Han Zheng stood at the street corner, watching the two groups fight among themselves.
It had to be said that the Three Harmonies Gang's members were quite formidable.
Many had reached the Early Acquired Stage, and they possessed abundant real combat experience. They were not comparable to those Martial Arts Academy disciples who had never gone through life-and-death battles.
Still, these men knew their limits. No one used weapons, and no one struck to kill.
This was, after all, merely an internal gang dispute. Bloodshed was acceptable, but there was no need for anyone to die.
Han Zheng frowned slightly.
This was not the outcome he wanted. He needed to add fuel to the fire.
Han Zheng casually rubbed his hands against the corner of a wall twice, smearing his face until it was filthy, then silently blended into the melee.
Dozens of people were engaged in a chaotic brawl. Though neither side had gone completely bloodshot with rage, the fighting was still ferocious, and no one noticed that an extra person had joined the battle.
At the moment, Deng Bao's side was at a disadvantage.
Cao Bin doted on his son, and the men he had assigned to Cao Rui were all elite among elites, far stronger than Deng Bao's gang members.
Deng Bao and his men were beaten back step by step, with some already injured.
Wang Tie Zhu was one of Deng Bao's most capable underlings. Relying on his sturdy build and great strength, he charged at the front, only to be surrounded and beaten by several opponents.
"Damn it, you bastards have no honor! If you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one!"
The other side sneered and kicked him straight to the ground, then viciously stomped down toward his leg!
So what if they were all from the Three Harmonies Gang? They served the First Gang Leader, not Gao Kaiyuan.
Just as he was about to be crippled, a figure suddenly appeared and sent the man flying with a kick.
Still shaken, Wang Tie Zhu wiped away a cold sweat and gratefully said to the man, "Thanks, brother."
At the same time, he could not help feeling puzzled. Which brother was this again? Why could he not quite remember him?
Yet the brother who had saved him did not even turn his head. He merely cursed under his breath, "That Cao bastard disregards the brotherhood of our own gang and is actually striking to kill. Why the hell are we still holding back? Fuck them up!"
Wang Tie Zhu had nearly been beaten into a cripple just moments ago. At those words, his eyes immediately turned red.
A bottom-tier gang like the Three Harmonies Gang was brutally cruel.
If you could fight and kill, you could rise through the ranks. If you became crippled and useless, you would be kicked aside without a second thought.
If he became crippled, his whole life would be ruined!
With that thought, Wang Tie Zhu let out a howl and charged forward.
The man beside him followed closely at Wang Tie Zhu's side, but did not take the initiative to attack.
However, whenever someone attacked Wang Tie Zhu, he blocked them, allowing Wang Tie Zhu to severely injure them.
Thus, at first glance, it seemed as though Wang Tie Zhu had suddenly displayed divine might, leading his underlings all the way to Cao Rui.
"Brother Zhu is mighty!"
"Brother Zhu is badass!"
Seeing Wang Tie Zhu's heroic ferocity, Deng Bao's gang members all shouted loudly in encouragement.
"Stop them!"
Seeing that things were going badly, Cao Rui hurriedly ordered the two gang members serving as his personal guards to rush forward.
But Han Zheng reached out and crushed one man's fist in a grip, while Wang Tie Zhu rushed in and knocked the two men down with a punch each.
"Fantastic!"
Wang Tie Zhu had gone bloodshot with rage as well. He no longer cared whether the man before him was the First Gang Leader's son and charged forward anyway.
"You're courting death!"
A cold gleam appeared in Cao Rui's eyes.
Gao Kaiyuan's men truly did not take him seriously. They actually dared to attack him.
A jeweled green dagger slid into Cao Rui's hand.
His body swayed left and right like a spirit snake. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Wang Tie Zhu, the dagger darting toward Wang Tie Zhu's heart like a spirit snake flicking out its tongue.
Cao Rui's Eight Snake Strikes had been personally taught by Cao Bin, and possessed far more of its true essence than the version Song Tianqing used.
Moreover, the weapon paired with Eight Snake Strikes was the dagger. Its moves were almost all vicious, deadly killing techniques.
Other gang members feared causing a death, but Cao Rui did not.
Forget killing a mere gang member—even if he killed Deng Bao, could Gao Kaiyuan make him pay with his life?
At the instant the dagger thrust out, Wang Tie Zhu's cultivation made it impossible for him to react.
He did not even see the dagger. He was only astonished at why Cao Rui was so fast, arriving before him in an instant.
Han Zheng's arm stretched out abruptly like a white ape reaching for peaches, extending a great deal farther as he accurately clamped down on Cao Rui's wrist.
That enormous force instantly stopped the dagger from advancing even half an inch, as though it were a snake seized by its vital seven-inch point.
"Xiantian..."
Cao Rui's expression changed at once.
That hand gripped him like an iron hoop, holding him so tightly that he could not struggle even a fraction. This was definitely an existence in the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm!
Before Cao Rui could cry out, Han Zheng twisted his hand and directly snapped Cao Rui's wrist.
Han Zheng instantly seized the dagger and stuffed it into Wang Tie Zhu's hand, then tugged Cao Rui's body forward, making him crash into Wang Tie Zhu.
Accompanied by a miserable scream, Cao Rui's body went limp and collapsed.
The dagger had pierced his chest, and blood splashed all over Wang Tie Zhu.
Wang Tie Zhu looked around blankly. Everyone was staring at him with terrified eyes.
At that moment, Wang Tie Zhu had only one thought.
Where was that brother who had just been fighting at his back, cutting down enemies in every direction alongside him?
Why was he the only one left?
Han Zheng silently withdrew from the battle and took a crude wooden mask from his robes.
The mask was painted with the face of a monkey in oil paint, baring its fangs and grinning, looking somewhat comical.
Since this year was the Year of the Monkey, many vendors in Black Stone County had sold such Monkey Face Masks during the New Year. They were extremely common.
After putting on the mask, Han Zheng checked the time and slipped into the residence of the Third Gang Leader, Jiang Tai.
Jiang Tai enjoyed pleasure, so he often did not stay at the gang hall.
In any case, he held little real authority at the hall. He might as well return to his own residence and live in ease and pleasure.
Today was no exception. Jiang Tai let out a wine-soaked burp and was about to return to his study to drink tea and sober up. The instant he pushed open the door, his expression changed drastically.
At some unknown time, a strange man wearing a Monkey Face Mask had seated himself in his study, inspecting him with that seemingly comical face.
"You dare sneak into my residence? You've got quite the nerve!"
Jiang Tai's blood and qi surged throughout his body, power boiling in both palms as a scorching aura spread out.
"Gang Leader Jiang, please calm yourself. I bear you no ill will. Otherwise, I would not have waited here for you openly.
I came to grant you wealth and honor. I came to help you."
Han Zheng deliberately lowered his voice, and paired with that Monkey Face Mask, he appeared even stranger.
Jiang Tai frowned slightly, but he shut the study door and said coldly, "Hiding your face and speaking in riddles, yet you claim you want to help me? Ridiculous! Who exactly are you?"
He could sense that the man before him was definitely in the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm as well.
Yet there were not many martial artists in Black Stone County who had reached the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm. He had seen and recognized nearly all of them, but none had a build that matched the person before him.
Han Zheng shook his head. "Who I am is not important. What matters is that my information can bring benefits to Gang Leader Jiang.
Today, outside Shenghe Hall, Cao Rui, the son of the Three Harmonies Gang's First Gang Leader Cao Bin, clashed with Deng Bao, the trusted subordinate of Second Gang Leader Gao Kaiyuan, and died at the hands of one of Deng Bao's gang members."
"Impossible! How could Second Brother's men dare kill Eldest Brother's son? They're seeking death!"
Han Zheng smiled. "Nothing is impossible in this world. Both sides had gone bloodshot with rage. Anyone could have died.
Of course, that is not the crucial point. The crucial point is that Cao Bin's only son is dead.
What has he been openly and covertly fighting Gao Kaiyuan over all these years for? Was it not all for his son?
Now that his son is gone, how could he possibly not fly into a rage?
Therefore, Cao Bin and Gao Kaiyuan are bound to fight. This is your opportunity, Gang Leader Jiang.
When two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. The Three Harmonies Gang does not need so many gang leaders. One is enough."
Jiang Tai's heart skipped a beat, and he said coldly, "You are trying to drive a wedge between me and my eldest and second brothers!
Would the Three Harmonies Gang still be called the Three Harmonies Gang with only one gang leader?"
Han Zheng burst into laughter. "Of course the Three Harmonies Gang with only one gang leader would no longer be called the Three Harmonies Gang, but it would become your gang alone, Gang Leader Jiang.
All these years, Cao Bin and Gao Kaiyuan have fought for power and profit. One wanted to take the position himself, while the other wanted to push his son into it. When have they ever considered you?
Gang Leader Jiang, you were once one of Black Stone County's outstanding young talents, yet you have been suppressed for so many years. Every day, you can only eat, drink, play, and muddle through life. Are you willing to accept that?
In any event, the opportunity lies before you. Whether you can seize it depends on yourself.
Cao Bin is old, and his blood and qi are declining. In a direct confrontation, he is no match for Gao Kaiyuan.
So long as you stand on Cao Bin's side, Gao Kaiyuan will certainly lose. Once Gao Kaiyuan is dealt with, kill Cao Bin as well, and the Three Harmonies Gang will belong to you, Jiang Tai, alone!
The road lies before you. How you walk it is for you to decide, Gang Leader Jiang."
After a moment of silence, Jiang Tai stared at Han Zheng. "Who exactly are you? What benefit do you gain by provoking me into attacking Eldest Brother and Second Brother?"
Han Zheng shook his head. "I gain nothing. It is only that I have a grudge against Gao Kaiyuan, but I cannot act against him openly. Otherwise, I would become an enemy of the entire Three Harmonies Gang.
Gang Leader Jiang, there is no need for you to doubt me. Though our goals differ, the result we desire is the same.
I only want Gao Kaiyuan dead. As for what becomes of the Three Harmonies Gang in the end, I do not care.
Cao Bin should have received the news by now. Time waits for no one, Gang Leader Jiang."
After saying that, Han Zheng leaped up and jumped directly out through the study window.
He believed Jiang Tai would definitely make a move.
Although Jiang Tai had always seemed harmless on the surface and had never involved himself in the conflict between Gao Kaiyuan and Cao Bin.
That was only because he had lacked the opportunity and the strength.
When the Three Harmonies Gang's three leaders stood together, they prospered; when divided, they fell.
From the day they developed selfish desires and wanted to claim the Three Harmonies Gang for themselves, internal strife and bloody conflict had been inevitable.
Han Zheng had merely brought that process forward.