The Wind Rises

Jiang Liu made his way to the dining hall, hearing a lot of gang members gossiping along the way.

They were saying that the Scattered Eagle Hall's leader was only good at infighting, a pushover when facing outsiders, obsequious to them, yet arrogant towards his own gang members, and some even said he was selling out the gang's interests.

A branch leader being talked about like this... doesn't the Wind Hall of the main branch care? Or is this branch leader so unpopular that even ordinary gang members can't stand him? Jiang Liu wondered.

In the main hall of the Fallen Blossom Gang, a middle-aged man with a commanding presence sat on the chair in the middle of the hall, representing the gang leader's position, his brow slightly furrowed, his fingers gently tapping the armrest as he pondered.

At this moment, a man dressed entirely in black, wearing light black training shoes, his face covered with a black mask, revealing only his eyes, and his hair tied back with a black cloth band, making it impossible to tell his age, walked into the hall. He cupped his fist in salute to Qian Luoying and said, "Gang Leader, you summoned me?"

"Shadow! Do you know where the rumors targeting Zheng Lang originated?" Qian Luoying asked Shadow.

Shadow, the leader of the Shadow Eagle Hall of the Fallen Blossom Gang, was in charge of the entire Fallen Blossom Gang's intelligence! He was also a suspected Fifth-Rank expert. No one but the gang leader knew his true identity and name; he was always known by his code name. He was also the person Qian Luoying trusted the most in the entire Fallen Blossom Gang.

Shadow cupped his fist in salute to Qian Luoying and said, "Gang Leader, after investigation, the rumors originated from the Punishment Hall. But after a thorough investigation, it seems they were first spread by the Hunting Eagle Hall through the Punishment Hall!"

"Hunting Eagle Hall? Lin Hao? What does he want to do? Is he simply trying to undermine Zheng Lang?" Qian Luoying asked, puzzled.

"From what I can see, it's indeed just targeting Zheng Lang. However, a minor incident occurred in the Hunting Eagle Hall before, which should be related to this!" Shadow continued.

"Oh? What happened?" Qian Luoying asked with slight interest.

"Last year, the Hunting Eagle Hall seized Fu Rong Street from the Vast Ocean Gang. It was originally stable, but suddenly several casinos experienced a lot of cheating. According to my informant, it was the Scattered Eagle Hall who did it!"

"Oh! So, these rumors are Lin Hao's revenge on Zheng Lang?"

"That should be the case!"

"But why did Zheng Lang cause trouble in Lin Hao's casinos?"

"It seems he was dissatisfied with the Hunting Eagle Hall monopolizing Fu Rong Street! He wanted a share of the pie!"

"Dissatisfied? I said before the battle that whichever hall takes the territory gets it! Why is Zheng Lang dissatisfied?"

"Zheng Lang believes they suffered so many casualties and restrained the main force of the Vast Ocean Gang to attack Three Horses Street, but ended up with nothing. As a result, the Hunting Eagle Hall got the advantage, so he's dissatisfied!"

"I don't care what Zheng Lang thinks! But this was discussed and agreed upon by all the branches before the war, so it cannot be changed!"

"He, Zheng Lang, is arbitrarily engaging in infighting because he's not satisfied with the result. If this continues, what will become of us? This is not allowed by gang rules!"

"Although the Hunting Eagle Hall's counterattack was in response to the Scattered Eagle Hall causing trouble, it is still considered instigating internal gang strife!"

"Go and tell Lin Hao and Zheng Lang that this matter ends here, and both halls will have their supplies cut off for three days as a warning!"

"Also, immediately order the Wind Hall to control the rumors. Anyone who dares to spread them will be immediately arrested and sent to the Punishment Hall for disposal!" Qian Luoying instructed.

"Yes, Gang Leader!" Shadow finished speaking, and with a flash, his figure gradually disappeared into the hall.

Qian Luoying, watching the direction Shadow disappeared, fell into deep thought. Shadow's lightness skill has improved again.

In less than half a day, a notice appeared in each branch, sternly warning all gang members: it is forbidden to continue spreading rumors, and if violated, once discovered, they will be arrested and sent to the main hall's Punishment Hall according to gang rules.

While the main hall was prohibiting the spread of rumors, Jiang Liu had finished his meal and continued to practice the Wandering Steps in his small courtyard three times. Now Jiang Liu really wanted to see if the Wandering Steps, when practiced to perfection, would be the same as Master Ma's.

"What? Stop our supplies for three days? Why?" Lin Hai said to Master Lin with dissatisfaction.

"Don't be so disrespectful, what are you yelling at me for? This is the gang leader's decision! If you have the ability, go and reason with the gang leader!" Lin Hao said unhappily.

"I'm just upset! How dare I go to the gang leader!" Lin Hai said with an embarrassed face.

"Alright! The matter is settled! Don't say any more! Besides, it's not just us who are being punished! The Scattered Eagle Hall is the same!"

"Oh? Master Lin, what do you think the gang leader means by doing this?" Lin Hai asked, puzzled.

"What else could it mean? Maintaining balance! Although Qian Luoying's strength overwhelms us, he can't do everything himself, right? He's still thinking about taking his martial arts to the next level!"

"But he can't completely trust us! He can only pull us back and hit us! Let us develop in a balanced way, so we can wholeheartedly help him with his affairs!" Lin Hao said nonchalantly. His face was full of shrewdness, completely inconsistent with the straightforwardness he usually showed.

Lin Hai was already used to this kind of Lin Hao.