Investigation

North City, Nanshan Ward.

In a courtyard, inside the main room, a man with a scarred face sat on a chair, drinking wine.

Just then, a horse-faced youth hurried over.

"Boss, it's bad, something has happened."

At the sound of his urgent voice, the scarred man furrowed his brows and looked at the youth running in. "What is there to be so flustered about?"

"Xiao Lin and Xiao Liu are dead. The people from the County Yamen are investigating, and they've almost reached our turf."

"What?"

Hearing this, the scarred man stood up with a jerk, his face turning ugly.

Dead...

They died so quickly.

Didn't he tell them to tail the target? How could they have met with an accident so fast?!

The scarred man's eyes darted around, his brows knitted tightly together.

"Is there any other information?" The scarred man calmed himself down and asked the horse-faced youth before him.

"Other information?" The horse-faced youth paused for a moment before shaking his head. "I haven't heard of any."

The scarred man frowned, looking at him. "Apart from these two being dead, there's no other news?"

The horse-faced youth shook his head.

Hearing this, the scarred man's expression grew even gloomier.

"Boss, what should we do? If the turf gets sealed, that's a huge loss."

The scarred man looked out toward the courtyard, then rose to his feet. "You handle it. I'm going out for a while."

"Huh?! Me handle it?"

The horse-faced youth looked stunned, but before he could say anything more, the scarred man had already strode away.

Watching the boss leave, the horse-faced youth pulled a bitter face, sighed, and followed him out of the courtyard.

Nanshan Ward, at the entrance of a gambling den.

Fang Xing arrived with a few Yamen Runners.

It was early morning, and the gambling den didn't have much business yet. A man stood at the entrance; seeing Fang Xing and his group, he immediately greeted them with a smile.

"Gentlemen, it's so early in the morning—is there something you need?"

Fang Xing glanced at the youth, his gaze cold. "A murder case has occurred. Where is the person in charge?"

Hearing this, the youth froze, but quickly regained his composure and said with a grin:

"Gentlemen, our boss is still resting."

"Take me to see him immediately." Fang Xing didn't mince words, speaking directly.

The youth's expression stiffened. Just as he was about to speak, a horse-faced youth hurried over from not far away.

"Gentlemen, I am the one in charge here. How may I be of service?"

Fang Xing looked at the horse-faced youth who had come before him and scanned him up and down.

"You're the one in charge here?"

The horse-faced youth nodded with a fawning smile. "Yes, that's me. Gentlemen, why don't we go inside to talk?"

Fang Xing nodded, and they entered the gambling den.

Inside, the place was dim.

With no one around in the morning, it was very quiet, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke and sweat, though for Fang Xing and the others, they were already used to it.

Entering the den, Fang Xing sat down at a gambling table. The horse-faced youth immediately ordered someone to pour them several cups of hot tea.

Fang Xing got straight to the point, detailing the situation.

Listening to the account, the horse-faced youth fell into deep thought.

Fang Xing looked at him and said, "According to our investigation, these two should be men from your Black Tiger Gang, right? Don't tell me you're going to say they aren't?"

Hearing Fang Xing's inquiry, the horse-faced youth's heart sank, but he kept his fawning smile. "Sir, they are indeed our men, but they usually just watch the turf; they are free at other times, so I don't know much about their activities."

"You don't know?"

"Then we'll just have to seal this place." Fang Xing said indifferently, then looked at one of the Yamen Runners. Their eyes met, and the runner understood instantly.

He immediately took out a seal.

Fang Xing had ordered his men to bring these things along when they left the County Yamen.

Seeing the seal, the horse-faced youth's expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "Sir, can't we discuss this? Everything is negotiable. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

As he spoke, the horse-faced youth took out a small pouch and placed it happily in front of Fang Xing.

Fang Xing weighed the money pouch and looked at the horse-faced youth. "Are you planning to bribe me?"

Hearing this, the horse-faced youth froze, then immediately laughed. "Sir, it's just a bit of tea money, how could it be a bribe?"

"Tea money..." Fang Xing tossed the pouch onto the table, his gaze fixed on the horse-faced youth. "A human life is at stake, and you think you can cover it up with this pittance?"

So he thinks it's too little...

Hearing this, the horse-faced youth smiled, looked at Fang Xing, and lowered his voice: "Then, how would you like to handle this, Officer?"

"Bang!"

Fang Xing suddenly reached out and slammed the horse-faced youth's head directly onto the table.

"Are you questioning me? I suspect your Black Tiger Gang has some unspeakable secret, and that you killed these two in the shadows."

"Answer me, is it or is it not?!"

The horse-faced youth's face flushed red. With his head pressed against the gambling table, he was completely unable to move; while feeling terrified, he felt his mind go blank.

"Sir, no... that's not the case at all, absolutely not." The horse-faced youth struggled while answering in a panic.

Xu Le and the others watched this scene, stunned. Wasn't this just supposed to be a formality?

This looked like he was about to get serious!

The men exchanged glances, feeling somewhat surprised.

It wasn't their first time dealing with these underworld forces. When something like this happened, they usually just collected some benefits and called it a day.

After all, North City was a chaotic place where underworld forces were intertwined; people dying wasn't exactly a rare occurrence.

They were just two thugs.

If they were dead, they were dead.

If it were a gang war, it wouldn't be surprising if even more people died.

However, they naturally couldn't interfere with how Fang Xing handled things.

Right now, he was the second-in-command of North City, and he had also stepped into the realm of a Bright Force martial artist.

A new official applies three fires.

If Fang Xing wanted to stir things up, that was normal.

The Black Tiger Gang was just a bottom-tier force, and since Fang Xing was now a martial artist, they didn't fear them at all, even if they had to face the leader of the Black Tiger Gang.

"Where is your boss?" Fang Xing asked with a cold face.

"The... the boss has something to handle, so for now, I... I am in charge," the horse-faced youth replied.

Fang Xing immediately let go, and the horse-faced youth stood up, his face filled with fear.

"Where does your boss live?" Fang Xing asked.

"Not far, he lives nearby," the horse-faced youth replied.

"Take me to see your boss."

"This... sir, the boss isn't at home right now, he went out," the horse-faced youth replied.

"Notify your boss immediately; I will wait here," Fang Xing said coldly.

"...Yes."

The horse-faced youth nodded, then called someone over to send word.

Fang Xing sat in the chair, sipping his tea, and looked at the pouch on the table before tossing it to Xu Le.

"This might be stolen goods; keep it for now."

Hearing this, Xu Le and the others immediately understood and tucked the pouch away.

If it was stolen goods, then it was theirs.

That was a perfect excuse!

The Yamen Runners were delighted; although it wasn't much, they could at least split some of it.

The horse-faced youth watched this scene with an ugly expression, but he dared not say a word and could only stand by and wait.

Before long, a tall, burly man walked into the gambling den.

There was a scar on his face that looked like a centipede, appearing extremely ferocious.

"He's here." Watching the scarred man walk in, Fang Xing narrowed his eyes and slowly set down his teacup.

This scarred man was the leader of the Black Tiger Gang.

Xu Hu!

A Bright Force martial artist!

Walking into the den, Xu Hu scanned the room. When he saw Fang Xing sitting in the chair, his gaze paused slightly.

At this glance, their gazes collided, yet not a ripple of emotion stirred on Fang Xing's face.

"Gentlemen, may I ask what has happened here?" Xu Hu asked, a look of surprise on his face.

Fang Xing stood up and looked at Xu Hu: "Are you the leader of the Black Tiger Gang?"

Xu Hu was taken aback, but he quickly nodded: "That is indeed me. I do not know what has occurred?"

"You all go outside and wait," Fang Xing said, looking at Xu Le and the others.

Xu Le and the others nodded and immediately left the gambling den.

"The rest of you go out as well," Fang Xing said indifferently.

Hearing this, the few people in the gambling den looked toward Xu Hu. Xu Hu nodded slightly, and they obediently departed.

Within the gambling den, only Xu Hu and Fang Xing remained.