Lu Xuan gazed at the pillar of black smoke stretching ten thousand meters into the sky, his brow furrowed as he watched the lingering, blood-red hue on the horizon.
'That voice... It's so familiar. I hear it almost every day when I visit Wu Xiaoxu's home.'
'Is it a coincidence?'
'It must be.'
As Lu Xuan was lost in thought, Director Ji was the first to snap out of it. He took a deep breath.
"Two Earth Immortals... No, absolutely. At least two Earth Immortals!"
He paced back and forth, issuing orders in a measured tone.
"Chen Tianhua, notify all combat personnel in the Inspectorate. Enact emergency protocols and place the entire city under surveillance!"
"Yes, Director!"
The four inspectors saluted without hesitation and hurried away. Only then did Ji Bochang turn to Lu Xuan and explain.
"Public order in East Sea City has already been on the decline. Now, with the city's leadership completely focused on those two mysterious Immortals, and on top of that, the tremors from the aftershock... I'm afraid chaos is about to break out."
"You mean..." Lu Xuan was no fool. He understood Ji Bochang's implication and said softly, "That people will take this opportunity to cause chaos?"
"Looting, vandalism, robbery... There will be no shortage of serious crimes like rape and murder. So..."
Ji Bochang trailed off with a sigh.
After a moment, he added,
"I have to go and oversee the situation, so I'm afraid I can't see you out, Mr. Lu. Once your appointment is official, I will deliver it to you personally."
"Very well." Lu Xuan wasted no time. He gave Ji Bochang a cupped-fist salute, then quickly led Wu Xiaoxu away, heading in the direction of the shantytowns.
Regardless of Director Ji's character, he was still the head of the Inspectorate, so his prediction was likely accurate. And since the shantytowns were already one of the most lawless areas in East Sea City, Lu Xuan was worried something might happen.
As the two of them hurried on their way, Wu Xiaoxu seemed a bit dazed.
'We're out of the Inspectorate... just like that?'
He glanced furtively at Brother Xuan as he ran, swallowed hard, and whispered,
"Brother Xuan, I'll keep this secret too. Don't you worry!"
Lu Xuan just smiled without a word, focusing on the road ahead.
As they passed a bustling main street, they saw that Ji Bochang's prediction had come true. The street was filled with shouts of anger and cries of pain.
Some people, their faces hastily covered with rags, were smashing the glass doors of shops with clubs.
Before long, however, people appeared to restore order. They weren't from the Inspectorate, but men in matching martial arts uniforms. They were ruthless, breaking the arms and legs of every opportunist they caught looting and vandalizing.
"These people are..." Lu Xuan was taken aback.
"Men from the martial arts halls!" Wu Xiaoxu whispered. "In our shantytown, every household with able-bodied men has to pay a monthly fee to the halls. Protection money, in other words... You don't have to pay, Brother Xuan, so it's understandable you wouldn't know."
'Oh? The Martial Arts Alliance...'
Wu Xiaoxu continued to explain,
"I've heard that even though the people in the Martial Arts Alliance are ruthless, and there's no shortage of bad guys among them, they have their own 'system' and 'rules.' A lot of the time, they're the ones keeping the peace, not the Inspectorate."
A thought flickered in Lu Xuan's mind.
'So that's how it is.'
Wu Xiaoxu, however, seemed to grow more energetic as he ran.
"Of course, the halls are still filled with mostly bad guys. They're probably just bound by the rules set down by their higher-ups."
Lu Xuan glanced at the hall members maintaining order and smiled.
"Judge people by their actions, not their intentions."
......
The Shantytowns.
"Brother Bai, what are we doing in a place like this? There's nothing to gain here, and it stinks something awful..."
"What the hell do you know!" Bai Kai'an said, pinching his nose. "If we go to the nicer districts, the old-timers from the hall won't be happy. Even though they all need my support right now, they'd still step in."
He paused, then continued,
"But a place like the shantytowns is different. Like you said, there's not much to be gained here. Normally, those old-timers might enforce the rules and get involved, but now...?"
The blond-haired youth beside Bai Kai'an suddenly understood.
"Right now, they all want to be the next Hall Master. You're the Young Hall Master, the only son of the Old Hall Master. Your opinion is crucial. Those old fossils don't dare get on your bad side, especially not while the whole city is in an uproar..."
"You're not completely stupid," Bai Kai'an said coolly. "After my old man died at the Inspectorate, I was left with nothing but the title of Young Hall Master."
With that, he stepped into the shantytown and broke into a wide grin.
"We'll make a score here, grab a few young girls to sell to the black market in the West district, and build up some starting capital. That way, no matter which one of those old geezers takes over, at least I won't end up broke and begging."
The blond kid nodded excitedly, his eyes scanning the shantytown.
"Brother Bai, where do we start? The boys are all gathered. Should I call them over?"
"Do it."
Before long, dozens of young men in White Elephant Martial Arts Hall uniforms arrived. They fell in behind Bai Kai'an, their greedy eyes scanning their surroundings.
"Go door to door. Drag everyone out into the open," Bai Kai'an ordered calmly, standing in a clearing at the center of the shantytown.
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, doors were being smashed open. Men, women, and children were all driven in terror to the clearing until it was packed.
Bai Kai'an scanned the crowd of ragged paupers, his face twisting in disgust as he frowned.
"Just a bunch of lowly scum, as I thought."
The residents of the shantytown cowered on the ground, hands over their heads, panic spreading through the crowd. The only ones who seemed relatively calm were a few respected elders and Butcher Zheng's family.
Sister Zheng swallowed hard.
"They look like they're from the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall, don't they? What's going on?"
Butcher Zheng shook his head and whispered,
"Don't talk. Let's just see what happens..."
"Who's in charge here?" Bai Kai'an demanded loudly. "Step forward!"
After a brief commotion in the crowd, an old man with his right leg in a plaster cast struggled to his feet.
"I suppose I am."
The man called Five Elders leaned on his crutch and asked cautiously,
"Sir, may I ask what your business is here?"
Bai Kai'an looked Five Elders up and down for a moment, then broke into a wide grin and offered a cupped-fist salute to the crowd.
"I've fallen on some hard times recently, and I was hoping you all could lend a hand. Just lend me any valuables you have at home. Once I'm back on my feet, I'll be sure to return everything."
The ragged paupers just stared at each other in bewilderment. No one said a word.
"So it seems you're not willing to do me this small favor?" Bai Kai'an asked, his smile never leaving his face.
Five Elders hesitated. Seeing the man's constant smile, he assumed he must be somewhat reasonable, so he lowered his head and said,
"Sir, we're probably the poorest lot in all of East Sea City. Where would we... where would we possibly find any valuables...?"
"Is that so?"
"It's the absolute truth!" Five Elders said, his voice trembling.
"Alright, then," Bai Kai'an said with a hint of regret. "It seems you're not willing to show me any respect. Not willing to show the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall any respect..."
Five Elders was stunned, but on the ground, Butcher Zheng's expression changed abruptly. As someone who spent his years navigating the city markets, he was street-smart enough to know something was terribly wrong.
CLAP! CLAP!
Bai Kai'an clapped his hands twice, a placid smile returning to his face. He walked over to Five Elders and took the crutch from his hand.
Five Elders staggered, nearly falling without his crutch. A young girl quickly scrambled up to support him.
"You didn't show me respect. That makes me unhappy. And when I'm unhappy, bad things happen."
Bai Kai'an stated calmly, raised the crutch high, and brought it crashing down.
With a sickening CRACK, Five Elders' only good leg was shattered. He collapsed, letting out an agonized scream. The young girl who had been helping him fell to the ground in terror, tears streaming down her face. "Grandpa!"
"Get to work," Bai Kai'an said, grabbing the girl and pinching her cheek as he calmly issued the order to the dozens of hall members behind him.
The entire shantytown erupted into chaos.