Even Among Fierce Wolves, There Are Differences

The long street was bustling with noise.

Peddlers wove through the crowds, and shop attendants shouted their wares with gusto at the storefronts.

Even the servants and laborers from wealthy households sat in clusters by the roadside, chatting idly.

As two figures appeared at the end of the street, the lively atmosphere suddenly froze for a moment.

The servants and maids scurried back into the buildings as if avoiding a plague, while the peddlers hurriedly dragged their stalls further inward, terrified of blocking the pair's path.

"Master Lin, please, after you!"

Voices filled with trepidation rang out one after another.

When a new Fierce Wolf hits the streets, the young wolves under his command always make sure to spread the word in advance.

Even if the passersby didn't recognize the young man's unfamiliar face, how could they not recognize Dong Cheng by his side?

Yet, compared to the fear shown by others, the expressions of the shopkeepers along the street were far more normal.

"Master Lin, Master Dong."

They nodded politely with smiles on their faces.

They appeared respectful, but in truth, their eyes held a hint of disdain.

Counting on their fingers, the young man before them was likely the third Fierce Wolf to appear on this street this month.

Every blade of grass and tree in the city had an owner.

But it was clear that the owner of Four Directions Street was not the Blackwater Gang.

"A bunch of snobs."

Dong Cheng spat out a curse in frustration, though he knew better than to lash out.

The situation was stronger than the man, as they say.

One had to endure when necessary.

"They only have eyes for the yamen now," Dong Cheng explained in a low voice.

"Isn't that normal?" Lin Shu glanced at him.

In his own view, the fact that gang members could strut down the street so brazenly and force these legitimate businessmen to avoid them was already a sign of the yamen's incompetence.

Did he really expect people to treat them like government officials?

"How could it be?"

Dong Cheng stared at Lin Shu with the look of surprise one might reserve for an outsider. "Do you really think the yamen is the same as it used to be? Aside from wearing the skin of the imperial court, aren't they just another Blackwater Gang in reality?"

The authority of the yamen came from the imperial court.

But for the people of Blackwater City, the imperial court had long since ceased to exist.

In their eyes, this was merely a struggle between two beasts, with one side having simply lost the fight.

"Fearing the yamen but not fearing us—that is certainly not normal."

"It's not like this on other streets."

"Take Chongyang Street under Lord Yan, the Silk-Pulling Wolf, for example. The merchants on that street don't even have to pay taxes; they only need to pay the monthly tribute to the Blackwater Gang."

Collecting taxes on behalf of the government—how prestigious!

Just thinking about it made Dong Cheng want to run away.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't figure out Lord Yan's preferences, who would be willing to stay on Four Directions Street and suffer such indignity?

"..."

Lin Shu raised his eyes to look at the long street before him.

He suddenly felt a bit annoyed.

They were both Fierce Wolves, so how could someone be so wealthy?

Although he wasn't the type to resent the rich, this was all a bit too shabby.

"Master Lin, you must be hungry. The tripe at this stall is exceptional!"

Dong Cheng suddenly stopped and pulled Lin Shu to sit at a small roadside stall.

Even though he was high-spirited and spoke with flowery praise, Lin Shu merely glanced silently at a restaurant not far away, and the smile on Dong Cheng's face grew noticeably embarrassed.

"I—I'm not well-off myself. That man surnamed Tian scrapes too much off the top."

"Next month, it will be better next month!"

Dong Cheng was the typical sort who had stumbled upon a relic of the immortals and seized the chance to turn his life around.

Before stepping into the Qi Refining stage, he had grown up on this very street.

Dong Cheng certainly wouldn't dare to defy the orders of a Fierce Wolf, nor could he be described as kind-hearted.

For instance, if Lin Shu had truly intended to do so, he would have complied for the sake of his own future.

Yet, deep down, he felt these poor neighbors had nothing left to squeeze; he was unwilling to tighten the noose around their necks, forcing them to trade their blood and lives for coin.

Under these circumstances, Dong Cheng only had a pittance of silver to his name, which he had to save for Qi Replenishing Pills.

Naturally, he was unwilling to spend it on hosting a superior who appeared to have no future.

"Let it be."

Lin Shu sat down casually, watching the shopkeeper nimbly serve a few plates of tripe.

He picked up his chopsticks and ate with genuine enjoyment.

It just felt inexplicably more pathetic.

"Have a drink."

Dong Cheng had the shopkeeper bring over a pot of cloudy wine, carefully filling the cup for this Fierce Wolf.

As it stood, the man didn't seem as greedy as the rumors suggested; he actually felt quite easy to get along with.

Just as the two were chatting idly, the long street, which had regained its bustle, suddenly grew quiet once more.

The grease-stained shopkeeper gripped his palms nervously, his eyes filled with a sense of urgency, yet he dared not speak, standing blankly beside the small table.

"..."

Lin Shu held his chopsticks, lifting his gaze toward the street.

At the other end of the street, by the entrance of a teahouse, a wealthy-looking fat man was speaking in a flattering tone.

Standing before this fat man was a middle-aged man in a black shirt.

Though he wore a constable's uniform, he gave off a loose, lazy air, his eyes bleary as if he had not yet woken up.

He let out a yawn.

Then, he looked over toward the tripe stall.

His gaze landed on the two men eating.

The man suddenly grinned, then raised his palm and lightly drew it across his throat.

It was an undisguised threat and display of contempt.

Having finished the gesture, he stepped into the teahouse with a smile.

The entire process was brief, yet it was witnessed by everyone on the street.

The crowd remained silent, but their internal convictions only grew firmer.

"That man is Liu Zhen. Don't mind him; he's insane."

Dong Cheng instinctively lowered his head, but clearly feeling disgruntled, he couldn't help but mutter, "It's your first day here, and he's already trying to intimidate you. If he really pushes me too far—"

"Don't blame me for killing him!"

"Can you beat him?" Lin Shu withdrew his gaze and set down his chopsticks.

"Uh... I certainly can't. After all, he is a Mid-Stage Qi Condensation Cultivator."

Dong Cheng laughed awkwardly, suddenly remembering that the man before him had just slaughtered Tian Jingyuan, so he hurriedly added, "A legitimate Mid-Stage Qi Condensation Cultivator."

The kind who had rounded out his methods by relying on his status as a deputy constable.

"But just because I can't beat him doesn't mean anything. He used to rely on Wolf to connect with the White Tiger Hall to make dirty money."

As if to prove he wasn't just boasting, Dong Cheng used his eyes to scare off the shopkeeper, then sneered as he tapped his chopsticks. "I have every single one of his misdeeds recorded in an account book."

"If that's the case, why does he still dare to bully you?" Lin Shu raised his eyes with interest.

"Cough, cough." Dong Cheng's smile faltered. He sighed and said, "That constable has already hooked up with the White Tiger Hall. Wolf became useless to him, and since he had to share the profits for nothing, he had him killed in the shadows. As for that account book..."

As for the book, it could only be used to satisfy his own spite.

This involved the White Tiger Hall itself; if he truly tried to threaten the man surnamed Liu with it, he wouldn't even need the yamen to intervene—the Tiger would eat him alive first.

Just then, from the street corner where Liu Zhen had first appeared, waves of startled cries erupted.

Pedestrians on the street surged toward that direction, retreating as they shouted:

"Someone's been killed!"

"..."

Dong Cheng pulled himself together with lightning speed.

Having spent these years drifting through the streets, he had long since gained a wealth of experience and could tell at a glance what had happened.

"It has nothing to do with us. Don't get involved."

To put it bluntly, although the Fierce Wolf's influence had waned on Four Directions Street, the reputation of the Blackwater Gang still held weight. They might not be able to bully wealthy merchants, but they still held significant deterrent power over the common folk.

If one couldn't handle the situation, it was best not to join the crowd.

Otherwise, it would only lead to a loss of face.

The consequences were not hard to foresee.

After all, they were currently only short on rations for Fierce Wolf; if they ruined the gang's reputation...

For instance, if the commoners on Chongyang Street no longer had to pay taxes, it would mean the yamen had completely lost its authority.

If they weren't careful, they might turn Four Directions Street into a negative example, where even the monthly dues for the Blackwater Gang went unpaid.

But before Dong Cheng could explain in detail, he saw the young man before him slowly rise to his feet.

Lin Shu brushed off his cuffs and said nonchalantly, "Let's go and take a look."