Ill-Gotten Wealth (Part 1)

He sat in front of his stall, brows slightly furrowed, a firm resolve visible in his brown eyes.

Leaving Lin Tong at a loss for words…

“Oh right, there’s one more thing!”

“Since you’ve paid the deposit, then as the shopkeeper, I should naturally give you something in return…”

As he spoke, he took out a sachet from his bundle and handed it to Lin Tong.

“This is a Bai Ze talisman. It wards off evil, so ordinary demons won’t dare approach it. But remember—this charm must not get wet. If it does, it will lose its effect…”

“You just need to keep it on you for now. Until I say it’s safe, don’t take it off…”

Li Miaosheng spoke smoothly, unknowingly carrying a certain presence that made Lin Tong obediently hang it around her neck.

“Then… Miaosheng-ge! Does that mean I’ve already been ta—”

He nodded, then shook his head:

“Don’t be afraid. Trust me. For now, just live as usual—do what you normally do, don’t burden yourself mentally…”

“That thing—I’ll catch it for you!”

…………………

After receiving his assurance, Lin Tong hurriedly left due to some urgent matters.

Before leaving, she handed him a piece of paper—

on it were the crime scene location and her current residence.

After that, he planned to pack up early, pay the uncle for the two bowls of noodles, and begin his investigation.

“The location is Building 29, 17th floor, Pufa Residential Complex?”

Li Miaosheng wandered through the streets, occasionally glancing at the note in his hand. Beside him followed a green-haired loli.

After half an hour of wandering…

his expression gradually turned impatient, and he complained:

“Tch! This note is completely useless to me! I don’t even know the way… what avenues and alleys—I’m a mountain guy, how would I understand all this! Honestly, big cities are just troublesome—mountain paths are better!”

After he said that, Bai Ze beside him stared at him blankly…

“But sigh… if I don’t investigate today, that thing will become a disaster sooner or later. If it’s a fox demon, that’s manageable. But if it’s taken a life, then it could turn into a vengeful spirit…”

Comrade Miaosheng shook his head, sighing continuously…

At this point, it was already 10 PM. The number of people on the streets had decreased as most had gone home.

Yet Li Miaosheng was still wandering around, his deep blue Daoist robe attracting quite a bit of attention…

Including from young girls, elderly folks, and…

some very familiar-looking thugs.

“Brother Long! That’s him!” A group of hooligans gathered at a storefront pointed at Li Miaosheng.

“What? Feiji, you’re saying this skinny cosplayer beat you guys up like that?”

Among them, a tall, burly bald man wearing sunglasses pointed at the protagonist and shouted loudly.

“No, Brother Long! Don’t be fooled by how skinny he looks—he’s tough! I saw him crush my metal baseball bat with my own eyes… and he didn’t even blink!”

“Oh? Really? You saw it yourself?”

“Of course! How would we dare lie to you, Brother Long? You’re one of Young Master Zhao’s trusted men—we wouldn’t dare even if we had ten guts!” said Chicken Bro, his bruised face full of flattery.

His sycophantic tone was obvious to anyone.

“Hahaha! Since you say so, Feiji, then gather the boys tonight—we’ll block him! Anyone who dares hit my brother Feiji—if I don’t break one of his legs tonight, then he won’t know what cruelty means!”

The man called Brother Long removed his sunglasses, revealing a scar over his eye—his presence full of menace.

Meanwhile, on the other side…

Li Miaosheng, completely unaware he was being followed, sneezed:

“Ah… ah-choo!”

{Did I catch a cold from sleeping on that bench…}

“Ugh… so unlucky. If Grandmaster hadn’t kicked me down the mountain, leaving me without even a place to stay—at this hour, I’d already be asleep…”

“What a pity… there are no ‘what ifs’ in life. I wonder how junior sister has been lately…”

…………………

He wandered aimlessly, completely unaware of the group of thugs trailing behind him…

Until he walked into a corner and found himself facing a wall, unsure what to do…

But just as he turned to take a detour, he realized—

more than ten people were already blocking the alley entrance.

Each one looked fierce, staring at him like predators eyeing prey…

It made him feel uneasy.

“Well… could you gentlemen please make way for me? I’m just a passing Daoist and will leave immediately, won’t disturb you…”

The protagonist held Bai Ze’s small hand, lowered his head, and slowly walked forward.

But before he got far—

his face slammed into a hard, muscular chest.

“Ouch! That hurts! Kid, don’t you watch where you’re going? Can’t you see someone standing here?”

A nearly two-meter-tall giant blocked his path, shouting loudly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Big brother, I didn’t notice for a moment—I’ll just…”

Seeing Li Miaosheng flustered, the man instead laughed:

“It’s fine, it’s fine~ not noticing is okay! Just pay medical fees…”

“Ah?! Medical—”

“That’s right! Medical fees…”

“Aiya, what should we do? The skin on my chest got scraped off—it hurts so much! How about this—just give me fifty thousand yuan, and we’ll call it even… sounds like a fair deal, right?”

After saying that, Li Miaosheng froze on the spot, his mind trying to process what was happening…

“Hey, hey! Are you listening, little Daoist?”

Brother Long pushed his shoulder, his expression gradually turning mocking…

“Hahaha! Is this guy so scared he can’t even move? Feiji, look at this—getting beaten by someone like him… you didn’t even pull out a knife and—”

At that moment, Li Miaosheng cleared his throat:

“Ahem! Sorry, I don’t quite understand what you’re implying, but extortion is not good. According to the law…”

“Oh ho~!”

The moment he mentioned the word ‘law’, Brother Long’s expression became increasingly exaggerated…

“Listen to that, everyone! A real talent! A future pillar of society! He actually dares to talk to me about the law! It’s been years since anyone dared mention the law to me—I’m so scared~~”

The scene erupted in laughter, the thugs jeering:

“Talking about the law to Brother Long? He must be crazy! Hahaha!”

Then Brother Long leaned close to his ear and said viciously:

“Do you know… in this city of Guanyang—I am the law?”