Chapter 47: Sailing in Two Boats

At this moment, Shi Xiaocai had already taken down more than a dozen opponents, with about the same number remaining. However, he had suffered a minor injury, having underestimated his enemies at the start. Seeing Ling Tian arrive, Shi Xiaocai breathed a sigh of relief, flashed a smile at him, and, without relaxing his guard, knocked a knife out of one man's hand with a punch before refocusing on the fight.

“Sis, watch me!” Ling Tian called out brightly to Li Youran, joining the fray. In public, he addressed Li Youran as his elder sister, just as the two had agreed upon. With that, Ling Tian picked up a machete from the ground and fought alongside Shi Xiaocai. He made sure not to kill anyone, but the fight was still bloody. Though he could have used silver needles to injure his foes, that lacked the necessary intimidation. Since these men had dared to provoke him at his doorstep, he would make sure they understood he was not to be trifled with.

Screams rang out and blood splattered everywhere as Shi Xiaocai and Ling Tian fought with abandon. In less than five minutes, all of their opponents lay on the ground—save for the bald man, whom they had deliberately left for last.

That man, seeing his dozens of men felled by Shi Xiaocai and Ling Tian, broke out in a cold sweat, his back soaked through. These two were far too strong. He began to regret provoking them, but at this point, there was no retreat.

“What’s your name? Why did you come looking for trouble with me?” Ling Tian eyed the bald man with disdain. He didn’t think much of him; in fact, aside from Song Ziyue, he had little sense of the criminal underworld in Jianghai City.

“So you’re Ling Tian? I’m Monk, Viper’s boss. I heard you want to get into this line of work. Here’s your chance: I’ll let bygones be bygones about what happened to Viper. You can work for me, be my men.” The man was shameless indeed—after such a beating, he still tried to act like a boss.

Many in the watching crowd were speechless at his words. How could he still have the nerve to offer them a place under him after being so thoroughly defeated? Still, they had to admit, Ling Tian and Shi Xiaocai were formidable. No wonder they could attract women as stunning as Li Youran and Song Xiaomei.

“Hmph! You want to be my boss? You’re not qualified. Let’s do it this way: I’ll give you a way out. Don’t call yourself Monk anymore—just Baldy. Then you’ll be my underling. Hand over your territory, and your men will belong to me.”

Ling Tian flashed a wicked grin. He had set his sights on this Baldy’s territory. After sleeping with Li Youran, his own strength had reached the Mystic Level of the Yin-Yang Manual; in a small city like Jianghai, he had no worries about protecting himself—and seducing Song Ziyue wouldn’t be a problem either.

Hearing Ling Tian’s words, many in the crowd nodded unconsciously, thinking he made sense. The bald man, however, scowled, glaring at Ling Tian. “Don’t push your luck! You think the underworld is so easy to break into? With just you few, I could wipe you out at any moment!”

His words were tough, but he hadn’t survived this long for nothing—he was no ordinary man.

“Shi Xiaocai, take a break. Today I’m going to make this guy yield!” Ling Tian tossed aside his blade and stepped up to the bald man, advancing steadily. Though unarmed, he radiated a dangerous aura.

The bald man retreated with every step, then suddenly swung his machete at Ling Tian. In his mind, Ling Tian was unarmed—he couldn’t let himself be intimidated.

He had miscalculated. Before the blade could reach Ling Tian, Ling Tian sidestepped and kicked him hard in the waist. The man collapsed, unable to get up, his machete clattering to the ground. Ling Tian hadn’t held back; the man had likely suffered internal injuries.

“I’m giving you a chance by letting you be my underling. If you submit, your status will only improve. If you refuse, I’ll cripple you!” Ling Tian thought the man might be worth recruiting since he was Viper’s boss.

“Impossible. Even if I wanted to submit, the underworld in Jianghai City is stable. The top boss is Sister Yue. Under her are various captains. I work for Tiger, and Tiger answers to her. If I join you, I’ll make an enemy of Tiger and end up worse off.”

Having failed to gain any advantage, the bald man revealed the hierarchy above him, hoping to warn Ling Tian that the criminal world here was not for the naïve. The water ran deep.

“Song Ziyue again? It seems if I don’t make her my wife, it’ll be hard to get anywhere in this city.”

Ling Tian realized just how influential Song Ziyue was—she had unified the entire criminal underworld of Jianghai. He saw two options: challenge her head-on and dismantle her power piece by piece, or simply make her his wife and thus take control of the city.

Of course, he could kill Song Ziyue, but rumor had it she was a beauty, and killing beautiful women was a waste—better to marry her.

“Ahem! Marry Sister Yue? Ling Tian, just for saying that, your days are numbered.” The bald man choked on Ling Tian’s words, eyeing him with pity. Everyone knew to steer clear of Song Ziyue; yet someone dared to think of marrying her? Clearly, he did not value his life.

“No matter how long I live, you’re all going to be my underlings now. Otherwise, I’ll cripple you so you’ll never be men again. I, Ling Tian, keep my promises.” Ling Tian glanced meaningfully at the bald man’s groin, a cruel smile on his lips.

If he wanted Song Ziyue as his wife, he’d have to find her first. He planned to pick off her underlings one by one, stirring up trouble until she confronted him. That was his strategy—collecting these men as his own.

Ling Tian’s words carried real menace. The thugs’ faces turned deathly pale, and the bald man shivered. For a man, to be ruined in that way—what was the point of living? Ling Tian was ruthless.

“Boss, maybe we should just agree for now,” Viper, still lying on the ground, looked pleadingly at Monk, hoping he’d accept. A wise man recognizes when to cut his losses.

The bald man caught Viper’s meaning. Yes, better to yield now, then report to Tiger. Surely Tiger would avenge him. If not, there was always Sister Yue. For now, survival was key, so he nodded at Ling Tian.

“You’re ruthless! Fine, today I’ll agree to be your underling. But if you want to be my boss, be ready for Tiger’s wrath! Get up, everyone—let’s go!”

He staggered to his feet. Ling Tian said nothing as the bald man led his men to their vehicles and left in haste. The crowd dispersed as well. Li Feng, fuming, didn’t return to his apartment but strode up to Li Youran.

Li Youran saw Li Feng and felt a bit guilty and shy. Her younger brother had warned her to stay away from Ling Tian, yet she had gotten involved with him.

“Sis, why are you here with Ling Tian?” Li Feng’s tone was stiff. Ling Tian was already living with Lin Youya, and now he was after his sister as well.

“Because your sister is already my wife—call me brother-in-law!” Ling Tian cut in before Li Youran could answer, pulling her close and asserting his claim.

Dai Jin and the others watched with interest, while Lin Youya, furious, turned and stormed back into the villa. She was livid. Ling Tian had pursued her in front of her parents, yet now he was holding another woman and calling her his wife. Damn him! Lin Youya felt utterly deceived and resolved never to trust Ling Tian again.

“You bastard!” Li Feng was seething, watching Ling Tian swagger with his arm around his sister. Without caring about the gap in their abilities, he swung a punch at Ling Tian.

“Xiaofeng, stop!” Li Youran cried urgently.

At the same time, Ling Tian caught Li Feng’s fist. Li Feng had no particular skills, and his health was weakened from too much indulgence with women. Once Ling Tian caught hold, he couldn’t break free.

“Ling Tian, let Xiaofeng go,” Li Youran said again. Ling Tian promptly released him, and Li Feng withdrew his fist in frustration.

Unable to swallow his anger, Li Feng resolved to tell their parents about this. Surely their aunt and uncle would never let his sister be with such a man.

“Xiaofeng, thank you for your concern, but your sister is an adult. I know what I’m doing.” With that, Li Youran looked at Ling Tian and continued, “I’m glad you’re all right. I’ll be going now.”

“Alright, take care, sis. I’ll visit you when I can.” Ling Tian was reluctant to part, but now wasn’t the time to go with her. He would find her soon enough.

“Come along, Xiaofeng. I need to talk to you,” Li Youran said, taking her brother away to avoid further conflict.

Ling Tian watched her leave until she was out of sight, then turned to meet the admiring gazes of Shi Xiaocai, Dai Jin, and Yuanbao.

“Ling Tian, Li Youran! You actually won her heart, and she even lets you live with Lin Youya too. How did you do it?” Dai Jin was awestruck. They’d thought Ling Tian was bragging when he claimed he’d win over both Li Youran and Lin Youya. Now he’d done it.

“It’s because your brother is so handsome—what can I do? Jealous, aren’t you? Now, I’m off to see my lovely wife Youya.” Whistling, Ling Tian strode into the villa, only to find Lin Youya’s door locked tight.