Attack the Green Bamboo Gang

Inside the main hall of the Flying Eagle Gang, Gang Leader Sha Feiying and his three hall masters were stunned to hear that Wei Feng had been assassinated.

"Who on earth sent those men!?" Sha Feiying's gaze swept past Dong Chengwu and Zhuang Li, finally landing on Lin Fuhu.

Among the three, he possessed the most volatile temper and rarely considered the bigger picture.

Furthermore, only the men under his War Hall had the strength to infiltrate the Green Bamboo Gang alone and attempt to assassinate Wei Feng.

"I've been wronged, Gang Leader! It truly wasn't my men! Even though those little rabbits in the Green Bamboo Gang have gone too far, I know the difference between what is urgent and what is not. How could I possibly send men for revenge at a time like this?" Lin Fuhu wore a look of utter grievance.

Sha Feiying glanced at him and did not press the matter further.

Lin Fuhu was a reckless brute, not the type capable of hiding secrets. If he said he hadn't sent them, then he likely hadn't.

Zhuang Li spoke up: "Gang Leader, there is no point in investigating who sent them now. In any case, the Green Bamboo Gang has lost face this time; even their leader nearly died at the hands of an assassin. We must fight this battle regardless."

Sha Feiying nodded: "That's right, we must fight. But since we are fighting, we cannot afford to suffer losses. Tell the men below: the entire Flying Eagle Gang is to prepare for total war and be ready to attack at any moment! We must not come out on the losing end this time!"

"Yes, Gang Leader!"

The three men nodded, turned, and walked out of the main hall.

After returning to the Punishment Hall, Dong Chengwu summoned a gang member and asked: "I had you watching that Su Xin for the past two days. Has he made any moves?"

The gang member replied: "Su Xin's routine is very regular. Aside from patrolling the Happy Forest morning and night, he has stayed at home the rest of the time."

"Are you certain he didn't leave the Happy Forest today?"

"Absolutely certain. We followed your instructions and set up lookouts at the exits of the Happy Forest. If Su Xin had stepped out, they would have reported it immediately."

Dong Chengwu waved his hand to dismiss the man, then rubbed his chin, puzzled: "Could it really not have been him?"

Meanwhile, inside the Happy Forest hall, Su Xin had already stripped off his clothes and the human-skin mask, burning them directly.

Su Xin always prioritized stability in his actions. Since this identity had already been used once, it was better to dispose of it.

Huang Bingcheng knocked and entered, his face full of excitement: "Boss, the gang has issued the order. Everyone is preparing for war; we can attack the Green Bamboo Gang at any time!"

"The plan succeeded. My efforts weren't in vain. How are the spoils calculated?"

"The old rules apply: whoever takes the territory keeps it, provided they pay the monthly tribute on time."

Su Xin nodded. This was the one good thing about the Flying Eagle Gang's rules; no one would dare snatch away clearly earned war merits.

If I take the territory, the place is mine, though two-tenths of all income generated from that territory must be handed over to the higher-ups, regardless of the amount.

Small leaders hand over two-tenths of their income to the big leaders, who then hand over two-tenths of the total to the gang.

In his first month, Su Xin received 180,000 taels from the Happy Forest and gave nearly half to Third Master Hu just to keep his foster father's mouth shut, though normally, such a large amount wasn't required.

"Go notify Li Huai to prepare. Gather all our men; we move tonight."

Although moving now would allow them to seize the initiative, unfortunately, the rules did not permit it.

This was Changning Prefecture. No matter how fiercely the various gangs fought, this was still the territory of the imperial court.

Thus, there had always been an unspoken rule in Changning Prefecture: large-scale gang wars could only commence after dark. When that time came, all shops would shut their doors, and the gangs could fight however they pleased.

If anyone dared to break the rules, it would be the yamen bailiffs' turn to teach them a lesson.

By dusk, the sky had gradually darkened. Su Xin's two hundred-plus subordinates had all assembled at the hall, weapons in hand, awaiting his command.

They already knew what they were going to do that night, and their faces betrayed a sense of nervousness; after all, for most of them, this was their first time participating in a gang war.

Su Xin held his heavy sword, stood before the crowd, and shouted: "I told you before, if you want to win wealth and status, you must fight! You must kill! Now the opportunity is here; it depends on whether you can grasp it! Tonight, we attack the Joyful District. Ten taels of silver for every man killed!"

Wealth and riches move the heart. Su Xin didn't say much more; a single promise was enough to make the eyes of his subordinates turn red.

Given the cost of living in Changning Prefecture, one tael of silver was enough to last a month if one was frugal. While their monthly pay of ten taels allowed them to live comfortably, it was far from enough!

Ten taels for a single life—if they could kill ten people tonight, they could immediately afford to take a wife!

While the Happy Forest remained brightly lit, the Joyful District across the way was already pitch black. All the merchants had received word and had boarded up their doors, leaving only a single lantern burning in front of each shop.

The dim light illuminated the long street, casting a ghostly, misty pallor, and caught the cold glint of the long blades held by the Green Bamboo Gang members guarding the street entrance.

Of the forty-nine wards in Changning Prefecture, the Green Bamboo Gang occupied three.

Bordering this Joyful District, besides the Joyful District itself, was the Shunyi Ward, which belonged to Third Master Hu.

Therefore, the gang members in the Joyful District were split into two groups: one guarding the side near the Shunyi Ward, and the other guarding the entrance to the Happy Forest.

There were over 1,500 Green Bamboo Gang members in the entire Joyful District, but only one-third were guarding the Happy Forest, all of whom were the men under that "Boss Chen" serving Wei Feng.

It could be said that this Boss Chen was a strange one, playing petty tricks even during a gang war.

He knew that Third Master Hu had nearly a thousand men and was not to be trifled with, but the Joyful District only had one long street leading to the Happy Forest, guarded by only a small leader and nearly two hundred men.

Could he not handle such a small number? Thus, he had requested the gang leader to transfer him here.

Wei Feng was no fool, either; he feared that Ma Qingyuan and Chen Hong would use his own direct subordinates as cannon fodder, so he agreed immediately.

"Get your heads in the game, you bastards! Defeat the Flying Eagle Gang's little rabbits, and tomorrow morning, everyone gets a reward of one hundred copper coins!"

Chen Dao brandished his blade and shouted among the crowd, managing to stir up a bit of morale.

Across the long street, Su Xin led his men forward slowly. Facing an enemy more than twice their size, he simply swung his sword and roared: "Kill!"

A gang war was not a formal military engagement. In this narrow street, charging and fighting relied on only one thing: when two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave one wins!

When it came to morale, the young men under Su Xin were clearly a cut above the Green Bamboo Gang. Even when facing an enemy force more than twice their size, not a single one of them retreated.

Li Huai wanted to charge in as well, but Su Xin held him back. "Do not move yet. This battle is the true tempering they need. Without seeing blood and fighting for their lives, even those who have learned internal energy and martial arts are nothing but trash."

Life-and-death combat experience is far more useful than bitter cultivation at home. The difference between Su Xin's strength before he assassinated Dai Chong and his strength after was as vast as heaven and earth.

At this moment, the members of the two gangs on the long street had already begun to clash in close quarters.

As soon as they engaged, the advantage of the Green Bamboo Gang's superior numbers became immediately apparent.

Two or three members swarmed a single Flying Eagle Gang fighter, their long blades hacking down with great force. It was in this moment that the disadvantage of lacking life-and-death combat experience was exposed.

Most of the members were in a state of panic, forgetting the Dog-Beating Staff Technique they had learned and even failing to form the three-man defensive formations. In an instant, several of their own had already fallen!

"Boss, let us go!" Huang Bingcheng urged anxiously from the side.

"Wait a little longer. If they cannot even pass this hurdle, then what use is there in me training them?" Su Xin remained completely unmoved.

Huang Bingcheng had once said that these members meeting Su Xin was a blessing they had cultivated in their past lives, but Su Xin had replied that it might just as well be a karmic debt.

Those who survived would naturally be blessed.

As for those who died, it would simply be paying off the debts of their past lives.

Su Xin had gone to great lengths to train these subordinates not because he was benevolent, but because he needed them to provide him with influence; he needed them to become a sharp blade in his hands.

If they could demonstrate their value, Su Xin would not mind spending more silver or investing more effort.

But if they could not be molded, then as Su Xin had said, he did not keep trash among his subordinates.

Fortunately, these men were quite determined. After the initial chaos, they gradually found their rhythm, began to form groups to protect one another, and started to counterattack.

In terms of individual quality, the members of Su Xin's side who had practiced internal energy and the Dog-Beating Staff Technique were naturally much stronger. Once they stood their ground, the Green Bamboo Gang immediately fell into a state of panic.

Although the Green Bamboo Gang had over five hundred members, most of them were the type who could only fight when they had the upper hand.

They were ferocious when things went smoothly, but the moment they encountered a setback, their momentum plummeted.

Boss Chen truly could not understand how a mere minor leader from Happy Forest could have trained these subordinates into what could be called elite-level fighters.

Seeing that his side had already lost ten men and was showing signs of collapsing, Boss Chen gritted his teeth, drew the waist blade from his back, and charged in.

Seeing Boss Chen make his move, Su Xin shouted, "Li Huai! Clear a path for me!"

Li Huai drew the two short swords from his waist and charged directly into the crowd. The short swords danced up and down, instantly severing the throats of several members. The men in front were terrified and immediately scattered, opening a path.

Su Xin followed closely behind, heavy sword in hand, and slashed directly at Boss Chen!

A biting gale whistled through the air. Boss Chen raised his waist blade to parry, but he immediately felt a massive force surge through him. His hand went numb, and he was forced to retreat three or four steps before he could stop.

When he looked at his waist blade, a thumb-sized notch had been chipped out of it!

"How does he have such immense strength!"

Boss Chen groaned inwardly, never expecting that a boy who looked wet behind the ears would possess such terrifying power!

Having sent Boss Chen flying with a single strike, Su Xin did not pause for a second. He pressed the attack, clashing with Boss Chen once more.

As the Great Sumeru Sword Style was unleashed, Boss Chen felt as if he were facing a massive mountain—thick, unadorned, and heavy with crushing momentum!

Every strike that landed carried immense force, causing his blood to boil.

He wanted to counterattack, but Su Xin's heavy sword moved with flawless precision, leaving him not a single opening. It was as if a giant net were slowly closing in around him!

The original intent of the Great Sumeru Sword Style was to contain the Sumeru within a mustard seed—to overcome the superior with the inferior and the strong with the weak—making it quite advantageous for defense.

However, Boss Chen's strength was too low; Su Xin estimated he hadn't even opened ten acupoints.

This was no longer the Sumeru contained within a mustard seed, but the mustard seed being crushed by the Sumeru!

The shadows of the heavy sword descended from all directions, airtight and impenetrable, locking Boss Chen firmly within.

Only now did Boss Chen recall that it was this very boy who had assassinated Dai Chong last month!

At this thought, all will to fight vanished from Boss Chen's heart. He threw his blade at Su Xin and turned to run.

But before he could fully turn, a flash of cold light streaked past the corner of his eye and pierced into his throat!

Su Xin held a thin sword in his left hand, slowly withdrawing it from Boss Chen's throat as he watched the unwillingness in the man's eyes slowly fade away.

He died with genuine resentment, for until his final breath, he never even saw how Su Xin had delivered that strike.