Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Chapter 100 Why is this happening?

After a long pause, someone finally dared to speak, their throat dry and sore: "Are all of these things true?"

The well-informed person didn't look up, but lowered their voice even further: "Of course it's true. Do you think those screams last night were a joke? The Scorpion Gang has done countless evil deeds, but they're discerning and only target the weak."

"I don't know what got into them this time, they actually dared to snatch the leader of the Star Hall."

"That guy is a real ruthless one," he said in a low voice. "I heard he climbed to the top by killing people, and he's supposedly from the alley of the mute."

"Dumb Alley?" The person next to him was shocked. "Impossible! Could such a person come from Dumb Alley?"

"How could my information be wrong?"

The man snorted coldly, his voice filled with awe, and he lowered it even further: "I also heard that his real name is Ye Xiao. He didn't show his face at all this time, so the rules have already been set. Anyone who wants to make a move in the future will have to think twice."

"The Scorpion Gang is just a small gang, but they can wipe out an entire gang with just one or two taels of silver—that kind of ruthlessness and audacity is something people will remember for a lifetime."

After he finished speaking, the surroundings became even quieter.

But the next moment, another emotion emerged, even more rapidly.

It's cathartic, it's exhilarating, it's the pent-up anger that's been building up in my chest for years, suddenly bursting open with a punch.

Someone chuckled from behind the door, then immediately covered their mouth, but tears fell silently.

Some people stared blankly at the overdue payment slip until the sunlight shone through it, then, as if suddenly waking up, they stuffed it into the brazier. Only when the paper curled at the edges, turned black, and turned to ash did they dare to straighten their backs a little.

It's not that he's not afraid of retaliation.

He suddenly realized: the Scorpion Gang was really gone, and no one would come knocking on his door with that debt collection slip anymore.

That fire last night was not a dream.

In the Silent Alley, many people started walking with their heads up.

They weren't looking up at the sky, but rather at the other end of the inner city, in the direction where the Star Hall was located.

I dared not go over to thank them, nor dare I go over to ask for their help.

They just glanced at it from afar, as if to confirm whether their rescuers were there.

The rumors, like the wind, continued to roll in, eventually disappearing into the deepest part of the silent alley.

The place where Ye Chong's family lives now doesn't even qualify as a house.

The half-collapsed mud wall was covered with a tattered mat, and the wind blew straight to the bone. The ground was damp and sticky, and when you turned over at night, even the cotton wadding smelled musty.

The pot is long gone, the rice jar is empty, and there's only a handful of cold ashes left on the stove. The food that could be cooked has been mostly eaten up these past few days.

My third uncle died seven days after we moved to the Silent Alley. His body had long been taken away, and there wasn't even a decent mat left.

Uncle was squatting down, gnawing on a hard, rock-hard biscuit, when he heard the words "Ye Xiao, the leader of Xingchen Hall," and his teeth almost broke.

He instinctively wanted to curse, to curse that it was nonsense and that it was just bluffing, but the words were swallowed back down as soon as they reached his throat.

The old lady still has her cane, but the spirit of her elders has long been worn away by the winds of the silent alley.

Her fingers trembled as she twisted the prayer beads faster and faster, her heart overflowing with fear and regret.

Auntie hugged her knees and huddled in a corner, her lips dry, not daring to utter a single word.

Auntie wanted to cry, but dared not make a sound.

"Why is this happening—" Ye Chong sat on the innermost side, his back against the wall, his face pale.

He suddenly remembered Yan Quan's words when he was driven away that night: "I'm keeping you alive."

Now he understood—it wasn't about giving them a way out, it was about making them suffer while they lived.

Even if Ye Xiao doesn't show up, the more his name resounds, the deeper their fear will become.

Add to that the cannibalistic way of life in the Silent Alley, and as long as they're still breathing, they can only endure it day by day: their bodies ache, but their hearts ache even more.

Ye Chong didn't even dare to calculate whether they could survive until next year.

The rumors outside are still circulating: "One tael of silver can wipe out a gang."

But no one here could laugh.

They simply pressed the latch harder and shrank into the shadows.

The Scorpion Gang stole an ounce of silver and ended up like this.

What they snatched back then was far more ruthless than this one or two.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the inner city.

River Street remained as bustling as ever, with vendors hawking their wares and carriages moving about as usual.

It's just that some of the Green Owl Gang's "ears" have become more sensitive.

Someone at the tea stall heard "One tael of silver wipes out a gang," and their teacup stopped in mid-air, not daring to drop it for a long time; someone at the gambling den heard the words "Master of Xingchen Hall," and the dice cup was lifted and then put back down, and the laughter also subsided by half an inch.

The Azure Dragon Martial Arts School reacted even more decisively.

Some people withdrew their punches as soon as they started; others pretended not to hear but dared not open their mouths again; even those who usually loved to stir up trouble just exchanged glances and swallowed their words.

They could wipe out an entire gang for "a tael of silver," making them too afraid to even utter a word.

This shows that the person used the knife not for money, but for face and for the sake of rules.

These are the most difficult people to deal with.

-

Because you never know if his next surgery will be for a small amount or just a few words.

"Senior Brother Ye is ruthless yet knows his limits."

Shen Qinghe listened to the news from the corridor, her face filled with admiration: "With this one or two clues, even if the Scorpion Gang is wiped out, other gangs or forces in the city will not be able to use this as an excuse."

As a scion of a prominent family, she often sees things more deeply than the average person.

On the Star Hall side, the plate continues to spin as usual.

Yan Quan was in charge at the other end of the dock, and the boatmen unloaded cargo and settled accounts as usual. Anyone who dared to embezzle on the water would first be punished by the rules; if they still refused, they could forget about making a living off the water.

There was no chaos inside the hall.

The lantern in the backyard remained lit, and the abacus beads fell one by one, steadily and clearly. No matter how fierce the rumors were outside, no one inside mentioned the "Scorpion Gang," as if this matter had nothing to do with them.

The rules are simpler here: what you should know will be handed to you; what you shouldn't know, asking more questions will only make you unhappy.

As dawn broke, Ma Wu went to the dock.

He only spoke a few words to Yan Quan; it wasn't to give instructions, but to repay his debt.

Since Ye Xiao specifically requested Yan Quan to take this position, and Ye Xiao is not in the city, Yan Quan will be the one to give orders in this hall. Even if it is Yan Quan, he should report back without saying a word more or taking a step over the bounds.

He didn't return to the hall until nearly noon.

He still used the back door, his cuffs were still clean, as if the fire from last night had never touched him.

Ma Wu approached the old accountant, leaving behind the account books, deeds, seals, and cash: "The head of the hall is not in the city."

"Seal everything up first—the hall master must see it first thing when he returns."

The old accountant didn't ask a single question, but simply pressed the seal perfectly straight and pressed in the ink.

Beyond the city walls, on the other side of the icy pool.

Outside the cordon, two town guards stood watch on either side.

One of them stared at the Black Wind at the Collapsed Mouth and whispered, "They've been inside for so long."

The other man didn't turn around, but simply placed his hand on the hilt of his knife, his tone as flat as if reciting a rule: "He has an order from an adult. It doesn't matter if he's inside for half a day, or even longer. You guard the entrance and exit, and don't overthink it."

"But he doesn't look like a martial artist." The man still lowered his voice. "That food inside is cold; it could be dangerous for him if he eats it for too long."

The other person finally tilted his head, his gaze cold: "Precisely because it doesn't seem like it, we shouldn't make wild guesses. As long as we guard this place well, if something really happens inside, we won't be blamed."

The wind blew out from the ditch, as fine as a hiss.

Both of them shut up at the same time.

Sunlight pierced through the cold clouds, not reaching the bottom of the ravine, but only illuminating the layers of rock walls, making them appear bluish-green.

Half a zhang away from the cold pool, Ye Xiao remained motionless in his stance.

The chill is like a hook, drilling into the "crevices" of the ankles, knees, and hips. The skin stiffens first, the fascia tightens first, and finally it bites deep into the bone, forcing out a barely visible "crack".

The "crack" didn't bleed, but the pain was so intense it made you dizzy—like having ice needles piercing your bone marrow one by one, and then slowly being twisted.

For anyone else, it would be a miracle if they could even make it half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters); even if they didn't die, they would have been driven mad by the cold and retreated back to hug their knees and gasp for breath.

But Ye Xiao didn't back down.

That's exactly the effect he wanted.

Only when the cold air bites open the skin, muscles, and bones can they become stronger, and only then can the stance training progress faster.

His breath was as thin as a thread, guiding his qi and blood through his body in a circular motion. Each breath was short and steady, so steady that even the chill seemed to be led by him, grinding down to the right places.

Suddenly, the word "fate" flashed in my eyes.

【Dragon-Locking Weight-Bearing Stake - Minor Success: 68/600】

Ye Xiao's eyes did not move.

He simply lowered the stake by half a bit more.

When you sink to the point where your feet feel like they're nailed into stone, when you sink to the point where your spine is aligned segment by segment, when you sink to the point where the chill bites in, what bites you first is the "stance strength," not your flesh.

Several more rounds of breathing were completed.

Just as the crack that had been forced out of his body was about to burst open, he used his qi and blood, along with his stance strength, to suppress it.

The character "光" (light) flashed by again in the name of the person's destiny.

【Dragon-Locking Weight-Bearing Stake - Minor Success: 69/600】

Ye Xiao remained standing at the half-zhang line, not moving. If he took a step back, the cold would not reach his bones. Without this bit of ruthlessness, his progress would slow down.

He slowly exhaled, continuing to maintain the rhythm of the standing meditation breathing method.

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