No waiting until tomorrow

"Sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister."

Inside the room, Lin Hao thanked Wu Xin after she finished examining Yi Feng's broken leg.

"We're all fellow disciples. There's no need to be so polite. Junior Brother Yi was lucky. His joints weren't damaged, and his fascia wasn't torn. Junior Brother Qin also set the bone in time. As long as he doesn't move it for a while, he should recover almost completely, with no effect on his martial arts practice. Still, injuries to muscles and bones take a hundred days to heal. He'll need time to recuperate..."

Wu Xin rose and nodded to Lin Hao. She was among the best in the martial arts school at pharmacology and bone-setting. Zhao Xiaowen had been learning these things from her during breaks from training.

"Thank goodness. Thank goodness."

Lin Hao let out a small sigh of relief. Only after Wu Xin left did he turn to Yi Feng and ask,

"What do you want to do now? Going back and using wish power should heal it completely. I can go with you. The Regular Evacuation point is about to open anyway. Going by the price for treating fractures they announced on the broadcast, bringing some goods to offset the cost should be enough. It'd be a good chance to use up those graphics cards."

Hearing this, Yi Feng shook his head.

"If Senior Sister says it's nothing serious, there's no need. Broken bones take a hundred days to heal. Coming back jumping around like nothing happened would only stir up trouble. We finally managed to establish ourselves here. Are we really going to move somewhere else again? Getting me to the evacuation point would be a hassle too. Besides, Regular Evacuation taking ninety percent of our earnings is ridiculous."

"All right. I'll hire a woman to look after you."

Lin Hao nodded.

"Hey, why go to all that trouble? Senior Sister said I can get around on crutches as long as the leg's properly secured. The rest of me just aches a little. In a couple of days, I'll be able to go out and listen to songs with Senior Brother Qian again."

Yi Feng grinned, pulling at the bruises on his face, and sucked in a sharp breath of pain.

Lin Hao found it rather funny that the fellow was still thinking about listening to songs at a time like this. But he knew Yi Feng was saying it deliberately to comfort himself.

After all, Yi Feng had spent so long training with a [Proficient]-level Staff Technique that his constitution was fairly decent. He could simply take his time healing.

"All right. Get some rest."

With that, Lin Hao stood and went out. Watching him leave, Yi Feng couldn't help wondering whether he was off to see Sister Xiao Wen again, so he tactfully refrained from asking.

Outside the room, Lin Hao looked up at the sky. A crescent moon hung amid a sky full of stars, and the April night breeze still carried a chill.

"A dark, windy night..."

Lin Hao equipped the blue staff in his Replacement Slot, then took out three magazines he had kept in reserve. He slipped one over his abdomen and one over each kidney, securing them with hemp rope. After moving around a little and finding they didn't hinder him, he nodded in satisfaction.

"The [Mink Coat] doesn't offer much protection, but it still counts as leather armor. Padding it with magazines should give me a little extra insurance."

He hung his dagger at his waist and put the wrist guards and knee guards he normally left off during training back on beneath his clothes to boost his explosive power. He also changed his outer shoes for a pair that increased agility and explosive power, then drew out another staff.

He took out all seven or eight sealed bottles of alcohol and made some further adjustments to the mixture before packing them into a bundle made from a bedsheet. He twisted sections of the sheet between the bottles to keep them from knocking together.

With a lighter in his pocket and the bundle in hand, he went straight to the jujube tree in the side courtyard.

Then Lin Hao took out a strip of black cloth and tried tying it over his mouth and nose. After testing how difficult it made breathing, however, he removed it.

"It'll only get in the way when I'm fighting hard and need to breathe deeply. Forget it. If they see my face, so be it..."

Lin Hao's gaze grew deeper.

With his current agility, he climbed the jujube tree in just a few movements despite his load. Following a branch over the wall, he leaped straight down into the alley outside.

After landing, Lin Hao felt his blood surge.

This time, he was acting on impulse, and there was nothing to gain.

But a man couldn't go through life putting profit above everything, calculating every last penny!

Lin Hao wouldn't throw his life away for nothing. But taking a gamble, with the Regular Evacuation point still available as a way out, was something he could accept!

As a martial artist, if something weighed on his mind, he would settle it!

Though Dam Market rivaled a county town in size, it was still only a market settlement and had no curfew.

Ordinary people in this era generally went home of their own accord after dark. Apart from the night watchmen on fire patrol, only the occasional drunk reeking of alcohol remained on the streets.

The streets that bustled during the day were now quiet in the dead of night.

Only the lanterns that burned all night in wealthy households, along with the brothels and gambling houses, still cast their light.

Lascivious music that stirred suggestive thoughts, along with shouts from the gambling houses, added a little color to the market's night.

The Longle Gambling House stood in the northern part of Dam Market. Controlled by the Beggar Gang, it was one of their major sources of income. Its rear courtyard also served as their headquarters, and they ran moneylending and pawnbroking businesses there as well.

Property deeds, fertile fields, family heirlooms, wives, daughters, children, grandchildren, and even pledges to perform grueling corvée labor in someone else's place could all be pawned or offered as collateral.

Countless families had been ruined by the Longle Gambling House.

Yet the gamblers gathered there still believed they were special-that they were the lucky one.

I'll stop once I break even. I'll stop after a small win. I'll stop after winning the next round. Those thoughts cycled endlessly through every gambler's mind, day and night alike.

Even with bloodshot eyes and dark circles beneath them, the gamblers stared fixedly at the games, drinking coarse tea that had long since been steeped beyond flavor as they awaited fate's verdict.

Tonight, however, while the gambling hall out front remained packed and boisterous, wholly unaffected by the late hour, an ominous air hung over its rear courtyard.

Two rows of lanterns lit the courtyard. As the flames flickered, shadows swayed, revealing three figures suspended from a frame.

Luo Jing, Luo Wei, and Luo Hong, the three former apprentices of the martial arts school, hung there with their bodies covered in whip marks, their flesh torn and bloody.

Blood mixed with water dripped slowly onto the ground. Nearby stood a bucket of pale-red salt water with a rattan whip soaking in it.

A street thug who bore some resemblance to Luo Hong stood before the three, panting as he cursed them.

"Cousin, don't blame me for being ruthless. What the hell were you using for eyes? You kept calling them destitute nobodies, only to bring this kind of trouble down on us. You're only keeping your lives because I put in a few good words for you with Master Liu. Here's how it is: we have three corvée quotas to fill today. You three will take them, and we'll call the matter settled."

While the thug worked hard to persuade them, seated in one of the three grand armchairs at the center of the courtyard was a man who looked like a wealthy

gentleman, his body round and fat. He opened his tiny eyes.

"Oh? If they're going to do corvée labor, we'd better stop beating them. It wouldn't do to damage their muscles or bones. The officials won't take them then."

"You're as kindhearted as ever, Brother. Ah."

Another man in one of the armchairs, much leaner and dressed in coarse cloth, spoke with a smile.

"Exactly. They deceived our gang and cost us so much, yet we're still letting them off this lightly."

The third man, the burliest of the lot, wore a short tunic. He grinned, baring stark white teeth.

These were the Beggar Gang's three leaders, all accomplished experts in bright force. The wealthy-looking gentleman was Liu Da, known as "Laughing Maitreya." He always wore a smile, but he was vicious and ruthless.

The lean "Soul-Severing Leg," Liu Ping, was Liu Da's cousin and his most loyal supporter. His accomplishments in martial arts had only been possible with Liu Da's backing. He was the man who had fought Qian Tao in the formal bout.

The burliest, Lu Wu, known as "North-Guarding Market," possessed exceptional physical gifts and immense natural strength. Had he not started martial arts training late, his achievements might have gone further.

The three leaders didn't normally gather together every night. Each had his own residence.

But after offending the Wu Family Martial Arts School today, they needed to meet and discuss matters.

They would naturally have to recoup today's losses!

And reclaim their dignity!

"I'll go! I'll go! Please, masters, stop beating me! Any more and I might go mad! A madman can't do corvée labor..."

Luo Jing pleaded. He had never imagined that the supposed destitute nobody would bring about such a drastic turn of events. What had seemed like a good thing had landed him in this predicament.

What madness had gotten into the Wu Family Martial Arts School? He was only an apprentice! We were apprentices too!

How could they be so biased!

Though corvée labor was extremely grueling, their foundation in martial arts should give them a better chance of surviving.

Even as a martial artist, he felt he was about to be driven mad. So this was what it felt like to be on the verge of breaking down. Countless whispers seemed to circle his ears, making his head throb...

Once one of them gave in, the other two agreed in turn.

"It doesn't matter if you go mad. Anyone can kill a madman who hurts people. It would save us some trouble..."

"Heh. It's not as though we've never seen anyone driven mad before. Nothing unusual about it."

"They still die when you smash their skulls."

Seeing all three agree, the Beggar Gang's leaders showed no joy. Their expressions remained indifferent.

This was merely about reasserting their authority. Three corvée quotas weren't worth this much attention from all three of them.

"And that Wu Family Martial Arts School really is something. They've spoiled our business several times now."

"Going out of their way to stand up for some destitute outsiders. They clearly don't think anything of us local gangs."

After asserting their authority, the three began chatting among themselves.

Only Laughing Maitreya remained completely unhurried. He merely said calmly,

"Just remember this. Even a tiger has to doze, let alone a person. An opportunity will come sooner or later."

"You're right, Brother. The martial arts school is powerful and has complicated connections. We can't afford to provoke it. But as for the outsiders who caused this trouble, as long as they stay in our Dam Market, we'll have a chance to deal with them. We just can't be so crude about it."

"No one can hide indoors forever. Heh, I'd also like to see just how beautiful that woman these three useless fools mentioned really is."

The three felt stifled by what had happened that day.

They themselves had cultivated bright force, so they naturally knew that even a hidden force Martial Master, let alone a bright force practitioner, could be chopped into mincemeat by a mob of sturdy men charging together with fishing nets, lime powder, and concealed arrows.

Martial arts experts like them were most useful in just two situations. Either they charged alongside a group of brothers willing to fight and risk their lives, serving as the spearhead,

or they carried out small-scale surprise attacks and assassinations.

Once someone was alone, an opportunity could be found to deal with them!

"If no one files a complaint, the authorities won't investigate. Even the martial arts school can't keep standing up for a few dead people. Hmph!"

They would get back up right where they had fallen. Whatever they had lost, they would take back!

Just then, flames suddenly shot skyward from the gambling hall in the front courtyard. The boisterous shouts turned into screams.

"Fire!"