“So, you did it for me after all.”
“It’s for us. After all, we’re together, right?”
Su Mu, compelled by her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, corrected Chen Qing.
However, this sentence unconsciously saved her.
“You—next time, you aren’t allowed to act without my permission.”
Chen Qing gently pinched Su Mu’s soft cheek, savoring the tender, smooth sensation.
Su Mu’s use of “we” inexplicably lifted Chen Qing’s previously gloomy mood, and even her hand movements grew gentler.
“Oh.”
Seeing Chen Qing’s attitude shift so quickly, a question mark popped up in Su Mu’s mind.
As expected of the capricious Villain—truly unpredictable.
Chen Qing walked ahead, but this time, she took Su Mu’s hand.
This Traitorous Shizun was far too dishonest; she had to keep her in sight.
Of course, she had also noticed Mu Qiuzi’s caravan.
But now wasn’t the time for direct contact with the Departing Cloud Merchant Association—she still had other matters to handle.
Chen Qing led Su Mu to a dense cluster of buildings.
This area was far quieter than the bustling streets, with people occasionally passing by.
However, their eyes lingered on the two unfamiliar intruders, Su Mu and Chen Qing, filled with an unsettling vigilance.
“W-Why are we here?”
Seeing the fierce-looking people around them, Su Mu instinctively edged closer to Chen Qing.
“To find someone.”
Chen Qing pulled the Black Iron Token from her pocket.
Though Cloud City appeared to be just an ordinary border town on the surface, it was rife with factions and powers underneath.
In the Underground District, the Wild Wolf Gang, Fierce Tiger Gang, and Poison Snake Gang formed the three dominant gangs.
On the surface, major merchant associations and the government held sway, alongside plenty of Jianghu martial artists.
With such tangled power dynamics—and its position as a border city—the government’s control was quite limited.
Sometimes, the words of the three local black gangs carried more weight than the authorities.
“Why come here to find someone?”
As people occasionally passed by, Su Mu grew even more nervous.
She felt their gazes weren’t casual passersby—they were watching them.
Seeing Su Mu’s timid demeanor, Chen Qing felt a mischievous impulse to tease her.
“Don’t worry. If the talks fall through, I’ll just hand you over.”
Chen Qing’s words struck Su Mu like a bolt from the blue.
This person was actually planning to use her as a bargaining chip!
If she ended up in the hands of those fierce-looking people from earlier, she was done for.
She could barely handle one Chen Qing—a whole group would break her.
At the thought of this terrifying outcome, Su Mu hurriedly tugged at Chen Qing’s clothes, gazing up at her with teary eyes.
“I-I’ll be very obedient from now on. Don’t hand me over.”
Seeing Su Mu’s tearful expression, Chen Qing lifted her chin.
“Then tell me honestly—did you sneak out last night?”
“No.”
Sensing Chen Qing probing her again, Su Mu shook her head firmly.
She knew full well that admitting it would spell disaster.
But this damn Villain kept testing her about last night—did she really have evidence?
No, that didn’t add up. If she did, given her personality, she’d have whipped it out by now, flashed that ‘smile,’ pinned her to the bed, and ravished her right there.
Instead of just probing like this.
Su Mu’s firm and resounding “No” made two veins throb on Chen Qing’s forehead.
This Traitorous Shizun’s mouth was stubborn as ever—even after all that scaring, she still wouldn’t admit it.
Chen Qing could expose her Fox Mask identity right then and make Su Mu pay dearly for lying to her.
But she still needed the Fox Mask persona later to probe certain matters; she couldn’t reveal it so soon.
This Shizun might look timid and fragile, but her mouth was incredibly tough.
As Chen Qing pondered how to deal with her dishonest Shizun, a girl with a high ponytail just like Su Mu’s appeared.
She held a sword in hand, a group of underlings trailing behind her, blocking their path.
The sword-wielding girl had sharp, heroic features and was rather attractive.
In a crowd, she’d be a sought-after beauty.
“Girls, one of my underlings saw you with our Wild Wolf Gang’s Hall Token. But I don’t recall issuing one to you.”
The girl stared at them aggressively, while her underlings brandished their sharp weapons.
With so many opponents, Su Mu quietly ducked behind Chen Qing.
Though she figured they couldn’t beat Chen Qing, blades had no eyes—it was safer to stay out of the way and avoid stray hits.
Chen Qing gazed at the aggressive girl, a flicker of reminiscence in her eyes.
Among the three black gangs, the Wild Wolf Gang was the purest: if you wanted status or money, you earned it with strength.
The girl before her was the Wild Wolf Gang’s current gang leader, Tan Mu. To claim that position, her strength was no joke.
She just hadn’t expected Tan Mu to already be leader—compared to the version she’d met in her previous life, this one carried more youthful innocence.
Facing what had been a half-friend from her past life, Chen Qing decided to go easy.
“Isn’t the Wild Wolf Gang all about strength? If I got the Hall Token, doesn’t that make me the next hall master?”
“You seem to know quite a bit about the Wild Wolf Gang. Strength rules internally, sure—but if outsiders bully our people, I won’t stand for it!”
“Right!”
Seeing their boss stand up for her underlings, the group behind her cheered loudly.
“It’s not too late to join now.”
If this weren’t Tan Mu, Chen Qing would’ve skipped the chit-chat and crushed them with raw power.
But since she’d opted for a softer approach, she held back.
“You want to join the Wild Wolf Gang?”
Tan Mu sized Chen Qing up appraisingly. She’d just finished cleaning house across all the halls.
The only one who’d vanished recently was Liu Yi, that old-timer slacker.
If this person joined and replaced the uncooperative Liu Yi, it’d be a solid choice.
“If you join the Wild Wolf Gang, I could give you a hall.”
“Who said anything about a hall? I want to be gang leader.”
“Gang leader?”
Tan Mu’s gaze shifted instantly, now tinged with interest.
This one’s ambition was massive—straight-up challenging her on arrival.
Either a fool or fully prepared.
Killing a Wild Wolf Gang hall master meant she had some real strength, but she shouldn’t underestimate Tan Mu.
