Di Yunliang blew out clouds of smoke. As a Martial Artist, his breath was long and sustained, and he finished the cigarette in just a few drags.

"This shitty place has nothing but junk. These ninety-a-pack ’Auspicious Clouds’ have no kick at all, just a mouthful of oily smoke."

Di Yunliang pursed his lips and pulled an exquisitely crafted sandalwood box from the inner pocket of his overcoat. The box had an antique, simple design. It was entirely black, with two domineering, golden words on it.

[Black Emperor]

These were cigarettes made exclusively for Martial Artists—a high-end product from Shenjing.

The cigarette case was finely made. He twisted the emerald-green jade knob and opened it.

Cheng YuanYu craned his neck to get a look. Inside the case, resting on a sky-blue velvet lining, were cigarettes as black as ink jade, each held in place by a silver clasp.

He counted them. There were eight left.

Seeing Di Yunliang take one and start to close the case, he shamelessly sidled up with a fawning smile.

"Mr. Liang, what kind of cigarettes are these? They look beautiful, and they smell amazing! How come I’ve never seen them before?"

Di Yunliang paused, his hand hovering over the lid. He glanced at Cheng YuanYu, who was grinning like an old dog, and then at the other old smokers staring at him with longing eyes.

After a moment’s thought, he passed the case to Mr. Cheng and said:

"Here, take a look. Black Emperor X7, made exclusively for Martial Artists. They’ve got special ingredients that stimulate Qi Blood circulation and invigorate the mind.

A single case costs ninety-eight thousand. You need to use your real name to buy them; they’re a controlled substance! Even in Shenjing, they’re a rarity. This’ll open your eyes, broaden your horizons..."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You’re already smoking one? Dammit!"

Di Yunliang was still pontificating when he turned and saw that Cheng YuanYu had already lit one up. He instantly flew into a rage.

He stomped on the coffee table and vaulted into the air, snatching the Black Emperor case from Cheng YuanYu’s hand in an instant. At the same time, he kicked him, sending him sprawling onto his ass.

Di Yunliang’s falcon-like pounce in such a confined space fully displayed the prowess of an Inner Qi Martial Artist.

"You motherfucker, who the hell do you think you are, smoking a Black Emperor? What a waste!"

Muttering curses, Di Yunliang carefully took out a Black Emperor, lit it, and took a long, satisfying drag.

"That’s the stuff! Perfect!"

He looked at Cheng YuanYu, who was still squatting on the floor, slowly savoring the cigarette. Then he saw the others, their eyes filled with desire. Even Miss Lanhua, a non-smoker, was watching with interest.

Di Yunliang thought for a moment, then opened the case again. He handed one to each of the old smokers and even gave one to Miss Lanhua. She didn’t smoke regular cigarettes, but she wouldn’t pass up a specialty item like this.

’These aren’t the old days. We’re short-staffed; I need to motivate everyone to work hard!’

In the end, only one Black Emperor remained in his hand. He was extremely reluctant to part with it.

’What have I done? Why did I have to show off? Forget it. I’ll save this last one to celebrate when the hideout is more established in the future!’

Di Yunliang paid the price for his posturing. He knew full well that for the next three to five years, the Bright God Sect would not make any moves. If anyone was exposed, their death would be in vain.

The Rose Envoy wasn’t there to help them develop; her role was to purge any exposed members being watched by the Security Bureau. But given her style, if even one more of them was exposed, she’d probably crucify the rest and poke them to death.

The four people the Rose Envoy killed last time in Y-City were actually stragglers who had already escaped the Security Bureau’s pursuit. They had just managed to escape with their lives, only to fall into her hands. On the pretext that there might be a traitor among them, she killed them all.

So, for the foreseeable future, Di Yunliang had lost his channel for acquiring such items.

Silence fell over the living room. As a specialty product for Martial Artists, Black Emperors contained a certain amount of potent stimulants, enough to be lethal for an ordinary person.

These items could invigorate one’s mind and Qi Blood in a short time, relieve pain, alleviate fatigue, and stimulate the body to recover Qi Blood more quickly.

However, the principle behind them was to achieve these effects by slightly overtaxing the body. Long-term use would lead to the buildup of irreversible toxins.

But for this group, just managing to survive and stay hidden was a blessing. They couldn’t be bothered with such things.

"Alright, let’s get down to business. Tell us about the intel you’ve gathered recently. Mrs. Li, you first."

Mrs. Li was over forty. To be honest, Di Yunliang was quite surprised she had managed to survive.

However, after multiple verifications, Mrs. Li was confirmed to be someone whose identity had not been exposed. That was why she was listed as the tenant for all these hideouts. In this regard, she was now the most important person among them.

"Me...? I’ve been busy renting apartments this whole time, so I haven’t had time for anything else. But that old man on the third floor, everyone calls him Mr. Lei, I heard his wife ran off with another man. Don’t know if he has a son. And that young couple on the fourth floor had a fight last night..."

"STOP!!!"

Di Yunliang’s brow furrowed.

"What is all this nonsense!"

Mrs. Li had joined the Bright God Sect by a stroke of luck and hadn’t been a member for long. Her personal qualities were questionable, but right now, everyone’s original identities were exposed and unusable. The new faces created by the Face-Changing Skill made them unregistered citizens, so they had to be extra careful during this sensitive period.

That was the only reason Mrs. Li was valued at the moment. Normally, someone of her age would have been killed on sight by members of the Bright God Sect, let alone given a chance to join.

"Forget it. Go make us a meal."

"Alright, boss. I’ll go get the groceries, then!"

With that, Mrs. Li grabbed a reusable bag from the entryway and went out.

"Sigh... Continue!"

Di Yunliang was frustrated.

Cheng YuanYu raised his hand slightly. Once everyone’s eyes were on him, he began to speak slowly:

"There are five high schools in the county. From what I’ve gathered indirectly, Number One High is the strongest, but it also receives the most attention. If we’re going to make a move, we’ll need a solid plan. Rumor has it that this year, their senior class has quite a few promising talents at the Bone Gate level, and even one at the Blood Gate. If we could sacrifice them..."

Di Yunliang lowered his right hand slightly and said:

"This year’s objective is to not cause trouble. We need to get a clear picture of all the high schools. Next year, we’ll go for something big. You continue gathering information, but don’t limit yourself to high schools. I want the names and detailed information for the top ten students in every grade, from elementary and middle school all the way up through high school!"

Miss Lanhua was touching up her makeup in a compact mirror. When she saw Cheng YuanYu had finished, she capped her lipstick and said:

"The strongest person in the Martial Arts Administration Bureau is said to be at the Inner Qi Realm, but he’s old and his condition has declined..."

"Not bad!"

Di Yunliang was extremely satisfied with Miss Lanhua’s intelligence. If they were going to cause trouble, they at least needed to know the enemy’s strength.

"However, the information is a bit vague. Your next focus should be to investigate the martial strength in this area. I want precise information. Not just the Martial Arts Administration Bureau; find out if there are any masters living out their retirement in obscurity among the common folk."

...

Di Yunliang questioned them one by one, assigning new tasks as he went. Perhaps from talking for so long, he picked up his teacup.

"Guangzai, what about you?"

Guangzai’s face paled—or perhaps it was already pale. In any case, the guy looked completely drained.

"Uh... over on East Street, there’s the Anxin Foot Bath City. It’s pretty big, and the service is decent. Outside the South Ring Road, there’s a red-light district, but the girls there are a bit old and low-class. Then in the West District, there’s Guanghai Entertainment City. The girls there are high-quality, but it’s more expensive..."

Di Yunliang’s face turned ashen as he listened.

"Miss Lanhua, castrate him!"