Golden Wolf Gang

After waking up, it was just about time for the day to end.

After listening to reports from some of his subordinates and confirming that nothing major had occurred, Fang Xing left the County Yamen.

However, just as he left the Yamen and passed through Nanshan Ward, someone stepped forward to block his path.

It was a young man who looked like a scholar, his face full of smiles.

"Are you the honorable Fang Xing, the official Fang?"

Fang Xing sized up the young scholar and frowned. "Who are you?"

The young man chuckled. "Official Fang, let me introduce myself. I am Lin Qiu, from the Golden Wolf Gang. Our gang leader has booked a private room at Spring Breeze Restaurant and would like to invite you for a meal. I hope you will do us the honor."

"Golden Wolf Gang..."

Fang Xing narrowed his eyes as relevant information quickly surfaced in his mind.

It was a third-rate gang.

They had a certain reputation in North City and were more powerful than the Black Tiger Gang.

Their leader was also at the peak of Bright Force.

Furthermore, the Golden Wolf Gang didn't just have their leader; there were two other martial artists at the level of Bright Force holding down the fort.

Although they weren't at the peak of Bright Force, a gang with three such martial artists was still quite formidable.

At the very least, they were quite strong for him at his current stage.

As these thoughts flashed by, Fang Xing looked at Lin Qiu. "I don't believe I know your gang leader."

Lin Qiu smiled brightly. "Official Fang, strangers become friends after the first meeting. Our gang leader has long admired you and simply wishes to make your acquaintance today."

Hearing this, Fang Xing understood their intentions perfectly. He feigned a moment of contemplation before speaking. "Very well, I have nothing to do right now, so I will go and meet him."

He didn't mind if they wanted to win him over.

After all, his primary goal remained improving his strength, and he didn't want to offend these local gangs just yet.

Contact was inevitable sooner or later.

Moreover, he had only just stepped into the realm of Bright Force, and he had a long road ahead.

By making contact early, he could wipe them all out in one go when the opportunity arose.

He was actually quite interested in the methods of evil cultivators.

It was just that his strength wasn't enough yet.

"Please, Official Fang!"

Lin Qiu smiled, and Fang Xing nodded, following him as they headed toward Spring Breeze Restaurant.

North City, Anqing Ward.

Fang Xing followed Lin Qiu to the entrance of a restaurant.

This was considered one of the more prosperous streets in the city.

Restaurants, inns, and entertainment houses were all clustered here.

It belonged to the central street of Anqing Ward.

There were quite a few forces operating in this area.

After all, having patrolled here previously, Fang Xing was very familiar with the distribution of power in this location.

Entering the restaurant, he soon followed Lin Qiu to a private room on the top floor.

Lin Qiu pushed open the doors.

Inside sat three people.

At the head was a bald, burly man dressed in black, looking powerful and sharp-eyed.

The other two were a relatively refined-looking middle-aged man and a tall, thin man.

These three were the core figures of the Golden Wolf Gang.

As the door opened, the gazes of the three landed on Fang Xing.

Their eyes met.

The bald man was the first to stand up, beaming. "Welcome, Official Fang."

The other two also stood up, greeting him with smiles.

"Official Fang, please come in."

Lin Qiu gestured, and Fang Xing nodded slightly before stepping into the room.

Seeing Fang Xing enter, Lin Qiu closed the door and tactfully took his leave.

"Official Fang is truly young and promising. To eradicate the scourge that was the Black Tiger Gang on your very first day in office—truly remarkable," the refined middle-aged man remarked with a chuckle.

"Protecting the peace of North City is merely my duty," Fang Xing said calmly.

"Official Fang, let me introduce myself. I am Jin Xiong, leader of the Golden Wolf Gang."

The bald man spoke with a smile.

Fang Xing nodded. "I have long heard of Gang Leader Jin's reputation. Seeing you today, it is well-deserved."

Hearing this, Jin Xiong laughed heartily. "You flatter me, Official Fang. I am merely a man of the underworld; I cannot compare to someone like you."

Fang Xing smiled. Jin Xiong then introduced the refined middle-aged man beside him. "This is my chief steward, Jiang Tao."

As Jin Xiong introduced him, the refined man offered a slight smile, and Fang Xing acknowledged him with a nod, a simple greeting.

Next, Jin Xiong continued, "And this is my younger brother, Jin Cheng."

The tall, thin man cupped his hands toward Fang Xing, who nodded lightly in return.

"I prepared this banquet today to make your acquaintance. I truly wish to befriend you, Official Fang. Please, take a seat."

Jin Xiong gestured with a smile, and Fang Xing did not stand on ceremony, taking his seat.

Glancing at the delicacies and fine wine on the table, he looked toward Jin Xiong.

"Gang Leader Jin is too kind. I, too, wished to make your acquaintance."

"Hahaha, it seems we think alike."

Jin Xiong laughed, and as he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Tao, who immediately picked up the decanter to pour Fang Xing a cup of wine.

"Official Fang, to our meeting—let us have a drink. Cheers!"

Jin Xiong raised his glass, and Jiang Tao and Jin Cheng followed suit.

Fang Xing smiled slightly and raised his own glass. "Cheers!"

After taking a small sip, he set the cup down.

"Come, come, Official Fang, please try the food. This is prepared by the finest chef at Spring Breeze Restaurant; the taste is excellent."

Jin Xiong spoke with enthusiasm, and Fang Xing replied with a smile, picking up a piece of fresh fish to taste.

The atmosphere was very harmonious.

The group ate and chatted.

They appeared like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years, soon calling each other brothers.

After three rounds of drinks and tasting the dishes, the room was filled with laughter.

Fang Xing set down his chopsticks and looked at Jin Xiong. "Brother Jin, I have a question I would like to ask. I wonder if you could answer it for me."

Jin Xiong looked magnanimous as he set down his glass. "Brother Fang, please speak freely. If I know the answer, I will certainly tell you."

Fang Xing's eyes flickered, and he said with a smile, "How much do you know about the Black Tiger Gang?"

The Black Tiger Gang?

Jin Xiong was taken aback, then said, "I don't actually know much. I only know a little about Xu Hu. That man was originally a hoodlum from Baichao Township outside the city. Later, I don't know what kind of fortune he stumbled upon, but he luckily became a martial artist. Then, he gathered a group of people and carved out some territory in North City."

"As for the man himself, I didn't have much contact with him."

"However, I have heard some rumors."

"Oh?"

Fang Xing's eyes brightened, and he looked at Jin Xiong calmly. "What kind of rumors?"

"It seems to have something to do with some evil cult," Jiang Tao interjected from the side.

"An evil cult..."

Hearing Jiang Tao's words, Fang Xing turned his gaze toward him.

Jiang Tao looked at Fang Xing and said, "I don't know the specifics, just some rumors I've heard."

So it seems there is a high probability that the messenger behind that guy is from the Fire Worship Cult...

The thought flashed through Fang Xing's mind, and he felt a weight in his heart.

Evil cults were deeply hidden.

If the messenger Xu Hu spoke of was truly from an evil cult, they wouldn't be easy to track down.

Although he didn't know the foundation of the Fire Worship Cult, the fact that it had managed to exist for so long was proof of its power.

He came from Baichao Township... Could the Fire Worship Cult have a stronghold there?

A thought crossed his mind.

Even if there is a stronghold, with my current strength, going there would be suicide. It's safer to stay in the city for now...

Fang Xing sighed inwardly.

Even if there were, he would not go.

His strength was insufficient!

However, having obtained this information, he felt a bit more confident.

At the very least, he could roughly confirm that the envoy Xu Hu spoke of was likely a member of the Fire Worship Cult.

Moreover, it was highly probable that it was the very same fugitive from back then.

"Brother Fang, hasn't the Black Tiger Gang already been wiped out? Even Xu Hu was killed by you, Brother Fang. Are you worried that this cult might come after you?"

Standing to the side, Jiang Tao looked at Fang Xing and asked.

Fang Xing snapped back to reality and said, "It's nothing, just some cases from above that require my cooperation with the investigation."

The others nodded, asked no further questions, and continued to drink and chat.