Narrow Alley

Tang Wan Hong thought it over, then turned to look at Guan Kui as if he were a block of elmwood.

Tang Wan Hong glanced at the Portrait of a Lady on the tea table and said coldly, "Roll up the painting and put it on the desk in the inner room. Don't disturb me unless it's important! I want to take a good look at this painting."

"Yes... yes..." Guan Kui submissively rolled up the painting and went into the inner room.

Tang Wan Hong cast a disgusted glance at Guan Kui's retreating back.

In truth, he had already made a profit by taking in this painting for eight hundred taels. What was more, through this, he had confirmed that Duan Rong was not only highly accomplished in ancient paintings, but also deeply knowledgeable about artifacts.

Only then did he consider taking the next step and cultivating a closer relationship with him.

The artist of the Portrait of a Lady that Duan Rong had brought was named Fan Yunlin, a once-in-an-age teenage genius who had unfortunately died young.

There were few of his works left in the world to begin with, and this Portrait of a Lady was one of the finest among them.

Among painters of the same standing, the scarcer their works were, the higher the price they commanded. Once he flipped this Portrait of a Lady, he could make at least twelve hundred taels of silver.

Duan Rong walked out of Gu Yue Zhai in high spirits and could not help humming a little tune from his previous life.

With this money, he would not have to worry about cultivation resources for quite some time.

As long as he made good use of Devour Artifact Spirit's ability, this Antique Street would be his treasury.

Duan Rong was dreaming of becoming a wealthy man when someone suddenly bumped his shoulder.

Antique Street was narrow to begin with, so brushing against someone while passing by was nothing unusual.

But the man who had bumped into him was not only huge and burly, the collision had been quite forceful. Had Duan Rong not already built some foundation in stance training, he would nearly have been knocked down.

Duan Rong immediately covered the front of his robe. Inside the inner pocket was eight hundred taels of silver—how could he know whether the man who had bumped him was a pickpocket?

He rubbed himself down through his clothes and confirmed that the Silver Note was still there, which eased his mind slightly.

Duan Rong looked toward the man, only to find that the man had stopped as well and was sizing him up from head to toe.

The man had a square face, a broad nose, and a huge, burly build. He stood half a head taller than Duan Rong, dressed in a close-fitting outfit with his trouser cuffs bound tight, though he carried no weapon.

Even without a weapon, Duan Rong could tell at a glance that he was a trained martial artist.

The man's gaze swept over Duan Rong's Waist Tag. He smiled, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Sorry, little brother. I was in a bit of a hurry!"

Duan Rong glanced at him without a word, then turned and left.

The man remained where he was, staring after Duan Rong with a cold gaze. "He has some foundation in his lower stance. At his age, he must have put quite a bit of effort into stance training."

As Duan Rong walked down the street, he suddenly spotted a stall selling miscellaneous books. He immediately went over and began browsing through them.

The original owner had been poor since childhood and naturally withdrawn. Though Duan Rong had inherited his memories, he still knew little about this world.

He had long wanted to read some miscellaneous books and broaden his horizons, but since transmigrating into this body, he had never found the time—and he had not had the spare money either.

But now, the cost of a few books was no more than a drop in the bucket to him.

Squatting before the book stall, Duan Rong picked out seven or eight books that interested him, bargained down the price, and paid. The stall owner stacked the books together, tied them with hemp rope, and handed them to Duan Rong to carry.

Duan Rong carried several yellowed miscellaneous books in one hand and gripped his sheathed Oxtail Saber in the other, intending to buy some deer antler at the Crude Drug Store before returning to the escort agency.

As Duan Rong walked along, a figure suddenly flashed past him. The hand carrying the books abruptly felt lighter.

He focused his eyes and saw that only half a length of hemp rope remained in his hand. The rope had been cut.

Anger flared in Duan Rong's chest. Raising his eyes, he spotted a small figure clutching his bundle of books. Judging from the figure's build, it seemed to be a child. Like a loach, it darted through the crowd and, in the blink of an eye, slipped into an alley beside Antique Street.

"Damn it! Where did this little bastard come from?"

Duan Rong cursed and immediately gave chase.

But the crowd here was somewhat packed, hindering his movement.

By the time Duan Rong dashed into the alley, the child had already run quite a distance away.

From afar, Duan Rong saw that the child was dressed in tattered rags.

Could he be a little beggar?

Thinking this, Duan Rong shouted, "Little beggar, stop! I'll give you money—just return my books!"

But the little beggar turned a deaf ear and slipped around a corner into another alley.

Afraid of losing him, Duan Rong quickened his pace and turned in after him.

The moment Duan Rong entered the alley, he sensed that something was wrong. On both sides stood tall, windowless walls, and the alley itself was narrow.

Duan Rong's heart skipped a beat. Luring the gentleman into the jar!

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he saw a tall, huge figure blocking the alley entrance. It was the very man who had bumped into him earlier. Only now, the strongman held a Wide-Faced Ghost Head Saber and stared at him with chilling eyes...

Duan Rong turned to look toward the other end of the alley. Behind the child clutching his bundle of books stood two men.

They held battered shields and a forked spear!

And when he looked more closely, he realized that the one who had stolen his books was not a child at all.

Though the "child" was only waist-high, he had already grown a beard. He was actually a dwarf!

Behind the dwarf stood someone Duan Rong had seen inside Gu Yue Zhai—the Thin Tall Man who had brought the bronze furnace into the shop.

"I've stumbled into a den of thieves!"

The Thin Tall Man held a forked spear in one hand and raised a shield with the other, sheltering the fleeing dwarf behind him. He shouted, "Brother Ming, it's this bastard! He ruined our business at Gu Yue Zhai!"

Duan Rong's heart sank.

After all, he had only recently transmigrated into this body. In many matters, he still unconsciously followed the habits of his previous life.

For example, exposing the fake Incense Burner—back in his former life's law-governed society, that would have caused no trouble. It might even have counted as an act of clearing away filth and setting things right.

Following the habits of his past life, Duan Rong had pointed it out directly!

But this was the Nine Provinces Continent!

On the Nine Provinces Continent, martial prowess was revered. Robbery and murder were commonplace, and the yamen had countless unsolved cases. This was not the peaceful world of his previous life...

Looking at that rather vicious Wide-Faced Ghost Head Saber, Duan Rong's wildly pounding, regretful heart instantly calmed. He cupped his fists and said loudly, "I am an escort of Yuan Shun Escort Agency. Which road are you brothers from? State your names!"

The huge, burly broad-nosed strongman sneered. "Who are you trying to scare with Yuan Shun Escort Agency? With that little bit of stance training, you haven't even completed the first level, have you? At most, you're a Trainee Escort. And if I kill you and flee to the ends of the earth, would Yuan Shun Escort Agency really hunt me down over a Trainee Escort like you?"

Duan Rong's heart jolted. This man seemed quite familiar with certain internal matters of Yuan Shun Escort Agency.

"Hand over the silver in your pocket right now! Our stuff was fake, but yours is real, isn't it?" The broad-nosed strongman sneered. "You ruined one of our deals, so compensate us with one. That's a very fair bargain!"

"Hand over the silver, and I'll spare your life! If you won't, I can take it myself—but the outcome will be different." As he spoke, the broad-nosed man spun the blade in his hand, and his gaze abruptly sharpened.

Duan Rong was so furious that he laughed. "Hand over your mother! You think I was scared up?"

Duan Rong knew perfectly well that even if he handed over the silver, they would never let him go. He was, after all, from Yuan Shun Escort Agency. Having robbed such a large sum, were they not afraid of settling the score afterward?

From the moment he entered this alley, he had already stepped into a dead end where only one side could survive.

Other than killing, he had no second path.

Duan Rong drew his Oxtail Saber and, with a stepping horizontal slash, attacked the broad-nosed man!

The broad-nosed man's eyelid twitched. He roared angrily, "Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, I'll send you to your death!"

With a flick of his wrist, the broad-nosed man made a diagonal upward slash, his blade meeting Duan Rong's incoming edge.

With a crisp clang, Duan Rong's tiger's mouth went numb, and his weapon nearly flew from his grasp.

Duan Rong's eyelid twitched, and his heart sank slightly. This man's internal breath was deeper than his. Even if he had not completed the first level, he was likely not far from it.

As for Duan Rong, he had only practiced his Inner Power Cultivation Method for a day or two. He had merely begun to possess combat ability!

Having forced Duan Rong back with one move, the broad-nosed strongman launched into wide, sweeping attacks, every strike vicious as he pressed Duan Rong.

Duan Rong's heart was still as water. The broad-nosed strongman attacked several times, yet Duan Rong deftly defused them all.

His inner power was indeed inferior to the broad-nosed strongman's, but his Martial Skill techniques had already reached the mastery realm!

So long as he did not clash head-on with the strongman, and they competed only in the subtlety of their techniques, he far surpassed him.

This time, he would use skill to break strength!

The broad-nosed strongman chopped down with his saber, the blade wind tearing through the air. But Duan Rong's saber tip suddenly slipped out over the back of his blade and thrust straight toward his face. The broad-nosed strongman was scared out of his wits and could only withdraw his move and retreat.

Duan Rong's gaze was icy, and from time to time, a beastlike, calm chill flashed deep in his eyes.

He met each move with a counter!

Every attack by the broad-nosed strongman seemed to have its flaw found by Duan Rong, who dismantled them one by one.

Duan Rong often struck later, yet attacked where his foe was bound to defend!

The longer the broad-nosed strongman fought, the more stifled he felt. The edge of his Wide-Faced Ghost Head Saber repeatedly struck the tall walls on either side, sending brick chips flying.

Yet it had not even touched the corner of Duan Rong's clothes...