Hooking Fish with a Straight Hook

After hearing Du Ge's words, Feng Zhong knew he had been accepted.

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Seventh Brother, what are your plans going forward? I'll cooperate fully. Should we use Qiu Yuanlang first to lure back the Iron Palm Sect's hall masters? I only need to write an announcement in Luyang City saying that Qiu Yuanlang is on the verge of death and wishes to see several hall masters one last time. Once the news reaches their ears, they'll come to verify it themselves no matter how far away they are."

This guy's Advanced Skill was way too bugged!

He was a bona fide troublemaker. Even without riding on his coattails, this guy would have an easy time growing stronger. No wonder he had said he wanted to add a few more fires for himself in Luyang City...

His weaknesses should be attack and defense. Once his ranking was exposed and people targeted him, the chances of him dying would be too high. The faster he grew, the easier it would be for him to make wedding clothes for someone else.

Getting a good grasp of Keywords in the Simulation Field really did test one's abilities...

Du Ge glanced at him and said, "Sure."

Wang San said, "Seventh Brother, you can't believe everything he says. He can lure monsters, but he can't control the size of the monsters he lures! The Iron Palm Sect's hall masters might be lured here, but we don't know how many people they'll bring, how they'll come, or when they'll arrive. The uncertainty is too high. We can't possibly guard against them day and night!"

"I can add a date to the announcement." Feng Zhong glared at Wang San and said unhappily, "Wang San, we're all on the same team. Can you stop targeting me all the time? Didn't I just prepare some black-dog blood for you? I didn't actually splash you with it. If you were someone else, they would have killed you the moment they learned your identity. Qiu Yuanlang is here, and I can't say what Han Zuo and the others will do, but Qiu Muqian and the others are Qiu Yuanlang's children. They definitely won't go far, and they won't be able to bring many reinforcements in such a short time. If you have a better suggestion, just say it. No one's stopping you..."

Wang San opened his mouth, but said nothing. He turned around and silently began tending to his severed hand. His skills focused on intimidation and explosive attacks, so he really couldn't do much when it came to the overall situation.

"We can also write an announcement saying that Qiu Yuanlang has already discovered who the Heaven Demon inside the Iron Palm Sect is." Du Ge ignored the two bickering men and planned to make full use of Feng Zhong's skill. "A tiny Feng Family has four examinees mixed in. I refuse to believe that a sect as huge as the Iron Palm Sect has not even one."

"Good idea." Feng Zhong nodded. "Right. Keep them if their Keywords are useful, and kill them if they're not. We can't let these people lurk around us. I think we can expand the scope to all of Luyang City and say that we have a list of people suspected of being Heaven Demons hiding in the city."

"Not for now." Du Ge glanced at Feng Zhong and shook his head. "If we release a list of suspects, the ones it attracts might not be examinees, but investigators from the various gangs. The real examinees don't need to come themselves. They can send someone else to make a pass through here and verify whether the matter is true. As long as they're even slightly capable, they won't expose themselves. We have to take things one step at a time and proceed carefully."

"Seventh Brother is right." Feng Zhong chuckled. "I was too impatient."

That night.

After the three of them conducted some deductions regarding what to do next, they had Wang San frighten Qiu Yuanlang. They easily seized the Iron Palm Sect's martial arts manuals, then spent the rest of the time cultivating Martial Arts.

Increasing their attributes had indeed improved their combat strength, but the Simulation Field's contestants all had ways to increase their own attributes. At a time like this, Martial Arts could determine victory or defeat.

With the same attributes, if one person practiced martial arts and the other did not, the one who had trained in martial arts would definitely win when they met.

Moreover, attributes could be countered and weakened, but learned Martial Arts could not. Even a tiny bit of strength was still strength. At a critical moment, they might be able to turn the tables through Martial Arts.

Besides, after their bodies had been improved by their attributes, they could make twice the progress with half the effort when practicing martial arts as long as they understood things like meridians and acupoints. Thus, in the Simulation Field, any contestant with even a little competitiveness would use every means available to improve their strength.

The Iron Palm Sect's two most famous martial arts were the Iron Sand Palm and the Lightness Skill known as Eight Steps Chasing Cicada, which had been obtained from the Qiao Family Holy Land.

Like the Feng Family's Shattered Gold, Broken Jade Hand, the Iron Sand Palm was also an external art. It cultivated Internal Energy from the outside in, required auxiliary methods such as plunging the hands into sand to temper them, and then used medicinal power to maintain them. Once mastered, the palms became as smooth and warm as jade yet harder than steel. The training process was extremely long and complicated, so Du Ge naturally abandoned it.

He devoted more of his energy to the Lightness Skill, Eight Steps Chasing Cicada.

Eight Steps Chasing Cicada was more than just a Lightness Skill. It also contained techniques, such as the first move, Questioning Leg. One leaped more than ten feet into the air and attacked the opponent's head with one's foot. If it missed, one attacked with the other foot. Feints and real attacks were interwoven, and the variations were complex. It could indeed increase Du Ge's combat strength.

But for Du Ge at present, the increase was limited. First, his Internal Energy was insufficient to support a leap more than ten feet high. Second, if he had enough time to jump, he could have already rushed over and stabbed his opponent full of holes.

Still, having something was better than having nothing.

As Du Ge practiced the cultivation method of Eight Steps Chasing Cicada, he was also pondering finding an Internal Energy cultivation method suitable for him. Compared with external arts and Lightness Skills, Internal Energy would obviously aid him more. Most Lightness Skills also required Internal Energy as support.

The next morning, just before dawn.

The sky had only begun to brighten. While Du Ge and the other two were still practicing, Liu Cheng, the newly appointed hall master of the Justice Hall, had already come to pay his respects.

Seeing Liu Cheng, Du Ge stopped his movements and smiled. "Hall Master Liu, you're up quite early."

Liu Cheng cupped his fists and said respectfully, "Leader, the Peacekeeping Gang has only just been established, and there are many matters to handle. I didn't dare sleep in."

"Sleeping a little longer wouldn't have hurt." Du Ge smiled. "You're different from us. Only after you've gotten enough rest can you accomplish twice as much with half the effort."

Looking at the energetic Du Ge and the others, Liu Cheng sighed inwardly at the Heaven Demon's abundant energy and smiled. "The Leader possesses the body of a Heaven Demon, so naturally I don't dare compare myself to you. But matters cannot be delayed. Sleeping a little less won't kill me."

He paused, then continued, "Leader, Qiu Muqian and Han Zuo did not return yesterday. They should have learned what happened here and gone into hiding to avoid danger or seek reinforcements. The former leader and Tong Shihong, the master of the Divine Fist School, were old friends. Tong Shihong is one of the top experts of the current age, and his Overlord Fist is so refined that it seems supernatural. His Martial Arts are who knows how much stronger than the former leader's. Leader, please make plans as soon as possible. The Iron Palm Sect's businesses outside also need to be reclaimed promptly. If we wait too long, something may change."

Yesterday, Liu Cheng had publicly recognized Feng Qi as the leader, cutting off his own retreat. For his own safety, he had to devote himself wholeheartedly to planning for Du Ge. Whenever he thought of the consequences of Du Ge's failure, he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to.

"Mm, I already have a plan." Du Ge glanced at him and nodded. He pointed to the announcement Feng Zhong had written earlier. "In a moment, post the announcement. Before dealing with external threats, we must first settle things internally. We have to find the Heaven Demon within the Peacekeeping Gang before we make any other plans. There should still be quite a few people who received the news coming today to seek redress and voice their grievances. I plan to establish a Hall of Redress within the gang. Wang San will handle wrongful convictions, false cases, and all kinds of injustice from now on. Find several incense masters to assist him..."

"Yes." Liu Cheng nodded and picked up the announcement Feng Zhong had written. After reading it, he couldn't help but freeze. "Leader, since you already know who the Heaven Demon is, why not simply capture him? Why write an announcement like this?"

"The former leader knows, not me." Du Ge said, "After the former leader told me yesterday, he fell unconscious again. I wrote this announcement to intimidate the Heaven Demon within the gang and see whether I can trick him into revealing himself."

"Wouldn't it be better to ask him directly once the former leader wakes up?" Liu Cheng asked. "Why go to all this trouble and alert the enemy?"

"Look at the second announcement." Du Ge pointed to the sheet of paper below.

Liu Cheng looked at the second announcement. His expression changed, and he said tremulously, "The former leader is on his deathbed?"

"Mm." Du Ge sighed. "The former leader's injuries are too severe. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left. We're the Peacekeeping Gang. We have to preserve the final dignity of a dying man, so it wouldn't be right to pressure him too much. Post that announcement in Luyang City. The former leader's final wish is to see his children. We'll do our best to fulfill his request..."

Your fishing method is way too obvious!

Only an idiot would fall for it!

Liu Cheng remained silent for a moment. Feeling that he couldn't keep slapping the new leader in the face, he forced himself to say, "The Leader is truly unmatched in benevolence."