Golden Dragon Swallows Tiger (Part 2)

"Gu Cangyue might be harsh and vicious, but he had always been cautious. He shouldn't dare shoulder the responsibility of provoking an all-out war between Cangfeng Fortress and our White Emperor Sect just to strike ruthlessly at us, should he? ... Over the past six years, we supported the Golden Tiger Gang and Golden Dragon Gang in fighting over territory and control of every trade, yet Gu Cangyue merely made small moves against us. He had never done anything too outrageous. Protector, perhaps the situation isn't quite so dire?"

The Right Protector's face turned incomparably grim. After flexing his finger joints, he strode into the main hall and said in a deep voice, "Second Miss, we will not leave Suzhou Prefecture, but you are worth more than gold. No matter what, you must leave at once. The Moonlit Sword is a treasured artifact of our sect; naturally, I will not let it be lost outside... Hm. Men, escort Second Miss away." He knew very clearly that this matter had already gone somewhat beyond both sides' expectations. First, the guards Gu Cangyue had brought had accidentally shot two of his subordinates dead. That was already a grievance not easily let go. Second, there was that skinny youth who had appeared out of nowhere. No one had ever heard of such an expert in the Golden Dragon Gang. It was obvious that his skills surpassed Black Diamond's by no small margin. That too was an uncertainty.

Putting everything together, the Right Protector had a very bad premonition. He suspected that the Golden Dragon Gang had spent heavily to hire martial artists. Beyond Gu Cangyue's own forces, they had found other experts to deal with the Golden Tiger Gang. If those outside martial artists clashed head-on with the White Emperor Sect, Gu Cangyue could strike at the right moment, using official power to ruthlessly suppress the White Emperor Sect's people in Suzhou Prefecture. Then he could drive the White Emperor Sect out in one stroke, without risking a conflict between Cangfeng Fortress and the White Emperor Sect.

"What a venomous scheme. He wants to cripple this arm of our White Emperor Sect in Suzhou Prefecture while washing his own hands clean of it. Gu Cangyue truly is formidable." Having settled on his calculations, the Right Protector resolved to contend properly with Gu Cangyue. So long as he held onto the Golden Tiger Gang's foundation, surely Gu Cangyue could not claim they were rebelling even if others came knocking at their door to kill them? That would at least give him an explanation before the Sect Master. But Second Miss had to be sent away. Even if a single hair on her head were harmed, it would be fatal.

Bai Lingxin gave a cold laugh. "No. You want me to flee on the eve of battle? Is Bai Lingxin that sort of person? Xiao Lan, give me your sleeve sword. I want to see whether they truly dare offend the majesty of our White Emperor Sect... Right Protector, send a carrier pigeon to tell Father to gather experts and reinforce us. The White Emperor Sect's might shakes Shu. Could we possibly fear that pack of horse bandits from Cangfeng Fortress?" Xiao Lan—the little maid whom Li Feng had humiliated until she burst into loud tears—acknowledged at once. She drew a curved short sword from her sleeve and handed it to Bai Lingxin.

The Right Protector was alarmed and about to speak when more than a dozen burly Golden Tiger Gang men charged in under their gang leader's lead, shouting, "Bad news, Master Chen! Suddenly, notices have appeared all over the streets. They say... they say several of you murdered traveling merchants from Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi, for their money and lives, stealing over a million taels in banknotes! All the constables of the Suzhou Prefecture yamen have been dispatched, and the garrison has deployed two thousand soldiers. Suzhou Prefecture is about to clear the streets and conduct a search!"

Bai Lingxin jumped to her feet, her lovely face twisting sharply. She shouted furiously, "Has Gu Cangyue lost his mind? Does he truly dare offend our White Emperor Sect? ... Hm..." With a soft grunt, she was struck beneath the arm by a finger from the Right Protector and immediately fainted.

The Right Protector shouted in a deep voice, "Xiao Lan, carry Miss away. Old Zhang, Old Zhao, Old Zhou, Old Li, you four escort Miss and leave Suzhou Prefecture's territory at once. Damn it, Cangfeng Fortress is utterly despicable. They started out as horse bandits, climbed up the emperor's high branch, and now they have transformed themselves into officials. Take Miss away quickly and send her back to White Emperor City. Damn it, we'll stay in Suzhou Prefecture and have a proper game with them."

Four rough-featured middle-aged men answered and hurried after Xiao Lan into the rear hall, leaving through the back door.

The Right Protector sneered. After calculating for a while, he loudly ordered, "Tell the Golden Tiger Gang brothers to stay obediently in their own homes. During this time, no one is to take to the streets and cause trouble. If they are seized by the authorities, they will simply be throwing away their lives." After a moment of silence, he looked darkly at the Golden Tiger Gang's three leaders and sneered. "Have those martial artists your Golden Tiger Gang has been sheltering leave immediately. Otherwise, disaster will strike... We cannot remain here either. We must find a hidden place outside the city to conceal ourselves and slowly contend with them. Once the Sect Master sends experts here, we can reason things out with Cangfeng Fortress then."

His orders were immediately carried out. More than twenty White Emperor Sect experts filed out carrying their bundles, forming a line along the street with seven or eight zhang between each person as they hurried toward the city gate. Along the way, they saw constables moving arrogantly through the streets in groups of three and five, while squads of capable garrison soldiers patrolled in formation with sabers and long spears. The notices stamped with the great seal of Suzhou Prefecture openly bore portraits of Bai Lingxin and the Right Protector.

The Right Protector spat a gob of phlegm onto the ground and cursed under his breath, "Those damned bastards work quickly enough. Framing people like this—it seems they are thoroughly practiced at it."

On the eastern city wall of Suzhou Prefecture, a window in the gate tower was quietly opened a crack. Gu Cangyue and Li Feng watched through that gap as the Right Protector's group hurried out through the city gate, gathered in the woods outside, then raced away under the guidance of several Golden Tiger Gang men. Gu Cangyue sneered. "Good. It is best that those troublesome fellows have left. If we truly came to blows, my men might not necessarily be able to swallow them whole. Cangfeng Fortress has too much territory to control; we simply do not have enough experts."

Li Feng stroked his chin. "The ones we need to strike are the Golden Tiger Gang. There is no need to truly forge a life-and-death enmity with the White Emperor Sect. That would do no good. Heh heh, that little White Emperor Sect beauty was quite tender, but she had too many thorns. If not for her father being the White Emperor Sect's Sect Master, I really would have wanted to keep her."

Gu Cangyue laughed. "That must absolutely not happen. Killing a few White Emperor Sect subordinates is nothing, merely an ordinary conflict in the martial world. But if Brother Li put Bai Dingtian's daughter in his bed, Bai Dingtian would surely come from Sichuan to fight you to the death... Hm. So long as the White Emperor Sect people dare not enter the city, we can find an excuse to wipe out the Golden Tiger Gang. Without those local snakes serving as their claws and fangs, how great a storm could the White Emperor Sect possibly stir up?"

A Zhu repeatedly agreed from behind them. "Exactly, exactly... The White Emperor Sect has Sichuan's well salt in its hands, yet it still wants to stick a hand into our southeastern sea-salt trade. That is reaching across the boundary to scoop up profits. Once the Golden Tiger Gang is knocked down, thirty percent of the extra sea-salt profits will go to Old Tou'er. On that matter, I can decide on our gang leader's behalf."

Gu Cangyue smiled in satisfaction. After stretching lazily, he patted A Zhu's shoulder and said, "Too polite, too polite. We are brothers of one household—why say such things? ... As for Gang Leader Niu's matter, I will certainly recommend him with all my strength. Becoming a military officer will absolutely not be a problem with Gang Leader Niu's learning and ability. As for the grand position of Golden Dragon Gang leader, it will be within Brother Li's grasp... Eh? You two brothers are both surnamed Li. Could you really be blood brothers?"

A Zhu laughed. "Not blood brothers, but closer than blood brothers."

Gu Cangyue's brows furrowed slightly before he suddenly laughed. "So that is it. Brother Li Feng is that A Feng, then? No wonder your internal strength is so formidable. What a pity for those experts from Brocade Manor. They made a wasted trip to Suzhou Prefecture, suffered grievous casualties, and slunk home in disgrace. Heh heh, heh heh, this is a person's fate. If Brother Feng had not encountered one extraordinary stroke of fortune after another, how could I, Gu, have recovered my strength today? Every drink and every peck—could it all be decreed by fate?"

Li Feng smiled. "You flatter me. Brother Gu truly is perceptive; you immediately realized that I was the lucky youth who stole the Sword Pellet and Azure Spirit Pill. Heh heh, fortunately, an expert saved me. Otherwise, after swallowing three spiritual pills for no reason at all, I would have exploded and died long ago." Li Feng's words were watertight.

Gu Cangyue nodded repeatedly. At last, he understood where Li Feng's strength had come from, and his doubts were finally dispelled as to why Li Feng had kept the Jade Ginseng rather than consuming it himself. After all, Li Feng had already eaten so many spiritual pills. Eating another Jade Ginseng might not necessarily have had any effect; perhaps keeping it to sell or exchange for a favor was the most worthwhile course.

A constable rushed into the gate tower and reported, "My lord, the White Emperor Sect girl has already been sent away by their four experts. May we act now?"

A cruel smile appeared on Gu Cangyue's face. He nodded hard and chopped his right hand downward. "Move! Cripple the Golden Tiger Gang's three leaders and imprison them together with Black Diamond. Execute them after autumn. Arrest every Golden Tiger Gang subordinate. Hall Master Li, whether these people are thrown into prison or recruited by you depends on what you choose to do."

A Zhu clasped his hands and said hurriedly, "In that case, I will take men out to coordinate with the officers. They make the arrests in front, and we receive them from behind—how about it? So long as we knock out every Golden Tiger Gang leader, the rest can become good brothers of our Golden Dragon Gang. Old Tou'er, I will take my leave first... Tonight, I will host a feast at Chunyi Tower, and we can all enjoy ourselves properly."

Gu Cangyue returned the salute with a smile. "Hall Master Li, please go ahead and attend to your business. The little brother and I will command the overall situation here and make sure not a single Golden Tiger Gang man slips away... As for tonight, didn't our informant report that the White Emperor Sect had brought in a shipment of contraband salt from the south, intending to pass it through Suzhou Prefecture and sell it in the north? We can drink and make merry while intercepting that shipment. What do you say?" Gu Cangyue was now immensely pleased with himself. With his strength restored, he dared do many things he had not dared before, such as dealing with the White Emperor Sect's forces in Suzhou Prefecture. He had his own little abacus. He would put on a fine performance in Suzhou Prefecture, and perhaps climb another rung higher afterward. As for the White Emperor Sect, its sphere of influence lay in Sichuan. Suzhou Prefecture was not within its territory, so there was nothing to fear.

A Zhu laughed triumphantly. "Good, then I will arrange everything... Heh heh, who would have thought that at the very end, the Golden Tiger Gang would send us such a grand gift? Ha! Let this shipment of contraband salt serve as a lucky prize. Shall we split it evenly?" Seeing Gu Cangyue nod, A Zhu chuckled and led several capable Golden Dragon Gang thugs down from the gate tower behind the constable.

Gu Cangyue rubbed his palms smugly, his heart filled with delight. His strength had recovered and grown significantly, while that evening's contraband salt would bring him at least ten thousand taels of silver. How could he not be pleased? His whole body felt as though it might float away. Unknowingly, his gratitude toward Li Feng had reached its peak. It seemed that only because Li Feng had appeared could such wonderful things happen. Everything was too wonderful... Hmph. Once he had dealt with the White Emperor Sect people, he would drive away that disobedient Earth Fiend Star under his command and ask the fortress to send reinforcements—experts not listed among the Heavenly Spirits or Earth Fiends. Then Suzhou Prefecture would truly become Lord Gu's vault of gold and granary of silver.

Li Feng looked at Gu Cangyue and suddenly began to chuckle. Seeing how happily Li Feng laughed, Gu Cangyue could not help chuckling as well. The two slapped palms and clasped hands tightly.

Within Suzhou Prefecture, the yamen runners, guided by Golden Dragon Gang ruffians, kicked open door after door. They rushed inside and gave the burly men hiding within a savage beating, then casually looped iron chains around their necks and dragged them toward Suzhou Prefecture's great prison. Meanwhile, the garrison soldiers surrounded three remote courtyards with their fine weapons and arrested the men living inside, men who had always acted secretively and worn vicious faces.

After a busy afternoon, the Golden Tiger Gang was completely wiped out and thrown into prison. A Zhu led the Golden Dragon Gang men in after them, waving silver ingots as he began recruiting with the yamen runners. "One word: I, Li Feng, never speak lies. Join our Golden Dragon Gang, burn incense before Second Lord Guan, and drink the blood wine, and you become Golden Dragon Gang brothers. We share blessings and hardships alike. Those who agree are good brothers. Come out with us now, and you can immediately receive ten taels of silver as settling money. What do you say?"

With a scream, the Golden Tiger Gang's chief leader was dragged in by several yamen runners. His face was unrecognizable, and the tendons in his hands and feet had been cut. They tied him to a pillar in the cell, and several burly Golden Dragon Gang men immediately rushed up and beat and kicked him, cursing, "Weren't you arrogant every day? Didn't you often beat our brothers? Why have you got nothing to say today?"

A yamen runner pried open the chief leader's mouth with a vicious grin. His tongue had already been burned black as charcoal by a branding iron...

The first Golden Tiger Gang ruffian cried out, "Lord Li, I—I'll join your Golden Dragon Gang... Damn it, would we be idiots to refuse good fortune? Fuck, I've long been sick of those three bastards. The brothers worked their backs off to earn a bite to eat, while they took sixty percent of the profits to pay tribute to those White Emperor Sect bastards. Now that the brothers are in trouble, where are those so-called invincible White Emperor Sect experts? Last time, I merely spat carelessly, and the phlegm landed five chi away from Chen Long. I got a savage beating for that!"

A Zhu tossed over two silver ingots. "You are the first. Fifty taels for you. Good brother, come out. Once we set up the incense table and drink the blood wine, you will be one of us."

With one man taking the lead, more than a dozen ruffians immediately followed him out, cursing foully, "Damn it, we knew long ago there was no future in following you bastard dogs. Every day, you worshiped that pack of Sichuan brats from the White Emperor Sect as though they were in heaven, but now not one of them can be seen. Damn it, I'll join your ancestors' boards too."

Watching the Golden Tiger Gang ruffians emerge one after another, A Zhu's lips curled into a smile. This way, the men in his own hall would outnumber the combined members of the other three halls by more than double. With Li Feng and Gu Cangyue helping him as well, the position of Golden Dragon Gang leader was as certain as ten thousand nails driven into a board.

In the gate tower, Li Feng and Gu Cangyue sat facing one another, each holding a teacup and savoring fine Tieguanyin tea. Li Feng sighed and said, "Lord Gu, since you do not disdain me, from now on I will address you as Elder Brother."

Gu Cangyue hurriedly replied, "Too polite, too polite. A youthful hero such as Brother Li—I have been eager to know you. I will accept this 'Elder Brother' from you."

Li Feng smiled, raised his teacup in a distant toast, drained it in one gulp, and bared his teeth. "Well, it only tastes like this. It is not as good as the mountain tea in the hills. Elder Brother Gu, when I return to the mountains someday, I'll plunder a few jin of the finest mountain tea for you to try... Now that the Golden Tiger Gang has fallen, Suzhou Prefecture's lawful side belongs to you, Elder Brother Gu. As for the underworld, the Golden Dragon Gang will stand alone. If we join hands, we can feast on both black and white paths, with wealth rolling in like waves. How many southern frontier pearls and overseas spices pass out through Suzhou Prefecture every year? Heh heh, it would not be excessive for us to rake in a million taels of silver for ourselves each year, would it?"

Gu Cangyue too envisioned that splendid prospect, and he smiled broadly. "Indeed. So long as we brothers join hands and hold Suzhou Prefecture's ground firmly in our palms, wealth will flow like water. Take this contraband salt, for instance. As far as I know, nearly a million jin passes through Suzhou Prefecture's borders into the north every year. Heh heh, why not do this business ourselves instead of letting others profit from it?"

Li Feng gave a sly grin. "Naturally. So long as the supply is organized and Elder Brother clears the connections, nothing will stand in our way... Didn't Cangfeng Fortress send Elder Brother to oversee Suzhou precisely because it wanted money? So long as Elder Brother hands over another hundred thousand taels or so each year, that will be a heaven-sized merit. In the future, when this little brother makes his way through the martial world, I will have to rely on Elder Brother's support."

Gu Cangyue waved his left hand and declared loudly, "No problem. With your martial arts, brother, you can go anywhere under heaven. Your True Essence is abundant; you merely lack a little tempering. Put in some effort, and you could easily knock down even first-rate martial artists. What one fears in the martial world is having no power and no connections. Now that the Golden Dragon Gang has annexed the Golden Tiger Gang, you are surely set to become deputy gang leader, aren't you? With Cangfeng Fortress backing you as well, all we need is to take down a few famous martial-world figures. Wouldn't your reputation come at once?"

Gu Cangyue sneered. "That is how the martial world works. You have to step on other people's heads to climb upward... Fine, your elder brother has a good idea." Gu Cangyue said excitedly, "The Golden Tiger Gang sheltered a group of river-and-lake bandits. Two among them are experts with names in the martial world. We'll start with them. Later, we'll go to the garrison to demand the prisoners and kill them outright. Then we'll say you took them down alone. I'll spread the word for you, and your name will rise."

Li Feng smiled darkly. "Then from now on, bandits passing through Suzhou Prefecture will have to be careful?"

Gu Cangyue took everything upon himself. "Leave it all to your elder brother. I guarantee that every one who comes will fall. Those lone wandering ghosts have no one to pity them when they die. Their reputations can serve perfectly to set off yours... A fine place like Suzhou Prefecture ought to have a heroic champion sitting in command. Heh heh, once your name becomes great, perhaps nearby martial-world gangs will voluntarily bring us their benefits."

Li Feng nodded repeatedly, shaking his leg as he kept saying how good it was. Gu Cangyue said with a dark chuckle, "Your elder brother is from Cangfeng Fortress and also the chief constable, so I must observe the court's rules to some degree. Too much fame would not be good for me. But you need not worry, brother. What you need is fame, isn't it? ... Looking at your bearing, you are not someone willing to muddle about in a gang forever. When the time comes, I will have Elder Brother Ouyang recommend you for the military examinations. Winning official rank will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

Li Feng's heart stirred, and he immediately clapped his hands. "Official rank? That is a marvelous thing. What does a man seek in this world if not official rank, and then a heap of beautiful women? What else is there? Hahahaha..."

Gu Cangyue laughed as well. He began calculating what benefits he might gain if Li Feng could rise to a respectable position within the imperial court. Cangfeng Fortress recruited every expert it could draw in. A young man with Li Feng's skills possessed enormous potential. If he could make Li Feng part of Cangfeng Fortress's power, that too would count as a great merit.

Amid laughter, the Golden Tiger Gang vanished in smoke and ashes. In less than a day, the Golden Tiger Gang, which yesterday had stood on equal footing with the Golden Dragon Gang, was completely swallowed by A Zhu. The White Emperor Sect experts hid in panic; when they might return in force remained unknown. This time, Li Feng and the others won easily—far too easily... Apart from three garrison soldiers dying while arresting those river-and-lake bandits, not much more blood was spilled anywhere else.