Chu Liang looked at Lin Bei.
Lin Bei looked at Chu Liang.
After a while of awkward silence, Lin Bei finally gave an embarrassed scratch to his head and said, "Right, I need to focus on investigating the strange case."
How nice.
It's indeed tough for you to remember that.
Chu Liang silently complained in his mind.
Then Lin Bei said, "Regarding the haunting in Nanshan Academy, there are indeed many rumors. It is said that a girl named Situ Yan, being bullied in the academy, committed suicide in the Back Mountain Lake."
"Situ Yan..." Chu Liang murmured the name.
"Then, seven days later, two more student bodies were found in the Back Mountain Lake, their deaths being tremendously horrible." Lin Bei said, "The current rumor in the academy is that the ghost of Situ Yan has turned into a Resentful Spirit avenging her classmates who had mistreated her."
"If it is the work of a vengeful spirit, it won't be too difficult to handle." Chu Liang nodded, "But why is Li Jue so afraid? Did he also bully Situ Yan in the past?"
He always felt the behavior of the Li father and son was somewhat odd.
"Looking at his silent comportment, could he bully anyone?" Lin Bei scoffed, "It's more like he's the one who's likely to be bullied."
Before they could exchange more words, they saw Li Jue, who was not far ahead, corralled into a corner by some people.
The person blocking him was the young man named Yan Xiaohu and his two attendant students.
Named attendant students, but in reality, they were two hulky men standing tall around eight feet, fierce and intimidating.
Li Jue, being pushed into a corner, didn't say much. He directly pulled out a piece of silver from his pocket which seemed to be of significant weight. Yan Xiaohu held it in his hand, weighed it, and then with a smile, he led his two men away.
It seemed to prove Lin Bei's words.
"Go and help?" Lin Bei suggested to move and help him.
"No need." Chu Liang gently shook his head and continued eating his meal.
"Shouldn't we interfere?" Lin Bei said indignantly.
"Seeing how adept Li Jue was at handing over the money, I doubt this is his first time being bullied." Chu Liang said, "If we rashly step in to help now, it might reveal our connection with him, besides... we don't know much about Yan Xiaohu. Let's not complicate matters and distract from our main objective."
"Fair enough." Lin Bei turned his head back and muttered, "I just hope these people don't mess with me... or else..."
Smack.
Before he finished speaking, someone harshly slapped the back of his head, and then a few shadowy figures surrounded them.
It was Yan Xiaohu and the two burly attendant students.
"The newcomers." The muscular youth patted Chu Liang's shoulder, "You are new here, so you probably don't know the rules of Nanshan Academy, huh?"
"What rules?" Chu Liang asked.
"The rule is, if you want to be safe here, you need to pay five taels of silver as a customary fee every month. Our young master will then protect you." One of the burly men explained.
"Five taels of silver?" Lin Bei lifted his head, "You might as well rob me!"
Although they didn't use gold and silver frequently in their cultivation in the Immortal Sect, they knew five taels of silver was enough for a normal family's expenses for several months. It wasn't a small sum.
Even though the sons and daughters of wealthy families were students at Nanshan Academy, this was quite an outrageous demand.
"Unsatisfied?" The other burly man slapped the back of his head again.
"What the..." Lin Bei was immediately provoked.
"Hey——" Chu Liang quickly steadied him by lifting his hand, then produced a ten tael piece of silver with a smile and handed it to Yan Xiaohu, "Since it's the rule, we ought to obey it. I'll pay for the first two months upfront. We would appreciate it if you could kindly look after us."
"Aha, you are indeed a sensible guy." Yan Xiaohu smirked, taking the Silver and kindly said, "Don't worry. From now on, you are my brother in Nanshan Academy. If anyone gives you trouble, just mention my name, Yan Xiaohu. I guarantee you can roam around freely."
"Brother Xiaohu you're domineering." Chu Liang complimented him, then asked, "Can you cover me even outside Nanshan Academy, in Yanjiao City?"
"You can rest assured about that…" One of the brawny men behind him began, "Our young master is the young leader of the Black Tiger Guild. You can ask around. Our Black Tiger Guild is a subsidiary of the Whale Guild. Do you understand? If you get on good terms with our young master, you can do whatever you want in Yanjiao City."
"So you are the young leader of the Black Tiger Guild, I apologize." Chu Liang expressed his respect with an apparent look of admiration.
Just a few polite words were enough to send Yan Xiaohu away cheerfully.
After they left, Lin Bei touched the back of his head and said in a gloomy tone, "These people might be Martial Arts Cultivators, but their power is equivalent at most to the Body Refining Realm. I could have taken care of them in three or two moves. Why didn't you let me do it?"
"We don't know the situation yet, let's not attract any trouble. This Black Tiger Guild seems to be very powerful locally. If we really provoke the Whale Guild, it would make our mission difficult," Chu Liang persuaded. "It's better to find out the details before making a move."
"Alright, we haven't received the reward for the mission yet and lost ten Silver..." Lin Bei still felt a bit heartache.
"We can ask Old Master Li for a reimbursement later," Chu Liang laughed.
The Whale Guild, also known as the Four Seas Whale Guild, ranks among the top ten in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. They are unique as they are the only gang and not a sect to hold such a position. Their strength can be easily inferred.
Their members are spread across the four seas and number in the hundreds of thousands. They monopolize in many businesses like transportation, docks, and others. They are undoubtedly gigantic.
It's no surprise that Yan Xiaohu is so arrogant if the Black Tiger Guild indeed has connections with the Whale Guild.
However.
Upon returning to the classroom, Chu Liang still asked Li Jue, "Are you okay? Do you need our help with Yan Xiaohu?"
"No need." Li Jue shook his head gently and whispered, "I got used to it a long time ago, and... anyway, he won't live long."
As Chu Liang was about to turn around, he heard Li Jue add another sentence. Surprised, he asked, "What do you mean?"
"No..." Li Jue shook his head quickly and fell silent.
This left Chu Liang with more suspicions.
The afternoon passed without incident.
When school was over, the two of them followed Li Jue from a distance down the mountain towards Yanjiao City.
Lin Bei reported to Chu Liang what he had found out, "The Black Tiger Guild claims to be a part of the Whale Guild, but they are just in name. They want to take advantage of the relationship. I have never seen the Whale Guild getting involved in their affairs."
"Indeed, they are one of the major gangs in Yanjiao City. There are dozens of Martial Arts Cultivators in the gang, mostly in the First Realm, with a few Hall Masters in the Second Realm, and only the Gang Leader is a Martial Artist of the Third Realm."
Chu Liang nodded gently.
For a place like Yanjiao City, such power is indeed enough to be domineering.
After all, the inherent forces are not comparable to hired thugs. Old Master Li could hire Cultivators of the Divine Consciousness Realm for a few days. Yet, he cannot afford to maintain them in the long run. Also, those from Shu Mountain Sect generally help to deal with demons and monsters, they wouldn't help him with other things.
If a gang can maintain dozens of Martial Arts Cultivators who follow any orders and a Third Realm expert as a leader, they indeed are not weak.
But that's it.
After getting a rough idea, he looked around, and his gaze soon landed on Yan Xiaohu, who just left the academy.
"Brother Xiaohu," Chu Liang came up to him with Lin Bei and greeted him with a smile.
"Little Chu, what's up?" Yan Xiaohu now thinks Chu Liang is clever, a kind that he appreciates and would like to recruit as a follower.
"Weren't you asking me to inquire about the Black Tiger Guild earlier? So, I made some inquiries," Chu Liang said with a smile.
"Hmm? So now you want to do what?" Yan Xiaohu felt something was off about his smile.
Then he heard Chu Liang say, "I want to take back my money now."