It was called Green Willow Alley, but in reality, it was just a dark lane at the border of the South Suburb and West City.
A few faded lanterns hung at the alley entrance, but they did nothing to hide the rundown air that hung over the whole place.
It was a place where the poor went to seek pleasure.
The truly wealthy people in the city usually looked down on places like this.
"Lord Fox, this way."
Xiao Liu was young, probably only twelve or thirteen. He wasn't exactly a sweet-looking boy, but the smooth flattery written all over his face was already second nature.
He carefully led Lin Shu around the muddy puddles and into the quiet alley.
"..."
Old Yang's throat was dry, and he didn't dare breathe too loudly.
Even now, he still couldn't understand why Lin Shu had been willing to bring him along.
All he could do was sneak glances around, trying to hide his discomfort.
"The girls are all resting at this time in the afternoon. It'll be livelier at night."
Xiao Liu looked at the houses on either side of the alley, their doors and windows firmly shut, and ingratiatingly explained to Lin Shu, "Our place is one of the top brothels in Green Willow Alley. Business is pretty good. As for the exact figures, Wolf Lord will go over them with you."
"Wolf Lord?" Lin Shu glanced sideways at him.
"This Wolf Lord's surname is Tian. He used to be a Young Wolf in Fierce Wolf Hall, but he's been staying with us for the time being. His divine skill recently reached great heights, and he broke through to Mid Qi Condensation. The gang bestowed a name on him, making him a bona fide Fierce Wolf. He's been promoted and sent somewhere else."
Xiao Liu was the sort who told you everything he knew.
Wolf Lord was fierce, but someone like him, a nobody wallowing in the mud, had little to do with him.
A brothel attendant like him could forget about joining any of the Blackwater Gang's other halls in this lifetime. Cunning Fox Hall, which had no strict requirements for strength, was his only hope.
That was why he had to get in the good graces of the Lord Fox before him.
"Got it."
Lin Shu gave a slight nod.
He understood why those two wolves had looked down on him earlier. He had no Inner Method, so he couldn't properly set foot on the path of cultivation.
Most people would probably just make do and earn a living with whatever meager skills they had.
But for Lin Shu, this Inner Method might be the trick to replenishing the fog, and it was bound up with his very life.
He wanted to get to know these so-called cultivators better.
"Here we are. Please, go on in."
Xiao Liu stopped in front of a two-story building and gently pushed open its greasy door.
The interior was dim. A counter stood in front, and a ladder beside it led straight to the second floor.
In the corners on both sides, bamboo mats had been haphazardly spread on the floor, and several barely clothed figures lay sprawled across them.
Even the arrival of visitors couldn't stop them from making the most of the time to catch up on sleep.
The faint sour stench, mixed with the rise and fall of snores, did little to stir any romantic notions.
"Ahem."
Old Yang kept his eyes straight ahead, tense.
He knew this place would belong to Lin Shu from now on.
A new boss needed to establish his authority.
He absolutely couldn't let these girls look down on Lin Shu because of him.
The two followed Xiao Liu up to the second floor.
Before them was a cramped row of seven or eight rooms. Xiao Liu led Lin Shu to a door and stopped.
"Come in."
Hearing footsteps, a lazy voice came from inside.
Xiao Liu obediently went back downstairs, while Old Yang dutifully waited by the door.
Lin Shu reached out and pushed it open.
A rather plump figure on the bed came into view. He looked middle-aged and wore only an open green robe, his belly hanging out.
"Close the door."
Tian Jingyuan stretched his arms and glanced at the young man in the doorway with little interest.
Leaning against the bed, he shoved the sleeping woman beside him out of the way as if rolling aside a dead pig, then took out a Green Jade Pipe and lit it.
"Enough with the idle talk. I'm leaving today, and there are a few things I need to tell you."
He took a deep drag, not even bothering to raise his eyelids. "According to the gang's rules, you hand over two tenths of this brothel's income every month. You should know that."
Tian Jingyuan paused, tapped his pipe against the foot of the bed, then laboriously hauled himself upright. "But those are the gang's rules. I, Master Tian, take six tenths. After I leave, you'll keep taking six tenths for me."
As he spoke, his bulky body swayed toward the door.
"..."
Lin Shu stood quietly in place. As Tian Jingyuan drew closer, that earlier sense of danger once again washed over his whole body.
But compared to the woman surnamed Yan, the threat this fat man posed was far weaker.
It only made Lin Shu's body tense slightly. In his heart, though, he felt a strange thrill, as if he were relishing the danger and even looking forward to challenging it.
"Then—"
Tian Jingyuan casually slapped a slip of paper against Lin Shu. "Every month, take five tenths to the place written here and deliver it to Master Tian. The remaining one tenth will be your reward."
"If you dare drag your feet, or let the secret slip and allow someone else to find out about this... Heh!"
A chill crept into the fat man's smile. His voice carried a domineering force that brooked no refusal. "If you understand, nod."
"I more or less understand."
Lin Shu studied the slip of paper.
He had kept quiet all this time because he wanted to see what sort of stunt the other man would pull.
Clearly, this fat man had turned the place beneath his feet into a little treasury.
Now that the gang had ordered him transferred elsewhere, he was reluctant to let go and badly needed an obedient watchdog.
"So this is your money chest."
Having figured it out, Lin Shu let out a soft breath.
He raised his head and looked over again, a mocking smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Good. You understand." Seeing how sensible the boy seemed, Tian Jingyuan nodded in satisfaction.
But just as he was about to pass him and leave, the expression on his fat face abruptly froze.
Crack, crack—
The young man in front of him clenched his fist, crumpling the slip of paper into a ball before casually tossing it onto the floor.
Lin Shu's smile disappeared. "Not anymore."
It was already humiliating enough to come to a brothel. The place only earned two tenths in income, and someone was taking one of those tenths for nothing. On top of that, he was expected to risk the gang finding out while helping the other man squeeze money out of the place.
If the fat man had spoken politely and offered some benefits related to the Inner Method, Lin Shu might have considered it.
But that attitude, like he was taking in a dog? Tsk, tsk.
"Get lost!"
Lin Shu dusted off the spot on his clothes where the other man had slapped him, not bothering to lift his eyelids either.
This fat man was doing something he couldn't let the light of day touch.
And he thought he could scare Lin Shu out of his hard-earned silver with a few words?
Did he really take Master Lin for some clueless greenhorn?
"..."
Tian Jingyuan's cheeks twitched rapidly. He'd never expected the new guy to be so brazen!
His chest heaved, then he broke into a shrill, breathless laugh that stretched out at the end, like a eunuch's cackle.
"Ha, ha, ha! Cheap Fox! You need a good beating!"
The pipe in his hand creaked under his grip.
"You really think this money's so easy to get? Without Master Tian backing you, you think a fool like you can keep these whores safe?"
When he'd finished laughing, Tian Jingyuan had no intention of continuing the argument.
He gave the boy a long look, then turned and pushed open the door as before, leaving behind a chilling remark.
"Don't worry. You'll bring it to me."
Even if Cheap Fox had to beg everyone he knew and ask around all over town, he would find that address and obediently deliver the cut.
That was the confidence of a Fierce Wolf!
With a series of heavy thuds, the bulky Fierce Wolf nearly cracked the flimsy staircase beneath his feet. He strode off and left Green Willow Alley without looking back.
The woman on the bed had long since been roused.
She'd even forgotten to cover herself with the quilt, staring at Lin Shu's back in terror.
For the girls in this brothel, a dispute between two Blackwater Gang big shots was definitely bad news.
She had never seen anyone dare speak to Master Tian like that.
The girl didn't dare speak, much less get up and leave.
Even if this young man took out his anger on her, all she could do was submit meekly.
But Lin Shu had no interest in looking back. He strode straight out.
By the time he stepped outside, seven or eight people had gathered at the head of the stairs, peeking at him cautiously.
The entire brothel was as silent as the grave.
"..."
Old Yang pressed himself tightly against the wall, his face drained of color.
He really wanted to show a little backbone and help Lin Shu save face.
But even the aura that had spilled from that fat man as he left was enough to choke an ordinary person like him!
Even Xiao Liu, who had been all smiles and flattery earlier, was swallowing hard now, eyes filled with panic.
Lin Shu had barely arrived before offending Master Tian.
Xiao Liu could no longer tell whether this man was a towering tree he could cling to or a poisonous vine ready to snap at any moment.
They were all no more than insignificant weeds in Blackwater City. One wrong choice could leave them dead and buried without a grave.
Now that he'd angered Master Tian, the man wouldn't just wash his hands of the place. He might even go out of his way to make trouble for them.
Could this young Fox really weather the storm?
At the thought, unease flickered in everyone's eyes.
Before you continue