Chapter 72 - 73: Extreme Wind Chasing Step, Lin and Fang Join Forces

Chapter 72: Chapter 73: Extreme Wind Chasing Step, Lin and Fang Join Forces

For three consecutive days, the Money Shop still refused to offer this service. Even though Su Chen had the silver, they were entirely unwilling to exchange it for him.

After asking around a few places, Su Chen stopped focusing on the Money Shops.

He pondered, "Although the Money Shop route is cut off, it doesn’t mean there are no other ways. Senior Sister Fang Rou, Senior Sister Liu Fang, Senior Brother Li Mo, and even the Changhe Gang are all viable options."

Wealthy households like those of Fang Rou and Liu Fang had substantial fortunes, so they likely kept stores of gold at home. Li Mo’s in-laws, the Zhang family, weren’t lacking either; the only difference would be the size of their reserves.

As for the Changhe Gang, although recently established, it had grown incredibly fast. Rumor had it that their rapid expansion was due to heavily bribing the County Magistrate, Tao Wenxuan. Given their current momentum after this period of growth, the gang most likely had gold in their coffers.

Of course, these were merely Su Chen’s speculations, but they were the most probable sources he could list. The question now was which one he should approach for the exchange.

The Changhe Gang was out of the question. Although he technically held the title of a gang member, he was essentially just a highly-paid mascot. He had no real authority, nor was he familiar with anyone inside; they wouldn’t necessarily agree to an exchange.

Therefore, Su Chen’s primary targets were Fang Rou, Liu Fang, and Li Mo. After some thought, he chose the wealthiest of the three: Fang Rou. After all, instead of asking around multiple households, it was better to get it done in one fell swoop.

Having made up his mind, Su Chen headed toward the Fang Mansion. Walking down the streets, desolation and tension were visible everywhere. Most shops were shuttered tight, forming a stark contrast with the overflowing grain and rice stores.

"The Medicine Gang is giving out free food! Hurry up and go! If you’re late, there won’t be any left!"

Suddenly, a man’s shout echoed down the street. Hearing this, the previously lifeless refugees practically vibrated with excitement, rushing forward in droves toward the street corner.

"The Medicine Gang?"

Witnessing this, Su Chen muttered to himself, a trace of confusion in his eyes. The Medicine Gang handing out alms in the city? That sounded somewhat absurd.

Though doubtful, he didn’t dwell on it since it wasn’t on his way, and he walked straight past.

"OUCH!"

As he walked, a child in tattered linen suddenly bumped right into him. Seeing this, an odd expression appeared on Su Chen’s face.

After the collision, the child tried to scurry away without a word. Su Chen stopped him and, right under the boy’s watchful eyes, smoothly retrieved the coin pouch that had just been stolen from him.

Perhaps the child hadn’t expected Su Chen to notice his trick so easily, or perhaps Su Chen’s retrieval of the pouch was just too calm—whatever the case, the boy stood frozen in place the entire time, offering no resistance.

After getting his money back, Su Chen ignored the child. The city was currently in chaos; one had to be careful walking the streets to avoid being targeted.

Half an incense stick of time later, Su Chen arrived at the Fang Mansion and met with Fang Rou. Compared to her usual demeanor, a few more traces of worry lined her face.

Recently, the Lin family had suffered heavily, and the Fang family wasn’t faring much better. Guards had been brutally killed, and goods hijacked. The compensations alone had cost the Fang family a small fortune. Adding to that, the harsh threats released by the Lianyun Stronghold had caused several business partners to cancel their collaborations with the Fang family.

Seeing Su Chen, Fang Rou was clearly curious, wondering what her junior brother was looking for. When Su Chen explained his purpose, she paused in surprise. "You want to exchange ten taels of gold from me?"

Su Chen nodded.

"Junior Brother, how about you wait a moment while I go ask?" Seeing that he wasn’t joking, Fang Rou fell silent for a moment before replying.

"Sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister."

Fang Rou invited Su Chen inside the mansion to wait for a moment, then took her leave. Not long after, she returned with a smile. "Junior Brother, here is ten taels of gold."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Su Chen stood up and expressed his gratitude.

"It’s no trouble at all."

Fang Rou accepted the silver notes Su Chen handed over but refused to take any transaction fee, which actually made him feel a bit embarrassed. Seeing her insistence, Su Chen had no choice but to drop the matter.

Fang Rou escorted him to the front gate.

"No need to see me out, Senior Sister!" Su Chen said.

Fang Rou nodded, watching Su Chen leave before returning inside.

"Top up!"

"Enable Simple Mode."

The panel lit up with a prompt: [Simple Mode Enabled: Walk for one hour to practice the Wind Chasing Step to its absolute limit.]

One hour later, a sudden flash of enlightenment washed over Su Chen. He felt as if heavy shackles had been removed from his feet, making his steps incredibly light and agile.

He thought, "Now that the Wind Chasing Step has reached its limit, and there is no room left to improve my other cultivation techniques, I can focus entirely on upgrading the Iron Cloth Shirt!"

Having the word "Incomplete" constantly hanging next to it was always a bit jarring. Su Chen wanted to see exactly what level he needed to upgrade it to before that "Incomplete" tag disappeared.

He wondered, "I don’t know how strong I’ll actually be once I reach that level."

Thinking of this, his mood grew slightly excited, but the moment he saw the required amount to upgrade the Iron Cloth Shirt, it was like a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head.

Absolutely freezing.

He thought, "I guess I’ll make a trip to the Government Office this afternoon to see if there are any tasks."

In the County Magistrate’s Office.

Inside a certain room.

The Adviser stood solemnly while Tao Wenxuan unhurriedly reviewed the case files. Setting them down, he let out a sigh. "The city has become increasingly restless lately."

The number of cases had nearly doubled compared to before. Brawls and fights were endlessly springing up, with no sign of stopping.

The Adviser didn’t speak. Tao Wenxuan had expressed this exact sentiment more than once, but strangely enough, he only ever lamented—he never actually took any action.

After his lament, Tao Wenxuan suddenly looked at the Adviser and asked, "How are the Lin family and the Fang family moving recently?"

"The Lin family has been gathering skilled fighters recently," the Adviser replied. "They intend to seek revenge on the Lianyun Stronghold and reclaim the Lin Family Castle. Rumor has it they’ve also contacted the Fang family, hoping to join forces and eradicate the stronghold."

"Oh?" Tao Wenxuan uttered in surprise, then chuckled. "It seems Lin Lu’s death and the loss of the Lin Family Castle have truly pushed the Lin family to the brink."

The Adviser nodded. After a brief hesitation, he asked, "My lord, the Lin family also wants to borrow some men from us. What do you think?"

"Men? Where would we get any men?" Tao Wenxuan shook his head. Then, shifting the subject with a smile, he added, "However, we can lend them a few Governmental Constables. Go pick out a few; there’s no harm in lending them out. I’m actually quite looking forward to seeing whether the Lin family can take back the Lin Family Castle this time."

"Understood!"

"By the way, has there been any news from Dingfang?"

"Yes, he sent word that he will arrive in a few days."

"REPORT!"

Suddenly, a shout came from outside the door.

"Come in," the Adviser said. ℯ

"Reporting to Your Lordship and the Adviser. Yang Guo has appeared," the man said as he hurried inside.

"What? Where is he?"

"Right at the entrance of the County Magistrate’s Office. He wishes to see you both."

Hearing this, Tao Wenxuan gave a soft chuckle. "It seems we were all deceived by the Rebirth Sect. Come, let’s go meet him."

A cup of tea’s time later, Su Chen met with Tao Wenxuan and the Adviser. After a round of pleasantries, Su Chen stated his purpose.

However, to Su Chen’s profound disappointment, the empty promises Tao Wenxuan fed him were simply too grandiose!