Wang Cheng

Inside the side hall, bodies lay scattered every which way, filling the air with a heavy stench of blood. Wang Chi's headless corpse lay motionless on the floor.

Chen Jing stood beside the bodies, his clothes undisturbed and his breathing steady, as if he had merely crushed a bug that got in his way.

He didn't even look at Wang Chi again. After all, a man like that was dead, and that was that.

Then he swept his gaze over the corner and spotted a young servant trembling all over, curled up against the wall. He immediately called out, "Come here."

For Chen Jing, dealing with Wang Chi was only the first step.

Wang Cheng was the real prize.

Now that blood had been spilled today, there was no such thing as stopping here.

If he wasn't going to act, he wouldn't act.

But once he did, he would wipe them out completely.

The young servant shuddered in terror. How could he dare disobey? Scrambling on his hands and feet, he crawled out, then slammed his forehead against the floor with a thud. "M-Master Chen... w-what do you want me to do?"

"Where's Wang Cheng?"

Chen Jing asked directly.

"W-Wang Second Master... no! Wang Cheng!"

The young servant hurriedly corrected himself, afraid that one wrong word would cost him his life. "H-He said he was meeting with people from the Canal Gang today to discuss something. They arranged to meet at the Drunken Flower Pavilion in West City. He should... he should still be there now!"

The young servant spoke rapidly, telling Chen Jing everything he knew. He even added on his own, "They booked a private room on the third floor of the Drunken Flower Pavilion. I heard they were going to negotiate..."

Chen Jing nodded, asked no more, and strode straight out of the side hall.

Only after that figure had completely disappeared did the young servant finally come to his senses.

He glanced at the headless corpse on the floor. His throat bobbed, and his stomach churned.

The next moment, as if something were chasing him, he spun around and staggered out of the side hall.

As for the money on Wang Chi and the others, he didn't even dare look at it.

After all, the murderous presence Chen Jing had left behind had already scared him witless.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: to get out of there alive.

As soon as Chen Jing walked out of the carriage firm, he saw Old Man Lin and a dozen or so coachmen still standing at the entrance. They paced back and forth anxiously, glancing inside every so often. The sounds of fighting from within had clearly terrified them.

"M-Master Chen!"

Old Man Lin was the first to spot Chen Jing and hurried over. When his gaze landed on the bloodstains on Chen Jing's lapel, his face instantly paled. He asked nervously, "Are you all right? That blood..."

The other coachmen gathered around as well, their eyes full of curiosity and awe, though no one dared get too close.

They could all guess what had happened inside, but they weren't sure how it had ended.

"I'm fine."

Chen Jing pointed to the bloodstains on his clothes. "It's all Wang Chi's."

"He's dead!"

The moment those words fell, it was as if someone had pressed pause on the whole scene.

The coachmen all froze in place, their breathing slowing for a beat.

Actually, from the moment they saw Chen Jing walk out, they had already begun to suspect the truth.

But when the words "Wang Chi is dead" were spoken aloud, they still made their scalps prickle.

Gasps rang out one after another.

After all, Wang Chi had an older brother who was the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang, Wang Cheng. Yet Chen Jing had killed him just like that—he clearly didn't take Wang Cheng seriously!

Chen Jing ignored their reactions and turned to Old Man Lin. "Uncle Lin, help me keep watch here and look after the carriage firm. If anything happens, go straight to the Drunken Flower Pavilion in West City and find me."

Old Man Lin nodded quickly and thumped his chest in assurance. "All right, all right! Don't worry, Master Chen! I'll keep an eye on everything!"

Old Man Lin felt both excited and honored that Chen Jing had entrusted him with something.

Chen Jing said no more. He turned and headed toward the Drunken Flower Pavilion in West City.

Old Man Lin stood there, still stunned, watching Chen Jing's upright figure recede into the distance. His heart was awash with emotion. Who could have imagined that the poor kid who once hauled carriages alongside them had become a martial artist they could only gaze up at?

The other coachmen came to their senses too and began talking among themselves.

"Wang Chi's actually dead! Master Chen is incredible!"

"That's great! Now no one will dare dock our wages again!"

"Judging by where Master Chen's headed, he's clearly planning to deal with Wang Cheng too!"

A few coachmen stamped their feet in frustration, their faces rueful as they thought, Why didn't I dare go up and ask him something just now? If I'd shown Master Chen some concern, maybe he'd remember me. Then things might be easier for me at the carriage firm in the future!

In their eyes, Chen Jing had killed Wang Chi and was a martial artist. From now on, the carriage firm belonged to him.

For lowly coachmen like them, currying favor with Chen Jing would be a stroke of tremendous good fortune.

Meanwhile, the private room on the third floor of the Drunken Flower Pavilion in West City was as oppressive as the sky before a storm.

A large round table stood in the middle of the room. Wang Cheng, leader of the Blue Scarf Gang, sat opposite Ji Wen, leader of the Canal Gang.

Five or six tall, fearsome-looking men stood behind each of them. They watched the other side warily, hands resting on the weapons at their waists, ready to fight at any moment.

Wang Cheng was far more heavily built than his older brother, Wang Chi.

His solid muscles stretched his black martial outfit taut. The veins stood out on his exposed arms, and the qi and blood coursing through him were so abundant they seemed ready to spill out. He was clearly at the peak of the First Blood stage, just one step away from the Second Blood realm.

Ji Wen, seated across from him, was somewhat leaner, but he sat ramrod straight, like a spear.

His eyes were sharp as blades. A glance from him was enough to make a chill run through anyone's heart.

A faint pressure from his qi and blood also filled the room, though it was restrained and controlled.

Yet compared with Wang Cheng's abundant, violent qi and blood, which seemed ready to overflow, his seemed weaker by a few degrees.

That only made the scene more suspicious.

Given Ji Wen's status as a Second Blood Martial Artist, his qi and blood should not have been this weak. It made no sense.

Wang Cheng held his teacup, wearing a false smile as he addressed Ji Wen. "Gang Leader Ji, look at West City. Forty thousand people make their living from the businesses here. My Blue Scarf Gang and your gang have always kept to our own sides. The conflicts before were just minor misunderstandings. There's no need to let things get so ugly."

Wang Cheng paused, his tone softening a little. "Besides, our two gangs have been fighting for so many days. We've both taken losses, and neither side can claim victory. If we keep going, we'll only hurt each other and let someone else reap the benefits."

"How about we make peace and continue managing our own territories as before?"

With that, Wang Cheng raised his teacup and cupped his hands toward Ji Wen. His gesture looked respectful, but a hint of disdain lingered in his eyes.

Others might have been intimidated by Ji Wen's status as a Second Blood Martial Artist, but Wang Cheng wasn't afraid of him at all.

He had already used his informants to learn all about Ji Wen.

Years ago, the man had been seriously wounded in a clash, damaging the foundation of his cultivation. Although he had managed to break through into the Second Blood realm, his strength had taken a severe hit. At most, he was only a little stronger than an ordinary martial artist at the peak of the First Blood stage. He couldn't bring out the true strength of a Second Blood Martial Artist.

His supposed status as a Second Blood Martial Artist was nothing but a bluff.

It was precisely because he knew Ji Wen's true condition that Wang Cheng had dared to attend the negotiations without a care.

Otherwise, even with a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't have dared face a genuine Second Blood Martial Artist alone.

But Ji Wen was unmoved by Wang Cheng's overture. He set down his teacup and replied with open mockery, "Make peace? Gang Leader Wang makes it sound so easy."

"Your Blue Scarf Gang was the first to break the rules. You meddled in my Canal Gang's shipping business and killed our brothers."

"Now that you can't win, you want to make peace? There's no such bargain in this world!"

Ji Wen's voice grew colder, and his qi and blood began to stir faintly. "Reconciliation is possible."

Wang Cheng's eyes narrowed. "Gang Leader Ji, by all means, tell me what you have in mind."

Ji Wen spoke with unyielding certainty, every word clear and deliberate. "Hand over the Wealth Source Workshop, and this matter will be settled."

"Gang Leader Ji, are you joking?"

Wang Cheng paused in surprise, then said with a smile.

The Wealth Source Workshop was the Blue Scarf Gang's most profitable business. In essence, it was a large gambling den, earning a fortune every day and serving as one of the gang's main sources of income.

"Joking?"

Ji Wen replied without the least courtesy. "Why would I joke with you?"

At that, Wang Cheng's expression darkened. His eyes turned icy, and his voice brimmed with barely restrained menace. "That's impossible!"

Ji Wen's expression didn't change, but his tone was final. "If you're unwilling, then this matter is over."

As he spoke, Ji Wen lifted his eyes and looked straight at Wang Cheng, refusing to back down. "We keep fighting."

"Even if it leaves us both crippled, this battle has to be fought to the end."

Hearing Ji Wen refuse to yield, Wang Cheng's face darkened until it looked ready to drip water. Malice and murderous intent churned in his eyes.

If he hadn't known he couldn't gain the slightest advantage over the other man, he would have already thrown a punch. Why else would he have the patience to sit here and negotiate?

"Gang Leader Ji, don't push it!"

Wang Cheng gritted his teeth, the veins at his temples pulsing wildly. "If you force us into a fight to the death, neither side will benefit! My Blue Scarf Gang can fight until we've spent everything we have and still drag your Canal Gang down with us!"

Ji Wen snorted. He wasn't taken in at all, and the mockery in his eyes only deepened. "A fight to the death? You think my Canal Gang is afraid of you? If we're really going to fight, let's see whether your Blue Scarf Gang breaks first or my Canal Gang goes down first!"

The tension between the two sides rose again. Their qi and blood collided furiously in the cramped private room, and the heavy smell of gunpowder seemed almost to solidify.

Just as the two sides stood on the brink of a fight—

Bang!

The heavy pearwood door was kicked open from the outside.

The sudden disruption instantly broke the standoff in the private room.

Wang Cheng was already seething with frustration after Ji Wen had backed him into a corner. Now this deafening crash rudely cut him off, and his anger burst past the limits of reason. He whipped around toward the doorway and roared, "Damn it! Which son of a bitch is tired of living? Who dares cause trouble on my turf?"

The Blue Scarf Gang's burly men behind Wang Cheng were enraged by the sudden provocation too.

They drew their steel sabers and short clubs, glaring fiercely at the doorway. They were only waiting for Wang Cheng's order before rushing up to hack the intruder to pieces.

The Canal Gang members temporarily set aside their hostility toward the Blue Scarf Gang as well. They watched the doorway warily, brows furrowed, unsure whether the unexpected visitor was friend or foe.

As everyone's eyes focused on the doorway, Chen Jing walked in. His gaze swept across the room before finally settling on Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng and Wang Chi were full brothers. Though they differed greatly in build, their features bore some resemblance, especially the arrogance and viciousness in their bones. Those were exactly alike.

Chen Jing needed only one glance to identify him.

"You're Wang Cheng?"

Chen Jing stopped three zhang away from Wang Cheng.

"Where did this little punk come from? You dare call me by my name!"

Wang Cheng was already burning with anger. Now that the intruder turned out to be some unfamiliar youngster, not even that old and already bold enough to act so brazenly, he was enraged beyond measure.

Wang Cheng couldn't be bothered to waste words on Chen Jing, much less look into who he was. He simply flung the teacup in his hand straight at Chen Jing's face.