“Found them?”
Hearing Sikong Yue’s conclusion, Gu Wangchen knit his brows.
According to An Li’s previous report, the attackers had clearly fled toward the right branch, and Wei Yang was also pursuing in that direction.
He and Sikong Yue had taken the left path, yet they had also found traces of those guys?
‘Did they split up to escape, or as I suspected before, is there more than one base?’
Without time to overthink, Gu Wangchen tapped the girl’s shoulder and ordered, “Sikong Yue, take the lead. Find their nest!”
“I know, I know. You don’t need to tell me.” Sikong Yue unsheathed the sword at her waist, circulated her true qi, and cautiously walked into the side alley.
Deep inside the alley, the light grew increasingly dim.
Beneath the low earthen walls on both sides, dozens of ragged figures huddled. Some lay down while others sat, covered in filth and emitting a nauseating, sour stench.
“Have mercy… Give us something to eat…”
As the two entered, the heads that had been hanging low all snapped up. Their murky gazes scanned back and forth over Gu Wangchen’s luxurious robes like hungry wolves eyeing a piece of fatty meat.
Gu Wangchen paused slightly, his brow furrowed.
This was the slum area of Shengan City, the dark corner where sunlight never reached. It was natural and logical for countless destitute people to beg here.
But… was the density not a bit too high?
Logically, even beggars had “territories.” If there were too many beggars in one area, the money they received wouldn’t be enough to sustain them, and conflicts would likely break out.
Most importantly, under normal circumstances, no outsiders would ever come here. Who were they begging from?
“Have mercy…”
Countless dirty hands reached out from both sides, attempting to grab their hems.
Sikong Yue instinctively took a step back. Her hand instinctively felt for the purse at her waist, but she felt nothing.
Only then did she remember that she was already penniless, unable to produce even a single copper coin.
At the thought of this, she couldn’t help but turn back and glare fiercely at Gu Wangchen.
‘It’s all this guy’s fault. If not for him, how could I have lost my job at the Jingfang Pavilion? Why would I have gone to the south city congee shack, only to be unlucky enough to encounter an attack and be dragged here as manual labor?’
Gu Wangchen was somewhat baffled, unsure how he had offended Sikong Yue again to make her glare at him like that.
“Money! Give us money!”
Seeing that the two had no intention of giving alms, the beggars’ pleas gradually became urgent. Some even began to crowd toward the center of the road, faintly cutting off their path.
Gu Wangchen frowned and reached into his robes.
He originally intended to scatter some loose silver to dismiss the crowd, but his fingertips touched a thick stack of banknotes.
The lowest denomination was… 100 taels.
Tsk, a miscalculation.
He had left in too much of a hurry and didn’t bring any change.
Giving 100 taels?
That wouldn’t be alms; that would be inviting disaster.
He withdrew his hand, ignored the reaching dirty hands, and pulled Sikong Yue along to pass through quickly.
“You want to leave without giving money?”
“I opened this road!”
Seeing the fat sheep about to escape, the beggars who were just begging instantly changed their expressions.
They no longer pretended and stood up one after another. They grabbed mud and sewage from the ground, and some even pulled out broken bowls or wooden sticks from nowhere, surrounding the pair menacingly.
“What are you trying to do?!” Sikong Yue drew her sword with a *clang*. The blade flickered with cold light as she tried to intimidate the mob.
“You want to fight? Brothers, let’s show them!”
A leading beggar with a scabbed head let out a strange cry, and a glob of black mud in his hand was violently thrown toward Sikong Yue.
*Splat* —
Sikong Yue twisted her body. Though she dodged it with her agility, the stain from the mud splashing on the ground made her feel a wave of nausea.
“You bastards!”
She was about to strike back with her sword when she realized she was surrounded by beggars holding “biological weapons,” leaving her with no way to start.
Once they got close, even if she was a Rank 4 cultivator, she wouldn’t be able to avoid being stained by the filth flying everywhere.
This was more troublesome than swords!
“Don’t move,” Gu Wangchen pressed down on her wrist holding the sword and whispered, “Don’t be impulsive. This place is too narrow to move freely.”
He didn’t want to be hit by a mop soaked in filth.
Moreover, although these beggars were dressed in rags, their movements were vigorous, and their eyes were fierce. Among them, several even faintly emitted ripples of true qi.
They were by no means ordinary refugees.
West Shengan City, slums, organized, with cultivators…
The Beggars’ Sect.
Memories of the original plot instantly surfaced in Gu Wangchen’s mind.
In the original story, the protagonist Sikong Yue did indeed have dealings with them and even formed a “friendship.”
But now…
He didn’t have time to play house with these people.
“Then what do you suggest? Are we just going to let them throw filth all over us?” Sikong Yue gritted her teeth, clearly disgusted to the limit.
“Simple.” The corner of Gu Wangchen’s mouth curled into a playful smile. He reached out, unfastened the Empress Dowager’s gold medallion from his waist, and held it high.
“All of you, look closely!”
The gold medallion flashed with a dazzling light in the dim alley. The phoenix pattern on it was lifelike, exuding imperial majesty.
“This official is investigating a case by the Empress Dowager’s decree. By obstructing this investigation, are you all planning to rebel?!”
The beggars froze, a hint of fear flashing in their eyes.
The Empress Dowager? Rebellion?
If this label was pinned on them, no one could withstand it.
Before they could react, Gu Wangchen waved his other hand, and three 100-tael banknotes drifted down like snowflakes.
“Of course, this official is not an unreasonable person.”
“Here are 300 taels in banknotes. Take them and get lost, or let the imperial army flatten this place. Choose for yourselves!”
The beggars looked at the banknotes on the ground and then at the gold medallion. Greed and fear intertwined in their eyes.
300 taels! That was a huge sum they couldn’t beg for in several years!
Furthermore, the opponent was an official backed by the Empress Dowager. If they really fought, their small numbers wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
The crowd began to stir, and the encirclement showed signs of breaking.
“Everyone, stand down!”
Just then, a thick voice came from a tile-roofed house deep in the alley.
As if receiving a great pardon, the beggars retreated to both sides, clearing a path.
A tall man with disheveled hair and skin so dark it shone stepped out from the house.
He was shirtless, his muscles knotted, and his large, bell-like eyes stared fixedly at Gu Wangchen.
‘A Kunlun Slave?’
Gu Wangchen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
He hadn’t expected the leader of this Beggars’ Sect branch to be a Kunlun Slave from foreign lands.
“Lord Official, since you are investigating a case, please proceed.”
The Kunlun Slave spoke fluent Great Qian Mandarin. He didn’t pick up the banknotes on the ground but instead stepped aside to clear the entrance to the house.
“However, there is no one inside whom you are looking for. There is only a pile of poor devils with nothing but their miserable lives.”
“Whether there is anyone inside, this official will only know after looking.”
Gu Wangchen wasn’t polite either. Pulling Sikong Yue, who still wanted to say something, he strode toward the house.
As he passed the dark, burly man, he casually pulled out another banknote and slapped it onto the man’s chest, which was covered in thick hair.
“A reward for you. For the guiding fee.”
The Kunlun Slave was stunned. Looking at the light banknote in his hand, a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. He then bared a mouthful of white teeth and silently tucked it away.
“Thank you for the reward, My Lord.”