Ma San

Li Feng led the way, carrying the medicinal materials he had just bought from the Hundred Herbs Hall, and hurried all the way home.

These medicinal materials came to a total of thirty packs, loaded into a large bag that weighed a full thirty-four taels of silver. If he could help it, he did not want to carry such a bag of things through the daytime; it was simply too conspicuous.

Moreover, because today was his day off, he was not wearing his White Runner uniform. If he ran into any petty punks, even if he was not afraid of them trying to rob him, brushing them off would still be quite troublesome.

Pity that whatever one fears comes to pass. Just as he was walking to a secluded alley entrance, a familiar figure walked straight toward him.

Li Feng looked closely, his gaze instantly turning cold. It turned out to be one of Incense Master Lei's lackeys from the Green Bamboo Gang, that extremely arrogant Ma San.

Earlier, it was precisely this Ma San who had been extremely barbarous when collecting protection money, extorting nine extra months of it from him.

Ma San was walking somewhat unsteadily at the moment, carrying a pungent odor of cheap, inferior alcohol on his body as if he had just drunk heavily at some tavern.

He rubbed his eyes and instantly recognized this temporary White Runner from the City Guard Office, his gaze then falling upon the large bag Li Feng was carrying. He raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Yo, if it isn't the Li kid? What kind of crap is in that big bag you're carrying in your hand?"

"Hoh, judging by the packaging, valuable goods from the Hundred Herbs Hall, eh?"

Li Feng's thoughts churned slightly. Because he practiced the Skin-Grinding Method last night, his skin was still aching faintly, so it was truly unadvisable for him to come into conflict with anyone right now.

He kept his surface expression undisturbed and said, "Ma-ge is joking, they are merely some cheap cultivation herbs."

"Medicines used for cultivation?"

Hearing this, Ma San was stunned at first, then pointed at Li Feng and let out a derisive laugh. "Stop talking your damn farts, do you take Third Master for a monkey to play with? Only Regular Constables are qualified to practice the Skin-Grinding Method. You're nothing more than an unregistered temporary White Runner, where would you get the Skin-Grinding Method, and what cultivation medicines would you need? I reckon you stole some rich family's medicinal materials and want to go sell them!"

Although this brat served in the City Guard Office, he was only a powerless White Runner. His sister-in-law, who used to be a Chief Constable, was now also heavily injured and completely unworthy of fear.

If everything inside here were medicinal materials from the Hundred Herbs Hall and the package was this large, it wouldn't be cheap either. If he robbed it and fenced it at the black market, it would easily trade for a dozen or so taels of silver, enough for him to carouse at the Spring Breeze House for quite a while.

At the mere thought of going to the Spring Breeze House, Ma San swallowed unconsciously, and a fierce fire of lust abruptly surged in his lower abdomen.

The girls in that place all had figures as soft as boneless water snakes and carried a sweet, cloying fragrance, especially that girl named Xiao Tao. When her snow-white, plump flesh brushed against a man's arm like that, one's bones truly turned to mush.

Once on the bed, the tricks she used to wait on people were even more varied. With her slender waist straddling a man, not even an iron-forged hero could withstand it, making one desperate to be squeezed to death under them.

If he had enough silver, he would definitely buy out that Xiao Tao and live it up for several whole nights!

As for this Li kid, if he dared to resist, the worst that would happen was that he would beat him up; he doubted the kid would dare to fight back.

"Hand it over and let me have a look!"

Thinking of this, Ma San could no longer control the lust in his heart. He stepped forward and reached out to grab the medicine package in Li Feng's hand.

Li Feng's gaze turned slightly cold, a trace of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

His right hand casually rested on his Constable Saber, preparing himself to strike at any moment.

This Ma San was drunk, and his whole body was full of openings. As long as he drew his saber, he could instantly kill him in a flash.

However, this was after all a street in the Outer City. Although secluded, people could pass by at any time. Killing this Ma San would inevitably draw a frantic revenge from Lei Hu or the Green Bamboo Gang. With his current strength, he was not yet enough to contend with the entire Green Bamboo Gang, not to mention that he still had an injured sister-in-law at home.

Mindful of this, Li Feng sidestepped slightly, dodging the hand Ma San reached out to grab, and said neither servilely nor overbearingly:

"Ma-ge has misunderstood. Naturally, I have no qualifications to practice, so these medicinal materials were bought on behalf of Constable Chen of the City Guard Office. What, does Ma-ge want to tear them open and take a look? If the medicinal properties are ruined and Constable Chen blames me for it, I won't be able to shoulder the responsibility."

When Jiang Yue passed down the Skin-Grinding Method before, she seemed to have said she would ask Constable Chen to look after him a bit in private. Using Constable Chen as a shield right now should pose no problem, right?

Hearing this, Ma San's hand stopped abruptly, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Although he did not know who Constable Zhao was, anyone capable of serving as a constable in the City Guard Office was at least a Martial Dao expert of the Qi-Blood Third Stage, managing several dozen constables under them. They were considered prominent figures with status in the City Guard Office. Let alone him, Ma San, even their Incense Master Lei was merely at the Qi-Blood Second Level; upon seeing a constable, he too had to respectfully address them as My Lord.

"A constable would entrust a chore to a White Runner?"

Yet Ma San quickly grew suspicious, sensing that this brat was merely using a tiger's might to intimidate people: "Since you're buying them for the constable, why aren't you walking in the direction of the City Guard Office, but instead heading toward your own home? Don't think I don't know where your house is. Are you brat trying to bluff me?"

Li Feng's expression remained unchanged, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness:

"I didn't want to either. Today just happens to be my turn for a day off, yet I still had to deliberately carve out time to run errands for the constable. Right now the constable is busy with official business, so when would he have time to collect the medicine? Therefore, I'm taking it home first and will bring it over to the constable tomorrow when I go on duty. If Ma-ge truly doesn't believe me, you can easily go wait at the entrance of the City Guard Office tomorrow and see if I hand the medicine over to Constable Zhao."

Ma San furrowed his brow deeply, staring hard at Li Feng for a long moment.

He turned it over in his mind and felt that Li Feng's explanation seemed to have no real flaws either.

The status of a City Guard Office constable was right there. If Li Feng really was handling affairs for a constable and he robbed the medicine, that would be slapping the constable in the face. If he angered the constable, he would definitely meet a miserable end.

"Hmph, consider you brat knowing what's good for you!"

Although Ma San felt unwilling, he did not dare to gamble his own little life. He could only spit out a harsh threat, attempting to salvage a shred of face.

Just as the two of them were locked in a stalemate, a low-ranking lackey of the Green Bamboo Gang suddenly came running hurriedly from the other end of the alley. Panting as he rushed right up to Ma San, the lackey said anxiously, "Ma-ge, quick, Master Lei has something important looking for you. He says he found a few remnants of the Black Tiger Gang over on North Street and wants you to hurry over."

Black Tiger Gang remnants?

Hearing this, Ma San instantly grew stern.

Although the Green Bamboo Gang had routed the Black Tiger Gang and taken over this district, a tiny fraction of residual forces remained from the Black Tiger Gang, struggling in their death throes from time to time.

"Damn it, these lingering ghosts!" Ma San cursed viciously, turned to glare at Li Feng once more, and sneered, "Consider yourself lucky today, brat. Let's go."

With that, Ma San hurried away in the company of that lackey, quickly vanishing down the alley.

Watching Ma San's retreating back, Li Feng let out a long breath and relaxed his grip on his Constable Saber.

"Good thing this Ma San didn't continue entangling himself. If he had truly developed the urge to rob me by force, even though it might have subsequently provoked endless trouble, I would have had no choice but to draw my saber on the spot and kill him."

His forbearance at present was solely to enable him to recover everything with interest in the future.

He took a deep breath to steady his emotions, then stopped lingering and hurried toward home.