Encircling the Iron Palm Gang

Encircling the Iron Palm Gang

Bang!

Zhou Shan struck the Horse Bandit leader's neck with a hand chop, knocking him unconscious.

Although the Horse Bandit leader had suffered severe injuries, he was still a First-class Martial Artist. With over fifty years of cultivation protecting his body, his vitality was far tougher than that of an ordinary person. He would not die anytime soon.

Zhou Shan intended to take this Horse Bandit leader to Ye County and behead him before the public, proving that he had wiped out this band of Horse Bandits.

Carrying the Horse Bandit leader, Zhou Shan walked to the Black Scale Horse waiting where it was. With a leap, he landed in the saddle, then rode the Black Scale Horse back to where the Zhang Family Merchant Team had been attacked.

By then, the battle had completely ended, and every Horse Bandit had been killed.

The Zhang Family Merchant Team's martial artists were clearing the battlefield and digging pits to bury the corpses.

All the Black Armored Army soldiers had already formed ranks and were waiting for Zhou Shan.

"Set out!"

At Zhou Shan's command, all the Black Armored Army soldiers hurried toward Ye County.

"What a young captain!" Watching the Black Armored Army disappear into the distance, Young Master Zhang said, "Chief Steward, why did you stop me just now? Such a young captain has limitless prospects ahead of him. If we could forge ties with him, it should also benefit the Zhang Family's business."

"Although the Black Armored Army occupies Qingyang Commandery, the situation has not truly stabilized. Outside, the Blood Fiend Sect watches like a tiger stalking its prey; inside, the remaining disciples of the Vajra Sect lie dormant. The various powers are all outwardly obedient while secretly defiant. Thus, growing too close to the Black Armored Army now would not be a good thing. If we attach ourselves to them and they succeed, the Zhang Family will naturally gain many benefits. But if they fail, it will mean eternal damnation. That is gambling with the family's future and fate—it is not something Young Master can decide."

"The Chief Steward is right."

Young Master Zhang nodded, realizing that he had been somewhat naive.

For such a major matter, let alone him, merely the Young Master, even the family head could not decide it with a single word. The clan elders had to be gathered for discussion. For century-old powerful families entrenched in the counties like theirs, temporarily losing some benefits was nothing.

As long as their foundations remained, even if they weakened, they would not fall too far.

Only those grassroots forces would gamble, fighting for a brighter future.

After clearing the battlefield, the Zhang Family Merchant Team continued onward.

Hooves raced like the wind, rumbling like thunder.

Zhou Shan led the Black Armored Army onward at full speed.

Half an hour later, the group arrived at Ye County's county seat and headed straight for the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters.

"What is going on? They actually dispatched two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers."

"These do not seem to be the Black Armored Army stationed in our Ye County. Ye County's Black Armored Army does not have warhorses like these."

"Could they be the Black Armored Army from Qingyang City? Could something major have happened?"

"Who knows? But this street leads straight to the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters."

"The Iron Palm Gang's headquarters? What are the Black Armored Army doing there?!"

"Could the Iron Palm Gang have committed some crime?"

"..."

On one of Ye County's main streets, quite a few commoners were walking along when they suddenly saw rolling hoofbeats ahead. One after another, the pedestrians hurriedly darted to the sides of the road.

After the Black Armored Army galloped past, the commoners began whispering among themselves, discussing the matter animatedly.

Zhou Shan led two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers into the city and headed straight for the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters. Such a commotion naturally alerted all the factions within the city.

However, by the time those factions received the news, Zhou Shan had already surrounded the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters.

The Iron Palm Gang's headquarters occupied several mu of land.

A pair of stone lions stood at the entrance, imposing and majestic.

Two burly men stood on either side, steel sabers in hand.

"Surround the place. Do not let a single person escape."

When Zhou Shan arrived before the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters, he immediately gave the order.

At once, the two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers dismounted and spread out, directly encircling the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters.

"My lord, what are you doing..."

Seeing the Black Armored Army surround the headquarters, the two burly men guarding outside immediately revealed panicked expressions.

To the people of Ye County, the Iron Palm Gang had a fearsome reputation. With a single word, it could decide a person's life or death and leave families ruined. But before the Black Armored Army, a mere Iron Palm Gang was not worth mentioning.

Even among the three great families that had been entrenched in Ye County for more than a hundred years, aside from the Ye Family, the foremost of the three, the other two families were each inferior to the Black Armored Army when faced alone.

"The Iron Palm Gang has colluded with Horse Bandits. Take them down!" Zhou Shan waved his hand, and two Black Armored Guards immediately stepped forward, subduing the gang members stationed outside the Iron Palm Gang. They said coldly, "Any who dare resist will be killed without mercy."

Hearing this, the two burly men guarding outside exchanged glances. Neither dared draw the steel saber in his hand.

Though they were martial artists who had cultivated Internal Force, they were merely unranked martial artists with less than ten years of cultivation. If they had been ranked martial artists, they would not have fallen so low as to guard the headquarters gate.

If they dared draw their sabers, it would undoubtedly be a road to death.

Immediately afterward, Zhou Shan led the Black Armored Army into the Iron Palm Gang's headquarters.

Any Iron Palm Gang member they encountered was seized without exception.

Naturally, some refused to cooperate. There was no needless talk—blades dealt with them directly.

In this way, Zhou Shan charged straight through, heading directly for the Iron Palm Gang's council hall.

At this moment, inside the council hall.

The Iron Palm Gang's leader and its five hall masters were discussing matters.

"Gang Leader, the Horse Bandits have been acting far too frequently lately. They have robbed too many merchant teams. Even the merchant teams of the three great families have been robbed twice. I fear something will happen if this continues."

One of the hall masters, his face dark and swarthy, spoke in a grave voice.

"I think Hall Master Liu has a point. The Black Armored Army has failed several times when leaving the city to suppress bandits. Unless the Black Armored Army captain is a fool, he will know there is something wrong." Another hall master said, "According to a Black Armored Guard we bribed, that captain has already sent a letter to Qingyang City, requesting the Black Armored Army there to assist in suppressing the bandits.

Gang Leader, why not have this band of Horse Bandits lie low for the time being and rein themselves in for a while?"

"I know everything you have said. Robbing the Zhang Family Merchant Team will be the last time." Wang Shi, the Iron Palm Gang's leader, who sat in the seat of honor, said coldly, "After receiving the goods tonight, to be safe, we should make this band of Horse Bandits disappear forever. Only the dead are safest. Their mouths will be sealed forever, and no investigation will lead back to our Iron Palm Gang."

"Gang Leader is wise."

"So the Gang Leader had already made plans. We worried for nothing."

"In times like these, bandits are the one thing we lack least. Once we silence this band of Horse Bandits, after the heat dies down, we can recruit another band of bandits and continue plundering the goods of merchant teams from the county seat."

"Under the Gang Leader's wise leadership, the Iron Palm Gang will only grow better and better."

"..."

The hall masters spoke in turn, showering him with flattery.

"Gang Leader, Hall Masters, something terrible has happened! Something terrible!"

At that moment, a gang member tumbled and crawled his way into the council hall.