Black Goose City's Heritage! (Seeking Subscriptions!)

"Brother Qin, what's wrong?"

Qi Yan walked over, asking with some concern.

Qin Zheng shook his head, put the invitation away, and said, "It's nothing. I'll go buy some grain first."

With that, he stepped out of the dilapidated temple.

The county yamen made no secret of its intentions.

It had broadly issued invitations, summoning the various powers and martial arts experts within Black Goose City.

The purpose was to resolve the current bandit crisis.

The various factions were already established in Black Goose City, having long since become integrated with it.

Now that Black Goose City faced such a crisis, if the bandits broke through the city walls, these factions would also suffer damage.

If the county yamen offered benefits and promises, they might agree to go out and suppress the bandits.

However, he didn't seem to have any reason to take such a risk.

Qin Zheng felt a moment of hesitation.

Forget it!

He didn't know what the county yamen's intentions were yet; everything was just his current speculation.

He wouldn't think so much about it now. He'd deal with it when the time came.

Qin Zheng shook his head, then cleared his mind of his thoughts.

Afterward, he headed towards the west side of the city.

Black Goose City was now blockaded by those bandits. After the initial looting, only the west side had grain available.

People on the streets moved in small groups. Apart from those forced to go out for survival, the citizens of Black Goose City clearly preferred to stay in their homes.

However, just as he was about to leave the eastern part of the city, he suddenly spotted a crowd gathering on a street corner.

He saw a group of poorly dressed, sallow, and clearly malnourished impoverished commoners.

They were currently gathered around a young monk dressed in white robes.

Their faces were devout as they followed the monk, chanting scriptures.

These commoners clearly couldn't satisfy their material needs, so they turned to gods and buddhas, seeking spiritual solace.

But no matter how many times they chanted the Buddhist scriptures, a thousand or ten thousand times, grain wouldn't appear out of thin air.

And those gods wouldn't appear to protect them when they were in danger.

Qin Zheng shook his head, then averted his gaze and walked quickly towards the west side of the city.

Afterward, Qin Zheng bought a significant amount of grain at a high price on the west side of the city.

His generous demeanor immediately drew the attention of the commoners lingering on the west side.

During this time, some ill-intentioned individuals also tried to follow Qin Zheng to rob him of his grain and money.

However, before they could even make a move, they were pulled back by their companions and whispered at, "Are you tired of living! That's Qin the Executioner, the one who even makes the Canoe Gang afraid to speak up!"

Besides these people, some factions also recognized Qin Zheng and sent him grain.

Among them were first-rate factions in Black Goose City like the Canoe Gang.

This situation frightened the grain merchants who had sold grain to Qin Zheng at high prices, causing them to rush forward and return his money.

As a result, this trip didn't cost Qin Zheng much, and he even acquired a considerable amount of grain.

This was the benefit of improving one's strength.

Fists are power!

Qin Zheng had a slight realization from this.

He brought the grain back to the dilapidated temple in the east of the city.

Qi Yan was also efficiently preparing dinner.

After they finished eating.

Night fell.

Qin Zheng stood up and said to Qi Yan, "I need to go out for a bit. You take care of them."

The county yamen was in the north of the city. Departing now was the right time.

Qi Yan nodded and, as usual, reminded him, "Brother Qin, be careful."

Qin Zheng slung the ghost-head saber over his back, walked out of the dilapidated temple, and quickly disappeared into the night.

The Black Goose City at night became even more silent and deep.

This was especially true as he entered the northern part of the city.

If not for the occasional human voices coming from the houses on both sides of the road, Qin Zheng would have thought he had arrived in a ghost town.

And upon arriving here, an uncomfortable feeling arose.

It felt as if someone was secretly watching him, stirring a faint sense of annoyance in his heart.

The center of his brow twitched twice.

This situation caught Qin Zheng's attention, making him more cautious.

Not long after, Qin Zheng arrived at the yamen.

At this moment, people were already gathered at the yamen's main entrance in small groups.

When Qin Zheng's figure appeared, it immediately drew the attention of many.

The reason was none other than the ghost-head saber behind him, which was exceptionally distinctive.

Ordinary martial artists would not wield such a broad saber.

Therefore, Qin Zheng's identity was easily recognizable.

As Qin Zheng reached the yamen's entrance, several figures immediately walked up to him.

"Brother Qin, you've arrived too!"

Zhang Wei, the First Boss of the Canoe Gang, was the first to approach Qin Zheng, speaking enthusiastically.

His tone was remarkably cordial, as if he and Qin Zheng were close brothers, rather than rivals who had just confronted each other not long ago.

Qin Zheng nodded.

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face.

The other party had kept his promise, no longer bothering him, and had even sent him a significant amount of grain during the day.

Qin Zheng naturally wouldn't ignore him and cause him to lose face in front of everyone.

"Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Leader Wei of the Black Tiger Gang."

"This is Leader Xing of the Vermilion Bird Gang, and this is Leader Xiong of the Three Origins Gang."

First Boss Zhang Wei introduced the martial artists around him to Qin Zheng.

They were all around fifty years old and were all martial artists in the Muscle-Refining Realm.

This was Qin Zheng's first time learning about the gang forces in Black Goose City and the Muscle-Refining Realm martial artists behind them.

He did not act high and mighty, but rather clasped his fists in greeting and introduced himself in turn.

And so, in front of the yamen, Qin Zheng had thoroughly acquainted himself with these gang leaders who secretly controlled Black Goose City.

Besides these few, there were also some unaffiliated martial artists.

Among them were those in the Flesh-Refining Realm who had broken through two major bottlenecks, and those in the Muscle-Refining Realm who had broken through three major bottlenecks.

The hidden strength within Black Goose City was truly not weak.

At least, the sheer number of Muscle-Refining Realm experts was something Qin Zheng had not anticipated.

He recalled that among the experts who went to suppress the bandits, there were only Ji Changyin and Xu Weisai.

If all the Muscle-Refining Realm experts present agreed to take action, perhaps solving the bandit menace wouldn't be too difficult.

As Qin Zheng subconsciously had this thought.

A figure hurried out from the yamen's main gate, shouting loudly, "My apologies for keeping you all waiting. The manor has prepared a banquet, please come in quickly!"

"Advisor Liu!"

Zhang Wei and the others clasped their fists and called out to the approaching person.

Qin Zheng also turned his gaze, seeing a thin figure with a goatee and bright eyes, clearly an astute individual.

"Please, come in, come in. It was my oversight that kept you all waiting outside the door for so long."

"First Boss Zhang, Leader Wei, Leader Xing, Young Hero Qin."

Advisor Liu greeted everyone warmly and efficiently.

After entering the yamen, he led them directly through a secluded path to a garden.

At this moment, the place was brightly lit, with singing girls and dancing maidens, as well as fine wine and delicacies.

Everyone was astonished that such a decadent place could exist within the yamen.

Qin Zheng, however, kept his eyes fixed on a monk already seated not far away, clad in white monastic robes!