A young constable spotted the blaze rising from the Wave-Breaking Gang's residence from far away.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Damn it, this is a place the higher-ups specifically told us to look after!"
He and his master had been assigned to this area precisely to give the Wave-Breaking Gang certain "conveniences."
If something happened right under his nose, how could that be acceptable?
The young constable was frantic and was just about to call for everyone to put out the fire.
Suddenly, a hoarse voice drifted over from afar.
"You'd best think this through."
The voice was calm as water, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
The young constable stiffly raised his head.
Before him stood a mysterious black shadow.
The instant he saw the shadow, his heart began pounding wildly.
It felt as though some kind of aura had locked onto his entire body!
Dark Force—absolutely Dark Force!
The young constable's mouth went dry, his throat itched, and he could barely speak.
If he took another step forward, he would definitely die!
"Shunzi, what are you doing here?" the old constable asked in confusion.
There was clearly no one ahead, yet Shunzi was trembling like chaff in a sieve.
In an instant, the intense terror emanating from Shunzi eased somewhat.
He forced himself to keep his wits about him and said anxiously:
"Master, a Dark Force expert was lurking nearby earlier. I suspect he was the one who burned down the Wave-Breaking Gang to destroy the evidence!"
"We absolutely cannot let him succeed. We need to find people to put out the fire at once!"
A pair of hands suddenly clamped down on Shunzi's shoulders.
The old constable stared at him fiercely.
"Don't go anywhere. Stay right here!"
Seeing Shunzi's baffled expression, the old constable lowered his voice.
"You earn one tael a month, so why are you gambling with your life?
"That was a Dark Force expert. Are you tired of living? He could kill you with one hand!"
Shunzi opened his mouth.
"Then what do we do?"
The old constable said leisurely:
"Wait until the fire burns itself out, then go put it out. That way, we won't neglect our duty, nor will we upset that expert."
"If anyone asks later, say it was just an accident. Don't say a single word more."
"Remember this, kid. Slowly learn the way a constable survives!"
Shunzi nodded thoughtfully.
Not far away, the black shadow concealed beneath the trees slowly retreated.
After leaving the Wave-Breaking Gang, the black shadow removed his black clothes and black face covering, then burned them all.
Beneath the mask was a stern, cold face.
It was Li Chuan!
After dealing with every trace of himself, Li Chuan headed straight home.
Only when he entered Li Family Shop and shut the door behind him did he finally let out a breath.
By the moonlight, Li Chuan noticed an extra figure standing before him.
Without a word, Li Nian stuffed a cloth sack into his arms and urged anxiously:
"A-Chuan, take A-Qing and these things, then run!"
Li Chuan's heart tightened.
"Run where? What happened now?"
Li Nian spoke faster, growing increasingly anxious.
"Of course, to evade the Wave-Breaking Gang's pursuit! Did you think they would let us go?"
"Your mother and I can't get away anymore. You two, hurry and leave!"
Li Chuan was moved, yet he also found it rather amusing.
He soothed him softly.
"Grandfather, the Wave-Breaking Gang won't come looking for us again."
"The Wave-Breaking Gang definitely..." Li Nian's expression suddenly turned stunned. "What?"
"A-Chuan, are you saying you dealt with the entire Wave-Breaking Gang?!"
Li Chuan nodded.
After receiving confirmation, Li Nian's chest heaved violently. He sucked in several deep breaths of cold air, yet it still did not feel like enough.
Trembling, he pulled a dry tobacco pipe from his pocket.
In truth, after Li Chuan broke through to Bright Force, he no longer needed the family to support him, but Li Nian still could not bear to smoke.
He always wanted to save a little more money, just in case Li Chuan needed it someday.
Old people were always like this, never thinking of themselves.
After lighting the pipe, Li Nian took two puffs before finally calming down somewhat.
As he exhaled clouds of smoke, he felt as though he had survived a great catastrophe.
To be honest, no one wanted to die, and he was no exception.
He wanted to live.
He wanted to watch Li Chuan rise above the common crowd, watch him marry and have children, and live a happy life to the end.
Li Nian raised his head and looked straight into Li Chuan's eyes.
"A-Chuan, the most correct decision I ever made in my life was sending you to the Martial Hall!"
Li Qing came out, asking nervously:
"A-Chuan, did you really wipe out the Wave-Breaking Gang?"
Li Chuan smiled.
"Big Brother, Wu Wenda shoved you to the ground, so I twisted off his head. That makes us even, right?"
Li Chuan's tone was calm, but the meaning behind his words made the man hard as stone redden around the eyes.
Qin Sanfeng wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.
"A-Chuan, before this, I thought Father was playing favorites and should not have treated A-Qing that way. Even after you became Bright Force, I still thought so."
"Now, it seems Father was not wrong."
Wang Xiumei looked at the smiling Li Chuan, yet felt as if someone had clenched her heart tight.
She wanted to tell him that he should not have taken such a risk, but then remembered that he had done it for the family.
For a moment, she felt both heartache and bitterness.
Mothers were always like this.
Li Chuan put an arm around Wang Xiumei and said softly:
"Mother, I'm perfectly fine. I don't even have a wound on me. If you don't believe me, take a look."
After calming Wang Xiumei, his expression turned serious.
"Grandfather, we can't keep this shop. Though the Wave-Breaking Gang is dead, the powerful figure behind them still wants the shops in this area."
"If we stay here and hold on to this shop, sooner or later there will be a Sea-Breaking Gang or a River-Breaking Gang."
Li Nian nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
"I had wanted to sell the shop later as well, but the Wave-Breaking Gang refused to buy 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? Where will we live?"
Li Chuan took a large money pouch from his pocket.
It contained a total of thirty taels in loose silver, all looted from the Wave-Breaking Gang.
He immediately took out ten taels.
"You don't need to worry about money. Once I enter Dark Force, a major power will naturally seek me out for a position. I can support all of you by myself with ease."
"Take this money and rent a house in the north of the city first. Try not to go out too often."
"After that, I'll find a way to send you into the Inner City. That is where true safety lies."
A hint of longing appeared in Wang Xiumei's eyes.
"The Inner City... I've never even been there. My son has truly made something of himself..."
Qin Sanfeng murmured:
"I heard the masters there eat six or seven kinds of buns every morning, never repeating the same kind.
"If we could open a bun shop there, wouldn't we make so much money our bowls overflowed?"
Everyone burst into laughter at her words.
Li Nian shook his head and laughed.
"Sanfeng, you're the sort who thinks the emperor farms with a golden hoe."
After daybreak, Li Chuan sold the shop. Only after finding them a safe residence did he return to Pine Wind Martial Hall with peace of mind.
The moment he entered the hall, he heard many disciples talking with great excitement.
"Did you hear? The Wave-Breaking Gang in the Outer City was wiped out again by a mysterious person. Even their buildings were burned down!"
"The people inside were all charred too. You couldn't even make out human shapes—they looked like lumps of black charcoal!"
"If you ask me, it was karmic retribution. When they first appeared, hadn't they risen to power by trampling over the Iron Tiger Gang in exactly the same way?"
"Ah! I wonder which great hero did such a good deed. I really want to see his splendor with my own eyes!"
When the disciples saw Li Chuan walk by, they hurriedly stood up, lowered their heads, and said respectfully:
"Good afternoon, Senior Brother Li!"
In just one day, news of Li Chuan reaching Dark Force had spread throughout Pine Wind Martial Hall.
A Low-Grade Bone Constitution, achieving Dark Force in a single Gate-Knocking.
Favored by his master, he entered the Inner Courtyard and became an Inner Disciple, drawing the envy of countless youths.
In particular, many with Low-Grade Bone Constitutions who had previously been considered hopeless for a second Gate-Knocking were now fired up with boiling blood.
Everyone wanted to become the next Li Chuan.
Some even wanted to ask him for the secret to his success!
At that moment, a disciple gathered his courage and called out loudly:
"Senior Brother Li, how did you reach where you are today?"
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