Livelihood

The two men fled Fishmonger Alley in utter disarray, looking as though fierce tigers were chasing them from behind.

Under cover of the night, they circled through two alleys before slipping into a dilapidated house.

The furnishings inside were sparse. A Scarface Strongman sat beside the table, his expression dark.

When he saw the two enter, he forced out a smile. "It's good that you're all right."

The two men looked at each other, and more than half the humiliation and fury in their hearts suddenly faded away.

In their eyes, the Scarface Strongman had been utterly disloyal when he abandoned them earlier, completely forgetting the oaths they had once sworn.

But looking at it from another angle, if they had been in the Scarface Strongman's place, facing the threat of a Martial Artist head-on, they probably would not have done much better—perhaps they would have run even faster.

The pot had no business calling the kettle black!

"Sit down."

The Scarface Strongman lifted a wine jar from beneath the table and poured each of them a bowl. "Have a drink to steady yourselves."

The two men sat down dejectedly.

"As for this matter..."

The Scarface Strongman raised his bowl and took a drink, then said bitterly, "First, we have to blame Jiang Qi from the brokerage. That bastard said they were a widowed mother and orphaned son, prime fat sheep. He nearly got us brothers killed!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The two men immediately shared a common hatred and began cursing as well. "That thieving bastard! He even said we were to give him thirty percent after it was done. I've got to give him three punches and two kicks!"

These street rats had received word earlier that a household had just moved into Fishmonger Alley, consisting only of a widowed mother and a young boy.

And they seemed to have quite a bit of money.

Naturally, the three Scarface Strongman brothers were tempted. They casually made up the pretext of a moving-in fee and went to extort them.

As for the Green Robe Gang, they had merely put gold on their own faces to scare people.

Yet they had never imagined that the other party was an Entry-Level Martial Artist!

The three of them had no trouble bullying ordinary folk, but provoking a Martial Artist was simply courting death.

The more they thought about it now, the more frightened they became. As they drank sour, cloudy wine, they cursed Jiang Qi from the brokerage in every way imaginable.

The Scarface Strongman sighed. "Brothers, there's been a spirit calamity around Thousand Peak Mountain. The County Town has sealed its gates and forbidden entry or exit, and inspections inside the city are strict. We can't keep acting against the wind."

His two brothers looked at each other and fell silent in unspoken agreement, feeling the wine they had just swallowed turn bitter in their hearts.

One of them hesitantly asked, "Big Brother, then what are we going to do from now on?"

The Scarface Strongman irritably rubbed his head. "I originally found a connection with a fine fellow from the Fierce Tiger Gang. I thought we could pull off this job, then use the money to befriend him and secure a way out for us three brothers."

"Even becoming peripheral gang members would be a wonderful thing!"

Linhe County had two major underworld gangs: the Fierce Tiger Gang and the Raging Whale Gang. The former was a local force that ran profitable businesses such as brothels, gambling houses, and pawnshops.

Not only was the Fierce Tiger Gang powerful, it also had close ties with the authorities and the backing of a major Linhe clan.

If they could become peripheral members of the Fierce Tiger Gang, they would never have to worry about food or drink, and they would have a solid patron behind them.

They could swagger sideways through all the surrounding streets, alleys, and markets!

Unfortunately, the Fierce Tiger Gang was very strict in taking in members. Illiterate people like them, with no particular skills, had almost no chance of being accepted.

"Alas!"

All three sighed mournfully, as though they had missed out on a heaven-sent opportunity.

"We'll see!"

Clutching his wine bowl, the Scarface Strongman made up his mind. A trace of viciousness showed in his eyes. "If the city really falls into chaos, that would be a good thing. Then our chance will come!"

While these three fair-weather friends dreamed of the future, Zhang Yuan was also considering his own path ahead.

Chen Family Village was finished. There was no telling how many people had survived.

In any case, he definitely could not return.

Zhang Yuan was glad that he had prepared for a rainy day and bought a house in the County Town in advance, settling down there and avoiding a major disaster.

But the problem was, with something this serious happening at Thousand Peak Mountain, could he still continue hunting and gathering herbs in the mountains in the future?

Zhang Yuan felt that was highly uncertain!

He had only narrowly escaped the spirit calamity earlier with the help of the Crow Spirit.

Zhang Yuan did not think he could be so lucky every time!

And Thousand Peak Mountain was the only major mountain within Linhe County. If he truly could no longer enter the mountains, then his livelihood would be cut off.

Though that was the worst-case scenario, it might not necessarily happen.

But Zhang Yuan had to secure another way to make a living in advance!

Besides, he also wanted to learn Martial Skills, so that he could truly bring his strength into play.

Over the next few days, Zhang Yuan went out in the mornings and made a round through the County Town, gathering all kinds of news and information.

At noon, he returned home and did not go out again.

Linhe County did not truly descend into chaos. Although the prices of firewood, rice, oil, and salt had all risen to varying degrees, the authorities maintained strict control, so both the market and public sentiment remained fairly stable.

Of course, not much time had passed yet. If Linhe County remained sealed for another half month or more, it would be hard to say what might happen.

Out of fear of the spirit calamity,

the incense at the City God Temple had been especially abundant these past few days, never going out even through the night.

Countless commoners went to the temple to burn incense and pray, begging the City God Lord to protect everyone.

Even walking through the streets, Zhang Yuan could smell the scent of incense!

Zhang Yuan believed that this City God truly possessed divine efficacy, but he suspected that such efficacy did not come from the deity itself. Rather, it came from the power of faith gathered by thousands upon thousands of ordinary people.

The same speculation applied to ancestral halls as well!

A few more days passed, and the Linhe County yamen sent people to post notices reassuring the public throughout the streets and alleys.

First, the spirit calamity in the Thousand Peak Mountain region had been pacified. Starting that day, the County Town would no longer seal its gates, and normal travel and trade would resume.

Second, to prevent similar incidents from occurring again, everyone was henceforth strictly forbidden from entering Thousand Peak Mountain.

Violators would be killed without mercy!

Zhang Yuan saw this public notice at the earliest opportunity. To his surprise, the situation he feared most had still come to pass.

He truly could no longer enter the mountains. That meant his hunting and herb-gathering skills were practically useless.

The good news was that after the public notice went up, the prices of firewood, rice, oil, and salt in the city promptly fell. Though they had not immediately returned to their former normal levels, it was only a matter of time.

This meant the silver Zhang Yuan had on hand could still support him for quite a while.

That was, provided he did not buy medicinal ingredients for training or spend a fortune to study under a master!

What surprised Zhang Yuan was that the next day, the county yamen posted another notice, this one a recruitment announcement.

The Linhe County yamen was recruiting ten yamen runners, three constables, and one Post Chief. The pay was generous, and candidates would be selected on merit.

The moment this new notice appeared, it caused quite a stir throughout the County Town.

Many people gathered in front of it, scrambling to read the detailed requirements listed above.

Even the lowest-ranking Yamen Runner held an iron rice bowl. For ordinary people, getting a position in the yamen was undoubtedly an excellent post.

For a time, the people's hearts boiled over!