“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

“Cut him down for me!”

“You’re seeking death!”

“……”

The ferocious roar of battle cries startled the loose cultivators chopping wood nearby, causing them all to look up. In the distance, out in the wilderness, twenty or so figures were locked in a vicious melee.

Small flying swords danced rapidly through the air, magical instruments clashed in bursts of multicolored light, and a barrage of combat talismans detonated in a chaotic cacophony.

It was a scene of utter bedlam.

Seeing this, the five or six woodcutters immediately stopped their work. By tacit agreement, they retreated from the combat zone and huddled together.

Qin Lu was no exception; he quickly walked over to join the group.

Once gathered, their panic subsided considerably, and they began to discuss the battle unfolding several hundred meters away.

“Tsk tsk. That’s the White Eyebrow Gang and the Fierce Tiger Gang, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, it’s them. They’ve been causing quite a stir lately!”

“Their feud isn’t new. I just don’t know why they’re fighting today.”

“I heard it’s about the charcoal business. In weather like this, whoever controls the charcoal makes a fortune…”

“……”

The cultivators chattered on. Qin Lu listened for a while and grasped the gist of the situation.

Both the White Eyebrow Gang and the Fierce Tiger Gang were organizations originally formed by low-level loose cultivators. Initially, they were established so people could huddle together for warmth and cooperate in the market district—similar to the neighborhood committees of his previous life.

But as time passed, their nature warped.

Under the direction of their leaders, they began seizing businesses, grabbing territory, engaging in large-scale brawls, and oppressing other loose cultivators. They had evolved into gangs with a sinister, criminal nature.

Today, it seemed that the competition for the charcoal business in the market district had spilled over, leading the two gangs to gather their men for a military operation in the wilderness.

“Hey, hey! Look over there! It’s ‘Three Heroes Battling Lu Bu’!” one loose cultivator suddenly pointed into the distance, joking.

Hearing the familiar idiom, Qin Lu’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly followed the finger’s direction. “Where? Where?!”

“Over there! Isn’t that the boss of the Fierce Tiger Gang acting like Lu Bu?” The cultivator pointed again.

When Qin Lu saw the scene clearly, dark lines virtually appeared on his forehead.

It was clearly three women fighting against one man.

What the guy called “Three Heroes Battle Lu Bu” was actually “Three Women Battle Lu Bu.”

Qin Lu: “……”

The group chatted and laughed, but on the distant battlefield, blood flowed and screams of agony rang out ceaselessly.

Qin Lu observed silently. After months of experience, he had grown much more accustomed to such violence. As he watched, he spotted a familiar face.

The man was around thirty years old with a fierce, vicious expression. He was brandishing a long saber, fighting ferociously against two opponents.

“It’s him…”

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Qin Lu’s eyes.

Back when Qin Lu first went to set up a stall at the market, this was the man who had kicked him aside and stolen his spot! Qin Lu had memorized his face and sworn an oath: Do not bully a poor man who has reached middle age.

He hadn’t expected to see him here.

Seeing this person, Qin Lu quickly asked the cultivator beside him, “Fellow Daoist, who is that person? The one fighting one-against-two.”

“Oh, that’s Meng Chao, the boss of the White Eyebrow Gang,” the loose cultivator replied casually.

“Meng Chao…” Qin Lu murmured, committing the name to memory. He asked curiously, “But why is it called the White Eyebrow Gang? Meng Chao’s eyebrows aren’t white.”

“That was his brother’s nickname. After ‘White Eyebrow’ died, Meng Chao took over his position.”

Qin Lu nodded slightly and was about to ask more when a warning voice cut in.

“Hey, looks like the Fierce Tiger Gang is about to lose. Everyone, time to make ourselves scarce…”

Qin Lu focused his gaze. The situation on the field had shifted.

The Fierce Tiger Gang was retreating step by step. Many cultivators, seeing the tide turn, had already deserted. It seemed the battle was nearing its end.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

The woodcutters watching the show knew better than to stick around. They grabbed their firewood and took off running. After glancing back a couple more times, Qin Lu also felt it wasn’t safe to linger. He hurriedly ran off with several others.

It was best not to get involved in such matters.

With the 【Soft Wind Technique】 activated, Qin Lu’s speed far surpassed that of the other loose cultivators. In no time, he overtook them one by one.

“Fellow Daoist! No need to be so scared! They haven’t reached us yet!”

“Hahaha! This kid even used a 【Swift Step Talisman】!”

“He didn’t even take his firewood! Hahaha! Truly as timid as a mouse!”

Teasing laughter rang out behind him.

Qin Lu couldn’t be bothered to explain. He sprinted toward the market district.

……

All along the way back, he didn’t stop.

Upon arriving at his doorstep, Qin Lu found a tall cultivator in blue robes standing before his door.

A Wuji Sect cultivator!

This style of blue, waist-tied sect robe could only be worn by Wuji Sect disciples within the market district. Qin Lu looked closely and recognized the area’s manager.

Zhao Yan.

“Manager Zhao! What brings you here today?” Qin Lu greeted him with a smile.

Zhao Yan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a slight smile on his lips. “Fellow Daoist Qin! Today is rent payment day.”

Qin Lu slapped his forehead in annoyance. “Look at my memory! I almost forgot about this.”

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, took fifteen Spirit Stones from his 【Storage Bag】, and handed them to Zhao Yan.

Ever since his talisman drawing business had stabilized, Qin Lu didn’t worry much about rent. He even wanted to move to Willow Street. That was the city center, where members of the five major forces usually lived.

It was a truly affluent district. Although rent was considerably higher, the advantage lay in its safety.

Zhao Yan accepted the Spirit Stones but didn’t leave. Instead, he smiled while looking at Qin Lu.

“Hmm… Manager Zhao? Is there something else?” Qin Lu asked cautiously.

“It’s like this: my sect uncle said that from now on, market district rent will be collected quarterly instead of monthly. So, Fellow Daoist Qin still owes two months’ rent,” Zhao Yan said with an insincere smile.

“So there’s such a matter…” Seeing Zhao Yan’s strange behavior, Qin Lu felt uneasy.

However, before he could overthink it, he flicked his wrist again. He took out thirty-two Spirit Stones instead.

“Yes, yes… Sorry for troubling Manager Zhao to make this trip,” Qin Lu said, forcing a smile.

“No trouble at all!”

Zhao Yan glanced at the extra two Spirit Stones, then very naturally put the entire pile away. He exchanged a few pleasantries before turning around and striding away.