Preparation

[If the betrothal gifts are accepted, Mother's fate will be simulated]

[Time required: twenty breaths]

[The middle-aged Zhao Clan woman remarried, but the man she found was no good husband. At the slightest misstep, she would invite beatings and curses. She suffered day after day, grew ill from pent-up sorrow, and was killed half a year after tying her hair with him.]

After reading the simulation, Wei Luo was not surprised.

A villain like Li Dadao had countless lives stained on his hands. How could he possibly be a good man?

Wei Luo's mother repeatedly refused, refusing to change her answer no matter how the matchmaker persuaded her.

The matchmaker grew frantic and dropped to her knees with a thud.

"Little sister Zhao, just agree! If I dare take these betrothal gifts back, how could Li Dadao spare me?"

As she spoke, tears of desperation streamed down the matchmaker's face.

"Besides, even if you refuse the gifts, you know the temperament of those Fish-Dragon Gang men. I'm afraid it won't be long before they force the matter."

At those words from the matchmaker, Wei Luo's mother was backed into a corner as well, stomping her feet in panic.

Before Li Dadao, what choice did they have? They were like lambs awaiting the slaughter.

In her desperation, Wei Luo's mother grabbed the shears used to mend fishing nets in the courtyard and, crying, tried to slash her own face.

Perhaps only this method could make Li Dadao give up.

Wei Luo was startled. He quickly snatched the shears away, then fixed his eyes on the matchmaker.

"Tell Li Dadao that we'll accept the betrothal gifts. But we need to choose an auspicious day. Have Hall Master Li wait one month. How does that sound?"

The matchmaker was immediately overjoyed and hurriedly agreed.

Early the next morning, Wei Luo hurried out after breakfast at home.

"Luo'er, is what you said really reliable?"

Even though Wei Luo had said he would handle it, Zhao Clan was still frightened and could not help asking.

He gave his mother a reassuring smile and said, "Mother, don't worry. I have a friend with extensive connections..."

By the time he turned and walked out of Yellow Mud Alley, Wei Luo's smile had vanished.

The matchmaker was right. Li Dadao would not easily let his family go, so he had to make plans early.

When he returned to the Sun Family's courtyard residence, Liu Changle and Zhao Xiu were sparring.

"Wei Luo, there's news about what we discussed yesterday. The Yao Family has a batch of goods to ship out, and they're short on capable hands. They're willing to pay five taels of silver to guard one shipment."

Zhao Xiu spoke as he wiped away sweat.

Wei Luo had not expected Zhao Xiu to move so quickly. However, he had matters weighing on his mind. After exchanging a few words, he took Zhao Xiu aside to speak privately.

"Brother Zhao, do you know Li Dadao from the Fish-Dragon Gang?"

"Li Dadao? Why are you asking about that guy?"

Zhao Xiu was somewhat puzzled. Wei Luo used the excuse that a friend had offended the Fish-Dragon Gang and that he wanted to inquire about Li Dadao's strength.

"Actually, Li Dadao isn't really a martial artist..."

Zhao Xiu's first sentence left Wei Luo stunned.

After a moment, having heard Zhao Xiu out, Wei Luo learned that the Fish-Dragon Gang seemed to possess a secret art that could forcibly break an ordinary person past the threshold of qi and blood, granting strength comparable to a first-stage martial artist.

Several hall masters of the Fish-Dragon Gang, Li Dadao included, had all risen through this secret art.

Zhao Xiu gave Wei Luo one last look, his meaning clear.

"I'd advise your friend not to pick too much of a fight with the Fish-Dragon Gang. Avoid them if he can.

Maybe that secret art has made them stupid, but they usually act like simpletons, and their tempers are extremely unstable."

Wei Luo did not take Zhao Xiu's tactful warning to heart.

He wanted to avoid them too, but the other side had already sent betrothal gifts to his home.

Could he simply watch his mother walk into the tiger's jaws like a sheep?

By dusk, the crew members gradually left the Sun Family's courtyard residence.

Zhao Xiu wanted to introduce Wei Luo to the Yao Family people, but Wei Luo declined and headed out.

The Miscellaneous Ward was the only—and largest—market district in the outer city.

From food, clothing, shelter, and transport to livestock and farm tools, all kinds of shops gathered in this small market.

Under the night sky, Wei Luo had changed clothes and put on a conical hat that concealed his face.

He entered the noisy market and strode swiftly in a certain direction.

The cries of vendors rose without end. In the Miscellaneous Ward, one could buy nearly anything.

Including people too poor to survive, selling themselves.

By the walls at the roadside, quite a few ragged people leaned or lay about. They were all skin and bones, with yellowed straw stalks stuck in their hair.

Wei Luo listened to their accents. They were not locals, but refugees from elsewhere, drawing plenty of attention.

"Where did you come from?"

Someone stepped before that group of refugees and asked.

"Shanyang County. There was a flood, and the whole county was submerged." A refugee answered weakly. After speaking, he begged for food again.

He even pointed to his son and daughter beside him and named their prices: two taels for the boy, four for the girl.

Neither child looked older than ten. Starved, they resembled little monkeys.

The man who had asked did not intend to buy children. In the end, he merely sighed and bought two dry flatbreads from nearby.

The refugees immediately erupted into chaos. Seven or eight people grappled in a scramble over the two flatbreads.

Shanyang County lay downstream along the Hun River, nearly a hundred li from Pingjiang Town, with several mountains in between.

The Hun River had risen some time ago. Wei Luo had not expected flooding to strike downstream.

Judging by the refugees' words, they had walked for several days and gone hungry for several days as well. They had only arrived in Pingjiang Town two days earlier.

Wei Luo did not linger. After winding through several narrow lanes of the market, he found a somewhat secluded alley.

There was hardly anyone in the alley, only an inconspicuous apothecary.

"Heh... hehe... feels good~"

Within the dim alley, two people lay in a muddy pit, their faces twitching as meaningless groans escaped their throats.

Their crotches were wet, and the pungent stench of excrement and urine wafted from them. They had clearly lost control of their bowels.

Wei Luo stepped over them and entered the apothecary.

There was no one inside the apothecary. It was cold and deserted, with only a shopkeeper whose beard was streaked with white behind the counter.

The shopkeeper was sorting medicinal ingredients. Only when someone entered did he slightly raise his head.

"Are you here to fill a prescription, sir, or seek a consultation?"

Wei Luo walked to the counter and placed three copper coins on its surface in the shape of a triangle.

"Not for medicine, not for consultation. I want a prescription to cure an illness."

The shopkeeper lifted his eyelids, straightened up, and asked again, "There are many prescriptions for curing illness. Which kind do you want?"

Wei Luo answered, "I want a prescription for Sleep Incense."

The shopkeeper immediately understood. He turned and carefully took a bamboo tube from a hidden compartment in the counter.

"One sniff, and I guarantee they won't wake up even the next day."

Wei Luo paused, then added, "Shopkeeper, my insomnia is fiercer than jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards. I'm afraid this won't be enough."

The shopkeeper's expression froze. He scrutinized Wei Luo twice more before taking another bamboo tube from the hidden compartment.

"Then, sir, you'll have to bear with it. This is my finest prescription. It can't completely cure insomnia, but it can make one feel drowsy."

The shopkeeper held up five fingers. Wei Luo took out five taels of silver and set them down. Only then did the shopkeeper produce a wax pellet.

"This is the antidote. Take it in advance."

With that, the shopkeeper lowered his head to work his abacus and said nothing further.

Wei Luo cupped his fists, took the items, and left the apothecary. He found an empty lane and sat down again.

[Sleeping Smoke Simulation]

[Time required: ten breaths]

[The sleeping smoke supplied by the black-market apothecary. Ordinary people who smell it will inevitably *** within thirty breaths; martial artists who smell it will become dizzy and disoriented.]

Only after confirming that the sleeping smoke in his hand was effective did Wei Luo put it away.

This black-market apothecary was precisely what Wei Luo had simulated using the Great Thousand Revelation. During the simulation, he had even obtained the coded jargon and passwords.

If Wei Luo had tried to find such a place himself, he might not have been able to buy what he needed even if he entered the apothecary.

But Wei Luo had the Great Thousand Revelation. That was how he had obtained this tube of sleeping smoke.

And the money used to buy it had come from the betrothal gifts Li Dadao had sent. Naturally, it had to be "returned" to him.

The excuse of choosing an auspicious day was only a smokescreen. How could Wei Luo wait a month?

Li Dadao dared set his sights on his mother. Wei Luo could not endure even one day.

Wei Luo turned and vanished into the night.