Two Gangs Retreat

The Strange Owls cawed and screeched, flying high above. They followed for a while until Du En left the range of their nests, at which point they immediately turned back and left, not truly swarming him.

After all, they were just a flock of scavengers, not fierce predators.

Du En withdrew his gaze from them, weighing the Strange Owl he had just caught in his hand.

This wasn't like the previous ones that had thrown themselves into his trap or could be easily lured by feigning death; this was a strong individual from the flock.

Now that he had truly caught it, he could confirm that this Great Owl was almost a Demonic Beast. Its size was similar to the weaker individuals, but it weighed over twenty catties, a full double the weight!

"It's not that strange, really. After all, they eat the remnants of Qi Refining Stage cultivators all day long."

This was also the reason why Wei Ming and the others unconsciously resisted eating them.

"In this situation, there's no room to be picky. It's better to consider it the final contribution of the deceased to the living..."

With that thought, Du En quickly walked back.

The medicinal soup and porridge simmering in the two clay pots still needed some time.

He simply wrapped his clothes around himself and went to boil water to prepare the Great Owl.

Once he had finished preparing it and thrown it into the water with the medicinal herbs to simmer, the porridge and medicine were also ready.

He consumed them directly, filling his empty stomach, and then circulated his energy to accelerate the absorption of the food's efficacy and the medicine's effects.

The color returned to his face at a visible rate.

After circulating his energy for two major cycles, his stomach and intestines were empty.

He opened his eyes and waited for the Three Talents Stewed Owl to finish cooking, which took some time.

A richer aroma mingled with the inherent sour, foul smell of the Strange Owl.

Du En scooped up a mouthful of soup and drank it.

"Hmm, it's only slightly better than regular stewed owl. Still tastes bad."

However, the nutritional efficacy was indeed abundant. While the previous stewed owl had barely reached the entry-level, this pot of stewed Great Owl was a solid First-tier Low Grade Spirit Cuisine!

This level of efficacy was enough to support his current cultivation needs!

Du En ate the Spirit Cuisine and began to cultivate diligently.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the shack area.

In a relatively spacious clearing that had been intentionally left open, the leaders of the Blood Eagle Iron Hands' two gangs, each leading a group of Hall Masters, gathered.

Compared to the previous hostility, and the fierce battle of last night, they were now exceptionally polite and warm towards each other.

"Ah, elder brother, you are too kind. You arrived before us younger brothers. What a sin, what a sin!"

"Hey, younger brother, no need to be like that. As an elder brother, arriving a little earlier is no big deal!"

The two sides were harmonious, exchanging pleasantries, everyone wearing smiles, forcing sincerity into their expressions.

Last night, they had gone to the Elegant Courtyard to beg for forgiveness and barely managed to keep their lives. For now, they naturally wouldn't dare to cause any more conflict and would put on a show of harmony.

This was the first reason.

And there was a second!

"Elder brother, did you also encounter those scoundrels from the Green Robe Gang?"

"Oh? You too, younger brother?"

The two gang leaders looked at each other, confirming the situation.

It really was the Green Robe Gang!

Those despicable villains, seeing that they were now disliked by the stewards and had suffered heavy losses in the recent battle, immediately began to expand their territory.

Of course, because they still had to consider the stewards, this expansion was not blatant, nor was it rapid. This gave the two gangs the opportunity to react and gather to negotiate.

They looked at each other again, their thoughts clear.

"Hmph! It's one thing for them to take advantage of our misfortune, but to dare to go after younger brother's territory? This is outrageous!"

"Dare to provoke elder brother's tiger whiskers? This younger brother certainly cannot forgive those green-hatted scoundrels!"

With these grand pronouncements, the two shook hands and made peace.

Hunker down, protect assets, and resist the Green Robe Gang together!

This was their unspoken strategy.

Although the core members of the two gangs were intact, and if they truly joined forces, they could fight back against the Green Robe Gang, they were currently trying to keep a low profile. How could they dare to cause more trouble?

Therefore, this was the optimal solution.

They would settle the score after the storm passed!

It wasn't just the Green Robe Gang they were secretly resentful of, but another gang besides them.

In short.

When Du En went out to gather information on the second day, he did indeed notice the actual change in atmosphere. He was quite satisfied with the two gangs' current low-profile behavior.

This way, the pressure from the Bully Gang had eased considerably.

Although it hadn't been officially resolved, valuable time had been bought.

When they returned to the small courtyard, the others were still asleep, like dead pigs.

Du En had to break down the door and wake them up one by one.

"Haa~"

Wei Ming couldn't help but yawn. After a simple wash and change of clothes, he looked at Du En, whose complexion was ruddy and who exuded vitality, while the others were all listless and sickly. He couldn't help but complain, "Boss, why is it that the injured person, you, seems to be in the best condition?"

"Because I eat more and train more."

Du En's answer was simple and honest.

Wei Ming, however, just felt it was a brush-off, and the others didn't take it to heart either.

Regardless, the work that needed to be done still had to be done.

The group walked in dejectedly, facing the sun.

As soon as they stepped out, they were blocked.

It was people from the Blood Eagle Gang!

Looking at Liu Qixiang, who was only in his early twenties, he appeared somewhat solemn and nervous. Facing the six of them, he couldn't help but puff out his chest, adjusting the blood eagle emblem on his clothes, but he seemed to lack confidence and subconsciously swallowed.

"What's the matter?"

Du En spoke first, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Cough, well, it's about the protection fees."

Liu Qixiang stammered and hesitated.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Du En and the others, but he was in a difficult position.

These protection fees absolutely had to be collected; the Blood Eagle Gang needed to recover quickly. However, Hall Master Zhang Lin had specifically instructed them to keep a low profile during this period and absolutely not to make a big scene when doing things, or he would kill them himself!

This made the gang members responsible for the actual implementation feel overwhelmed, but they could only grit their teeth and go ahead.

The lack of confidence led to a change in the situation.

At this moment, others living nearby, who belonged to the same protection fee collection area, noticed the situation and stopped to watch.

Clearly, they were watching with anticipation.

If Du En and the other six tough guys chose to refuse payment, they would use this as a starting point to try and pay less or not at all. If they encountered trouble, they would push the blame onto Du En and the others.

If they have the guts, let them pay first, and then come find us!

It's not that we don't want to pay, it's that they started it!

It's all those damned Corpse Buriers, go blame them if you want to blame someone!

Du En glanced around and knew what these neighbors, who would usually give them scornful looks, were thinking now.

So, he nodded directly and asked, "How much are you collecting this time?"

"Not much, it's per person, one piece each."

"Alright, here you go."

Du En didn't hesitate at all. He took out the Spirit Stones he had prepared earlier and threw them directly to the other party.

Now was not the time to cause trouble, nor could he be used as a pawn for nothing.

Anyway, they had enough Spirit Stones; it was only six pieces, and even the other Corpse Buriers didn't pay much attention. They glanced over and followed Du En, passing Liu Qixiang, and headed towards the barren land where they buried bodies.

Huh?

They're collecting it just like that?

Liu Qixiang caught the Spirit Stones, clearly stunned.

Weren't the Corpse Buriers supposed to be very tough now?

The Hall Master even mentioned them specifically, so what's going on?

As he thought about it, he quickly recalled what Zhang Lin had said next.

"That kid just got into trouble with the steward over wages and was injured. He shouldn't be holding out anymore. Anyway, I'm counting on you, go collect it quickly!"

Liu Qixiang couldn't help but nod in his heart, thinking that he had underestimated the Hall Master's ruthlessness. As soon as he heard about a tough job, his attention wavered.

Then, having dealt with the troublesome ones, he gained confidence and looked around at the others in the area.

Those who had been observing were now completely dumbfounded.

No, you bastards, why did you back down this time?!