Chapter 41: Huajin

As soon as the scholar in white spoke, Huang Xiuzhi, who had been in a state of fury just moments ago, became strangely calm.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, he asked, "What are your insights, Mr. Wen?"

The scholar in white said nothing, instead casting a glance around the room.

Understanding his meaning, Huang Xiuzhi waved his hand to the crowd. "You all, leave for now."

"Yes!"

The crowd hurriedly complied, rising to depart, leaving only Huang Xiuzhi and the scholar in white within the Assembly Hall.

Only then did the scholar in white speak.

"Leader, the Tiger伏 (Fuhu) Gang chose to strike at night and wore masks. This is enough to show they do not wish to tear our relationship apart. If we were to destroy the Shennong Hall, it would mean an irreconcilable feud with the Fuhu Gang. However, my Master is not yet fully prepared. To engage in a decisive battle with the Fuhu Gang at this time would be premature."

Hearing the words "Master," Huang Xiuzhi’s body trembled. The fury on his face vanished instantly. He took two quick steps toward the scholar, forced a smile, and whispered, "It has already been over half a year. Is the Great One still not ready?"

The scholar in white replied indifferently, "Master has encountered some complications. Forget half a year—even a year might not be enough for him to be ready."

Huang Xiuzhi’s eyes widened, and he said urgently, "The Great One said before that it would only take a few months to be fully prepared. How has it turned into a year? The Fuhu Gang already dares to destroy the Jishi Hall. If we delay any longer, they might come knocking on our doors one of these days!"

The scholar's expression darkened, and his tone turned cold. "Is the Leader questioning my Master?"

Huang Xiuzhi waved his hands dismissively. "Mr. Wen, please do not misunderstand! It is just that my Sanjiang Gang has only recently been established, whereas the Fuhu Gang has stood firm in Yuzhou for decades with deep foundations. I am merely afraid that before the Great One is ready, we will be wiped out by the Fuhu Gang..."

"The Leader jokes," the scholar in white smiled. "No matter how arrogant the Fuhu Gang is, they would not dare to act recklessly. Regarding the Jishi Hall incident, one could say the Leader went a bit too far. By slaughtering a workshop belonging to the Fuhu Gang, Luo Zhenwu naturally would not let it rest, and the government can only turn a blind eye. But if he truly wanted to tear things open and cause greater chaos within the commandery city, Prefect Yan would be the first to object."

"When that time comes, if the Leader sends a bit more silver to Governor Lu, he will certainly stand on our side. At the very least, Commander Shi of the Yongping River Navy is an old acquaintance of yours. If our gang simply hides on Bear Ear Island in the middle of the river, would the Fuhu Gang truly dare to clash with the Yongping River Navy?"

As Huang Xiuzhi listened to the scholar's words, his expression grew increasingly grim. "Mr. Wen makes sense, but if we are truly driven out of the commandery city by the Fuhu Gang, what is the difference between that and being destroyed by them?"

The scholar in white said calmly, "There is naturally a difference. As long as our gang remains, no matter how much we are suppressed by the Fuhu Gang, once Master is ready to uproot them, the entire Yuzhou will belong to our gang."

Hearing this, Huang Xiuzhi felt a surge of excitement. He cupped his hands in salute to Mr. Wen and said, "Mr. Wen's words have opened my eyes. I beg you to speak well of me before the Great One so that we may strike and annihilate the Fuhu Gang as soon as possible. I shall be eternally grateful!"

The scholar in white replied indifferently, "Rest assured, Leader. Since Master has accepted your offerings, he will not break his word. However, when the strike occurs is not something you or I can control. Please wait patiently, Leader. In at most half a year, once Master is ready, it will be the time for the Fuhu Gang's downfall!"

...

The news that the Jishi Hall had been completely looted by bandits caused a sensation in the commandery city.

That even a branch of the Sanjiang Gang could be robbed, and that their Hall Master, Yang Huaizhan, a peak Gangjin expert, had been decapitated, left the citizens in a state of terror. The name of "bandits" was enough to stop a child from crying at night.

However, any official or merchant with even a modicum of information knew that this was the work of the Fuhu Gang. At most, they would lament it as a "troubled season," but they did not take the matter to heart.

With the government pressing down from above, the dispute between the Sanjiang Gang and the Fuhu Gang had nothing to do with anyone else.

Only those who relied on the two gangs for their livelihood were trembling with fear, terrified that the next tragedy would fall upon them—the members of the Fuhu Gang even more so.

They waited tremulously for several days, only to find that the Sanjiang Gang had merely held a perfunctory funeral for Yang Huaizhan and taken no further action.

In fact, even their previous frictions with the Fuhu Gang had ceased.

It was as if the looting of the Jishi Hall truly had been the work of common bandits.

The sudden quiet from the Sanjiang Gang left Luo Zhenwu equally bewildered.

After Chen Yuan had succeeded, Luo Zhenwu had ordered a lockdown, putting the entire Fuhu Gang on high alert to guard against retaliation from the Sanjiang Gang.

But since Huang Xiuzhi had chosen to swallow his pride, Luo Zhenwu naturally would not be polite; he sent men out again to suppress the Sanjiang Gang's business.

As time passed, the conflict between the Fuhu Gang and the Sanjiang Gang grew more intense, with casualties mounting.

The difference this time was that the Sanjiang Gang was entirely on the defensive.

Leveraging Prefect Yan's influence, the Fuhu Gang stirred up storms in Xin'an Commandery, driving the Sanjiang Gang into a continuous retreat.

Despite the Fuhu Gang's overwhelming advantage, Luo Zhenwu did not become complacent, remaining constantly wary of a counterattack from the Sanjiang Gang.

The Sanjiang Gang, however, continued to endure. Aside from firmly holding onto the shipping business of the Yongping River, they retreated completely from businesses involving gambling dens, brothels, and medicinal herbs.

For a time, the prestige of the Fuhu Gang soared, seemingly reclaiming the glory they once held as the overlords of Yuzhou.

...

The Fuhu Gang and the Sanjiang Gang were in constant conflict, their warriors fighting to the death, but none of this had anything to do with Chen Yuan.

Having killed Yang Huaizhan with three strikes, he had achieved great merit. Since the Sanjiang Gang had lost a peak Gangjin expert and the Fuhu Gang held the upper hand, Luo Zhenwu no longer assigned him any tasks.

Hall Master Qi held no more grievances against him; every month, men were sent punctually to deliver medicinal pills to the Chen residence without delay.

Chen Yuan remained behind closed doors, focusing entirely on his martial arts. He spent half a month refining the True Qi within his body, and in one fell swoop, he broke through to the Huajin stage.

For ordinary martial artists, the Huajin bottleneck was like a massive chasm standing before them.

Yang Huaizhan, Hou Yan, and Hall Master Qi had lingered at the peak of Gangjin for over a decade, never once crossing that threshold.

The *Six Yang Manual* also detailed the difficulty of breaking through the Huajin bottleneck, stating that only one with an unyielding heart could achieve the Huajin stage.

Chen Yuan had been prepared to waste years at the peak of Gangjin, but when he attempted the breakthrough, the Huajin bottleneck seemed non-existent; the process was as natural as water flowing.

Feeling the extremely Yang and extremely rigid Six Yang True Qi within his body, Chen Yuan couldn't help but feel suspicious. Why was his breakthrough to Huajin so easy?

After much thought, he could only attribute the reason to his increasingly powerful physical body following the Starlight Infusion.

Since he began practicing martial arts, he had gone through one cycle of Qi sensation, three months of skin refining, six months of bone refining, and one year of marrow refining... he had never encountered any bottlenecks. Even the Huajin bottleneck, which Gangjin experts feared like tigers, had been overcome in one continuous breath.

However, when he had previously broken through to the Neijin stage, he had decocted a century-old mountain ginseng. Later, when breaking through to Gangjin, he had spent 1,800 taels of silver to purchase a Condensing Gang Pill from the Jishi Hall. Both times, he had relied on external aid.

When breaking through to Huajin, there were no pills to assist him. This was the first time he had not used external aid, yet it was as smooth as ever.

Looking at it now, it seemed he had wasted money twice.

His powerful physical body was the primary reason for his smooth breakthrough; the century-old ginseng and the Condensing Gang Pill were merely the icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, physical strength was only useful for martial arts. According to the *Crimson Flame Manual*, cultivators refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to convert it into magical power and essence, rather than cultivating the physical body.

Fortunately, before True Qi is converted into magical power, a powerful body still plays a significant role.

After breaking through to Huajin, Chen Yuan's speed in accumulating True Qi did not diminish in the slightest.

But the cost was that his consumption of medicinal pills increased.

Before breaking through to Huajin, every Starlight Infusion required two Essence Pills.

After the breakthrough, every Starlight Infusion required one Hunyuan Pill.

Additionally, every three days, he had to consume another Hunyuan Pill to keep the blood and Qi within his body active.

The bottle of Hunyuan Pills he had scavenged from the Jishi Hall was only enough for fifteen days of use.

Once they were finished, Chen Yuan went to the Qi residence to ask Hall Master Qi for more Hunyuan Pills.

Hall Master Qi happened to be out, but the Qi family butler recognized Chen Yuan and hurriedly invited him into the drawing room, offering fruit and tea, and sent someone to fetch Hall Master Qi back immediately.

Half an hour later, Hall Master Qi walked into the drawing room and cupped his hands. "Some trivial matters in the hall required handling; I have kept Hall Master Chen waiting. May I ask what brings you here?"

His clothes were covered in a layer of dust and his boots were stained with yellow mud, looking quite travel-worn. It was clear he had rushed back the moment he heard the news without a moment's delay.

Chen Yuan cupped his hands and said, "My supply of pills has run out, so I have come specifically to ask Hall Master Qi for some."

Hall Master Qi said in surprise, "I only sent the monthly pills to your residence ten days ago. They are already gone?"

As he spoke, he sat down opposite Chen Yuan, picked up the teacup on the table, and drained it in one gulp.

Chen Yuan said calmly, "They were originally sufficient, but I was fortunate enough to break through to Huajin recently. The Essence Pills are no longer enough. I wonder if Hall Master Qi has any Hunyuan Pills on hand?"

"Cough, cough!"

Hall Master Qi choked on the tea. He slammed the cup onto the table and said in shock, "You... what did you say? Huajin?!"

"What, does Hall Master Qi not believe me?"

"This... a Huajin martial artist under the age of twenty... I have never heard of it, nor have I ever seen it. Heh..."

Hall Master Qi looked at Chen Yuan with half-belief and half-doubt, but he maintained a smiling face, not daring to provoke Chen Yuan's anger.

He naturally did not believe there could be such a young Huajin martial artist, but Chen Yuan had killed Yang Huaizhan with three strikes; he was not someone to be trifled with. Even if he didn't believe it in his heart, he dared not show it.

Chen Yuan smiled, raised his right hand, and said, "Hall Master Qi, please look."

Hall Master Qi focused his gaze and saw a thin layer of flame slowly emerging from Chen Yuan's palm, as if he were wearing a glove of fire. Even the air seemed to grow a few degrees hotter.

He stood up abruptly and cried out, "Manifested force! The Fire of Six Yang! You really have broken through to Huajin!"

Chen Yuan flipped his palm, the flame dissipating, and said, "Does Hall Master Qi believe me now?"

"I believe! I believe! Hall Master Chen, please wait a moment, I will go and get the Hunyuan Pills immediately!"