First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!
Chapter 53: When the King of Hell Calls Names—Lu-ge Is Ye Feng!

Nighttime and the early hours of the morning were when Caojia Alley revealed its true face.

Many things couldn't stand the light of day, so they could only be handled before sunrise.

At night, Caojia Alley’s Underground Market was bustling—crowds coming and going, voices calling out deals one after another.

Porcelain from Jing Dynasty, bowls from Yu Dynasty, swords from Shangyuan, blades from Kaiming—every kind of antique and weapon you could think of, all available for sale.

But that wasn’t all.

Street vendors, herbal medicine sellers, old men at the street corners pulling you to watch performances—tch.

A melting pot of all walks of life, all trades and crafts.

If you could imagine something rare, it was here.

If you couldn’t even imagine it? It was still here.

Ye Feng walked through the crowd, his eyes filled with fascination. Beside him was a refined young man in a white long robe, a palm-sized jade pendant hanging from his waist, carved in the shape of a fish transforming into a dragon, tied with a golden silk cord. His steps were deliberate, and in his hand, he twirled a sandalwood folding fan.

In Caojia Alley, only one person carried such an aura—Cao Yuan, the young master of the Cao Family.

"Brother Ye, what do you think of Caojia Alley?"

Ye Feng couldn’t help but nod in praise at everything he had seen so far.

"This place is fantastic. No wonder the old guys in the mountains say your Caojia Alley is a golden goose. You know, I think we should work together—how about I get Daheshan’s products into your market?"

Cao Yuan had been waiting for this moment. Now that Ye Feng had finally brought it up, he acted indifferent.

"A booth? Sure. But a full partnership? You know, even though I’m the young master of the Cao Family, a lot of things still require my family's approval and support. I don’t have that much authority."

Ye Feng suddenly stopped walking. "Young Master Cao, that’s a bit disingenuous, don’t you think?"

A stall and a partnership—even an idiot knew which one was more valuable.

Ye Feng hadn’t come all this way just for Ye Xuan’s sake.

He was older than Ye Xuan. Maybe his talent wasn’t as good, but his strength was higher, and his mind was sharper—not by much, but enough.

"Relax," Cao Yuan folded his fan and lightly tapped Ye Feng’s shoulder. "You came down from Daheshan to stir up trouble for the Xie Family, right? Well, I happen to be interested in outside business too. My mother just came back from overseas, bringing a huge amount of money, and she wants to invest in Yunhai."

"But the far markets are out of our reach, and the Bao Fan District business is all controlled by Sihai Group. If you can take down the Xie Family and transfer their share to me, then our partnership? It’s a done deal."

Ye Feng wasn’t as smart as Cao Yuan, but he wasn’t reckless enough to immediately agree either.

If the Xie Family fell, their market shares and stocks were real, immediate money.

But if he gave it to Cao Yuan…

Sure, in the long run, it might multiply several times, dozens of times—but that took time, and it wasn’t a guaranteed return.

He had to think this through.

Meanwhile.

Lu Ding arrived at Caojia Alley’s entrance.

The moment the car stopped, two security guards respectfully walked up.

"Good evening, gentlemen. May I see your entry tickets? There’s a private event inside."

Huh. Pretty formal.

Lu Ding took out his 749 credentials and handed them over. "Here. A ticket."

Security Guard: ……

For some reason, despite the clear "National Security" seal on the document… the more he looked at it, the more it really did feel like an entry ticket.

Yep! A ticket.

He stepped aside and extended his arm. "Please, go right in."

Lu Ding stood still. "What are you waiting for? Go report it. Tell your people inside that Lu Ding is here. Have your young master come out to see me."

He had no idea how big Caojia Alley was, and frankly, he didn’t care.

He only knew one thing—going in to look for someone himself would be the dumbest move.

Instead of searching, he’d just let Cao Yuan bring Ye Feng to him.

Ye Feng was in Caojia Alley—so Cao Yuan was responsible for handing him over.

Whenever you’re somewhere new, go straight to the local boss. That never fails.

Besides, he was here on official business. Asking the locals to cooperate wasn’t too much to ask, right?

Elsewhere.

Cao Yuan received the report that Lu Ding had arrived.

His heart filled with suspicion.

The last time he invited this guy, he was too busy killing Ye Xuan to attend.

Now, Ye Feng had just arrived… and Lu Ding showed up immediately?

He glanced at Ye Feng, mumbling internally—why do all these Ye bastards keep luring Lu Ding like a damn bait trap?

He started weighing his options.

It was clear—Lu Ding was here for Ye Feng.

"Technically speaking, Ye Feng never said he was after Lu Ding. He shouldn’t have any reason to attack him, right…?"

"Probably not."

"And besides, this is Caojia Alley. Even if he does want to make a move, he has to at least show some restraint."

Cao Yuan did not want to offend Lu Ding.

But he also didn’t want to lose Ye Feng as a potential ally.

He wanted to have both—the fish and the bear’s paw.

So he made his decision—he would play the mediator.

But just in case, he also made a backup move.

He messaged his older brother, who worked at 749 Bureau.

The response came quickly.

"I’m stuck on a critical mission out of town, can’t get away. But I’ll have a Linghai Realm 749 Investigator come over—just in case Lu Ding does something crazy."

Because everyone in Yunhai knew—Lu Ding never played by the rules.

With his brother’s assurance and a Linghai Realm Investigator backing him up, Cao Yuan felt confident.

He straightened his robes, smoothing out invisible wrinkles.

"Brother Ye, I have an important guest. Would you like to take a walk, or come with me to meet him?"

"Important guest? How important?"

"The Bao Fan District Patrol Investigator, 749 Intern Investigator, also known as ‘Corpse-Shattering Taishui’—Lu Ding, Lu Taishui. What do you think?"

Ye Feng’s face immediately darkened.

His thoughts churned.

F***! I was waiting for Xie Shunan… and instead, I get Lu Ding!?

Why the hell is he here!?

That lunatic—he wouldn’t actually make a move on me, would he?

But I never provoked him! I never did anything to piss him off!

Seeing Ye Feng struggling to get a word out, Cao Yuan patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Relax. This is Caojia Alley—he’s not going to make a move on you here. Don’t be such a coward. And you call yourself someone from Daheshan? Come on, straighten up a little. My brother already said he’s sending over a Linghai Realm 749 Investigator to keep an eye on things, just in case our dear Corpse-Shattering Taishui decides to show off his skills."

A mix of subtle mockery and reassurance—pushing buttons while handing out a safety net.

Even though Ye Feng still felt uneasy deep down, there was no way he could back out now.

That would be humiliating.

"Fine, I’ll go! What, it’s just Lu Ding, right? I don’t believe he’s got three heads and six arms. Meeting him won’t kill me."

He was saying this to Cao Yuan, but also to himself, as if convincing himself it was no big deal.

With that, the two of them headed toward Caojia Alley’s entrance.

The moment they appeared—

A security guard standing nearby, eager to prove his worth, immediately called out, "Sir! That’s our Young Master!"

Yan Feifan, always quick on his feet, pulled out his phone, raised it, and compared the face of the man walking beside Cao Yuan.

The next second—

He pointed straight at Ye Feng, his finger like the King of Hell marking a name off his list.

"That’s him! Lu-ge, he’s Ye Feng!!!"