Back when Meng Chao had seized his stall, he had looked down on Qin Lu and uttered those exact words. Now, Qin Lu returned them to him verbatim.

Treat others as they have treated you.

For this kick, Qin Lu used eighty percent of his strength. Practicing swordsmanship had greatly increased his physical prowess; with this level of force, the impact directly shattered Meng Chao’s arm.

“Gang Leader!”

“Big Brother!”

“You’re fucking looking for death…”

The four men who had been standing there dumbfounded finally snapped out of it, roaring as they threw punches at Qin Lu. Having long mingled in the streets, the four of them erupted with ample momentum, their movements even carrying a hint of a battlefield formation.

However, they were only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. In Qin Lu’s eyes, their movements seemed to have slowed down, sluggishly coming at him.

Shifting his body slightly to the side, he dodged two fists. Qin Lu grabbed the arm swinging at him and forcefully flung it backward.

The man’s arm uncontrollably swung back, punching his companion behind him squarely in the face and knocking him to the ground. While he was still stunned, Qin Lu kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying.

Thud!

Thud!

The remaining two were easily subdued by Qin Lu using the same method. In less than two breaths, all four were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Qin Lu clapped his hands lightly, his expression calm. Nowadays, he could easily defeat mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

This sudden brawl naturally attracted the attention of nearby cultivators. Many were whispering among themselves.

“Who is that? How did he defeat the White Eyebrow Gang Leader so easily? Isn’t Meng Chao at the seventh layer of Qi Refining?”

“You don’t even know him? That’s the Devouring Python who was selling meat in the market a while back!”

“Right, right! His name is Qin Lu, nickname ‘Big Mouth Qin.’ He sold talismans before, then sold meat. Seems pretty strong!”

“Exactly! I heard he killed over a dozen demon beasts at once! Sold several thousand jin of meat that day!”

Listening to the surrounding discussions, Qin Lu felt a slight twinge of embarrassment. The rumors were getting more and more exaggerated. Over a dozen demon beasts? Utter nonsense.

At this moment, Meng Chao, who had been kicked to the ground, stood up. Clutching his arm with a grimace, he gritted his teeth and said:

“Brother, over such a trivial matter as queuing, was such a heavy hand necessary?”

Seeing Meng Chao’s serious expression, Qin Lu was momentarily taken aback. He thought to himself, Isn’t it normal for me to hit hard?! That’s exactly how you kicked me back then!

But upon second thought, he immediately understood. He himself had held onto the grudge of having his stall seized, brooding over it and waiting for an opportunity to take revenge.

But in Meng Chao’s mind, that day was just ordinary stall business. The kick was just aimed at an insignificant early-stage Qi Refining nobody. Why would he remember it?

So even with Qin Lu standing right in front of him, he didn’t have the slightest recollection. Thinking this, Qin Lu couldn’t help but mock himself inwardly.

After a moment’s consideration, he couldn’t be bothered to bring up that embarrassing past incident. He coldly snapped at Meng Chao:

“Today teaches you how to behave. Remember to keep a low profile from now on! Get lost!”

Meng Chao’s face turned ashen. Not daring to utter a single threat, he clutched his arm and slunk away in disgrace.

Seeing that no further conflict arose between the two, the Wuji Sect disciples who had been watching also turned away, not particularly concerned. Dozens of fights broke out here every day; they couldn’t possibly manage them all.

As long as things didn’t get too out of hand, they usually turned a blind eye. This was also a new change since Li Qingdu took over management of the market district—accountability for fights had become much more relaxed.

As soon as Meng Chao and his men left, cheers erupted from the crowd. It seemed everyone felt such bullies and ruffians deserved to be punished.

“Well done, Fellow Daoist Qin!”

“Brother Python’s strength is indeed formidable!”

“I’ve long disliked that White Eyebrow Gang! Eliminating a scourge for the people!”

Many people flattered Qin Lu, expressing their praise. Qin Lu merely smiled slightly without responding verbally and continued quietly waiting in line.

Not long after, it was Qin Lu’s turn to register.

“Proof of identity.” The Wuji Sect disciple responsible for registration tapped on the table.

Hearing this, Qin Lu took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table. This was an identity certificate he had obtained from the housing manager.

It contained basic personal information like cultivation level, length of residence, appearance, height, and any criminal record—essentially a certificate of no criminal history. The Wuji Sect disciple picked it up and examined it.

Finding no issues, he took up his brush and registered it in the ledger. Then he took out a wooden number plate and handed it to Qin Lu.

“In two days’ time at one quarter past Si hour, the competition will be held ten li outside the north gate of the market district. Remember to arrive on time,” the Wuji Sect disciple instructed.

Looking at the number plate marked with “forty-three,” Qin Lu nodded and then turned to leave. Under the gaze of many cultivators, Qin Lu quickly walked out of the government office building.

Just as he stepped outside the door, he was blocked by a short-statured cultivator who looked somewhat sleazy. The short cultivator smiled and handed over a small booklet without a cover, introducing in a low voice:

“Fellow Daoist, look here. This is our Jishan Store’s specially compiled strength ranking list. If you’re participating in the competition, you must buy one to look over! Know what you’re against!”

“Jishan Store…” Qin Lu frowned slightly, reminded of what Chen Wen had told him that day. “I heard that gambling den changed managers. Didn’t expect them to have quite a business mind—even making these kinds of booklets to sell…”

Qin Lu casually took the booklet and opened to the first page. He saw a long list of names with brief information like cultivation level and sect noted after each name. It really was a strength ranking list for sect disciples.

When Qin Lu tried to flip to the second page, however, the short cultivator reached out to block it, saying with a grin:

“Fellow Daoist, the booklet costs two Spirit Stones. What do you say…”

Seeing this, Qin Lu waved his hand, sending two Spirit Stones flying into the short cultivator’s palm.

“How generous, Fellow Daoist!” the short cultivator exclaimed loudly in praise before cautiously leaning closer and saying, “Fellow Daoist, our shop also offers Spirit Stone betting on arena matches. Are you interested in placing a few wagers for fun?”

“Oh?” Qin Lu raised an eyebrow. “You run betting pools for matches too?”

“Heheh! Of course!” The short, sleazy cultivator kept wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Hmm… I’ll think about it.” After some thought, Qin Lu took the booklet and left.

“Thank you for your patronage, Fellow Daoist! May you achieve immediate victory in your match!” the short cultivator called out pleasantries from behind.

On the road, Qin Lu opened the small booklet and gave it a quick scan. Only then did he notice that the latter part of the booklet detailed the betting rules and thoughtfully included Jishan Store’s specific address.

“Tsk tsk, this new manager of Jishan Store is quite a talent…” Qin Lu mused softly.

He continued flipping pages, casually browsing.

“Huh? This name…” Qin Lu suddenly spotted a familiar name—Wei Zimo.

“Oh right, I remember now. He’s that prodigy youth from Wuji Sect. Last time at the market district entrance, I saw him flying on a sword…”

“So he’s the top favorite to win this competition…”

“Should I go place a couple bets on him, earn a little money?”

Thinking this over, Qin Lu strode forward, heading towards Joyous Lane. He wasn’t planning to go home because he still had a dinner appointment today…