After an entire hour, Ethan Brooks had gained nothing and walked the streets looking dejected.

By chance, he passed by the grand courtyard of a powerful family. Suddenly, several fierce dogs burst out from inside, barking madly at Ethan Brooks. Startled and terrified, Ethan Brooks turned and fled.

The vicious dogs chased after him relentlessly. Frightened, Ethan Brooks darted into a narrow alley, accidentally stepping into a foul-smelling gutter. His calves trembled as he ran through several streets and alleys, finally shaking off the dogs by hiding in a secluded corner.

Only then did Ethan Brooks catch his breath, intending to rest his feet in the corner.

Looking around, he was once again stunned.

The secluded corner where he had hidden turned out to be a beggars’ den.

Four or five ragged beggars, both old and young, were sprawled about, picking at fleas and basking in the sun. On the ground were a few broken wooden and earthenware bowls, used to beg for rice and money.

In recent years, the number of vagrants in Gusu County had increased greatly, and such beggars’ dens of three or five people were a common sight in the city.

A young beggar with a square face lounged arrogantly against a blue-brick wall, his hair a tangled mess. In front of him sat a single, exquisitely decorated porcelain bowl, clearly marking him as the leader of the group.

“Hey, little brother, are you looking to join my Mr. Harris’s beggars’ den?”

The young beggar noticed Ethan Brooks entering the corner, and all the beggars looked over with curious eyes.

“No! I’m just passing by.”

Ethan Brooks hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head.

“If you’re not joining, then you must be here to steal my Mr. Harris Jr.’s turf, huh? Bah, looking for trouble! I’ll drown you in spit!”

The young beggar leader immediately put on a fierce expression and spat at Ethan Brooks, glaring at him with hostility.

Startled, Ethan Brooks jumped aside to dodge the spit.

Getting spat on by this beggar for no reason made him angry. It was bad enough to run into bullies before, but he hadn’t expected even the down-and-out beggars in the county to bully him so harshly.

Furious, Ethan Brooks lashed out with a kick, sending the filthy beggar leader’s porcelain bowl flying and then dashed away.

“Ow—! My precious porcelain bowl is broken! Brothers, catch that brat and beat him to a pulp!”

Seeing his most treasured porcelain bowl smashed to pieces against the wall by Ethan Brooks’s kick, the young beggar leader cried out in pain, shrieking and cursing.

Ethan Brooks was chased by the group of beggars in a swarm, fleeing in panic.

It wasn’t until dusk that the beggars finally gave up and scattered to beg elsewhere.

Covered in dirt and mud, exhausted and hungry, Ethan Brooks walked the streets of Gusu County in a sorry state.

He looked up at the setting sun in the west.

The evening wind was growing colder, his thin clothes offered little warmth, and a wave of bitterness welled up in his heart—he wanted to cry but had no tears. When you’re down on your luck, even a sip of water chills you to the bone.

After a whole afternoon of searching, he hadn’t found any work. If he wasn’t being chased by vicious dogs, he was being hounded by beggars—nothing good had happened.

“It looks like I won’t be able to find work in the county for a while, and I don’t even have a place to stay tonight. Once it gets dark, the cold will be unbearable—I might not make it through the night.”

Ethan Brooks pulled his clothes tighter, thinking to himself.

He could barely endure a whole day without food.

But the bitter cold of the night was the hardest to bear—it was all too easy to freeze to death on the street.

Originally, Ethan Brooks hadn’t planned to trouble his friend Sam, since Sam was just a menial worker at an inn and didn’t have it easy himself.

But with no other options, he could only go to the Tianying Inn to ask Sam for a place to stay for the night. He’d just have to get through this cold night, and make plans when the sun came out and it was warmer tomorrow.

Ethan Brooks made his way to the entrance of West Gate Street, outside the bustling Tianying Inn.

Soon, he spotted the busy young attendant Sam in the inn’s main hall, and the rich aroma of wine and meat wafting from inside made his mouth water.

The Tianying Inn was a business under the Tianying Sect, one of the five major factions in Wu Prefecture, and was famous in Gusu County as one of the most upscale restaurants—a favorite haunt of martial artists and heroes.

The inn was lavish and grand, with three stories of pavilions. The main hall and private rooms were often packed with guests.

Today, the Tianying Inn was especially lively. Mr. Foster Sr., the chefs, and more than a dozen attendants were all unusually busy, hosting a grand end-of-year banquet for the Tianying Sect’s members.

Hundreds of burly men in matching brocade robes, swords at their waists, gathered on the various floors of the inn according to their rank within the sect. They clinked cups, shouted and laughed, drinking and eating heartily—a scene of great excitement.

Several elderly men in splendid robes arrived on magnificent horses—they seemed to be important figures from the Tianying Sect.

“Welcome, Mr. Thompson Sr., Mr. Foster! Thank you for gracing us with your presence!”

“Oh, Mr. Grant, you’ve finally arrived! The banquet is ready inside—everyone’s been waiting for you!”

The innkeeper, Mr. Foster Sr., led several attendants out in a hurry to hold the reins for the robed elders, showering them with flattery and bustling about.

Seeing the inn filled with martial heroes in Tianying Sect robes coming and going, Ethan Brooks felt nothing but fear.

He’d heard from the fishermen in Zhouzhuang that these Tianying Sect heroes had connections both with the authorities and the underworld, wielding power on both sides of the law. They often bullied the fishermen of Zhouzhuang, and their methods of extortion were even harsher than the yamen officers—people were terrified of them.

The martial heroes of the Tianying Sect were not to be trifled with; one careless move could earn you a brutal beating.