Chapter 42: Li Lifang’s Sabotage / The Demon Lord’s Days as a City Enforcer

The next few days flew by. Xiao Yifeng’s injuries healed at a miraculous speed.

Soon, the deadline to hand in their mission arrived. Aside from Xiao Yifeng’s group, who had completed their task with ease, the other teams looked utterly exhausted, dragging their feet like the walking dead.

Xiao Yifeng and his partner had gained good fortune out of misfortune with the Heavenly Luo Crocodile, saving themselves a tremendous amount of effort.

With the first round of missions complete, a new cycle began immediately. Perhaps as compensation for the danger they had faced, the assignment they received this time was to guard the trading market located just outside the mountain gate.

It was considered a cushy job, a “fat assignment” that delighted everyone in the squad.

This market was a joint venture maintained by the Wentian Sect and its neighbor, the Green Mountain Sect. The Green Mountain Sect was a minor power attached to the Wentian Sect, with a Sect Leader who was merely at the Body Integration stage.

The market served as a hub for nearby Cultivators to exchange Supplies. It allowed disciples from both sects, as well as rogue practitioners, to trade freely.

For the Wentian Sect, this was also an observation post. Disciples frequently visited to buy, sell, and trade rare items. Regular auctions drew significant crowds, ensuring a constant stream of foot traffic.

The task for Xiao Yifeng and his team was simple: patrol the market and mediate disputes. Since this territory operated under the banner of the mighty Wentian Sect, few dared to cause real trouble. On paper, it was an easy gig.

Given the market’s immense size, a single squad couldn’t cover everything. Multiple teams coordinated to manage different sectors.

For this rotation, their squad was divided into pairs again. Tang Pei assigned Xiao Yifeng and Li Lifang to one group, Ling Sisi and Lin Mi to another, while he took Zhu Ming under his own wing.

Ling Sisi was clearly reluctant to be separated from Xiao Yifeng, but the grouping was balanced in terms of combat strength. Since she was paired with her close friend Lin Mi, she swallowed her complaints.

She merely looked at Xiao Yifeng with concern, worried that he might clash with the petty Li Lifang. Her lingering gaze prompted Lin Mi to whisper something in her ear, causing Ling Sisi’s pretty face to burn crimson.

“Alright. For the next three months, these will be your permanent patrol partners. Go report to the section supervisor. Same routine as before: gather here every morning,” Tang Pei ordered succinctly.

Xiao Yifeng and Li Lifang were assigned to maintain order on two specific streets. They walked to the designated meeting point to report for duty. The supervisor in charge of security for this sector was a lean, sharp-faced middle-aged man.

When they arrived, several other enforcers were already waiting.

Once everyone had gathered, the lean man spoke up. “Everyone’s here? Good. I am the Supervisor for this sector. I will now assign your patrol routes. Your main duty is to maintain order. No one is allowed to leave their post without permission.”

Seeing the nonchalant expressions on the disciples’ faces, he paused, then raised his voice.

“Listen well! This assignment carries an attendance score. If your score is unsatisfactory, it will impact your final evaluation in the Enforcement Team. If you fail to complete the training camp because of this, don’t come crying to me!”

The threat worked; the disciples’ expressions instantly turned serious. Satisfied, the Supervisor began assigning streets to the pairs.

The main thoroughfares were assigned to groups of four or more. Smaller streets were given to pairs. Soon, only Xiao Yifeng and Li Lifang remained standing there.

The Supervisor gave Xiao Yifeng a look filled with hidden meaning. “You are Xiao Yifeng?”

“Yes,” Xiao Yifeng replied.

“Hmph. Due to a shortage of manpower, you will be responsible for the safety and order of the Miscellaneous Goods Alley. You will handle it alone. Go!”

Xiao Yifeng was taken aback. “I’m responsible for an entire street by myself? What about him?” He pointed at Li Lifang.

“I said you’re alone, so you’re alone! Cut the nonsense,” the Supervisor snapped impatiently. “We have other arrangements for him. He is also responsible for a street by himself.”

Hearing that Li Lifang was also working solo, Xiao Yifeng felt slightly more balanced psychologically.

The Supervisor tossed a token to Xiao Yifeng—the standard Market Patrol Token—and shooed him away like a fly.

However, the moment Xiao Yifeng turned the corner, the Supervisor’s face underwent a miraculous transformation. The harsh scowl melted into a sycophantic grin as he turned to Li Lifang.

“You must be Nephew Li? Truly a fine figure of a man, just like Deacon Li described. He instructed us to take good care of you.”

“Haha, Uncle Supervisor, you’re too kind. I’ll definitely put in a good word for you with my uncle later,” Li Lifang laughed. His buckteeth protruded prominently, giving his smile an exceptionally sleazy quality.

“That would be excellent! I thank you in advance!” The Supervisor bowed, his manner fawning and servile.

When Xiao Yifeng arrived at the so-called “Miscellaneous Goods Alley,” he stood frozen in utter astonishment.

This wasn’t a street. It was a chaotic slum of commerce.

After asking a vendor, he learned the truth: this alley had the highest foot traffic in the entire market. It was a place where Rogue Cultivators gathered to sell junk, scraps, and low-tier materials.

Because the goods were cheap, the crowd was massive and mixed—dragons and snakes intermingled in the dust.

Anyone with money avoided this place like the plague. Only those with empty pockets and tight budgets frequented the Miscellaneous Goods Alley.

Consequently, disputes were as common as breathing here. Managing this chaos was notoriously difficult. Normally, a full squad of six Enforcement Team members patrolled this alley.

This time, the “Enforcement Squad” consisted of exactly one person: Xiao Yifeng.

His mission was to ensure vendors set up their stalls in the designated spots. However, this was a classic case of too many monks and too little gruel. The official spots were few, but the vendors were legion.

Stalls spilled out onto the main path, blocking traffic in a haphazard mess.

In areas meant for two stalls, three people would squeeze in. Meanwhile, physically imposing Cultivators would hog two or three spots for themselves, bullying the smaller vendors.

To make matters worse, almost every Rogue Cultivator setting up a stall here had a higher cultivation base than Xiao Yifeng. He was merely at the Qi Refining stage, while many of these street-rats were veterans.

Xiao Yifeng had no choice but to wave his token and try to persuade them one by one.

“Move back! You’re blocking the path!”

“Sir, you can’t take up three spots!”

It was useless. The token meant nothing to them. Most of the people here were essentially hooligan Cultivators who recognized that Xiao Yifeng was just a green recruit.

The training camp had strict performance indicators. If he failed to maintain order, he would be flunked and forced to repeat the training.

After a full day of exhausting mental and physical labor, Xiao Yifeng was practically panting with fatigue. Yet, the street looked exactly the same. He had accomplished nothing.

He had even encountered a few vendors with foul tempers who openly pushed and shoved him when he tried to enforce the rules.

Bullying the weak… I’m the enforcer, yet I’m the one being bullied!

During the meal break, Xiao Yifeng spotted the lean Supervisor following behind Li Lifang, bowing and scraping like a loyal dog.

The realization hit him instantly: I’ve been set up.

Furious, Xiao Yifeng went to find the other managers in the market to file a complaint.

He was met with stone-faced bureaucracy. “This is not a violation,” they told him. “The specific allocation of personnel is at the discretion of the sector Supervisor. Assigning you to a street alone during a manpower shortage is standard procedure.”

It was a perfect bureaucratic trap. Yes, assigning one person to a job for six was excessive, but it wasn’t technically illegal.

Xiao Yifeng had no avenue for complaint.

He returned to the streets, frustrated and sullen. After some indirect inquiries, asking around with careful hints, he finally uncovered the truth behind Li Lifang’s special treatment.

One of the Deacons in charge of this market was Li Lifang’s uncle.

So the buck-toothed bastard has a backer here. No wonder he’s so arrogant.

Li Lifang’s uncle wasn’t a high-level expert; he was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. However, he belonged to the Green Mountain Sect.

Since the market was a joint venture, the Wentian Sect had to show “face” to their smaller partner. They couldn’t be seen bullying the Green Mountain Sect’s representatives.

It turned out Li Lifang had used this uncle’s recommendation to join the Wentian Sect as an ordinary disciple in the first place.

Although the uncle was a minor figure in the grand scheme of things, none of the other managers were willing to offend a partner sect just to help a lowly disciple like Xiao Yifeng.