Rise and fall

"Well... it's a long story."

Lin Hao had not expected to get caught. With such a commotion outside, everyone would know by the next day anyway, so there was no way to hide it.

Just as Lin Hao was about to confess, Wu Xin grabbed his collar and yanked it down, forcing him to bend over despite standing a head taller than her.

Then Wu Xin sniffed at Lin Hao.

"Blood and something burnt? Were you out killing people and setting fires? Don't tell me that fire outside was your doing."

Wu Xin let go and gave Lin Hao a sidelong look.

"I burned down the Longle Gambling House."

Lin Hao confessed honestly.

"The Longle Gambling House? Good riddance!"

Lin Hao had expected his Senior Sister to scold him. He had even been considering whether, in the worst case, he would have to leave for a while and work out a plan later. Instead, Wu Xin clapped her hands in delight.

"You've rid the people of a scourge. Well done. I have to say, you really have made your Senior Sister see you in a new light."

Wu Xin looked Lin Hao up and down, then reached out and squeezed the muscles in his arm.

"You don't look that brawny, but you really were born with incredible strength. The way you used the Crouching Tiger Staff just now almost felt better than mine."

Wu Xin clicked her tongue in wonder. Innate strength and an astonishing aptitude for martial techniques-he had gotten every advantage imaginable!

It had only been a month!

Her eyes shone at the thought, glittering brightly even in the darkness.

"Not at all. If you hadn't pulled back so quickly, Senior Sister, I'd probably have been poked full of holes."

The thought left Lin Hao shaken. He was strong and his moves were fierce, true, but a few stabs would still make short work of him.

"Don't be modest. We martial artists should act in accordance with our convictions. If something offends your sense of justice, set it right. Unfortunately, that's just how the world is. All sorts of invisible rules and restrictions make it hard to act freely."

Wu Xin sighed, then continued.

"Junior Brother Yi was bullied, and you wanted to avenge him. There's nothing wrong with that. You only burned down the Longle Gambling House. Who knows you did it? Don't worry. Without evidence, nobody can pin the blame on our Martial Arts School. The Beggar Gang has so many enemies that someone taking advantage of our intervention to kick them while they're down is far more likely."

After saying that, Wu Xin even patted her already flat chest.

"If anything happens, our Martial Arts School will shoulder it for you. Dad and Senior Brother will be back soon. Don't worry."

Hearing Wu Xin say that, Lin Hao felt touched and much more at ease.

"That's a relief to hear, Senior Sister. Please keep this secret for me."

"Yes. To reduce the chance of the Beggar Gang retaliating against you personally, we really shouldn't spread it around. An open blade is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. Remember, apart from grandmasters who have reached Seeing the Divine, even the strongest fighters can fall to an ambush."

Wu Xin stood on tiptoe to look at the glow of the fire outside.

"That's quite a blaze. Fortunately, there aren't many homes beside the Longle Gambling House. Be more careful next time."

"I will. Thanks for the reminder, Senior Sister."

"Also, be careful of the Beggar Gang taking their anger out on you over the next few days. Even if we settle the score afterward, suffering in the meantime wouldn't be worth it."

At Wu Xin's repeated warning, Lin Hao swallowed. After weighing his words, he spoke.

"Well, Senior Sister, the Beggar Gang's three leaders happened to be there discussing something just now. I already beat them all to death..."

For a moment, Wu Xin looked utterly flummoxed. Then she fell silent.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. One fat man, one skinny man, and one big man."

Wu Xin was silent for another moment, then recalled their earlier exchange and her palms, which were still numb.

Even using Hidden Force to neutralize the blow and redirecting its force, she had not managed to absorb the entire impact. Someone using Bright Force who could only meet it head-on might really have been overwhelmed outright...

But a fight to the death was not an ordinary head-on exchange. People would use every means at their disposal.

Lime, fishing nets, ambushes, attacks from all sides-as the saying went, two fists could not beat four hands. When surrounded, there would always be an angle one could not defend.

An inexperienced novice had actually eliminated three slippery old foxes through brute strength alone?!

And surely there had been others nearby?

With all three Beggar Gang leaders gathered, their elite members must have been there as well.

Wu Xin knew she could not have done it herself!

Her Emei Daggers were not well suited to fighting groups.

"This really has to stay secret. Don't tell anyone besides me."

Wu Xin stood on tiptoe and patted Lin Hao's shoulder, giving him a solemn warning.

"Not even Master?"

"I'll explain it to my dad. Remember, the current arrangement between the gangs may not look good, but disrupting the order will have even greater consequences. You'll understand tomorrow. Let us know before doing something like this in the future."

With that, Wu Xin turned away, visibly preoccupied. She picked up her outer robe and put it back on, then waved at Lin Hao with her back to him.

"Get some rest. Good night~"

The commotion outside, along with Lin Hao and Wu Xin's brief clash earlier, had also prompted Zhao Xiaowen and Nie Yi to light the oil lamp in their room nearby.

Dim lamplight shone through the window as a little figure sneaked out from behind the door and peered around.

"It's me."

Seeing those few tufts of white hair in the moonlight, Lin Hao walked over.

At the sound of Lin Hao's voice, Zhao Xiaowen slowly lowered the bowstring in her hand and stepped out from behind the door.

"Why are you dressed like that? Did you go out just now? I thought I heard Senior Sister."

"Yes. I was nearly mistaken for a thief by Senior Sister."

Looking at Zhao Xiaowen in the flickering lamplight, Lin Hao felt some of the heat from his earlier slaughter surge back up.

Adapting to local customs, Zhao Xiaowen had also put on the underclothes and bellyband of this era. But unlike the flat expanse of Wu Xin's chest, Zhao Xiaowen's sweeping curves made quite an impression, stirring up another blaze within Lin Hao.

Then Lin Hao stripped off his somewhat dirty clothes and tossed them over Nie Yi's head.

"Since you're up, go wash these. Don't come back until they're clean."

As he finished speaking and the heat in his blood flowed downward, Lin Hao swept Zhao Xiaowen into his arms in a bridal carry and walked into the room amid her soft gasp.

Hooking the door with his heel, he shut it behind him, leaving Nie Yi outside.

Nie Yi pulled the dirty clothes off her head and stood there holding them in a daze. Then faint sounds of lovemaking drifted from the room behind her.

She shook her little head and sighed, sniffed the clothes, then went over to the well and began drawing water to wash them in the darkness...

"The Beggar Gang was wiped out overnight?"

"Seriously? We were just there yesterday!"

"Liu Ping's kicks were incredible. Even Senior Brother Qian was no match for him."

"All three leaders are dead?"

"The Longle Gambling House burned all night, and it's still smoking now. Smell that burnt stink in the air? That's where it's coming from."

Early the next morning, Lin Hao arrived at the Martial Arts Ground feeling refreshed and heard the apprentices deep in a heated discussion.

Although gang clashes were common, changes in which gangs held power were still a major event.

For everyone involved, keeping the Market stable was the most important thing!

Conflicts were generally kept within limits. More often, disputes were settled through formal bouts before witnesses, like the one between the Vegetable Gang and the Fishermen's Gang.

"It's true. Several gangs are practically beating each other's brains out over the territory the Beggar Gang suddenly left vacant. The Beggar Gang itself has split into little factions that are fighting each other too. Then there are people looting in the chaos and others taking advantage of the confusion. Everyone needs to be careful when going out these days..."

"That's normal. This happens whenever a gang falls. It'll settle down after a while."

After coming out and hearing the apprentices' conversation, Lin Hao began to understand what Wu Xin had meant.

That was how Dam Market was structured. The Beggar Gang fell today, and a new gang might appear tomorrow. Someone who had achieved success studying at a martial arts school, or an unaffiliated Bright Force expert, could seize the opportunity to rise.

For ordinary people, this sort of chaos was probably no good thing...