"Boss... Boss, spare me this once, spare me! Ignorance isn't a crime. I'm new here; I didn't do it on purpose! I'm just trying to make a living, can't you let this slide..."

As he spoke, Wang Zhan's voice suddenly grew louder. Even though he attracted some attention from passersby, the two burly men holding him seemed unconcerned and merely sneered.

"Kid, you've got plenty of tricks up your sleeve, huh?"

"But this is our turf. Didn't we just say we were going to teach you some rules? Come with us, you!"

With that, the Scarface Man behind him grabbed Wang Zhan's shoulder, about to drag him into the alley for a thorough lesson. The other man, however, looked at the curious onlookers and said in a low voice, "Stop staring. This is none of your business. This kid is selling fake elixirs. As members of the black market, we can't turn a blind eye. We must ensure a safe and reliable trading environment for everyone!"

If his earlier words were domineering, his latter remarks cast him as a good citizen upholding justice.

The crowd suddenly understood.

"This kid, who looks so swarthy and seemingly honest, actually has the guts to compete with the black market over elixir sales?" someone analyzed presumptuously.

Others scoffed. "You're overthinking it. The elixirs in the black market mostly come from the big families; the Federation just turns a blind eye. Didn't you hear? That man just said this kid is selling fake medicine, not real medicine. Serves him right! Always bullying us kind-hearted folks..."

"Exactly, serves him right! It'd be best if they beat him to death! Let's go, let's go. What's there to see with this kind of person? He's just wasting the Federation's resources. I don't know what the Federation is thinking..."

Just like that, Wang Zhan was on the verge of being summarily abandoned by his own fellow people of the Federation.

But fortunately, Wang Zhan had found a good excuse for himself.

As someone selling counterfeit elixirs, mixing fakes with genuine ones, wasn't it perfectly normal for him to take a few himself to replenish his internal energy? No problem with that, right?

So, just as he was about to fall into the Scarface Man's grasp, even while Wang Zhan was begging for mercy, "Boss, Boss... it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" he suddenly ducked, then with a burst of strength, darted towards the crowd, still explaining, "Bosses, I really didn't do it on purpose! I'm just selling medicine. And although my elixirs are fake, they do contain real medicine components, and they're cheap! Please, let me go! If you need, I can offer you some as tribute..."

This time, even if the crowd wanted to leave or ignore him, they couldn't.

"What? Mixed with real medicine, you say? How much cheaper?"

"Kid, don't go yet! What's the price? I'm interested!"

"Hey, hey, hey, young man, young man, come back! We can talk about this..."

"Hey, we'll help you! How about you come back? They definitely won't hit you. Just tell us, what's the price of your elixirs?..."

In this era, there were far too many poor people. While the number of wealthy families would never be small, the poor would only grow more numerous, with only a small, uniquely blessed fraction able to rise above their circumstances.

Therefore, upon hearing that Wang Zhan was selling fake elixirs mixed with real medicine, their interest was instantly piqued.

A genuine elixir cost at least tens of thousands, and that was just for the most basic tier. Swallowing one whole had an effect, sure, but it was often too much. Trying to split and sell them wasn't practical either, and it often led to waste regardless of success.

Thus, Wang Zhan's appearance offered a good solution for some people. As long as the elixirs were effective, they could buy several for their children at the price of half, or even a tenth, of a real elixir. They could then administer it bit by bit to observe the effects.

On one hand, this prevented waste. Once their children were enrolled in a Martial Arts Academy, they could purchase elixirs there at a discount. On the other hand, it spared them the agony of carving out a large chunk of their finances all at once.

Wang Zhan was stunned. Are these elixirs that popular? This means I can become famous much faster!

But as the onlookers grew excited, the faces of the two burly men behind him instantly darkened. They stared in the direction Wang Zhan had fled, their gazes sinister.

"What just happened?" the man with few distinguishing features asked Scarface Man.

Scarface Man replied in a deep voice, "He's an ordinary person, alright, but he's fast and slippery! He just slid past me; before I even noticed, he'd already covered some distance."

But despite what was said, and how embarrassing it looked, the two seemed unconcerned that Wang Zhan had escaped. After all, he was just an ordinary person. No matter how fast he could run, against genuine Martial Artists like them, he was doomed.

The speaker may have been careless, but the listener paid attention. The other man licked his lips, looked at Scarface Man, and said with a bloodthirsty air, "You think he could be one of those people the boss warned us to watch out for?"

Scarface Man snapped back to his senses. "You mean... a bloodline?"

Instantly, the two of them stared at Wang Zhan, who was now running ahead of the curious crowd, leading them by a fair distance. Their eyes burned with an intense heat.

"Heh heh heh... What are we waiting for? Chase him!..."

Wang Zhan probably had no idea. The excuse he'd concocted for himself, while not luring out his intended target, had inadvertently tugged on a hidden thread.

Just then, Wang Zhan suddenly dashed past the storefront of the shop owner with whom he had an arrangement, his face etched with urgency. "Boss, save me!"

The shop owner watched the figure flash past him, a sense of familiarity dawning. He immediately remembered—it was that kid who sold fake medicine! He quickly ran out to see what was happening, yelling, "Hey, hey, hey, what have you done?!"

Unfortunately, Wang Zhan was already far away. Now, passing the shop owner were those pitiful, gasping commoners. Buying fake medicine wasn't easy either!

"What's wrong with you all?" the owner asked urgently.

A kind-hearted man quickly explained, "Just now, just now... HUFF... PUFF... that kid has fake medicine mixed with real medicine! We saw him surrounded. We couldn't help him at first, but thankfully, he was quick-witted and ran out. So, we were trying to stop him to see if we could buy a couple..."

Actually, the kind man didn't need to say any more. The shop owner had already seen them: the two menacing figures following Wang Zhan, who had instantly overtaken the crowd.

Although it was a fleeting glimpse and the black market was dimly lit, the shop owner still recognized the scar. His heart leaped.

It's them…What is this kid up to? He dares to provoke these black market guys! Does he really think everyone is like the Internal Affairs Department, who wouldn't dare to use private punishment?!

Damn! The shop owner cursed inwardly but still had to quickly turn around and head back into his shop. He picked up his phone and dialed a number he had bid farewell to long ago, yet to whom he was still indebted for past care.

As for Wang Zhan's elixirs being so popular, he had long been prepared. Only those willing to invest significantly can make big money. Otherwise, why would he be so insistent on joining Wang Zhan's venture?

Making money without a guilty conscience is quite comfortable.

And so…

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP...

"Hey, Brother Chen, what a surprise! What made you think of me?"

One could tell this was an even more imposing and commanding, yet magnanimous, figure. In fact, if the shop owner hadn't been kind-hearted in his youth, much like that helpful passerby, his shop might have been seized long ago. He wouldn't be where he is today.

The shop owner wasted no words, just chuckled softly, his voice tinged with emotion. "Don't call me Brother Chen anymore! Seven, can you do me a favor? Right now, only you can resolve this!"

Then, a solemn silence fell on the other end of the line. Evidently, the one called Seven had silenced everyone around him just to hear Boss Chen speak.

Then, Seven's steady voice came through. "Brother Chen, just say the word. If I can help, I definitely won't refuse..."

While Boss Chen was requesting help, Wang Zhan, on the other hand, was far from relaxed. The two men chasing him, while perhaps not top-tier experts, could still easily overpower ordinary people. In the current era for Martial Artists, there was only 'faster,' never 'fastest.' Otherwise, in ancient times, individuals like them could have broken world records.

This made Wang Zhan, who currently had to feign being an ordinary person to avoid complications, grit his teeth in frustration.

Darn! Do they really think a docile tiger is a sick cat?

Instantly, Wang Zhan's grand summoning technique—the madman, manifested once more!

It was unknown what trials this entity had endured, but upon emerging, instead of raging at Wang Zhan, he seemed to eagerly volunteer, "Are we to eliminate these two? Alright, I'm on it!"

My goodness!

Wang Zhan quickly shoved him back, thinking with utter exasperation, This guy must be a beast, all fighting and killing every day! Can't we just discuss peace and love for a change?

After some thought, Wang Zhan realized he had to handle it himself.

There shouldn't be anyone who notices, right…

However, the moment this possibility crossed his mind, Wang Zhan immediately backed down, without a shred of hesitation.

No way! Those guys who snuck in are definitely elites from that damned Sacred Clan. If they detect me, these past few days will have been a complete waste…

He could usually conceal his abilities well. However, once he made a move, no matter how subtle, he would inevitably leave traces. The alternative was to unleash the madman, who was essentially a hidden trump card.

So, he could only continue running!

He could only hope that the shop owner, who had remarked that Wang Zhan himself was 'far from simple,' would—enticed by the sight of shiny silver—call upon some genuinely capable individuals to save his life. Otherwise, if he was truly cornered, he'd have no choice but to resort to the least desirable tactic: silencing them permanently. What a helpless situation.

Does he have to flip the chessboard every time things don't go his way?

As for trying to turn foes into friends, he'd already attempted that. The problem was, they didn't even deign to look Wang Zhan in the eye.

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