Powerful Foe Luo Zhen

After Su Xin beheaded Boss Chen with a single strike, the men of the Green Bamboo Gang immediately began to crumble.

They weren't professional soldiers; with their own boss killed by a single sword stroke, what reason did they have to keep fighting?

As the Green Bamboo Gang members fled, Su Xin didn't order a pursuit, instead arranging for his men to take over the territory they had already seized.

Although Boss Chen's holdings in Yongle District weren't vast, they still accounted for a full third of the entire district.

Pulling out a cloth to wipe the blood from his blade, Su Xin summoned Huang Bingcheng and asked, "What are our casualties?"

"Over fifty brothers were injured, though they are all superficial wounds. Additionally, eight brothers were killed," Huang Bingcheng replied cautiously.

To be honest, he was now somewhat afraid of this boss of his.

Just moments ago, in order to temper his subordinates, Su Xin had truly hardened his heart and refrained from intervening. Had he stepped in earlier, there wouldn't have been so many casualties.

Su Xin looked at Huang Bingcheng: "Old Huang, are you afraid of me?"

"No, no!" Huang Bingcheng shook his head hurriedly.

Su Xin patted his shoulder: "Old Huang, you must remember one thing: benevolence does not command troops. If I were to always stand in front of them, they would never grow up in their entire lives. What use would there be in me training them?

But you don't need to worry, Old Huang. You were the first to pledge your loyalty to me. As long as you do not betray me, I will never treat you unfairly."

Huang Bingcheng quickly swore an oath: "Boss, I am loyal to you to the core. If it weren't for you, how could I be as prestigious as I am now?"

"Alright, Old Huang, don't be so sensitive. Find someone to calculate tonight's battle merits, and distribute the reward silver first thing tomorrow morning." Patting Huang Bingcheng's shoulder again, Su Xin turned and walked away.

If Huang Bingcheng didn't have any thoughts about his actions today, that would be abnormal. The fact that he was afraid was actually a good thing for him.

People must know how to be in awe; otherwise, once their eyes are blinded by greed, there is no telling what they might do.

Su Xin was quite satisfied with Huang Bingcheng. Every task, large or small, handed to him was handled perfectly. While he was useless in a charge, his logistics work was indispensable.

Therefore, being realistic at this moment could prevent all sorts of messy, troublesome incidents in the future.

As for the "aura of a king" where subordinates bow down at a mere glance—that was for protagonists in legends. Su Xin didn't consider himself to have that kind of talent.

Maintaining the relationship between himself and his subordinates only required two things: first, providing them with sufficient benefits; second, ensuring they knew how to be in awe.

The next morning, Su Xin personally led his men to carry chests, stuffing large amounts of silver directly into the hands of his subordinates.

"When I, Su Xin, do things, my word is law. This bit of silver today is just an appetizer! Once we take over the rest of Yongle District, there is plenty more silver waiting for you!"

The subordinates below were so stimulated by the sight of the gleaming silver that their eyes turned red, and the sorrow over the eight fallen brothers was washed away.

Clutching the silver, only one thought remained in their minds: use their own lives to gamble for a fortune!

The gang war between the Green Bamboo Gang and the Flying Eagle Gang certainly wouldn't end in a single day. On the second night, Su Xin continued to lead his men in nibbling away at Yongle District step by step.

With over fifty casualties, and setting aside those with serious injuries, Su Xin only had about 160 men left capable of fighting. Once he subtracted those needed to garrison the captured territory, he was beginning to feel stretched thin.

Consequently, Su Xin had Huang Bingcheng continue recruiting in Joyful District, while he adopted a safer, incremental strategy here. In any case, the gang war wouldn't end so easily; he had plenty of time.

Because of the gang war, even if he recruited more men, Third Master Hu couldn't say anything.

Moreover, having killed a major leader of the Green Bamboo Gang on the first day and seized a third of Yongle District, with such merit to his name, what did it matter if Su Xin recruited a few more brothers?

Su Xin did not participate in the subsequent battles either. As long as the enemy didn't send out any experts, Su Xin would not make a move.

His group of men had now experienced life-and-death struggles and had all tasted blood; their combat effectiveness had increased exponentially, to the point where they could hold their own even when outnumbered three to one.

After two consecutive nights of fighting, Su Xin had managed to seize nearly half of the entire Yongle District.

However, on the third night, things took a turn.

In the center of the main street, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face stood proudly, holding an iron spear.

Behind him stood a dense crowd of Green Bamboo Gang members; a rough glance suggested there were at least seven or eight hundred of them.

Huang Bingcheng's face turned pale: "It's Luo Zhen, a major leader of the Green Bamboo Gang. But he should be at Shunyi Ward guarding against Third Master Hu right now.

These seven or eight hundred men are all his subordinates. Now that he's brought them all here instead of guarding against Third Master Hu, is he just giving up on this half of Yongle District?"

Su Xin let out a long breath: "We've been played. We were played by my foster father.

For two days, my foster father didn't attack Yongle District at all. His intention was simple: he wanted to force Luo Zhen to come to me!"

Su Xin could only blame his own carelessness. He had been too focused on the thrill of his own battles and hadn't sent Huang Bingcheng to scout the situation on Third Master Hu's side.

The Flying Eagle Gang had essentially mobilized its entire force for this gang war. For Third Master Hu, as one of the major leaders, to not move a single soldier was far too abnormal.

Had he known this information earlier, Su Xin would certainly have taken precautions.

Over these past two days, Luo Zhen had likely realized Third Master Hu's intentions as well.

If he didn't move, he could only wait for Su Xin to nibble away at Yongle District bit by bit, eventually leading to a pincer attack from both Su Xin and Third Master Hu that would swallow the district whole.

Therefore, Luo Zhen had no choice but to try and crush Su Xin. That way, even if half of Yongle District was lost, he could still reclaim the other half that Su Xin had occupied.

"Boss, if we can't win, let's retreat. It's said that this Luo Zhen used to be a bodyguard; his martial arts are not weak at all. In the Green Bamboo Gang, his reputation is even greater than Dai Chong's!" Huang Bingcheng urged.

Su Xin didn't speak, but Luo Zhen, on the opposite side, shouted loudly: "Little whelp of the Flying Eagle Gang, do you have the guts to come out and fight? I have more men, and your little brats aren't bad either. If we really fight to the death, neither side will come out ahead. How about we just settle this between the two of us? Do you dare?"

Su Xin smiled and dragged his heavy sword out.

Luo Zhen laughed heartily: "You're not bad, kid. Much better than that foster father of yours who acts like a turtle. Third Master Hu was a ruthless man back in the day, but it's a pity he's gotten old and turned into a spineless coward!"

"How shall we fight? To the death, or just to decide the winner?" Su Xin asked.

Luo Zhen waved his hand. "Of course it's to decide the winner. I'm not a lackey for the Green Bamboo Gang, so why should I bleed and die for them?"

"The brothers behind me follow me because they trust me. I'm not about to let them risk their lives for Wei Feng's nonsense."

A faint smile touched the corner of Su Xin's mouth; this Luo Zhen was actually quite interesting.

On the first day of battle, Su Xin had deliberately held back to train his men's combat skills, even letting them get injured or killed.

Yet this man was willing to face someone clearly at a disadvantage just to protect his own brothers; they were truly two extremes.

In truth, if Luo Zhen ordered an attack now, Su Xin's hundred-plus men would not be able to hold them off. Although their strength had improved significantly since the first day, Luo Zhen's side had more men and, more importantly, a master like Luo Zhen himself.

"Very well, then let us fight."

Su Xin gripped his heavy sword in front of him and lunged toward Luo Zhen!

Luo Zhen flicked the Refined Iron Spear in his hand, his aura surging instantly as a fierce, oppressive sensation washed over the area.

The Refined Iron Spear, standing over a man's height, struck out like a dragon emerging from the sea with extraordinary speed and ferocity.

Su Xin dodged to the side, but the Refined Iron Spear shifted from a thrust to a sweep, smashing toward him with brutal force!

Retreating with his sword raised, Su Xin parried with three consecutive strikes in the blink of an eye to dissipate the force of the iron spear, yet he was still knocked back three steps!

"Houtian Initial Stage!"

Su Xin narrowed his eyes. The opponent was also a Houtian Initial Stage martial artist, certainly someone who had opened more than thirty-six acupoints.

Su Xin had currently opened forty-seven acupoints, but in terms of raw strength, he was a notch inferior.

The number of acupoints Luo Zhen had opened was definitely higher than his own.

"Aren't you also at the Houtian Initial Stage? Tsk tsk, the youngsters these days are truly remarkable. When I was your age, I was still just practicing horse stances with a heavy spear."

Luo Zhen sighed, yet the Refined Iron Spear in his hands never ceased its movements. Thrusting, stabbing, hacking, and sweeping with peerless momentum, he forced Su Xin to retreat step by step.

In the crowd behind them, Huang Bingcheng asked Li Huai, "Why does it feel like the Boss is at a disadvantage?"

Li Huai replied indifferently, "It's not just a feeling; the Boss is indeed at a disadvantage."

"Damn! That old guy Luo Zhen is nearly fifty, right? How is he still this strong?"

"It's not that Luo Zhen is too strong, but his weapon has too much of an advantage. An inch longer is an inch stronger, after all!"

Just as Li Huai said, fighting Luo Zhen meant being countered by his weapon.

Long spears come in two types: those with white wax wood shafts, and those that are heavy and powerful, like the Refined Iron Spear.

Luo Zhen used the latter; the weight of his Refined Iron Spear was no lighter than the Drum-Beating Gold Hammer that Dai Chong once wielded.

Coupled with the fact that Luo Zhen's internal energy was far superior to Dai Chong's, Su Xin would definitely suffer if he took a direct hit from that spear.

Furthermore, as the saying goes, an inch longer is an inch stronger, while an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous.

Luo Zhen utilized this distance advantage to the fullest. He wielded the heavy Refined Iron Spear so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through, making it impossible for Su Xin to get within three steps of him.