"I just happened to be here, and I was acting in self-defense. There’s no need to be so polite, Brother Xu."

Qin Fang said calmly, shaking his head.

Xu Meng’s expression turned serious. "That’s not it at all... *Sigh.* I promised Master Zhou I’d take good care of you, but instead, I dragged you into this mess the moment you arrived, and you ended up saving my life... Words can’t express my gratitude. I’ll remember this, and I swear I’ll repay you one day."

His expression was sincere; he had clearly taken this favor to heart.

Qin Fang didn’t press the issue and changed the subject. "Those bladesmen... did you catch up to them all?"

Xu Meng froze for a moment at the question, then a vicious glint appeared in his eyes.

"Killed them all."

He was a true Mingjin Powerhouse, after all. The bladesmen knew some basic fighting techniques, but they were no match for a Mingjin Martial Artist in a fight to the death.

Xu Meng had only been in peril because Deng Chuan had ambushed him. Deng Chuan was also a Mingjin Martial Artist with a comparable level of cultivation. Since Deng Chuan had seized the initiative, Xu Meng had been forced into a constant retreat.

Even then, the others hadn’t dared to just swarm him and hack away wildly. The difference in power was simply too vast.

If those bladesmen had truly swarmed him, they might have actually disrupted Deng Chuan’s rhythm and allowed Xu Meng to seize back the advantage.

But now, with Deng Chuan dead and the rest of them scared out of their wits by Qin Fang, their only thought was to escape. How could such a disorganized rabble possibly be a match for a Mingjin Martial Artist like Xu Meng?

He caught up to all of them and cut them down one by one.

Qin Fang nodded. "Brother Xu, I have a favor to ask. Please keep my involvement a secret... especially my skill with these Darts."

Xu Meng was taken aback for a second but quickly nodded. "No problem. This is a matter between our gangs. It has nothing to do with you, Brother Qin."

He had no intention of pressing Qin Fang for a reason...

’Isn’t this perfectly normal?’

’A Dart technique that can kill even a Mingjin Martial Artist... Of course, he’d want to keep that hidden.’

’If other people knew he had this up his sleeve, his Darts would lose half their effectiveness right from the start.’

’...He’s an Expert in Hidden Weapons, after all.’

Still, Xu Meng was amazed. ’I’ve never heard that Master Zhou had some ultimate Dart technique. How could his junior brother...’

Though amazed and confused, Xu Meng naturally didn’t let it show on his face.

Because this was clearly not a bad thing for him...

This Brother Qin was going to be staying in his territory for quite some time.

Even if Master Zhou’s connection meant he couldn’t recruit him into the gang... if something like this happened again, having an Expert in Hidden Weapons holding down the fort would undoubtedly give him more confidence.

’...Surviving in this marketplace is tough.’

People might see that he controlled a small fish market and call him a boss.

But the fish market was a steady source of income, and plenty of other powers around here were eyeing it like hungry tigers.

Deng Chuan had been just one of them.

At the thought of Deng Chuan, a murderous glint appeared in his eyes. He suddenly bellowed, "Monkey!"

In the distance, one of the three men helping Qin Fang search for his Darts immediately answered, "Here!"

The other two also looked over.

"Regarding Brother Qin, you all keep your damn mouths shut and let this rot in your guts. If I hear anyone blabbing, don’t blame me for what happens... Got it?"

The three of them shivered and hastily replied, "Yes!"

"Especially Brother Qin’s skill with the Darts. No one is to mention it!"

Xu Meng warned again in a serious tone.

"Yes!"

Seeing their solemn replies, Xu Meng nodded.

Qin Fang also breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, with a dark expression, Xu Meng said, "One more thing... Monkey, go to the warehouse and find out what the hell happened. How did Deng Chuan and his men sneak all the way to the pier without anyone noticing?!"

After speaking, killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

His gang wasn’t just him and these four men, of course. In fact, he had over thirty men under his command. At all times, there were supposed to be lookouts patrolling the pier, just in case something happened.

But today, he had just arrived at the pier when he was ambushed by Deng Chuan and his men.

Something was clearly wrong.

"Yes!"

The man called Monkey acknowledged the order and quickly ran off.

Xu Meng watched Monkey run off, took a deep breath, and then his gaze swept over to the body of the man named Heizi, lying on the ground not far away.

A deep anger surfaced in his eyes. ’If it hadn’t been for Qin Fang today, I would have met the same fate!’

How could he not be furious?

But he quickly reined in his anger. After a deep breath, he said, "Brother Qin, this way. Let me get you settled in a place to stay."

Qin Fang naturally nodded.

’He obviously has gang business to deal with now.’

He wasn’t interested in that.

Following behind Xu Meng, they walked along the simple pier and into the marketplace proper. It was filled with mud-brick houses that looked far more run-down than those in True Martial County.

The fishy smell in the air grew even stronger.

Soon, they stopped outside a mud-brick courtyard wall.

Xu Meng opened the courtyard gate and went inside.

It was a simple courtyard, but quite spacious. The mud-brick wall was low, just over a meter high, with another layer of bamboo fence built around the outside.

Inside was a house made of mud brick with a tiled roof.

"Brother Qin, for the time being, you can stay here... It’s just that the house is a bit simple, I hope you don’t mind."

Xu Meng said to Qin Fang, a little embarrassed. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Most of the houses in the marketplace were this type of mud-brick building.

Qin Fang looked it over and was quite satisfied. ’This yard... it’s even bigger than Elder Wu’s was. A full ten meters square.’

The other houses in the marketplace didn’t even have courtyards; they were just simple mud-brick houses or even shacks.

In this marketplace, a yard like this was practically a ’mansion’.

"Brother Xu, you’re too kind. This place is great," Qin Fang said after a quick look around.

"I’m glad you don’t mind... The furnishings inside should be mostly complete, but if you need anything at all, just tell me. We’re family now, so don’t you be a stranger."

Xu Meng said with sincerity.

Qin Fang played along. "Don’t worry, Brother Xu. If I need anything, I won’t hesitate to ask."

Hearing Qin Fang say this, Xu Meng also broke into a smile.

Just as he was about to say something more, a flurry of footsteps was heard. Turning his head, he saw a group of men rushing over.

They stopped at the gate.

The man in the lead, his face deathly pale, bowed slightly and said, "B-Boss..."

When Xu Meng saw these men, he first let out a sigh of relief, but then his face hardened. He swept a cold glare over them that made everyone’s scalp tingle with fear.

He didn’t address them immediately, instead turning to say a few more words to Qin Fang in a low voice.

After telling Qin Fang to settle in, Xu Meng finally took his leave and walked out the courtyard gate.

Qin Fang stood in front of the house, watching.

A moment later, with a THUD, Xu Meng kicked the leader, sending him flying. The man spat a mouthful of fresh blood in mid-air.

After landing, he didn’t dare to retaliate. He struggled back to his feet, lowered his head, and knelt on the ground.

Xu Meng stood his ground, shot the man a cold, sidelong glance, and finally let out a cold snort before walking away.

The others followed close behind.

A moment later, two or three men from the crowd came forward, helped the man who had been kicked to his feet, and struggled to follow the main group.

Soon, the group’s figures disappeared into the night.

After his gaze flickered for a moment, Qin Fang also let out a long breath and turned to go inside the house.