Opportunity

When he emerged from the Treasure Brocade Workshop and walked down the long alley to its entrance, he seemed to sense something. Looking back, he caught a dark silhouette flashing past the far end of the alley. Having lived two lives, his overlapping souls gave him an advantage over ordinary people in mental perception.

A sense of urgency rose in his heart. He could not be sure whether the Black Tiger Gang had sent someone to watch him or whether a passerby had merely glanced his way. Either way, he had to defuse the hidden bomb that was the Black Tiger Gang.

He could not make a breakthrough in stance training in the short term. To improve his strength, he would have to practice archery and his fist technique-especially archery!

Over the following days, whenever Zhao Feng returned from the Martial Arts School, he practiced archery like a madman in the open space behind the row houses! Sometimes, he even shot through the night by moonlight!

1600, 1700, 1800...

His archery progress rose visibly. Finally, several days later, he endured the aching numbness in both arms and loosed another arrow, knocking over the crude target.

A flash of white light passed through his mind, and a line of small text appeared before his eyes.

[Archery: Great accomplishment (1/4000)].

According to the information from the panel, once his archery reached great accomplishment, he could hit a stationary target ten times out of ten at seventy paces, and a moving target five or six times out of ten. At fifty paces, he could hit a moving target seven or eight times out of ten. Within thirty paces, even a moving target was ten hits out of ten.

With his archery at great accomplishment, he at least had a little more confidence.

Zhao Feng intended to go all the way and eliminate the Black Tiger Gang's leader. The gang would then most likely fall apart, leaving it no time to bother with him and removing the threat for good. Otherwise, he would never sleep soundly.

Yet while he was still planning his attack, another series of bloody clashes suddenly erupted between the Black Tiger Gang and the Three Harmonies Gang. The Outer City had over thirty gangs, each occupying territories of varying sizes, and clashes of all kinds broke out between them almost daily. This time, however, the fighting between the Black Tiger Gang and the Three Harmonies Gang was particularly brutal and continued for several days.

Many people were killed or wounded. Even the county authorities, who had always ignored the Outer City, sent men over. Though they only dealt with the aftermath and took no other action, that alone showed how serious the incident had become.

"The Three Harmonies Gang has the upper hand. I heard the Black Tiger Gang's leader and deputy leader were both wounded."

"They've lost several patches of territory in a row."

"The Three Harmonies Gang is getting stronger and stronger. They've clashed with several other gangs besides the Black Tiger Gang, and they've come out on top every time."

"They've declared that sooner or later, the entire Outer City will belong to them."

It was not just people in the streets discussing it. Even the disciples at the Martial Arts School whispered about it while practicing their fist techniques.

Nearby, Zhao Feng remained calm and showed no reaction, as though it had nothing to do with him. As usual, he practiced his stance and fist technique alone.

He drove a punch forward, and a sharp crack exploded through the air.

"Senior Brother Zhao has produced a Crashing Ring too!"

"In our Eight Extremes Fist, even a thousand gold pieces can't buy that single ring. I never thought Senior Brother Zhao's comprehension would be so impressive too."

The disciples around him all looked at him in surprise.

Senior Brother Zhao, who usually went unnoticed, had actually produced a Crashing Ring.

Standing in the courtyard, Huo Shan paused briefly at the sight. He did not approach, however, and instead turned and entered the rear courtyard.

This disciple had good comprehension and a sound mind. Unfortunately, his root bone was far too ordinary. His potential was exhausted, and he would not get far from here. What a pity.

Night fell, and apart from a few pleasure houses in the Inner City, all of Big Stone County sank into darkness and silence.

In West Mountain Ward in the Outer City, figures flickered under dim yellow candlelight in a courtyard at the end of a secluded, nameless alley.

Several burly men in black stood guard in the courtyard with sabers in hand, while the main room was filled with the smells of medicinal decoctions and blood.

"Sixth Brother!" With his shoulder bandaged, the gang leader, Feng Dahu, gazed in grief at the deputy leader, Ma Liu, who had just breathed his last on the bed. This old brother had fought his way up alongside him, licking blood from the edges of their blades, and had been his most capable subordinate. A bright strength Martial Master like Feng Dahu himself, Ma Liu had ultimately failed to survive these past few days and died beneath the Three Harmonies Gang's blades. They had lost their headquarters too.

"Three Harmonies Gang. Bald Zhang!" Feng Dahu gritted out each word.

"I'll fight you to the death!" He reached for his saber with one hand.

"Gang Leader, you mustn't!" His strategist, Lü Tong, hurriedly stopped him.

"The Three Harmonies Gang is too powerful now. We couldn't beat them even when the deputy leader was still alive. Now he's dead, you're wounded, and our brothers have suffered heavy losses. If we stake our lives on a fight now, we'll be playing right into their hands. We'll all be finished."

"How did this happen? Why did the Three Harmonies Gang suddenly become so strong? Where did those bright strength Martial Masters come from? Where did they get the money to hire so many Attendants?" Recalling how several bright strength Martial Masters from the Three Harmonies Gang had surrounded and attacked him and his deputy, Feng Dahu shuddered.

"Gang Leader, can't you see it by now? Those Martial Masters aren't Attendants at all. They were sent from outside specifically to help the Three Harmonies Gang!" Lü Tong said.

"Who sent them? The Five Great Families? Why would they help the Three Harmonies Gang fight us?" Feng Dahu asked, stunned. He thought back carefully. Though he had little contact with the Five Great Families of the Inner City, he understood the proper courtesies. Not only had he never dared offend their people or interfere with their businesses, he also prepared gifts for every holiday, never daring to leave out a single family. Why would they target him?

"Gang Leader, it isn't the Five Great Families. Someone else is behind this!" Lü Tong said.

"Then who?" Who else within Big Stone County had such power?

"Gang Leader, do you remember how Black Cloud Stronghold sent someone to us last year, demanding that we follow their lead?"

At Lü Tong's words, Feng Dahu froze, immediately recalling what had happened the previous year. Black Cloud Stronghold had sent someone to absorb their gang, demanding that most of their annual income be handed over to the stronghold.

"You and the deputy leader didn't want to be controlled or bow beneath someone else, so you politely refused."

"You mean those bright strength Martial Masters are men from Black Cloud Stronghold!" Feng Dahu said.

"Almost certainly. The Three Harmonies Gang's strength shot up because they submitted to them. Those men are actually Martial Masters from Black Cloud Stronghold disguised as members of the Three Harmonies Gang."

"Why are you so certain?" Feng Dahu asked.

"Think about it, Gang Leader. When did the Three Harmonies Gang start clashing with us? Immediately after we rejected Black Cloud Stronghold last year. Could that really be a coincidence? And looking at everything they've done, they clearly aren't just fighting over territory. They're putting us to the blade, killing the chicken to frighten the monkeys, and intimidating the other gangs into submission at the same time. That shows considerable ambition, and they must have a powerful force backing them. Only Black Cloud Stronghold could pull something like this off. Their goal is to secretly unite the entire Outer City!" Lü Tong stroked his thin, drooping mustache as he spoke with certainty.

As for why Black Cloud Stronghold wanted to unite the gangs of the Outer City, its purpose was probably more than simply collecting money from afar.

"Besides, I suspect the County Magistrate is involved as well. I sent men to investigate, and a year ago..."

As Lü Tong continued his account, cold sweat began seeping down Feng Dahu's back.

His strategist was right. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If Black Cloud Stronghold was behind the Three Harmonies Gang, he had no hope of resisting. Black Cloud Stronghold had already grown powerful enough to strike terror into several nearby counties. Rumor had it that more than one hidden force expert held down the bandits' lair. Worse still, the County Magistrate was very likely colluding with them. Thinking of the Three Harmonies Gang's sudden rise, the county authorities' ambiguous attitude toward it, and their abrupt coldness toward his Black Tiger Gang, he felt increasingly that something was wrong. He paid the County Magistrate no small amount in tribute every year, after all, yet he had sensed a change in the man's attitude toward him since last year.

"Then what should we do now?"

"Gang Leader, as long as the green mountains remain, we needn't fear running out of firewood. Our only option now is to act decisively and withdraw from Big Stone County. The world is vast. I refuse to believe there's nowhere in it for our Black Tiger Gang," Lü Tong said.