Yin Tong Cult

As evening approached, Zhao Han raced back to the Mine with the wild wolf's carcass.

Without even stopping to eat, he went into Liu Gang's tent to report in.

"This is all you managed to hunt in a whole day?"

Liu Gang looked displeased. Hadn't he told him not to bring back a wild wolf? Was this kid Zhao deaf, or just too stupid to understand?

If Zhao Han hadn't just advanced to the Skin Refining Realm, Liu Gang would have made trouble for him.

"Alas, I'm just not as capable as the others. Three men from Blood Snake Hall were stronger than me, so they took over the hunting grounds and drove me away, not letting me hunt." Zhao Han's voice grew choked with tears as he spoke, his expression aggrieved.

He pinned the whole thing on the three dead men.

"What! Those three from Blood Snake Hall were that lawless? This is a Mine belonging to Poison Dragon Hall. How dare they?"

Liu Gang's expression changed. He suddenly realized Blood Snake Hall's visit to the Mine might have had an ulterior motive.

Usually, when they sent support, they only dispatched a few men. Why had they sent an entire hall this time, even bringing their Hall Master along?

With two halls at the same Mine, who would call the shots? Who would be in charge?

Obviously, Main Sect had sent Blood Snake Hall to investigate Poison Dragon Hall.

As a leader, Liu Gang wasn't as favored by Li Dalong as Wang Hu was, but he knew a few things about Li Dalong's dealings.

The mine slaves had vanished out of thin air because of Li Dalong. He had been selling them to a sinister cult called Yin Tong Cult for profit.

Liu Gang had received hush money too. That was how he found out, but he hadn't blabbed.

Main Sect might have noticed something, which was why they had sent Blood Snake Hall to investigate.

"Since there was a reason for what happened, I'll let you off for now. Go eat, then get some rest."

"Yes!"

Zhao Han left and went straight to eat, while Liu Gang hurried to Li Dalong's tent to report what had happened.

A little while later, Li Dalong, Liu Gang, Wang Hu, Wang Bao, Wang Hong, and her subordinates came to the large bunk where Zhao Han was staying.

"Zhao Han, did you run into three snake-catching men under Hall Master Wang?" Li Dalong asked sternly, his face dark.

"Yes, I saw them this morning. They, they drove me away and told me not to hunt because it would interfere with their snake-catching. Because of that, I only managed to kill one wild wolf today." Zhao Han looked "dumbfounded" and replied with a shudder.

He knew the three men hadn't come back, and now the others had come to question him.

Li Dalong thought it over. "So they were still in the woods this morning, but now none of them have returned."

"Could the Black Wolf Gang have done it?" Wang Hu said. "After all, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu both died at the hands of Black Wolf Fist."

"Very likely!"

Everyone speculated, but none of them suspected Zhao Han.

Li Dalong and Wang Hu, in particular, had even less reason to suspect him.

They all knew Blood Snake Hall had come to cause trouble for Poison Dragon Hall.

The three men's disappearance might have been deliberate, just an excuse to cause trouble for Poison Dragon Hall.

Wang Hong knew she wouldn't get anything out of questioning him. Once she had finished asking around, she immediately sent her subordinates to search for the men.

"Hmph. So they want to use this lame excuse to search my turf? Do they really think I, Li Dalong, am a fool?"

Li Dalong watched everything with a cold sneer.

Wang Hong, you're putting on quite a show. But I've seen right through you. The saying that long hair means short wits wasn't made up for nothing.

Wang Hong was anxious too. She had only come to gauge Li Dalong's strength. She hadn't told the three snake-catching men to fake their disappearance so she'd have an excuse to investigate.

Something might really have happened to them.

They searched through the night. To Li Dalong's surprise, they really did find three corpses.

Just like Zhang Long and Zhao Hu before them, they seemed to have been killed by the same person, who had again used Black Wolf Fist.

"The Black Wolf Gang has gone too far! Do they think no one in Poisonous Snake Gang can fight?"

"They hide in the woods to the east all day, ambushing our people. This is outrageous!"

"I'll lead men to sweep the eastern woods tomorrow and show them what Poisonous Snake Gang can do."

Inside the tent, everyone cursed furiously.

"Hall Master Wang, I have a clever plan to lure the snake from its hole and wipe out all those Black Wolf Gang cowards hiding in the shadows," Li Dalong suddenly said with a grin, his eyes turning.

Wang Hong leaned in to listen. "Oh? What's the plan?"

"We just disguise ourselves as ordinary members and enter the eastern woods. The Black Wolf Gang will surely come out and ambush us."

"They won't know that you and I are the ones in disguise. Then..."

Li Dalong's meaning couldn't have been clearer.

"Clever plan. I didn't realize Hall Master Li was so crafty," Wang Hong said with a smile, though she remained on guard.

Most likely, Li Dalong had sent someone to kill her three men, to intimidate Blood Snake Hall and pin the blame on the Black Wolf Gang.

This plan to lure the snake from its hole was really meant to draw her, Wang Hong, the Blood Snake, into the woods and kill her, then pin the blame on the Black Wolf Gang.

Did he really think my hair had grown long for nothing? Li Dalong, I've seen right through your little scheme.

Wang Hong was deeply wary of Li Dalong now.

The mysterious disappearance of the mine slaves had to be Li Dalong's doing.

Mine slaves might not be worth much, but their labor was valuable, and capturing them took plenty of manpower and resources.

Losing mine slaves over and over was no small matter.

"So Hall Master Wang agrees?" Li Dalong asked with a genial smile.

"Mm. We'll follow Hall Master Li's plan," Wang Hong said with a smile. The corners of her mouth rose together, making her snake-like chin seem even sharper.

Back in her tent, Wang Hong spoke to her subordinate twin brothers, Xu Kun and Xu Cai:

"Xu Kun, Xu Cai, go send a message by carrier pigeon and report what's happening here to Main Sect. I expect Li Dalong to make a move against me tomorrow. You two take men and stay hidden. I'm going to catch him red-handed."

"Yes, understood!"

The two exchanged a glance, then immediately clasped their fists and accepted the order.

After leaving the tent, they secretly made their way to Li Dalong's tent, to Wang Hong's surprise.

Wang Hu and Wang Bao were there too.

"Incense Master..." The moment the two entered, they spilled everything about Wang Hong.

"Heh heh heh. Wang Hong never imagined that the two trusted leaders at her side were both members of the Holy Cult, just like me," Li Dalong said with a sinister laugh.

They were all members of Yin Tong Cult. Li Dalong was at the Muscle Refining Realm, and held the higher rank of Incense Master.

Xu Kun, Xu Cai, Wang Hu, and Wang Bao were all cult members.

"Write the message by carrier pigeon like this..."

"Everything is normal with Hall Master Li. Spies from the Black Wolf Gang secretly abducted the mine slaves, and Hall Master Li is afraid of being punished, so he doesn't dare speak up."

"Also, the Black Wolf Gang has laid an ambush for Poison Dragon Hall. Tomorrow, I'll search for their hidden men together with Hall Master Li."

The two wrote the message, sent it off by carrier pigeon, and made an agreement with Li Dalong.

Zhao Han knew nothing about their schemes, much less that the Poisonous Snake Gang was riddled with factions. He was just a lowly gang member, and all he had to do was eat his fill and sleep soundly.

The next day, the members were told not to go to the woods in the east anymore. Whether they wanted to gather firewood, practice martial arts, or hunt beasts, they could only go west.

The main road lay to the north.

The Mine Tunnel lay to the south, with nothing but rocky outcrops above it.

The woods to the west had fewer resources than those to the east.

Zhao Han wasn't worried. For now, he just needed to take things one step at a time. East or west made no difference to him.

But trouble arose in the east around noon.

"Xu Kun, Xu Cai, I—I treated you both well. How could you...? Sob..."

Wang Hong lay on the ground, pale-faced and struggling to move.

A knife had been stabbed into each of her flanks, and she had also taken a heavy punch to the back.

She hadn't expected that after secretly arranging for Xu Kun and Xu Cai to protect her with elite gang members, only the two of them would be there—and that they would stab her in the back.