“Old Seven!”
The mont Wangchuan received the carrier pigeon ssage, he hurried to the Sanhe Commandery hall to et Old Seven and report that the Vice Gang Leader of the Yulong Gang, He Haisheng, had been beheaded and his head publicly displayed.
As a forr colleague and superior, Wangchuan could not claim to have deep personal feelings for He Haisheng. Yet when a rabbit dies, the fox grieves—he could not help feeling a trace of shared resentnt toward the enemy.
Old Seven pondered for a mont, then looked toward Wangchuan and asked,
“The Yulong Gang falls under the jurisdiction of your Sanjiang Branch Helm. What do you intend to do?”
“The fact that they hung He Haisheng’s head high above the dock shows that their anger has not yet subsided. They will likely continue targeting the Yulong Gang Leader.”
Wangchuan’s face was solemn as he explained,
“Qin Ming is dead. He Haisheng is dead. The next target of their revenge will be Yang Feiyue! Once Yang Feiyue dies, the Yulong Gang will beco leaderless. The three major docks under them will collapse into chaos, severely disrupting our shipping operations.”
“And we must also guard against the Beggar Sect taking the opportunity to extend their influence into Huishui County, Heilong County, and Rong County!”
At this point, he lifted his head and spoke firmly,
“I recomnd that, to prevent the situation from affecting shipping operations and undermining the morale and business of the Caobang, we find the murderer and repay blood with blood.”
Old Seven remained silent for a mont.
Then he turned to Cui Mingjue beside him.
“Have there been any movents from the Beggar Sect sub-branch recently?”
“Reporting to Old Seven: last night, the Deputy Branch Master of the Beggar Sect sub-branch, Zhang Ye, hurriedly left the city in suspicious circumstances. He did not return until this morning.”
Cui Mingjue answered respectfully.
A murderous glint flickered in Wangchuan’s eyes as he looked toward Old Seven.
“Old Seven, allow to deal with this Zhang Ye.”
He had disliked Zhang Ye for quite so ti.
But Old Seven replied,
“With Zhang Ye’s ability, he could not quietly kill a Second-Rank martial artist… Cui Mingjue, go out and gather more information.”
“Yes!”
Cui Mingjue accepted the order and departed.
Old Seven’s gaze returned to Wangchuan as he explained,
“A re Zhang Ye lacks the capability to accomplish such a thing. Moreover, He Haisheng and Yang Feiyue have so foundation in the Water Stronghold. A re Second-Rank martial artist could not threaten them… Sit.”
Wangchuan cupped his fists and took a seat inside the pavilion.
Old Seven continued,
“My guess is either that the Beggar Sect has sent a new Branch Master to take charge here, soone who wants to kill soone as a sacrifice to raise the morale of the sub-branch…”
“Or…”
“Soone who was close to Fu Jundao has co to avenge him.”
“If it is the latter, the matter will be easy to handle. The Caobang has eyes and ears everywhere. Any martial artist—whether Third Rank or Fourth Rank—cannot hide within our territory.”
“What we must fear is the possibility that the Beggar Sect has parachuted in a powerful new Branch Master. That would be troubleso.”
Old Seven spoke slowly, laying out the reasoning step by step for Wangchuan.
Wangchuan’s expression showed sudden understanding.
After serving as a Branch Helm Leader for so long, he naturally understood what it would an if the Beggar Sect truly sent a powerful Branch Master to Sanhe Commandery.
It would an that the Beggar Sect had fully backed the move and intended to clash head-on with the Caobang.
For a gang like the Caobang, which depended on stable business operations, that was not good news.
Even Old Seven would find it troubleso.
“Have so tea.”
“Thank you, Old Seven.”
Wangchuan held the cup and took a light sip.
Old Seven watched him and smiled faintly.
“I have heard that you have not slackened in your cultivation recently. Your martial arts have improved well. Seeing you now, it is indeed so… Your spirit and vigor have grown stronger. This year, you may have a chance to break through to the Third Rank.”
“That is thanks to Old Seven’s guidance.”
Wangchuan replied.
“Heh. Regarding the Rong County incident, your handling of it was sowhat crude. But in the end, it still brought honor to the Caobang and did not embarrass .”
Old Seven smiled slightly and continued,
“However, the authorities have said that such incidents create extrely negative influence. In the future, we should try to keep matters stable and avoid escalating conflicts.”
“The aning from the Six Gates is that we should yield a little to the Beggar Sect in the future?”
Wangchuan understood imdiately and could not help asking.
Old Seven nodded.
“The Beggar Sect is full of lunatics who want sothing for nothing. They want prestige and power while suppressing the Caobang.”
“But we are a business. We must feed hundreds of thousands of gang mbers. We cannot constantly fight bloody battles like so small bandit gang.”
“I understand.”
Wangchuan’s heart trembled.
He realized that Old Seven had developed dissatisfaction toward Yang Feiyue.
The Rong County incident had gone too far.
Sure enough—
Old Seven spoke in an indifferent tone,
“Because of Yang Feiyue’s feud with the Qingyi Sect, Branch Master Chen of the Beggar Sect died, Deputy Branch Master Fu Jundao died, and more than two hundred Beggar Sect mbers died as well.”
“The Yulong Gang also suffered many casualties.”
“This man is too impatient. He is no longer suitable to remain the leader of the Yulong Gang.”
Wangchuan’s heart thumped violently, shock filling his eyes.
Old Seven intended to remove Yang Feiyue.
He was planning to sacrifice Yang Feiyue to give the Beggar Sect an explanation and exchange it for a ceasefire.
A chill spread through Wangchuan’s entire body.
At that mont, Old Seven revealed another side of himself.
Indifferent to life and death.
As expected of the glove that carried out the dirty work for Hall Master Yin Xingtian.
Cold and rciless.
“I understand.”
Just then, Cui Mingjue returned from outside.
“Old Seven!”
“We have found out.”
“The Beggar Sect sub-branch has indeed gained a new face. Judging by appearance, he is at least a Third-Rank martial artist. He is drinking celebratory wine with Zhang Ye.”
“… ”
The news imdiately made Wangchuan connect the dots.
He now knew that He Haisheng had been killed by this unfamiliar martial artist.
But after Old Seven’s warning, he was no longer sure whether he should act.
Old Seven waved his hand.
“Understood. You may withdraw.”
“Yes!”
Cui Mingjue left.
Only the two of them remained in the pavilion.
Old Seven said to Wangchuan,
“Return for now. Once I confirm this person’s identity and strength, we will discuss whether to take action… As for the Yulong Gang, I will handle it.”
“Yes.”
Wangchuan cupped his fists and withdrew.
When he stepped out of the hall, he felt sowhat lost.
Yang Feiyue might have been cunning and sowhat cold-blooded, but he was still the Yulong Gang Leader.
During his tenure, he had treated Wangchuan well.
Whether Old Seven acted personally or allowed the Beggar Sect to act—
Wangchuan did not want anything to happen to Yang Feiyue.
Truly.
On the boat back to the Sanjiang Branch Helm, he felt suffocated inside the cabin. He walked to the bow and stood on the deck, letting the river wind blow across his face.
Yet his heart felt cold and oppressed.
Halfway through the journey, his ears suddenly twitched.
He seed to hear the twang of a bowstring.
Instantly—
Wangchuan’s entire body bristled with alarm.
A sneak arrow flashed past his eyes and slamd into the wooden wall of the cabin with a heavy thud.
Without hesitation, Wangchuan snatched up his Iron-Reinforced Bow.
Four Armor-Piercing Arrows were already in his hand as he aid instantly toward the direction the arrow had co from.
On the riverbank, a figure burst out from the forest.
Beside him lay a discarded bow.
His hands were clasped behind his back.
With each step, he crossed three or four ters, lightly touching the water’s surface as he rushed forward.
His eyes were like those of an eagle—sharp and ruthless.
His killing intent was as solid as forged steel.
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