Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Setback

Hei Hu ran out.

Four hours later, he returned alone.

He said to Guo Wei, “Master, Li Yishan is gone. I told him you were going to teach him a Kung Fu technique, and he told me to wait for him at the door. I waited for a long time, but he never came out. When I went inside, I found he’d slipped out the back. It’s so strange. He has a broken arm, why would he run off?”

“He was afraid I’d break his other arm. Get back to practicing your Spear Technique.”

Guo Wei snorted coldly.

“Oh.”

Hei Hu was a little dejected.

When they were in a corner, Chu Lingguang told Hei Hu that Li Yishan had also come looking for him last night. Hei Hu finally understood, realizing Li Yishan had wanted to use him to break one of Liu Quan’s arms.

However, Li Yishan had been very convincing last night, and some of what he said had resonated with Chu Lingguang.

And even though Hei Hu knew Li Yishan was likely trying to instigate something, the thought that he had treated Liu Quan to drinks only for the guy to run off to Tie Zhennan’s side still filled him with anger. If he ran into him at the Martial Arts Examination, he would definitely teach him a lesson.

After dinner at the Martial Arts Hall that evening, Chu Lingguang returned to Liu Family Gully, took a cold bath, and changed his clothes. He then went to Hei Hu’s house, and the two of them headed toward Wine Street together.

In the past, whenever Chu Lingguang had a breakthrough in his Kung Fu, Hei Hu would treat him to drinks on Wine Street that very day.

Now that Hei Hu’s Spear Technique had reached the Form Realm, Chu Lingguang couldn’t neglect his manners.

The two arrived at Wine Street.

They discovered that since the Big Saber Gang had disbanded, the shop owners on Wine Street all looked worried, and the street wasn’t as lively as it used to be.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were both confused.

They went to a small tavern they frequented and sat down for drinks.

Before the tavern owner could bring all their food and drinks, a group of men appeared at the entrance. They looked aggressive and were about to rush in, but one of them whispered a few words in their leader’s ear. The leader’s expression changed in alarm. He quickly forced a smile at Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu, then led his men away.

“Sigh. Young masters, I’m afraid this tavern of mine will be closing next month.”

The shopkeeper was the only one in the tavern. As he brought out the food and drinks, he happened to see the group leaving and sighed to Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu.

“Shopkeeper Ma, have you run into some trouble?”

Hei Hu asked with a frown.

He and Chu Lingguang often came to Shopkeeper Ma’s tavern for drinks.

The little tavern was fair and inexpensive. While it wasn’t always packed, there were usually at least a few tables of customers. Tonight, however, they were the only ones.

“You may not know this, but the Liu Family calls the shots on Wine Street now.”

Shopkeeper Ma began to explain.

It turned out that after the Big Saber Gang disbanded, Liu Quan, in order to benefit his own family’s business, had gathered a group of local thugs to specifically harass competing shops.

The taverns were their main target.

Because the Liu Family also ran a tavern.

Because of this, Shopkeeper Ma and the other tavern owners had gone to speak with the Liu Village Chief. They thought they could resolve it by paying some protection money, but unexpectedly, the Liu Family was too greedy and insisted on taking over all the tavern business on Wine Street.

Anyone who didn’t close up shop and leave would be harassed relentlessly until they couldn’t do business anymore.

“This is outrageous! It’s complete lawlessness!”

Hei Hu was furious.

Chu Lingguang finally understood why that group of men had shown up only to leave immediately. It seemed someone had recognized him and Hei Hu.

“Master Hu, if you can stop my establishment from being harassed, your drinks here will be on the house from now on.”

Seeing Hei Hu’s righteous indignation, Shopkeeper Ma ventured.

“Alright! My Spear Technique has seen a breakthrough today. It’s the perfect time to show the Liu Family what I’m made of.”

“Junior Brother, let’s go to the Liu Family’s shop.”

Hei Hu couldn’t sit still any longer.

“Senior Brother, we came out for drinks tonight.”

Chu Lingguang held Hei Hu back.

He was the one treating Hei Hu to drinks on Wine Street tonight. If anything happened, Guo Wei would likely blame him. Besides, the matter with the Liu Family was still just Shopkeeper Ma’s side of the story.

Even if it was true, he couldn’t let Hei Hu clash with the Liu Family. After all, Guo Wei had already pointed out the stakes and didn’t want the two of them getting into a conflict with Liu Quan.

“The Liu Family is bullying the market. We can’t just stand by and do nothing, can we?”

Hei Hu grumbled, but he sat back down without making a fuss. He might be impulsive, but he wasn’t an idiot. He immediately thought of the consequences.

Chu Lingguang cursed inwardly at Hei Hu’s craftiness; he had just pushed the problem onto him.

He saw the expectant look on Shopkeeper Ma’s face and thought, ’If I just let this go, people will talk. I already got involved once. If I back down now, people might think Master Guo’s disciples are afraid of Tie Zhennan’s disciple, and that would affect Guo Wei’s reputation.’

At the same time, he couldn’t stand Liu Quan’s personality. If he had the chance, Chu Lingguang also wanted to teach him a lesson.

Of course, the most important thing was that helping the Wine Street shop owners again would earn him another wave of Favor Points.

But this matter had to be handled carefully. He couldn’t just rush in and fight the Liu Family like Hei Hu wanted to.

That would be uncivilized, and it would also bring the conflict between Guo Wei and Tie Zhennan out from the shadows and into the open.

After a moment of serious thought, Chu Lingguang came up with an idea. He smiled and said, “Shopkeeper Ma, you must be mistaken. What does trouble on Wine Street have to do with the Liu Family? It must just be some local thugs throwing their weight around! I refuse to believe that a disciple of Tie Zhennan would do something so despicable. If you don’t believe me, go gather all the other shop owners. Let’s see if anyone comes to back those guys up when my senior brother and I teach them a lesson.”

“This…”

Shopkeeper Ma hesitated.

Hei Hu’s eyes lit up, and he shouted at Shopkeeper Ma, “What are you standing around for? Go get them!”

“Ah, right away!”

Shopkeeper Ma finally caught on and was about to go out and gather people.

“Wait.”

Chu Lingguang quickly grabbed Shopkeeper Ma.

He saw someone walking in from the street.

It was Guo Wei.

He was heading toward Xiaoyue Building.

Xiaoyue Building was the largest and most luxurious tavern on Wine Street. Li Yishan used to have a private table there, and Guo Wei also frequented the place for a drink.

At that moment, a group of petty hooligans was gathered at the entrance of Xiaoyue Building, blocking customers from entering.

With his hands behind his back, Guo Wei looked like a general returning from the battlefield in the dead of night.

Sensing his aura, the group of thugs nervously backed away to either side.

“Master Guo, you’re here!”

The owner of Xiaoyue Building, a stout man with the surname Wu, had invited Guo Wei for his son’s full-moon celebration. Seeing Guo Wei now, his eyes filled with tears of gratitude.

“Don’t let me see you again. Scram!”

Guo Wei barked at the thugs.

His voice was laced with Qi Blood Power, like the roar of a lion, scaring the thugs so badly they stumbled over each other and scattered in a panic.

Even the petty thieves loitering on the street were frightened into fleeing for their lives.

The shop owners of Wine Street all ran out to look.

Seeing Guo Wei standing at the entrance of Xiaoyue Building and all the thugs gone in an instant, everyone rushed to greet him.

“Master Guo, you’re out for a drink!”

“Master Guo, I just got a new batch of wine in my shop. I’d like to invite you for a taste.”

…

Inside the small tavern, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu saw this, exchanged a look, and quickly left Wine Street.

They knew that peace had been restored to Wine Street. No matter how arrogant Liu Quan was, he wouldn’t dare call those men back to confront Guo Wei.

Chu Lingguang felt a sense of defeat. The plan he had spent so long devising was rendered obsolete by a single sentence from Guo Wei.

However, he didn’t think it was a coincidence that Guo Wei had driven off the thugs tonight. It seemed more like a response to Tie Zhennan, or perhaps a way to prevent him and Liu Quan from clashing.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep