Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Outside the south gate of the capital, Qian Duo craned his neck at a right angle.

The city wall was ten zhang high, blocking out half the sky. The city gate resembled an open beast's mouth, bustling with people and carriages. The activity at just one city gate was more lively than a market day in the entire Xiyun County.

"Sir," Qian Duo swallowed hard, "my goodness, this city wall is so thick that not even a fly could get through. Are we really going to enter through the main gate? Or should I go and scout out if there's a dog hole first?"

"If you could spare even half a cent of your brain for anything else, the dogs in Xiyun County wouldn't be on guard against you every day."

"Yes," Qian Duo said earnestly, "I've even prepared a rope for climbing over the wall and a wooden tub for going through the sewer. If all else fails, we can bribe the night soil collector so you can sit in the tub and sneak in, sir."

Li Ping ignored him, led his horse to a roadside tea stall, ordered a bowl of coarse tea, and sat down.

He wasn't in a hurry to go into the city.

Four soldiers stood on each side of the city gate, their swords hanging at their waists, their eyes half-open. The people entering the city split into two groups: those carrying goods went to the left, bending over; those empty-handed went to the right, handing over a copper coin to pass. The coin wasn't like a tax coin, because no one issued receipts. A carriage laden with silk approached, the driver slipping a scrap of cloth into the lead soldier's hand. The carriage didn't even stop, going straight into the city.

"Take a look at that city gate, can you figure out anything?" Li Ping asked.

Da Niu and Er Hu exchanged a glance. Er Hu scratched his head. "Those gatekeepers... are they openly robbing us?"

"They're open about taking money," Li Ping said, putting down his teacup. "The money in the open goes to the government, while the money in the dark goes to the shady characters. Look at the third stall on the right; that's where they really eat the meat without spitting out the bones."

The stall sold dry rations, and the old man running it would glance towards the city gate every so often. A man selling firewood was stopped, but before the soldiers could speak, the old man went over first. The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones, and the man unloaded a bundle of firewood and disappeared into a side alley.

Erhu said "Oh," and then added, "This is the capital city, right under the emperor's nose. How dare someone rob people so openly?"

"The south of the city has things that the west of the city can't control," Li Ping stood up. "Once we're in the city, everyone better to behave like you're from Jiangning. This is the capital; every brick here could potentially kill someone."

After entering the city, they split into two groups.

Qian Duo drove the carriage, leading thirty strong men from Jiangning and all the luggage, taking the main road to the South City Inn. Su Wan rode on horseback behind the caravan; the visible guards kept their swords sheathed and remained silent.

"Where is she?" Su Wan asked.

"The boss said that such a large group of us is too conspicuous, so someone has to go and scout things out," Qian Duo said in a low voice. "He took Da Niu and Er Hu and went to take a shortcut to find out what's going on."

Su Wan didn't ask any more questions. Her gaze swept over the crowd at the street corner, landing on a certain eaves corner, lingering for a moment before returning to her own.

South of the city, Ping'an Lane

Li Ping changed into a coarse cloth outfit, with a peddler's scarf draped over his shoulder. Behind him were two "helpers" carrying boxes. The two big, strong men looked more like soldiers than the city gate guards.

"Sir," Erhu lowered his voice, "aren't we going to be mistaken for bandits and arrested dressed like this?"

"They certainly don't seem like good people; they look like two bandits ready to kill and rob at any moment."

"What does that look like?"

"Like bodyguards causing trouble at a venue"

"What should we do then?"

"Easy," Li Ping said. "Just think of them as merchants escorting goods."

Erhu pondered for a long time, feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Ping'an Lane isn't long, but it has quite a few shops: grain stores, cloth shops, and general stores. Old banners hang at the entrances of all of them. Only one street-facing shop has its door half-closed, with most of the paint peeling off the door panels and a broken bolt lying across the steps.

The landlord was a thin, old man with droopy eyelids. Seeing someone inquiring about rent, he looked them up and down three times. "Judging from your accent, you're from Jiangning?"

"I'm from Jiangning," Li Ping nodded. "I couldn't make a living in the countryside, so I came to the capital to beg for food."

"What kind of business are you planning to start?"

"I dabble in all sorts of odds and ends," Li Ping said, patting the peddler's turban on his shoulder. "The capital is paved with gold; I'm hoping to snag some scraps that the wealthy don't want."

The old man looked at him for a while, then slowly took out his keys: "Three taels of silver a month for you to stay here first. You'll know whether you're respectable or not after two nights."

"Who was the shop rented to before?"

The old man paused in his unlocking process, turned the key halfway through the lock, and then pulled it out: "...The fabric business was doing well. After six months, I thought the place was too small, so I moved away."

"Business is good, and you're willing to leave? Looks like you've made a fortune and are moving to the inner city to enjoy the good life?"

"Who knows?" The old man handed over the keys. "Anyway, they left in a hurry and didn't even have time to finish unloading the cloth from the warehouse."

Da Niu took the keys, his brows furrowed. Er Hu wanted to speak, but Li Ping silenced him with a look.

Li Ping didn't rush inside. He took out two taels of silver from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"Old man," he said, "I'll give you two taels of silver for the truth: how do I get to that house up ahead?"

The old man stared at the silver, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't reach for it for a long time.

"What did you say?"

"Tell me the 'rules' of this street," Li Ping pushed the silver forward. "I'm new here, and I don't want to lose my teeth for no reason. I need to know which deity to pray to."

The old man was silent for a while, then finally tucked the two taels of silver into his sleeve, his voice lower than a mosquito's buzz:

"The Green Wolf Gang is a local tyrant in the south of the city, with more than eighty members. The gang leader's surname is Zhao, and he is known as 'Green Wolf' in the underworld. The entire south of the city, from the archway to the dock, is his territory. On the first and fifteenth of each month, he collects 30% of the revenue along the street. He doesn't miss any grain shops, cloth shops, or general stores. If you come, according to the rules, he won't touch you for the first month."

"If we don't pay, will this shop have to go out of business?"

"Pay up, or I'll save my life," the old man glanced outside the door. "That Manager Zhao from last month was tough for three days, but on the fourth day he was barely clinging to life."

"The person is gone?"

"He's still alive," the old man said, then added, "but he only has a few teeth left; he crawled out of the south of the city."

Li Ping nodded, his expression unreadable: "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

The old man hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help himself, lowering his voice to add, "Sir, business in the south of the city isn't good. A bunch of Jiangning bastards have come to the inn and refuse to pay protection money. Something's probably going to happen tonight. You'd better bolt the door early and avoid attracting attention."

"Inn?"

The old man shrank back inside the doorway of the house in the east alley. "The one with the biggest lantern, you can't go wrong."

"Sure," Li Ping replied, his gaze passing over the old man's shoulder and landing at the alley entrance.

At the alley entrance, a thin, small figure squatted against the wall, gnawing on half a steamed bun, but its eyes kept glancing this way. When it met Li Ping's gaze, the figure shrank back behind the wall, and when it reappeared, it had already moved halfway down the alley.

Da Niu saw it too: "Sir, that kid?"

"The lookout," Li Ping withdrew his gaze, "is a young man, quick on his feet, and with long ears. The Green Wolf Gang wouldn't be at a loss keeping him."

He pushed open the shop door, and a wave of dampness rushed out.

"Tonight," he said, "let's set some rules."

Erhu perked up: "Sir, are we going to cause trouble tonight?"

"No rush," Li Ping said, draping his peddler's handkerchief over the counter and looking into the depths of the alley. "Tonight, let's go to a teahouse and hear just how loud the dogs in the capital bark."