"The city is still better."
Tuying ranked seventh among the leaders of the Celestial Eagle Thieves. He was skilled with a pair of Mandarin Duck Halberds and had a Cultivation below the Seventh Grade.
He also had a wife with a fine figure and beautiful features.
Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang!
The Third Leader of the Celestial Eagle Thieves.
The two had completely opposite personalities.
Tong Zhixiang was fiery and explosive, a true hothead. Tuying, on the other hand, was plain in appearance but remarkably patient.
It was precisely because his personality could handle Red Eagle’s explosive temper that, over time, they developed a deep affection for one another.
"My dear."
"This is the Golden Silk Snow Cake from the Zhang Family’s shop. It’s a pastry meticulously made from seven different ingredients."
Tuying’s face was full of love.
"You love sweets the most. Here, have a taste."
"Mm." Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang took the pastry and placed it in her mouth, a sweet taste spreading through it. "Not bad!"
"Life on the outside may be free and unrestrained, but we spend our days in constant fear, never knowing where our next meal is coming from. How can that possibly compare to the comfort of living in a city?"
She swallowed the pastry and sighed softly.
"I’m finding that the older I get, the more I long for a stable life. When do you think we’ll be able to settle down in the city?"
"Soon." Tuying’s expression was one of doting affection.
"Once we help the Sanhe Gang take care of the Qingyi Gang, we just have to wait for the Sanhe Gang to stabilize. Then we can change our identities and live in the city long-term, and find a legitimate path for our two children."
Although they were bandits, they didn’t want their children to follow in their footsteps. They had enjoyed the precarious, live-for-the-moment lifestyle when they were young and full of vigor, but as they aged, the need for a stable life grew stronger.
Several years ago, the two of them had already discussed how they could retire.
Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang nodded slowly, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes.
"What is that Eldest Young Master Hai up to?"
"Raising money to buy medicine," Tuying said.
"The Demon Race’s advancements are far more troublesome than the Human Race’s. This is especially true for those with a Flood Dragon Bloodline, who need to consume Heavenly and Earthly Treasures—and those things aren’t cheap."
"Recently, that master from the Hai Family has been letting his subordinate Demons plunder merchants and extort silver taels. For goods that can’t be converted to silver, he makes the merchants pay to get them back. He’s scraping together funds layer by layer like this just to buy a Body Transforming Pill, to help him break through the Sixth Grade and become a Fifth-Grade Great Demon."
A Fifth-Grade Great Demon has another title.
Thousand-Year Demon!
Generally speaking, only a Demon that has cultivated for a thousand years can reach the Fifth Grade, entering the ranks of Great Demons.
If one wishes to avoid arduous Cultivation, one can rely on external aids, but such Spiritual Elixirs and Medicines are all astonishingly valuable.
"Li Xianshan isn’t doing anything about it?"
"Li Xianshan is the adopted son of a Pai Sect Elder. Although his talent in Martial Arts is extraordinary, his background isn’t particularly strong." Tuying shook his head.
"His personality is also a bit weak. He only became the Gang Leader of the Sanhe Gang with the help of the Zhou Family and the Demon Race. This matter concerns Eldest Young Master Hai’s advancement to a Thousand-Year Great Demon. If he were to interfere, he would be seen as an enemy obstructing his path. He doesn’t have the guts for that."
"Hah..." A sneer appeared on Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang’s face.
"It seems this Gang Leader of the Sanhe Gang isn’t all that impressive. Doesn’t he realize that if Hai Yunzou advances to the Fifth Grade, his own status will sink even lower?"
"Forget it."
She waved her hand and said,
"It has nothing to do with us."
"Right." Tuying nodded.
"Speaking of which, the previous Patriarch of the Zhu Family also died at your hands. They really are unlucky."
"Let’s not rush." Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang glanced at a passing carriage and said slowly,
"We finally got a chance to enter the city. Let’s let him live a few more days so we can enjoy ourselves."
"Good idea," Tuying agreed.
"I was just asking around. The Jiang Family in South City is the most famous for their tailoring. We’ll go there tomorrow and have a dress made for you."
"Mm."
Tong Zhixiang smiled sweetly.
...
The Sanhe Gang’s headquarters.
Having received permission, Hall Master Hex pushed open the door and entered the study.
"Gang Leader."
"Mm."
Li Xianshan put down the scroll in his hand and spoke slowly.
"What is it?"
This was the man who had replaced Hong Qingyi to become the ’number one’ figure in Taiyuan Prefecture. He was plain-looking, the type of person who would never be noticed in a crowd.
He had a rather thin frame, giving off an impression of being too weak to stand up to a gust of wind. His Qi Blood was also completely imperceptible.
But he was, in fact, a genuine master at the Sixth-Grade Peak Realm.
"Gang Leader..." Hall Master Hex’s face was hesitant as he finally spoke in a low voice,
"Today, there was an argument in the main hall between the Zhou Family’s people and Croc Hall Master’s men over the Zhu Family’s cloth."
"And it’s not just Zhu Ju’s Cloth Workshop. Croc Hall Master’s extortion lately is no different from imposing heavy taxes."
"The wealthy households in the city are crying out in misery."
"Cloud Ship wants to reach the Fifth Grade, so it’s natural he’s a bit impatient," Li Xianshan said with a faint smile.
"Back then, he helped me become the Gang Leader of the Sanhe Gang, and I promised to do everything in my power to help him become a Great Demon."
"Naturally, I can’t go back on my word."
"But..." Hall Master Hex looked up.
"No buts." Li Xianshan waved his hand dismissively.
"I’m already aware of this matter. You may leave. Do your best to suppress the merchants’ resentment in the city, and try to persuade Croc Hall Master as well."
"That will be all."
"This..." Hall Master Hex looked troubled, then sighed in resignation.
"Yes."
He bowed and exited the study, closing the door behind him.
"Adoptive Father."
From the darkness, a clear voice sounded:
"Hai Yunzou has gone too far. Are we really going to do nothing and let him incite a public outcry?"
"Public outcry?" Li Xianshan shook his head gently.
"Harboring resentment doesn’t mean they’re ready to act. This is just the beginning. The time isn’t right yet."
"Besides..."
"Reaching the Fifth Grade isn’t that easy."
*
*
*
Tuying and Red Eagle had rented a courtyard home in the city.
The front courtyard was for the Celestial Eagle Thieves brothers who had followed them into the city, while the two of them lived in the back courtyard.
"A person has to admit when they’re getting old."
Standing in the courtyard, Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang looked up at the full moon and murmured to herself,
"When I was a teenager, the thing I hated most was being cooped up in the city, unable to go out and have fun."
"Now..."
"If I could have a courtyard of my own, with children and grandchildren all around... what a joy that would be?"
She raised a hand to touch her brow, where a few fine lines had clearly appeared.
She was now thirty-seven. Despite being meticulous about her upkeep, wrinkles had already started to show on her face.
When she was twenty-eight, she had tried to break through to the Sixth-Grade Realm, but she failed. Now, with her increasing age and declining Qi Blood, her Cultivation had also dropped from the Seventh-Grade Peak to the middle of the Seventh Grade.
The Third Leader.
The title no longer matched her reality.
If they were to truly fight now, even the Fifth Leader would be a notch above her. If the Chief hadn’t been considerate of their old friendship, her rank would have dropped several places long ago.
"Third Leader."
A subordinate’s voice came from the second gate that separated the front and back courtyards.
"The Seventh Leader has ordered food and wine and told us brothers to gather in the front. He invites you to join."
"Oh?" Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang raised an eyebrow.
"You want wine? There is none."
"We got some," the man replied with a smile.
"Good wine!"
CREAK...
She slid the door open.
Under the night sky, a man was waiting with a bow.
"Let’s go!"
Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang waved her hand.
"It’s a rare chance to be in the city. Tonight, we’ll drink until we drop..."
"Hm?"
Before she could finish her sentence, her expression suddenly changed.
"Who are you?"
What met her was the other person’s Sword Pointing. Their fingers were held together like a sword, channeling a sharp, Powerful Qi straight for the vital point of her throat.
Danger!
The instincts honed by years of slaughter and countless brushes with death made Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang react subconsciously.