Yun Niang couldn't quite understand the young constable's reaction.
The two at the gate were foxes.
Could it be... the one who'd just been sitting beside you, drinking and eating meat, wasn't?
What was the difference?
"I'm Green-Tailed Fox." The fat man cupped his hands.
"I'm Long-Legged Fox." The lanky man tugged at the corner of his mouth.
After introducing themselves, they called out in unison, "Greetings, Master Lin!"
"..."
Lin Shu shot them a sidelong glance, too lazy to respond.
Now that he'd slaughtered the people from Good Fortune Martial Hall, word was bound to spread quickly.
It wasn't strange that someone had taken notice of him.
But there were different kinds of favors to be exchanged, and different people to exchange them with.
Lin Shu had already thought Qing Willow Alley filthy enough, let alone these people standing before him, the very ones who'd dirtied its back alleys with their own hands.
Scum!
Chang Yi said nothing, only sneaking a glance at Lin Shu.
Apart from those few encounters, this was his first time getting close to the other man's core "business."
Despite the young man's coldness, the two foxes kept smiling:
"Master Lin, don't blame us for being presumptuous. We've come today on orders from the hall, to ask you about something."
"Spit it out." Lin Shu took a sip of rough liquor and went back to enjoying the meat on the table.
"Well, you see..."
Green-Tailed Fox licked his lips.
As the rumors had it, Lin really was an eccentric sort, difficult to get along with.
However, he hadn't come here today to curry favor with him.
At that thought, a strange glint flickered in Green-Tailed Fox's eyes. "You used to have an Opera Troupe in the South Suburb. It was only after years of paying into our Cunning Fox Hall that you were admitted."
"Now you've got territory, and you've got a position. We won't meddle in your grudge with Liu San. But there's that matter you agreed to handle back then—you still haven't taken care of it, have you?"
"Exactly." Long-Legged Fox picked up where he left off. He glanced at Little Widow and smiled. "After all, Qing Willow Street is yours to call the shots on now. Passing the money from one hand to the other would be pointless, so we'll let you off that silver."
"But..."
"The child apprentices you promised us have already been reported to the White Tiger Hall. It's been so long without a word from you. How are we supposed to answer for that?"
"Little ones of just the right age aren't easy to find."
The two men's formerly humble expressions began to fade as soon as they mentioned the White Tiger Hall.
Their faces became all smiles on the surface, all knives underneath.
They knew Lin Shu had a fearsome reputation, but could he really be fiercer than those big shots above them?
His earlier arrogance meant nothing. Now he'd have to give them an honest explanation.
The foxes openly discussed child apprentices in front of the Purple Flood Dragon Constable, without hiding a thing.
That was the custom in Blackwater City.
No matter what the Yamen said, if its people could find the slightest clue or scrap of evidence, that fox was as good as dead.
The foxes' reputation for cunning and deceit had never been undeserved.
After the two men finished speaking, Chang Yi pressed his lips tightly together and looked at the young man beside him, finding it hard to accept.
"You... you..." Little Widow clenched her hands, her face full of worry.
She hadn't expected there to be more to this matter. It sounded as though even her benefactor had no way to refuse!
Under the two foxes' pressing stares,
Lin Shu finally finished the meat in his bowl.
He sighed softly.
As if he found the whole thing disgusting and his appetite spoiled, he rose to his feet at an unhurried pace.
"First of all, Liu San was the one who promised you."
"I can take you to him to collect."
"Secondly..."
As he spoke, the low table in the courtyard suddenly shot forward. The wine jug and dishes shattered in an instant.
A dull crack rang out!
Caught off guard, the lanky man was smashed in the chest by the low table.
Under the violent surge of force, his whole body flew out of the courtyard.
When he landed in the street, his chest was caved in, his ribs crushed. His limbs twitched faintly, and he was barely breathing. It was anyone's guess whether he'd survive.
Lin Shu casually dusted off his hands and looked at the remaining fat fox.
His expression was calm, but a rare, defiant arrogance welled in his eyes. "What's mine isn't for lowlife scum like you to meddle in."
The sudden outburst left everyone present stunned!
Chang Yi's mouth fell slightly open. He'd thought this was just the foxes making threats, but in the blink of an eye, someone had nearly been killed.
Perhaps his previous experiences had made Black Charcoal fall into a habit, or perhaps he'd wanted to do something like this all along.
Whatever the reason, Chang Yi simply sat there in a daze, making no move to draw his saber and stop him.
"Now, clean the place you stepped on and get lost."
Lin Shu cast a disgusted glance at the footprints by the courtyard gate.
Sharing a title with people like them made him feel cheapened.
"You! Hah!"
Green-Tailed Fox panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot as he stood rooted to the spot.
He hadn't expected that after hearing about the White Tiger Hall, Lin wouldn't just refuse to back down—he'd become even more brazen than before!
"Master Tian was right. You've got a rebellious streak! You were never one of us!"
Green-Tailed Fox's voice rasped as he spat out the words, dripping with venom.
But the moment the young man looked his way again, his legs went weak, and he toppled straight to the ground.
"I'll wipe it... I'll wipe it..."
The fat man's breathing trembled. Daring not to linger, he hurriedly used his two silk sleeves to carefully wipe the footprints from the dirt.
Then, scraping himself out of the courtyard on his knees, he picked up the unconscious Long-Legged Fox and fled in a miserable scramble.
"Won't this cause trouble?"
After staring blankly for a long while, Chang Yi slowly turned to look at Lin Shu.
He realized his earlier impression hadn't been wrong. Lin Shu really was nothing like this pack of foxes!
But in this city, constables couldn't act against foxes without evidence, and neither could people from the Blackwater Gang.
That would be brothers killing brothers!
"What trouble could there be?"
Lin Shu still looked as nonchalant as ever.
He wasn't a fool.
Those two foxes were obviously up to no good.
They could come to his door and accuse him, but they absolutely shouldn't have done it when he was at the height of his fame.
That made no sense at all for ordinary people, let alone foxes known for their cunning and smooth-talking ways.
The whole affair reeked of someone pulling their strings.
By the time the words "Master Tian" had left the man's mouth, Lin Shu had more or less figured out what was going on. The talk about a rebellious streak and not being one of them had only confirmed it.
Clearly, the damn fatso wanted to isolate him from the Cunning Fox Hall.
As for what he wanted to do after that...
Lin Shu lowered his eyes slightly, a thread of excitement stirring in them.
If his guess was right, he'd find out soon enough.
"Enough. I need to go to Qing Willow Alley."
"You'll be patrolling the streets anyway, so keep an eye on this courtyard for me."
After leaving two casual orders, Lin Shu strode out of Broken Firewood Courtyard.
This courtyard held Immortal Aura. He couldn't let some outsider wreck it.
"Sigh."
Chang Yi stood up. He'd come here to blow off steam, so how had he ended up being ordered around again?
Still, patrolling the streets was part of his duties. Keeping an eye on the other man's family as well didn't seem like a breach of protocol.
Black Charcoal turned to Little Widow beside him and nodded politely. "Don't worry, miss. If those people dare come and make trouble again, just let me know."
"Thank you, Constable."
Yun Niang nodded instinctively, but her gaze had already wandered outside the courtyard. Her thoughts had clearly drifted far away.
She still bore the title of widow, yet he'd neatly declared her "his."
That should have made her uncomfortable.
But remembering how her benefactor had suddenly burst into action just now, Yun Niang felt a warmth rise in her heart.
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