?"

"Of course. Your primary task is to cultivate! Cultivate until you're half-dead!"

Feng Yue nodded. "Once your strength is high enough, no trouble will be trouble anymore."

"For these ten shops, ninety-nine percent of the time, you are just a ballast. You sit there so they know the name of the Azure Dragon Gang is hanging over the door, and any petty crook will have to think twice!"

As they spoke, the black-and-red-cloud uniform of the Azure Dragon Gang caught the eye of some low-level thugs nearby, who noticed the pair from afar.

A burly man among them took the initiative to approach.

"Boss Feng, what brings you out in person? And who is this young brother? He looks quite handsome!"

"This is Ye Li. He reached Body Tempering in just two months! I'm bringing him around to learn the territory."

Feng Yue stated the key points concisely, and the burly man understood instantly.

Another super genius had joined the gang.

Two months to reach Body Tempering—with talent like that, he would break through to the Post-Heaven Realm and become an elder in just a few years.

So, they had better keep their eyes peeled and not pull any nonsense!

Having grasped the point, the burly man's smile grew even wider.

"Oh, Brother Ye, one look at your bearing and I can tell you have extraordinary potential. I'm Peng Ke, a common gang member. Just call me Old Ke."

"You can rest easy and focus on your cultivation from now on. We guarantee we'll handle everything on this street for you."