The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Only after everyone left the courtyard did Guan Yue slowly withdraw his gaze.

He turned to Hu Laoliu beside him and instructed, "Xiao Liu, I'll arrange a few underlings for you. You'll be in charge of handling the deal with Brother Zhou later."

"This..." Old Hu hesitated for a while before finally speaking:

"Brother, I'm afraid I'll be neglecting our business in my current state. Perhaps you should send someone else?"

"Who should we replace them with?"

Guan Yue raised an eyebrow, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Brother Zhou specifically asked for you. If I change it, what will he think?"

Seeing that his eldest brother had said all that, Hu Laoliu no longer refused: "Alright, I'll listen to you."

"That's more like it."

Guan Yue patted him on the shoulder and said gently, "Xiao Liu, let's put the past behind us and not bring it up again. We need to look at the future, understand?"

"Okay, thank you, boss." Old Hu nodded, his throat tightening again.

Seeing his expression, Guan Yue smiled and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, stop being so sentimental. Go and get ready, don't keep Brother Zhou waiting."

Hu Laoliu gave a soft "hmm" and turned to stride out of the courtyard.

On the other side, as soon as Li Kaixin arrived at the transaction location, he flashed into the secret realm space.

Inside the space, he looked at the pile of chickens, ducks, and rabbits that had already been sold, as well as three thousand catties of chicken and duck eggs, and couldn't help but sigh.

These were originally all goods that were supposed to be shipped out tonight, but now that Hu Laoliu's black market has been shut down, they will have to sell less than half of them.

I wonder how long it will take for Hu Laoliu to get his business back up and running. It seems like it's time to find a new sales channel.

With that thought in mind, he didn't linger any longer, leaving half of the goods in his spatial storage before leaving.

After waiting for fifteen minutes, the sound of a cart rolling on the road came from the alley entrance.

Li Kaixin turned his head and saw Hu Laoliu and a dozen other people pushing several carts toward him.

Before long, Hu Laoliu jogged over.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, panting, "Brother Zhou, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's alright, Brother Hu, let's check the goods first!" Li Kaixin said, pointing to the pile of goods behind him.

"Alright!" Old Hu nodded, turned around and waved to those behind him, "Brothers, don't just stand there, get to work!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dozen or so henchmen immediately surrounded him and quickly began to count and weigh the goods.

Li Kaixin and Hu Laoliu retreated a few steps away and leaned against the wall.

Hu Laoliu took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Turning to Li Kaixin beside him, he spoke first: "Brother Zhou, thank you for speaking up for me in front of the boss earlier."

"Brother Hu Liu, why are you being so polite with me?" Li Kaixin said casually. "Actually, Boss Guan already understands, so I don't need to say anything more."

Hu Laoliu smiled bitterly, didn't respond, and just took another puff of his cigarette.

Seeing that he was in low spirits, Li Kaixin changed the subject: "By the way, Brother Hu Liu, after your accident, has there been any news from Zhao Zhengping?"

"I don't know!" Old Hu shook his head. "I haven't dared to contact the two henchmen I sent out to keep watch these past few days. Brother Zhou, you'd better be careful if you go there later."

"I understand." Li Kaixin nodded and made a note of it.

There were indeed risks with Zhao Zhengping, but he still had to go and check on the situation, not wanting this connection to be severed as well.

In no time at all, the goods were counted.

Old Hu pulled out six large yellow croakers and a handful of change from his pocket and handed them over: "Brother Zhou, this is tonight's payment. Please count it!"

"No need to order. We've been doing business together for so long, we trust each other enough."

After taking it, Li Kaixin put it directly into his pocket and turned to walk deeper into the alley.

Meanwhile, inside a detached courtyard house.

Zhao Zhengping, Zhao Zhengliang, Zhao Zhengqiang, and Zhao Yu were being held tightly by a group of people in police uniforms.

The police officer in charge was a middle-aged man in his thirties.

If Li Kaixin were here, he would recognize this person at a glance; it is Captain Chen from their local police station.

Beside him stood a short-haired female police officer, Zhou Anran, whose eyes and brows exuded a heroic air.

Today is the second day since Zhao Zhengping and the other three were arrested.

Two nights ago, Captain Chen led a raid and found a large number of chickens, ducks and rabbits of unknown origin in the cellar of this courtyard house.

The yard was a mess, with sacks and ropes scattered all over the ground that hadn't been cleaned up yet.

Captain Chen bent down, staring into Zhao Zhengping's eyes: "Zhao Zhengping, is that Brother Zhou you mentioned really here to deliver goods today?"

"Officer Chen, at a time like this, how could I dare to lie!"

Zhao Zhengping was no longer the spirited man he once was; his face was covered in bruises, and dried blood still clung to the corners of his mouth.

At this moment, Zhou Anran stepped forward and said in an icy voice, "Zhao Zhengping, you better not try anything funny. Otherwise, you know what I'm capable of."

"I understand, I understand!"

Zhao Zhengping nodded his head vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice. "Officer, everything I said is the truth. He'll definitely be here soon!"

These past two days inside the fence, he's truly experienced firsthand how formidable this female police officer is.

When Captain Chen and the other police officers heard these fierce words, they couldn't help but turn their heads away.

Some coughed lightly, while others pretended to bend down and adjust their collars.

Zhou Anran, seeing no reaction from her colleagues, pressed further: "What time exactly? Where will we meet? What's the code?"

"There are no secret codes or times; the transaction is conducted right here," Zhao Zheng quickly replied. "Every time Brother Zhou comes back, he pushes two carts, with all the goods loaded onto them."

Zhou Anran and Captain Chen exchanged a glance.

Captain Chen straightened up and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Zhengping, did he tell you where these goods came from?"

"He didn't say the specific location!" Zhao Zhengping shook his head. "He only mentioned it briefly, saying that the place where the goods are sourced is very far away, and a round trip would take at least ten days to half a month."

After hearing this, both Captain Chen and Zhou Anran frowned.

It takes ten days to half a month to get the goods, which is not the case in a neighboring county.

Behind the Zhou brother mentioned by Zhao Zhengping, there is likely an underground channel that spans provinces or even countries.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Zhao Zhengping felt a chill run down his spine and quickly probed, "Officer, I... I've said everything I needed to say. Doesn't that count as making amends for my mistake?"

"Once we catch them, you'll get a share of the credit."

Captain Chen replied casually, then gave a wink to the police officers holding Zhao Zhengping and the other three.

The police officers immediately understood and escorted them back into the house.