Chapter 67: The Snake at the Head of the Earth (Part 1)

  Tianjin is one of the three earliest municipalities in China, located in the northern part of the North China Plain. Since ancient times, it has been a place of strategic importance due to its transportation hub, and was formally established as a city on November 21, 1404, during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, making it the only city in ancient China with a precise record of its founding date.

  After Tianjin was opened to trade in 1860, many Western nations established concessions there, making Tianjin the forefront of North China's opening up and modernization as well as a base for the Chinese Northern "Yongzheng" movement.

  In the early years of the Republic, Tianjin played an important role on the political stage. Due to its proximity to Beijing, just a stone's throw away, hundreds of retired officials and politicians from the Qing dynasty flocked to the concessions in Tianjin to seek refuge and plot their restoration.

  So in Tianjin City, you can see many buildings that combine Chinese and Western styles, with Western churches and large courtyards similar to those found in Beijing's traditional quadrangle dwellings. The entire city gives people a sense of having a rich historical foundation while also being modern.

  Not far from the Hai Zhu Hotel where Qin Feng and others lived, there is a famous antique street in Tianjin called Chongren Palace Antique Street. This is one of the earliest places for antique trading in Tianjin, and it has been a gathering place for scholars and elegant scholars since before liberation.

  "Boss Feng, what are we doing? We've been wandering around on the streets for two days now..."

  It has been three days since he arrived in Jin Tian. Except for the first day when Qin Feng slept soundly with his head covered, he had been wandering around the antique street for the remaining two days.

  The first day was okay, with Xie Xuan following along, but today Xie Xuan went home and Li Tianyuan became Qin Feng's follower, which made him feel miserable. After walking for a whole day, he felt that it was more tiring than practicing martial arts for a whole day.

  "Far son, can't you use your brain?"

  Qin Feng looked at the tall and majestic Li Tianyuan with some helplessness, pointed to the crowded crowd on the antique street, and said: "Looking at these people, what do you feel?"

  "Feeling?"

  Li Tianyuan blinked his eyes in a daze, gazing at the tourists on the antique street, and said: "It's just people, they're all idle people who have nothing better to do after eating their fill."

  "Got it, just like you said, I really doubt how you weren't killed by someone when you were the boss before?"

  Qin Feng tapped Li Tianyuan's head with a hint of annoyance and said in a low voice, "A place with a lot of people means a place with a lot of wealth. This is a busy area, it's a treasure trove for gathering wealth. Do you really think the little money we have is enough?"

  "Haha, Wind Brother, I know I'm stupid, so I won't go out and socialize anymore."

  After being hit by Qin Feng, Li Tianyuan didn't get angry. Having stayed in the detention center for a few years, he had also figured it out. In his previous life as a gang leader on the outside, when nothing was happening, he was indeed the boss, but once something happened, he became the scapegoat.

  This is also the reason why Li Tianyuan stopped associating with his former brothers after he was released from prison. Following Qin Feng, he felt at ease in his heart, knowing that this older brother who was one year younger than himself would not harm him.

  "Feng Ge, are you trying to get another vote here?"

  After racking his brains for half a day, Li Tianyuan suddenly lit up and said: "There are many more people here than on the antique street in Shicheng, and there must be more rich people, but there are too many people, and it seems that some of them are just watching..."

  Li Tianyuan has also been through social experience, and on this day of wandering around, he discovered many things that others couldn't see from his own perspective.

  That's in this market, apart from the market administrators, Li Tianyuan also found that there were some robust young men lurking around, maintaining order on Antique Street.

  "Hmm, you haven't been foolish enough to come home yet, there should be someone covering for you here." Qin Feng nodded, but his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

  Wherever there is a prosperous and bustling place, there are always pickpockets and thieves. As the Chongren Palace is almost as famous as the Pan Family Garden in Beijing for its antique trading, it is also a gathering place for many thieves.

  However, after these two days of wandering around, Qin Feng also saw some clues. Those pickpockets mostly stole wallets from out-of-town tourists, but they rarely targeted locals who genuinely came to dig for treasures.

  Yesterday, an old man who looked like a retired teacher shouted that his wallet was lost. In less than 10 minutes, his lost wallet was returned to the management office with not a single cent missing.

  From this, Qin Feng can judge that this antique street is occupied by a certain force, just like the big tycoons of ancient times who claimed to be the master of one side. If you want to make a living on this turf, you must get the recognition of this local snake head.

  "Feng Ge, why don't... we take down this place and all these shops will have to pay us protection fees for a whole month?"

  After hearing Qin Feng's words, Li Tianyuan's eyes lit up. His brain was not as agile as Xie Xuan's, and apart from fighting and killing, he didn't know how else he could help Qin Feng.

  "Go ahead and fart, how many people can you beat with your fists? Others can drown you with just one mouthful of saliva!"

  Qin Feng glared at Li Tianyuan with a bad temper, lowering his voice and saying: "You'd better not cause trouble, this isn't Shishi City, or else someone will put you in a sack and throw you into the river."

  Qin Feng was not trying to intimidate Li Tianyuan, he initially thought that this society was maintained by the rule of law, including his own imprisonment, which was a manifestation of a lawful society.

  But since he bowed down at Zai Yue Men's gate, Qin Feng only then knew what it truly means to be in the Jianghu.

  In the rivers and lakes, most people drift outside the legal system. This is not to say that the law has no binding force on them, but this binding force seems somewhat weak.

  To put it simply, everyone understands the principle of "a life for a life", but after someone has died, the victim's family will have to report the case to the police before they can start investigating. That's the normal procedure.

  However, in cases of vendetta or cleaning up a sect, the victims often dare not come forward because they need to follow the rules of the Jianghu, which is that matters do not enter the public gate.

  As a result, even if some malicious cases are filed by the police, they often have difficulty getting cooperation from the deceased's family members during the investigation process. Some can't even find the victim, which will cause great trouble for the case investigation.

  Great efforts and financial resources were spent, but many cases still could not be solved, which made the public security system have to hang up many cases every year, and after a long time, they became cold cases.

  Since the opening of Tianjin in the Qing Dynasty, it has been a place where dragons and fishes are mixed together. Every year, countless outsiders are thrown into the Haihe River.

  With Li Tianyuan's three-legged cat kung fu, if he rashly goes to move some people's interests, I'm afraid it won't take a few days for him to evaporate from the world.

  "Brother Wind, can't I just listen to you from now on?" Li Tianyuan was startled by Qin Feng's words and his stride became less confident.

  "We don't cause trouble and we're not afraid of it either..."

  As he spoke, Qin Feng looked up and saw a store selling stationery with a "store for rent" sign outside. His eyes lit up, and he walked in.

  This shop has more than twenty bungalows, with a hollowed-out red wood cabinet placed in the center of each room, dividing it into two parts. The walls around are hung with calligraphy and rice paper brushes.

  A young man in his twenties sat at a wooden counter and, upon hearing someone enter, said without looking up, "What can I get for you? Help yourself, everything is 20% off!"

  Qin Feng looked around the shop and nodded secretly, saying: "Brother, I'd like to buy a few sheets of Xuan paper. Can you introduce me?"

  "Do we have to use Xuan paper for practicing calligraphy in school?"

  The young man walked out of the inner room, and when he saw Qin Feng, he was still normal. However, when his eyes fell on Li Tianyuan, his expression changed instantly, and he said: "I've already prepared to transfer this shop, what else do you want? Is it because my grandfather died that you think you can bully people?"

  "Bully someone?" Qin Feng heard this and was stunned for a moment, shaking his head and saying: "I don't know what you're talking about, I just came to buy things..."

  "You... you're not from the Yuan family?" The young man's gaze was fixed on Li Tianyuan, and he muttered: "Growing up like this, one look and it's clear you're no good!"

  "Hey, I'm asking you, kid, can't you speak properly? Your appearance is given by your parents, what's it to me?"

  Li Tianyuan was taken aback by these words and immediately became angry, rolling up his sleeves to fight, but was pulled back by Qin Feng, who turned around and said to the young man: "My brother may not look good, but he's a kind person, you can't judge people by their appearance, can you?"

  "It's fine as long as it's not the Yuan family..." The young man was somewhat embarrassed by Qin Feng's words, "Sorry about that, you can pick anything from here, consider it my apology gift."

  "Hey big brother, I think your shop's location is pretty good, why are you selling it?"

  Qin Feng's face showed a curious expression, and he asked: "And who is the one with the surname Yuan? Is there also cheating and bullying here, can you report to the police?"

  "What's the point of reporting? In this lawless place, who dares to provoke the Yuan family?"

  Qin Feng's words seemed to stir up the young man's hatred, and he ignored Qin Feng's slightly immature face, shouting angrily: "They just hung a dead dog at my door yesterday, what's the use of calling the police, killing dogs isn't against the law..."

  The young man spoke somewhat incoherently, but under Qin Feng's guidance, he eventually told the whole story.

  It turned out that this young man's surname was Shen, with a single first name Nan. To say that Shen Nan and Qin Feng had some similar experiences, at the age of eleven, Shen Nan's parents died in a car accident, leaving him with only his grandfather to rely on.

  Under the influence of his grandfather, Shannan has been particularly interested in cultural relics and antiques since he was a child. He studied archaeology at Peking University and graduated just this year.

  But just in the second month after Xiangnan graduated, his grandfather suddenly passed away, leaving behind this old store that had been operated for nearly twenty years.

  In order to inherit his grandfather's will, Xun Nan reluctantly gave up the opportunity to enter the Institute of Archaeology in Beijing after graduation, and returned to Antique Street after handling his grandfather's funeral.

  But what Xiang Nan didn't expect was that on the second day of reopening the store named "Wen Bao Zhai", he encountered trouble.

  PS: The second update, Monday's collection recommendation votes are important, and it's also a trouble to ask friends for support, casting a recommendation vote won't delay much work.