Chapter 182: Boss Bai

No one expected Yan Jing to suddenly make a move.

With just one strike, the man opposite him collapsed in agony, screaming shrilly.

Even though the stab clearly hadn't struck a vital spot.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time the crowd came to their senses, Yan Jing—standing in the thick fog—had picked up the megaphone again and cleared his throat.

"Three!!! Two!!! One!!!"

Dagai's expression changed completely, and he swallowed hard.

Yan Jing's ruthlessness exceeded his wildest imagination.

His previous assumption had been completely wrong. This was an absolutely ruthless man. No wonder Wei Nantian valued him.

"Time is up, Beggar Chief Huang."

Yan Jing looked at Dagai.

Dagai swallowed hard again and shouted, "Everyone!!!"

"Charge in!!!"

As his voice faded, the Beggar Cultivators swarmed into the alleyway.

Seeing this, the Thief Cultivators inside the alley paled.

Where did this lunatic come from? He attacked without warning, and when he said five seconds, he truly meant exactly five seconds!

A massive battle erupted instantly.

Yan Jing watched the scene unfold, walked to the side, and squatted down. He pulled a handful of melon seeds from his pocket and started cracking them.

If they managed to take down the Heaven Stealing Sect this time, Wei Nantian would effectively hold two ballots.

Furthermore, wiping out the Heaven Stealing Sect would give him a proper explanation for Old Monkey.

His own subordinates were ultimately too few.

However, if they failed to take it down...

That would be even better.

Cracking melon seeds, he looked toward the very center of the battlefield. There stood an unremarkable man around thirty years old, wearing a felt hat and coarse garments. He was the sort of person who would instantly vanish into the crowds on the streets of Bianliu County, never to be found again.

Yet right now, he was exchanging blows with Dagai.

An extra arm grew out of the man's back and another from his chest. They reached toward Dagai in a scooping motion, seemingly snatching something away from him.

Then, his two bizarre hands began mimicking a rhythmic beating motion—one gripping an invisible drumstick, the other holding up some unseen object.

Seeing this, Dagai laughed.

"Heaven Stealer, bet you didn't expect

No one expected Yan Jing to suddenly make a move.

And with just a single strike, the man opposite him collapsed to the ground in agony, screaming shrilly.

Even though the stab clearly hadn't struck a vital spot.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time the crowd came to their senses, Yan Jing—still standing in the thick fog—had already raised the megaphone again and cleared his throat.

"Three! Two! One!"

At this, Dagai's expression changed completely, and he swallowed hard.

Yan Jing's ruthlessness far exceeded his expectations.

His previous assumption had been completely wrong. This was an absolutely ruthless man. No wonder Wei Nantian relied on him.

"Time is up, Beggar Chief Huang."

Yan Jing looked at Dagai.

Dagai swallowed hard again and shouted, "Everyone!"

"Charge in!"

At his words, the Beggar Cultivators swarmed into the alleyway.

Seeing this, the Thief Cultivators inside the alley paled.

Where did this lunatic come from? He attacked without warning, and when he gave them five seconds, he really meant five seconds!

A massive battle erupted in an instant.

Yan Jing watched the scene unfold, walked to the side, and squatted down. He pulled a handful of melon seeds from his pocket and started cracking them open.

If they took down the Heaven Stealing Sect this time, Wei Nantian would effectively hold two ballots.

Furthermore, wiping them out would give him an answer for Old Monkey.

After all, he had too few men under his command.

But if they failed to take it down...

That would be even better.

Cracking melon seeds, he looked toward the center of the battlefield. There stood an unremarkable man around thirty years old, wearing a felt hat and coarse clothes. He was the sort of person who would instantly vanish into the crowds on the streets of Bianliu County, never to be found again.

Yet right now, he was exchanging blows with Dagai.

An extra arm grew from the man's back and another from his chest. They reached toward Dagai in a scooping motion, seemingly snatching something away from him.

Then, his two bizarre hands began a rhythmic beating motion—one gripping an invisible drumstick, the other holding up an unseen object.

Seeing this, Dagai laughed.

"Heaven Stealer, bet you didn't expect this! You stole my gong-striking technique, but you didn't realize I never brought a gong!"

One of the Third Tier Abilities of a Thief Cultivator was the power to temporarily steal an opponent's skill. By weakening the enemy while strengthening the user, it was highly effective in battle.

Dagai clearly knew this, so he had intentionally let the man steal one of his signature moves—but a uselessly incomplete one.

Immediately afterward, he cupped his hands and bowed toward Heaven Stealer.

"Spare some blessings, kind sir. Spare some blessings."

Heaven Stealer hurriedly dodged. Looking flustered, he shouted, "Huang Qiaoba! You're crazy! What future is there in following a lunatic?!"

"Damn it! You think I—"

Dagai was halfway through his sentence when he caught a glimpse of Yan Jing. Seeing Yan Jing smiling and waving at him, he immediately changed his tune.

"Damn it! You think I'm like you?! How dare you call the Advisor a lunatic! You're not walking away from this today!"

With that, he sped up his bowing and dropped straight to his knees. As he kowtowed, Heaven Stealer froze as if struck by a heavy blow. His face instantly drained of color, and he sagged with visible exhaustion.

Seeing Dagai leap up and charge at him, he hurriedly retreated. As he ran, his fingers lightly tapped the passing Beggar Cultivators. With every tap, a fraction of color returned to his face.

This was the Second Tier Ability of a Thief Cultivator.

Steal Stamina.

The more people he stole from, the greater his own stamina became.

However... if his victims noticed the theft, he would be forced to return the stolen stamina twofold.

Dagai naturally noticed this. His expression darkened as a battered iron basin materialized in his hands. Facing Heaven Stealer, he continuously rattled the gui yuan inside.

"Spare a little. Spare a little, kind sir."

This was the Second Tier Ability of a Beggar Cultivator: Beg Stamina.

Between the two abilities, each had its own distinct advantage.

Steal Stamina took a large amount with each use.

Beg Stamina gathered strength much slower, but the user never had to return it.

Yan Jing watched the duel between the two men with keen interest.

The abilities of these Cultivators in Minhu truly were fascinating—each one more peculiar than the last.

Of course... his personal favorite was still Young Master Luo's painting skill.

He had practiced painting quite a bit recently. Though he was merely copying existing works, he had still achieved some good results.

Just as he was watching the battle unfold, an overwhelmingly oppressive aura slowly approached from a distance.

Yan Jing's gaze darkened.

He was finally here.

He placed the firecracker on the ground and lit it.

A firework streaked into the sky. At the same time, a figure slowly walked out from the other end of Heaven Stealing Alley.

It was a man in a white suit, his hair slicked back. He sported a neat mustache and leaned on a gentleman's cane.

Based purely on his attire, he carried the air of a Western gentleman. Yet conspicuously out of place were the massive, glittering gold rings on his fingers and the diamond-encrusted watch he deliberately left exposed.

This nouveau riche aura heavily diluted any gentlemanly grace.

As soon as he appeared, everyone in the alley paled and stopped fighting.

Heaven Stealer's face lit up with joy upon seeing the newcomer, while Dagai's reaction was the exact opposite—his face turned ashen.

Because the newcomer was none other than one of the titans of Bianliu County.

Boss Bai, Bai Qiu.

The moment they met, Bai Qiu let out a laugh and spread his arms wide.

"Advisor! I've heard your great name for a long time. Seeing you in person today, your bearing truly is extraordinary!"

"Boss Bai, your reputation precedes you. I certainly didn't expect you to be such a striking figure."

Yan Jing smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

"You're not being very fair, Advisor."

Boss Bai tapped his cane on the ground and smiled.

"Coming to Bianliu County and not even thinking to drop by my territory?"

"Commander Wei and I simply hit it off."

Yan Jing replied with a sigh. "But with Boss Bai being so wealthy, do you truly want to be the county mayor?"

"No, Advisor, you're mistaken."

Boss Bai held out a hand.

"I don't want to be the county mayor."

"Then what are you aiming for, Boss Bai?"

"I just don't want someone I dislike to become the county mayor."

"And what kind of person do you like, Boss Bai?"

Yan Jing looked at Boss Bai.

"Someone who understands the rules."

Boss Bai pulled a cigar from his pocket. He rubbed his fingers lightly to light it, held it in the hand grasping his cane, and slid his free hand into his pocket.

"Someone like you, Advisor. One look, and it's obvious you understand the rules!"

"I can't be the county mayor."

Yan Jing smiled.

"You can't be?"

Boss Bai widened his eyes in surprise.

"Judging by your recent moves, Advisor Yan, it looks very much like you want to be the county mayor!"

"Hahaha, Boss Bai is joking."

Yan Jing said, "I merely work under Commander Wei."

Hearing this, Boss Bai paused with his cigar and laughed.

"I like you even more now, Advisor."

"These days, people with your level of self-awareness are rare."

"So, Advisor."

Boss Bai held out his cigar and tossed a coin into a nearby Beggar Cultivator's bowl.

At the clinking sound, the Beggar Cultivator mechanically stepped forward like a ghost. He actively offered up his forehead to extinguish the cigar.

Faint smoke rose from the Beggar Cultivator's forehead. His expression was extremely pained, yet he seemed unable to pull away.

"There are certain tables you can't sit at."

"On the west side of the Lake, you'd be called an appetizer."

"When an appetizer treats itself like a main course, that breaks the rules."

Yan Jing looked as though he had just realized something.

"I understand now. Boss Bai, you are the main course."

"Just like when I had dinner with Commander Wei yesterday. The first dish was cold-tossed cucumbers with perilla, and the final dish was braised pig's head."

"They're not the same price."

"You're worth far more!"

...

Boss Bai's gaze darkened, but ultimately, he laughed.

"You have quite a sense of humor, Advisor! Hahaha."

"You set off a firecracker, so why hasn't Commander Wei arrived yet?"

He smiled.

"I'm afraid you might not be aware, Advisor. The last time Commander Wei came to my East Street, we had dinner together. He drank too much and took a nasty fall, bruising his own hand."

"I imagine he has to nurse his injury today and won't be coming."

The implication behind Bai Qiu's words was clear: Wei Nantian was afraid of him and wouldn't be coming.

To his surprise, Yan Jing widened his eyes in a look of shock.

"So that's why you hadn't made a move yet, Boss Bai! You were waiting for Commander Wei to arrive!"

"But I only set off that firecracker to welcome you. Commander Wei is taking an afternoon nap."

"You still care too much about Commander Wei, Boss Bai."

...

Bai Qiu's face darkened completely.

He hadn't expected that Yan Jing's firecracker wasn't meant to summon Wei Nantian.

Because of this, it now looked as if he was the one afraid of Wei Nantian.

But had Wei Nantian truly not come?

His face turned exceedingly grim.

He had won their last encounter because it took place on his turf.

On a Wealth Cultivator's territory, it was perfectly normal for a Killing Cultivator to lose. But they weren't in his territory now, which made the outcome far less certain.

If Wei Nantian really was here...

He scrutinized Yan Jing, trying to glean some clue.

But Yan Jing merely smiled back. Pulling a handful of melon seeds from his pocket, he offered them forward.

"Have some melon seeds, Boss Bai."