BXBX NOVEL Chapter 45 - 31: Black Wind Gang
“What on earth has happened?”
Gazing at the hurried stream of people in the street, a huge confusion arose in Lu Yuan’s heart.
The atmosphere in Mei County was different from the other Southsea county towns he had visited before, giving him an unusual feeling of danger in his heart.
He was eager to leave immediately.
As a being of longevity, it was quite normal for him to resist anything that might pose a threat to his life.
However, now that he had come all this way, to simply flee at the sight of danger seemed rather pathetic.
“Moreover, looking at the stream of people on the street, though many of the townspeople’s faces show anxiety, overall, they seem calm. It’s just that the atmosphere is a little tense. There should be no major issues in the short term.” Lu Yuan thought so, and temporarily put aside the urge to flee right away.
But even so, he didn’t intend to stay in the city longer than necessary. He asked people on the street for directions and went straight to the fur shop located within the city.
No matter what had happened in Mei County, it was always right for him to sell his goods quickly and then slip away.
No matter how great the danger brews, as long as he escapes before it erupts, the danger will always fail to become a real threat.
The market of Mei County was situated in the East of the city, where more than ninety percent of the shops were located.
Due to its position as the transportation hub between Southsea and Yuzhang, Mei County also served as a distribution center for supplies from the two jurisdictions. Merchants traveling north and south would usually pass through here.
As a result, the market was bustling, with numerous shops of various sizes and street vendors as far as the eye could see.
There were three fur shops in the market.
Perhaps due to competitive pressures, this time the fur that Lu Yuan sold fetched an exceptionally high price.
The last tiger skin and two bear skins sold for a whopping 200 silver tales. Even the two jars of tiger whiskers wine that he brought with him were eagerly pursued by some opulent merchants, and they sold for 200 silver tales as well.
After just one transaction, he had already received 400 silver tales in his hands.
The trading profits of fierce beasts’ fur like tigers and bears were evident.
Having received such a large sum of money all at once, based on his previous experiences in trading, the local gangs in the city should have immediately received the news and then come looking for trouble.
Lu Yuan was already accustomed to this.
Keeping a low profile, he quickly left and headed straight for the city gate. Then, he took out his prepared iron bow outside and began a new hunt, earning another small fortune.
All the steps mentioned above were part of the usual routine.
However, the moment he left the fur shop, he immediately noticed that something was different.
“No one is watching?”
Lu Yuan scanned the surrounding marketplace. Although the atmosphere in the city was a bit off, the hustle and bustle in the East Market area remained unchanged.
Traveling merchants gathered in this area, the flow of people surged and swarmed.
However, amidst the sea of heads, even after using all his skills to gauge and sense his surroundings, he still couldn’t detect the familiar watchful gaze. ‘The people from the fur shop just now didn’t inform the local gang!’
In that instant, it all became clear to him.
Immediately followed by enormous confusion.
During this expedition to Southsea, including Mei County, Lu Yuan had visited a total of four county towns.
In the previous three towns, local gangs had covetously pursued them out of the city, trying to do business without spending a dime.
However, faced with the well-prepared Dayu Mountain Archer, these dregs, who only bullied the good and kind on ordinary days, soon followed the footsteps of the Qingzhu Gang members, left behind in the vast mountain forest.
During his journey as a merchant, he couldn’t remember how many skeletons he had left behind on the road.
At least twenty or thirty of them, that’s for sure.
In this cruel and dark world, especially with the extraordinary power at hand, there were always people willing to risk their lives for wealth and gain.
No need to say more.
In the eyes of those gangs, they were maintaining “normal rules” and correcting order, belonging to the “just” side with good reason.
Moreover, they had a stronger presence and superior strength, so they were capable of maintaining order.
“It seems that no one is really following…”
After thorough searching, Lu Yuan finally confirmed that there were indeed no gang members behind him, and he could not find the local gang members within the market.
Seeing this, he immediately dismissed the idea of leaving the town immediately.
If no one was following him, there would be no danger for a short time.
With no threat to his life, Lu Yuan changed his original plan and decided to stay in town for a while to find out what happened, and then leave.
Speaking of which, after seeing the streets inside the city, he was a bit curious about what had happened.
Since there was free time now, it wouldn’t hurt to listen.
As usual, he found a tavern on the market street.
It wasn’t one of those low-class street stalls in the city. But neither was it an elegant restaurant, as those were too expensive.
Lu Yuan had chosen a cheap but well-flavored place frequented by merchants and wandering martial artists.
This kind of place, undoubtedly, was where the news was the most informative.
He found a seat in the first-floor hall, ordered a few of the tavern’s signature dishes with a bottle of yellow wine, and listened to the conversations of merchants and martial artists as he ate lunch.
Before long, he had gathered some information.
“The county catch officers and the Plum Blossom Gang members have been gone for three days, haven’t they wiped out the Black Wind Gang yet?”
A merchant sighed after taking a swig of wine, “The commercial route has been blocked for seven days. My goods have been piling up in the city and cannot be transported out. If it drags on for a few more days and the season passes, they will rot in my hands.”
“How can it be so fast?” A burly man in black, dressed as a martial artist from the Jianghu, scoffed: “The leader of the Black Wind Gang is a second-rate expert in the Jianghu. His six brothers are all third-rate masters.
Their martial arts skills are top-notch, and they’ve practiced a Combined Attack Saber Technique. After more than ten years of cultivation, the technique has achieved major success.
The seven of them working together could even challenge the first-class old-timers in the Jianghu.
Wang Butoa of Mei County, though a disciple of the ‘Golden Eye Eagle’ Li Shenbu, is also only a second-rate expert, just like the leader of the Plum
Blossom Gang.”
The burly man in black seemed to be well-informed, with a deep knowledge of various Jianghu secrets. At this moment, as he spoke these rarely heard secrets, he immediately attracted the attention of many people in the hall.
With all those eyes on him, the burly man in black felt very proud and indulged himself for a moment, before finally giving in to the urging voices around him and continued: “In my opinion, this time the government and the Plum Blossom Gang’s joint operation against the Black Wind Gang can only drive this great bandit away at most. To kill him is simply impossible…”
Thud!
Lu Yuan took a sip of wine and set down his cup.
After listening to the people in the hall for so long, he finally understood what had happened in Mei County.
“So, half a month ago, the Black Wind Bandits came from the south, robbing houses and blocking the business route here. Finally, they attracted the attention of the government and local gangs, who began to suppress these bandits. That’s why local gangsters can’t be seen in the city.
Since everyone has been sent to hunt down the Black Wind Bandits, they can’t be bothered with me, a hunter who slipped in to sell hides. This is a good time indeed…”
Organizing his thoughts, Lu Yuan got up, paid the bill, packed his things, and left the tavern.
Government, Plum Blossom Gang, Black Wind Gang…
Of these forces, not one was easy to provoke, and each was infinitely troublesome.
Being on the side of their Jianghu conflicts was not something he was interested in.
Now that he had gotten a clear understanding of the situation, he decided to leave the city as quickly as possible for his safety..