Fishing in Troubled Waters

The next day.

As usual, Lu Li went out to gather herbs, then brought them to Huang Mansion for the handoff.

During the process, he deliberately slowed his movements and pricked up his ears, listening for news from the herb gatherers coming and going around him.

The Huang Family's herb gatherers were spread across every part of the Outer City, so they were very well informed.

"The Black Tiger Gang and the Blood Wolf Gang really did fight on Xinping Street. I passed by and watched from a distance. It was brutal—blood and flesh flew everywhere, and people were screaming their lungs out."

One of the herb gatherers spoke animatedly to someone he knew, gesturing as he talked as if he'd been right in the thick of it.

"Xinping Street..." Lu Li committed the location to memory and fell into thought.

He recalled where Xinping Street was. It wasn't far from his home.

I wonder if Zhang Hu is among them, Lu Li thought.

If he really ran into Zhang Hu, he would definitely kill him and put an end to future trouble!

A gang as large as theirs was bound to have fights breaking out in more than one place.

After learning of several locations, Lu Li ultimately chose Xinping Street and prepared to make his move.

He quickly handed over the herbs, then headed straight for Xinping Street.

Before he even arrived, the sounds of fighting and screams carried to him from afar.

As he drew closer, he saw a group of people fighting to the death with clubs and long knives.

The surrounding residents and shopkeepers had all shut their doors, peeking out from inside. Not one of them dared to come out.

Lu Li hid behind a house and swept his gaze around for a moment, but didn't spot Zhang Hu. He was probably somewhere else.

Slightly disappointed, Lu Li slipped into a dark alley, pulled the black robe from his arms, put it on, and covered his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, its piercing edge brimming with killing intent.

The fighting between the two sides had started quite a while ago. Not long after Lu Li arrived—about the time it took to drink a cup of tea—the victor had already been decided.

The Black Tiger Gang had won. Its members crouched down to search the corpses.

"Hahaha, what a haul! I found a fat fish—this guy had five taels of silver on him!" cried a burly man who looked like a leader, overjoyed.

"Boss, you're in great luck. I only found two taels of silver."

"Damn it, a penniless wretch. There's nothing on him!" One man hadn't found a thing. Annoyed, he spat on the corpse at his feet.

Lu Li's eyes rolled as he watched, committing to memory who had found the silver.

Afterward, someone shouted toward the residents on either side, "Come out and wash the streets!" Only then did the gang members gradually disperse in small groups.

Among them, three men headed toward the alley where Lu Li was hiding. The one in front was the very man who had found the five taels of silver.

Lu Li lay in wait, ready to strike at any moment.

"Hahaha, I'm in great luck today. Your big brother's buying you drinks! Who knows how many more days we'll be fighting? There'll be plenty of chances. For now, let's enjoy ourselves!"

"Heh heh, Brother Ma's the man! You beat those Blood Wolf Gang bastards till they were pissing themselves and crying for their mothers!"

The man called Brother Ma was clearly pleased by the praise. He let out a smug, booming laugh.

He was obviously in a very good mood.

Just as they drew near, a sharp whoosh cut through the air. A large cloud of white powder suddenly flew at them.

Caught off guard, Brother Ma got lime powder all over his face, and a good amount even went into his mouth. A burning sensation spread across his face and through his mouth, making him clamp his lips shut.

"Goddammit, what blind bastard threw lime at me?" Brother Ma immediately cursed.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey." He tried to spit out the lime powder in his mouth.

But just then, he felt a fierce gust of wind howl toward him, whipping his hair and beard about. His face stung as if pricked by needles.

Fear surged through him, spreading through his entire body from the inside out.

It was as if he'd been electrocuted; every hair on his body stood on end.

Alarm bells rang through his mind, deafeningly loud.

Something's wrong! he shouted inwardly, realizing he'd been caught in a trap.

But it was too late. Lu Li's fist had already smashed into his face.

Against a bunch of thugs who knew only a few amateur tricks, Lu Li's punch came down like Mount Tai. Its force was so overwhelming that Brother Ma had no chance to fight back.

His body flew backward and slammed hard into the wall. His head was a bloody mess. He hit the ground and lay motionless, dead in an instant!

A one-hit kill!

"Brother Ma, are you all right?"

Hearing the commotion, the two lackeys immediately realized something was wrong. Their faces filled with fear, and they hurriedly turned to run.

But suddenly, they felt someone place a hand on their heads and lift them right off the ground.

The grip was as strong as an iron vice, as though it would crush their skulls outright. The two sucked in sharp breaths from the pain.

Then, with a smack, Lu Li lifted them up and slammed their heads together.

A dull thud of flesh striking flesh rang out. Blood sprayed everywhere, their skulls shattered, and their brains burst out. They lost their lives in an instant.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye. A martial artist completely overpowered ordinary people like them; in just a few moves, he'd sent them to their deaths.

Lu Li crouched down and quickly searched their bodies, finding a total of ten taels of silver.

All three men had made a pretty good haul.

Feeling the weight of the silver in his hand, Lu Li was overjoyed and felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

He quickly turned to leave. As he walked, he took off his bloodstained black robe, folded it up, and tucked it inside his clothes.

With the gangs fighting, the residents feared the gang members would get carried away and hurt them by mistake. They were all hiding inside, terrified, and not one of them dared to come out.

So no one noticed anything Lu Li had done.

Even after they learned the fight was over, it was quite some time before the nearby residents reluctantly came out to clear away the corpses and wash the blood from the street.

"These gangs are too much. All they do is bully us. Charging us protection money is bad enough, but they have to fight right out in the street, leaving everyone terrified. Now they're even making us clean up after them, treating us like oxen and horses."

"Keep your voice down! What if someone hasn't gone far? You'll be in trouble!"

"Ah, when will this life ever end?"

"Exactly. Who knows how much longer they'll keep fighting? I can't even run my business, and I still have to pay them protection money."

"Damn it, they searched the body clean. They really are a pack of wolves that won't leave so much as a bone!"

"If only I were a martial artist. Too bad I studied for a whole year and learned nothing. Otherwise, would I have to care what the gangs think?"

Some people were happy, others miserable. Complaints and sighs filled the air.

Lu Li slipped out through another alley and glanced back from a distance, shaking his head to himself.

They weren't martial artists, and they had no weapons. They had no way to fight back and could only let others butcher them like fish.

When all was said and done, you needed real ability to stand firm on your own two feet!

Only martial arts could change your station in life. Lu Li clenched his fists, his resolve growing even stronger.

Back home, Lu Li took out his bloodstained clothes and washed them. Then he enjoyed a hot bath before returning to his bedroom to look at the silver in his hands.

"Sure enough, murder and arson put gold belts around your waist. The ancients weren't lying!"

"In just a few breaths, I've earned almost a year's wages!"

"But even this is still nowhere near enough to buy precious medicines."

"I can't rush into buying precious medicines. I also need to build my body back up now. Maybe I should buy some meat to nourish myself and boost my blood and energy."

At the thought, Lu Li's mouth began to water uncontrollably. Since arriving in this world, he hadn't eaten meat in ages. His mouth was practically growing feathers.

Thinking of all the delicacies from his previous life—crispy pork knuckles, braised pig trotters, and the like—he started drooling.

"But it doesn't seem very safe to carry these silver ingots around."

He looked at the silver ingots in his hand, then broke them into smaller pieces with a forceful squeeze. He picked out a few, intending to buy meat after returning from gathering herbs the next day.