Chapter 673 - 416: I Don’t Care If You Have Big Shots Backing You

Chapter 673: Chapter 416: I Don’t Care If You Have Big Shots Backing You

If they provoked the vicious Red Blood Gang foreman, they would surely lose their jobs. Without an income, their already meager existence would become impossible.

"What are you looking at? Did I not make myself clear?

If you’re not done with this shipment by nightfall, you can forget about dinner. You’ll all go hungry..."

As he spoke, the vicious Red Blood Gang foreman cracked the leather whip in his hand.

CRACK.

The whip cut through the air with a sharp, chilling sound.

The workers all flinched. They stared at him in fear, then clutched their crates and hurried toward the warehouse in the distance.

"Hmph. Useless at everything but eating. A bunch of worthless scum," the vicious Red Blood Gang foreman spat, watching the toiling workers with a disdainful, smug look on his face.

From a distance, Lin Li took in the entire scene, his expression unreadable as he watched the swaggering Red Blood Gang foreman.

The foreman, still reveling in his own arrogance, suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back, as if he were being watched.

A chill washed over him, and despite the sweltering heat, he couldn’t help but shudder.

’Damn, why do I suddenly feel so cold? Am I getting sick?’

Lin Li averted his gaze from the Red Blood Gang foreman and turned, heading for a three-story teahouse down the road.

’It’s not dark yet, so it isn’t a good time to sneak in. I’ll wait at the teahouse for a while and make my move after nightfall.’

"Welcome, sir!" A waiter spotted him and greeted him with enthusiasm.

"Are there any seats on the third floor?" Lin Li asked the waiter.

"We do."

Lin Li followed the waiter to the third floor of the teahouse and took a seat by a window. From this vantage point, he had a clear view of most of the wharf controlled by the Red Blood Gang.

"I’ll have a pot of green tea."

"Would you care for any pastries, sir? Our glutinous rice cakes are delicious—famous all over the region, in fact."

"Alright, bring me an order of the glutinous rice cakes."

"Right away! Please wait just a moment while I get that for you."

After the waiter left, Lin Li’s gaze returned to the distant, Red Blood Gang-controlled wharf. Even farther off, he could still see a portion of the Red Blood Gang’s headquarters, which had been destroyed by fire.

’Last time, that man who appeared out of nowhere—a cultivator at the Third-Order Initial Stage—got in my way. I wasn’t able to wipe out the entire Red Blood Gang.

This time, those Red Blood Gang bastards won’t be so lucky.’

TAP, TAP, TAP...

Footsteps approached from the top of the stairs. The waiter had returned, carrying a wooden tray with a plate of glutinous rice cakes and a pot of tea.

"Sir, here are your glutinous rice cakes and tea," the waiter said with a smile, placing them on the table in front of Lin Li.

"Thank you."

"Not at all, it’s my pleasure."

"These glutinous rice cakes are just as good as you said," Lin Li said with a smile, picking one up and taking a bite. "They’re delicious."

"Our Shopkeeper has been running this teahouse for over forty years. He’s been constantly refining the recipe for the glutinous rice cakes that whole time. All those years of dedication are what led to the flavor everyone loves today."

The waiter’s voice was full of pride. It was clear he held his Shopkeeper in high regard.

"That kind of unwavering dedication for decades... that’s not something just anyone can do. Your Shopkeeper is truly a remarkable man," Lin Li praised with a smile.

The waiter deeply respected his Shopkeeper, and hearing Lin Li’s praise, his smile grew even wider.

"Please, enjoy, sir. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Lin Li nodded. Just as the waiter was about to leave, a thought struck him. "Waiter, hold on a moment."

"Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?" the waiter asked, assuming Lin Li wanted another order of glutinous rice cakes.

Lin Li put on the air of a curious onlooker and asked nonchalantly.

"I heard from a friend that the Red Blood Gang ran into some trouble a few nights ago. Do you know anything about it?"

"Oh, that’s common knowledge by now," the waiter chuckled. "Besides, our teahouse is so close to the Red Blood Gang’s territory, and their members even come in for tea sometimes, so of course I heard about it."

"Is that right! My friend told me the fire lit up the whole sky that night. Said it was terrifying," Lin Li said, sounding completely convincing, as if he really had a friend who’d told him the story.

You could say he had a knack for it. With a bit more practice, he might soon be half the actor that drama queen Su Yue was.

"It was! I happened to be on watch here that night. In the dead of night, I suddenly heard a huge commotion outside.

I got out of bed and came upstairs to see what was going on. When I looked out, I saw the Red Blood Gang’s headquarters in the distance engulfed in a massive fire, with fire crews everywhere trying to put it out..." the waiter said, recalling the scene.

Lin Li hadn’t expected that the very waiter standing before him had been one of the rubberneckers watching from the sidelines on the night he’d attacked the Red Blood Gang’s headquarters.

"It’s been a few days now. Have the authorities caught the culprit yet?"

"Not yet. The government sent a lot of experienced constables to investigate, but from what I’ve heard, they haven’t made any progress so far."