I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"Esteemed guests, we apologize for the sudden incident that has disrupted your enjoyment today. Yuelai Restaurant is truly sorry."

Inside the restaurant, the manager, An Yongyuan, bowed and apologized.

Therefore, all dishes will be 20% off this time, and the same will apply for the next three days.

"Haha, that's great!"

"The shopkeeper is very generous."

"I knew Yuelai Restaurant wouldn't cheat; it's clearly that scoundrel deliberately causing trouble."

A decorated sedan chair is carried by many people.

After the troublemakers left, the restaurant became lively again, and many words of praise came from the mouths of regular customers.

Even standing at the window, Zhou An could hear many guests praising him.

"I am truly grateful for the help of you two young heroes."

After calming down the crowd of diners, Manager An instructed his staff to clean up the damaged tables and chairs, and then came to Zhou An and Liu Shuqing to express his gratitude with a cupped-fist salute.

Compared to his previous words, Manager An's expression now showed a clearer sincerity.

"This is the territory under the jurisdiction of our Seven Mysteries Sect. It is our duty to patrol the streets and take action. Shopkeeper, there is no need to be so polite."

Zhou An cupped his hands in greeting, abandoning his previous confrontational attitude towards Feng Hui and revealing a friendly smile.

"Now that the matter here has been resolved, we'll take our leave."

After saying that, the two walked downstairs.

"Young heroes, please wait a moment."

As I reached the first floor, shouts rose again from behind.

"Is there anything else, Manager An?"

Zhou An turned around and saw Manager An coming with money. He immediately stopped and his smile became even more warm and welcoming.

"Here is a small amount of silver; I hope you two young heroes will not refuse it."

"this......"

Zhou An and Liu Shuqing exchanged a glance, looking slightly hesitant.

"That thief framed the restaurant with poison. If it weren't for the young hero turning the tables on him, it would have been difficult to eliminate the influence on the diners."

Although I am not knowledgeable in martial arts, I know how much effort it takes to learn them. Please feel free to accept my offering.

As he spoke, Manager An stuffed the gray cloth money bag into the hands of the two men.

I've seen the look in your eyes; this is for myself, and I don't need to hand it over afterwards.

"In that case, we shall accept it without further ado."

Zhou An felt the weight of the bag and estimated it to be no less than ten taels. He was overjoyed and thought that Manager An was really handsome.

"Previously, I had heard that many of my fellow practitioners had encountered similar things recently, which suggests that someone is secretly targeting the Seven Mysteries Sect."

"Young heroes, please be careful."

"Thank you for the reminder, Manager An. If anything happens here in the future, you can send one of your men to find us at any time."

Zhou An nodded, a hint of seriousness appearing in his eyes.

"This Manager An is quite shrewd."

Leaving the restaurant, Liu Shuqing weighed the money pouch in her hand and said with a touch of emotion.

"How so?"

Zhou An asked casually.

At this moment, he was still thinking about the words that Manager An had said before leaving.

"He could have given us the money on the second floor, but he chose to chase us outside. This back-and-forth action made it seem even more genuine, and it's hard not to remember him."

His family was also in business, and he had been exposed to these things since childhood, so he was naturally familiar with these little tricks.

"That makes sense, but what I'm more concerned about is that the Black Tiger Gang might be behind today's events."

Looking at the pedestrians coming and going on the street, Zhou An put the money bag into his blue inner shirt and said in a deep voice.

"I wonder what role the Bajiquan Martial Arts School will play in all of this, and whether other martial arts schools are also involved with the Black Tiger Gang?"

"If that's the case, things are probably in a bad way."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuqing's expression also became more serious.

"Brother Zhou, I think we should go check on Wang Yi and the others... Those two don't have your sword-wielding skills to repel enemies, Brother Zhou. They're likely to suffer a loss."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two exchanged a glance and quickly left.

Zhou An was also a little anxious.

They were not only friends from the same school, but also thought that if they arrived in time, they might be able to earn more tips.

Half an hour later.

After reporting the matter of Yuelai Restaurant to the sect through Manager Li of Heji Pharmacy, the two also found Wang Yi and Qian Youde.

Before even entering the door, I heard angry curses, accompanied by the sound of tapping.

"Were you two beaten up?"

Upon opening the door, two people were seen applying liniment to their bruises, occasionally grimacing in pain.

"Those troublemakers fared even worse than us; they were beaten so badly by the police that their bones were broken."

Wang Yi's face was red and swollen, but his mouth remained as stubborn as ever.

"This matter is not simple; it doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something that has been planned for a long time."

Qian Youde grinned, his face full of resentment. In all his life, apart from his older sister, he had never suffered such a great loss.

"I think that person was most likely after you."

Wang Yi's gaze was deep and unfathomable as he stared intently at Qian Youde.

Because the person who instigated today's disturbance knows this guy.

"Are there other martial arts schools involved?"

Liu Shuqing's mind reacted quickly, and she blurted it out.

Which martial arts school?

"A true master of martial arts wouldn't have the time to target us; they're just petty people with whom we have some past grudges."

Qian Youde clutched his arm, his eyes darting around as he pondered how to retaliate.

"We also encountered troublemakers at the Yuelai Restaurant today; it was Feng Hui from the Bajiquan Martial Arts School."

Seeing that Qian Youde still didn't understand, Liu Shuqing immediately recounted what had happened at the restaurant.

"Manager An said that many shops have been harassed recently, and Brother Zhou and I believe that the Black Tiger Gang is behind this."

"The Black Tiger Gang?"

Wang Yi and Qian Youde exchanged a glance and instinctively gasped.

The shopkeeper at the grain store didn't mention any of this to them today... The two looked at their injuries and tacitly chose to remain silent.

"The Black Tiger Gang is truly relentless."

"Sun Wenhao hasn't returned yet. Could it be that his family has also been targeted in retaliation?"

Ignoring Wang Yi's words, Qian Youde, having realized what was happening, frowned and said...

"Sun's Trading Company has many collaborations with the sect. If this matter is indeed the work of the Black Tiger Gang, I'm afraid even his family won't escape unscathed."

"You should focus on recovering from your injuries. We have already informed the sect about this, and we should receive news soon."

After calming the two down, Liu Shuqing went out to gather information, while Zhou An returned to his room to focus on his cultivation.

Now that we're in the city, we don't have to worry about being attacked by unknown people like we did at Yunxia Mountain.

In the evening, Liu Shuqing and Sun Wenhao sent word that Sun's Trading Company had also encountered trouble, but it had been resolved.

However, Zhou An learned from Liu Shuqing that Sun Wenhao had been scolded by people from the Sun family, and his face was black with anger.

"I wonder what the sect plans to do?"

As Zhou An drank the blood-nourishing powder he had bought with Manager An's money, he thought to himself.

If the shops in Ningshan City have suffered these things, the forces in those towns will likely also face corresponding blows.

After quickly finishing the blood-nourishing powder, Zhou An felt the heat coursing through his body and immediately calmed his mind, beginning his practice of the Golden Robe Technique.

Although he was wearing clothes, within moments, a surge of heat rose around Zhou An's body, and his exposed skin turned crimson at a visible speed.

As time passed, the crimson began to deepen, faintly revealing a hint of golden hue.

.......