No problem a stab couldn't solve.

"Second Brother, you're back! I've already made the soup, just waiting for you to eat." 

Little Shi eagerly ran up to greet him, taking the brush, ink, paper, and the wrapped pig's head meat from Zhong Lin's hands. 

"I slipped on the way just now. I'm going in to change my clothes. Put these things in the study and find a plate for the pig's head meat." 

"Okay!" 

With his short little legs, he dashed around tirelessly. 

Zhong Lin returned to his room and changed into a gray short-sleeved tunic. He washed his face with clean water, but the red handprint on his cheek hadn't completely faded. The lingering pain only fueled the anger in his heart. 

"I just want to live a good life, to live freely. If you won't let me live… then I'll just kill you first." 

His face was filled with an icy killing intent. 

Killing people? It wasn't like he hadn't done it before. 

The first time he killed someone, his heart was uneasy, but after doing it enough times, his heart turned cold. 

Sometimes, killing people was even easier than hunting in the mountains. After all, when hunting, you had to track your prey and stop it from escaping, whereas killing a person only required a single blade. 

He put down his chopsticks and stepped to the doorway, looking up at the sky. 

During the day, the sky had already been gloomy. Now, the night sky was completely void of stars, and a faint chill lingered in the air—a sign that autumn rain was approaching. 

"A moonless, windy night… truly excellent weather." 

"Shi, I have some matters to attend to. Lock the door tight. No matter who calls, don't open it unless it's me." 

Zhong Lin instructed. 

Shi, who was about to wash the dishes, glanced at his second brother's bow and the cowhide belt at his waist. The prematurely mature boy vaguely guessed something. He nodded solemnly. 

"Second Brother, be careful." 

Zhong Lin smiled faintly, reached out to ruffle Shi's hair, said nothing more, and disappeared into the darkness. 

---

"Drink! Damn it, Xing San, are you raising fish over there? Hurry up and drink!" 

"Big Brother, don't rush me! I'm waiting for the fish. The bass just caught from the East Market—freshly steamed, it pairs perfectly with wine." 

"Bullshit! You think I don't know you, you bastard? You just want to make me drink three cups of fish head wine to get me drunk! Ha! A thousand cups can't knock me down! You think you can? Try again in your next life!" 

Inside a residential house, Qin Yong and Xing San were drinking and playing drinking games under the dim glow of an oil lamp. 

A plate of scrambled eggs, a large bowl of stewed bones, a plate of peanuts—the strong aroma of wine permeated the room. 

"I never thought a street under my watch would suddenly produce a chicken that lays golden eggs. Heaven truly favors me—what a great day!" 

Qin Yong downed a cup of wine in one gulp, his laughter arrogant and unrestrained. 

The burly, scar-faced Xing San was equally excited. "Isn't that right? Eighteen taels of silver! That kid made eighteen taels just in one afternoon. This isn't just a golden egg-laying chicken, it's a freaking money tree! But, Big Brother, we're only asking him for twenty taels a day. Don't you think that's too little?" 

"Little? Not at all." Qin Yong's eyes gleamed shrewdly. "You said it yourself—this kid is a money tree. If he can make eighteen taels in an afternoon, then twenty taels a day is just right. It stings, but not enough to make him desperate. If we squeeze him too hard and he runs away, what then?" 

"Run? He wouldn't dare! I'd break his legs and lock him up in a room, force him to paint every day, and sell the paintings for profit!" Xing San slammed the table, his voice brimming with hostility. 

"Enough." Qin Yong's gaze was sharp. "We can't guard this money tree forever. You saw his paintings—there's no one in all of Heishui County who can paint better than him. Sooner or later, those big figures will notice him. He'll either become someone's honored guest or their caged bird. 

Right now, what we should do is squeeze out as much money as we can before those big figures set their sights on him." 

"This…" 

Xing San's face twisted with reluctance. Twenty taels of silver a day! It was more than he had ever dared to dream of. A single day's earnings equaled what he usually made in a whole year! How could he be willing to let go of such a treasure trove? 

Qin Yong could see the hesitation in Xing San's expression. He warned him sternly, "Xing San, listen to me. Don't get any stupid ideas. Do you know why I've survived so long in the Heishui Gang? Why I became a leader and control an entire street while the guys who joined with me are either dead or crippled? 

It's because I'm not greedy. I know what I can take and what I shouldn't take. If you don't learn this lesson, one day, you'll end up floating face-down in a gutter." 

"…Got it." 

Xing San muttered reluctantly, grabbing his cup and downing a mouthful of wine. 

Qin Yong ignored him and turned toward the doorway, shouting, "Hey! Is that fish done yet? If it's not ready soon, I'll starve to death over here!" 

"Coming, coming!" 

A crisp, slightly flirtatious voice called from the kitchen. 

A moment later, a woman wearing a red short-sleeved top and a blue skirt resembling a mamianqun stepped out, carrying a plate of freshly steamed bass. 

She swayed her hips as she walked, each step oozing seduction. In the flickering light, her features became clearer—around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with a sharp chin, slightly sunken cheeks, and a pair of alluring, peach blossom eyes. Though not a stunning beauty, she was certainly above average among women. 

"Hmph! Starving to death? What, did a dog eat all the food on the table? If you hadn't brought home so much silver today, I wouldn't even be serving you." 

She slammed the plate onto the table with a loud thud, not giving Qin Yong a chance to speak before twisting her slim waist and sashaying into the side-room bedroom. 

"You goddamn—" 

Qin Yong had brought home a fortune today, yet his wife still embarrassed him in front of his brother. His face turned red with rage, and he slammed his palm on the table, fuming. 

"Ah, Big Brother, Big Brother! Have some wine, have some wine!" 

Xing San hurriedly grabbed Qin Yong's arm, trying to defuse the situation. But at the same time, his eyes greedily trailed after the woman's swaying backside. The curves that even her skirt couldn't conceal made heat surge through his lower abdomen. 

Qin Yong snorted, took a swig of wine, and cursed toward the bedroom, "You damn woman! Just you wait! Later, you'll be begging me for mercy!" 

A teasing voice drifted from the room. 

"Oh please! Talk is cheap. If you can last a full incense stick's time, I'll serve you on my knees from now on. Hah! Even Xing San is better than you!" 

The moment she finished speaking, Qin Yong's face turned purple with rage. 

"You damn woman! Today, I'll show you who's boss!" 

He shot up from his seat and stomped toward the bedroom. Moments later, laughter and heavy breathing filled the air, completely ignoring the presence of Xing San outside. 

Xing San, already aroused, gulped down another mouthful of wine and called out, "Big Brother, I'm going out to take a piss." 

"Get lost! Don't bother me!"