Big Reversal

Dong Chengwu was a man who valued rules above all else. The Flying Eagle Gang had risen from nothing to become one of the Three Gangs and Four Associations in Changning Prefecture in less than thirty years; aside from Sha Feiying's strength, the rules established by Dong Chengwu were indispensable to this success.

Everyone in the Flying Eagle Gang, including Sha Feiying himself, came from unconventional backgrounds. Only Dong Chengwu hailed from the Xiangxi Divine Blade Sect, a genuine martial arts school.

Precisely because of this, Dong Chengwu valued rules far more than the others.

Hierarchy, order, laws, and regulations—these were the rules!

And now, Su Xin had violated his rules more than once!

The last time Su Xin defied gang orders to assassinate Dai Chong, it had already filled Dong Chengwu with immense rage.

Now, Su Xin's actions were a direct provocation to his dignity as the head of the Punishment Hall!

The large ring-blade behind Dong Chengwu slashed out violently. The blade, half a person in height, tore through the air like a storm sweeping away clouds, possessing unparalleled momentum and fierce, domineering power!

Su Xin retreated rapidly. His heavy sword was not at his side, and even with his thin sword, he could not block this fierce, overbearing strike, even using the Great Sumeru Sword Style.

Li Huai moved like a ghost, unleashing the Evil-Warding Sword Technique. A biting, cold sword glow rained down, but Dong Chengwu swept his ring-blade horizontally, and the domineering strike sent Li Huai flying!

Li Huai had not yet reached the early stage of the Houtian realm, while Dong Chengwu was already a Houtian middle-stage martial artist who had opened over seventy-two acupoints. The disparity in power was too great; no matter how ruthless or strange the Evil-Warding Sword Technique was, it could not withstand such absolute force.

Seizing this opportunity, Su Xin finally drew his left-handed sword. A ruthless, strange strike thrust directly toward Dong Chengwu's ribs, causing the man's hair to stand on end as he felt a sudden killing intent descend.

"Storm Sweeping Away Clouds!"

The heavy ring-blade was swung by Dong Chengwu like a whirlwind. The surrounding tables and chairs were shattered, and Su Xin was forced to retreat.

Coming from a martial arts sect, Dong Chengwu's combat style was very similar to that of Luo Zhen from the Green Bamboo Gang—methodical and textbook-perfect, leaving no room for criticism.

At the same level, this style might be considered rigid, but when backed by overwhelming power, it left Su Xin with no way to attack, unable to find a single flaw.

Even if Dong Chengwu had occasionally revealed a flaw, Su Xin's current strength would not have been enough to exploit it.

After a few exchanges, Su Xin was forced into a corner, his sword having failed to even graze Dong Chengwu.

"I say, Dong Chengwu, you're getting more capable by the day, aren't you? Having such a grand time bullying a young kid? Why don't you try your hand against me instead?"

A mocking voice came from outside the gate. Dong Chengwu sheathed his ring-blade and looked back, his expression turning gloomy.

"Lin Fuhu, what are you doing here?" Dong Chengwu asked with a cold, grim face.

"If you can come, why can't I?" Lin Fuhu retorted, looking for a fight.

His feud with Dong Chengwu had lasted over a decade; as long as he saw Dong Chengwu unhappy, he was satisfied.

"Su Xin dared to ambush and kill a gang leader—this is an act of rebellion! He must be executed to uphold gang rules! Lin Fuhu, pick your time to cause trouble. Once I've executed him, I'll fight you to your heart's content!"

"What a coincidence, I'm not letting you kill this kid today."

Lin Fuhu spat on the ground and said, "What kind of trash is Hou Tong anyway! All he does is gamble and live off his past achievements. Has he even made a move in the gang wars these past few years? Even if Su Xin didn't kill him, if he ever annoyed me, I'd go and chop him down myself!"

"Lin Fuhu! This is no small matter! Offending a superior is a major taboo in the gang! It must be handled according to the rules!" Dong Chengwu barked.

Lin Fuhu sneered, "Rules are rules, why are you shouting? Besides, you aren't the only one who sets them. Since it's a big deal, tell the Gang Leader and summon all the major leaders to decide."

With Lin Fuhu present, Dong Chengwu knew he could not touch Su Xin now.

Therefore, he merely gave Su Xin a deep look before ordering his men to take away the subordinate whose hand Su Xin had crippled.

Once they were gone, Su Xin cupped his hands toward Lin Fuhu, "Many thanks for your assistance, Hall Master Lin."

Lin Fuhu waved his hand magnanimously, "Don't thank me. I just can't stand that old man. I happened to see him leaving the main hall with his men, so I followed to see what was happening. I didn't expect to see such a good show. Don't worry, kid, when we get before the Gang Leader, I'll speak up for you."

"Hall Master Lin's great kindness is something this subordinate will never forget." Su Xin put on an expression of deep emotion, which pleased Lin Fuhu greatly.

It wasn't because Su Xin was flattering him, but because he enjoyed seeing Dong Chengwu suffer a setback.

The incident from over a decade ago had offended Lin Fuhu deeply, and he had held a grudge ever since.

To put it bluntly, Lin Fuhu was simple-minded and physically gifted, a bit of a one-track mind.

Back then, Dong Chengwu had shown no regard for his face and severely punished his War Hall disciples, which had made Lin Fuhu feel humiliated for a long time; he had even been too embarrassed to show his face in front of his subordinates for a while.

For Lin Fuhu, such a thing was a profound disgrace, enough for him to hold a grudge for a lifetime.

Although Dong Chengwu had been sent away, the matter was far from over. The rights and wrongs of Su Xin's actions still had to be decided by the Gang Leader; even Lin Fuhu dared not make a rash decision on that.

Thus, Lin Fuhu took Su Xin, his men, and Third Master Hu directly to the main hall, where Dong Chengwu, having returned early, had already summoned Sha Feiying and the other major leaders.

Seeing Su Xin and the others step into the main hall, the other leaders cast strange looks their way.

Su Xin was truly a troublemaker; it had only been a few months, and yet everyone had been summoned for a meeting because of him again.

"Su Xin has offended his superior and violated gang rules—his crime is punishable by death! I request the Gang Leader to seize all of Su Xin's territories and execute him on the spot!" Dong Chengwu declared sternly.

Lin Fuhu sneered, "Offending a superior requires a reason, doesn't it? I heard it was Hou Tong who went to Happy Forest to cause trouble first."

"Regardless of the reason, offending a superior warrants execution!"

"Who do you think you are, deciding who lives and dies?"

Seeing the two about to argue again, Sha Feiying coughed twice, and both men immediately fell silent.

"What are everyone's thoughts on this matter?" Sha Feiying looked toward the major leaders below.

These men looked left and right, but remained silent.

After all, having taken ten thousand taels of silver from Su Xin, they wouldn't speak well of him, but they could certainly afford to remain silent.

Moreover, they had long since grown sick of Hou Tong, especially those few big bosses whose territories were closest to his, as they had been the most severely harassed by him.

Now that Su Xin had finally dealt with that persistent nuisance, they even wanted to thank him.

Dong Chengwu's face darkened. Why had this bunch of fellows suddenly changed their tune?

In the past, whenever something like this happened, these guys loved nothing more than to mock and kick a man while he was down. Why were they all silent now?

Su Xin's face remained expressionless, but his gaze shifted toward Third Master Hu.

Feeling Su Xin's eyes upon him, Third Master Hu gritted his teeth and said, "Gang Leader, I have something to say."

The others looked at Third Master Hu, some casting helpless expressions toward Su Xin.

Your foster father is trying to trap you, and there is nothing we can do about it. One hundred thousand taels of silver only buys our silence; don't expect us to speak up for you.

Dong Chengwu also breathed a sigh of relief.

As Su Xin's foster father, if Third Master Hu were to demand punishment for Su Xin, it would be more effective than all the other big bosses combined.

"Gang Leader, in truth, Su Xin is not to blame for killing Hou Tong. It was I who ordered him to do it. That Hou Tong was simply too excessive!

Su Xin relied on his own strength to conquer Yongle District, and when others saw it, they grew jealous and wanted a share of the spoils.

Hou Tong came to me personally to demand one million taels of silver. I refused him outright, so he resorted to bullying the weak, intending to use his status to extort Su Xin.

In a fit of rage, I told Su Xin not to hold back and to kill that bastard Hou Tong!

This matter was ordered by me; it has nothing to do with my foster son, Su Xin.

He conquered Yongle District and should be promoted to a big boss, not punished by gang rules as he is now."

The group was instantly dumbfounded, looking at Third Master Hu as if he were a madman.

What was he doing? Elevating Su Xin to the position of a big boss while taking the blame for killing Hou Tong upon himself? Was this really the deep-scheming, ruthless Third Master Hu they knew?

Dong Chengwu looked on in disbelief, while Sha Feiying took a deep, searching look at Su Xin.

He had known Third Master Hu for decades; he would never believe that Third Master Hu was the type of person to sacrifice himself for others.

Dong Chengwu slammed his hand onto the table. "Third Master Hu! Do you know what you are saying? Even if you are a big boss, you cannot bear this responsibility!

Infighting is strictly forbidden. According to gang rules, all your territories will be turned over to the gang, and your subordinates will be reassigned to other big bosses!"

Third Master Hu revealed a bitter smile in secret. "I know, but I am the one who did it."

Dong Chengwu looked at Third Master Hu, bewildered. What kind of leverage could Su Xin possibly have over him to make him risk losing all his territory just to protect Su Xin?

The other big bosses looked at Third Master Hu with even stranger expressions.

The history between Third Master Hu and his foster son, Su Xin, had reached their ears back when Tang Taihe was crippled.

At the time, they had mocked Third Master Hu, saying he was raising a tiger that would eventually turn on him, having cultivated two foster sons who both became nothing but trouble.

Later, when Su Xin bypassed Third Master Hu to pay his dues directly to the gang, it was a public slap in the face that brought their conflict into the open.

The two had been at daggers drawn, yet now Third Master Hu was willing to lose his own territory to take the blame for Su Xin. If there wasn't something fishy going on, they wouldn't believe it even if they were beaten to death.

At this moment, Sha Feiying spoke up. "Murdering a big boss is a grave matter. No matter what, you must provide the gang with an explanation. I will give you one chance—speak."

Su Xin looked up at Sha Feiying, his expression calm. "I am young, I have strength, and I have rendered service to the gang."