For the next few days, Su Yu’s time was almost completely consumed by his work at the Public Security Bureau.
He donned his armor and wielded his weapon every day, leading a squad of Black Armor Security Guards as they patrolled relentlessly through the most turbulent districts of the Outer City, suppressing any and all disturbances with an iron fist.
As the grim news of the Black Stone and Jian’an allied forces’ defeat spread, along with the report that the Black Lotus Sect’s army was now aimed squarely at Cangya Pass, the entirety of Black Stone City was instantly plunged into a state of panic.
In the past, although the people of Black Stone City knew the Black Lotus Sect was a threat, they had always felt that war was a distant problem.
Some even harbored naive fantasies, believing that since the Black Lotus Sect had just conquered Liangzhou, they would need several years to consolidate their gains and would never dare to rashly open a war on multiple fronts.
But who could have predicted that the butcher’s knife of war would fall so swiftly and fiercely!
Jade Street, Fengyuan Grain Shop.
The once-spacious street was now jam-packed with commoners panic-buying grain. At the main entrance of the grain shop, however, a group of brawny, brutish-looking men in short black outfits had forcefully cleared an open space.
Their leader was a greasy-faced, thick-necked fat man. He propped one foot on the shop’s threshold, waved a money pouch in his hand, and roared at the shopkeeper, his spittle flying everywhere:
"Shopkeeper! I’m trying to be nice, so don’t be a fool! This thousand jin of coarse rice—I’m buying it all today! I won’t short you a single cent, and I’ll pay in full on the spot!"
Behind the counter, the thin grain shopkeeper kept his hands tucked in his sleeves. Without so much as lifting an eyelid, he replied icily:
"I’ve told you several times. the Public Security Bureau has issued a strict order. Under wartime regulations, each person is limited to purchasing one jin of coarse rice per day! You brought ten men, so you can buy ten jin. Not a single grain more!"
"Bullshit!"
The fat man slammed his palm on the counter, making the abacus beads CLATTER. "I’m Niu Dashan of the Black Tiger Gang! I’m not robbing you blind; I’m paying! This is a fair deal! Here on Jade Street, you dare refuse to sell to me?"
The Black Tiger Gang members behind him also revealed the short clubs hidden up their sleeves and sneered.
"Boss Niu, why are you wasting your breath on this old bag of bones? Brothers, let’s just go in and take it. I’d like to see anyone try and stop us!"
The shopkeeper remained unafraid in the face of such intimidation, merely snorting coldly. "The Public Security Bureau’s patrol will be here any minute. I’d like to see which of you dares to actually rob me today!"
"Don’t try to scare me with the Security Guards..."
Before Niu Dashan could finish his sentence, the uniform, heavy sound of clashing armor echoed from the far end of the street.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Accompanied by the cold scraping of metal, a squad of Black Armor Security Guards with solemn, imposing bearing marched toward them, wielding chillingly cold longspears.
Leading them was none other than Su Yu, clad in the dark Heavy Armor of a Commander, his gaze calm. Behind him, Song Mirror followed closely.
The moment they saw who it was, the previously arrogant and aggressive members of the Black Tiger Gang all sucked in a sharp breath. They instinctively shrank back, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Su Yu stopped in front of the grain shop and asked plainly, "What’s going on here?"
The shopkeeper shot a cold glance at Niu Dashan, then cupped his hands toward Su Yu. "Commander Su! These men from the Black Tiger Gang are ignoring the Public Security Bureau’s grain rationing order and trying to forcibly buy out all the coarse rice in my shop!"
"Oh, my! Lord S-Su!"
Niu Dashan’s knees went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. His face became a mask of fawning flattery as large beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Bowing low, he hastily explained:
"A misunderstanding! This is a complete misunderstanding! I truly didn’t know the Public Security Bureau had established this new rule. If I had known, even if you gave me ten times the nerve, I wouldn’t have dared to cause trouble here!"
Niu Dashan kept a smile plastered on his face, but inwardly, he was cursing his rotten luck.
’Good heavens, why is this big shot patrolling the streets in person? My luck is absolutely rotten today.’
The Black Tiger Gang’s territory was originally in the slums of the western city. He had only come to the eastern city because he saw there was more grain here, hoping to take advantage of the chaos to buy a batch and turn a profit back home.
He had originally thought that once he got the grain, he would immediately return to the western city, and there wouldn’t be any major problems.
He never expected to run into Su Yu, the genius Commander of the Public Security Bureau, as soon as he arrived.
"This Black Tiger Gang, what’s their reputation?" Su Yu completely ignored Niu Dashan’s pleas, turning instead to ask Song Mirror.
Song Mirror took a step forward, his cold eyes fixed on Niu Dashan as he reported truthfully:
"Lord Su, ever since you annihilated the Water Snake Gang, this Black Tiger Gang has seized the opportunity to prosper, taking over much of the Water Snake Gang’s former territory. They routinely oppress the common people and run gambling dens, taking a cut of the profits. Their methods are hardly any cleaner than the Water Snake Gang’s were."
Su Yu nodded slightly, his expression suddenly sinking.
"With a great enemy at our gates, they still dare to openly defy the Public Security Bureau’s rules. Such audacity is unforgivable. Arrest them all and escort them to the dungeons!"
"Yes, my lord!"
At Su Yu’s command, the Black Armor Guards behind him raised their longspears like a forest, instantly surrounding the Black Tiger Gang members.
"Aah! My lord, spare us! We’ll scram right now and never dare to cause trouble again!" Niu Dashan’s face was deathly pale as he thudded to his knees, begging for mercy without a shred of backbone.
However, Su Yu merely gave a cold wave of his hand.
Facing the gleaming, cold tips of the spears, how could the Black Tiger Gang members dare to resist? Amidst a few piercing screams and the sound of cracking bones, the gangsters were quickly dragged away by the Black Armor Guards like dogs.
Order was restored to the street. Su Yu stepped over the threshold into the grain shop, his gaze sweeping over a pile of coarse rice as he casually asked:
"Shopkeeper, what’s the price of this coarse rice today?"
"Replying to Lord Su, it’s now twelve coppers a jin."
"That expensive?"
Su Yu couldn’t help but frown. He wasn’t some young master from a noble family, ignorant of the price of grain. He clearly remembered the days when he was just a young fisherman, carefully counting every copper plate in his pocket to buy rice.
Back then, coarse rice in the Outer City was six coppers a jin. Now, with the war report having just arrived, the price had already doubled!
And this was clearly just the beginning of the price surge.
’Twelve coppers is really too high,’ Su Yu sighed to himself.
An ordinary laborer in the Outer City would be lucky to earn twenty copper plates after a day of back-breaking work. A price of twelve coppers per jin of rice meant that a family of three, even if they tightened their belts, would soon face the desperate prospect of starvation.
If there was another setback at Cangya Pass and grain prices continued to rise, he feared the city and its surroundings would be filled with the bodies of the starved long before the Black Lotus Sect even broke through.
’It’s getting harder and harder to survive in this world.’
The shopkeeper’s face was bitter as he bowed. "My lord, we don’t want to sell it this high either, but the merchant caravans at the source are demanding exorbitant prices. With the chaos of war outside, transportation costs have multiplied. At twelve coppers, I’m truly just breaking even and earning a bit for my troubles."
Su Yu nodded, not blaming him any further.
He had knowledge from his previous life and understood that the laws of economics were irreversible.
If he used force to make the merchants sell at a loss, the only result would be a city-wide strike. No one would risk their necks traveling the trade routes to transport grain, and when Black Stone City’s food supply was cut off, even more people would starve.
’I’ll have to wait and see...’ Su Yu calculated inwardly. The Su Mansion had a huge store of grain, enough to last for several years. ’If it really comes to a point where the people can’t survive, I should probably set up a soup kitchen in Anping Square to do my part.’
...
「Three days later. The backyard of the Su Mansion.」
"WHOOSH—"
Su Yu exhaled a puff of hot, turbid air and slowly opened his eyes. He had just finished refining the last batch of treasure fish and Treasure Medicine in the mansion, and the progress of his Breakthrough Points on the status panel had updated.
[Breakthrough Point]: 1 (Progress 86%)
’Still a little short in the end. I couldn’t break through the 2-point mark!’
Su Yu looked at the panel, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.
All that remained in his Storage Ring were three high-grade Treasure Medicines, which he was saving as a trump card for activating his White Ape Transformation and couldn’t be used lightly. This meant that the Su Mansion’s supply of Martial Arts Resources was now completely depleted.
’All the gold in the world, and I can’t even buy a single medicine...’
Su Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling quite helpless. From his two previous expeditions to Ghost Mist Island and the Golden Waterway, he had plundered a great deal of wealth. The problem was, now that the war had started, money couldn’t buy the scarce Martial Arts Resources he needed.
If wealth couldn’t be converted into urgently needed Martial Arts Resources, it was no better than a pile of scrap metal.
However, the one thing that brought Su Yu some comfort was the recent progress in his saber technique.
[Martial Arts]: Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber (First Layer) (Great Success 9600/10000)
’Only 400 more points until the Demon-subduing Saber reaches Perfection. That’s some good news, at least.’
"Brother Su! Master sent someone with a message! He wants you to go to the Martial Arts Hall at once!"
Just then, Yang Ai, dressed in a neat training uniform, rushed through the covered corridor in a flurry, shouting the news.
"Got it. I’m on my way."
...
White Ape Martial Arts Hall.
With war looming, the atmosphere inside the Martial Arts Hall was noticeably more tense than usual. In these chaotic times, many people craved strength more than ever.
As Su Yu walked through the Martial Arts Arena, his junior brothers and sisters were training, sweat pouring down like rain. When they saw him, they all stopped what they were doing and called out "Senior Brother Su," their eyes filled with fervent respect.
Su Yu smiled and greeted each of them in turn, then followed the familiar path to the door of the tearoom in the back courtyard.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Enter!"
He pushed the door open and entered. The scent of sandalwood incense swirled in the air.
His master, Qin Fangqiong, was seated imposingly in the host’s chair. In the guest seats below him sat three other middle-aged men.
All three men had Qi and Blood as deep as an abyss, and their every movement carried the authority of those long accustomed to high positions. They were clearly all heavyweight figures in Black Stone City.
His senior sister, Lin Wanzhu, was currently seated in the secondary chair below their master.
"Su Yu, come, come, have a seat!"
The moment Qin Fangqiong saw Su Yu, his usually stern old face broke into a wide, wrinkled smile. He stood, pulled Su Yu over, and pointed to one of the important figures in a lower seat to introduce him.
"Come, let your master make an introduction. This is the current Patriarch of our Black Stone City’s Lin Family, Lin Yunshu!"
Qin Fangqiong spoke bluntly, pointing at the middle-aged man in wide, green scholarly robes. "Don’t be fooled by his refined, intellectual appearance. He’s actually a cunning old fox, nicknamed Old Thief Lin. He’s also that Lin girl’s biological older brother."
Hearing this, Lin Yunshu shook his head with a helpless, wry smile. "Master Qin, must you be so merciless with your words, especially in front of the younger generation?"
After speaking, Lin Yunshu turned his head, his deep eyes sizing Su Yu up. His gaze held undisguised amazement and admiration as he smiled and cupped his hands.
"Haha, Brother Su. Although this is our first formal meeting, with Wanzhu as our connection, we can hardly be considered strangers."
As he spoke, his eyes carried a hint of a teasing smile as he shot a meaningful glance at Lin Wanzhu beside him.
Under her biological brother’s gaze, the normally cold and competent Great Commander Lin’s ears instantly flushed a faint red.