Opportunity

"Take this." Xiao Laba pulled out a thousand yuan in bills and handed it to Li Xiuwen. "If nothing unexpected happens, we might be throwing down this month. Keep in touch—I might call on you." Li Xiuwen asked, "Who are we fighting?" Xiao Laba smiled. "Our old rivals, Leigong Shed." Hearing this, Li Xiuwen's mind raced. An opportunity to kill Za Jiu without anyone suspecting him—wasn't this it? "When will it start? Will the Red Poles fight as well?" he asked. Xiao Laba replied, "The Red Poles won't fight. They only oversee the situation. It's just Straw Sandals and Forty-Nines having a minor brawl—like a woman's monthly cycle, it happens every few months." Li Xiuwen asked curiously, "With Tianyi lurking hungrily outside right now, does Changle simply ignore this kind of infighting?" Xiao Laba chuckled. "You're too naive. These clashes between branches under Changle are tacitly approved by Mr. Ming. Essentially, they give gang members real combat drills every once in a while to let off some steam, lest living in peace for too long makes them lose their edge. This sort of clash only allows fists and feet—no bladed weapons, no guns, and ordinary folk must not get dragged into it. "In short, it's nothing like the bloodbaths you're imagining. "It's just playing house, a minor sparring exercise. "Besides, do you think the foundation of Changle rests on these street branches? Completely wrong! The true foundation of Changle—the ones who truly hold up the sky over this Walled City—are all in the Academy! The branches are merely the leftover scraps discarded by the Academy... Ah, whatever, why am I telling you all this? The Academy is far too distant from ordinary people like you." The Academy really was mysterious. Li Xiuwen pondered a moment and asked, "With so many gangs in the Walled City, why does Leigong Shed always pick a fight with us?" Xiao Laba said, "Because our turfs border each other, so border friction is common. By the way, I heard you used to live on Longjin Road, right?" "Yes," Li Xiuwen replied. "Though I've moved to Four Seas Martial Arts Hall now. It was too chaotic over there—no one maintained order, and punks ran rampant." Xiao Laba said, "Do you know why nobody bothered to manage it? Because that place is disputed territory. It originally belonged to Hesheng Tu, but was later seized by Leigong Shed." "So it's Leigong Shed's territory now?" Li Xiuwen furrowed his brow slightly. If so, it made sense why Za Jiu had come looking for revenge. The Thirteen Taibao were just like the demons and monsters in *Journey to the West*—they likely had a backer, and that backer was Leigong Shed. Xiao Laba nodded. "Sort of. There's so little profit there, and because it's constantly disputed, Leigong Shed rarely bothers with it either, so the punks moved in. "By the way, wasn't there a gang called the Thirteen Taibao of Longjin Road? Someone took them out a while back. It couldn't have been you, could it?" Xiao Laba suddenly pivoted. Li Xiuwen smiled. "By the time I had the strength, the Thirteen Taibao were long dead. I don't know who did it, either. Truly satisfying to hear, though." Xiao Laba beamed. "True enough. With your timid personality, it doesn't sound like you. Doesn't matter anyway—since you're my resident enforcer, if anything really happens, I'll protect you. "Still, let me give you a heads-up. Most people don't know this, but wasn't there someone called Brother Ji among the Thirteen Taibao? He's Daoyou Ming's... cousin. "He committed an offense and was originally supposed to take 'Three Knives, Six Holes,' but Daoyou Ming shouldered it for him and arranged for him to lay low on Longjin Road. Understand now?" Li Xiuwen's expression remained steady, but the chain of suspicion in his mind snapped into place. The reason the Thirteen Taibao could run wild on Longjin Road without interference was that Daoyou Ming had turned a blind eye. *Looks like I have to find a way to cling tightly to Xiao Laba's thick thigh,* Li Xiuwen muttered inwardly. Against Za Jiu alone, he was confident he could kill him before long. However, with Daoyou Ming lurking behind him, Li Xiuwen needed to borrow outside leverage. Although Master Huang treated him well, as the master of a neutral martial arts hall, he wouldn't necessarily offend Leigong Shed on his behalf. Finding more backers and weaving extra layers into his network would make Daoyou Ming think twice before making a move, should he harbor ill intent. "Boss, it's getting late. I'll head back first," Li Xiuwen said with a smile. "Off you go! And remember, I'm providing for you—you're my man now!" Xiao Laba called after his retreating figure with a grin. To keep Li Xiuwen on retainer, she had already spent a small fortune. Not every subordinate was entitled to a luxury like a portable communicator. She was still young, lacking worldly experience, and had no idea whether the handsome fellow could enter the Second Gate in the future. She simply felt that since she had some spare cash, she might as well take a gamble. If she won, her returns would be enormous. If she lost, it was Boss Mo's money anyway. *** Inside the elegant residence, Gaojiao Qi stood before Boss Mo and asked, "Dad, you need to rein Xiao Laba in. She's bringing any stray dog or cat into our home." Boss Mo chuckled. "Are you talking about Li Xiuwen?" Gaojiao Qi nodded. "Don't be fooled just because he reached the Purple Membrane quickly—he only advanced by pumping himself full of medicine. It's completely hollow." Boss Mo shook his head. "You're always living in your own world; your information is out of date. A few days ago, he defeated Liu Chun and went up to the second floor. He's been at the Black Membrane for a while now." Gaojiao Qi looked incredulous. "How is that possible? With his talent, even if he stuffed himself with fish balls, he shouldn't be this fast." Boss Mo laughed. "Since Master Huang let him up to the second floor, he must have some redeeming qualities beyond just gorging on fish balls—good comprehension, for instance... Let's just watch and see." Still dissatisfied, Gaojiao Qi muttered, "That Master Huang's eyes light up at the sight of money. As long as someone pays, he lets them in..." Knowing he couldn't convince the stubborn Gaojiao Qi, Boss Mo smiled. "It doesn't matter. Both you and your sister are dear to my heart; as long as you don't squander the family fortune, anything goes. "Your sister means well. She knows I'm getting old, so she wants to recruit a circle of promising young talents to support our family and strengthen Hesheng Tu. Don't dampen her enthusiasm." Gaojiao Qi sighed, frustrated by her lack of ambition. "My sister wastes all her mind and time hanging out in gangs and befriending mediocrities, which is why her cultivation has fallen behind. Otherwise, with her innate physique and comprehension, how could I ever have caught up to her? She's a clever girl whom even Mr. Ming praised... Dad, you really have to make her rein in her heart." The two siblings had completely different personalities. One was proud and aloof, a staunch believer that talent and strength were everything, looking down equally upon all mediocrities. The other was warm and outgoing, loving nothing more than making friends across the underworld. Boss Mo had quite a headache. *** In the blink of an eye, seven days passed. Li Xiuwen cultivated step by step according to plan. As for Za Jiu, according to the intelligence Li Xiuwen gathered, he was indeed injured and recuperating, having no time to bother with him for now. On Xiao Laba's side, all was quiet. Master Huang had recruited many new disciples during this period, leaving the second-floor disciples largely to their own devices. On the second floor, Li Xiuwen spent his days mainly practicing posture drills on the stakes and reading books, occasionally drilling Thousand Waves Drifting Light and Flipping Sand Palm. Outside the Illusionary Realm, practicing fighting techniques wasn't very efficient, so there was no need to waste too much time on it. Inside the Illusionary Realm of the Great Void, however, he ground away day and night, fighting Za Jiu countless times. Even though he was suppressed and beaten the whole time, unlocking over a hundred ways to die, his proficiency in both movement techniques and fighting techniques rose steadily.