The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

"Become someone who can influence Yang City, with no specific methods or limits on how you can influence it?"

"Yes."

Qing Yu seemed to hear a satisfying answer, smiled, and slowly followed the crowd into the city.

After entering the city, his first stop was at a pharmacy. Ultimately, Qing Yu was alone, and there weren't any decent herbs on Beicang Mountain; the medicine he had made on the mountain was never very effective.

However, halfway there, Qing Yu remembered his pockets were still empty; he had spent all his money from selling Lingzhi on women's clothing. It seemed that Qing Yu's first priority was still to make money.

"I have no capital and no channels, and if I go to work, I don't know when I'll have enough money. It looks like I can only do some business without any initial investment."

While there was still daylight, Qing Yu quickly went to scout locations. As for how to scout, with no experience, Qing Yu could only choose the least conspicuous method—being a beggar, his old trade. There was one advantage to being a beggar—no need to prepare any clothes. The advantage of traveling with the Golden Wild Goose Skill was its speed; the downside became apparent now, as taking unconventional paths meant his clothes were tattered and his face dusty, all from being snagged by branches off the mountain paths.

Then, just as Qing Yu had found a decent spot to squat, he saw a group of beggars approaching fiercely. Sensing trouble, Qing Yu did not want to cause a scene and took off running. To avoid showing off his martial arts, Qing Yu did not use the Golden Wild Goose Skill; he ran quite fast relying solely on his legs. The beggars, seeing his fleeing figure, weighed the pros and cons, calculating that the calories burned would require begging for half a day to replenish, and so they dispersed, cursing under their breath.

There, Qing Yu ran all the way to a remote alley and sat down on the ground, catching his breath: "Damn, after years out of this line of work, I'd forgotten—beggars are the most territorial. It's not easy being a beggar."

By then, the sun was already setting, making the alley even dimmer. A few figures approached from the other end of the alley. Qing Yu looked up, and in his dim vision, he could only see that the newcomers were burly, and he heard a few sinister laughs.

"Kid, hand over the money quietly, and avoid some unnecessary pain," said one of the figures, who seemed to be somewhat educated, even using idioms.

"Please, do I look like I have money?" Qing Yu said, shaking his sleeve that was already in tatters.

The newcomers were probably local hoodlums, and as they got closer and saw Qing Yu's ragged appearance, the leader cursed their bad luck and was about to beat Qing Yu to let off some steam, but he didn't notice the sinister smile curling on the lips of the beggar in front of him.

After a scuffle, Qing Yu changed into new clothes, holding several shriveled money bags. "Really poor, still had the nerve to say they were out to rob." Qing Yu shook his hand, feeling the weight in his hands.

On the ground lay several figures trembling slightly, one of them shirtless having contributed his clothes to Qing Yu. Hearing Qing Yu's comment, the hoodlums couldn't help but curse inwardly: 'Damn, it's this secluded alley, who would casually stroll in here? We finally find a small lamb, and damn it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black!'

"A talentless case of the pot calling the kettle black, but since it's your first time doing this, reward: 50 Villain Points." The System timely came out to make its presence felt.

"I've gotten Villain Points already, that came a bit too easily, didn't it?"

"According to faction alignment, the host isn't yet a villain, just leaning toward the villain faction. So, doing minor deeds can still garner Villain Points. Once fully shifted to the villain faction, such small acts like robbery won't earn Villain Points anymore. Even later, as more Villain Points are accumulated, common acts like murder and arson won't earn Villain Points either."

"So, I can only become worse and worse? What a tragedy," Qing Yu shrugged indifferently, envisioning his future.

After ending the conversation with the system, Qing Yu crouched down and flashed a meaningful smile at a few gangsters lying on the ground like dead fish: "Suddenly I remember, I might still have some things to ask."

Thirty minutes later, Qing Yu walked out of the dim alley, stretched his slightly stiff body, picked a direction, and strode off.

During the past thirty minutes, Qing Yu had thoroughly inquired about the situation in Yang City. These low-level gangsters didn't know much about major events, but they knew far more than the common folk. Through them, Qing Yu had roughly understood the power dynamics in Yang City. It's just that he had been a bit heavy-handed earlier, which made it hard for the gangsters to speak unless he crouched close to listen; Qing Yu had crouched for about thirty minutes until his legs were numb.

Two hundred years ago, Yang City was a border city of Daqian. Naturally, the border was a focal point of military defense, traditionally garrisoned by fifty thousand border troops. To accommodate these troops, along with logistics personnel, civilians, and some soldiers' families, Yang City had to be built sufficiently large.

Later, after Emperor Daqian conquered Qing Province, the border was pushed forward, and Yang City was no longer considered a border city. Although, to guard against any uprising in the newly conquered Qing Province, troops were not widely withdrawn. However, it gradually received less attention from the court.

Over time, as Qing Province stabilized, troops were either reassigned or disbanded to return to civilian life. Now, only about two thousand troops are stationed in Yang City, officially. After two hundred peaceful years, the actual count might not even reach fifteen hundred, but they probably could still take on an average adult in combat.

Although many border troops were withdrawn, some officers stayed behind. Now the Yang City Lord's Mansion and several other city families are descendants of those officers. As for the government offices, sorry, there are none. Yang City, with its remote location far from the Emperor and backed by military families within the city, is beyond the court's control. Consequently, the military dynasties in Yang got to act like kings of their own realms.

In recent years, as more merchants traveled to and from Qing Province, Yang City, being the sole hub on the route, flourished increasingly.

With the city's prosperity, the stakes also grew larger. Zhang Family, Li Family, Sun Family, and the City Lord's Mansion of the Song Family struggled fiercely in secret for a larger share of the pie, sword shadows flashing in and out. It only began stabilizing a few years ago, but undercurrents of strife never ceased. Today, Yang City's major gangs—Iron Saber Association, Qingshan Gang, Five Tigers Sect—are all backed by these families. As for which family backs which gang, these low-level henchmen aren't privy to such details, though they suspect that the Iron Saber Association might be supported by the Li Family because they once saw its members entering Chun Gui Pavilion with the third son of the Li Family. What happened afterward is unknown to them; these henchmen couldn't even afford to indulge themselves inside and had to satisfy themselves by merely watching from outside.

"It seems that the other two gangs must be backed by Zhang Family and Sun Family, just not sure which belongs to whom. These three families squabble among themselves yet also unite against the Song Family, who controls the City Guard Army. Establishing a dominant position in Yang City means starting with these three families. The City Lord's Mansion has its guards and doesn't lack people. These families, on the other hand, recruit members through the gangs to challenge the City Lord's Mansion, with all sorts from Three Sects mingling in there, an ideal entry point," Qing Yu pondered to himself, considering his next moves. After all, there was only a year for the mission, not too long nor too short, reminiscent of his student years that flew by only to end in unemployment.

Lost in thought, Qing Yu was interrupted by several cries of pain—it turned out that the gangsters couldn't hold back their suffering any longer.

"Eh, why haven't you left yet?" Qing Yu asked.

"Boss, if you have things to do, please go ahead; we'd like to sit here a bit longer, hehe, just sitting," spoke up the henchman with a bit of smarts, who seemed to be the gang leader. Qing Yu, though he had only been testing his skills, had never fought before and hardly knew his own strength, leaving these still unknown extras unable to even stand up. Seeing Qing Yu engrossed in thought, these streetwise henchmen had remained silent in pain, not wanting to disturb this fierce expert, lest they receive another harsh beating. However, as time passed, a few with less willpower couldn't help but cry out in pain; the sharp-witted gang leader cleverly said they wanted to lie down a bit longer. At the moment, the gang leader mentally applauded his own cleverness.

Little did Qing Yu know that these people still had the mood to play mind games while lying on the ground.

"Then just keep lying there," Qing Yu said indifferently, not bothering to uncover their thoughts, and picking up a few not-so-full money bags, he walked towards the inn he had learned about earlier.