Search, Martial Arts

"Sir... sir, can we go now?" The horse-faced youth looked at Fang Xing and asked cautiously.

"You, and you—you two stay. The rest of you may leave." Fang Xing looked at the horse-faced youth and the other man as he spoke.

Upon being singled out by Fang Xing, the two men's faces turned as ugly as could be.

Yet, they dared not ask for more.

Their leader had just been slaughtered by the baleful entity standing before them; if they angered him, there was no guarantee they wouldn't follow in his footsteps.

The remaining few scrambled away in a panic, terrified that if they were even a second late, Fang Xing would call them back.

With the leader dead, the Black Tiger Gang was finished.

They had plenty of rivals; if they didn't run now, when would they?

Fang Xing paid them no mind. Just as he was about to give instructions, four or five Yamen Runners arrived from not far away.

"Boss." The five runners stepped forward and greeted him in unison.

Fang Xing nodded, then looked at Xu Le and another runner: "Xu Le, you two stay behind to handle this place. Dispose of the bodies and seal the property for now."

Hearing this, Xu Le's face instantly lit up: "Many thanks, Brother Xing!"

Being put in charge was a favor; there was plenty of grease to be skimmed from sealing a property. Even a little bit was more than enough.

"Boss, what do we do next?" one of the runners asked, looking at Fang Xing.

Fang Xing glanced at the group, then looked at a scrawny Black Tiger Gang youth: "You were the one who went to notify Xu Hu, right?"

At Fang Xing's query, the scrawny youth couldn't help but shudder. He nodded tremulously: "Reporting to the official, it... it was me."

"Where did you notify him?" Fang Xing asked.

"Not far, just in a courtyard one street ahead," the youth said, pointing in a certain direction.

Fang Xing looked over, then said: "In that case, lead the way. You come along too."

The scrawny youth and the horse-faced youth exchanged a bitter look, their faces sour, but they nodded.

Fang Xing then looked at the remaining runners: "The rest of you, follow me."

"Yes!"

The runners shouted in unison, and the group set off in a grand procession.

This scene immediately drew the attention of many, who began whispering and speculating among themselves.

Soon, led by the scrawny youth, Fang Xing arrived at a courtyard.

It was very secluded.

The alleyway was situated at the intersection of two wards.

Not far off, a few vagrant beggars huddled in the corner. As soon as they saw Fang Xing's group, they fled in a panic.

Fang Xing scanned the courtyard, then turned his gaze to the horse-faced youth beside him: "Is this the place where your gang leader lived?"

The horse-faced youth shook his head: "No, this is a place the gang leader arranged for someone else."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Fang Xing's eyes brightened: "Arranged for whom?"

"Official, I don't know. I've never seen them. I only know it's a young man, and the gang leader holds this person in high regard." The horse-faced youth replied.

"A young man... held in high regard. Could this be the residence of that 'envoy'?"

The thought flashed through his mind. Thinking of this, Fang Xing glanced at the runners.

"Everyone, stay alert."

Hearing Fang Xing's words, the runners were startled, but they didn't ask questions. They drew their sabers and stood ready!

"Bang!"

Seeing this, Fang Xing raised his foot and kicked the courtyard door open.

It gave way easily. The courtyard was not large.

There was only a main room, a side room, and a storage shed.

Channeling his Internal Force, Fang Xing stepped into the courtyard.

The others followed closely behind.

The doors to the main room and the side room were tightly shut; only the storage shed stood open.

It was very quiet.

"You two, go up and open the doors," Fang Xing said, looking at the horse-faced youth and the scrawny youth.

The two dared not refuse and, bracing themselves, stepped forward to open the doors.

The doors to the main room and the side room swung open.

The interiors were completely empty; not a ghost was to be seen.

Seeing this, Fang Xing frowned: "Did they run off in advance..."

He entered the two rooms and searched them thoroughly, but found nothing of note.

Aside from sleeping mats and beds, there was absolutely nothing.

He looked at the scrawny youth, his gaze icy: "When you came to deliver the message, who else was here besides your gang leader?"

"I... I only saw the gang leader. I didn't see anyone else," the scrawny youth said, his face tense.

Hearing this, a trace of disappointment couldn't help but flash through Fang Xing's heart.

But there was nothing he could do.

Having missed this opportunity, it would likely be difficult to capture the "envoy" behind the scenes unless they showed themselves.

Although he wasn't under immense pressure, the thought of them was like a thorn stuck in his heart.

It was incredibly frustrating.

"Fine, you can go."

Fang Xing spoke, and a look of joy instantly appeared on the scrawny youth's face as he hurried away.

Fang Xing made a gesture, and the runners sheathed their sabers.

"Official, then... can I go too?" the horse-faced youth asked cautiously.

"Go? Where do you think you're going?" Fang Xing glanced at the horse-faced youth and said coldly.

Hearing this, the horse-faced youth's face instantly fell.

"Official, I've told you everything I know. Please... please spare me."

"I'm just a nobody in the Black Tiger Gang."

The horse-faced youth put on a pitiful act, nearly on the verge of tears.

But Fang Xing remained unmoved: "You will leave when I tell you to. Now, take me to your gang leader's residence."

"No... no problem." He wanted to say something else, but seeing Fang Xing's cold face, he swallowed the words and obediently turned to lead the way.

Fang Xing and the runners followed behind.

Before long, Fang Xing arrived at Xu Hu's residence in front of a courtyard in North City.

Compared to the previous place, Xu Hu's residence was significantly larger.

After opening the gate, Fang Xing stationed two men to stand guard and led the rest inside.

The courtyard was quite large, featuring five main rooms, a great hall, guest rooms, a kitchen, and more.

Fang Xing scanned the area, had the horse-faced youth lead him to the master bedroom, and sent the others to search the remaining rooms.

The master bedroom was not small; it was twice the size of the one he lived in.

The horse-faced youth stood obediently outside the door, not daring to move a muscle.

With runners guarding the entrance, the idea of leaving without Fang Xing's order was pure delusion.

Entering the master bedroom, Fang Xing began a meticulous search of every corner.

He checked the bed, the cabinets, and everything else, searching the entire room.

Yet, he found absolutely nothing.

Forget treasures—he hadn't even found a single tael of silver.

Earlier, Xu Hu had given him a money bag, and he had searched Xu Hu's body, finding only ten taels of silver in total assets.

But he didn't believe that a proper gang leader's residence would have no hidden wealth.

He scanned the room carefully, and soon, behind a tall cabinet, Fang Xing discovered a hidden compartment.

Opening it, he found a bundle inside.

Inside the bundle were silver ingots, each one made of pure silver.

A total of one hundred taels!

Beyond that, there were several gold leaves.

There were nearly five taels of gold leaves.

According to the exchange rate of the Great Jing Dynasty, one tael of gold was worth ten taels of silver.

This was true hard currency!

Five taels of gold leaves were worth fifty taels of silver.

Along with the hundred-tael silver ingots, it was a full one hundred and fifty taels.

Although he could not swallow it all for himself, he had taken the lion's share.

He tucked all the gold leaves into his inner pocket and kept thirty percent of the silver.

As for the rest, that would have to be "confiscated"!

Beyond the yamen runners below, there were even more people above.

This was also the rule.

One could keep a portion for oneself, but what had to be turned over, must be turned over.

After collecting the silver and gold leaves, Fang Xing turned his gaze to the final booklet.

Three large characters on the cover caught his eye.

Gale Step!