In the dim fish market, the awning boat still swayed in the water. Amidst a pile of miscellaneous objects, the young man's gaze was like a fierce beast's after a hunt, searching for possible witnesses to this scene.

In the room on the second floor of the shop, Chen Shuangran's sudden retreat almost caused her to fall to the ground. The middle-aged "teacher" reached out from behind, supporting her.

"...Did he see us?" Chen Shuangran asked subconsciously.

The middle-aged man took a step forward.

"This man has a sincere dedication to martial arts and keen perception." Through the few gaps in the windows, at this moment, the young man's body had already turned around behind the courtyard wall several yards away, tilting his head slightly, staring straight at them. The middle-aged man stood behind the window, seemingly meeting that gaze. "But rest assured, he won't act recklessly..."

Qian Dingzhong said, "If he comes over, he'll be the one to die."

The fight that had just taken place on the riverbank was frighteningly ferocious, but fundamentally, it was because of the stark contrast with the earlier fight at the main entrance of Silver Bridge Ward. Originally, everyone thought the two were evenly matched, but in the second fight, almost as soon as they exchanged blows, the older and supposedly stronger one was suppressed head-on, unable to put up any resistance. For those who had gradually become familiar with Ni Po's skills, this scene on Fuzhou's underworld seemed bizarre and perplexing.

But if one took a step back to think about it, although Ni Po's martial arts could be considered first-rate in the underworld, it wasn't as if he were invincible. Just in this moment, in this room, Qian Dingzhong, the "Wenhou Sword," was confident he could suppress him in a fight, not to mention the middle-aged man who had come with Chen Shuangran. His insight and skill in martial arts seemed even more unfathomable. If the ferocious young man really attacked, they wouldn't be too nervous.

It was just that they didn't know how to respond for a moment, and there was a brief silence in the room.

Pu Xinguai said to Chen Shuangran, "Aren't you going to save Ni Po?"

Chen Shuangran glanced at him without speaking.

The middle-aged man next to her spoke up: "The way of the assassin excels in trading lives for missions, using weakness to overcome strength. If Brother Qian and I go together, we might have a ninety percent chance of success."

Qian Dingzhong chuckled coldly, "I still don't know your name, sir."

The middle-aged man didn't answer. Pu Xinguai said, "If this kid is an agent of the government, and he catches Ni Po, you'll be in big trouble."

"Wouldn't that be perfect...to probe his background..." In the dimness, Chen Shuangran smiled, "...As for your government, putting two lecherous agents here...running a stall?"

The night outside was chaotic, and the room was messy and stifling. The murderous young man was still staring from afar, and the few words exchanged in the darkness were also quite rapid. Ni Po failed to show off and was instead captured. Rescuing him at this point was no longer realistic, but if he was only injured and not dead, an immediate attack could possibly force the little pervert to kill Ni Po, eliminating any future trouble.

But at this moment, several constables who had arrived earlier were searching this way from the front market of Silver Bridge Ward. Attacking at this time and fighting with this small, strangely skilled yet fierce pervert, even if they won, would only force the other party to deal a fatal blow to Ni Po. And if things didn't go smoothly and the other party escalated the battle, disregarding everything to hold up the people on the second floor, Ni Po's life or death would be a small matter. Pu Xinguai and Chen Shuangran were both here at the same time. Once they were entangled, the little pervert killing a few people—or even if he had raped a few men and women earlier—would not only be innocent, but the court would also have to award him a prize.

As for a deeper level, Ni Po was indeed lost, and Chen Shuangran had suffered a setback, but Pu Xinguai understood that Little Blackie had already begun to covet the pair of brothers from Silver Bridge Ward.

And why shouldn't he? The day before yesterday, after being persuaded by Yu Hezhang, he had still been hesitant when he came today, but at this moment, he was eager for Chen Shuangran to send someone else out to fight with this four-foot-tall kid. Once the two sides started fighting in earnest, offending the young man in front of him—and even the more unfathomable brother in the front market of Silver Bridge Ward—to the point of no return, then he would come forward with Yu Hezhang and others, and the possibility of cooperation between the two sides would greatly increase.

Let the ill-mannered Chen Shuangran take the lead, while he consolidated popular support from behind – that was how his overt scheme would work.

Of course, whether due to her naturally cold nature or because she understood the intention of his words in an instant, Chen Shuangran didn't take the bait.

In this moment of scheming and fighting, the middle-aged man tapped lightly on the window lattice with a finger and said, "He's gone."

Pu Xinguai pushed open the window, and in the field of vision between the gaps, the murderous young man boarded the awning boat, picked up the long oar, and pushed the small boat away from the shore, rowing towards the darkness of the river. On the other side of the field of vision, the constables were approaching. He said, "It's time to go."

The middle-aged "teacher" also nodded. Chen Shuangran turned around, and the group of five passed through the side door on the second floor, leaving along the prepared passage. After crossing the stone bridge entering Silver Bridge Ward, they split into two directions. Chen Shuangran said to the man beside her who was dressed as a coachman, "Uncle Nian, please stay a little longer and see how things progress... If the hounds are gone, go to Fish King's place and see if there's anything we can help with. Also... if you encounter that young man, don't cause any unpleasantness..."

There were three of them on her side, so she could leave one behind to observe the situation. After giving her instructions, she gave Pu Xinguai a provocative wink. Pu Xinguai shook his head, not wanting to argue with a madwoman. He had seen enough accidents tonight, and there were more things he wanted to think about. The background of the Long and Sun brothers in Silver Bridge Ward was one thing, and why Chen Shuangran came so coincidentally, whether it was really due to Han Yuan's connection, or whether there was a problem on his own side... This was something he had to be especially wary of...

Chen Shuangran and Pu Xinguai disappeared into the night on the streets in different directions.

...

It was only Xu hour, and the bustle at the entrance of Silver Bridge Ward hadn't subsided. Some constables, medical officers, and onlookers were coming one after another. Several courtesans from the brothels and ladies from nearby families were among them.

Bringing Pink Butterfly and a few other outgoing girls, Qu Longjun went around compensating the shopkeepers who had suffered losses due to the fighting. Unlike the loud and domineering "Sun Wukong" who had no psychological barriers to bullying men and women, the young Master Long in front of them was gentle and elegant, and many people liked him. They also sympathized with the misfortune of their brothers being provoked by a fierce thug. Of course, everyone now understood that this "Young Hero Long" had an extraordinary martial arts background. His gentleness was his attitude, and ordinary people didn't dare to put on airs in front of him.

An arriving constable tried to get him to answer questions immediately, but was frightened by his wave of the hand and the words "I'll talk about it later." Afterwards, he accompanied him to pay the shopkeepers while roughly understanding the ins and outs of the matter. After a while, a senior constable came over and had a conversation with "Long Aotian" with some Jianghu [martial arts world] tactics in front of Aunt Pang's rice cake stall.

In the past, they probably wouldn't have been so friendly.

But now the situation in Fuzhou was complicated. The court and the rebel underworld were on the verge of conflict. Ni Po had just killed the chief constable Song Xiaoming, and this "Long Aotian's" brother could even fight him to a standstill in the street. The yamen [government] officials didn't dare to neglect such a master. Moreover, everyone in the street clearly saw that Ni Po had come to start a fight, and then Sun had stopped him, while Long had never laid a hand on anyone from beginning to end.

Being able to possess extremely high martial arts skills while having no blemishes, the yamen could certainly consider taking people back for questioning, but if the other party really went berserk and the two sides fought, both the underworld and the officialdom would probably think that these constables were impolite, and they would have to come over to apologize later.

They could only inquire according to the Jianghu [martial arts world] rules.

And the other party calmly responded, but didn't actually reveal too much. This "Young Master Long" said that he and his brother had come to Fuzhou to practice and travel. Seeing that this place was well-managed under the rule of the court, the two of them hadn't temporarily planned to cause much trouble. But the trees wanted to be quiet, but the wind wouldn't stop. They had indeed provoked some enemies outside and encountered some underworld gangs trying to recruit them. But this kind of problem was similar to "It's not my fault that I'm handsome." Occasionally, some reckless underworld people came looking for trouble, and he was also very annoyed.

Like today's Ni Po, he had just caused a big trouble outside and immediately came to his brother's side to yell and show off. This was definitely not his idea, and he couldn't be considered a friend. He had indeed heard rumors that these guys were plotting something, but after today's events, they had made a big enemy. He and his brother were actually quite angry...

This was how he expressed himself. If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely not have explained enough. They would probably have to inquire about how they had provoked their enemies outside, who had tried to recruit them, and which of the so-called reckless underworld people they were. But as underworld masters, they had already shown their sincerity. The constable thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense. If the two sides were really friends, then they wouldn't have appeared here after killing Song Xiaoming. And since the two sides were still not a group, the yamen would probably have to send a chief constable-level figure to show goodwill to these two brothers. More things that might offend them, he would have to talk about later.

He also inquired about "Young Master Sun's" whereabouts after the fight.

"Someone crazy suddenly runs into your house, fights and breaks things, what would you do?" Long Aotian shook his head and smiled helplessly, "...Then of course you'd be very angry, right? As for my brother, I think he probably went somewhere to sulk. The fight just now was fierce, and there were losses in every house on the street. I didn't pay attention. But don't worry, my brother is kind by nature. Even if he occasionally hits a little hard and hurts someone, it must be someone else's fault. When he comes back later, you'll know as soon as you ask him."

"It's all...someone else's fault..." The constable recorded the key phrases, wanting to laugh a little, but looking up at the serious and cold expression of the young man opposite him, he choked back the ridicule and questions.

"This...of course, of course."

...

The questioning in the front ward had been going on for some time, and the question of how to treat these master brothers was gradually being thrown to the higher-ups in the yamen. More constables entered the back section of the fish market for a search.

It wasn't difficult to conclude that the other party had already left. These were professional thugs backed by many large families and aiming to rebel. They would have made preparations for retreat after appearing in public and shouting their names, so it was natural. The constables hadn't been able to catch the other party in the first place, so there was no use in casting a net now.

After searching the fish market, which was in a complex situation but didn't have many people, several old constables even went to cause some trouble for Fish King Gao Xingzong, but they didn't arrest anyone in the end.

Although according to Jianghu [martial arts world] logic, things were likely related to him, there was no evidence or witnesses right now. Ni Po had definitely escaped, and arresting him directly would only lead to a stubborn refusal to answer anything. Fish King was a local, and he had a clan here. Once he mobilized his clansmen to make trouble at the yamen, this kind of case, which was only based on logic and hadn't captured anything, would make Fuzhou even more passive.

Of course, the government had its own methods in this regard. Since they knew it was likely him, they would simply conduct a major cleanup of his fish market business once a day and re-examine all the unresolved cases and clues from the past, nailing down his disciples and grandchildren one by one. As long as there was some evidence and justification, the clan wouldn't make trouble in the streets, but would only complain that Fish King had offended the government for the sake of outsiders and dragged everyone down.

In the night, the lights flickered in the distance, and the clues to everything were proceeding in an orderly manner amidst the chaos and dimness. The constables didn't yet know that Ni Po had had an accident, but they had also investigated the blood and fighting traces on the riverbank in the darkness. On the roof on the edge of the fish market, Deng Nian, the old pirate left behind by Chen Shuangran, quietly observed everything inside and outside Silver Bridge Ward.

His identity was clean. Even if he was walking on the road, there would be no problem if he was questioned by the constables. He was also an old member of Chen's bandit gang and had always been trusted by Chen Shuangran. When more constables came, he didn't approach the ward. Only after the search intensity in the second half gradually weakened did he enter here, preparing to go to Fish King's place to see how he was doing.

Recalling everything that had happened on the riverbank earlier, he knew that if Fish King was willing to help, it might be possible to find out where the awning boat that had been taken away by the young man had gone. And if he found out, he might be able to find traces of Ni Po when the young man left, or even save him. It was just that the constables might not have all left, and this matter could only be handled as the opportunity arose, doing his best.

It was already Hai hour, and just as he was about to go downstairs, he could see an awning boat sliding towards the shore in the darkness in the distance.

The young man who had killed Ni Po in an instant...was back...

Deng Nian didn't dare to observe any further. The nature of sea bandits was similar to that of assassins. They were patient, perceptive, knew how to find opportunities, and were good at using weakness to overcome strength in fierce battles. He knew that he might not be this young man's opponent, but he wasn't too afraid.

Of course, there was no need to deal with him too much right now.

He quietly went downstairs, stepping on the shadows of the fish market streets, he silently passed through this long street. When he reached the road near Fish King's residence, he lowered his head and walked past with casual steps.

He didn't notice the constables right away, but he suddenly froze when he approached the dried goods shop near Fish King's place.

On the dimly lit street with almost no light, the young man named Sun Wukong, wearing a gray suit stained with blood in many places—just casually wiped off with water—was silently patrolling outside Fish King's building, slowly surveying everything up and down in the darkness, reminding Deng Nian of a giant shark patrolling in the black sea.

The other party turned his head, and his pure gaze looked at Deng Nian.

Deng Nian would naturally not be deceived by all this. He looked at the other party, then walked past on this street with his usual steps, naturally.

The noise of the night market came from afar, and the lights were dazzling, but on this long street at this moment, Deng Nian could only hear the huge silence reflected from the sound of his own heartbeat.

Since he was going in the direction of the night market, the young man didn't suspect him.

He walked a long way like this, slightly turning his head, and saw the young man's figure walking into the dark dried goods shop of Fish King Gao Xingzong, which was only lit by a bean-sized lamp.

Deng Nian turned around.

He knew what the other party was going to do...

Half an hour ago, the scene of the young man's bloodthirsty gaze cast from the dim riverbank now appeared in his mind again.

So fierce...

So fierce...

...

Only the last plank of the dried goods shop's door hadn't been put up yet.

The goods and furniture in the shop were crowded and messy, and the dim oil lamp burned quietly in the darkness, as if it could be extinguished at any time due to the stuffiness of the room.

The figure entering the shop silently surveyed everything inside.

In the darkness at the back of the shop, Fish King also saw him. He slowly got up and walked over, opening his mouth as normally as possible, "It's closing time." He spoke in the local dialect of Fujian.

In the darkness behind him, there were still several figures sitting silently. These were the disciples and grandchildren who had been mobilized by Fish King when the constables had come earlier.

The figure entering the shop didn't answer.

In his hand, he held a piece of dried cuttlefish—bang.

Bang...

Bang...

He tapped lightly and slowly on the wooden frames in the shop.

After that, a scrutinizing gaze appeared in front of Fish King.

"I saw it..."

In the dimness, the young man slowly opened his mouth.

"Just now...you...were...peeking..."

A silent wind swept through the hall in an instant.

The lights in the shop flickered, almost going out.