Chapter 39: Destruction of the Hall

Hearing this, Luo Zhenwu's expression softened slightly. He let out a light sigh and said

"Hall Master Chen, my trust in you has never wavered in the slightest. Someone capable of offering up a top-tier cultivation technique is certainly not a selfish person. However, the hearts of the gang members are complex and difficult to please; I can only go with the flow and cannot act entirely on my own whims."

"Today, Hall Master Qi came to my manor and said that you have been consuming three bottles of Essence Yuan Pills a month. He complained that the business of the Shennong Hall has been affected. It took me quite some effort to appease him..."

As Luo Zhenwu spoke, he kept an eye on Chen Yuan's expression. Seeing his face change slightly, he felt reassured and smiled

"But I told him that Hall Master Chen possesses divine strength unlike ordinary men, so it is only natural that your consumption of medicinal pills is higher. Furthermore, your dedication to training your martial arts is solely for the benefit of the gang."

"Recently, the Sanjiang Gang has been provocative, even slaughtering a workshop this time. The gang members are in a state of panic. If you can avenge our fallen brothers, not only will Hall Master Qi have no more grievances, but it will also be only natural for you to eventually take over the position of Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall."

Chen Yuan said in surprise

"Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall?"

Luo Zhenwu smiled

"That's right. Hall Master Chen, you are young; do you intend to spend your whole life cooped up in your manor practicing martial arts without ever stepping outside? Among the younger generation of the Fuhu Gang, there is no one more outstanding than you. Forget the Law Enforcement Hall—if you can break through to the Huajin stage, even the position of Gang Leader would be yours!"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, then he smiled

"I thank the Gang Leader for his appreciation, but I do not possess such great ambition. As long as I can practice my martial arts properly, I will be content."

Luo Zhenwu was momentarily stunned, then said

"Hall Master Chen is indifferent to fame and fortune and focuses solely on the martial path; no wonder your progress is so rapid. Since you are not interested in the position of Law Enforcement Hall Master, then I promise you this: if you take action just this once, you won't have to worry about such trivial matters again. How about it?"

Chen Yuan smiled

"I thank the Gang Leader for his understanding. I wonder which branch of the Sanjiang Gang we are to strike? Please give your orders, Gang Leader."

Luo Zhenwu frowned and said

"I haven't decided yet. Do you have any thoughts, Hall Master Chen?"

Chen Yuan said indifferently

"Hall Master Qi said that the business of the Shennong Hall has been affected. Since I have taken so many bottles of Essence Yuan Pills from him, I cannot fail to show something in return. Let us just destroy the Jishi Hall; it can serve as my apology to Hall Master Qi."

His tone was casual, but the content of his words was shocking, as if he had forgotten that he had just used his low level of strength as an excuse to decline.

Luo Zhenwu was a man of the world, but upon hearing this, his pupils contracted. He said

"Hall Master Chen, you go too far. I said before that the Shennong Hall would provide the pills you need for your training. As long as I sit in the position of Gang Leader, that promise will not expire. Why speak of an apology?"

Chen Yuan said

"That may be so, but my monthly pill consumption is indeed quite high, and I have caused Hall Master Qi a lot of trouble. By destroying the Jishi Hall, we can both avenge the brothers of Workshop A-3 and eliminate the Shennong Hall's greatest competitor. Why not do it?"

Luo Zhenwu frowned

"The Hall Master of the Jishi Hall, Yang Huaizhan, is a veteran Gangjin martial artist who has lingered at the peak of Gangjin for over a decade. He is highly skilled. Are you certain of success, Hall Master Chen?"

Chen Yuan smiled slightly and said

"The Gang Leader said it himself—I possess divine strength and can contend with a demon tiger. If I cannot even take down a single Yang Huaizhan, wouldn't all these Essence Yuan Pills I've consumed be a waste?"

Luo Zhenwu laughed

"I was overthinking it. Then I shall wait for your good news. If you can destroy the Jishi Hall, forget three bottles of Essence Yuan Pills—even four, five, or six bottles, Hall Master Qi will present them to you with both hands, without a single complaint!"

With that, he took his leave, and Chen Yuan rose to see him out.

As he walked, Luo Zhenwu said

"I will go and arrange the men immediately. When do you plan to strike, Hall Master Chen?"

"The sooner the better. We strike tonight."

"Good! The Sanjiang Gang will never expect us to strike back immediately after receiving news from Workshop A-3, especially with the target being inside the county city. They will certainly be unprepared."

"What about the authorities..."

"Rest assured, I have already smoothed things over. No officials will interfere."

"The Gang Leader's planning is thorough. Heaven and man are on our side. A mere Yang Huaizhan is nothing to worry about!"

...

Chen Yuan saw Luo Zhenwu all the way out of the manor. Watching his retreating figure and his attendants, the smile on his face gradually faded.

He had not intended to involve himself in the struggle between the Fuhu Gang and the Sanjiang Gang, but since Luo Zhenwu had put it that way, he had no choice but to agree.

Furthermore, Hall Master Qi harbored significant resentment over the three bottles of Essence Yuan Pills he consumed every month. To ensure he had more pills available in the future, he had to act once.

Logically speaking, the Six Yang Technique was sufficient to serve as a sect's ultimate technique, priceless and worth tens of thousands of taels. Chen Yuan's consumption of three bottles a month was not excessive.

However, while the Six Yang Technique was the Fuhu Gang's ultimate technique, the pills were supplied by the Shennong Hall, so Hall Master Qi was naturally unwilling to provide them freely.

Since that was the case, he would destroy the Jishi Hall to give Hall Master Qi an explanation.

Moreover, the conflict between the Fuhu Gang and the Sanjiang Gang was intensifying. If he destroyed a branch of the Sanjiang Gang and achieved great merit, Luo Zhenwu certainly wouldn't be able to force him to act again.

At that time, he could focus entirely on his martial arts without worrying about being drawn into the disputes between the two gangs.

Once he reached the peak of the Huajin stage and converted his internal qi into dharma power, even the Fuhu Gang would no longer be in Chen Yuan's eyes.

...

The night was deep and silent.

Chongxin Ward was under curfew tonight; Fuhu Gang members were not allowed to wander freely, and guards patrolled the streets.

The Bai Bing Hall branch was brightly lit. In the rear courtyard, over a hundred martial artists dressed in black martial attire and carrying weapons had gathered.

The leader was Chen Yuan. Before him, Wei Wuding and two other internal strength deacons stood with hands clasped.

Chen Yuan scanned the crowd and saw familiar faces such as Luo Hai, Yu Zhenchuan, and Lai Zhong.

For this operation, Luo Zhenwu had prepared three internal strength deacons, eight marrow-refining commanders, thirty bone-refining martial artists, and sixty skin-refining martial artists.

The number seemed large, but since their target was a single branch of the Sanjiang Gang, it felt somewhat insufficient.

However, considering this was a sneak attack on the bustling East Street, where disturbances were rare, the Jishi Hall's defenses should be light. Thus, Chen Yuan did not request more men.

He looked up; a thick layer of dark clouds drifted by, obscuring the dim moonlight, leaving the sky as black as ink.

"Move out!"

Chen Yuan donned a black mask, and the crowd followed closely behind him out of the courtyard. Several others pulled two large carts and slipped out of Chongxin Ward through a side gate, heading toward East Street.

They did not intend to hide their identities. In the martial world of Yuzhou, the only ones who would dare strike the Sanjiang Gang were the Fuhu Gang; there was no point in hiding.

The mask was merely to provide a layer of plausible deniability for the authorities.

Everyone knew what lay beneath that mask, but without it, it would be a total declaration of war against the Sanjiang Gang, forcing them into a decisive battle with the Fuhu Gang.

The group traveled through secluded alleys until they reached East Street.

Even in the middle of the night, there were still pedestrians on East Street, and the brothels were brightly lit and bustling with noise.

Fortunately, the Jishi Hall was far from the brothels, so the Fuhu Gang did not disturb those seeking pleasure.

Chen Yuan glanced at Wei Wuding, who understood the signal. With a wave of his hand, a dozen martial artists dispersed and knocked out all the passersby they encountered.

These men were the elites of the Bai Bing Hall; their movements were swift and efficient, making no noise.

The Jishi Hall occupied a large area, built as a single complex divided into seven or eight courtyards with dozens of rooms. It had three back gates for entry and exit, and a massive medicinal warehouse.

Wei Wuding looked at Chen Yuan, and Chen Yuan nodded.

Wei Wuding immediately turned and made several hand signals. The group split into three groups: ten skin-refining martial artists stayed to guard the main gate, twenty skin-refining martial artists patrolled the surroundings, and the rest climbed the walls to enter the Jishi Hall's backyard one after another.

First, eight marrow-refining martial artists went in to scout, followed by Chen Yuan and the three internal strength deacons, and finally the bone-refining and skin-refining members.

Perhaps because East Street was prosperous and patrols were frequent, the Sanjiang Gang had not stationed guards outside the Jishi Hall.

The guards within the courtyard were also quite lax and were silently dealt with by the marrow-refining martial artists who had climbed in first.

However, the Sanjiang Gang had been a martial world gang for over a decade and had hidden sentries in the courtyard. Just as the Fuhu Gang martial artists opened a back door from the inside, a piercing scream tore through the night

"Intruders! Kill the thieves!"

Since their presence was exposed, Chen Yuan stopped hiding. He drew his long saber and shouted

"Charge in! Leave no one alive!"

As his voice fell, the men rushed into the rooms, hacking at anyone they saw. The sounds of shouting and screams were incessant.

Chen Yuan, however, did not join the fray. He utilized his Shadow-Leaping Steps to fly onto a rooftop, narrowing his eyes to scan the surroundings.

"What lowly thief dares to cause trouble at the Jishi Hall!"

Suddenly, a thunderous shout erupted. A figure rushed out from a quiet small courtyard, wielding a long sword and dancing with sword shadows, killing three people in succession and forcing the bloodthirsty Fuhu Gang martial artists to scatter and retreat.

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up. With a light tap of his toes, he drifted down in front of the figure.

The figure stopped. Chen Yuan looked closely; it was an elderly man in his fifties with five long tufts of beard flowing over his chest. He had a lean face and wore simple white short clothes. He held a three-foot long sword, and his feet were clad in white socks without shoes.

"Are you the 'Life-Snatching Scholar' Yang Huaizhan?"

The elderly man looked at the masked Chen Yuan with a face full of vigilance. He took two steps back, assuming a sword stance, and shouted

"Who are you?"

Chen Yuan swung his long saber, and a three-inch saber aura slowly emerged on the blade. He said

"The one who will kill you!"