"Young Master, what do you want to do?"
Hearing Chen Sheng's words, Yang Hu cleared his mind of all distractions. The flames of vengeance ignited in his eyes as he looked at Chen Sheng with excitement. Compared to avenging his father, everything else seemed trivial.
'He knew in his heart that compared to fighting alone, Chen Sheng—now a man of extraordinary status and power—was the one most likely to make his revenge a reality. The ability to kill Gao Qiheng with a single slash was a feat of strength far beyond his own.'
"First, tell me exactly how the Gao Family is commanding the Seven Stars Gang."
Although Chen Sheng already knew the gist of the situation from the Celestial Book's Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil, he still needed to verify the details.
"Yes."
Although Yang Hu was slightly surprised that Chen Sheng was aware of the leadership's plans so quickly, he didn't ask any questions. He immediately recounted the orders Ma Changhai had given in the hall earlier that day, repeating them down to the last detail.
After hearing Yang Hu's account, Chen Sheng's gaze hardened. 'It all makes sense now.'
'No wonder the Celestial Book's premonition showed me ruining everything by acting rashly.'
'This scheme by the Gao Family and the Seven Stars Gang was aimed squarely at him. Once North City descended into chaos, the first person his superiors would hold accountable would be him, the North City Commander.'
'Ma Changhai even planned to frame him...'
'And County Magistrate Lin Shou, who has deep ties to the local elites, would surely seize the opportunity to attack, kicking him while he was down. Add to that the fact that they were secretly investigating his background; if he reacted passively, he would be outmaneuvered at every turn and fall right into their trap.'
'However, since he had foreseen all of this, the situation was now completely different!'
'He could either lie low and bide his time, or... he could strike a fatal blow with lightning speed. He had to not only neutralize the immediate crisis but also use the momentum to cripple the Gao Family and the Seven Stars Gang.'
"Young Master, there's one more thing I need to tell you."
"Speak."
"My father actually had some secret confidants. Besides the Gang Leader, only my parents knew their identities. After what happened to my father, my mother told me..."
Chen Sheng was surprised. This was the first he'd heard of it.
"Are they still loyal?"
"They all feel indebted to the old Gang Leader. After they learned my identity, they've been looking out for me and helping me..." Yang Hu explained, revealing everything.
He wanted to contribute more to their revenge.
Chen Sheng pondered for a moment. This was undoubtedly a good thing. His mind raced, refining and optimizing his original plan. Then, he gave his instructions in a low voice:
"Hu, here is what you need to do..."
As he listened to Chen Sheng's clear, methodical plan—which included some incredibly bold and ruthless schemes—Yang Hu's face paled in shock. He couldn't help but interrupt:
"Y-Young Master... can this... can this really work? Isn't it... too risky? If a single step goes wrong, I'm afraid..."
"Rest assured."
Chen Sheng cut off his doubts, his voice filled with unshakeable confidence:
"Just follow my instructions to the letter. The Seven Stars Gang's destruction is at hand. When the time comes, not even the Gao Family will be able to protect them. And after it's done... you will be the one to take the seat of the Seven Stars Gang Leader!"
Yang Hu's heart leaped at his words.
'To become the Gang Leader of the Seven Stars Gang... not only would he be able to kill his enemies with his own hands, but he would also command a powerful faction. The temptation was immense.'
He remained silent for a long time, his expression shifting. In the end, his thirst for revenge and his faith in Chen Sheng's abilities overpowered all his doubts. He gave a firm nod and said with conviction:
"Young Master, I'll follow your orders! I'll do it!"
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Chen Sheng's face. He reached out and clapped him firmly on the shoulder, his tone a mix of encouragement and promise:
"Excellent! As long as we brothers work together, we will undoubtedly have our revenge. And in the future... we will share the spoils!"
...
Inside the North City Military Camp, the bloody lesson of Gao Qiheng on the Martial Arts Arena—compounded by subtle hints from Military Preparation Grand Commander Chu Yueshan—had long since extinguished any thought of opposition in Vice Commander Cheng. He had become utterly subservient.
The former troublemakers in the camp were now silent as cicadas in winter, none daring to stick their necks out and invite trouble.
As a result, Yan Ming's reorganization of the camp and his culling of the old and weak, carried out on Chen Sheng's orders, proceeded quite smoothly.
Although the total number of soldiers decreased, after removing the dead weight and bringing in dozens of veterans from the Mountain Camp, the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the entire North City Military Camp actually saw a steady improvement.
In a very short time, Chen Sheng was able to take firm control of this force.
However, the calm was not to last.
Just as the internal restructuring of the North City Military Camp began to show results, the Seven Stars Gang's counterattack arrived right on schedule.
Under Ma Changhai's strict orders, the Seven Stars Gang and its affiliated factions quickly began stirring up trouble throughout the North City district.
Gang turf wars, driving out refugees to incite riots, harassing merchants, street brawls... Within two or three days, all manner of chaos had turned the once orderly North City into a cesspool of turmoil, spreading panic among the populace.
The other major powers in Changshan County were also secretly watching this probe, orchestrated by the Gao Family, against the new County Captain's forces. Some were even fanning the flames from the shadows, coordinating with the Seven Stars Gang's activities.
And just as the chaos was reaching a crescendo, a sudden "accident" occurred—while instigating a riot, members of the Seven Stars Gang "accidentally" killed a young, highly valued disciple from the Huang Family's direct lineage!
The incident was like throwing cold water on a grease fire, causing an instant and explosive reaction.
The entire Huang Family was enraged. Their Patriarch personally confronted Gao Yuanfeng, harshly demanding an explanation.
The Gao Family, being in the wrong, could only try to placate them with soft words, promising to severely punish the culprit and give the Huang Family a satisfactory explanation.
The pressure immediately passed down to the Seven Stars Gang.
Ma Changhai was at his wit's end. He was just about to order the arrest of the gang members who had "slipped up" to have them take the fall, but then, the ringleader—perhaps fearing his family would be implicated—"committed suicide out of guilt" shortly after the incident!
With the main culprit dead, Ma Changhai's headache only grew worse.
He could only severely reprimand Yang Hu, the Hall Master responsible for the operation, for his poor supervision. But with the man already dead, there was no way to appease the Huang Family's wrath unless he handed over Yang Hu as well.
But punishing a Hall Master at this critical juncture simply to appease the Huang Family would surely cause panic among the gang's upper echelons. Who would be willing to give their all in the upcoming "operations" against the Government Office after that?
Left with no other option, the Gao Family had to step in personally to wrangle and negotiate a deal with the Huang Family in private, hoping to suppress the matter for now and buy some time.
Meanwhile, news of the ongoing turmoil in North City naturally put considerable pressure on the North City Military Camp. County Magistrate Lin Shou seized this opportunity, intending to issue a reprimand and even attempting to have Chen Sheng dismissed from his post.
However, Chen Sheng had already anticipated this move and informed Wu Kuang of the situation in advance.
Wu Kuang, in his capacity as County Captain, intervened. He emphasized that the chaos was the work of the gangs and that the Military Camp was doing everything in its power to maintain stability, thus shifting the blame to public order enforcement rather than a dereliction of duty by the North City Military Camp.
Moreover, to further diffuse the pressure and muddy the waters, another "accident" orchestrated by Chen Sheng occurred. This time, it was a conflict "led" by Yang Hu on the border between North City and West City, which inadvertently embroiled the family of a West City gang leader, resulting in casualties.
Now, the turmoil had spilled directly into West City's territory!
The West City Commander was one of Lin Shou's trusted men. With trouble now brewing in West City, he couldn't escape his share of the blame either.
If Lin Shou wanted to use this to punish Chen Sheng, he would have to take action against the West City Commander as well, which he would be loath to do. This bought Chen Sheng more precious time.
Of course, Chen Sheng knew full well that these tactics—pitting his enemies against each other and diverting the crisis elsewhere—were merely stopgap measures. They could not solve the fundamental problem.
What he was truly waiting for was the final word from the Prefecture City. Only with a clear statement of support for Wu Kuang's efforts to clean up the region would Wu Kuang finally be resolved to act decisively, without restraint or hesitation.
In the meantime, the ongoing turmoil in North City remained a tremendous test for the North City Military Preparation Camp.
Vice Commander Cheng chose self-preservation, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the entire affair.
Yan Ming, however, repeatedly came to Chen Sheng, anxiously pleading to dispatch troops and suppress the chaos. The gang riots were now affecting the soldiers' families, and resentment was beginning to fester within the camp.
If they continued to do nothing and the situation escalated, none of them would escape being charged with dereliction of duty.
Inside the Government Office, however, Chen Sheng remained seated cross-legged, engrossed in his Pile Skill cultivation. He paid no mind to Yan Ming's pleas for battle, his consciousness sinking inward to focus on the changes on his status panel:
[Basic Saber Skill Perfection (100/2000)]
[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique Great Success (52/1000)]
[Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique Minor Achievement (10/500)]
[Minor Achievement of Demon-Slaying Triple Extremes Blade (90/500)]
After several days of arduous practice, his Cultivation was steadily rising, and all of his Martial Techniques had improved.
'However, I'm still not satisfied with this pace. If I had the absolute power to crush all opposition,' he thought, 'why would I need to be so cautious, to scheme and endure like this?'
'I could have just used brute force to solve my problems and settled my scores freely! I could have even finally gotten some peace and quiet.'
"Commander, this is the fourth day! It's a total mess out there. Are we really just going to sit here and watch?" Yan Ming finally burst out, unable to restrain himself any longer. His voice was laced with confusion and anxiety.
'When Chen Sheng dealt with Gao Qiheng, he was so decisive and ruthless. How could he be so passive in the face of the city's chaos? He even seemed... timid.'
"What's there to panic about?" Chen Sheng finally opened his eyes, his gaze as tranquil as still water. "The time is not yet right."
'In his view, a few reprimands were meaningless. As long as he didn't make a truly major blunder, Lin Shou couldn't touch him while Wu Kuang was providing cover from above.'
'Besides, he hadn't been completely idle. While the Military Camp soldiers hadn't been deployed on a large scale to quell the riots, on his strict orders, they had increased patrols and were doing their best to maintain basic order.'
"Commander Chen!" Just then, one of his personal guards who had been reassigned to Wu Kuang's side hurried into the Government Office and reported respectfully, "County Captain Wu has an urgent summons!"
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Sheng's eyes. 'The signal I've been waiting for,' he thought. 'It's finally here!'
He gave a slight nod, then shot to his feet. His gaze instantly became as sharp as a sword as he looked at the still-dazed Yan Ming. In a steady, rapid-fire voice, he issued a series of commands:
"Yan Ming, the time has come! I have three tasks for you. First, take my token and order Vice Commander Cheng to immediately assemble all combat-ready soldiers of the North City Military Camp. I want them in full armor with weapons in hand, awaiting orders on the training ground!"
"Second, you will personally lead a squad to the main Military Preparation Camp. In both my name and County Captain Wu's, you are to requisition ten Wind-Breaking Crossbows and their bolts. Bring them back here with all speed!"
"Third, send a completely trustworthy man in plainclothes to White Water Lane. Have him find the residence of the Mu family—the one with the locust tree by the gate. Inside, he'll find a man named Yang Hu. Tell him..."
Chen Sheng paused, a murderous glint in his eyes. "It's time to move!"
Watching Chen Sheng's instantaneous shift in aura and his deadly serious expression, Yan Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He vaguely sensed that a true storm was about to break. Not daring to delay for a second, he straightened his back, cupped his fist, and accepted the orders with a resonant voice:
"Yes! Your subordinate obeys!"
---