In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

As for exposure?

Ghost Street is a black market, so there's no issue of exposure.

"How did the investigation go last night?"

Whether it's the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Guard, or the Imperial Secret Agents, they all pay close attention to the appearance of Ghost Street.

But yesterday's sudden, large-scale magic show shocked everyone.

Even after searching the water all night, they found no clues whatsoever, and the next day, none of the people gave a statement explaining what had happened.

All I knew was that everything went black, and I had arrived at Ghost Street.

Such a supernatural event sent chills down the spines of everyone who knew about it.

Is this magic?

It is clearly an absolute means of deterrence.

And what about sealing off Ghost Street?

Nobody is a fool to offend the Golden-Faced Buddha, the Zhang family, and even the many forces behind them.

They even wanted to get involved.

Ghost Street represents profit; controlling it means power and money... a temptation that no ambitious person can resist.

However, similarly, to control Ghost Street, the first step is to become one of the top three, while 1.9 is not among the middle three, but rather the lowest nine.

Those who received the news also knew that Ghost Street would be sending out thirteen invitations.

One red character represents the top three, three red characters represent the top three, and three red characters represent the top three.

Therefore, who wouldn't want to be among the top three or the middle three?

Especially the imperial secret agents, the Eastern Depot guards, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were eager to fight.

"My lord, our men have searched the area within a ten-mile radius but have not found a single useful clue. Those ghost ships should have already left, or they may be somewhere in Ghost Street."

"This is really strange. There are no signs of poisoning, no trace of the ghost ship, and even the fog is eerily thick... Could it be an illusion?"

"Impossible! Illusion is just a trick of the eye; it always leaves a trace!"

Moreover, with so many people disappearing simultaneously in an instant, it would be impossible to conceal the traces, especially with someone watching underwater.

"What is that? It can't really be a ghost ship, can it?"

Guihai Yidao looked at Duan Tianya, a hint of dissatisfaction showing in his eyes.

In his view, there was absolutely no need to investigate this matter; what use would the results be? No one was injured or killed.

Chapter 276 Lady Dongming's Stone Dragon Martial Arts School

The three above are: Golden-Faced Buddha, Rakshasa Woman (Ghost Yama), and Longevity Venerable (Lady Dongming)!

The three main sects: Salt Smuggler (Salt Gang), Miraculous Healer (Changle Gang), Eagle Eye Old Seven (Twelve Linked Fortresses)!

The lowest of the low: Coolie King (a lay disciple of Shaolin), Ding Sha Shou (from the Sea Sand Gang), Sai Diao Chan (Zhang San Niangzi), Blood-Clad Tower, Red Dust Guest...

As Ghost Street gradually came to life, the once empty and dark street was now teeming with people.

The lowest nine classes are not even included, as they are a bunch of monsters and demons. However, the upper three families and the middle three families represent different meanings.

The interests of the Salt Gang, the power of the Chang Le Gang, and the strength of the Twelve Linked Forts—each of them is a force to be reckoned with in the martial arts world.

But at this time, it was only the middle three of the nine gates.

I would rather have a chicken head than a phoenix tail!

Such a choice reveals the mystery and power of Ghost Street!

The most significant temptation, of course, is profit.

Leaving aside other parts of Ghost Street, the newly opened Tianji Tower alone has brought a shock to everyone recently. What they have witnessed is a mountain of gold quietly accumulating.

In just one month, it had completely crushed all the casinos in Yangzhou.

The gambling on 19 jade pieces, in particular, attracted most of the salt merchants.

What we're into now is exciting and novel ways to play.

Besides the direct sale of stolen goods, Tianji Tower, as Yangzhou's most famous den of iniquity, was always packed at this time.

Even Madam Wang wanted to give up the business of selling stolen goods on Ghost Street and focus on running a casino.

Because the daily profits are simply too great.

The daily profit from jade gambling alone exceeds ten thousand gold coins, not to mention the two lower levels are always packed, with a 10% commission.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaoshan imposed severe restrictions on the casino, which even Madam Wang dared not overstep.

Prostitution, gambling, and drugs are things the Zhang family cannot directly confront.

Even though Zhang's gambling den was ostensibly a high-class entertainment venue, it kept out the 'poor' from entering.

High-ranking officials and wealthy merchants don't care about that little bit of money; no matter how much they lose in one go, they won't starve. But a gambler who is a "poor man" is often the backdrop for the destruction of his family and the death of his loved ones.

After these forces join Ghost Street, card and gambling stone resources will also be available to them (the middle three sects and the lower nine sects).

This is also another channel for Zhang Xiaoshan to sell jade.

A single rough stone costs at least one tael of gold, and top-quality rough stones can fetch a thousand taels of gold. Just by selling rough stones, the Zhang family has made a fortune.

In addition, there are transportation resources in the Heilongjiang River area.

Under the leadership of the Zhang family, the Iron Palm Gang, Twelve Lotus Pier, Salt Gang, and Chang Le Gang divided the spoils, with the profits no less than those of the Salt Gang before.

They are not lacking in resources, they just don't know how to utilize them.

Aside from that, Shilong was the best among the three selected candidates.

The Island of Liuli, where Lady Dongming resides, is located between the Central Plains and Japan, and is home to numerous families with exquisite forging techniques.

The Shang family comes first!

Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan invited Lady Dongming because he valued the benefits in terms of weaponry.

Money is only one aspect; Ghost Street is not a shopping mall that values ​​harmony, and undoubtedly, knives are more important.

Lady Dongming had previously handled large orders from warlords, but Zhang Xiaoshan felt that Ghost Street had a stronger capacity to absorb such orders.

After all, those warlords and powerful forces never lacked weapons unless it was war.

Moreover, during this brief period of peace, who knows how many weapons were accumulated?

On the contrary, Ghost Street is different. It is full of all kinds of monsters and demons. No matter how many weapons are thrown in, they will be completely absorbed in an instant.

There are too many individual players, and many of them were purchased by guilds.

Moreover, what places are Lin'an Prefecture and Yangzhou?

In terms of transportation, Dongming's ships do not need to enter the inland areas at all; they can simply meet up along the coast, thus saving them a great deal of trouble.

As for strength, as Zhu Yuyan's only daughter, wouldn't Madam Dongming possess the Heavenly Demon Technique?

Therefore, no one in Lin'an Prefecture's Ghost Street objected to listing Lady Dongming as one of the top three families.

After all, this is a legitimate arms dealer, a high-end organization.

And the Venerable One of Immortality—Stone Dragon.

He is now the most prominent martial arts expert in Yangzhou, primarily known for his ability to intimidate all sides of Ghost Street.

To put it bluntly, they're thugs!

As for the benefits, with Zhang Xiaoshan's help, Shilong established the 'Shilong Dojo'.

This is not the previous Shilong Dojo, but the Shilong Martial Arts School that is scattered throughout the Jiangnan region, similar to the dojos of Japanese Bushido.

The goal is to promote and develop martial arts.

The Shilong Dojo teaches external martial arts that are easy to learn quickly, prioritizing wealthy disciples.

As for the advertisements, they've all been prepared:

Want to stand up for what's right and rescue a damsel in distress? Want to be young and carefree, dashing and spirited? Want to be strong, healthy, and full of energy?

···

The advertisements in the streets and alleys listed the benefits of practicing martial arts, making it irresistible.

Especially those rich young men, when they first arrived at the Shilong Dojo, were filled with envy upon seeing the powerful muscles of the outer disciples.

The sheer power displayed by Shi Long stirred their hearts even more.

So, after paying a large amount of apprenticeship fees, Shi Long did not keep anything to himself.

Shi Long taught them martial arts, with the outer styles mainly consisting of Northern and Southern Shaolin Tan Tui, Bajiquan, and Xingyiquan. These are internal martial arts styles, which are easy to learn quickly.

In addition, there are the Six Harmonies Spear, the Five Tigers Severing the Gate Saber, and the Boundless Sword Technique as electives.

Moreover, there are shortcuts available.

Poor scholars, rich warriors—that's the shortcut.

For example, a prescription for strengthening muscles and bones would cost at least a thousand gold pieces.

However, once the prescription is available, internal and external practice will yield results in a short period of time.

This is also why Shi Long takes in wealthy young men as his apprentices.

Without qualifications, they only have the method of brewing powerful medicines. They don't accept disciples from wealthy families, and ordinary poor people simply can't endure it. Most of them will be injured along the way, and some may even die suddenly in their prime!

According to this standard of "strengthening muscles and bones", it is divided into a simple version, a thousand-gold prescription, and a deluxe 010 package!

This was not a large sum of money for the salt merchants.

They were afraid of wasting money.

But who is Shilong?

After the initial shock, the remaining disciples all made rapid progress in a short period of time.

Tai Chi masters can stay indoors for ten years, but Xingyi masters can kill someone in a year!

Although it may seem exaggerated, three months later, when several martial arts school disciples sparred, most people were stunned to see the transformed newcomers.

Only then did they realize that Shi Long was no ordinary person.

Upon seeing the results, Shilong immediately doubled the price of tuition and the prescription for strengthening muscles and bones, causing those who had initially backed out to immediately regret their decision.

The first time was through advertising; Shilong didn't make any money from it, nor did he want to.

The reason for the price increase in Shilong was to provide enough meat to improve the nutrition of poor students who lacked resources, in addition to their hard training.

However, the dojo is not a place to slack off. If someone only came here to get meat, Shilong will not be polite!

In just six months, the Shilong Dojo not only spread throughout Jiangnan, but also caused a sensation among wealthy young men.

If you can't excel at academics, how about learning martial arts?

Moreover, the quick-fix prescriptions at Shilong Martial Arts School have been 'certified' by multiple parties. They not only have no harmful effects, but also strengthen the body's foundation and improve bone and muscle health.

Many wealthy merchants coveted the prescription and offered several times the price for a single medicinal bath.

Chapter 277 Dongfang Bubai Becomes a Courtesan, Ren Woxing Suffers Liver Damage

"Master Dongfang, how have you been?"

Inside the villa, Zhang Xiaoshan looked at the visitors without the slightest surprise.

He already knew about what happened at Blackwood Cliff three days ago. This time, Dongfang Bubai faked his death and escaped. The whole plan went very smoothly.

Ren Woxing also regained his position as the leader of the cult.

However, Ren Woxing must be furious right now.

Three months ago, Dongfang Bubai delivered 300,000 taels of gold and treasures worth 700,000 taels of gold to the Zhang family.

To outsiders, the amount of this compensation should bankrupt the Sun Moon Cult.

A million taels of gold is an enormous fortune anywhere, and even the top ten salt merchants of Yangzhou could not all come up with that amount of money.

Moreover, the Sun Moon Cult, apart from 300,000 taels of gold, used treasures as substitutes for everything else.