Chapter Seventeen: Ragged Street

“Ah, this feels great—nothing beats the comfort of effortless gain.” Liang Zhi swung the money pouch as he returned home.

He could never bring himself to break into homes, but when it came to robbing his peers, he showed no mercy.

The pitiable King of Thieves from East City was left with nothing but his underpants, escorted by the patrol team from Daxian Bridge Street to the Magistrate’s office.

Fortunately, Yu Nan’s wretched state was so extreme that the authorities merely treated him as a common thief.

By robbing Yu Nan, Liang Zhi not only gained more than a thousand copper coins, but also completed a task.

[Black-on-Black Crime I] Commit a black-on-black crime once, reward: Black Veil Coat.

In the Chapter of Atrocities, black-on-black crime was a series of quests—completing ten or a hundred times would yield further rewards.

Master Crow pulled from his armpit a black orb the size of an egg, handing it to Liang Zhi.

Liang Zhi took the orb and gave it a gentle shake; instantly, a veil-thin black garment appeared in his hand.

This black coat was several times lighter and thinner than paper, barely covering anything and offering only a hazy sense of concealment.

But don’t misunderstand—it wasn’t some strange prop.

The Black Veil Coat was worn over clothes, extremely light but resistant to cuts, to prying eyes, and could even block some mental abilities.

As Liang Zhi donned the coat, a shroud of black mist enveloped him, and with every movement, black feathers seemed to float and fall.

It was an item that greatly enhanced a villain's style, and would prove invaluable for Liang Zhi’s progress in the Chapter of Infamy.

…

Early the next morning, after a busy night, Liang Zhi bought two meat buns wrapped in newspaper at the market, handing his lookout Master Crow two skewers of fried silkworm pupae.

As for the Black Veil Coat, he stuffed it into his pocket—it could be compressed to the size of a button.

He finished one meat bun and picked up the newspaper, skimming its contents.

“A new poem from Emperor Wulong… What utter nonsense, an insult to poetry.”

“Superstar Bai Lian is coming to East City District for a concert… Is this person male or female? Why not call them Bai Carp?”

“Experts say that Little Pavilion tobacco improves focus and is completely harmless… Damn, that’s truly shameless. Is there an address? I’d like to pay them a visit.”

Reading the newspaper was Liang Zhi’s way of understanding the world.

But the papers in Daxian were mostly nonsense—either boasting about the city’s prosperity or spreading rumors and trouble, rarely containing anything truly useful.

Liang Zhi finished reading the paper just as he would any other…

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he spotted something different.

‘Madman who steals lollipops? Hero who saves kidnapped children? The enigmatic Night Crow, walking the line between good and evil!’

This article was penned by Qiu Shilu, recounting her experiences that day.

The upper half of the report cast Liang Zhi as a heartless criminal merchant, a lunatic who snatched lollipops from children.

But the lower half took a turn, depicting him as a hero fighting against child trafficking gangs.

Wu Zinan’s identity as a modified human didn’t make it to print—clearly, that was the sort of news they couldn’t publish.

“This woman’s insane—the newspaper reads like a novel. No wonder it doesn’t sell, only good for wrapping meat buns.”

Yet, Liang Zhi wasn’t the only one reading the paper.

Many people crowded around the breakfast stalls, discussing the Night Crow featured in the news.

Daxian had no radio, no television, no phones or computers—so everyone had developed the habit of reading newspapers.

The Night Crow’s unusual persona stirred great interest among East City residents, and it looked like he was about to become popular.

Liang Zhi’s face turned pale: “I’m supposed to be a notorious villain, but the paper’s praising me? What is this?”

He checked his wish list and saw that the progress bar for the Chapter of Infamy had actually gone negative.

This meant that more people now liked him than disliked him.

“This is bad, really bad. If she keeps writing like this, my lifetime notoriety will be ruined.

No, I need to confront that woman. My feud with Wu Zinan was personal—why paint me as so selfless?”

…

Liang Zhi hurried to the East City Daily, specifically asking for Qiu Shilu.

But he received bad news: Qiu Shilu had gone to Scrapyard Street for interviews and wouldn’t return until evening.

So Liang Zhi hopped on a self-hire rickshaw and rushed to Scrapyard Street. As soon as he entered, his brow furrowed.

Compared to other parts of East City, this place was another world—no tall buildings, no bustling shops, and the air carried a rotten stench.

The ruts in the road were filled with filthy water, human waste piled up in corners, and ragged people walked the streets, faces gaunt.

“Did you bring me to the Lower City?” Liang Zhi couldn’t help but ask.

The driver smiled, “Lower City’s still a ways off—we’re still in East City’s Kaiyuan District. The people here look miserable, but they can scrape by. They’re not yet at the point of selling their children.”

The rickshaw entered Scrapyard Street, the only stretch of road slightly better than the rest. Kneeling by the roadside were two people: a haggard middle-aged man and a child no older than seven or eight.

On the child’s back hung a wooden plaque, which in Daxian meant he was being sold.

The driver’s mouth twitched, clearly embarrassed.

The rickshaw sped past, and the father and son vanished from sight. Liang Zhi wanted to ask the driver to stop, but thought better of it.

“That’s right—rein in your pity,” Master Crow said, looking very satisfied.

“Even if you help that child, what difference does it make? Any child put up for sale has already been reduced to slave status by their parents. Even if you buy them, you can’t change their fate.”

Liang Zhi sighed and stayed silent.

In Daxian, society was broadly divided into three strata.

The first was the elite, headed by the emperor—noble families, wealthy merchants, and so on.

The second was the commoners; some did well and lived comfortably, while others were forced to sell their children.

The third was the ‘slave class’—human commodities legally traded within Daxian, stripped of freedom and dignity.

Once registered as a slave, there were only two paths to escape.

One was to be granted emancipation by someone from the upper two classes, regaining the status of a free citizen.

The other was to marry a commoner for over a year, but given the choice, no commoner would ever marry a slave.

Master Crow leaned close to Liang Zhi, his words like a devil’s whisper:

“You’re unwilling to become a villain, but this world is far more wicked than you ever could be. So abandon your laughable bottom line—shatter everything you can’t stand.”

…