A Long River Myth

The first three stages of martial arts are external strength, internal strength, and innate strength.

Those who can reach the late stage of the Inner Strength realm in the outer city are already close to the ceiling of combat power.

Experts who exceed this threshold already possess enough status and position to enter the inner city of Muyang County; he probably wouldn't even have a place to inquire about them.

Before long, these people slowly walked closer.

The third manager of Wang's blacksmith shop was as strong as refined iron, with hands covered in hard, calloused black skin.

He's clearly a master of hard skills; he's probably ground more iron filings than he's eaten grains of rice.

Although Manager Lin of the Chamber of Commerce was refined, he walked with the grace of a cat and the lightness of a crane, leaving no dust on his feet; he was a master of light-footed kung fu.

In this world, wealth is indeed merely a derivative of force.

Li Hong had a keen eye and focused on finding the characteristics of each person. When he looked at the people from the Water Division, he suddenly frowned slightly.

The middle-aged man in the water bureau's official robes behind them, with a square face, looked very dignified and was clasping his hands in greeting to the head instructor.

Li Hong's gaze sharpened... The person from the Water Division is Zhou Tingshan?

His uncle-in-law, whom he had only met once before?

"Li Hong, you don't happen to know that head constable from the Waterways Bureau, do you?"

Yang Chen glanced at Li Hong and noticed something was off about his gaze.

The latter remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.

"If you really know the head constable of the Waterways Bureau, that would be impressive!"

"In the future, if we can get a temporary post, we can just have the water police come to the hall to ask for people. If we can get a post at the Water Department... after a few trips on the water, we probably won't have to worry about money until we reach the inner palace!"

Perhaps because he had just finalized the sponsorship agreement with Li Hong, and felt that their relationship had instantly become much closer, Yang Chen was quite talkative today.

Li Hong, however, remained silent throughout.

Although Zhou Tingshan was his uncle-in-law, they weren't very close relatives.

In previous years, we didn't even get along as well as our neighbors, so how could we expect to get help from them?

Soon, the instructors of the martial arts hall greeted these people as they ascended the steps to enter.

Judging from his position, Zhou Tingshan was in the center of the crowd, ahead of the blacksmith shop owner and the head of the chamber of commerce.

Even Chief Instructor Shen only keeps pace with him, rather than going his own way.

This shows that Yang Chen's words were true; the Water Bureau was indeed a lucrative position.

Even from the simple positions they took during the meeting, it was obvious.

The group chatted and laughed, and none of them paid any attention to Li Hong and Yang Chen, the two guards outside the door.

Li Hong also noticed that when Zhou Tingshan went up the steps, he seemed to glance at him and Yang Chen, the two "gatekeepers".

However, her gaze was no different from that of someone looking at a stranger, clearly indicating that she did not recognize him.

When I visited my aunt's house last time, I made an appearance, but I was still very insignificant.

It's perfectly normal that the other party doesn't remember him now...

............

evening.

Jinshui Street.

The streets were sparsely populated, and every household had its doors tightly shut.

Li Hong returned from the martial arts academy with five taels of silver sponsored by Yang Chen in his pocket.

As he walked along the street, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

As footsteps approached, he noticed many neighbors peeking out and staring at him.

An atmosphere of extreme tension and paranoia.

As he walked into the middle of the street, Li Hong turned his head to look at Uncle Liu's house.

Noticing the other person peering over the wall, he asked suspiciously, "What's wrong, Uncle Liu? Why are you acting like a thief?"

"Oh...it's Brother Hong! You scared me!"

Uncle Liu's eyes were a little blurry. When he heard Li Hong's voice, he relaxed and complained:

"Xiao Hong... be on your guard tonight. The Huang Lin gang has gone mad today. I heard there were five deaths in Xijing Alley this morning!"

"There's even a fight going on in Yulan Hutong... Things are getting chaotic again!"

Li Hong's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but he calmly replied, "Hmm... I understand. Don't try to climb the wall, old man, you might fall!"

Having said that, he quickened his pace and hurried toward his shop, already somewhat worried.

at home.

As soon as he entered, someone greeted him: "Oh, it's Xiao Hong back!"

Li Hong looked up and saw several neighbors sitting in the shop, packing their bedding: "Uncle Xu? What are you doing...?"

These people were all neighbors who were close to Li Fulin.

People including Xu Laonian and Zhang the carpenter gathered in his shop, looking like they were fleeing a disaster.

"I'm coming to your place to avoid this." Old Xu grinned, revealing a few yellow teeth.

Upon seeing that it was Li Hong, the neighbors who had come to "take refuge" felt relieved, as if they had seen a savior.

Li Fulin said from the side, "Hong'er, go back to the backyard and stay with your mother."

Li Hong nodded and walked straight through the shop.

In my memory, whenever gangs in the neighborhood broke out in previous years, it was always a scene of widespread panic.

There have been countless precedents in the past, and the more chaotic the situation, the more likely thieves are to take advantage of the chaos to rob and fish in troubled waters.

Moreover, those thugs who had come under the control of Huang Lin's gang were now on the verge of spiraling out of control.

It's inevitable that some individuals will be even more unscrupulous than usual.

This time, Li Hong understood that the long-standing internal conflicts within Huang Lin's gang had finally erupted.

"Hong'er!"

In the backyard, Madam Yao couldn't help but feel uneasy until she saw Li Hong return, at which point a weight was lifted from her heart.

"Mother, don't worry too much. The Huang Lin Gang will probably be gone in a few days. Just be a little careful."

Li Hong looked at the frightened Yao Shi, who looked even more haggard, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

These days he's been so engrossed in martial arts training that he hasn't been able to spare much attention for his family.

If I have the means in the future, I will definitely move to a more stable place to live.

These gangs go back and forth; one is taken down today, and another pair appears tomorrow.

After all, these streets and alleys in the northern part of the outer city were not originally part of the outer city of Muyang County in its early years.

It originated from the refugees who fled to Shangyang County forty years ago and gathered here.

Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the shantytown gradually developed and connected with the original outer city.

Therefore, the government officials in the outer city naturally did not care much about the security situation here.

"Yes, Hong'er, you must also be careful. Don't stay too late at the martial arts hall in the future. Get home before dark."

Yao instructed them to lift the pot lid and serve the food that had been reserved for him separately.

Then, she sat on a low stool to the side, watching Li Hong wolf down his food with eyes full of satisfaction:

"Eat slowly..."

.............

midnight.

Li Hong, who had been standing silently, had already gotten up.

He circled his own yard and shop twice with sharp eyes, but found nothing unusual.

Then, holding his breath and following the shadow of the street wall, he arrived at the dead-end alley where he had previously hidden the silver coins.

Li Hong had been secretly observing the internal strife within the Huang Lin Gang for some time, ever since the assassination of Qin Si.

Later, I ran into Wang Bin, who had taken over Jinshui Street, several times.

You could sense from his words that he was being suspected.

This matter is indeed something that cannot be ignored.

"That Qin Si... is one of the trusted henchmen brought by Huang Lin's gang leader, Piao Yu Cangshan!"

Thinking it over, Li Hong resolutely dug into the soil under the rotten wooden cart.

Among them was a set of night clothes that he had hidden away.

Qin Si's body has not been found to this day, and it is unknown whether it was washed away or not.

But it was like a ticking time bomb, making him feel uneasy every time he thought about it.

How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed...?

He can't rest easy until Huang Lin's gang is eliminated!

And today... the long-awaited "snake and clam fight" moment has finally begun!

Thinking it over, Li Hong changed his clothes and disappeared into the darkness, moving swiftly and stealthily towards Yu Lan Hutong!

..............