Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 278; West Square

The next morning, Xiao Ran deliberately slept in. He had a feeling that this would be the best sleep he had had in recent times.

I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep in like I did today again.

"grown ups!"

Yang Mingjie and others had been waiting outside for a long time.

"Have you eaten?"

"Ah? Oh, I ate them all."

"Then you're out of luck."

Xiao Ran brought out a bowl of beef noodles as if by magic, sat on the stone bench in the yard and began to devour it.

Yang Mingjie and others couldn't help but marvel at Xiao Ran's ability to create food out of thin air.

Smelling the aroma of the beef noodles, I couldn’t help but smack my lips.

"Yang Mingjie, you are the prefect's squad leader, so you can be considered an old man in the area, right? Are you familiar with the inside and outside of Ruzhou City?"

"If you need me to do anything, just tell me. I will do it even if it means risking my life."

"We are the same, please give your orders, sir!"

Yang Mingjie and a group of yamen runners behind him stepped forward, clenched their fists, and put their thumbs on their chests, which was a gesture of swearing allegiance.

"Okay, don't be so nervous, I just arrived here and want to learn about the local customs and characteristics."

Xiao Ran put down his chopsticks and signaled Yang Mingjie and the others to relax.

In fact, it is no wonder that Yang Mingjie and the others are so enthusiastic. If it were in the past, even if the prefect ordered them to do something, they would not be so eager. But after they followed Xiao Ran and saw his methods yesterday, they were surprised at his ruthlessness, but also admired his ability to raise four million taels of silver in just one day.

It is as difficult for those wealthy businessmen to take money out of their pockets as it is to go to a brothel and get free sex.

But Xiao Ran did it in just one day.

Afterwards, Yang Mingjie and the others thought about it carefully and found that everything Xiao Ran did was targeted, or in other words, he was targeting these wealthy businessmen from the beginning.

First, wipe out the Tieshan Niangniang Temple and label it as an evil demon. Then, produce evidence and let Master Long Yin endorse it.

At this time, the wealthy businessmen who got the news naturally had the upper hand. It would be more accurate to say that it was Xiao Ran who asked for money, rather than that they were rushing to give it to him, fearing that if they were late they would be listed on the liquidation list as those who colluded with the evil.

Each and every point was well-reasoned and he looked three steps ahead, not to mention the details, which made even these old hands feel terrified.

So I admire Xiao Ran's strength from the bottom of my heart.

Of course, these are only one aspect. On the other hand, Xiao Ran’s backing is big enough.

Everyone knows that when a Jiedushi has just arrived, he is in need of people. If they can get a job here early on, their future will be better and they will no longer be just a servant without even a rank.

So regardless of Xiao Ran's ability and strength, just for the sake of his family's future, it was enough to make Yang Mingjie and others swear allegiance to him until death.

If they miss this opportunity, they will never have such an opportunity in their next life.

Xiao Ran gestured for everyone to sit down together, and then began to ask about the affairs of the Tianji Sect.

"This……"

Xiao Ran's words made Yang Mingjie and others feel troubled. They thought Xiao Ran was going to ask about the local customs and practices, but they didn't expect that his question would just touch upon the shortcomings of Yang Mingjie and others.

Yang Mingjie thought for a moment and said, "Sir, we are from the government. You know, we are called the court's lackeys in the martial arts world. In Ruzhou City, we can shake off our dog skins, but if we leave Ruzhou City, even the bandits in the mountains will not take us seriously. So if you ask about the martial arts world, we... really can't tell you."

Xiao Ran was not surprised by this answer.

But just as Xiao Ran was about to continue eating noodles, Yang Mingjie changed the subject and continued, "Sir, although we are not familiar with the affairs of the martial arts world, there is a place that should have the information you want to inquire about."

"Where?"

Yang Mingjie pointed to the west: "West Square..."

……

“Crispbread, Crispbread!!”

"This is top-quality sheepskin. Don't miss it if you pass by."

There are densely packed shops on both sides of the gravel path. Although it is a hot summer, it feels somewhat cool walking here.

Aside from the fact that this place is in the shade, more importantly, there are many buildings here, and awnings have been set up outside the shops, blocking out the last ray of sunlight.

The further you go inside, the darker the light becomes.

The air was mixed with the smell of sheep and livestock feces, and in some inconspicuous places, there was inevitably some pungent stench.

Xiao Ran and Yang Mingjie walked on the street. Xiao Ran felt very comfortable because the smell here suppressed the stench of corpses on his body. On the contrary, Yang Mingjie, the local tyrant, seemed not to be used to the smell here.

There was even a time when he couldn't help but want to vomit while walking on the road, causing passers-by around him to occasionally look at Yang Mingjie.

This cannot be blamed on him. Xifang is a place where many people in Ruzhou City are reluctant to come. Even the officials would not rashly go deep into it. Yang Mingjie was only wearing plain clothes at the moment.

This place can basically be said to be a lawless place.

Initially, some merchants from various countries gathered here. Because these merchants had strong body odor and looked strange, ordinary inns were unwilling to accommodate them. They could only huddle in this inconspicuous place in the west, and slowly it developed into Xifang.

This place is a mixed bag of people, with all kinds of forces entrenched here, plus a mess of sects mixed together. It is really a mess, but there is no order without rules, so this place naturally has their own rules.

One of the unspoken rules is that official businessmen are not allowed to enter and leave Xifang at will, otherwise no one will care if they lose their lives.

Second, fighting and killing are fine here, but there is one rule: no one is allowed to shoot an arrow in the back. The fighting and killing must be done in public. Those who are killed simply have poor skills and deserve it.

Third, the number of gambling houses, brothels, and even ordinary shops here is strictly limited.

For example, if you want to open a casino, you have to find a way to destroy or replace it with another casino, otherwise you cannot open this casino.

Fourth, killing people is fine, but whoever dares to set fire will never be able to leave Xifang alive.

When a fire breaks out, no matter how many valuables and goods are in the surrounding houses, they must be immediately removed to form an isolation zone to prevent the fire from spreading.

In short, there are many rules, but these rules are not tenable outside.

This resulted in chaos in Xifang, which became a gathering place for all the major gangs, and group fights and murders were common occurrences.

"Brother, the slave market is in front of us. Do you want to go take a look?" Yang Mingjie pointed ahead. "There are Kunlun slaves, Silla maids, and Hu girls. They look very strange, like monsters. There are also good-looking ones. That one is very big, but the smell on it is... not good."

"Not interested in!"

As a modern man, Xiao Ran has no interest in so-called black people, Korean women or those white people.

I won’t feel there is anything new or surprising about it.

Just as the two were talking, Xiao Ran suddenly felt something, and saw a young man leaping past Xiao Ran quickly.

Xiao Ran paused for a moment, and Yang Mingjie saw this and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

Xiao Ran grinned and raised the purse in his hand: "I picked up the money."

"Pick up money?"

Yang Mingjie was a little surprised when he saw this. It was good enough if no money was lost in this place. He had never heard of anyone picking up money.
"Hahaha, just wait, the owner will probably come looking for us soon."

Xiao Ran opened the purse with a smile. There was a lot of money inside, including small change, copper coins, and even some silver coins.

He looked around and saw the wine shop in the distance and said, "Let's go, everyone who sees it gets a share, let's go and have a meal!"

"Oh, okay."

The two had not walked far when the young man who had just jumped past Xiao Ran came back. The young man's face was ashen. He didn't steal anything just now, but instead lost all his belongings. In fact, this kid has good skills.

But unfortunately, he chose the wrong person. Xiao Ran's title of Buddha is not undeserved.

The young man turned his eyes and saw Xiao Ran sitting in front of the stall. He saw that his lost wallet was placed directly on the table by Xiao Ran, and was placed on the corner of the table on purpose.

Seeing this, the young man couldn't help but curse: "You bastard, you are playing tricks on me."

There is a rule among thieves.

People in the same industry do not steal anything, and their abilities determine who is better.

The purse that Xiao Ran stole from him was placed on the outer corner of the table, which was both a proof of confidence and a provocation to the young man.

The implication is that if you have the ability, come and take it back.

If you can't get it back within a meal's time, you should either go back and admit your mistake, or just accept the loss and save your face even if you don't want it anymore.

The young man knew the rule, but he didn't intend to abide by it. He squinted his eyes and walked towards Xiao Ran's table. His steps were still as light as before, but when he passed by Xiao Ran, a dagger suddenly popped out of his hand and stabbed straight towards Xiao Ran's neck.

The young man's move was extremely sudden. If it were anyone else, they would have focused on the money bag and would not have thought that the other person had no intention of following the rules. The dagger in his hand was fast and fierce. But for Xiao Ran, the [Black Swan Brooch] in his arms would have immediately alerted him when the boy walked over.

Xiao Ran reacted even faster, with a slightly angry look on his face. He had given this kid a chance. Even if he gave in, he would have given him the things in the purse. However, not only did he not abide by the rules, he also wanted his life.

He immediately snorted coldly: "You're looking for death!"

Xiao Ran raised his hand, spread his five fingers, grabbed the other person's hand, and then twisted it.

With a crisp "crack" sound, the young man's pupils constricted and he let out a scream.

The dagger in his hand immediately fell down, and Xiao Ran caught it with his other hand, and then pierced the young man's heart with the knife...

(End of this chapter)