After a brief moment of shock, Cao Xiong quickly came to his senses, and he couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
To gain a talented gem like Li Xian was truly heaven's blessing upon Cao Gang!
Cao Xiong laughed heartily. "Life and death are fated; wealth and honor lie with heaven. Today's decisive battle ends here!"
Those words brought today's fight to a perfect close.
As the victor, Li Xian would naturally rise to prominence and soar to the skies.
As the loser, Zhang Yangming would become nothing more than dust in history, forgotten by everyone before long.
A once-powerful and influential figure who had dominated Yangzhou City had met such an end. It was hard not to sigh over his fate.
The news was bound to shake all of Yangzhou City.
The next day, people in the teahouses, restaurants, and eateries throughout Yangzhou City were abuzz with the news.
"Have you heard? Something major happened over at Cao Gang!"
"What happened? Tell us."
"One of Cao Gang's deputy gang leaders died."
"Hiss! Who had the gall to kill a Cao Gang deputy gang leader?"
"Didn't a hall master just die a while ago? Now a deputy gang leader's dead too. Is Cao Gang about to turn upside down?"
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't know the facts. That deputy gang leader was killed by one of his own."
"Killed by one of his own? What happened? Come on, give us the whole story."
This piqued everyone's curiosity, and they eagerly joined the lively discussion.
Amid the chatter of those in the know, the whole story of Li Xian and Zhang Yangming's feud soon came to light.
"How old is that Steward Li? Nineteen? Not even twenty?"
"He's a hall master now. He's not called Steward anymore."
"Really? He became a hall master that fast?"
"Absolutely. My brother's a Cao Gang disciple. He told me this morning that Li Xian's already a hall master. Gang Leader Cao personally gave him the token!"
"A hall master under twenty? Terrifying!"
Hearing that, everyone let out another round of astonished exclamations.
Just then, someone said thoughtfully,
"I think Li Xian was the one who killed Zhang Yangming's son, too."
The others quickly chimed in.
"That's obvious. We just don't have proof."
"You don't need proof for something like this. Everyone knows what happened."
That Li fellow was vicious. Just because they stole his credit, he killed both father and son."
"Seems like he wanted exactly this outcome. No one in Cao Gang will dare cross him now."
"To have that kind of strength and temperament at such a young age... Cao Gang's bound to have another big shot before long."
"I heard that in Cao Gang now, no one dares provoke Hall Master Li except Gang Leader Cao. Even the most senior deputy gang leaders, External Affairs Envoys, and elders take a detour when they see him."
"That's the kind of man a man should be!"
In a secluded room, two figures of unknown identities met once again.
"I never thought he'd really be able to work a miracle."
"I'm surprised by this outcome too."
"Looks like his aptitude isn't upper-middle Class A. It might even be top-tier Class A."
"That doesn't matter anymore. We should ask our superiors whether to bring him into the organization at once."
"The higher-ups want to wait a little longer."
"Still waiting? With aptitude like that?"
"The higher-ups think his aptitude is too good. A tree that towers above the forest catches the wind. If too many people set their sights on him, we might be exposed."
"That does make some sense."
"Then we'll follow the higher-ups' wishes and wait a little longer."
"Agreed!"
One person's name had made Yangzhou City so lively that, naturally, it had caught the attention of the city's upper echelons.
At the Governor's Mansion, in an elegant pavilion,
Zheng Ningji, the new Qingzhou Governor, hosted a banquet that day for Yangzhou City's prominent figures.
After several rounds of drinks, Governor Zheng smiled and asked the people below him,
"Everyone, have you heard any of the recent rumors circulating around Yangzhou City?"
Yangzhou City was enormous, and countless things happened there every day. Who knew which one you meant?
"May I ask what you're referring to, Lord Zheng?"
Zheng Ningji said, "I heard that Cao Gang recently lost a deputy gang leader."
So that was what this was about.
If you wanted to talk about that, we could certainly get going!
The officials below who knew the story began recounting, in great detail, how the Cao Gang deputy gang leader had met his end.
Zheng Ningji listened with a smile, rhythmically tapping the wooden table in front of him with one hand.
"What utter lawlessness!"
Suddenly, he bellowed.
The officials below were startled. They stopped talking and looked up, only to see Lord Zheng, the Qingzhou Governor, glaring furiously, his eyes gleaming with a fearsome light.
"In the Dagan Dynasty, in Qingzhou Prefecture, in Yangzhou City—people are being killed and injured in the middle of the street! They show such contempt for Dagan law! Cao Gang has gone too far!"
Faced with Zheng Ningji's furious outburst, the others looked at each other in dismay, unsure what to do.
Hadn't things always been this way?
Cao Gang had always acted like this in Yangzhou City. It was an accepted rule.
Could it be...
The new governor wanted to move against Cao Gang?
The moment that thought occurred to them, all the officials below shuddered.
This wasn't something to take lightly.
It could easily end in rivers of blood.
The previous governor had also considered doing something like this. But Cao Gang's influence was deeply rooted and entangled in every corner. Besides, they knew how to keep the governor happy, regularly sending him gifts at just the right time. In the end, he'd abandoned the idea and let them be.
Was this Governor Zheng going to try it too?
Everyone present was clever. At a time like this, they all kept their mouths shut and made themselves as small as turtles pulling into their shells.
Zheng Ningji continued, "Not long ago, I heard from my subordinates that Cao Gang ran rampant in Yangzhou City and showed utter contempt for the law. They even sealed off West Lake and barred outsiders from entering or leaving. At first, I didn't quite believe it. Now it seems Cao Gang is worse than the rumors say. Unless we bring this gang to heel, Yangzhou City will never know peace!"
As he spoke, he turned to the man on his left.
"Commander Yuan, what do you think?"
Commander Yuan's full name was Yuan Benyu, and he was the Demon Suppressing Division Commander of Qingzhou Prefecture.
Yangzhou City was Qingzhou's prefectural seat, where both the Governor's Mansion and the Demon Suppressing Division's headquarters were located.
In terms of rank, he was on the same level as Zheng Ningji.
From the beginning, he had watched Zheng Ningji's performance with cool detachment.
Only when Lord Zheng turned the question on him did he chuckle and say,
"Demonic Evil has been growing more active across Qingzhou Prefecture lately. I'm short on manpower, so I'm afraid I can't help you, Lord Zheng."
Zheng Ningji replied magnanimously, "That's all right. Commander Yuan, go ahead with your own duties. Leave the rest to me."
What he meant was that if Yuan Benyu wasn't going to help him, he couldn't help the other side either.
He was dead set on moving against Cao Gang!
Yangzhou City really was about to change!
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