Harvest! (Seeking Monthly Votes!)

A young constable saw the massive fire rising from the Wave-Breaking Gang's residence from afar.

His heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, this is the very place the higher-ups specifically ordered us to look after!

He and his master had been assigned to this sector for the sole purpose of providing "convenience" to the Wave-Breaking Gang.

If something happened right under his nose, how could he answer for it?

The young constable was anxious, about to call for everyone to put out the fire.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice drifted over from the distance.

"You had better think this through."

The voice was as calm as water, yet it held an unquestionable air of authority.

The young constable stiffened as he looked up.

Before him stood a mysterious black shadow.

The moment he laid eyes on the shadow, his heart began to pound wildly.

He felt as if his entire being had been locked onto by some kind of energy!

Dark Force, it was definitely Dark Force!

The young constable's mouth went dry and his throat itched; he could barely speak.

If he took another step forward, he would surely die!

"Shunzi, what are you doing here?" the old constable asked, puzzled.

There was clearly no one in front of them, yet Shunzi was trembling like a leaf.

In an instant, the intense sense of dread on Shunzi dissipated slightly.

He forced himself to pull it together and said anxiously:

"Master, a Dark Force expert was lurking nearby earlier. I suspect he's the one who burned down the Wave-Breaking Gang's place to destroy the evidence!"

"We absolutely cannot let him succeed; we must find people to put out the fire immediately!"

A pair of hands suddenly gripped Shunzi's arms.

The old constable stared at him intensely:

"Don't go anywhere, just stay right here!"

Seeing the confusion in Shunzi's eyes, the old constable whispered:

"For a monthly salary of one tael, why are you risking your life? That's a Dark Force expert; are you tired of living? He could kill you with one hand!"

Shunzi opened his mouth:

"Then what should we do?"

The old constable said leisurely:

"Wait for this fire to burn out, then go extinguish it. That way, we fulfill our duty without offending that expert."

"If anyone asks you later, just say it was an accident. Don't say anything more."

"Remember, kid, you still have a lot to learn about the way of survival for a constable!"

Shunzi nodded, lost in thought.

Not far away, the black shadow hidden by the trees slowly retreated.

After leaving the Wave-Breaking Gang, the black shadow took off his black clothes and mask, burning them.

Beneath the mask was a cold, stern face.

It was none other than Li Chuan!

Once Li Chuan had cleared away all traces of himself, he made his way back home.

He let out a sigh of relief the moment he stepped into the Li Family Shop and closed the door.

By the moonlight, Li Chuan noticed another figure standing before him.

Li Nian didn't say a word before shoving a cloth bag into his hands, urging him:

"A-Chuan, take A-Qing and these things, and run!"

Li Chuan's heart tightened:

"Run where? What happened?"

Li Nian spoke faster, feeling extremely anxious:

"To escape the Wave-Breaking Gang's pursuit, of course! Did you think they would just let us go?"

"Your mother and I can't get away, you two hurry and run!"

While moved, Li Chuan also found it somewhat amusing.

He spoke softly to soothe him:

"Grandfather, the Wave-Breaking Gang won't be coming after us again."

"The Wave-Breaking Gang surely..." Li Nian's expression suddenly turned stunned. "What?"

"A-Chuan, do you mean to say you wiped out the entire Wave-Breaking Gang?!"

Li Chuan nodded.

Upon receiving a definitive answer, Li Nian's chest heaved violently; he took several deep, sharp breaths of cold air, yet still felt it wasn't enough to calm his nerves.

He tremblingly pulled a dry tobacco pipe from his pocket.

In truth, ever since Li Chuan had broken through to the Bright Force, he no longer needed the family's support, but he still couldn't bring himself to smoke.

He always thought about saving more money, just in case Li Chuan needed it for something.

Old people were always like this, never considering themselves.

After Li Nian lit his pipe and took a few puffs, he finally calmed down slightly.

As he exhaled clouds of smoke, he felt a sense of having survived a catastrophe.

To be honest, no one wanted to die, and he was no exception.

He wanted to live.

He wanted to see Li Chuan get ahead in life, see him marry and have children, and live a happy life.

Li Nian looked up, staring straight into Li Chuan's eyes:

"A-Chuan, the best decision I ever made in my life was sending you to the Martial Hall!"

Li Qing walked out, asking nervously:

"A-Chuan, did you really wipe out the entire Wave-Breaking Gang?"

Li Chuan smiled:

"Big Brother, Wu Wenda pushed you to the ground, so I twisted his head off. I'd say that makes us even."

Li Chuan's tone was calm, but the content of his words caused the eyes of this stone-like man to turn red.

Qin Sanfeng wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes:

"A-Chuan, I used to think Father was biased and shouldn't have treated A-Qing that way, even after you reached the Bright Force, I still felt that way."

"Now it seems, Father was right."

Wang Xiumei looked at the smiling Li Chuan, but she felt as if her heart had been gripped by someone.

She wanted to say he shouldn't have taken such a risk, but then she remembered that Li Chuan had done it for the sake of the family.

For a moment, she felt both heartache and sorrow.

Mothers were always like this.

Li Chuan put his arm around Wang Xiumei and whispered:

"Mother, I'm perfectly fine. I don't even have a scratch on me; if you don't believe me, take a look."

After settling Wang Xiumei's emotions, his expression turned serious:

"Grandfather, we can't keep this shop. Even though the Wave-Breaking Gang is dead, the big shots behind them still want the shops in this area."

"If we stay here and keep this shop, sooner or later there will be a Sea-Breaking Gang or a River-Breaking Gang."

Li Nian agreed upon hearing this:

"I had thought about selling the shop later on, but the Wave-Breaking Gang wouldn't have it—they just wanted our lives!"

Li Qing's eyes were filled with confusion:

"A-Chuan, if we sell the shop, how will we make a living, and where will we live?"

Li Chuan pulled a large pouch from his pocket.

Inside were thirty taels of silver fragments, all scavenged from the Wave-Breaking Gang.

He immediately took out ten taels:

"You don't need to worry about money. Once I've entered the Dark Force, major powers will naturally seek me out for positions; I can easily support all of you on my own."

"Take this money, go rent a house in the North City, and try to go out as little as possible."

"Later on, I will find a way to get you all into the Inner City; that is where it is truly safe."

A look of longing appeared in Wang Xiumei's eyes:

"The Inner City... I've never been there. My son has really made something of himself..."

Qin Sanfeng murmured:

"I heard that the masters there eat six or seven different kinds of steamed buns every morning, never repeating the same one."

"If we could open a steamed bun shop there, wouldn't we be raking in the money?"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Li Nian shook his head with a chuckle:

"San Feng, that's a classic case of a peasant imagining the emperor using a golden hoe."

After daybreak, Li Chuan sold the shop and found them a safe house before returning to Pine Wind Martial Hall with peace of mind.

As soon as he entered the hall, he heard many disciples engaged in a heated discussion.

"Have you heard? The Wave-Breaking Gang in the Outer City was wiped out by a mysterious person again, and even their building was burned to the ground!"

"The people inside were all charred beyond recognition, looking just like lumps of black charcoal!"

"If you ask me, it's just karma. When they first appeared, didn't they step over the Iron Tiger Gang to rise to power the same way?"

"Sigh! I wonder which hero performed this good deed; I really want to see his demeanor with my own eyes!"

When the disciples saw Li Chuan walk by, they all stood up nervously, bowing their heads respectfully:

"Good afternoon, Senior Brother Li!"

In just one day, news of Li Chuan's Dark Force had spread throughout the entire Pine Wind Martial Hall.

Low-grade aptitude, achieving Dark Force on the first Gate-Knocking.

He had gained the master's appreciation, entered the Inner Courtyard as an inner disciple, and become the object of envy for countless youths.

In particular, many with low-grade aptitude who were previously thought to have no hope of a second Gate-Knocking were inspired and filled with fervor.

Everyone wanted to become the next Li Chuan.

Some even wanted to ask him for the secret to his success!

At that moment, one disciple gathered his courage and asked loudly:

"Senior Brother Li, how did you reach where you are today!"