Watching the Tigers Fight from the Mountain

Li Feng, Zhang San, and Chen Song arrived in the South City District together and patrolled its streets and alleys at an unhurried pace.

Recently, the Black Tiger Gang and a newly rising gang had been secretly fighting over territory in the South City District. Their main purpose in coming was to keep these gangs from carrying their daytime fights into restaurants and busy markets.

They were also there to intimidate the local thugs and hoodlums into not stirring up trouble in broad daylight.

After all, besides paying off the local gangs, the many restaurants and markets sent a little silver to the City Guard Office every month. At the very least, they had to keep up appearances.

Of course, most of that tribute money went to the officers at the top, while the Chief Constables below divided up whatever remained. None of it would ever reach low-ranking unpaid White Runners like Li Feng and the others.

After a casual patrol, Zhang San began to feel tired. He pointed at the Spring Breeze House ahead and said, "Come on, let's listen to a few songs and have a little wine to wash away the fatigue."

"You two go ahead. I'll sit this one out." Li Feng refused without a second thought.

"What? Afraid we'll make you foot the bill?" Chen Song teased.

"One trip to the Spring Breeze House costs at least a few hundred copper coins."

Li Feng shook his head. "With my sister-in-law's right hand injured, I still have no idea where to scrape together the money for the inner city's Black Jade Bone-Molding Paste. If I can't raise enough, she'll never hold a blade with that hand again. How could I have spare money to drink with courtesans?"

Hearing this, Chen Song slapped his forehead. "Ah, this memory of mine! How did I forget Constable Lin was injured? You really can't go throwing money around."

"Then we won't drink wine. Tea should be fine, right?"

Seeing that Li Feng did not want to spend the money, Zhang San smoothed things over and pointed at a tea stall on the corner. "Come on, let's go there and order a pot of their cheapest broken-leaf tea to quench our thirst. That can't cost more than a few coins."

Li Feng nodded, and the three headed straight for the tea stall. They had barely sat down and taken a few sips.

Then a commotion erupted nearby.

Li Feng looked toward the noise and saw two groups fighting a short distance away, gleaming cleavers in their hands.

The two gangs collided in the street. Every slash drew blood, and severed limbs flew, sending the roadside vendors and passersby fleeing to either side in terror.

One group was clearly outmatched, driven back step by step. Men toppled onto the roadside stalls, smashing many of them to pieces. The whole scene was utter chaos.

Li Feng had no intention of intervening. He simply sat at the tea stall and watched, occasionally snacking on peanuts and melon seeds. Zhang San and Chen Song did the same.

What a joke. Two gangs were fighting it out, with dozens of men hacking at each other with heavy cleavers. At the Qi-Blood First Stage, what could he possibly do to stop them? Had he lived too long already?

Besides, dealing with gang battles like this was not the responsibility of low-ranking unpaid White Runners like them.

The ones getting beaten like dogs look like the Black Tiger Gang." Chen Song recognized one of the gangs and sounded puzzled. "Isn't the Black Tiger Gang pretty powerful? I heard they have over a hundred men and plenty of skilled fighters. They've thrown their weight around the South City District for so long. How are they getting butchered like dogs?"

"Heh, Chen Song, your news is far too old." Zhang San took a sip of tea.

Li Feng grew curious too. He turned toward Zhang San, waiting for him to continue.

Zhang San picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth before saying leisurely, "A Green Bamboo Gang has fought its way onto the scene in the South City District lately. They're fierce, and apparently they have a Martial Dao expert backing them. I heard they slaughtered several of the Black Tiger Gang's hall masters last night. The skies over the south city are about to change."

Chen Song was stirred by his words. "So the Black Tiger Gang is nearly finished? Their leader is quite a figure. I heard his blade work is almost supernatural, and he's developed blade force. He once killed dozens of men single-handedly with one blade, making quite a name for himself. Riding that momentum, he founded the Black Tiger Gang."

"Ah, who would have thought the Black Tiger Gang would be finished so soon?"

Li Feng listened to their conversation without interrupting, but his thoughts churned.

His sister-in-law had spoken about the Black Tiger Gang's leader before. His Martial Dao cultivation was formidable, and even she was no match for him. Probably only the chief officer and deputy chief officer of the City Guard Office could reliably overpower him.

The outer city really was growing more chaotic. He had no interest in gang struggles, but if the Green Bamboo Gang truly swallowed up the Black Tiger Gang, his own neighborhood would certainly be affected.

The Black Tiger Gang had been fairly accommodating toward him as a White Runner. After all, his sister-in-law was a Chief Constable, and he was a runner for the City Guard Office himself. Though he was only a temporary White Runner, he still belonged to the office, so the Black Tiger Gang had never made trouble for him.

He just did not know how things would turn out if the Green Bamboo Gang took over. Still, he had gained some strength now. Once he found a way to obtain another martial cultivation manual, reached the qi-blood second stage, and earned promotion to a regular runner, he would have nothing to fear.

"That's how quickly the world changes." Zhang San shook his head with a sigh.

Li Feng asked further, "Then, Brother Zhao, do you know just what sort of background this Green Bamboo Gang has?"

Zhang San shook his head. "I don't know much either. I've only heard that although they have fewer men than the Black Tiger Gang, they have plenty of skilled fighters. Apparently, they have over a dozen martial artists at the qi-blood third stage alone."

Li Feng was slightly startled. The Green Bamboo Gang was actually that strong? The cultivation requirement for becoming a constable in the City Guard Office was the qi-blood third stage.

And the City Guard Office had only a few dozen Chief Constables in total, most of them at the Qi-Blood Third Stage. His sister-in-law, Lin Yanqiu, was one of them. Only a handful had reached Qi-Blood Third Stage Perfection, just one step away from attempting to break through to the Qi-Blood Fourth Stage.

Of course, above the Chief Constables stood the deputy chief officer and chief officer. The Green Bamboo Gang was only a gang in the South City District, after all. In raw strength, it still could not compare to the City Guard Office.

After all, if any gang that popped up could be stronger than the City Guard Office, what deterrent power would the office have left? How could it keep these gangs in check? It might as well disband on the spot.

The three watched a while longer as the Black Tiger Gang was driven steadily back. Finding it dull, they got up and returned to the City Guard Office.

They arrived just as the various squads were handing over their duties and changing shifts in the main courtyard.

As soon as they entered the front courtyard, they saw a runner walk straight to the notice board and put up an announcement.

Li Feng, Zhang San, and Chen Song went over to look.

The notice spelled everything out in black ink on white paper, emphasizing two main points:

First, no one was to interfere in the conflict between the Black Tiger Gang and the Green Bamboo Gang in the South City District, regardless of what happened.

Second, any unusual circumstances were to be reported promptly to their superiors.

Reading the notice, Li Feng understood. This meant the higher-ups at the City Guard Office had reached a tacit agreement: they intended to watch the tigers fight from the mountain.

After reading the notice, they were about to complete their handover.

Just then, a Chief Constable strode in.

The man's name was Wang Bei, and he was also a Chief Constable.

"Lord Wang."

As Wang Bei walked through the courtyard, the runners present greeted him and bowed respectfully.

"Mm."

Chief Constable Wang nodded. After sweeping his gaze over everyone, he smiled at Sun Yan. "Sun Yan, come to my duty room. I have a few things to tell you."

Sun Yan immediately went over, looking overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. Yet as his gaze passed over the other runners, a trace of smugness showed.

Although he was still a low-ranking White Runner, Wang Bei clearly treated him with even more courtesy than he showed the regular runners.

The other runners in the courtyard watched with envy and jealousy, but there was nothing they could do. The lad's family had money, enough to send him to the inner city to study martial arts.

In this world where the Martial Dao reigned supreme, anyone who could enter an inner-city martial arts school would emerge as a capable fighter after grinding away for a few years, even with mediocre talent. He might even be parachuted straight into a Chief Constable's position. It was only natural for Wang Bei to lower himself a little now to win him over.

The few runners who usually kept close to Sun Yan also began turning things over in their minds. They only hoped that when the lad soared into the clouds someday, he would look after them a little too, letting them bask in some of his glory.