Li Xin went to find Qi Badao to sound out the Hundred Martial Hall’s stance; by a twist of fate Qi Badao had gotten into the Inner Hall, which made it easy for him to pick up intel.

Li Xin charging management fees in the Black Market was basically the same as jabbing a needle into the Hundred Martial Hall’s artery. It wasn’t about the small amount of money, it was about shaking the Hall’s status in the secret world.

"Brother Li, my access is limited for now, but judging from their attitude, the Hall Masters won’t come forward themselves. The Night Patrol’s position is what it is, but the Yan Family will make a move," Qi Badao said.

"The Yan Family?"

"Yeah. The Yan Family’s Yan Tianguang is currently the leading candidate for Young Master of the Hundred Martial Hall. That’s more or less a consensus inside the Hall," Qi Badao said.

"Yan Tianguang? He’s the Grand Hall Master’s son?"

"Not exactly. I heard the old Hall Master has no offspring, so the successor is to be chosen from among the Beijing people in the Dragon Capital. There are only a handful of Beijing families in Dragon Capital that have cooperation and historical ties with the Hundred Martial Hall, and the Yan Family is the most suitable candidate. Plus, the Yan Family has a lot of influence in the army. Add to that Yan Tianguang being the number one of the younger generation—he fits the Hall’s requirements in every respect, and the family’s cooperation with the Hall runs very deep," Qi Badao said. "From what I heard from Hall Master Zhou, Yan Tianguang will be the one to deal with this matter."

Li Xin nodded. The Yan Family clearly wanted to use this incident to nail down Yan Tianguang’s status as heir. There were probably other layers of cooperation behind it.

But when it came to the Night Patrol, unless he stopped being captain, it didn’t matter who came.

"How much do you know about the Grand Hall Master?"

Qi Badao scratched his head. "The Grand Hall Master is in seclusion. Honestly, it’s not just me—every new member is curious, but it’s extremely mysterious. Even among the Hall Master level, there are very few who actually know the truth. But you can tell they all have absolute faith in him."

"Brother Li... that Yan Tianguang is seriously strong," Qi Badao said, a bit worried. "Are we really going to butt heads this hard?"

"What, a few days in the Inner Hall and you’ve already got a sense of belonging?" Li Xin laughed.

"No way. I just never understood how terrifying they were when I was outside. Now that I’m in the Inner Hall, I’ve realized the Hundred Martial Hall is kind of scary. Of course, it might just be that my horizons are narrow."

"I know. This time we’re not targeting the Hundred Martial Hall. We’re just taking back what the Night Patrol is supposed to take," Li Xin said. It lined up more or less with what he’d expected.

"Okay, Brother Li. If there’s any news, we’ll use the old method to pass it on. I can’t come out again for a while."

Li Xin nodded. "Be careful yourself. There are a lot of experts in the Inner Hall. No need to go out of your way to pry—just listen."

Qi Badao was an old hand in the game; he knew where the line was and slipped away quietly.

Li Xin also left the safehouse. He pulled his cap low and walked to the corner at the end of the street, where Lu Shuimo was waiting with a carriage.

That night he had plans to meet Lu Shuai and Patir. The carriage headed toward the East Second District. Leaning against the carriage wall, he thought about the Hundred Martial Hall’s response—it was more or less what he’d expected. The Hall not stepping out to face him directly was also the best outcome; it meant there was still room to maneuver. He wasn’t being reckless; it was just that if the Hundred Martial Hall were the type to go all out over something this minor, they’d never have grown this big.

Now that he had a handle on the Hall’s situation, plus help from the Immortal, he felt somewhat confident. The real problem was still the Slave Master.

Even with Sister Kathy’s level of clearance she couldn’t dig him out, which meant the guy was extremely good at hiding his identity.

When they arrived at the Moonlight Bar, Lu Shuai and Patir were already there, and it looked like the two of them were hitting it off.

"Brother Li, over here," Lu Shuai waved from afar.

Because of that accidental deal back then, Lu Shuai and Patir had actually grown closer. Their ideas were both ahead of their time, and once they let down their guard, they really did find they had a lot in common.

"What do you want to drink?" Patir asked.

"I’m not picky. As long as it’s expensive," Li Xin said with a smile.

The waiter to the side stood respectfully. Patir smiled. "Bring us your most expensive bottle."

"Yes, Miss Patir," the waiter said with a bow before leaving.

"Brother Li, bad timing today—the boss here isn’t around. She’s a famous beauty in the Dragon Capital," Lu Shuai said.

"With Patir here, who else dares call themselves a beauty."

"Sister Lezhi really is a beauty, just not the same style as me," Patir said.

The waiter quickly returned carrying a bottle—a rare vintage spirit from Governor Luthor’s manor. After Patir checked it, she nodded, signaling the waiter to open it.

As soon as the bottle was opened, a rich aroma rushed out. The golden liquor gleamed under the lights, though a bit had evaporated from age in the cellar.

"This bottle of new liquor is complimentary. You can drink it straight or mix it," the waiter said.

"Leave it. We’ll handle it ourselves," Lu Shuai said, taking the bottles and pouring each of them a straight glass. "I’m really cashing in today. This ’Flame Spirit’ has got to be at least fifty years old, and it’s been kept in great condition—more than half the bottle’s still here."

Patir didn’t really care. Her family no longer put much stock in material things. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The three of them, who by all rights shouldn’t have had any connection, were unexpectedly relaxed together. They clinked glasses and downed them in one go.

Li Xin tasted a rich flavor close to sauce aroma; even in his previous life he’d never had anything this good.

"Li Xin, what made you decide to move on the Black Market?" After a single glass, Patir’s face immediately flushed. She was already sexy to begin with; under the lights she looked especially alluring and at ease.

The woman carried a natural confidence and sense of ease about her.

Luthor also watched Li Xin very seriously. Even the secular tycoons didn’t dare stir up trouble in the Black Market, yet Li Xin was basically climbing onto the heads of all the Secret Organizations.

"Just doing things by the rules," Li Xin said.

Lu Shuai frowned slightly. He was worried; this move was basically kicking a hornet’s nest. Patir, on the other hand, was intrigued. Only she knew about the relationship between the Immortal and Li Xin. Looking at the calm Li Xin, she felt a powerful charisma radiating from him.

"Brother Li, I heard the Hundred Martial Hall is going to make a move," Lu Shuai said. His information channels were quite extensive now, and a lot of people had been asking him for news; after all, his close relationship with Li Xin wasn’t a secret.

"The Hundred Martial Hall won’t act directly. They’re slick. The Night Patrol, no matter what, still represents the authorities. I’m guessing it’ll be the Yan Family, most likely Yan Tianguang himself. What are you going to do if you can’t beat him?" Patir said bluntly. Then she poured two-thirds of a glass for Li Xin and topped it off with one-third of the new liquor. "Try this mix."

Li Xin picked up the glass and downed it in one gulp. The fiery burn down his throat felt great. He’d been a bit unruly lately, and after letting himself go like that, his mind felt like it’d been cleared out—everything was flowing smoothly.

"He’s not a problem," Li Xin said.

"Oh? That confident? You’re not planning to use that trump card right off the bat, are you? If you rely on sheer backing to bully your way through, people won’t accept it," Patir said. She thought Li Xin meant to have the Immortal step in, but she was skeptical about that—and even more curious—because for the last thousand years no one had ever heard of an Immortal playing Messenger for someone. As for the Secret Castle, it almost never meddled in worldly affairs, especially over something this trivial.

Li Xin didn’t answer. "Why is the Yan Family putting in this much effort?"

Patir curled her lip. So capricious—shouldn’t he answer a beauty’s question first?

"The Yan Family is very close with the Hundred Martial Hall. Rumor has it the Hall thinks very highly of Yan Tianguang. Tianguang was originally going to walk the Knightly Path, but the Hall’s offer was just too tempting. Even for the Yan Family—or frankly, even for our family—if the Hundred Martial Hall extended an olive branch, it’d be impossible to refuse. After Yan Tianguang awakened Four Lives, it’s basically been assumed he has a huge chance of inheriting the Hall, to the point that they’re already ceding interests to the Yan Family to win their support," Patir said.

"Brother Li, in Lilon, going up against the Hundred Martial Hall really isn’t cost-effective. Maybe you should talk to them. This whole thing isn’t that big a deal. The Hall wants face, the Night Patrol wants profit. They should be able to give up part of it," Lu Shuai said.

Lu Shuai and Patir both looked at Li Xin. They were genuinely worried and genuinely wanted to help; otherwise they wouldn’t have bothered saying all this.