I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 161: Chapter 69: Grand Birthday

The sun dipped low, sinking in the west. The afterglow of dusk painted half the sky the color of golden rice sheaves. In the gentle evening breeze, the leaves on every tree shimmered.

On just such an evening, a fine spectacle unfolded under the great willow tree at the entrance of Willow Alley.

First, a couple of local thugs came looking for trouble. Shortly after, a burly man in jet-black, short-cut clothes appeared with two followers. He chased the thugs off, then introduced himself as Cao Quan of the Wild Dog Gang.

”Don’t you worry, everyone!”

Cao Quan announced loudly, ”Our Wild Dog Gang isn’t like the old Tiger Gang. We’re here to genuinely maintain order! As long as we’re around, we won’t let you folks get harassed by thugs and troublemakers... The Wild Dog Gang doesn’t ask for any large coins, either. We just take a little bit of grain...”

Hearing this, the people in the alley put their heads together and began to murmur amongst themselves.

”Just a little bit of grain for protection? Doesn’t sound too bad!”

”Yeah, the Wild Dog Gang isn’t asking for much. We can just take a little from our relief rations, and that’ll be enough.”

”They’re not asking for money, anyway. Just trading a little grain for peace and quiet. Sounds like a good deal.”

...

Some of the shrewder ones among them saw through the act. They opened their mouths as if to speak, but in the end, they said nothing.

Some of the older folks also remained silent.

They had lived long lives and seen much, so they recognized the ’routine.’ Wasn’t this exactly how the Tiger Gang had started?

In the beginning, they only collected one or two large coins for protection fees. Later, it slowly morphed into the ”three by day, four by night” racket.

’How could the Wild Dog Gang be any better? They might only be asking for a little grain now, but what about later? Eventually, they’d start demanding large coins, no doubt!’

’What about just not giving in? Refusing from the start? Not paying?’

’Do that, and by tomorrow, another wave of thugs would probably show up. And they would ”coincidentally” target the home of whoever led the refusal and wreak havoc.’

’Count on the Rebel Army?’

’Sure, the Rebel Army controls Changshan City now, but their governmental officers still haven’t shown up. Doesn’t that say it all?’

’The higher-ups in the Rebel Army might not know, but the low-ranking governmental officers have definitely been bought off.’

’They didn’t dare ask, nor did they dare speak out. The older you get, the more cowardly you become, and the better you understand the wisdom of playing dumb.’

...

”What a well-staged act.”

Fang Rui stood by the window, watching everything unfold with an amused expression. ’Then again,’ he thought, ’their acting is pretty convincing. Good enough to fool the common people, at least.’

’The pretty-boy actors from my past life would die of shame if they saw this...’

Of course, this was just a flippant thought meant to lighten his own complicated feelings.

’If I’m not mistaken, this is the Xia Family’s way of testing the Rebel Army. They’re only collecting grain for two reasons. First, the common folk are broke right now; there’s no money to extort even if they wanted to. Second, they want to avoid overextending themselves. This way, they can keep their movements small and pull back their claws at the first sign of trouble, giving them a clear path to advance or retreat.’

’The low-ranking governmental officers of the Rebel Army have probably been bought off. The higher-ups? That’s still uncertain.’

’But in the future, they probably won’t intervene. They’ll either cooperate with the Xia Family or just swoop in and reap the rewards for themselves.’

After all, the Rebel Army was rife with internal factions, and they all wanted their cut of the meat.

For now, of course, it wasn’t a huge deal. The average family was cleaned out and had no real money to give. Collecting a little bit of grain was likely also a way to cultivate a ’habit of paying.’

Later, once the city’s economy recovered, they would gradually test the limits until they became just like the Tiger Gang of old.

’Are they really just treating the people like leeks, to be harvested again and again?’

’From the Tiger Gang to the Wild Dog Gang, from the Great Yu Government Office to the Rebel Army... it’s just one big cycle.’

Fang Rui closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

...

Cao Quan and his two lackeys went from house to house collecting grain. Before long, they arrived at the Fang Family’s residence.

To avoid trouble, Fang Rui took the initiative and brought the grain out to them.

”Well now, you must be Physician Fang, right? How could we possibly take this from you? I’ll make the call: Physician Fang’s family doesn’t have to contribute.”

Cao Quan declared with a wave of his hand.

He had already done his homework on the families in the alley. He knew that Fang Rui was an Entry Grade Martial Artist and was on good terms with many Rebel Army governmental officers and constables.

That was one thing, but more importantly, Fang Rui’s father—Fang Baicao—was apparently away on some secret mission. It was said he might even have a direct line to the top, perhaps even being able to speak with the Grand General Xuantong himself.

That was why Cao Quan wouldn’t dare show the slightest disrespect to the Fang Family, or to Fang Rui.

This sort of behavior—sucking up to the powerful while bullying the weak—was just a means of survival. Perfectly normal.

”Hey, how could I make things difficult for Lord Cao?! I’m just trying to support you, Lord Cao, and the Wild Dog Gang. Just doing my part!”

Fang Rui insisted, pushing the grain into his hands.

This gesture was simply a way to blend in. He was quite satisfied with his current public identity as an ’ordinary person with a few connections’ and had no desire to stand out.

He watched Cao Quan leave.

Fang Rui’s eyes narrowed as he watched the man’s retreating back, and he was suddenly reminded of Lord Hu.

”Truly... the more things change, the more they stay the same,” he sighed softly.

By now, some of the residents of Willow Alley had caught on and were whispering amongst themselves.

”If this keeps up, I’m afraid the Wild Dog Gang is just going to be another Tiger Gang!” the speaker said, his face etched with worry.

”Sigh... As long as we can survive, we just have to muddle through. What else can we do? Didn’t you see? The Rebel Army’s governmental officers never even showed up,” the man added, lowering his voice to a whisper for the last part.

”In this life, sometimes it’s best to feign ignorance,” an old man sighed.

”We need another hero to show up and kill all these bastards!” This voice was filled with anticipation.

”Yeah, I wonder if that hero will take action this time,” another person added.