Chapter 48 Night Attack

Chapter 48 Night Attack

Chapter 48 Night Attack
In the county town late at night, except for the brothel on East Street which was still bustling with people, everywhere else was dark as people had fallen asleep.

Only the sound of the night watchman's clappers roams the streets and alleys, announcing the time and preventing fire and theft.

But in Chongxinfang in the west of the city, there were no night watchmen walking around. Instead, teams of guards were patrolling everywhere, keeping a tight watch.

The gate that was usually wide open was tightly closed tonight, with several guards standing on both sides with nervous looks on their faces.

Suddenly, a guard drew out his ring-handled sword with a clang and shouted sternly:
"Stop! Who are you!"

The other three guards looked in the direction of the knife tip and saw a young man in a white gown walking slowly towards them.

He walked up to the guard with the sword drawn, took out a gold medal from his pocket, handed it to him, and said lightly:
"Open the door."

The guard took it and looked at it. He saw the words "Fu Hu" written on one side of the gold plate and "Law Enforcement Hall Chen" written on the other side. His face changed drastically, he put the ring-handled sword on the ground, bent down, and respectfully handed back the jade plate with both hands:

"Please wait a moment, Master Chen."

Upon hearing this, the other three guards immediately saluted Chen Yuan:
"Meet Master Chen!"

The Fu Hu Gang has only one leader with the surname Chen, and that is Chen Erniu, the deputy leader of the Law Enforcement Hall who was famous in Yuzhou's underworld for killing Yang Huaizhan with a knife.

When the Fu Hu Gang attacked Jishiditang at night, it was not done in secret, and there was no attempt to conceal it. But within a few days, the news spread throughout the Yuzhou underworld.

Everyone knew that the Fu Hu Gang had produced a martial arts genius. Before he was twenty years old, he was already a master of Gang Jin, and he killed Yang Huaizhan, the leader of the Ji Shi Tang, with two sword strikes.

The morale of the Fu Hu Gang was greatly boosted as a result, and all the gang members felt proud of it.

Unfortunately, this Deputy Hall Master Chen who suddenly appeared out of nowhere lives a secluded life and very few people have seen him.

But according to the brothers of Baibing Hall who attacked Jishidi Hall that night, Deputy Hall Master Chen's swordsmanship was fierce and sharp, his martial arts were superb, and his heroic demeanor was legendary.

Several guards were extremely excited to see Deputy Hall Master Chen today, and they hurriedly opened the door.

……

As soon as Chen Yuan entered the market, guards came up to him and questioned his identity.

He frowned, showed his hall master's gold medal, and asked the guards to take him to Luo Zhenwu's residence.

Chongxinfang does not have a curfew on weekdays, but the security is so tight tonight. I wonder what big thing has happened?
Led by the guards, Chen Yuan had a smooth journey and arrived at Luo Mansion.

The guard asked for the gate to be opened and saw the housekeeper of the Luo Mansion. Upon asking, he found out that Luo Zhenwu was not in the mansion. Several other hall masters also went out with Luo Zhenwu. Only Hou Yan was left in Chongxinfang.

Chen Yuan became even more confused and immediately went to the entrance of Baibing Hall.

Hou Yan was on duty at the entrance of the hall. When he saw Chen Yuan, he was surprised, but then he said with regret:
"It's a pity that Hall Master Chen came back a little late, otherwise our gang would have a better chance of winning."

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he clasped his hands and said:
"It seems that I have missed something important. Please help me, Master Hou."

"Master Chen, please take a seat and let me explain slowly."

Hou Yan led Chen Yuan into the reception room, and the host and guest sat down. After the servants served them fragrant tea, he said:

"In the more than one month since Hall Master Chen left the county town, our gang has successively eliminated several fleets of the Sanjiang Gang. The Sanjiang Gang was seriously injured, and even lost two Gangjin masters. They dared not to fight our gang head-on and retreated to Xiong'er Island. The gang leader just set out an hour ago, leading Hall Master Qi and several deputy hall masters and 400 gang members to attack Xiong'er Island at night and wipe out the Sanjiang Gang in one fell swoop!"

Hou Yan looked excited and spoke passionately, but Chen Yuan frowned and asked:

"The Sanjiang Gang controls the Yongping River waterway. How can our gang destroy their fleet?"

Hou Yan stroked his beard and smiled, saying:
"Master Chen, you don't know that as the Sanjiang Gang's decline became increasingly apparent, more and more people turned to the light. Huang Xiuzhi's white paper fan Wen Huazhong secretly contacted our gang and sent us news of the Sanjiang Gang's fleet. Only then did our gang seize the opportunity and repeatedly made achievements."

Chen Yuan frowned even more tightly:
"Since we have already cornered the Sanjiang Gang, why rush at this moment? Wouldn't it be safer to wait until I come back before taking action?"

Hou Yan explained:
"The gang leader originally had this idea. Shi Rong, the commander of the Yongping River Navy, and Huang Xiuzhi are sworn brothers. They sent navy ships to patrol around Xiong'er Island day and night. Our gang doesn't dare to fight the navy, and there is no chance to land on the island. The gang leader plans to take over the business of the Sanjiang Gang in the county city first, and then discuss countermeasures when Master Chen comes back."

"But Wen Huazhong sent a message three days ago, saying that Shi Rong was only interested in profit and was associated with Huang Xiuzhi just for money. He was sure he could persuade Shi Rong to join our gang. The gang leader immediately sent someone with 1,000 taels of gold to follow Wen Huazhong to meet Shi Rong."

"Shi Rong really forgot his loyalty when he saw the benefits and abandoned Huang Xiuzhi. However, due to the relationship between Jia Zhizhou and Huang Xiuzhi, he will not turn against Huang Xiuzhi directly. If we want to wipe out the Sanjiang Gang, we have to do it ourselves. That's why the gang leader plans to attack Xiong'er Island at night."

Chen Yuan asked:

"Is Wen Huazhong reliable? Don't fall into the trap set by the Sanjiang Gang."

Hou Yan smiled and said:

"Master Chen, rest assured. Gang Leader Luo has already sent people to investigate Wen Huazhong's background. He is from Xingzhou and failed in the exams many times. He came to Yuzhou and joined the Sanjiang Gang more than a year ago. He will never be buried with the Sanjiang Gang."

"And if he really had ulterior motives, why would he tell the Sanjiang Gang the news of their fleet? This is nearly 100,000 taels of silver worth of treasure. The Sanjiang Gang suffered heavy losses and had to flee the county town. If he did this just to gain the trust of our gang, the price would be too high."

Chen Yuan was still worried and asked:
"If Shi Rong leads the Yongping River Navy to counterattack, how should we respond?" Hou Yan was a little impatient, but Chen Yuan's level of transformation was there, so he could only explain patiently:
"Don't worry, Master Chen. Shi Rong may seem powerful and domineering on the Yongping River, but the military pay of the Yongping River navy is entirely allocated by the state government. The gang leader has a deep friendship with Prefect Yan. Shi Rong will never offend Prefect Yan for the sake of the Sanjiang Gang."

Chen Yuan's brows relaxed when he heard this, and he stood up and said:

"That way, I feel relieved."

Hall Master Hou asked doubtfully:

"Where is Master Chen going?"

Chen Yuan smiled and said:

"Now that I have made a promise, how can I break it? I will go to Xiong'er Island right now to lend a helping hand to the gang leader and wipe out the Sanjiang Gang!"

After saying that, he bowed to Hou Yan, turned around and walked out.

Hou Yan was stunned, and almost broke a strand of his beard, before he reacted and cursed inwardly:
"You are so young, yet so cautious. You are such a little fox!"

……

After Chen Yuan walked out of Chongxinfang, he used the art of lightness to climb out of the county town and head towards the Yongping River in less than a quarter of an hour.

If he had not learned the inside story from Hou Yan and put aside his worries, he would never have gone to Xiong'er Island.

Although he has reached the fourth level of Qi Refining, he is not immortal.

The warships of the Yongpingjiang Navy were equipped with giant crossbows. If he was hit by dozens of giant arrows, he would die on the spot.

The Yongping River navy would not take action, so Chen Yuan's doubts were all gone. No matter what means the Sanjiang Gang used, he was not afraid.

……

The Yongping River is the second largest river in Qi State. It is about 18,000 miles long and about ten miles wide in the Yuzhou section, vast and boundless.

At a semi-abandoned dock, a huge cargo ship set out from the shore, followed by five navy warships, and sailed slowly towards the center of the river.

The river breeze was biting on the deck. Luo Zhenwu looked into the distance, looking at the looming Xiong'er Island in the distance with a serious gaze.

Next to him, there was a scholar in white with a long flowing robe and a black brocade bag on his waist. He was sandwiched between two big men, with a calm expression and a distant gaze.

Master Qi stood on the other side, also gazing at Xiong'er Island ahead, looking a little anxious.

Luo Zhenwu turned around, smiled at the scholar in white, and said:

"I wonder what expression Huang Xiuzhi will have when Mr. Wen and I appear in front of him at the same time."

The scholar in white smiled faintly and said:
"Huang Xiuzhi overestimated his own capabilities and tried to stop a chariot with his bare hands. When the leader of the gang descended from the sky, he was naturally horrified and burst into tears."

Luo Zhenwu smiled and said:
"Mr. Wen has a good plan. He has played Huang Xiuzhi in the palm of his hand. If we can wipe out the Sanjiang Gang this time, it is all thanks to Mr. Wen's wisdom."

Wen Huazhong said lightly:

"You are too kind, Gang Master. As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a wise minister chooses a master to serve. Gang Master is a great hero in the martial arts world, and he dominates Yuzhou. I admire the Gang Master's power, so I have just given up the dark and joined the light. I am willing to be a vanguard and unify the martial arts world in Yuzhou for the Gang Master."

Luo Zhenwu smiled even more and said:
"Mr. Wen has many wise plans. How can I waste them? After the mission is accomplished, I will have another important role for you. The wind is strong on the river, please go to the cabin to rest. After we reach the island, I will trouble you to come forward and negotiate surrender."

"Wen will take his leave."

Wen Huazhong bowed slightly, turned around and walked into the cabin. The two big men followed closely behind him.

Luo Zhenwu looked at his back and the smile on his face slowly disappeared.

Master Qi came over and whispered:

"Boss, although Wen Huazhong's words are respectful, his demeanor is quite arrogant. Don't trust him easily."

Luo Zhenwu said with a stern expression:
"There's something fishy about this man, but he doesn't know martial arts, so even if he has ulterior motives, he can't do anything. The one we really need to be careful with is Shi Rong. Pass the order down, be careful, don't gather in one place, keep ventilation at all times, beware of the incense, and when you go to the island, send out scouts in advance, don't be reckless, or you'll fall into a trap."

"Yes!"

Master Qi responded solemnly and turned to leave.

Luo Zhenwu looked at the Xiong'er Island in the distance, his left hand tightly grasping the scabbard, his knuckles turning white and veins bulging.

(End of this chapter)