Really Foolish or Just Pretending?

"Third Brother, you're back."

Chen Yuan was about to bow when a stream of blue-black true qi appeared and helped him up.

An old man in his seventies emerged from the inner hall. Though old, he was tall and powerfully built, with a full head of black hair. Smiling, he said, "We're family. No need for such empty formalities."

This old man was Jiang Kaitai, leader of the Heavenly Wolf Gang, known as the Northern Wolf of the Northlands.

Jiang Kaitai had risen from the underworld. He had worked as an escort, been a bandit, and finally built the Heavenly Wolf Gang from nothing. Controlling half of Linked Mountains City, he was a true underworld overlord.

Chen Yuan shook his head. "Rites must not be neglected. Foster Father took me into the gang and taught me martial arts. Your kindness surpasses that of my birth parents. I still feel that I haven't bowed to you nearly enough."

The previous Chen Yuan could never have said something so sickeningly flattering.

That Chen Yuan had been somewhat honest and dull-witted. The only thing remarkable about him was his astonishing talent for martial arts.

The earlier one began cultivating martial arts, the greater the advantage.

There were nine realms of martial arts. The first three were Body Tempering, Meridian Opening, and Blood Shifting.

Jiang Kaitai's eldest and second foster sons had cultivated for over ten years before reaching the Meridian Opening Realm.

Chen Yuan had cultivated for less than two years and had already reached the peak of Body Tempering, only one step from Meridian Opening. His talent was clearly formidable enough to call him a genius.

But there was another saying in the martial world: only a genius who grew up was a true genius. A dead genius was merely a dead man.

The Chen Yuan of the original plot had been exactly like that. Before he could even grow stronger, he had been implicated by Jiang Kaitai and killed by the Murong Clan.

Jiang Kaitai lightly patted Chen Yuan's shoulder and asked with a smile, "I heard you killed someone at Worry-Free Tower earlier?"

Anger appeared on Chen Yuan's face. "Those lowly martial vagrants, no better than pigs and dogs, dared slander Foster Father and insult the Heavenly Wolf Gang. They deserved to die!"

"The Heavenly Wolf Gang has been established in Linked Mountains City for so many years. There have always been people speaking ill of us behind our backs."

Jiang Kaitai waved a hand magnanimously. "The Blackwater Gang has merely been pressing us hard lately, and the Heavenly Wolf Gang is temporarily avoiding its edge. So what if they talk? By killing them, you only make the Heavenly Wolf Gang seem domineering."

Chen Yuan cupped his hands. "Your son knows his mistake. But they dared insult Foster Father. Even if it happened again, I would still kill that bastard!"

Jiang Kaitai gently patted Chen Yuan's shoulder and nodded in satisfaction.

He had damaged his meridians while cultivating in his early years, so he was destined never to have children. That was why he had begun taking in foster sons.

His eldest and second foster sons had now become pillars of the gang. Although they were capable, once children grew up, they naturally developed more thoughts of their own.

The two openly and secretly fought within the gang, both wanting greater power and seeking to take over the Heavenly Wolf Gang.

Now it seemed that only his third son, Chen Yuan, had no such schemes in his heart. No matter the circumstances, Chen Yuan always put his foster father first, even above the Heavenly Wolf Gang.

Of course he liked capable foster sons, but he liked filial and loyal foster sons even more.

"Come. Follow me to the Council Hall. I've summoned your eldest and second brothers, along with several hall masters, for a discussion."

Chen Yuan followed behind Jiang Kaitai with his head lowered. The anger had vanished completely from his face, leaving only perfect calm.

To seize the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment, the first step was earning Jiang Kaitai's trust—his genuine trust.

Jiang Kaitai was an underworld overlord: ruthless, vicious, and suspicious by nature.

He had never trusted anyone in the Heavenly Wolf Gang, including Chen Yuan and his other two foster sons.

In the original plot, when Jiang Kaitai conducted a blood sacrifice for a divine weapon in Linked Mountains City, he had not used anyone from the Heavenly Wolf Gang. Instead, he had used a group of deathsworn men he had personally trained for over twenty years.

That was why no one had initially suspected the Heavenly Wolf Gang or Jiang Kaitai.

What Chen Yuan needed to do now was continually raise Jiang Kaitai's favorability until he earned his trust and could participate in the blood sacrifice of the Seven Kill Stele.

Only then could he seize the Seven-Kill Stele Fragment from Jiang Kaitai, the Murong Clan, and the One Qi Piercing Sun Alliance.

More than twenty people were already seated in the Council Hall, all hall masters from the Heavenly Wolf Gang's various divisions.

Two men sat opposite each other at the front. One was in his thirties, tall and muscular, with a vicious saber scar on his face.

He was the eldest brother, Qin Yuancheng, master of the Blood Fang Hall, the strongest of all the Heavenly Wolf Gang's halls.

The man opposite Qin Yuancheng was just over thirty, with delicate, almost feminine features. He wore a moon-white long robe and looked like the pampered son of a wealthy family.

This was the second brother, Chu Ziping. He commanded the Heavenly Wolf Gang's Punishment Hall, the most powerful of all its halls.

As Jiang Kaitai entered the Council Hall, everyone present hurriedly rose and bowed.

"Greetings, Gang Leader!"

After bowing, the crowd saw Chen Yuan following behind Jiang Kaitai and revealed strange expressions.

Since when had Chen Yuan become so close to the gang leader?

Both Qin Yuancheng and Chu Ziping's expressions darkened somewhat.

After all these years of fighting each other, it seemed they had somewhat forgotten about Chen Yuan, their third brother.

Well played, Third Brother. He had looked honest and straightforward before, but he had merely been pretending to be simple-minded!

Chen Yuan ignored Qin Yuancheng and Chu Ziping's gazes and walked straight to his own seat.

They were merely two idiotic cannon fodder.

In the original plot, after nearly all of Jiang Kaitai's deathsworn men had died, he began deceiving them into helping him slaughter people for a blood sacrifice.

Those two fools had truly believed Jiang Kaitai could fuse with the divine weapon and bring them glory and prosperity, so they began slaughtering people throughout Linked Mountains City.

In truth, Jiang Kaitai had never trusted them. He was simply using them as expendable resources.

After they had finished killing, he blood-sacrificed them along with the divine weapon without the slightest concern for those two cannon-fodder foster sons.

Jiang Kaitai coughed and looked at the hall masters present. "The Blackwater Gang has been pressing us hard lately, taking much of our business and territory. I know everyone is furious.

But rest assured. My cultivation has improved recently. We will endure the Blackwater Gang for a while longer. When the time comes, I will settle both old and new debts with that fake monk, Yuan Dongtian!"

The Heavenly Wolf Gang and the Blackwater Gang had previously been evenly matched.

But lately, Jiang Kaitai had been busy with the blood sacrifice of the divine weapon, so he had naturally neglected gang affairs.

He had not personally made a move for nearly a year, telling the outside world only that he was cultivating in seclusion.

But the Blackwater Gang assumed Jiang Kaitai had grown old, his qi and blood depleted and his strength fading, so it began probing and encroaching upon their territory.

Seeing that Jiang Kaitai still had not acted, it pressed forward step by step.

Many people in the Heavenly Wolf Gang had already become dissatisfied. Left with no choice, Jiang Kaitai could only step forward to soothe the hall masters.

At that moment, a burly man stood up, his face filled with grievance. "Gang Leader, it's not that we can't endure it. Those Blackwater Gang bastards have gone too far!

They've taken one and a half of the three markets under my command. They've seized the gambling dens and brothels, and several of my brothers have been lost.

If this continues, I'm afraid I'll become a hall master with no one left under him!"

Jiang Kaitai frowned slightly.

As long as he obtained the divine weapon, what was a mere Blackwater Gang worth?

He truly did not want to waste his time worrying about such low-level gang conflicts right now.

But he still needed the Heavenly Wolf Gang as a cover, so he could not simply ignore its affairs.

Lightly tapping the table, Jiang Kaitai pondered for a moment before saying, "Eldest, your Blood Fang Hall needs to move.

Whichever hall has suffered the most losses, send men to help it hold the line. I don't require you to reclaim lost territory, but at the very least, preserve what we have now.

Second, your Punishment Hall should not sit idle either. Stop focusing solely on your own people. Go down and help resist the Blackwater Gang as well."

Qin Yuancheng and Chu Ziping hurriedly rose and bowed.

"Yes, Foster Father!"

Jiang Kaitai suddenly turned his gaze toward Chen Yuan. "Third, do you want to go out and take command of a hall on your own?"

At those words, Qin Yuancheng and Chu Ziping both fixed their eyes on Chen Yuan.

Previously, Chen Yuan had overseen the Merit Transmission Hall, but he had held no real authority. He was merely an instructor teaching basic martial arts to gang members.

After those members had trained for a while, they would be assigned to other halls.

Thus, Qin Yuancheng and Chu Ziping had never taken him seriously.

But if Chen Yuan went out to command another hall, with a group of gang members under him who could fight and kill, the threat would become much greater.

Chen Yuan shook his head. "Thank you for your favor, Foster Father.

But my abilities are limited, and I have never been tempered within the gang. If I were to command a hall alone now, I would only be likely to ruin things.

I only hope to remain in the Merit Transmission Hall, train more gang members for Foster Father, lay a solid foundation for the Heavenly Wolf Gang, and ease Foster Father's burdens."

The Heavenly Wolf Gang would soon be utterly destroyed. He would have to be stuffed to the point of bursting before he went looking for more work to do.

The Merit Transmission Hall was far more leisurely, giving him plenty of time to make his own arrangements.

Jiang Kaitai nodded in satisfaction.

Third was indeed still Third, unlike Eldest and Second, whose minds were filled with fighting for power and profit.

This time, Jiang Kaitai truly was not testing Chen Yuan. He genuinely did not have many people he could openly use at his side.

If Chen Yuan had agreed, Jiang Kaitai would truly have given him a hall and had him help resist the Blackwater Gang.

But at the same time, Jiang Kaitai would have become a little more wary of Chen Yuan.

"Enough. Dismissed. The Heavenly Wolf Gang has survived so many storms over the years. This little setback is nothing."

Jiang Kaitai waved his hand and dismissed everyone.

As Chen Yuan walked out of the Council Hall, Qin Yuancheng suddenly strode up beside him and sneered. "Third Brother, you've got some skills now. You know how to suck up to Foster Father."

"What do you mean by that, Eldest Brother? What do you mean, suck up?"

Chen Yuan looked astonished. "Without Foster Father, you and I would merely be ordinary gang members. How could we have our current status?

Shouldn't we be filial and respectful toward Foster Father, helping him resolve his burdens? How could that be called sucking up?"

Qin Yuancheng choked on his words and was immediately left speechless.

Chen Yuan could not be bothered with him and turned to leave.

Chu Ziping walked over from behind. Qin Yuancheng frowned and asked, "Do you think Third Brother is truly foolish, or is he pretending?"

Chu Ziping drawled, "Who cares whether he's truly foolish or pretending?

Foster Father gave him an opportunity to command a hall, and he refused it. Even if he's pretending to be foolish, he's become a real fool.

Don't you know Foster Father's temperament? Third Brother rejected Foster Father this time. Who knows whether he'll have to wait until the year of the monkey for another opportunity like this.

Still, the Blackwater Gang pressing us so hard is an opportunity for me.

Though my Punishment Hall carries great authority within the gang, we normally don't have many opportunities to show ourselves outside or earn merit. This opportunity is hard to come by, hahaha!"

Chu Ziping laughed loudly as he turned and left, leaving Qin Yuancheng behind with a dark expression.