Fifteen minutes later

“Nobody move!” A man in a blue jin zhuang[1] yelled out in the slums. More people followed him in black jin zhuangs. The difference being the man in blue had three black tassels with two pins hanging from his belt, while the four in black only had two pins and no tassels. The youth, Hao Yunan and Fang Mingkong, stood around the bodies of the fallen Hao clan members.

“The blue one’s an inspector…” Hao Yunan mumbled under his breath, “And the others – all constables. It won’t be wise to mess with them.”

“Relax, it’s not like we did anything wrong,” the youth chuckled and whispered, “If he wants to enforce the law, we’ll help him out.” The inspector saw them whisper to one another and walked towards them imposingly.

“What happened here, martial artists?” he spat out the words ‘martial artist’ with utter disgust and irritation as if martial artists had been the source of all his life’s problems. But given his job, that might as well be the case. Another thing to note was how the inspector had addressed them as ‘martial artists’ and not ‘cultivators.’ All cultivators who hadn’t reached the Xiantian realm were called ‘martial artists.’ Of course, only those would power would refer to them as such. Such distinctions didn’t matter to mortals as both could kill them without much problem.

“We were brought here and then attacked. Can’t you tell?” the youth asked lightly.

The inspector raised an eyebrow, “And? You came out of that unharmed?”

“They underestimated their opponents and died as a result. What else can I say?”

The inspector narrowed his eyes, “Regardless, don’t you know that martial artists are forbidden from fighting in public spaces?”

“Oh? And which law states that?” The youth asked with evident amusement.

The inspector sighed irritated and stated, “Article 3 of the Mortal-Cultivator Amendment states that no martial artists’ fight shall place the lives of mortals in danger.”

“Repeat the article and ask yourself – how did we violate it?”

“Enough!” The inspector screamed, “You bastards clearly fought-”

The youth cut him off, “That we did. But the law states that the fight shall not endanger the lives of mortals. So let me ask you? Are any mortals in the surrounding area hurt?”

“Of cou-” the inspector was about to yell out again but quickly caught himself once he realized that the mortals around them had quickly run away long ago. They were standing in a deserted street.

“See, inspector?” The youth grinned mockingly, “We haven’t broken any laws. So, are we free to go?”

The inspector looked at the youth with a menacing expression. He had already forgotten the other two existed. After a series of complicated expressions, the inspector let them go.

As he walked past the inspector, the youth put his hands on the former’s shoulders and whispered, “Don’t rely on laws too much. After all, they were made by ‘martial artists.’” The inspector clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, unable to do anything.

While walking away, Hao Yunan asked quietly, “Is this why you let them lead us into the slums?”

“Yeah,” the youth nodded. “Slum dwellers and low-lives are either very good at preserving their lives or very good at finding ways to die. If even one of them had jumped into our battle, we’d be in hot water right now.”

“So, you waited this long for a gamble?” Fang Mingkong asked with narrowed eyes.

“It was either – have a chance living or dying,” the youth stated lightly. “Which one do you think I should’ve chosen?”

“Cut it out, you two!” Hao Yunan stopped them. He looked at the youth and sighed, “Now, we’ve thoroughly pissed off an inspector. It won’t reflect well on us.”

“Actually, judging from his reaction, he’s the best type of guy for us to use.”

“Really? In what way?”

“Well, he seems like a stickler for the law. I can 100% assure you he will go back to the Prefectural Office and find a way to indict or arrest us. Unsuccessfully, of course. But these stubborn bastards are the perfect way to create trouble with your older brothers.”

Hao Yunan asked eagerly, “How?”

The youth shrugged, “We’ll see when we get there. For now, let’s get our preparations underway.”

The other two stared at each other blankly before asking in unison, “What preparations?”

“Why, you’re going to recruit forces from the slums while I…” the youth paused before saying, “I look into how to start a merchantry.”

“Alright, we’ll do as you say,” Hao Yunan exhaled deeply and resolved himself.

“Don’t say it like I’m the one leading you. We’re just doing business. Of course, you can go to the big merchant groups and ask for a partnership but let me tell you, those wily old foxes will look at the risks and rewards first, and they wouldn’t like the odds of siding with you.”

“Alright, then! When should we meet again?”

The youth stroked his chin and asked, “Once you’ve built a formidable force, send some people to locate where I am. Then send me a letter.”

“Will you be in the city?”

“Don’t worry,” The youth smiled, “unless it’s for work, I don’t have plans on leaving the city any time soon.”

The three came to a crossroads in the streets. Seeing that they had to part ways, Hao Yunan asked, “Where will you go now?”

“I’ll head back to the inn. I paid for it, so I’ll sleep there now. Send the money from the Herb-Shifting Monkeys when you sell them.”

“Would you like a pla-”

The youth cut him off, “No need. Once it’s all finished, maybe then.”

“I see…then, I’ll see you later.”

The youth began to walk down towards the commercial area towards the west while Hao Yunan needed to go north towards the housing of the big clans. The youth waved back, “Yup, I’ll see you later. We have big things ahead of us. Let’s give it our best!”

“Yeah!” Hao Yunan shouted back. Seeing the receding figure, Fang Mingkong asked, “Why go through all this trouble, young master?”

Hao Yunan inhaled deeply and smiled brightly, “For the first time, someone didn’t reject us. I mean, he did, but this time someone finally decided to help us!” Hao Yunan sat on the road, suddenly prompting Fang Mingkong to panic.

“Please get up quickly, young master! It’s dirty!” she pleaded.

He looked at her with a hopeful grin, “Finally, Mingkong, I see the light, no matter how small it may be. I might just have a chance now. I can feel it. He’s extraordinary.”

“Really?” Fang Mingkong turned around and looked in the direction where the youth went. She thought for a long time before replying, “Maybe, you’re right.”

“Have I ever been wrong?”

“Yes.”

Back at the inn

The youth took off his shoes and stretched his toes. Sitting on the bed, he reflected on all that happened today. He got his first team commission, his team members turned out to be from a big clan embroiled in an inheritance war, assassins were sent after Hao Yunan, and he got implicated, and he had thoroughly pissed off an inspector from the Prefectural Office.

The youth ran his hand over his face and grumbled, “Ugh, this is just not my day!”

“Is it true?” Jian Gong appeared beside him, sitting on the bed.

“Is what true?” the youth looked at him with a side-eye.

“That you’re going to start a merchantry?”

“I mean, we have to start somewhere and have some kind of dream. Killing the Heavenly King and becoming the Monarch of the world is just a goal. A far-off goal, but a goal nonetheless. It’s not a dream.”

“Then is starting a business your dream?”

The youth didn’t answer. He thought hard about it yet couldn’t find what to call it. Except there was a word, one he had used earlier. “No, I suppose that’s also a goal. Rather, it’s a means to an end. What kind of dream can I have here? Despite being here for six years, I haven’t had the time to think about it. All my time in the Li Clan was spent learning and memorizing all about the world. And after that, I got the Celestial Monarch’s Cultivation Art and a fate that seemed bigger than me. So, as of now, I don’t have a dream. I’ll just start doing things one after another and see what sticks.”

“I guess the many law books you read came in handy here,” Jian Gong chuckled.

The youth laughed as well, albeit mirthlessly, “These petty tricks won’t work for much longer. After all, might is the only voice here.”

Jian Gong shook his head and asked, “So, what’s the plan now?”

“Either raising money or finding an alternative way to get a lease/deed on a property that I can convert into a store. Got to use that reincarnator logic somewhere.”

“Oh?” Jian Gong raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You can guess where you came from?”

“Just the vague knowledge I have is enough to tell me that there’s a discrepancy in the time period of my memories and the world here,” the youth sighed. “Any one of my limited knowledge can prove to be revolutionary here.”

“Good, then; when do we begin?”

“After a night’s sleep.”