Chapter 171: A Motley Crowd (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 171: A Mob (Seeking Subscription for Monthly Tickets)

That acquaintance was none other than Guo Laosan, the personal guard of the Xiao Family.

At this moment, he sat upright beside Yu Xue of the Ci Hu Lou, dressed more properly than all those present.

Not only wearing that black iron mask, but also a robe with a hood.

Yet beneath Chen Yi’s divine sense, these disguises were all in vain.

Not to mention Guo Laosan’s stature and mannerisms, nor the occasional flickers of his small movements.

Even the five operations and six energies emanating from his body were sufficient to confirm his identity.

In addition to Guo Laosan, Hei Ya, Ci Hu, and Fang Laoshe, there were fourteen other figures from thejianghu, each wearing different attire and exuding varying strengths—all were mid-to-high tier martial artists.

Among them, a thin, long-haired devil carrying a lute, likely the sect elder Jia Laoshe of the Phantom Sound Sect, with whom he must have once crossed paths.

Chen Yi silently noted the auras of these individuals, his gaze shifting toward the head table where Hei Ya and Ci Hu sat.

He was about to inquire about the start of things when—

The hour ofZi Shi arrived—

[Daily Intelligence Report: Grade Three Location: At the stroke ofZi Shi, a gathering of numerous evil cultivators and rogue merchants in the Smoke Flower Alley and Bright Moon Tower discussed major matters. A small amount of opportunity was obtained.]

Oh?

Chen Yi glanced at the report, his eyes brightening. He remained utterly still, sitting quietly by the table.

After all, this trip was not in vain.

As the others scrutinized one another in turn,

Hei Ya tapped his table in front of him, his voice gravelly and cold:

“To all of you, the target of this deal should be clear. Since there’s no retreat, I’ll assume you all agree to participate.”

“If anyone later changes their mind or leaks the word, we’ll handle them according to the rules from the Bright Moon Tower.”

Hei Ya paused, seeing no one speak, then narrowed his eyes and continued:

“Let’s not waste time. If you have any questions or demands about this deal, now is the time to voice them.”

At that moment, a tall man sitting in the corner deliberately lowered his voice and asked:

“How will the rewards be divided?”

Hei Ya nodded and replied:

“Besides the thirty percent I require from the Bright Moon Tower, the rest will be split into two parts.

One part is the spoils from inside, the other part will be shared equally among you.”

Before he could finish, old Fang scoffed:

“Hei Ya, splitting it evenly doesn’t seem right.”

Hei Ya, unperturbed, turned his head toward him:

“Then how do you think it should be divided?”

“Naturally, whoever has stronger cultivation, the greater the share.”

The seated Jia Laoshe let out a sly laugh:

“Someone who appears to have high cultivation is actually a silver gun and salt-pork head—strong on the outside but weak within. He truly shouldn’t get that much.”

The group laughed, their eyes shifting meaningfully—or perhaps unintentionally—toward Fang Laoshe.

They clearly still remembered what Old River Lang had said earlier.

Yet Fang Laoshe’s expression turned icy in an instant, his aura flickering, “Do you want to divide it? Jia Qing?”

Jia Laoshe let out a cold laugh:

“I have no problem with that.”

As their auras began to expand, Hei Ya slammed his hand on the table, releasing a far more chilling and domineering aura that instantly enveloped the room.

Chen Yi felt the pressure on his body, a chill running through him.

This Hei Ya’s strength surpassed even Fang Laoshe’s, likely reaching the upper third tier in cultivation, and his techniques were at the pinnacle.

As the others fell silent, Hei Ya let out a cold snort:

“No need to spar or fight. This deal involves considerable wealth, and a noble guest has added ten thousand taels of silver. We’ll split it evenly—you all stand to gain a fortune.”

The group exchanged glances and laughed.

“Ten thousand more? What a blessing!”

“Now we each get at least five thousand taels of silver—fine, fine indeed.”

“I agree to the even split.”

“I agree too.”

“My only complaint, hahaha…”

At that moment, the room erupted in a cacophony of laughter, voices sharp, high, or low mingling together.

Chen Yi frowned deeply in the corner.

These evildoers, scurrying through the ditches of the world, had fallen for money?

All they cared about was silver, never once mentioning the deal itself?

Thinking this, Chen Yi tapped the table, his voice tinged with impatience:

“Hei Ya, how do you intend to make this happen?”

“Don’t tell me, with just these rabble, you think you can pull off that deal?”

Upon hearing these words, the laughing and jovial group of evildoers all turned their gaze to Chen Yi.

“A mob? What a big mouth to have!”

“Arrogant!”

“Young man, you’ve got some nerve—shouldn’t you know when to hold your tongue?”

“You…”

River Lang noticed the situation and gently drew his long sword from its sheath, then slashed a portion of his blade into the air.

Clang.

The sharp sound echoed, and a blade light flashed through the room.

The others gaped, their faces reddening with anger: “‘Blade Demon,’ what are you doing?”

Despite this, there was a hint of fear in their eyes, even in Fang Laoshe and Jia Laoshe’s.

After all, a fifth-tier cultivator and blade master with perfected sword techniques was stronger than most present.

Plus, with Chen Yi, a sixth-tier martial artist with perfected fist techniques, together, they could inflict considerable harm.

River Lang scanned the room, slightly raising his head, and sneered: “A bunch of brainless fools, just need to keep quiet.”

“If the deal goes through, we can’t get that silver from you, can we?”

Though he wasn’t one for clever schemes, he knew that with Chen Yi there, all he needed to do was listen.

“This…”

A dozen people exchanged glances, their eyes all shifting toward He Ya.

Chen Yi paid them no heed, his gaze also fixed on He Ya as he continued,

“If I must be so blunt, with these people, I see no chance of success at all.”

“Old Master Fang? Dare he hope to face ten thousand enemies?”

The soldiers of San Zhen lacked even basic cultivation; surrounded, the top three ranks would all perish.

What about the others?

Upon hearing this, He Ya swept his eyes around, then fixed his gaze on Chen Yi: “Your brother Liu speaks the truth—this matter hinges on his words.”

At that moment, Ye Xuexue from the side chimed in: “How about I explain things to all the heroes here?” He Ya’s expression stilled, a slight nod escaping his lips: “Very well.”

Ye Xuexue suppressed a flirtatious laugh, her voice soft: “Since Liu’s elder brother has such concerns, I cannot hide it any longer.”

“The task at hand is simple for you all—draw the Xiao family’s attention, shift their focus, or drive the tiger from the mountain.”

“As for the specifics, He Ya and I have our own arrangements.”

“The rest… it falls to the Ming Yue Tower’s responsibility in San Zhen.”

Chen Yi understood then.

He realized that with the strength of these demonic forces, they couldn’t possibly threaten San Zhen’s garrison soldiers.

They were merely pawns on the periphery, meant to draw fire.

In the end, it would all depend on Ge Lao San’s control over the hidden guard to set fire to San Zhen’s summer supplies.

As he pondered this, Ye Xuexue turned to him: “Does Liu’s elder brother have any doubts?”

Chen Yi met her eyes: “How much confidence is enough?”

“Ten parts out of ten, Liu’s elder brother might not believe it, but six or seven parts should suffice.”

“When will you strike? What date?”

“Undecided.”

“What must we do?”

“Undecided.”

Chen Yi stared at Ye Xuexue, whose eyes held a sly smile, knowing he couldn’t press for details, he fell silent, saying no more.

He Ya surveyed the room, then stood first:

“Since nothing remains unresolved, we’ll end this here. You all may return.”

Soon, several cloaked figures entered, guiding the group back to the quiet chamber they had come from.

Chen Yi glanced around, blocking Liu Lang from leaving.

Liu Lang nodded, removing his iron mask, leaning back in his chair with a yawn:

“Didn’t expect we’d only be doing some cooperating. This money’s easy to earn, really.”

“Five thousand taels of silver—enough to spend freely in the Fireworks Lane, eh?”

Chen Yi glanced at him, coolly: “If you want to spend lavishly, five thousand won’t do.”

“Or perhaps use it to redeem the woman you cherish, enough to warm your heart with ‘home’.”

“…Exaggerating a bit.”

They sat quietly for a moment.

Only then did Chen Yi rise and head outward.

Liu Lang followed, mentally rehearsing.

“Leaving this late? What if those narrow-minded old fools set an ambush outside?”

Years of mingling in the underworld had taught him to be wary.

His keen awareness of the earlier display between him and Chen Yi was enough to draw the attention of several evil cultists—or worse, murderous intent.

Once they were gone, the quiet chamber fell still.

A crack in the side wall revealed He Ya and Ye Xuexue silently slipping in, surveying the empty room.

Silence lingered.

“Liu’s arrival here is a helpful factor.”

“He Ya, do you think so too?”

“Not wrong, perhaps.”

“But I feel they might overstep…~”

He Ya’s eyes flickered: “Do you think they’ll do something wrong?”

Ye Xuexue gazed toward where Chen Yi and Liu Lang had departed, her voice a dreamy murmur:

“A master of the medical arts, one with boundless potential—would He Ya let him risk coming here?”

He Ya pondered, then spoke slowly: “No.”

“I’ll send someone to verify Liu’s purpose later.”

“Indeed, we must confirm, lest we’re frightened into letting Ming Yue Tower be mocked.”

She paused, then added: “Though his earlier bearing and demeanor do suggest he’s from a great family.”

“Unlike Old Master Fang and Jia, those mud-splattered scoundrels who’ve roamed the streets.”

He Ya hummed, his gaze sharpening: “He’d best not be here to disrupt this plan, or else…Hmph!”

Ye Xuexue understood, masking her lips with a soft laugh.

“I don’t care for violence, only when we strike and when the silver reaches our hands.”

He Ya turned, meeting her alluring gaze, then left the chamber.

“The time to strike is yours to decide—better before the Mid-Autumn Festival, lest Xiao Jinghong catch wind of it.”

“As for the silver… within three days. If he doesn’t come, I’ll take it myself.”

“Then I’ll know how to feel~”

Ye Xuexue watched him leave, her eyes glinting like a golden ticket, then followed swiftly.

…

That night, deep in the storm, the wind howled, hurling the rain into chaos, lashing against the walls of Shu Zhou City.

Chen Yi and Liu Lang, their hoods drawn low, moved along the path they had come, threading through the winding streets and alleys.

What baffled Liu Lang was that Chen Yi walked at a leisurely pace, as if he were taking the rain.

After passing through an alley, he couldn’t help but speak up: “I say, boss…”

Before he could finish, Chen Yi stopped in his tracks and raised his hand to interrupt: “Keep following me, come out.”

Liu Lang hesitated slightly, but his hand quickly moved to the hilt of his knife, turning to look back.

Though he doubted himself of having noticed anything, seeing Chen Yi’s resolute demeanor, he chose to believe.

In the next moment, indeed, at the end of the alley behind them, a tall figure in black silently emerged.

The man slightly lifted his hood, his cold eyes staring straight at the two of them, coldly declaring: “I don’t care about any business, anyone who offends me must die!”

Liu Lang slightly raised an eyebrow, “Fang La Mo?”

Upon hearing that, Chen Yi turned his head to glance, “Fool.”

(End of chapter)