Making Money Is Faster by Robbing

To celebrate Niu Mancang achieving Copper Skin and Iron Bones and becoming a dark-force martial artist, Zhang Yu gathered everyone for a meal that evening.

Wen Hua had returned as well. For the past two months, he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into the Black Tiger Gang, constantly setting it in order. He truly deserved to be called blessed by the gangs—within just two months, he had made the Black Tiger Gang's underlings willingly acknowledge him as their big brother, Li Mazi included.

His loyalty soared to the heavens. He truly treated the gang's lowest-ranking members as brothers. With Zhang Yu's approval, he began teaching Black Tiger Fist and Thirteen Gale Blades throughout the Black Tiger Gang, winning the fervent support of the lowest-ranking members.

Now, Wen Hua's word carried weight throughout the Black Tiger Gang, whose membership had grown to more than a hundred people.

They had resumed purchasing medicinal herbs half a month ago, but the results had not been very satisfactory.

Of the Black Tiger Gang's original twenty percent share of medicinal herbs, fifteen percent had been snatched away by the Ghost Alliance and the Broadsword Gang, while the remaining five percent had been seized by the Green Snake Gang and the Iron Fist Gang.

These past few days, Wen Hua had been locked in a contest with the Green Snake Gang and the Iron Fist Gang, hoping to seize that five percent back.

During the meal, Wen Hua greatly envied Niu Mancang. Still, he knew he had his own mission, and he genuinely enjoyed running the Black Tiger Gang.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes.

Slightly drunk, Wen Hua cupped his fists toward Niu Mancang. "Senior Brother, let's spar. Let this junior brother experience what Copper Skin and Golden Bones are like. I cultivate Iron Shirt as well, but I've never managed to touch the threshold of Copper Skin."

Wen Hua's Clearwind Stance Art had broken through its threshold, allowing him to cultivate bright force. However, the Iron Shirt he cultivated alongside it had never reached its threshold, leaving him stuck at this step.

Niu Mancang looked toward Zhang Yu, his eyes asking for permission. Zhang Yu gave a slight nod.

The group went out into the courtyard.

Niu Mancang sank into a horse stance and said, "Junior Brother, come at me without restraint."

"Senior Brother, take this." Wen Hua wasted no words, striking Niu Mancang in the chest with a Clearwind Palm.

Bang!

Niu Mancang's body did not budge in the slightest.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Wen Hua struck six more palms in rapid succession. His movements were graceful, his angles tricky, and his palms incredibly fast. He had grasped thirty percent of the true essence of the Clearwind Palm, but against Niu Mancang's Copper Skin and Golden Bones, it was like scratching an itch. He could not shake him at all.

"I'm done. Senior Brother's hard martial arts are probably not something even a force-transformation martial artist could easily shake," Wen Hua said admiringly.

"Master, recently, our gang has been fighting the Green Snake Gang and the Iron Fist Gang. Li Mazi and I have fought their martial artists several times, with victories and losses on both sides. We haven't been able to reach an agreement. Could we have Senior Brother step forward and intimidate them?" Wen Hua looked toward Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu nodded. "Fine. Mancang, go with Wen Hua tomorrow. Follow all his arrangements."

"Yes, Master!" Niu Mancang hurriedly bowed in response.

"Thank you, Master!" Wen Hua beamed.

"Don't put all your energy into the Black Tiger Gang either. You cannot slacken in cultivation," Zhang Yu reminded Wen Hua.

"Yes, Master!"

The next morning, Wen Hua and Niu Mancang first went to the Black Tiger Gang, gathered Li Mazi and the others, then headed in a grand procession to the Iron Fist Gang.

Shi Lie, the Iron Fist Gang's leader, was half a step into dark force. A year ago, his attempt to break through into dark force had not fully succeeded, but he had not been injured either. He had broken halfway through the threshold, and his strength far surpassed that of someone at the peak of bright force.

Three days earlier, he had broken Li Mazi's right arm.

Both the Iron Fist Gang and the Green Snake Gang were small gangs. It was only because Shi Lie had become half a step into dark force that he did not take Wen Hua seriously.

"Shi Lie, you old bastard, come out and die!" Li Mazi stood before the Iron Fist Gang's gates and cursed loudly.

Three days ago, Shi Lie had broken his arm and humiliated him viciously. He had been holding in a mouthful of rage ever since.

Shortly afterward, Shi Lie emerged from the Iron Fist Gang. Seeing that it was Li Mazi, he snapped, "Li Mazi, you're courting death. Three days ago, I spared your life out of respect for Gang Leader Wen. You still dare come here to throw your life away today?"

Li Mazi wanted to keep cursing, but Wen Hua stopped him.

Wen Hua stepped forward, looked at Shi Lie, and cupped his fists. "Gang Leader Shi, I'm only asking you one question today. Are you returning that five percent share of medicinal herbs or not?"

"The medicinal herb share was won back by the brothers with their lives. Gang Leader Wen wants to take it back with a single sentence? There is no such logic in this world," Shi Lie replied, still extremely unyielding.

"So you're not returning it." A cold gleam flashed in Wen Hua's eyes.

He had been wrangling with Shi Lie for some time now and had long run out of patience. If he had been able to defeat him, he would have secretly slaughtered him long ago.

Seeing the cold light in Wen Hua's eyes, Shi Lie said disdainfully, "Gang Leader Wen, I know the Sima Family stands behind you, and that you're Zhang Yu's prized disciple. But the Iron Fist Gang and the Green Snake Gang have powers backing us too. There are rules regarding Boundless City's medicinal herb shares, and you cannot afford to offend the people who made those rules."

"Not only can you not afford to offend them, neither can your master, Zhang Yu. I advise you to take your people and get the hell out of here. If I lose patience in a moment, I'll break all your legs." Shi Lie looked utterly arrogant.

"You dare speak of my master like that? Die!" Niu Mancang, who had been standing nearby, immediately flew into a rage when he heard Shi Lie belittle Zhang Yu. He struck without hesitation.

He used no particular move. Stepping forward, he swung his massive hand down at Shi Lie's head.

Shi Lie had noticed Niu Mancang long ago. His body was forged from iron, and the powerful pressure radiating from him made him impossible to ignore.

Thus, the moment Niu Mancang moved, Shi Lie moved as well. He neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he stepped forward into a bow stance, gathered all the power in his body into his right fist, and drove it straight toward Niu Mancang's chest.

After throwing the punch, a faint smile of victory appeared on Shi Lie's face.

His punch traveled in a straight line, while Niu Mancang's arm descended in an arc. Moreover, he was faster than his opponent.

Shi Lie was certain that his fist would strike Niu Mancang's chest first. He had complete confidence in the power of this punch.

Bang!

Just as he had calculated, his fist struck Niu Mancang's chest first. Yet the sight he had expected—Niu Mancang vomiting blood and flying backward—did not appear.

Niu Mancang stood utterly unmoving.

"How is this possible?" The confidence on Shi Lie's face turned to shock. He was half a step into dark force, and that punch had contained every ounce of his strength. Splitting steles and shattering rocks should have been effortless, so why had there been no reaction at all when it struck his opponent?

Unfortunately, he would never know the answer in this life, because Niu Mancang's palm came down on his head immediately afterward.

Splurt!

Shi Lie's head burst like a watermelon, red and white spilling all over the ground.

"Senior Brother, spare his—" Wen Hua had not even finished the last word when he saw Shi Lie slapped to death with a single palm.

He did not hesitate. Immediately afterward, he decisively gave the order to slaughter the gang. "Kill!"

That very day, with Niu Mancang's help, Wen Hua went all the way and led his men in slaughtering both the Iron Fist Gang and the Green Snake Gang.

The instant Niu Mancang killed Shi Lie, they had offended the people who made the rules. Since they had offended them anyway, Wen Hua did not hesitate. He walked down the dark road to the bitter end, destroying the Iron Fist Gang and the Green Snake Gang at the fastest possible speed.

That afternoon, cartload after cartload of gold, silver, treasures, medicinal herbs, and grain were transported to Zhang Yu's residence. These were the riches the Green Snake Gang and the Iron Fist Gang had accumulated over more than a decade.

The last time Zhang Yu secretly killed Li Xiong, he had not obtained the Black Tiger Gang's wealth. This time, Wen Hua had caught the Green Snake Gang and the Iron Fist Gang off guard, and most of the two gangs' wealth fell into his hands.