Chen Jie had Zhou Chu take care of the following matters and then changed into commoner’s clothes, taking Xiao Hu to White Tiger Hall.
As for why he changed clothes, well, his were shattered by Nan Batian—not changing would mean walking around in a "straw shoulder-pad"...
Arriving at the main street.
At this time, the breakfast vendors had already lit their stoves and started preparing various morning dishes, as customers gradually hit the streets.
Now sitting at a breakfast stand, chatting: They hadn’t slept well last night, the streets filled with shouts and cries of fighting—the cause, nobody knew.
When one asked, another answered, an eager customer said, "Seems like they were nabbing Nan Batian."
At that, everybody exchanged glances—Nan Batian, who was he? That was none other than the Underground King who dominated Mianshui for twenty years.
A man who, with a mere stomp, could shake the whole of Mianshui thrice over.
Hearing this, the customer continued, "You don’t know, last night I eavesdropped through the wall: Nan Batian has conspired with the Zoroastrian Sect, plotting rebellion!"
"Zoroastrian Sect? What’s that?"
The common people weren’t very familiar with Zoroastrianism.
That’s when the customer boasted, "You really don’t know? The Zoroastrian Sect is the Northern Red Turban!"
"Oh, that’s a big deal."
Upon hearing this, everybody gasped in unison.
Someone then asked, "Hey, hey, if Nan Batian colluded with the Red Turban, and it was so secretive, how was it discovered?"
Another curious diner asked.
Hearing this, the boastful customer replied, "He chose the wrong opponent—you know about Grandpa Chen from White Tiger Hall, right?"
Hearing that, people chorused, "Heard of him, heard of him."
The customer, seeing the crowd’s reaction, felt a sense of satisfaction from his boasting—only to turn his head and see two people gobbling down steaming hot dumplings, not minding the heat at all, as if starved ghosts had taken over their bodies.
The customer frowned slightly; everyone else was watching him boast, why weren’t they?
So, the customer tapped on the table, "Hey, hey, hey..."
The two looked up at the customer, appearing somewhat puzzled.
The customer addressed them, "Hey, did you hear our talk?"
"Well, yeah, heard something about a Chen Jiusi?"
The young man eating the hot dumplings casually responded.
"Hey, who are you to call him Jiusi? That’s Grandpa Chen!"
The customer, hearing the young man casually mention the name Chen Jiusi, felt it was disrespectful to his idol and grew angry!
The young man seemed indifferent, "Oh, right, Grandpa Chen, Grandpa Chen."
The customer eyed the young man, "You must be from the countryside, judging by your look, you don’t know about Grandpa Chen’s might."
The young man replied, "What’s so mighty about him, just a Jianghu person."
"Hey, you little brat, you dare to look down on Grandpa Chen? Just a Jianghu person? He is the King of Mianshui, let me tell you, and listen up, all of you, Grandpa Chen, grand name Chen Jiusi, a man from Xiantao Town, came to the county a year ago, an insignificant nobody."
"And guess what, in just a mere half year, he went from a nobody to the Hall Master of White Tiger Hall."
"Under his leadership, White Tiger Hall has been flourishing, firmly overwhelming the Fishing Guild Headquarters. Nan Batian, that old thief, envious of talent, tried to frame our Grandpa Chen, but could he compete with our Grandpa Chen?"
"With just a small trick, Grandpa Chen uncovered his secret correspondence with the Zoroastrian Sect. Last night, he sent troops to the Fishing Guild, and now Nan Batian’s life hangs by a thread, and the Fishing Guild has completely fallen under our Grandpa Chen’s control."
"I just ask you, isn’t Grandpa Chen awesome?!"
Obviously, this customer was a zealous fan of Chen Jie, and he slammed the table, asking. Hearing this, everybody nodded in agreement, "Awesome, awesome..."
"And what’s even more awesome is that Grandpa Chen is only nineteen this year, just nineteen! What were you doing at nineteen? Grandpa Chen is already the King of Mianshui!"
"Hey, hey, how old are you?"
The customer asked the young man still devouring dumplings discontentedly.
The young man looked up, "Seems like nineteen."
"Look at that, at the same nineteen, Grandpa Chen is already the King of Mianshui, soon to be the Gang Leader of the number one gang in Mianshui, and look at you, you’re only here eating dumplings. That’s the difference, the difference!"
The customer spoke fervently.
Watching the customer , the young man in black finished his dumplings and signaled, "Boss, check, please!"
Hearing this, the owner came over with a big smile, "Master Hu, it’s an honor for my humble stand to serve you and Grandpa Chen dumplings, I couldn’t possibly take your money."
Hearing that, the young man eating dumplings stood up, "I left the money on the table, boss, wishing you prosperous business."
"Thank you, Grandpa Chen."
The owner immediately bowed, and the young man, with the one in black, approached a small group of ten nearby, leading two horses. They mounted and rode off quickly.
Watching the two depart, those around murmured, "What’s with these two, even riding horses!"
The customer also looked puzzled, "Boss, you know those two?"
The owner glanced at the customer, "Sir, you’re really lucky, praising the true god in front of him, do you know who just left?"
The customer and the people around all shook their heads.
The owner tossed a towel over his shoulder and declared, "White Tiger Hall, Chen Jiusi, Grandpa Chen!"
Hearing that, everyone stood up, shocked, staring into the distance, the customer’s eyes widening.
"Grandpa, Grandpa Chen?"
The customer’s face was full of fear, then looking around he stammered, "Did, did I just offend Grandpa Chen?"