Seven Stars Gang, Main Hall.
The Hall Masters and elders were all gathered. The hall was abuzz with voices, but the atmosphere was not celebratory. Instead, it was tinged with restlessness and unease.
Gang Leader Ma Changhai sat high on the main seat, his expression as dark as water. Watching the chaotic scene below, he felt a fire of anger rising in his heart.
In recent days, the Seven Stars Gang had followed the Gao Family's instructions and stirred up trouble in North City, but the results were difficult to put into words.
Not only had they failed to effectively suppress the arrogance of that new commander, but they had also blundered repeatedly. First, they had "accidentally killed" a member of the Huang Family's Direct Lineage, then they provoked the powers in West City, bringing a world of trouble upon themselves.
They had indeed made a big scene, but troubles followed one after another. Worse, they hadn't managed to touch Chen Sheng's foundation. The Gao Family was already displeased and even suspected that there had been a leak.
He had urgently summoned everyone today precisely to enforce discipline and root out the mole. However, before he could even begin his lecture—
"Report—!!"
A shrill cry suddenly came from outside the hall. Accompanied by the sound of stumbling footsteps, a gang member scrambled inside, his face deathly pale and his eyes filled with terror, as if he had just seen a life-reaping demon.
"What are you panicking for! Did your father die or something?!"
Ma Changhai, looking for an outlet for his simmering anger, slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair and roared.
The gang member flinched in terror, fell to his knees, and spoke with a voice that trembled uncontrollably, "N-no… not my father… It's the Gang Leader… your… your residence… the Old Master… something's happened to him!"
"What?!" Ma Changhai's pupils constricted. He shot to his feet. "What happened to my father? Speak!"
"When… when we arrived, the Old Master… he had already been… killed… by the intruder… His body… his body was already cold…" the gang member replied, his voice choked with sobs.
BOOM—!
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire hall erupted into chaos! The Gang Leader's father had been murdered? This was no ordinary revenge killing; someone was clearly targeting the Seven Stars Gang and Ma Changhai himself!
"Who was it?! Where's the murderer? Did you catch him?!"
Ma Changhai's eyes were bloodshot with fury. He bolted down the steps in a single leap, grabbed the messenger by the collar, and lifted him clean off the ground.
"N-no… When we got there, the residence was already empty…" the gang member choked out, his face turning purple from the grip.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
Enraged, Ma Changhai threw him violently to the ground like a sack of trash. His mind was in utter turmoil.
'His father was old, but he still had guards. How could someone have snuck in and killed him without a sound?'
Just as he was about to lead his men back to the residence to investigate, another trusted subordinate stumbled into the hall, his expression one of utter panic:
"Gang Leader! It's bad! Something terrible has happened!"
Ma Changhai's heart sank. A terrible premonition seized him.
"What… What is it now?!"
"Your wife… your wife and the young master… they… they've disappeared! The guards left at the residence… they're all dead!"
"Impossible!"
As if struck by lightning, Ma Changhai roared hoarsely, "The residence's location is a secret, and it's heavily guarded! How could they possibly…"
'He had learned from the lessons of the previous gang leader and meticulously arranged his wife and son's hiding place. Besides a handful of his most trusted confidants, no one knew the exact location. How could they have been found so precisely and abducted?'
"It's true. A group of mysterious people with incredible skills suddenly stormed the place. Their methods were vicious, and our men couldn't hold them off… By the time reinforcements arrived, the residence was empty, with nothing but pools of blood on the ground…"
"Investigate! Find them! Even if you have to dig three feet into the earth, find my wife and son! And tear those bastards to shreds!!"
Ma Changhai was completely frantic. With his father, wife, and son all befalling disaster one after another, it was clear someone wanted to wipe out his entire family line and leave him utterly ruined!
"Yes! Yes!"
Several trusted subordinates immediately accepted the order and rushed frantically out of the hall. The remaining crowd looked at each other, stunned into silence by the string of bad news. An atmosphere of panic began to spread through the Main Hall.
However, just as those subordinates burst through the Main Hall's doors, they were blocked and forced back by another group of even more panicked gang members. A dozen or so men scrambled into the hall, their voices shrill and filled with despair:
"It's bad! Gang Leader! This is bad!"
Hearing that familiar, piercing cry, Ma Changhai's vision went black. The world spun around him, and he instinctively reached for a nearby pillar to keep himself from collapsing.
'What else could there possibly be?!'
"Soldiers! The government soldiers are attacking!"
"They're killing on sight! A lot of our brothers are already dead!"
"The Main Hall… the Main Hall is completely surrounded! We can't get out!"
Along with these desperate cries, the distinct clang of crossing blades, the sharp whistle of crossbow arrows piercing the air, and the horrific screams of dying gang members could be heard clearly from outside the Main Hall!
"What?!"
This time, it wasn't just Ma Changhai. All the high-ranking members of the Seven Stars Gang in the hall turned pale with shock and shot to their feet. 'The government soldiers dare to attack the Main Hall directly?!'
The Main Hall instantly descended into chaos, filled with the endless sounds of gasps, curses, and crashing tables and chairs.
Ma Changhai's face was ashen, his expression terrifyingly ferocious.
The tragedies involving his family and the government siege happened almost simultaneously. He subconsciously connected the two events—this was a kill-trap, aimed at him and the entire Seven Stars Gang!
CLANG! He violently drew the heavy Nine-Ring Saber from his side, the rings on the blade clashing with a piercing sound.
"Brothers! The Government Office won't let us live, and now they're at our door! There's no time for anything else! Everyone, follow me and fight our way out! Hold back the soldiers!"
He forced himself to remain calm, trying to rally his men. "Don't panic! As long as we hold on, reinforcements from the Gao Family will be here soon! We'll see how arrogant they are then!"
Before his words had even faded, Ma Changhai took the lead, saber in hand, and charged toward the hall's entrance. Seeing this, some of the roused gang members also drew their weapons and followed with a roar.
Amidst the chaos, Yang Hu discreetly exchanged a look with several other Hall Masters with whom he had a prior understanding. He then drew his weapon, put on a look of righteous indignation, and quickly followed, intentionally staying close behind Ma Changhai, appearing for all the world like a loyal protector ready to follow his master to the death.
In the midst of the turmoil, Ma Changhai glanced back and saw Yang Hu following closely, and a flicker of relief crossed his mind.
'It is in times of crisis that one's true loyalties are revealed. It seems my promotion of this man was not in vain; he does have some loyalty after all.'
'If I can survive this, I must promote him to an important position!'
…
Outside the main entrance of the Seven Stars Gang's Main Hall.
A dozen or so corpses lay scattered on the ground, most of them gruesomely impaled by powerful Wind-Breaking Crossbow Arrows.
Over a hundred fully armored government soldiers, marching in strict formation like a moving wall of steel, advanced steadily.
Blades flashed and crossbow arrows whistled. Though the Seven Stars Gang had numbers, they were mostly a disorganized mob. Under the systematic slaughter of a regular army, their retreat was almost completely one-sided, with heavy casualties.
"Stop, all of you!!"
Ma Changhai charged to the entrance and let out a furious roar that shook the surroundings, trying to halt the rout. He swung his Nine-Ring Saber, the blade slicing through the air with fierce power, and instantly cut down a soldier at the front.
However, the only response was the cold sound of several mechanisms clicking!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Several thick Wind-Breaking Crossbow Arrows shot toward him in an instant, carrying the stench of death!
Ma Changhai's expression changed drastically. Reacting in a flash, he grabbed a nearby gang member who couldn't dodge in time and used him as a shield!
With a few sickening thuds, the unlucky gang member was instantly riddled with arrows like a sieve. Ma Changhai used the impact to stumble back through the doorway, taking cover behind a pillar.
Peeking through the crack in the door, his gaze locked onto the cold-faced, Profound Armored Youth sitting atop a tall horse not far away.
"Chen Sheng!!"
Ma Changhai roared hoarsely, "What do you think you're doing?! In broad daylight, under a clear sky, can the Government Office just slaughter people so wantonly?!"
Chen Sheng remained seated on his horse, meeting Ma Changhai's venomous gaze with calm eyes. His voice carried clearly across the battlefield:
"Ma Changhai, Gang Leader of the Seven Stars Gang. You and your men have committed insurrection, colluded with bandits, and oppressed the innocent. The evidence of your crimes is irrefutable! This official, acting on the orders of the County Captain, is eradicating you in accordance with the law to pacify this region. What is wrong with that?!"
He paused, his voice suddenly turning sharp as he shouted to the remaining Seven Stars Gang members inside the door: "Listen up! If you don't want your entire clan exterminated, lay down your weapons and surrender on your knees immediately! This official can show leniency and execute only the ringleader, Ma Changhai! All who offer stubborn resistance will be killed without question!"
"Chen Sheng!!"
Ma Changhai practically ground his teeth to dust, his eyes bloodshot. "I'll ask you just one thing! My father, my wife and son… was it you who did it?!"
A cold smile touched the corner of Chen Sheng's mouth. He neither confirmed nor denied it. But to Ma Changhai, this silent response was the best answer he could have gotten.
"AHHH—!!"
Ma Changhai went completely berserk. He turned to the terrified gang members behind him and shrieked, trying to incite them:
"Brothers! Don't believe this dog official's bullshit! Surrender is a dead end! Follow me and fight our way out! Kill this bastard! As long as we escape, with the Gao Family's protection, we can still go live freely on the Qinglin River! But if anyone dares to betray the gang, the Gao Family will never let them go…"
PFFT—!
The muffled sound of a sharp blade sinking into flesh abruptly cut off Ma Changhai's hysterical roar.
Ma Changhai's body went rigid. He looked down in disbelief to see a familiar blade tip protruding from his own abdomen! Excruciating pain instantly overwhelmed him.
He struggled to turn his head. The face that entered his vision was Yang Hu's—so close, yet so cold and utterly expressionless.
Having landed the blow, Yang Hu showed no hesitation. He immediately let go of his saber, retreated with lightning speed, and charged directly toward the government soldiers outside, shouting, "The sinner Yang Hu wishes to forsake the darkness for the light and help the official exterminate these rebels!"
Outside the gate, Chen Sheng raised his hand slightly, and the Wind-Breaking Crossbows that were about to be fired instantly halted.
And inside the Main Hall, every member of the Seven Stars Gang stood as if frozen, staring dumbfounded at the sudden, earth-shattering reversal. For a moment, not a single person could react.
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