Young Master of the Black Tiger Gang

Chu Liang looked at Lin Bei.

Lin Bei looked back at Chu Liang.

The silence stretched for a while, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Only then did Lin Bei scratch his head sheepishly and say, “Right, I’m mainly here to investigate the strange case.”

Well then.

At least you still remember.

Chu Liang grumbled inwardly.

Then Lin Bei went on, “There are indeed many rumors about the haunting at Nanshan Academy. They say it all started with a girl named Situ Yan. She was bullied at the school and ended up drowning herself in the lake behind the hill.”

“Situ Yan…” Chu Liang repeated the name softly.

“Then, seven days later, two more students were found dead in the lake, both in gruesome and terrifying conditions,” Lin Bei continued. “Now, everyone at the academy is saying that Situ Yan’s ghost has turned into a vengeful spirit, coming back to take revenge on those who once tormented her.”

“If it’s really a vengeful spirit, then the matter should be easy to resolve,” Chu Liang nodded. “But why is Li Jue so terrified? Did he used to bully Situ Yan too?”

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Jue and his father’s reactions were a bit out of the ordinary.

“Judging by how withdrawn he is, could he even bully anyone?” Lin Bei curled his lip. “He’s more likely to be the one getting bullied.”

Before they finished talking, they saw Li Jue being cornered up ahead.

His assailants were none other than that youth, Yan Xiaohu, and his two so-called “pages.”

They were called pages, but in reality, both were burly men over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and muscular builds—more like thugs than servants, with fierce, brutish faces.

Pushed into a corner, Li Jue didn’t say much. He simply pulled a silver ingot from his pocket—a hefty sum at a glance. Yan Xiaohu took the silver, weighed it in his palm, then left with his two men, grinning.

It seemed to confirm Lin Bei’s words.

“Should we go help?” Lin Bei wanted to rise and intervene.

“No need,” Chu Liang shook his head gently, continuing to eat as if nothing had happened.

“You’re just going to let that go?” Lin Bei grumbled.

“Li Jue handed over the money so skillfully—it’s probably not his first day being bullied,” Chu Liang replied. “If we step in rashly now, we might expose our connection to him. Besides, we don’t know much about Yan Xiaohu yet. Let’s not make trouble before we understand the situation, so we don’t jeopardize the real task.”

“Fine.” Lin Bei turned back around. “They better not mess with me… or else…”

Smack.

Before he could finish, someone struck the back of his head hard, and several dark figures closed in.

It was Yan Xiaohu and his two hulking “pages.”

“New here?” The burly youth clapped Chu Liang on the shoulder. “It’s your first day—you probably don’t know Nanshan Academy’s rules, do you?”

“What rules?” Chu Liang asked.

“To stay safe here, you have to pay a monthly fee of five taels of silver. My young master will protect you,” one of the burly men explained.

“Five taels?” Lin Bei lifted his chin. “Why don’t you just rob us?”

Though they didn’t use much silver or gold at their immortal sect, they knew that five taels was enough to support an ordinary family for months—a sizable sum.

Even though most students at Nanshan Academy came from wealthy families, this was truly an outrageous demand.

“Not happy with that?” The other man smacked Lin Bei on the back of the head again.

“I’ll—” Lin Bei was about to flare up.

“Hey—” Chu Liang quickly raised a hand to calm him, then smiled and produced a ten-tael silver ingot, handing it to Yan Xiaohu. “Since it’s the rule, of course I’ll follow it. Here’s two months’ fee—please look after us, Brother Xiaohu.”

“Well, you’re a sensible one,” Yan Xiaohu grinned, pocketing the silver. “Don’t worry—from now on, you’re my brother at Nanshan Academy. Mention my name, and you’ll walk wherever you please.”

“Brother Xiaohu—so impressive,” Chu Liang flattered him, then asked, “By the way, outside the academy, can you also protect us in Yanjiao City?”

“Don’t worry about that…” The burly man behind him chimed in, “Our young master is the heir of the Black Tiger Gang. Ask around—our gang is under the Whale Gang’s banner. You get what I mean? With our young master backing you, you can do as you please in all of Yanjiao City.”

“So you’re the heir to the Black Tiger Gang. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner.” Chu Liang acted as though he’d long heard the name.

With a few words, he had Yan Xiaohu beaming as he left with his men.

After they’d gone, Lin Bei rubbed the back of his head and muttered darkly, “Those guys may have some martial cultivation, but at best they’re only at the Body Tempering stage. I could clean them up in a couple of moves—why didn’t you let me handle it?”

“We don’t know the full situation yet—no need to provoke trouble. The Black Tiger Gang seems like a local power, and if we actually got the Whale Gang involved, our mission would get tricky,” Chu Liang advised. “Let’s get a clear picture first before making any moves.”

“Fine. We haven’t even collected our reward for this job, and we’re already ten taels down…” Lin Bei was still a bit resentful.

“We’ll just ask Master Li to reimburse us,” Chu Liang chuckled.

The Whale Gang, also known as the Four Seas Whale Gang, was one of the Ten Dominions, and the only one among the Nine Heavens and Ten Dominions to be a gang rather than a sect—yet it stood equal to the great immortal sects, which spoke volumes of its power.

Its members were scattered across the seas, numbering in the tens of thousands, controlling shipping, docks, and countless businesses—a true behemoth.

If the Black Tiger Gang was truly connected to the Whale Gang, it was little wonder Yan Xiaohu acted with such arrogance.

However.

After returning to the classroom, Chu Liang went over to Li Jue and quietly asked, “Are you alright? Do you need our help with Yan Xiaohu?”

“No need,” Li Jue shook his head softly, replying in a low voice, “I’m used to it…and besides, he won’t live long anyway.”

Chu Liang was about to turn away when he heard this last comment, and paused, curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing…” Li Jue quickly shook his head and fell silent.

But Chu Liang’s suspicions only grew.

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully.

When school let out, the two of them followed Li Jue from a distance, heading down the mountain toward Yanjiao City.

Lin Bei reported on what he’d learned. “That Black Tiger Gang—they say they’re under the Whale Gang, but it’s probably just in name. The Whale Gang never actually gets involved in their affairs.”

“They’re the biggest gang in Yanjiao City, with maybe a few dozen martial artists, most of them first stage. There are a few second-stage hall masters, and only the boss is a third-stage fighter.”

Chu Liang nodded quietly.

For a place like Yanjiao City, a group like that was enough to throw their weight around.

After all, a local gang’s standing fighters were different from hired muscle. Master Li could pay a fortune to bring in a Spirit Intent realm expert for a few days, but couldn’t afford to keep one at home long-term. Besides, disciples from Mount Shu would only act out of justice, dealing with demons or spirits—they wouldn’t help with anything else.

A gang that could maintain dozens of fighters ready to move at a word, with a third-stage expert holding the fort, was no small force.

But nothing more than that.

Once he had a grasp of the situation, Chu Liang looked around and soon spotted Yan Xiaohu just leaving the academy.

“Brother Xiaohu.” Chu Liang, with Lin Bei in tow, walked over with a smile.

“Little Chu, what’s up?” Yan Xiaohu now regarded Chu Liang as a smart fellow, the sort he’d happily take under his wing.

“You told me earlier to ask around about the Black Tiger Gang. I did,” Chu Liang replied with a smile.

“Oh? So what now?” Yan Xiaohu thought his smile was a bit odd.

Chu Liang said, “So now, I’m here to take my money back.”