“The ones causing trouble are the Greenfield Gang at the Jiang’an Wharf, and they have ties to the authorities. For us businessmen, our relationships with the officials are built with real silver and gold—using those connections for such a trivial matter isn’t worth it; better to handle it ourselves. Chief Brooks, you’ve seen it—if things can’t be settled, we can only let it sit for now.”

Grace Collins propped her forehead, gazing at Henry Blake with a soft, aggrieved look:

“Sigh~ At most, they’ll just make it impossible for the shops to do business; they wouldn’t dare cause real trouble in the capital. Shigu will just have to put up with some grievances—bear with it and it’ll pass, you don’t need to worry…”

That pitiful, resentful look in her eyes was almost a blatant hint.

Henry Blake naturally understood, stood up and said:

“I’ll go take a look. Hmm… I’m new here in the capital, so it’s indeed hard to find connections. Once things are settled, I’ll just work as an escort for the The Collins Family; Mary can decide my wages as she sees fit…”

Grace Collins had already discussed this with Henry Blake last night, so she didn’t waste words now. She got up, walked over, and helped straighten his collar:

“A man wanting to earn his own living—I certainly won’t force silver into your hands. But when you go out to handle matters, you still need to use the identity of the Collins family’s young master. You’re already my second brother’s adopted son; if I treat you as a mere hired escort, people will gossip.”

Grace Collins leaned in close, her fragrant scent wafting over, quite alluring. Her face was already beautiful, now adorned with vermilion rouge; as her lips parted, her pearly teeth showed faintly. Coupled with her gentle, mature charm, she was like a red-sleeved blade made to slay young men.

Henry Blake had decent self-control, but even he had his limits—he couldn’t withstand Mary’s ‘soft knife’. He took a step back and straightened his clothes himself:

“Understood. I’ll go handle it now.”

“Change your clothes first. You don’t look anything like a young master from a wealthy family dressed like that. Emma, have someone take the young master to change, and let William Brooks and the others know to follow along in a bit.”

“Alright…”

……

A short while later, outside the Collins family’s main gate.

Old escort chief Charles Bennett, with two skilled escorts, stood waiting beside a carriage.

William Brooks also brought two men, chatting idly with Charles Bennett:

“The leader of the Greenfield Gang is actually a relative of yours, named George Bennett, and he has a formidable master. Have you heard of the ‘Three-Perfection Immortal Elder’?”

“‘Three-Perfection Immortal Elder Guang Hanlin’? The one who claims to have received a single word of guidance from the Lord of Fengguan City?”

“That’s right, that’s him…”

The escort Little Jack behind Charles Bennett, still young, asked curiously:

“You can brag about just being given a word of advice? Are martial arts masters so cheap these days?”

“What do you know?”

Charles Bennett stroked his beard and explained, “Fengguan City’s lord is recognized as the world’s number one—invincible once he emerged, standing alone at the top. Not to mention being given advice, even just meeting him means you’re a hero of the martial world…”

As they spoke, the sound of chattering maids came from inside the gate:

“Wow…”

“Young master, don’t walk so fast…”

The escorts turned to look and saw a figure, as if being chased, coming out from behind the screen wall holding an umbrella.

The figure wore a black young master’s robe, both inner and outer layers black, made from a bolt of water-cloud brocade worth a fortune. As he walked, the robe rippled like flowing water and drifting clouds; even to the naked eye, its silkiness was obvious, and under the changing light, it shimmered with a hint of dark gold.

His long hair was meticulously combed and tied with an ink-jade hairpin, his whole appearance spotless and refined. The only flaw was the knife in his hand, which slightly marred his scholarly look.

Escort Jack didn’t recognize him at all, and old chief Charles Bennett was stunned for a moment, then looked him over carefully:

“Young master, your getup is really something. If you said you were a prince traveling incognito, I doubt anyone would disbelieve it.”

Henry Blake strode out and jumped straight onto the carriage:

“Let’s go, let’s go. These women, sigh…”

No sooner had he spoken than a group of maids chased after him, peeking from behind the screen wall, just short of asking if he needed maids to accompany him.

William Brooks chuckled, jumped onto the carriage, sat outside to drive, and reminded:

“Young master, mind your language. If the madam or young lady hears, it’ll spoil the mood.”

“That’s right. Dressed like this, you shouldn’t be carrying a knife—should be holding a fan.”

Joking as they went, six horses pulled the carriage out of Bluestone Alley…

------------

Chapter 7: Clean and Decisive

By noon, wind and rain swept along the riverbank.

Several empty boats were moored at the port, the wharf market was nearly deserted, and from the taverns and brothels came the occasional shout:

“Come drink…”

“Big, big, big… sigh—”

……

Most of the market buildings were old, but right by the riverbank stood a villa nestled against the mountain and water, hidden among the trees, with only its flying eaves and blue tiles visible from the wharf.

The estate was called Qinglian Manor, a private residence of the capital’s powerful families. Only during the peak of summer would they stay a few days; the rest of the time, it was left to ‘guards’ to manage, who also kept an eye on the wharf’s business. The name ‘Greenfield Gang’ came from this.

Although called the ‘Greenfield Gang’, it had nothing to do with martial world gangs. The only real martial artist inside was the leader, George Bennett; the rest were just a rabble of local thugs, about a hundred or so in total.

George Bennett had trained since childhood at Sanjue Valley in Wuzhou and was quite skilled. After establishing himself in the capital, he used his connections to quickly settle the local bullies at the wharf within a few months, taking sole control of Jiang’an Wharf. Recently, he’d even started reaching into the capital itself, looking to expand his business.

Any family able to do business in the capital was usually backed by powerful clans—either rich or noble. As for the streets without such backing, local bullies had long since staked their claim.