The early morning in Luocheng is just like any other awakening city, with scattered figures appearing on the wide and empty streets at first, followed by more people coming from all directions, of different ages and backgrounds, collectively forming the prosperity of a city.

However, this prosperity mainly belongs to the vibrant and glamorous districts, where the markets are bustling with tourists and the noble residential areas near the imperial city need not even be mentioned. But prosperity never belongs to the hidden slums deep within the city.

Lao Lang has a deep understanding of this.

Whether before joining the army or after being expelled from the military, he was just a stray dog roaming the dilapidated alleys. Yes, even now that he can dominate the slums, he hasn't changed his perception of himself.

Through his experiences in the army, especially after seizing the opportunity to operate a gambling den and partnering with several commanders of the Imperial Guards, he had the opportunity to witness another side of this city, one that was above countless people, flourishing on the luxuries nourished by the lower classes.

Compared to the nobles who enjoy all of this without guilt, his self-proclaimed title of "king of the slums" is a joke, no different from a wild dog.

So becoming the underground ruler of the slums is only the first step for him, he must continue, keep climbing upwards. And precisely at this moment, a splendid opportunity presented itself to him.

Not long ago, on a certain day, a mysterious fellow broke into his gambling den and lost a full five thousand taels of silver at a gambling table before straightforwardly requesting to see Lao Lang.

"Lao Lang, my lord."

The fellow had a very standard Mandarin accent, similar to those senior generals Lao Lang had heard in the army before, and his way of addressing Lao Lang made him somewhat uncomfortable.

This person was peculiar. If it weren't for the fact that he lost five thousand taels of silver so candidly, he would never have let him into his account room.

After all, five thousand taels of silver was undoubtedly a huge sum for this gambling den in the slums, which usually operated with copper coins as the main currency.

"Who are you?"

Having interacted with higher-ups, Lao Lang was somewhat wary of this generous fellow, not wanting to offend him, or the possible big shot behind him.

"You don't need to know who I am, and as for the five thousand taels just now... um, this chest here, consider it a gift from my master for meeting you." The fellow easily found the chest of silver he lost in the account room and politely bowed.

This fellow was well aware of his tricks, indeed, as he said, most of the five thousand taels of silver from the previous game had basically ended up in his pocket, and…

His master.

Noticing this appellation, Lao Lang clicked his tongue. Fortunately, he had the foresight not to offend him, as a person who could casually lose five thousand taels of silver was either wealthy or noble.

"We are just a bunch of stray dogs in the slums, not sure what attracted your visit," Lao Lang dared not disrespect him just because he called himself a servant, as in this empire's social hierarchy, even a common household servant outside could make some lower-level minor nobles bow to them in respect, the class system in this empire was indeed so strange.

"Lao Lang, my lord, belittles yourself," the servant smiled faintly, "and even a stray dog has sharp teeth, which can bite a tiger or leopard when the time comes."

"What do you mean?" Lao Lang's expression chilled, waving for the others in the account room to leave first.

"A trade," the servant said casually, "a trade that will rid you of your stray dog identity."

In the martial arts arena of the gym, Old Wolf finished a set of military boxing techniques and took off his sweat-soaked vest. Sweat trickled down along the contours of his muscles. Despite his years of training and the rough life in the army, Old Wolf still maintained a robust physique.

He walked to the side and picked up a towel, wiping his face vigorously to end today's morning practice. Can he break free from his identity as a wild dog?

Setting down the towel, Old Wolf couldn't help but show a self-satisfied smile. The servant was right; it was indeed a rare opportunity, so he had been in a good mood these days.

Apart from a few small incidents, like the young girl who unexpectedly showed up yesterday to challenge him. She looked to be only in her teens, but surprisingly strong. His ordinary men were basically defeated in two or three punches when they faced her. Her strength and speed would pose a challenge even if he were to personally take action.

If it weren't for her strange ability having a time limit, he might have really been in trouble. The girl's ability probably fell under the category of "immortal techniques"; her background might not be small, and she must not be allowed to escape. It would spell disaster if she fled and brought trouble.

Speaking of which... Old Wolf's smile froze.

Where were the men he sent to capture the girl yesterday? They hadn't returned to report back to him last night.

Those two were his trusted men, top-notch fighters who should not have had difficulty dealing with an ordinary girl without her immortal powers.

"Someone! Where are the third and fourth men? Have they not returned yet?!"

Without bothering to put on a shirt, Old Wolf left the backyard where the martial arts arena was located and headed towards the front hall of the gym. Most of his men were out collecting protection fees and running the gambling dens for various families, but there were still more than twenty men stationed there on standby.

"The third and fourth men? They have not returned yet."

There was a response in the front hall.

"Go find them immediately!" Old Wolf's eyes narrowed. "Tell those who were sent out to halt the collection for now. Find the third and fourth men first, shut down the gambling dens, and have everyone else come back!"

The previously good mood suddenly darkened.

His instincts were always sharp, and he immediately sensed something was amiss.

As expected, shortly afterwards, some of his men returned with the unconscious third and fourth men. They were found lying in the alley, heads resting on each other's thighs in a rather comical scene.

But Old Wolf couldn't find it in him to smile.

The girl had not been captured. She had either evaded capture due to the short cooldown of her immortal powers or someone had rescued her. Neither possibility was good news.

However, weighing the two possibilities, the former seemed slightly better. Old Wolf had already decided that if the girl dared to show up again, he would go all out to capture her. Once he had her in custody, his identity would completely change, and not just anyone could easily harm him.

Boom!

Just as he was thinking this, the front door of the gym was kicked open by someone, and the door panel flew five meters and shattered into pieces on the floor.

"There are quite a few people. It seems this time we can handle all in one go!"

Jojo swaggered in, rubbing his fists together, and pointed to Old Wolf surrounded by his men, "Miss Jojo is back!"

"Hmph, young lady, you were lucky to escape last time. Do you dare to come back now?"

Although he felt a twinge of anxiety, Old Wolf remained outwardly calm.

"Haha, things are completely different this time. Miss Jojo has some help now!"

Only when she said this did Old Wolf notice the young girl with white hair standing behind Jojo, looking bewildered and casual, with no indication that she had come to challenge.

From the perspective of a martial artist, the girl's stance was full of flaws. The old wolf could easily think of at least three different ways to take her down with just one glance. Is this what they call a helping hand?

Despite this question, the old wolf did not dare to be careless. It is a big mistake to underestimate unknown enemies. In situations like this, the safest bet is to wait until all of his subordinates return before dealing with them together. Even if the white-haired person over there has abilities similar to those of the small girl JoJo, it's not realistic for two people to take on over a hundred. As they neared JoJo, there were only about twenty subordinates present.

"Hey, little girl."

A sly smile suddenly appeared on the old wolf's face. "Didn't you say last time that you wanted to challenge me one on one?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"I'll give you a chance. Let's have a fair fight, shall we?"

The old wolf flexed his arm, warming up his body that had already cooled down from the morning exercise.

"Really?" JoJo's eyes lit up.

"Of course. Everyone else, step back and clear some space!" As he spoke, the old wolf walked out of the crowd and casually took a half-meter long iron rod from one of his subordinates.

"You have that strange magic of yours, so you won't mind me using a weapon, right?"

"Of course!"

JoJo nodded in response and then glanced at Aya. Aya shrugged indifferently, not minding whatever JoJo planned to do, as he was only there to fight and would be glad to avoid getting involved.

Both sides cleared a space in the front hall, and JoJo and the old wolf stood in the center.

"Although you are a villain who will undoubtedly face consequences, I will still regard this as a serious test!" JoJo stood firm, saluted gracefully, and said.

"Stop the nonsense and let's fight!" The old wolf had no interest in the rituals of martial artists. To him, all those martial arts, swordplay, and staff techniques were just for fighting. He wondered which boring person had come up with a code of martial ethics. Good martial arts were those that could kill people, right?

As soon as JoJo finished her salute, the old wolf swung the iron rod horizontally, creating a dull sound as it cut through the air.

Though slightly panicked, JoJo utilized her advantage of flexibility as a woman and made a perfect dodge by crouching down. At the same time, her body sprung up like a tightly wound bow, extending her legs in a kick that pushed the old wolf back a step, allowing her to flip back onto her feet.

"Star Platinum!"

After creating some distance, JoJo unhesitatingly summoned her stand, the muscular phantom with purple and cyan skin, which charged fiercely towards the old wolf, who had just steadied himself.

"Ora!"

The burly figure roared and threw a heavy punch.

The old wolf immediately placed the iron rod in front of his chest to endure the blow, taking two steps back. It was indeed powerful, no less than the brawns in the military, but he could handle it.

Having weathered a direct hit, the old wolf felt slightly relieved. He should be able to handle simple brute force… Oh, crap?

"Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!!"

Coming towards him was a barrage of iron fists.