Volume Three, Chapter One Hundred Seventeen: The Underworld

At that moment, another voice echoed from inside the room: "Third Brother, who is it? Chase away any loiterers; I’m trying to sleep."

Third Brother finally snapped to his senses. He snatched the money bag from Yu Mu’s hand, tucked it into his robes, and opened the door to let the two in. He peeked outside, scanned left and right, and then turned back to bolt the door shut.

"What’s all that noise outside? So chaotic—did something happen?" Third Brother asked suspiciously as he locked the door.

"Oh, a house caught fire, that’s why it’s so rowdy. Big Brother, I really have an urgent matter. I hope you can open the teleportation array for us quickly," Yu Mu said, pretending to be anxious and urging them repeatedly.

"Hmm, well... at this hour, the teleportation array is officially closed. But seeing you two lovebirds are so desperate and pitiful, I’ll show some kindness and make an exception for you just this once." Although Third Brother had already pocketed the bribe, he still felt the need to put on a show.

Just then, another man rose from inside. He looked at Yu Mu and his companion with suspicion and asked Third Brother, "Who are they? Why did you let them in?"

He then turned to the pair and said, "Hey, you two, get out of here. If you have business, come back tomorrow morning. The array is closed at night." As he spoke, he began ushering them toward the door.

Before Yu Mu could speak, Third Brother jumped in. "Little Li, what are you doing? These two lovebirds are missing their little baby at home and are desperate to reunite. How can you have the heart to refuse them? Do you have no compassion at all? No wonder you’re this old and no girl has ever taken a liking to you."

"You... you’re spouting nonsense! Who... who says no girl li... likes me?" Stung by the rebuke, Little Li was so flustered he couldn't even finish his sentence.

An Shu was even more furious than him, finding this guy’s behavior outrageous—especially since he had just invented a non-existent baby.

Yu Mu, however, pulled out a few more spirit crystals and pressed them into Little Li’s hand. "Young man, my wife and I truly miss our child. Please do us this favor. Consider this money as a treat for you and your brother to buy some wine."

Little Li finally grumbled, "It’s not that I lack compassion; it’s just that he didn’t make things clear. I’m actually a volunteer who helps women left behind in villages. I’m a man of compassion!"

Yu Mu finally understood why this guy was so unpopular with the ladies.

"Where are you heading?" Once they had collected the money, the two immediately began preparing the teleportation array.

"Sishui City."

"That’s a long-distance haul."

Yu Mu paid the additional fee for the long-distance jump. Soon, the array shimmered to life, and the two stepped onto the platform.

As the light of the teleportation array flared, a voice boomed from outside the room: "Open up! By order of the City Lord, we are hunting two fugitives—a bear and a woman. The entire city is under lockdown, and all teleportation arrays are to be shut down. No one is to leave Huyu City!"

With a loud crash, the door was kicked open. Little Li and his companion, faces ashen, along with the person who had just entered, stood there with six eyes wide, watching helplessly as the wanted fugitives vanished into the teleportation portal.

The moment they stepped out of the array, the two were drenched in cold sweat. Both silently thought: *That was close! Truly, it was only a single step.*

As they emerged, they startled the two men who had been sleeping on duty.

"Damn it, why is there someone teleporting in the middle of the night? Who’s going to pay for our overtime?" Before the complaints could finish, two sharp sounds rang out, and the men were knocked unconscious.

The two then engaged in a bout of violent destruction, not stopping until the teleportation array was completely ruined.

They crept out of the room. The streets were deathly silent; not a single soul was in sight. Yu Mu pulled the door shut behind them, and without checking for direction, they hurried away.

On the outskirts of the city, at a farmers' market, the disguised Yu Mu and An Shu squatted in a dark corner, draped in straw rain capes.

After a while, An Shu could no longer contain herself. "Hey, I’m asking you—we aren't trying to find a way out, so why are we running to this dirty, chaotic place?"

"Waiting for someone," Yu Mu replied curtly.

An Shu couldn't help but ask, "Waiting for who?"

"Thugs."

An Shu was incensed but felt helpless against this unserious man. She huffed and ignored him. Yu Mu, however, remained dead serious, staring at the entrance of the market as if truly expecting someone.

Before long, the sky began to brighten. A group of a dozen men, looking arrogant and overbearing, swaggered toward them.

An Shu took one look and realized he was right. These men were all swaggering with a ruffian air—typical street thugs.

One man with tattoos on both arms walked up and kicked over an old man’s bamboo basket, shouting, "You old geezer, are you blind? Daring to block our way—are you in such a hurry to meet your maker?"

The old man was submissive, not daring to utter a word of protest.

An Shu burned with rage and was about to stand up to intervene, but Yu Mu held her back. "What are you doing? Trying to be a hero? Don't forget, we can barely save ourselves."

"Hmph, coward. You’re the same breed as these thugs. No wonder you wanted to find them; birds of a feather truly flock together."

Yu Mu ignored her, watching silently as the men bullied the merchants.

After a while, An Shu could hold back no longer. "Hey, how did you know you could find thugs here?"

Yu Mu glanced at her. "Didn't you know? Every city's farmers' market is controlled by thugs. It’s common knowledge."

"Ah!" An Shu was shocked. Having never seen the world before, she truly had no idea such things existed.

In truth, even people with more experience might not know this industry's hidden rules. In his past life, Yu Mu had once tried to wholesale vegetables and sell them on the street in such a place. Unfortunately, before he even had to deal with the city inspectors, he had been forced to find another way to make a living by the bullying and monopolistic practices of these thugs. From that moment on, he realized that any industry operated by the poor was bound to be controlled by thugs.

As the thugs gathered, they blocked the entrance and began collecting "management fees." The vendors coming in and out were clearly used to this "management" and paid their dues into the market without a word of complaint.

Only the old man whose basket had been kicked over stood there with a pitiful look, trembling as he approached the thugs. "Kind masters, it rained yesterday and the vegetables spoiled. I didn't sell a single one. I really don't have the money for the fee today. Please, kind masters, have pity on this old man. Let me owe it for today, and I will pay it all tomorrow."

"Get lost, you old geezer! You have no money but want to bring in goods? Who are you trying to fool?" As he raised his foot to kick the old man, a leg suddenly shot out and blocked him.

"Ow!" The thug cried out in agony, as if he had kicked a slab of iron. He hopped around, clutching his foot.

"Who are you?" In a flash, the dozen men surrounded them.

Yu Mu tipped his conical hat, revealing half his face, and smiled. "Friends, don't be hasty! I’m here to give you money."

As he spoke, he pulled a handful of spirit crystals from his robe and tossed them to the group. "This is the old man’s management fee. The rest is a gift for you gentlemen to enjoy some wine."

The thugs were pleasantly surprised. The fees from a single small vendor were meager, but for these low-level street thugs, this was a significant windfall. Even the man who had been hopping in pain forgot his injury, his eyes wide with greed as he stared at the spirit crystals.

A thug with a shaved head looked at them suspiciously. "Brother, what do you want from us?"

Yu Mu looked left and right, then lowered his voice. "My wife and I are being hunted by enemies and need to leave this city urgently. But our enemies have already placed spies at the official teleportation arrays. We can’t leave, so..."

Hearing this, An Shu was initially angry, but after listening to Yu Mu’s words, she realized he had sought out these thugs for this very reason. She couldn't help but admire his seasoned experience.

In reality, she was simply new to the world of martial arts and understood nothing. To anyone with a bit of social experience, these things were common knowledge.

Yu Mu had learned about these matters from Meng Fang.

Teleportation arrays in this world were a very common means of transport, comparable to the trains of his previous life. Because of the massive profits involved, every major faction wanted to monopolize them, leading to the creation of the so-called "official" teleportation arrays.

However, almost every large city had "black market" teleportation arrays set up by private organizations, independent of the official ones.

Teleportation was a highly lucrative industry, so there were many operators, all wanting a slice of the pie. As long as there was enough demand, there would always be people willing to risk everything for profit.

Of course, these black-market arrays were bound to be suppressed by local powers. Yet, history had proven that in the face of profit, all rules and regulations were nothing but a joke.