C9 Get Involved in the Storm.

"Young Master Chen, from this day forward, my worthless life is yours!" After a pause, once Chen Xiaozhi and his companions had tended to the Zhao family matriarch, helping her take her medicine and rest, they stood in the courtyard. Suddenly, Zhao Qi dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Here, take this money and see to your mother's treatment," Chen Xiaozhi said as he guided Zhao Qi to sit on a nearby wooden bench, passing him a gold leaf. He looked intently at Zhao Qi and added gravely, "I do have some matters for which I could use your assistance."

"Just give the word, Young Master Chen," Zhao Qi replied, taking a deep breath and accepting the gold leaf.

Chen Xiaozhi's instructions were straightforward: keep an eye on the comings and goings at the Hidden Dragon Institute, particularly those of Dong Qing'an and his associates. Through their conversation, Chen Xiaozhi discovered that Zhao Qi was affiliated with the Green Bamboo Gang. By day, Zhao Qi did menial work around the institute, and by night, he joined his gang members to patrol their turf. The Green Bamboo Gang had absorbed nearly all the able-bodied youth from the city's southern slums, offering them a way to scrape together a living. Despite his tough upbringing, Zhao Qi, who was willing to do anything for money—even murder or arson—had been kept on a tight leash by his mother. His simple and honest nature had kept him from causing any serious trouble.

Still, Zhao Qi bore numerous scars from clashes with rival gangs.

"Is the Green Bamboo Gang that formidable?" Chen Xiaozhi asked, his eyes narrowing.

"We control seventeen streets across the southern and northern parts of the city. All the street-front shops and vendors pay us protection money. We also run various private enterprises. By a conservative estimate, we have two to three thousand rank-and-file members, not to mention the higher-ups like the bosses and Hall Masters," Zhao Qi explained. "But here in Crowfield, the Green Bamboo Gang is always under the thumb of the Fate Gathering. They control the more lucrative eastern and central districts, where the wealthy reside. Moreover, the Fate Gathering's members are all somewhat trained in martial arts, unlike us regular folks."

Chen Xiaozhi fell silent. Martial arts training was an expensive pursuit; just the foundational training and physical conditioning required significant investment. In Vrening, where martial arts were revered, most practitioners still lived and died in obscurity.

His mind racing, Chen Xiaozhi asked, "Are there any specific requirements to join the Green Bamboo Gang?"

Zhao Qi, taken aback by the implication, responded, "A recommendation is all it takes."

"Then help me get into the Green Bamboo Gang," Chen Xiaozhi said with a slight smile.

"Okay," Zhao Qi nodded in agreement.

After a short while, Chen Xiaozhi, along with his sister Xiaocao, departed the southern district and made their way to the marketplace.

As Zhao Qi had mentioned, ordinary gang members like him typically operated in groups of ten. His immediate superior was a group leader known as Crazy Dog, a notorious thug in the southern city. Their usual tasks involved collecting rents and keeping the Fate Gathering at bay. Chen Xiaozhi had his reasons for wanting to infiltrate the Green Bamboo Gang. His situation was precarious; while dealing with Dong Qing'an's lot was manageable, he was more concerned about the deadly assassin who had already made one attempt on his life. Furthermore, he needed allies to safeguard his sister, Xiaocao. Zhao Qi had been clear: in the Green Bamboo Gang, accumulating enough merit could lead to advancement, potentially even to the rank of Hall Master.

Each Hall Master ruled over a street with a retinue of a hundred or so underlings. In Crowfield, they were considered significant local figures.

Chen Xiaozhi had just returned from the market with two cartloads of medicinal herbs and spent dozens of silver leaves. He had contemplated purchasing some rare medicinal ingredients to assist in concocting his formulas. However, he was currently unable to fully absorb even the most basic ingredients like the large tonifying pill and wind meridian powder, let alone the more potent tonics. The ready-made medicines sold elsewhere paled in comparison to the system's concoctions, which were far superior.

Chen Xiaozhi spent the entire day indoors, diligently practicing his boxing and conditioning his body. He intended to enroll Xiaocao in a private school soon, as returning to the Hidden Dragon Institute was out of the question for the time being.

As night fell, a biting cold wind swept through, and Xiaocao had already tucked in for the night. Chen Xiaozhi, with his hands clasped behind his back, gazed up at the dark expanse of the night sky, feeling a tightness in his chest that made it hard to breathe. Suddenly, a torrential downpour erupted, accompanied by brilliant flashes of lightning and thunder that set one's heart racing. Crowfield was eerily silent that evening.

Yet, Chen Xiaozhi couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. His heart raced with the premonition of impending doom. To settle his nerves, he swallowed a large tonifying pill and continued his training in the curtain of rain.

With his vision obscured by the relentless downpour, Chen Xiaozhi closed his eyes and trusted his instincts, throwing punch after punch. Each strike sent droplets flying, creating a dazzling display of silver light in the flashes of lightning. But in the midst of his focused training, the courtyard door burst open. A shadowy figure, like a human cannonball, crashed through and slammed into the ground, leaving a crater a meter wide and sending mud splattering.

"Who's there?!" Chen Xiaozhi exclaimed, instantly on guard.

"Is that you?!"

His eyes widened in recognition of the person in the pit—it was the wild-looking, mysterious expert who had helped him with the Green Bamboo Gang's lackeys just the day before. The man was now a bloody mess, his face torn and ghastly, resembling a starving ghost with his severe wounds.

The stranger barely lifted his head, seemingly recognizing Chen Xiaozhi, and attempted to speak. But in an instant, his expression shifted, and with a flick of his wrist, a soft piece of silk flew into Chen Xiaozhi's arms. The man then leaped up with an incredible burst of energy, shooting into the sky like a superhero from a movie, vanishing in a flash.

Chen Xiaozhi stood agape, struggling to process the unbelievable scene.

Before he could fully comprehend what had happened, another extraordinary sight unfolded before him. A soft green glow descended from the heavens, and within the shimmering rain, a willow tree seemed to glide through the air. Its branches were lush and vibrant, swaying with strands of electricity dancing among them. Perched upon a branch was the ethereal figure of a fairy, draped in gossamer. The majestic green arc soared over the courtyard, chasing after the direction in which the burly man had disappeared.

During that time, the fairy perched in the tree seemed to notice the dazed young man standing below. Her ethereal eyes briefly swept over him.

Their gazes met, and in an instant, both the man and the tree vanished into the ether.

"What kind of power is this..." Chen Xiaozhi's scalp tingled. Was this the work of a mere mortal warrior?

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he spun on his heel and hurried back into his house, bolting the door behind him. He pulled out the cloth that the burly man had tossed to him earlier.

The cloth, no larger than his palm, was silky smooth and pitch black, woven from an unidentified thread. Unfolding it revealed an embroidered three-dimensional figure of a man, resembling an old monk in deep meditation. Small black dots, along with distinct meridian lines, were marked across the figure's body.

Could it be some sort of cultivation technique?

Though Chen Xiaozhi couldn't decipher it, he knew this was no ordinary item. There's truth in the saying, "An innocent man is guilty when he carries a gem." The big man's gift could spell disaster for him. He had only just arrived in this world, and now he faced potential doom. Wasn't that a bitter pill to swallow? He inwardly railed against the big man for setting such a trap.

Considering the bizarre event he had just witnessed, the implications of this object were clearly beyond his ability to meddle.

So, he spent the night in his house, gripped by fear, until dawn broke. The big man never reappeared, and if not for his vivid memory of the incident, Chen Xiaozhi might have believed it was all a dream.

He found a hiding spot for the cloth, then woke Xiaocao. After they had breakfast, a messenger from the Hidden Dragon Institute arrived.

Today, Sage King Chen Zhuo was set to journey back to the capital, and as his nephew, Chen Xiaozhi felt compelled to see him off.

"Brother, are you alright? You don't look well," Xiaocao inquired with concern, noticing Chen Xiaozhi's furrowed brow as she joined him in the carriage.

"I'm fine," Chen Xiaozhi replied with a slight smile.

His words were light, but how could he be fine? Anyone swept up in such turmoil would struggle to stay composed.

He was far from cheerful.

Upon reaching the Hidden Dragon Institute, the servants were bustling about, preparing for Sage King Chen Zhuo's departure. Several opulent carriages lined up at the mansion's entrance, attendants diligently loading them with valuables. Chen Zhuo stood at the center of a group, which included Elder Fu and a man in a light blue robe, sharing a laugh with the Sage King.

Chen Xiaozhi was taken aback; this man was a stranger, and he knew his Royal Uncle to be aloof, rarely engaging in conversation.

Naturally, the usual crowd was there too.

As Chen Xiaozhi approached, Chen Zhuo and the others offered him a sly smile. With Chen Zhuo gone, they could toy with Chen Xiaozhi to their heart's content and get their revenge.

"Huh? It's only been two days, but doesn't Chen Xiaozhi seem different somehow?" Zheng Songbai scrutinized Chen Xiaozhi, his brow arching in curiosity. The man was the same, yet something about him felt oddly altered.

"He's looking a bit paler... but definitely more lively. Maybe he's had some good meals these last couple of days, with the Sage King looking out for him," the person next to him chimed in.

"Hmph," Dong Qing'an let out a cold snort.

Just a brief stint of better days, that's all. Once the Sage King departs, he'd ensure Chen Xiaozhi's life becomes unbearable every single day.

"Xiaozhi, come here," Chen Zhuo called out, having spotted Chen Xiaozhi, and gestured for him to approach.

"Royal Uncle," Chen Xiaozhi exited the vehicle and walked over with due respect.

"This gentleman is Zhou Yishui, the Prefecture Master of Crowfield," Chen Zhuo introduced the man he was conversing with.

The City Lord of Crowfield?

Zhou Yishui appeared far too young for his title, barely in his twenties, with long hair tied back with a red cord, falling casually down his back. He had a mild manner about him; had Chen Zhuo not clarified, Chen Xiaozhi might have mistaken him for a scholar from a private school.

"It's an honor to meet you, Prefecture Master Zhou," Chen Xiaozhi greeted, bowing with his hands clasped.

Zhou Yishui gave Chen Xiaozhi a kind nod, "As a scion of the royal lineage, the honor is mine to extend courtesy to you." His words were courteous, though he made no move to bow in return, indicating it was merely a formality.

It was evident that he was well aware of Chen Xiaozhi's royal heritage.