The long street was bustling with noise.
Street vendors hawked their wares, and shopkeepers shouted enthusiastically from their doorways.
Servants from wealthy households gathered in clumps, sitting by the roadside to chat.
As two figures appeared at the end of the street, the lively atmosphere suddenly froze for an instant.
The servants and maids scurried back inside as if fleeing the plague, while vendors quickly pulled their stalls back, terrified of blocking the pair’s path.
"Master Lin!"
The fearful calls echoed endlessly.
When a new Fierce Wolf patrolled the streets, his underlings would have surely spread the word in advance.
Even if the passersby didn’t recognize the young man’s unfamiliar face, how could they not recognize Dong Cheng beside him?
But compared to the terror of the others, the expressions of the shop owners along the street were far more normal.
"Master Lin, Master Dong."
They offered polite nods, their lips curved into smiles.
It looked like reverence, but their eyes held a hint of contempt.
Counting on their fingers, this young man before them was probably the third Fierce Wolf to show up on this street this month.
Every blade of grass and every tree in the city had an owner.
But the owner of Sifang Street was clearly not the Black Water Gang.
"A bunch of snobs."
Dong Cheng spat out the curse resentfully, but unfortunately, he couldn’t act on his anger.
It was a classic case of being outmatched by the circumstances.
And when you had to endure, you endured.
"All they see now is the Government Office," Dong Cheng explained in a low voice.
"Isn’t that normal?" Lin Shu glanced at him.
’From my perspective, the very fact that gang members can strut down the street so brazenly, forcing legitimate business owners to shrink away, already makes the Government Office look incompetent.’
’Did they really expect people to worship them like they were the Government?’
"How could that be?"
Dong Cheng stared at Lin Shu with the kind of surprise reserved for an out-of-towner. "You really think the Government Office is the same as it used to be? Aside from wearing the Court’s insignia, they’re basically just another Black Water Gang."
The Government Office’s authority came from the Court.
But for the people of Black Water City, the Court had long ceased to matter.
In their eyes, it was just a fight between two vicious beasts, and one of them had simply lost.
"Fearing the Government Office but not us—of course that isn’t normal."
"It’s not like this on the other streets."
"Take Lord Yan, the Silk Wolf of Chongyang Street, for example. The merchants on his street don’t even have to pay taxes to the Government. They just need to pay the Black Water Gang’s monthly protection fees."
’Collecting taxes on behalf of the Government—how impressive!’
Just thinking about it made Dong Cheng want to transfer.
If he hadn’t completely failed to find out Lord Yan’s preferences, who would be willing to stay on Sifang Street and take this abuse?
Lin Shu lifted his gaze to the long street before him.
He suddenly felt a surge of irritation.
’We’re both Fierce Wolves, so how can someone else be so rich?’
’It’s not that I resent the wealthy, but this is just too pathetic.’
"Master Lin, you must be hungry. This place’s fried tripe is to die for!"
Dong Cheng suddenly stopped and pulled Lin Shu over to a small stall by the roadside to sit down.
Even though he was full of excitement, praising it to the heavens.
But when Lin Shu just silently glanced at the grand restaurant not far away, Dong Cheng’s smile became tinged with embarrassment.
"I... I’m a little short on funds. That guy Tian scraped me too clean."
"Next month! Things will be better next month!"
Dong Cheng was the classic example of someone who stumbled upon some Immortal Relics by chance and used them to turn his life around.
Before stepping into the Qi Cultivation Stage, he had grown up on this very street.
Dong Cheng would never dare to defy a Fierce Wolf’s order, and he could hardly be called kind-hearted.
For instance, if Lin Shu had truly wanted him to do something earlier, he would have obeyed without hesitation for the sake of his own future.
But in his heart, he knew these poor neighbors had nothing left to give. He was reluctant to tighten the noose around their necks, to squeeze out their very blood and life for money.
Under these circumstances, with what little silver Dong Cheng had, he still needed to save up to buy Qi Replenishing Pills.
Naturally, he was unwilling to spend it on treating a direct superior who looked like he had no future.
"This is fine."
Lin Shu sat down casually, watching the owner deftly serve a few plates of fried tripe.
He picked up his chopsticks and ate with surprising enjoyment.
It just somehow made him feel even more pathetic.
"Have a drink, Master Lin."
Dong Cheng had the owner bring over a pot of cheap wine and carefully poured a full cup for this Greedy Wolf.
’So far, he doesn’t seem as greedy as the rumors say. He actually seems pretty easy to get along with.’
In the instant the two were making idle chit-chat,
the street, which had just started to liven up again, suddenly grew quiet.
The grease-stained owner nervously clenched his fists, a sense of urgency in his eyes. He didn’t dare speak up, so he could only stand dumbly beside the small table.
Lin Shu, chopsticks in hand, raised his eyes and looked down the street.
At the other end of the street, in front of a teahouse, a richly dressed fat man was saying something flattering.
Standing before this fat man was a middle-aged man in a black shirt.
He was wearing an official’s uniform, but it hung loosely on his frame, giving him a lazy, slovenly air. His eyes were drowsy, as if he hadn’t fully woken up.
He yawned.
Then he glanced over toward the fried tripe stall.
His gaze fell upon the two men who were eating.
The man suddenly grinned, then raised his hand and slowly drew it across his neck twice.
It was an undisguised threat, full of contempt.
After making the gesture, he stepped into the teahouse with a smile.
The entire exchange was brief, but everyone on the street had seen it.
No one said a word, but a certain thought in their minds became a little more certain.
"That’s Liu Zhen. Pay him no mind, he’s crazy."
Dong Cheng instinctively lowered his head, but he was clearly unhappy about it and couldn’t help but mutter, "It’s your first day here and he’s already pulling this crap to intimidate us. If he really pushes me—"
"Don’t blame me for finishing him off!"
"Can you beat him?" Lin Shu retracted his gaze and put down his chopsticks.
"Uh... definitely not. He is a Mid-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator, after all."
Dong Cheng gave an awkward laugh, then suddenly remembered that the man in front of him had just slaughtered Tian Jingyuan. He quickly added, "A proper Mid-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator."
The kind who, thanks to his status as Deputy Chief Constable, had already completed his arsenal of techniques.
"But even if I can’t beat him, he used to need Master Wolf to connect with White Tiger Hall to make his dirty money."
As if to prove he wasn’t just bluffing, Dong Cheng scared the owner away with a glare, then tapped his chopsticks with a cold smile. "I’ve kept a record of every single thing he’s done."
"If that’s the case, why does he still dare to bully you?" Lin Shu raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Ahem." Dong Cheng’s smile froze. He sighed. "The constable already made a direct connection with White Tiger Hall. Master Wolf was useless to him, and he just had to share the profits for nothing, so he had him sneakily killed. As for the ledgers..."
’As for those ledgers, they’re only good for running my mouth.’
’This involves our own White Tiger Hall. If I really tried to use this to threaten that guy Liu, forget the Government Office, that Tiger would eat me alive first.’
Just then, a series of panicked shouts erupted from the end of the street where Liu Zhen had first appeared.
Pedestrians also began to surge in this direction, backing away as they cried out:
"Someone’s been killed!"
Dong Cheng quickly collected himself.
With all his years of experience knocking around these streets, he could tell what was happening at a glance.
"It has nothing to do with us. Stay out of it."
To put it bluntly, even though the Fierce Wolf’s power was weak on Sifang Street, the Black Water Gang’s reputation was still a factor. They couldn’t bully the rich merchants, but they still held considerable sway over the common folk.
Since they couldn’t control the situation, it was best not to get involved.
Otherwise, they would only lose face completely.
The consequences were easy to predict.
After all, right now it was just the Fierce Wolf’s rations that were lacking. If they ruined the gang’s reputation...
For example, the people of Chongyang Street didn’t have to pay taxes because the Government Office had completely lost its authority there.
He couldn’t let Sifang Street become a negative example, where no one even paid the Black Water Gang’s monthly fees.
But before Dong Cheng could explain this in detail, he saw the young man in front of him slowly rise to his feet.
Lin Shu dusted off his sleeves and said nonchalantly, "Let’s go take a look."

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