Genius Bai Zhan Tang

Pfft!
A cold gleam flashed, and blood splattered.
Du Yong clutched his throat, gurgling sounds escaping his mouth. He looked at the scene before him, everything beginning to blur.
Thud.
He lost his footing and collapsed to the ground.
"How... dare you! To kill someone in Jiang Du City!? Do you... know who I am..."
The roar of a question choked in his throat, ultimately unable to be uttered.
A ripple appeared before his eyes; where there had been no one, a figure suddenly emerged. Du Yong's eyes widened abruptly, filled with terror.
A moment later, he sank into eternal darkness.
Xu Lu looked at Du Yong collapsed on the ground, quickly wrote a few words on the earth, then took the money pouch from Du Yong's chest and turned to flee!
The invisibility mystical art was indeed the best method for sneak attacks and assassinations.
This Du Yong, a capable figure who had fought his way up from the bottom ranks of a gang, had unexpectedly met his end here.
After several killings, Xu Lu's courage also grew day by day.
...
"Bai Zhan Tang? It's Bai Zhan Tang again. Which of you can tell me, who exactly is this Bai Zhan Tang?"
A furious voice echoed in the room.
In an extremely spacious room, over a dozen people sat around a massive round table.
The speaker was a burly, bearded man seated at the head.
This man was the Gang Leader of the Dajiang Gang, Jin Zhi Hai!
"To kill a leader of my Dajiang Gang right here in Jiang Du City, this is a provocation against our Dajiang Gang!"
Jin Zhi Hai said furiously, "I don't care how you do it, find that Bai Zhan Tang for me, and chop him into pieces to feed the fish!"
This Du Yong was a rising talent in the gang, whom he had just intended to cultivate as a key figure. Unexpectedly, he was killed right in Jiang Du City.
The Dajiang Gang was, after all, the largest gang in Jiang Du City. If a brother in the gang was assassinated on their own territory, and he couldn't find the culprit, how could he continue to lead this group?
"Gang Leader, Du Yong died on the streets of Jiang Du City; the authorities must also get involved in this matter."
A triangular-eyed man spoke, "Your subordinate believes we can borrow some power from the authorities..."
"Just go and do it; I don't care about the process, I only want the result!"
Jin Zhi Hai impatiently waved his hand. Furious as he was, the death of a minor leader was not enough for him to personally intervene.
For a gang like the Dajiang Gang, when did people not die?
If he, the Gang Leader, had to act every time someone died, wouldn't he be exhausted to death?
He had more important matters to attend to!
"This time, with the care of a noble person, we are permitted to escort a batch of valuable goods. Everyone must be invigorated; if we succeed this time, our Dajiang Gang will be able to advance another step!"
Jin Zhi Hai said with lofty ambition.
"Understood!"
A group of Dajiang Gang leaders responded in unison.
-----------------
Yamen.
Li Yao Zhong casually glanced at the file in his hand.
"Bai Zhan Tang?"
He said casually, "I remember not long ago, outside the city, several members of the Dajiang Gang were also killed, and the culprit's name, Bai Zhan Tang, was left at the scene; it was that handwriting."
"Chief Constable, your memory is truly excellent."
A constable spoke, "Your subordinate had to look through files related to the Dajiang Gang to know about this, but Chief Constable, you remembered it immediately."
"These gangs, they die, and then they want to turn us into their tools?"
Li Yao Zhong snorted coldly.
These Jianghu figures, they commit many evil deeds all day; a few deaths are perfectly normal.
"This time is different."
The constable shook his head, not knowing if he had accepted money from the Dajiang Gang.
"This Du Yong was killed on the streets of Jiang Du City, and on that day, he was on leave, not participating in Dajiang Gang affairs."
The constable continued, "Chief Constable, although this Du Yong's death may not fully atone for his sins, this Bai Zhan Tang dared to openly kill someone in the city. Today he killed Du Yong, tomorrow who will he kill? Your subordinate believes we should still manage this matter."
Li Yao Zhong showed a thoughtful expression.
He truly had no interest in managing the infighting between gangs; in his opinion, it would be cleaner if all these hooligans died.
But the Dajiang Gang had backers, and Li Yao Zhong was helpless.
"Moreover..."
The constable lowered his voice and whispered, "The superiors have given instructions, requiring us to apprehend the culprit."
This was the key point.
Li Yao Zhong frowned; he didn't want to manage this matter, but as the Chief Constable of Jiang Du City, there were many things he couldn't help but do.
"Alright, find a few brothers to investigate."
Li Yao Zhong waved his hand and said casually.
-----------------
Xu Lu poured the silver and copper coins from the money pouch into a chest, then tossed the money pouch into a brazier, watching it turn to ashes in the flames.
The dagger used to kill had been thrown into the Qu River; this time, no one would likely trace him for killing Du Yong.
"In this world, if you don't kill others, others will kill you. Du Yong always coveted my money; if I didn't kill him, trouble would come sooner or later."
Xu Lu mumbled.
His heart was now also much bolder; the tens of taels of silver taken from Du Yong no longer caught his eye. The reason he searched the corpse was purely out of habit.
As the owner of Deyue Tower, he now had an income of over tens of taels of silver every day without doing anything.
It must be said that Chen Si Ming's move made Xu Lu immensely admire him.
If it were Xu Lu, even with more poems in hand, he might not have been able to gain such benefits.
"Du Yong is dealt with; there's still the Zhao Clan!"
Xu Lu pondered, "Unlike a lone individual like Du Yong, the Zhao Clan is a large power. That Zhao Kai Chang cannot be touched, but what about Zhao Si... If I can't kill him, I can still beat him up to vent my anger."
Xu Lu was deep in thought when suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the door outside.
Unbeknownst to him, dawn had broken.
"Xu Lu!"
Opening the door, a figure with a turtle-like gait stepped in and said arrogantly, "Have you forgotten the task Fourth Master entrusted to you?"
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives; the person who came was none other than Zhao Si.
Xu Lu's fists itched; he really wanted to punch Zhao Si in the face right now.
"Of course not. But Fourth Master, Mister Chen has been watching very closely recently..."
Xu Lu whispered.
"You want more benefits, don't you?"
Zhao Si squinted his beady eyes, "How about this, for each manuscript, I, Fourth Master, will add half a tael for you. Three and a half taels of silver per manuscript, this is bringing money to you. Just do your work obediently for me, and I, Fourth Master, will not treat you unfairly!"
"Three and a half taels of silver?"
Xu Lu glanced at Zhao Si, raising the price?
After a moment of thought, Xu Lu understood. It seemed the news of the transaction between Mister Chen and Tao Liu Liu had spread. Zhao Kai Chang felt a sense of crisis in his heart, which was why he increased the price.
Speaking of which, Tao Liu Liu spent so much money to buy a poem; did everyone in the industry know what was going on?
Was he buying loneliness with money?
The hobbies of the wealthy are truly incomprehensible...
"Since Fourth Master has spoken, I will find another way and steal all the manuscripts from Mister Chen's study!"
Xu Lu pretended to grit his teeth and said.
"That's more like it."
Zhao Si nodded in satisfaction, "Working for Fourth Master, you will have a life of luxury. Oh right, I heard that Chen Si Ming recently wrote a poem; if you can get that poem for me, I, Fourth Master, will reward you fifty taels of silver!"
Zhao Si secretly calculated, if he got that poem first, he could quote the young master two hundred taels... After all, whenever it involved Chen Si Ming, the young master wouldn't care about the money...
Xu Lu's expression became somewhat peculiar; was this the power of knowledge?
A single poem could not only buy a Deyue Tower but also continue to generate value for himself?
Fifty taels of silver was an amount many ordinary families might not accumulate in a lifetime.
But...
I choose to refuse!
"Fourth Master, just await my good news."
Xu Lu patted his chest and said, "How about this, you come again tomorrow, and I guarantee I will deliver the manuscript to you."
Zhao Si frowned; he had originally wanted Xu Lu to deliver the manuscript to the Zhao Manor.
But thinking of the price the young master offered, a trip for him was worth it.
"Alright, I'll come again tomorrow; don't disappoint me, Fourth Master."
Zhao Si finished speaking, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away with his turtle-like gait.
Closing the door, the smile on Xu Lu's face vanished.
"This Zhao Kai Chang, for the reputation of the Capital City's Zhuangyuan, truly stops at nothing. Mister Chen accepting that poem can be considered bearing some risk for me."
Xu Lu pondered, "I must find a way; I cannot let Zhao Kai Chang keep targeting Mister Chen. He's still using money now, but who knows what irrational things he might do to Mister Chen when pushed to the limit."
After thinking for a while, Xu Lu's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I'll do it this way."
Xu Lu mumbled, "Anyway, it's Bai Zhan Tang doing it; what does it have to do with Xu Lu? This can also attract customers to Deyue Tower; killing two birds with one stone, why not?"
Thinking this, Xu Lu spread a sheet of paper on the table, picked up a brush with his right hand, and quickly wrote on the paper.
All this time, in front of others, he had used his left hand to write; no one knew his right-hand handwriting.
"If this masterpiece could be sold, I wonder how much it would be worth."
Xu Lu shook his head with some regret, "It's a pity Bai Zhan Tang cannot show his face."
He looked down at the table and said to himself, "Good calligraphy, good poetry! I am indeed a genius! I'll do it this way; today, the reputation of Deyue Tower will advance another step!"