Chapter 49: Master
Chapter 49: Master
Xiong'er Island is named after its shape which resembles bear's ears. It is about six miles long and three miles wide. It is a famous summer resort in Yuzhou.
There is a Mingqing Temple on the island, which is famous. People who worship Taoism in Yuzhou often come here to ask for divination.
But in recent days, as the Sanjiang Gang fled to Xiong'er Island, the Yongpingjiang Navy blocked the surrounding waters and no one dared to land on the island anymore.
Mingqing Temple was also occupied by the Sanjiang Gang, and the Taoist priests in the temple were driven to the shore.
However, Mingqing Temple was mostly a hall dedicated to the worship of gods, and there were not many bedrooms. The Sanjiang Gang had to set up dozens of tents outside Mingqing Temple to barely accommodate them.
Late at night, Xiong'er Island was silent, with only a few teams of guards patrolling casually outside the camp.
The Yongping River Navy is guarding outside the island and no one dares to invade. If it weren't for the strict order from gang leader Huang Xiuzhi, there wouldn't even be patrolling scouts outside the camp.
It was pitch black outside Mingqing Temple, but there were bright lights in Sanqing Hall.
On the cushion in front of the statue of the Three Pure Ones, an old man is meditating with his eyes closed. He is wearing a blue Taoist robe and a grey brocade bag tied around his waist. He has white hair and a childlike face with kind eyes.
However, the leader of the Sanjiang Gang, 'Iron Lock Across the River' Huang Xiuzhi, who was a well-known figure in the Yuzhou underworld, was trembling with fear in front of this kind-looking old man.
He stood about ten feet in front of the old man, with his hands hanging down, his head lowered to look at his feet, and even tried his best to slow down his breathing, not daring to make the slightest noise.
The old man in Taoist robes slowly opened his eyes and said:
"Why haven't the people from the Fuhu Gang arrived yet?"
Huang Xiuzhi shuddered, and hurriedly clasped his fists in salute, and replied respectfully:
"Your Excellency, it is not yet the agreed time. In about two quarters of an hour, the Fu Hu Gang should be on the island."
The old man in Taoist robes nodded and said:
"Huazhong is a safe and reliable person who will not make mistakes. Once the Fuhu Gang is destroyed, what I promised you will be done. Are you ready for the people I asked you to prepare?"
Huang Xiuzhi's expression changed slightly, and he said cautiously:
"Your Excellency, the Fu Hu Gang was too threatening. Many people fled before they arrived on the island. Now there are only 467 people on the island, and... we still need 133 more people."
Upon hearing this, the old man in Taoist robe raised his eyes slightly, glanced at Huang Xiuzhi, and his pupils suddenly turned pitch black!
"what!"
Huang Xiuzhi was struck by lightning. His head tilted back suddenly, and he screamed, fell to the ground, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
After a while, he finally recovered and kowtowed like crazy, begging:
"I have failed to do my job well, please spare my life, please spare my life!"
The old man in Taoist robe said calmly:
"If you can't even handle such a small matter, what's the point of keeping you here?"
Huang Xiuzhi raised his head slightly and stammered:
"If we had fought the Fu Hu Gang half a year ago, we would have had enough people. But it has dragged on for half a year. The Fu Hu Gang is very powerful, and many of our gang members have been killed and wounded. We really can't gather 400 people..."
The old man in Taoist robe narrowed his eyes and said:
"Are you blaming me for not doing what we agreed to do?"
Huang Xiuzhi quickly fell to the ground again and said in a trembling voice:
"I dare not! But I have tried my best. Except for a few accountants, I have gathered all the members of the Sanjiang Gang to Xiong'er Island and offered them to you. Please have mercy on me!"
The old man in Taoist robe said calmly:
"Since you have done your job with all your heart, I will not hold it against you. The missing 133 men will be filled by the Yongping River Navy."
Huang Xiuzhi raised his head and said hesitantly:
"So many navy soldiers died at once. If the imperial court knew about this..."
The old man in Taoist robes frowned and said:
"You can't even cover up such a small matter?"
Huang Xiuzhi was shocked and had no choice but to kowtow and said:
"I will definitely get this done!"
The old man in Taoist robes nodded and said:
"Go down. When the Fu Hu Gang comes, I will take action myself."
"Yes!"
Huang Xiuzhi stood up, tiptoed, bowed and left the Sanqing Hall, carefully closing the door.
The old man in Taoist robe touched the gray brocade bag at his waist, and a three-inch small flag appeared out of thin air in his hand.
The banner was pitch black in color, with wisps of black air lingering around it. Painted on the banner were human heads with distorted expressions, and faint sounds of screaming could be heard.
The old man in Taoist robes raised his hand and gently stroked the banner, muttering:
"Mortal souls are too weak. A thousand mortal warrior souls should be able to refine a second main soul. By then, even a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining will be unable to do anything to me!"
……
Chen Yuan used the art of lightness to run all the way, and in just two quarters of an hour, he arrived at the Yongping River.
Looking intently, he could clearly see Xiong'er Island in the middle of the river, as well as a cargo ship and five warships docked near the island.
Chen Yuan was shocked. He didn't expect that Luo Zhenwu had already led his men to the island.
He picked a willow branch, threw it into the water, then used the light body technique, tiptoed, and flew up.
The branch swayed slightly but still floated on the water.
Chen Yuan raised his hand, made a gesture, and performed the object control technique, and the willow branch shot forward.
The wind from the river was fierce, blowing Chen Yuan's long gown, making a rustling sound, and creating ripples behind him.
……
"Hurry! Be quick and don't waste time!"
On the shore of Xiong'er Island, Luo Zhenwu and Mr. Wen stood together and urged loudly. Four hundred Fuhu Gang warriors lowered themselves down from the cargo ship and waded to the shore.
Luo Zhenwu didn't breathe a sigh of relief until everyone was safely ashore.
At this time, Master Qi, who had gone to investigate the situation, used his Qinggong skills to come to Luo Zhenwu, with a look of joy on his face, and said:
"Boss, we have checked carefully and there are no traps around. However, the Sanjiang Gang has tight scouts outside their camp. Four hundred of us are too conspicuous. I am afraid we cannot hide. We can only attack by force, not at night!"
Luo Zhenwu breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Pass the order down and storm the Sanjiang Gang camp!"
"Yes!"
Master Qi immediately passed down the order, and four hundred Fuhu Gang warriors headed straight for Mingqing Temple.
Luo Zhenwu walked among the crowd and bowed to Wen Huazhong:
"This successful landing on the island is entirely due to your wisdom. I hope you can help us persuade the Sanjiang Gang to surrender." Wen Huazhong smiled faintly.
"This is easy to hear."
Luo Zhenwu looked at him deeply, then turned and walked forward.
As soon as the Fu Hu Gang got within a hundred feet of the camp, they were discovered by scouts, who immediately launched an attack.
The Sanjiang Gang camp immediately fell into chaos. Fortunately, under Huang Xiuzhi's strict orders, there were many guards patrolling outside the camp, so there was some time to react.
After the Sanjiang Gang members woke up from their sleep, they still had time to pick up their weapons to fight the enemy, and they were not found in the tent and killed with one blow.
But those living in the camp are all warriors of the Sanjiang Gang below the marrow refining level, and their strength is low.
The 400 people from the Fuhu Gang who attacked were the elite of the gang. They were generally stronger than their opponents, and they quickly killed their way through the camp and rushed into Mingqing Temple.
Luo Zhenwu took the lead, followed by Wen Huazhong, Hall Master Qi, four deputy hall masters, and thirteen internal force warriors led by Wei Wuding.
In addition to the leader of the Law Enforcement Hall and a deputy leader of the Shennong Hall who unfortunately died in the fight with the Sanjiang Gang, Hou Yan who stayed in Chongxinfang, and Chen Yuan who left the county town, Luo Zhenwu brought all the good players in the gang.
As soon as you enter the gate of Mingqing Temple, you will see the Lingguan Hall. Huang Xiuzhi led more than 30 people and blocked the entrance of the hall.
There were only two Gangjin warriors, six Neijin warriors, and twelve top-level Liansui warriors around him.
The Sanjiang Gang had been suppressed by the Fuhu Gang for too long, and suffered heavy casualties. This was the only remaining master.
Except for Huang Xiuzhi who was still able to remain calm, everyone else had an unconcealable look of panic on their faces.
A Gangjin warrior saw Wen Huazhong standing next to Luo Zhenwu and became furious:
"Wen Huazhong, you traitor, you shall not die a good death!"
They were driven to Xiong'er Island by the Fuhu Gang, but were fortunately protected by the Yongpingjiang Navy and were able to settle down.
But now, Wen Huazhong has rebelled, and the Yongping River Navy has actually let the Fuhu Gang onto the island. They have lost even their last place to stay, and people can't help but panic, and their fighting spirit has greatly decreased.
But Huang Xiuzhi did not seem to realize that the Sanjiang Gang would be destroyed in an instant.
Luo Zhenwu said in a deep voice:
"Everyone, today I will only punish the main culprit and ignore the rest. As long as you lay down your weapons, turn from darkness to light, and do not help the tyrant, I will definitely use you in the future!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the warriors from the Sanjiang Gang changed. They looked at Huang Xiuzhi evasively, and a strange atmosphere gradually spread.
Luo Zhenwu looked at Wen Huazhong:
"Mr. Wen, please use your eloquence to persuade the Sanjiang Gang to surrender..."
When Wen Huazhong heard this, he just smiled and said nothing.
Huang Xiuzhi ignored the changes in the expressions of the people around him, and still acted like the leader of a gang, saying:
"Mr. Luo, you are so courageous that you dare to attack Xiong'er Island at night and rush to die. It really opens my eyes."
Seeing his attitude, Luo Zhenwu immediately raised his hand to stop everyone behind him, looked around, and said vigilantly:
"What do you mean? Did you prepare for this?"
The two internal force warriors who had been following Wen Huazhong closely immediately drew out their swords and put them on Wen Huazhong's neck.
Wen Huazhong just glanced at the two of them lightly without any expression, as if the sword on his neck was just two pieces of straw.
Master Qi said disdainfully:
"Boss, why waste your time talking to him? He is just trying to be mysterious. The few people left in the Sanjiang Gang are no match for us. Just kill them!"
"Hahaha! Are you just being mysterious?"
Huang Xiuzhi laughed grimly, turned around, knelt down and kowtowed, saying respectfully:
"Please help, Master!"
Hall Master Qi was startled and said sarcastically:
"Huang Xiuzhi, do you still expect the Three Pure Ones to save your life?"
The warriors of the Sanjiang Gang were horrified, and a Gangjin master cried out:
"Boss, we are facing a powerful enemy. What do you mean by this?"
An internal force warrior murmured:
"The leader is crazy, the leader is crazy..."
He ran to Luo Zhenwu, knelt down and kowtowed, shouting:
"I am willing to surrender. I beg Lord Luo to show mercy and take me in!"
There was chaos in front of the Lingguan Temple, but Huang Xiuzhi paid no attention to it. He just maintained his kneeling posture with a respectful look on his face.
"Haha, it's finally here. It's worth it that I waited half the night."
An old voice suddenly sounded, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice. They saw an old man in Taoist robes standing on the top of the Lingguan Temple. He had white hair and a childlike face, with fluttering sleeves, and looked like an immortal.
Everyone present was one of the most famous masters in Yuzhou martial arts world, yet no one noticed when he appeared.
The warriors of the Sanjiang Gang were shocked and confused. Could this be the "Master" that the gang leader mentioned?
The mockery on Master Qi's face disappeared without a trace. He stared at the old man in Taoist robes and clenched the sword in his hand.
Luo Zhenwu said solemnly:
"Who are you, sir? Why do you want to interfere in the fight between our Fuhu Gang and Sanjiang Gang?"
The figure of the old man in Taoist robes flashed, floated down, and said lightly:
"How dare a mere mortal like you ask my name?"
After saying this, he touched the grey brocade bag on his waist, and a small black flag appeared out of thin air in his hand. He threw it in front of him and shouted softly:
"go with!"
The small black flag changed in the wind and became three feet in size.
The old man in Taoist robe raised his hand, made hand gestures, and muttered something.
Whoosh!
A cold wind blew in the air, and the human heads painted on the banner all came to life, transforming into blood-red ghosts the size of children. Their expressions were distorted, and they let out sharp screams, while flying around the small black banner.
Huang Xiuzhi got up from the ground, with a flattering smile on his face, without any dignity of a gang leader, and shouted:
"The Master's power is unrivaled in the world!"
Luo Zhenwu's face was solemn, his eyes were filled with doubt and confusion, and for the first time, a look of panic appeared on his face.
The others all retreated, not daring to get close to the strange little banner and the terrifying ghost.
Some people were so frightened that they turned around and ran away.
The surrendered inner force warrior collapsed to the ground, shit and urine flowing out of his body, and shouted:
"Grandpa Ghost, don't eat me, don't eat me!"
(End of this chapter)