Chapter 59: Chapter 28: Imposing Presence (Part 2)
"Oh, Sister-in-law..."
Fang Rui tried to refuse but accepted it in the end.
Just as he was feeling secretly proud of the power of his good looks—
"Um, Xiaofang, it’s about the Skin Care Cream. Could you get some more?" Sister-in-law Jiang finally revealed her true intentions, fidgeting shyly.
"COUGH! COUGH! Don’t worry, Sister-in-law!"
Fang Rui’s brow twitched, his narcissism punctured. He gave a perfunctory reply and slipped away in embarrassment.
...
In the afternoon, amidst the clamor of chirping cicadas and insects, Fang Rui walked under the warm sun back to Willow Alley.
At that moment, Third Lady and Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family were sitting in the courtyard, sewing and mending, occasionally gossiping about the alley’s affairs.
Nannan and Fang Ling, the two little girls, sat to one side, playing with a cat’s cradle.
They were close in age and lived nearby, so they naturally played together. Recently, they had been playing together even more.
This was because the other children in Willow Alley were mostly half-starved and had lost their lively spirit. They no longer had the energy to play.
"Brother, I want to hear a story!"
"Brother Ah Rui, what’s that in your hand?"
The two little girls rushed over, crowding around Fang Rui.
"Chicken bones. I brought them back as leftovers. You can have them as a snack! As for a story? I have one of those too!"
Fang Rui was slightly tipsy but not sleepy. Riding this wave of good spirits, he lay down on the wicker chair, closed his eyes to a squint, and began to tell a story.
Beside him, Fang Ling and Nannan sat side-by-side on a small stool, taking tiny, precious bites of the chicken bones while listening to the story, utterly content.
Under the great warm sun, a gentle breeze rustled the grass and trees.
At some point, Third Lady looked over. Seeing Fang Rui surrounded by the two little girls, she paused, her expression softening as she seemed lost in thought.
...
In the evening, Lord Hu arrived with two of his men to collect the regular fee for the ten-day period.
After Fang Rui had revealed his identity as an Entry Grade Martial Artist, Lord Hu would greet him with a wide smile. His form of address for Fang Rui had changed from ’Ah Rui’ to the more intimate ’Brother Rui’, and he was much more polite.
After paying the fee and sending Lord Hu off, the smile on Fang Rui’s face vanished. In his heart, he made another mark against that damn tiger.
’Now that I have a weapon, if I go to Lord Hu’s home with a chopper to settle the score, I have an over eighty percent chance of taking that damn tiger down without getting injured...’
Fang Rui hesitated for a moment, then gave up on the idea. ’Forget it. Only eighty percent? It’s not ninety-nine percent! I’ll wait a bit longer, just a bit longer!’
’I’ll stick to the original plan and wait until I break through to the Middle Three Grades! It’ll be soon. It won’t take much longer!’
Lord Hu was different from Zhou Chu, Zhou Changlin, and Gao Tong’s group. With Lord Hu, his opponent was out in the open while he was in the shadows. There was no pressing urgency, so there was no need to rush.
Not long after, from outside the door came the sounds of crying. Another family had been ruined.
Fang Rui didn’t go out to join the commotion. He just watched through the window as a crowd of neighbors gathered to spectate, pointing and murmuring. Some were sympathetic and compassionate; some felt a sorrowful kinship; others were gloating...
It was like another cycle of fate.
He watched it all, and his thoughts subconsciously drifted to the Chus’. The crying in his ears merged with the memory of Old Chu’s hoarse, desperate shout, "My wife, the bracelet!" He remained silent for a long time.
...
「Three days passed in a flash.」 Nothing major happened in Willow Alley during that time.
That night, a long time after the Fang Family had finished dinner, Fang Rui glanced at the sky. Seeing that it was about time, he prepared to leave and had Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling go into the cellar.
Although he had already informed Jiang Ping’an, who had promised to keep watch over the area tonight, he still had them go into the cellar as a double precaution.
He went out the door.
Fang Rui saw several patrolling figures in the distance. He nodded to Jiang Ping’an, who was in the lead, then turned and headed straight for the Black Market.
—That’s right. The Government Office had expanded its force of governmental officers to deal with the chaos in the city and suppress lawlessness. Jiang Ping’an had been promoted to a minor leader, making him a figure of some note in the eyes of the common people.
With the extraordinary hearing of a Seventh Grade Martial Artist, he could still faintly hear the voices from behind him.
"Mr. Jiang, there’s a figure over there! I bet he’s either a thief or someone heading to the Black Market. We can make another score!"
"Score my ass! That’s my brother!"
"Ptooey, ptooey, listen to my stupid mouth! Ahem, Mr. Jiang, did someone just pass by? I didn’t see a thing..."
...
「The Black Market.」
According to his usual schedule, today was the day for Fang Rui to come and sell his medicine.
At the entrance to the Black Market, a few vendors were chatting idly at their stalls.
"If nothing had happened to him, that medicine seller should be here today... What a pity!"
"Yeah, the guy’s so unlucky. To think he got targeted by those brutes from Zhou Changlin and Gao Tong’s group."
"I heard that the Scar Remover is in high demand lately. If Zhou Changlin and Gao Tong’s thugs forced the formula out of him, they must be making a fortune!"
...
From their words, it was clear none of them believed Fang Rui would be able to show up today.
As for the news that Zhou Changlin, Gao Tong, and their entire group were dead?
The location of the fight had been quite far from the Black Market. Besides, their information network wasn’t that good.
At the entrance to the Black Market.
The ’Fast Swordman’ Yuan Da was, as usual, leaning back in his wicker chair with his eyes narrowed, polishing his Horizontal Saber. Everyone who entered or exited the Black Market would call out ’Lord Yuan’ and respectfully put down the entrance fee.
Only when someone came to rent a stall or a shop would he stir, casually tossing out a numbered token. His lazy demeanor made it seem as if he couldn’t care less about anything.
Until—
Fang Rui arrived.
Upon seeing this familiar figure in his familiar attire, the vendors inside the Black Market entrance all fell silent, their eyes wide as saucers, as if they had just seen a ghost.
"Lord Yuan, here’s today’s entrance and stall fee!" Fang Rui took out three large coins.
Yuan Da’s expression was peculiar—it was... surprise.
He sat up a little straighter. Unlike before, when he would casually toss the wooden token, this time, he extended his hand to pass it over.
—With the Black Market’s extensive network, they naturally would have known long ago that Zhou Changlin, Gao Tong, and their group were dead. However, Yuan Da was a man who only enjoyed practicing martial arts and paid little attention to outside affairs, so he had not heard the news beforehand.
"Thank you, Lord Yuan." Fang Rui could clearly feel Yuan Da’s respect—the respect one gives to the strong.
’Did I earn his recognition by killing Zhou Changlin, Gao Tong, and their group? As expected, in this world, might makes right!’ he thought to himself.
However, Fang Rui wasn’t so naive as to think that Yuan Da was afraid of him, nor did he start getting cocky and thinking he was some big shot.
Far from it!
He understood that for Yuan Da to be guarding the Black Market, he had to be an Eighth Grade at the very least, and more likely a Seventh Grade, same as himself. Moreover, just by looking at that Horizontal Saber, he could tell the man likely possessed a masterful Saber Technique. He himself... would most likely be no match for him.
As for the Middle Three Grades?
That was highly unlikely.
In Changshan County, a Martial Artist of the Middle Three Grades was considered to have one foot in the upper echelon. Only the Gang Leaders of the county’s gangs and the great families had such experts.
The Black Market was backed by a great clan of the city, so they naturally had Martial Artists of the Middle Three Grades. But such individuals were still rare, each one a treasure, and it was unlikely one would be stationed here.
Fang Rui took the numbered token and walked straight into the Black Market to find a spot.
Only after his back had disappeared did a clamor of discussion erupt behind him.
"That guy actually came?! This is... unbelievable!"
"Since he’s here, then Zhou Changlin, Gao Tong, and their brutes must have been taken down! That makes sense, we haven’t seen them these past couple of days..."
"The younger generation is truly formidable! Zhou Changlin, Gao Tong, and their thugs walked the dark road too often and finally ran into a ghost!"
"To be able to kill Zhou Changlin, Gao Tong, and their group, he must be at least Eighth Grade. From now on, no one will dare covet his business!"
...
"Interesting!"
Yuan Da murmured as he watched Fang Rui’s back. Then he returned to his lazy posture, lying back on the wicker chair and polishing his Horizontal Saber with narrowed eyes.
...
