“Madam… I…”

The wind blew across the rooftop, and Crow came to his senses. He hesitated for a long time before asking cautiously, “Did I do something wrong?”

The woman holding the umbrella silently gazed at the trees, buildings, and birds in Old Town. She shook her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Since the rules of the Sincere Society had been established, they should naturally be followed.

Those who crossed the boundary had to face the consequences.

However… not everything was about right or wrong.

Compared to right and wrong, big shots valued benefits and drawbacks more.

Sometimes, making mistakes wasn’t a big deal as long as everyone had something to gain.

“Since I didn’t do anything wrong, there’s nothing to hide!” Crow puffed out his chest and declared loudly, “Since you’ve entrusted me with the North Hall, I won’t take half a step back. All of us set the rules together, and I’m just following them. There’s no reason for me to back down!”

“You’re good at fighting, I know,” the madam said earnestly. Her words were slow but powerful. “But force can’t solve every problem. The matter is over now. Remember what I said. I’ll handle the rest for you.”

Crow was stunned.

The madam’s words cooled the fervor rising in his heart.

Song Ci lowered his head.

In fact, he understood what she meant. Those who made the rules were often not the best at fighting.

But in Song Ci’s world, fists were the reason, and strength was the rule. This belief had allowed him to quickly make a name for himself in the Sincere Society. The timid feared the ruthless, and the ruthless feared those who didn’t care about their lives. The Sincere Society was full of ruthless people, but he was someone who didn’t fear his death. He was a common man with nothing to lose.

When a common man was angry, blood splattered everywhere.

This was a rule that a hard-fisted fool had only learned after being covered in scars, so he regarded it as a guiding principle and never wavered.

No matter what Chen San wanted to do, he didn’t care. At worst, he would risk it all.

He had been serious about the meeting in River Shoal.

“Yingji.” The woman spoke again and softly uttered a name known only to them.

She never called Song Ci by the name Crow.

When she brought this orphan out from Old Town, everyone called him Crow, and everyone thought that he was an omen of bad luck… But she saw differently. This child, despite being covered in dirt, had a unique pure light in his eyes. He used a nonchalant attitude to resist the gossip, insults, and rejection. Although he was ragged, he was resilient.

Only she noticed his pitiful side beneath his fierceness, like a porcupine desperately displaying its quills. All his aggression was merely a facade.

Everyone called him Crow, but they didn’t know that under the crow’s black feathers was the pure and white heart of an innocent child.

From that day on, subtle changes had occurred in the Deep Sea database. In the archives of Dadu’s Old Town, there was no longer a sad young man named Song Ci. Instead, under the madam’s command, there was a young man named Song Yingji with a clean background. This young man named Song Yingji was fierce, tough, and aggressive and had extremely hard fists. He came to the underground of Dadu out of thin air, defeated all his opponents along the way, and subdued the entire North Hall of the Sincere Society.

In the eyes of the transcendents in Dadu’s underground, Song Yingji was an existence even more terrifying than Zhao Xilai.

The big shots sat high above, and their actions barely affected them.

But Song Yingji was different. His fists would really land on their faces.

As a result, a curious coincidence emerged. No one knew when it began, but the people underground began to call him Crow. Fate seemed to enjoy playing such unfunny jokes occasionally. Song Ci never thought that after his life path drastically changed, and even with a new name, he still couldn’t get rid of the ominous nickname of Crow.

In Old Town, the shabby and useless young man whose bad luck had brought death to his parents was called Song Ci, and his nickname was Crow.

In the Sincere Society, there was a ruthless man who had single-handedly subdued the entire North Hall, striking fear into everyone. His name was Song Yingji, and his nickname was Crow.

Everyone called him Crow.

Only the madam was different. She called him Song Yingji.

“Although Zhao Qi and I are not husband and wife in truth, he’s still nominally my husband.” The madam sighed softly. “Now, he’s the sole heir of the Zhao family. No matter how much he struggles, he won’t be able to make significant waves. So… if he does something foolish in the future, I hope you won’t make an impulsive decision.”

She was warning him to avoid conflict with Zhao Qi as much as possible.

Crow smiled silently and said with difficulty, “I’ll listen to you.”

Hearing the madam’s brief statement took a lot out of him. So this man, who had been sunbathing lazily in the rattan lounge chair, now looked like an exhausted and weak patient. He promised wearily, “I will lay low for a while. Whether it’s Chen San’s people or Zhao Qi’s, if they find trouble with me, I’ll stay far away.”

Running away was something he excelled at.

The madam held the umbrella silently and stood with him for ten more minutes. Neither of them spoke during this time. The wind rustled across the dilapidated roof, and a thick cloud covered the sun.

“Really… I promise I won’t cause trouble.” Song Ci rubbed his face hard to sort out his emotions. At least, he ensured that his face didn’t show any signs of dejection as he forced a smile.

“I’m going somewhere.” The madam glanced at him. “I’m short a driver. Do you want to come?”

“… Me? Of course!” Song Ci was stunned and flattered as he quickly agreed.

The madam added, “But only if you change out of those clothes.”

Song Ci lowered his head awkwardly and examined his clothes. It was evident that his recent escapade had left its mark. His floral shirt was missing a button, leaving it half-open. His flip-flops were caked in dried mud, making his footsteps feel stiff.

He couldn’t deny that his outfit looked shabby.

He scratched his head, raised one leg high, pressed his flip-flip against the railing of the roof, and tried to scrape off the dried mud.

The madam frowned at the sight. “I prepared a suit for you when I came. Let’s go downstairs.”

…

Half an hour later, a sleek black phantom glided along the road.

Seated in the driver’s seat, Song Yingji, now dressed in a new attire, drove quietly and steadily.

It was not an exaggeration to describe him as having undergone a complete transformation.

His buzz cut paired with a black suit gave him a sharp and formidable presence. Especially when he was silent, his face had an air of austereness. His demeanor was much more imposing than the bodyguards who had chased him through alleys during the day… It was akin to the difference between a lion and a pet cat.

Song Yingji glanced at the navigation system. Lipu Street.

He asked in a quiet voice, “We will arrive in Lipu Street in about forty minutes. Madam, are you going to meet a friend for afternoon tea?”

“I’m going to see a psychiatrist.” The madam, sitting in the back with her arms crossed, was leaning against the window to rest. Her voice tinged with a hint of fatigue, she said, “Recently… I’ve had trouble sleeping.”

Song Yingji was taken aback.

“Trouble sleeping?” He became alert. “Are you sure that kind of problem… can be solved by a psychiatrist on Lipu Street?”

Song Yingji said in a deep voice, “I don’t mean to interfere with your decision. But your time is precious. If the psychiatrist is just an ordinary person, there’s no need to try.”

Insomnia was quite common.

Ordinary mental-type transcendents had the ability to hypnotize, so logically speaking, they should be able to solve it. Setting aside the retainers under the Zhao family, there were many mental-type transcendents in the Sincere Society. With just one hand, Song Yingji could pull out seven or eight of them.

“Cui Zhongcheng recommended this person.” The madam rubbed her temples and said worriedly, “I’ve already found several mental-type transcendents. Even one at the Tenth Level of Deep Sea couldn’t see my problem. I sleep less and less every day, but the storms of the law are getting bigger and bigger. I have to pull myself together and can’t falter at this critical juncture.”

After hearing the name Cui Zhongcheng, Song Yingji, who wanted to speak further, immediately fell silent.

In Dadu, there were not many people he genuinely respected, but Mr. Cui was one of them.

“Even a mental-type transcendent at the tenth level couldn’t solve the problem… Is there a more formidable transcendent hidden on the small Lipu Street?” Song Yingji found it unbelievable.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” The madam massaged her temples with her slender fingers. “If not for Cui Zhongcheng, I wouldn’t have believed it either. I heard he’s just a seventeen-year-old teenager.”

“A seventeen-year-old teenager? Even the protagonists of novels aren’t that amazing, right?” Song Yingji chuckled. “Could Mr. Cui have made a mistake?”

Coincidentally, when Song Yingji heard this, an image popped into his mind…

Seventeen-year-old… teenager…

Gu Shen.

As soon as this thought emerged, he immediately dismissed it.

How could there be such a coincidence in this world?

Moreover, no matter how he looked at it, Gu Shen didn’t look like the protagonist of a novel.

“In the past decade, it seems like everything Cui Zhongcheng said has come true, hasn’t it?” The madam gazed at the scenery outside the window. Half an hour ago, the sun was shining brightly, but it was drizzling now. Dadu was such a city. It was in the south, and after autumn, it was often shrouded in rain and mist, giving it a bleak atmosphere.

She laughed softly. “Although I really want to see him make a mistake, I hope it’s an exception this time.”

“Of course… It’s Mr. Cui after all!”

After Song Yingji heard Cui Zhongcheng’s name, the tension in his heart inexplicably relaxed. That man indeed had the ability to make people relax and trust him.

He comforted gently, “Madam, everything will be fine.”

The woman had already closed her eyes and swayed gently with the slight bumps of the car. She only let out a soft hum, her voice resembling a murmured dream.

The patter of the rain against the car windows created a soothing white noise that traveled into her ears through the glass without being intrusive.

She drifted into a rare light slumber.

Song Yingji stopped talking and silently slowed down the car to avoid disturbing the madam’s nap.

18 Lipu Street…

He glanced at the destination displayed on the navigation and murmured the strange name of this clinic in his mind. Dream Whisperer.