Chapter 63 - 30: Worldly Wisdom
Chapter 63: Chapter 30: Worldly Wisdom
THUD!
Cao She’s headless body hit the ground.
With him dead, the black snake, no longer restrained, went wild again. It sprang forward, pouncing at Yuan Da.
SWOOSH!
The flash of a saber glinted again.
The crowd saw nothing but a blur. Before they could register what happened, the black snake that had been pouncing toward Yuan Da like a bolt of lightning was already on the ground, split in two and twitching faintly.
Note: It was split in two, not cut into two pieces—sliced lengthwise right down the middle!
’So strong!’
Fang Rui’s eyes flashed. ’I could see that move clearly, but I wouldn’t be able to dodge or block it.’
He wasn’t the only one who was stunned. The others were also speechless, shocked by such exquisite Saber Technique. Their eyes were wide, their mouths agape, and they were silent as the grave.
Cao She’s two lackeys had wanted to say a word or two in their defense, but after seeing this up close, they wet their pants and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
As for the instigator, Gao Yao, his pupils contracted violently and his face turned pale. This time, he wasn’t faking it; it was real.
In that moment, he was shaken to his core. ’Did I lose my mind? Have I gone completely mad, daring to use a man like this to get rid of someone for me?’
If Cao She’s black snake rampaging earlier had been a public defiance of the Black Market’s rules, costing the market face regardless of the hidden circumstances...
Then, in this moment, Yuan Da had used Cao She’s head and his own exquisite Saber Technique to reclaim that face, and then some—forging it into a golden standard of authority.
"Someone, take this man away and get him treated."
Yuan Da gave Gao Yao a cool glance, took a silk cloth from his robes, and wiped the blood from his Horizontal Saber. Then, with a practiced flourish, he turned and slid the blade back into its sheath.
"That was really..."
Having witnessed the entire event, Fang Rui was deeply shaken, mulling it all over. ’That bystander from before was right. No matter what, Cao She broke the rules in plain sight... so he had to die!’
’Gao Yao is being carried away for treatment. Will he have an "accident," end up dead and buried, and never be seen again?’
The question had barely formed before he answered it himself. ’No, not yet at least. On the surface, Gao Yao is the victim. Even if the Black Market isn’t afraid, it still has to manage public opinion.’
’However, even though Gao Yao has saved his skin for now, disaster will surely find him later... Yuan Da seemed to have seen through something. In a way, Gao Yao used him as a weapon...’
’Heh! A child playing with a grown man’s sword is no game. If you don’t have the strength but insist on wielding the blade, you’d better be prepared for the backlash!’
’The more likely outcome for a man like Gao Yao is this: in ten days or half a month, once this incident has died down and been forgotten, he’ll turn up "coincidentally" dead in an alley somewhere...’
Fang Rui contemplated all this, analyzing the underlying principles and studying the methods and schemes at play.
Just because he was a Transmigrator, he didn’t feel superior or think he was smarter than everyone else in this world...
That kind of thinking would lead to a downfall sooner or later!
’Live and learn. Only by continuously learning can one continuously improve... This is also part of the Way of the Prudent.’
Fang Rui thought to himself.
Of course, he was just treating this as a case study, absorbing the experience and lessons from it. As for the specifics of the matter, he had no intention of getting involved.
—It was none of his business, after all!
’I didn’t help Gao Yao when he was facing Cao She; I certainly won’t get involved in the disaster that’s bound to befall him soon...’
’Actually, this is for the best. It saves me the trouble of potentially getting my own hands dirty.’
It had to be said that after seeing Gao Yao’s ruthlessness, Fang Rui, with his cautious nature, felt a sense of apprehension.
Soon, order was restored at the Black Market’s exit, and people began moving through again.
As Fang Rui passed through, Yuan Da, who seemed to remember him, gave Fang Rui a slight nod.
Instantly, Fang Rui became the center of attention in the crowd.
The regulars at the Black Market all knew that Yuan Da was notoriously proud. Anyone who earned his acknowledgment had to be a formidable figure.
Those who didn’t know who Fang Rui was immediately started asking the people around them, setting off a wave of whispers.
"Who’s that guy?"
"You don’t even know him? He’s the original purveyor of finished medicines! The seller of the new ’Muscle Regeneration Powder’ and ’Scar Remover’... oh, outside it’s called ’Skin Care Cream’!"
"Heh, that’s nothing! Ever heard of Zhou Changlin and Gao Tong? A couple of days ago, those two fiends were hunting this guy with weapons drawn. Now they’ve vanished, but he’s still alive and kicking..."
"Hiss... The man is terrifying!"
「...」
’He really is a powerhouse!’
This thought surfaced in the minds of many. Their gazes toward Fang Rui were now filled with apprehension and awe, and they secretly added him to their mental list of people in the Black Market who should never be provoked.
’So I’ve managed to borrow a sliver of this man’s fearsome reputation... While it might reduce some potential trouble for me, it will also cause my future enemies to overestimate me... I guess you could say it’s a mixed blessing!’
Fang Rui thought to himself, cupped his fist and said, "Lord Yuan," then left the Black Market.
「...」
He hurried all the way back to Willow Alley.
From a distance, Fang Rui saw two figures patrolling the area. He didn’t try to avoid them, walking straight to greet them.
"Brother Fang, you’re back? Nothing’s happened here tonight, so don’t you worry!" One of the men was none other than Jiang Ping’an, and the other was one of his subordinates.
"Thanks, Brother Jiang. Where is everyone else? I thought I saw quite a few people when I left..." Fang Rui made small talk.
"My subordinates? They’ve all scattered to patrol and... skim a little off the top."
Jiang Ping’an gave him a knowing look. "You get it."
Fang Rui nodded.
He did get it. Times were tough these days, and plenty of people frequented the Black Market. If they were caught by a patrolling governmental officer, they would inevitably have to pay a bribe to avoid trouble. Petty thieves, if their crimes weren’t too serious, could also be let go as long as they paid up.