Dao of Money

Chapter 30: Yu Kuang

Chen Ren caught the piece of sharp metal striking him through the air. His body reacted faster than his mind, twisting in the air sharply.

The knife whistled past him, slicing so close that he could feel its chill brush against his cheeks. But the knife’s momentum downgraded and found its mark on the leg of the bald man who had been holding him as if he was clinging to his dear life.

A strangled cry erupted from the bald thug’s throat.

His iron grip fell away as he stumbled back, eyes wide with pain and rage, hands reflexively reaching for the buried blade.

Blood dripped down his leg as he staggered, his breath coming in gasps as he clutched at the knife buried deep in his flesh.

His expression twisted in agony, but his eyes burned with unrelenting fury, hatred spilling from his every movement.

Chen Ren didn’t hesitate; his body surged into motion. In one fluid motion, he sprang to his feet, eyes darting to where the knife had come from. There, at the edge of the market, stood the beggar girl who he just gave noodles to.

Her eyes were burning with determination and three more knives shone in her small, weak, calloused hands. If anything, she seemed much more strong now. hen Ren couldn’t guess, but there was no time to wonder.

The girl stood firm, her tiny figure seemed taller than before— as though the chaos that surrounded her didn’t affect her, but she was focused, ready for action.

Chen Ren quickly shrugged off his attention from her and turned to the bald man who was now howling with rage and pain.

He wrenched the knife from his leg, the blood staining his fingers while his breath came in jagged gasps. His bloodshot eyes shot at Chen Ren which seemed to boil with passionate hatred.

“Argh!” the bald man brayed and prepared to lunge forward.

At the same time, Chen saw how Zhi staggered upright with a grin that was painful to watch— looking like an absolute maniac. He brushed splinters and dust from his shoulders, and by how his smirk expanded, this scene seemed to only fuel his twisted excitement.

He cracked his knuckles.

Chen Ren’s senses sharpened; his instincts screamed at him that he couldn’t face both at once.

Frantically, his eyes swept through the stalls,

Chen Ren nodded before she could complete her sentence. “They came after me too,” he said, his voice low, eyes flicking to the unconscious forms of the bald thug and Zhi, who were now lying on a cart, being carried by Old Man Tian’s grandson. “They sent cultivators. Barely managed to take them down, but I caught these two.”

He pointed toward the two thugs, both of whom were still breathing but their injuries would take time to heal. The cart rattled softly as Old Man Tian’s grandson moved them to the side of the street.

Yuqiu’s frown deepened as she processed the information. “They sent cultivators? They are clearly not undermining us.”

Chen Ren sighed. “Yeah, and it's clear they were keeping an eye on us. They only sent cultivators to target me knowing I'm one too. And I don't think they are going to just give up. If we sit around doing nothing, they might escalate things. A bigger attack could be coming.”

Yuqiu looked at him, puzzled. “But... why would they want to escalate things? What do they want from us?”

Chen Ren’s eyes narrowed, putting the pieces together. He had thought about this before he came here. “It's the Bai Hu Trade association. They can’t do anything alone with our supply lines and staff secured, so they got the gang involved. Why they’re working together is beyond me, but it’s not good for us. Bai Hu’s reach is far, but I never thought they would get someone like Blood Snakes involved.”

Yuqiu’s face flushed with anger as the realisation hit her. She took a step forward, her voice rising with frustration. “I’ll go deal with them myself. They can’t just bully the Tang Clan like this. I’ll—”

Chen Ren stepped in front of her. “If you go now, they’ll just deny everything,” he said, cutting her off. “They’ll say they don’t know anything about it. Without proof, it’ll just be another set of accusations with no way to back them up. That’s why they didn’t send their own men to handle this— they don’t want to leave a trail. If you storm in there, they’ll lie through their teeth and say they were never involved.”

Tang Xiulan stepped forward, her expression one of determination mixed with concern. "So what do we do now?" she asked, glancing between Chen Ren and Yuqiu. "Should we inform the city guards?"

Chen Ren shook his head, his eyes scanning the damage once more before returning his gaze to Xiulan.

"We can, but I don’t think anything will come out of it. The Blood Snakes attacked our shop without any city guards around, and there weren’t any stationed down the market street either." He paused for a moment as if considering the implications of his words. "The truth is, they’re already bought. Remember they were easily bribed by the bun shop owner. If such a person can do so, then a gang would have way more power. We can go and complain, but I don’t expect them to take any action. It’ll just be a formality."

Tang Yuqiu’s face tightened at the suggestion. "So, what, we just let them get away with this? We won’t even try to get them to listen?"

"I don’t doubt that the Tang Clan could force them to give us protection— but it won't stop the Blood Snakes. Gangs like that don’t care about any clan. They only respect power, and I was just talking to Xiulan about this. Do you know why the Blood Snakes can operate in the city without anyone stopping them?"

Yuqiu frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why?"

Chen Ren’s voice dropped slightly, his expression grim. "Their boss, Yu Kuang. The leader of the Blood Snakes is a foundation realm cultivator. I asked around before coming here."

That statement sent everyone into deep thought. Yuqiu couldn’t help but pace back and forth in front of Chen Ren. Finally, she stopped and blinked at him, disbelief in her eyes "A foundation realm cultivator? That’s... that’s insane. Such a person is powerful enough to become an inner sect disciple in the Soaring Sword Sect."

Chen Ren nodded. "He can defeat someone like me— hundreds of times over— without even breaking a sweat. Not only that, they have dozens of body forging realm cultivators. That's why the Blood Snakes can do whatever they want, without fear of reprisal from anyone. No clan, no guard, no one can stand against him without serious consequences."

Yuqiu looked down, her jaw clenched in thought, and then she looked up, meeting Chen Ren’s gaze again.

"Does the Tang Clan have someone like that?" he asked.

Yuqiu shook his head. "No. The Tang Clan doesn’t have anyone on that level. I'm pretty sure my father can hire one, but it's rare to find someone at that level among the rogue cultivators.”

"Then we’re stuck in this situation," he said quietly. "We can’t just force them to leave us alone. Not with someone like that pulling the strings. We need to be careful. We can’t just rush in head first. We need a plan— a way to deal with the Blood Snakes keeping their boss in mind. Because if we go up against him, we’ll be crushed."

A silence fell over them as the gravity of the situation settled in.

It’s almost like everyone knew that something had to be done, but no one knew how to go about it without making the situation worse.

For maybe the first time since coming to this world, Chen Ren felt like he was grasping at straws. A foundation realm cultivator was way beyond his current state. They had a difference of one and a half realm between us. Tang Clan might be able to get more security, but against someone like him, even they needed to be careful.

That only left a few options.

Though, it wasn't as if every door was closed. He still had a trump card in Yalan and going by his estimates of her strength, she could deal against someone like Yu Kuang, but was this worth revealing her identity? He wasn't sure.

The more he had seen of his world, the more he realised that having a trump card like her was bigger than any cheat he might have received.

His mind raced, trying to come up with a solution where he could deal with Blood Snakes without anyone finding out about Yalan.

His gaze shifted from Yuqiu to the two unconscious thugs—Baldy and Zhi— who lay slumped in the cart. Then, his eyes flicked over to Yalan, who had been quietly observing the conversation from the sidelines.

A sudden thought struck him.

"I believe I have an idea," he said, getting the attention of both the women.

***

A/N - I got comments in last chapter of people disappointed about Dao of Money having fights. Although this is a more slice of life book, there will be fights. They won't always be brawls as Chen Ren will scheme his way out of them, but there will be fights other than just buisnesses. Also, the shouting out martial techniques part was more for showing he's still green as you can see in this chapter.

PS - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon.