Gang

"The Young Master is back! Quickly, go notify the Master and the Mistress."

Seeing Jiang Chen return, the gatekeeper hurried forward from afar.

"Chen'er."

Soon, having received the news, Jiang Sihai and Lin Shuyun came out.

"Father, Mother."

Jiang Chen walked over.

"Why are you back today?"

Jiang Sihai looked Jiang Chen up and down, worried that something might have happened to him.

"My Second Qi and Blood Gate has reached perfection."

Jiang Chen did not waste words and stated the matter of his cultivation.

"Second Qi and Blood Gate perfection?!"

Hearing Jiang Chen's words, both Jiang Sihai and Lin Shuyun were stunned.

Hadn't Jiang Chen only just stepped into the Second Qi and Blood Gate a little over twenty days ago?

How could he have reached perfection in the Second Qi and Blood Gate so quickly?

Although they were not martial artists, they knew that this speed of cultivation was abnormally fast.

"It's like this..."

Jiang Chen explained the matter of Sun Wu and the high-grade Five Elements Pill, mentioning in passing that he needed six thousand taels of silver banknotes to buy one month's worth of Aperture Breaking Pill.

"So that's it!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sihai and Lin Shuyun could not hide their wild joy.

From the danger in the haunted house until now, only a little over a month had passed.

In such a short time, Jiang Chen had already reached perfection in the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

If this were the case, stepping into the True Martial Realm before the end of the year was within reach, and perhaps there was even hope of stepping into the second level of the True Martial Realm.

How could the two of them not be excited?

"Chen'er, just focus on your cultivation with peace of mind; don't worry about the money."

Jiang Sihai was quite generous.

Although six thousand taels was not a small sum, his family had been in business for many years, and they still had that much in savings.

In his view, as long as it could make Jiang Chen stronger, it was worth any cost.

In this world, only powerful strength was the foundation for standing firm.

"Master, people from the Azure Dragon Gang have come again."

At this moment, the steward hurried over.

Hearing this, both Jiang Sihai and Lin Shuyun frowned, their expressions turning grim.

"Azure Dragon Gang? A gang faction?"

Seeing the expressions of his parents, Jiang Chen understood that the visitors were likely here with ill intent.

"Chen'er, go back to your room and rest first."

Without waiting for Jiang Chen to ask more, Jiang Sihai had Lin Shuyun take Jiang Chen away.

Jiang Chen did not say much, but he did not return to his small courtyard; instead, he went to the inner side hall.

"Shopkeeper Jiang, we meet again."

Before long, the steward brought several figures over.

The man in the lead wore a long gown and had an elegant temperament, looking like a schoolteacher.

However, the few men behind him were burly and broad-shouldered, their gazes sharp and their auras murderous; it was clear that their hands were stained with blood.

"Hall Master Pang, please sit."

Even knowing the visitors were here with ill intent, Jiang Sihai did not lose his manners.

As the maid served tea, several burly men came over and stood by Jiang Sihai's side; these were the martial artist bodyguards he had hired a few days ago.

"Shopkeeper Jiang, I wonder how you have considered my proposal from last time?"

After a brief pleasantry, Hall Master Pang went straight to the point.

As for the martial artist bodyguards Jiang Sihai had hired, he did not care about them at all.

"Hall Master Pang, I already said last time that my family's shops are the assets my father and his generation risked their lives to save up; it is impossible to sell them to others."

Jiang Sihai's smile remained, but his attitude was very firm.

"Family property left by one's ancestors should indeed be passed down."

"But as far as I know, the business at your shops has dropped by half recently, and it continues to bleed out."

"At this rate, in a few months, those shops won't even be earning enough to pay the staff's wages."

Hall Master Pang smiled, accurately pinpointing the state of the shops.

Jiang Sihai's eye twitched upon hearing this, his hands clenching beneath his sleeves.

As expected, the sharp decline in his shop's business was the work of the Azure Dragon Gang behind the scenes.

"Shopkeeper Jiang, you should know the current situation in the Prefecture City better than I do. After City Lord Yu left his post, with the Jiang Clan's current strength, there is no way you can maintain a foothold here."

"Therefore, transferring the shops in your hands to us now is the wisest decision. Otherwise, once the situation deteriorates completely, it will be difficult to sell them off."

Hall Master Pang spoke again, his voice flat, yet the threat in his words grew increasingly intense, as if the Jiang Clan were already fish on a chopping block.

"The affairs of the Jiang Clan need not trouble Hall Master Pang."

Jiang Sihai took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart, and waved his hand to see him out.

"Heh, then I shall take my leave."

Hall Master Pang glanced at Jiang Sihai, but did nothing else, and left with his men.

"Head Guard Li, I must trouble you to take extra care with the security of the residence from now on!"

After Hall Master Pang and his group departed, Jiang Sihai cupped his hands toward the guards.

Given the style of gang factions, they would never let this go and might resort to underhanded tactics in the shadows.

This was the very reason he had spent a fortune to hire guards.

"Rest assured, Master."

Head Guard Li gave his word and went off to arrange the security details.

"Father, what is the background of this Azure Dragon Gang?"

At this moment, Jiang Chen finally stepped out from the inner hall.

He had heard of most of the gang factions in the East District.

But this was his first time hearing of the Azure Dragon Gang.

"It's a new gang that popped up a while ago. They act very aggressively and have already annexed several other gangs during this period."

Jiang Sihai did not hide anything and revealed the information he had gathered.

"It seems their background is quite solid."

Jiang Chen's expression shifted.

Almost all the gang factions in the East District had the shadows of major powers behind them.

Simply put, they were the black gloves of the various major factions.

Under such circumstances, for the Azure Dragon Gang to rise so aggressively and annex the territories and resources of other gangs, it was clear how deep their foundation ran.

Compared to the Azure Dragon Gang, the gap between them and his family was not small at all.

"Chen'er, you don't need to worry about the Azure Dragon Gang. After the Upper Sect Envoy entered the city, they issued several prohibitions, one of which strictly forbids causing chaos."

Seeing Jiang Chen's expression, Jiang Sihai said with a smile.

This was why the gang warfare in the East District had vanished overnight.

If the Upper Sect Envoy had arrived earlier, the Azure Dragon Gang would never have had the chance to emerge.

In front of the True Sun Sect, whether one was a powerful newcomer or an established clan, all had to bow their heads—at least, they had to submit on the surface.

I must step into the True Martial Realm as soon as possible!

Thoughts surged through Jiang Chen's mind.

The Upper Sect Envoy's prohibitions were effective in the short term, but in the long run, loopholes would inevitably be found.

He could not pin his hopes on prohibitions.

And his only hope to break the deadlock right now was the White Ape Martial Hall.

As long as he stepped into the True Martial Realm, he could become a personal disciple of the martial hall.

By then, he could leverage the Zhou Clan's connections to deter the Azure Dragon Gang.

The foundation of a noble clan was not something a mere gang faction could compare to.

Of course, relying on the martial hall was only an emergency measure.

The true core was to improve his own strength.

Only when one is strong enough can one ignore all crises.

"Father, Mother, if the situation becomes truly dangerous, then give up the shops. As long as we are still here, everything else can be rebuilt."

Immediately after, Jiang Chen urged them.

Wealth and shops, in the end, were merely external possessions.

As long as they were safe, even if they lost everything, they could make a comeback.

To quote a great man:

If you lose the people to save the land, you lose both the people and the land; but if you lose the land to save the people, you keep both the people and the land!

"Rest assured, if it truly comes to that, we know what to do."

Hearing these words, Jiang Sihai patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder with a look of relief.

Lin Shuyun's eyes also turned slightly red.

Jiang Chen had truly grown up.

"Father, Mother, I shall head back to the Martial Arts Hall now."

Checking the sky, Jiang Chen prepared to depart for the Martial Arts Hall.

"Very well!"

Jiang Sihai and Lin Shuyun did not try to hold him back; they stuffed a thick stack of silver banknotes into Jiang Chen's hands and then summoned Head Guard Li and the others to escort him.

This was to prevent the Azure Dragon Gang from seizing the opportunity to strike at Jiang Chen.

Three quarters of an hour later, the group arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Jiang Chen expressed his gratitude.

"You are too kind, Young Master."

Looking at the vibrant, energetic disciples inside the gates of the Martial Arts Hall, Head Guard Li and his men all felt a touch of envy.

In the eyes of those from humble backgrounds like them, anyone who could join a Martial Arts Hall to cultivate was a favored child of heaven with a limitless future.