Liu Jing, who had remained inside the Four Seas Gang's headquarters, was utterly horrified. The Tang Family Guards were all Yellow Tier fighters? When had the Tang Family gained so many experts?
When he heard Chen Dao's call just now, Liu Jing had wrestled with whether to go out and support him.
But he soon abandoned the idea. Uncle Mo was already at the Profound Tier Eighth Grade. If Liu Jing joined forces with Chen Dao, they might gain some advantage, but once all the Tang Family Guards surrounded them, even an elephant could be bitten to death by enough ants. His chances of survival would be far too slim. Better to leave while he could!
Having made up his mind, Liu Jing sent a covert signal outside, telling the Liu Family's men to seize any chance to escape. He himself sprinted toward the rear courtyard, reached a wall, took a deep breath, and vaulted over it, fleeing toward the Liu Family in a panic.
With such an immense disparity in strength, every expert in the Four Seas Gang was wiped out. Of the weaker members, those who had survived had long since fled. The Four Seas Gang, which had dominated Cloud City's underworld for years, was utterly shattered in less than two hours.
Chen Dao had long since realized that the Four Seas Gang had suffered a crushing defeat. After all this time, he had still seen no sign of Liu Jing, and grief and fury surged through him. At this moment, he felt no hatred toward the Tang Family. Instead, his resentment toward the Liu Family was boundless. If not for you bastards from the Liu Family, how could I, Chen Dao, have fallen this far?
Already weaker than Uncle Mo, and distracted by everything happening around him, Chen Dao was driven back again and again. One lapse in attention left him struck twice by the spear, blood spraying from his wounds.
"Liu Family, I curse every last one of you, eighteen generations of your clan, to die horrible deaths! Even if I become a ghost, I, Chen Dao, will never let you go!" With nowhere left to turn, Chen Dao knew he could no longer reverse his fate. He threw back his head and roared his curse, then drew his saber across his neck, ending his own life.
Looking at the fallen Chen Dao and the destroyed Four Seas Gang, Uncle Mo sighed inwardly.
The Four Seas Gang had indeed amassed countless riches in Cloud City. Though weaker than the four great families, if it fought any one family with all its strength, it would inevitably inflict tremendous damage. Thus, even though the great families eyed the gang's businesses like hungry tigers, none had truly moved to deliver the killing blow.
Who could have imagined that such a tough bone to crack would be swept clean by the Tang Family so easily?
Uncle Mo thought of Young Master Tang, and his heart jolted. Wasn't the Tang Family's newfound strength all thanks to Young Master Tang's efforts behind the scenes?
The young master had hidden himself far too deeply all these years!
"Go inside and search thoroughly. Bring everything valuable back to the Tang Family!" After a moment of reflection, Uncle Mo immediately issued his orders.
As the Tang Family Guards carried chest after chest of treasures out of the Four Seas Gang's headquarters, Uncle Mo's eyes went wide. All those years of filthy business had earned the Four Seas Gang this much wealth!
Looking at the mountain of gold, he reckoned it might amount to half the Tang Family's reserves!
When all those treasures arrived at the Tang Family estate, even Old Master Tang stared in disbelief. The Four Seas Gang had possessed such wealth!
"Besides today's rewards for killing the enemy, everyone will receive an additional five hundred taels of silver!" Seeing cartload after cartload of valuables arrive, Tang Yan immediately increased the rewards.
He had to keep driving home the message that following the Tang Family meant meat on the table. Only then could he better unite their hearts and forge the Tang Family's troops into a solid slab of iron!
Destroying the Four Seas Gang in two hours was an illustrious feat by any standard in Cloud City. As though sprouting wings, the news instantly spread throughout the city.
The various great families reacted differently upon receiving the news.
The City Lord's Residence, the Wonderful Elixir Workshop, and even the Heavenly Treasure Auction House, which kept out of worldly affairs, were merely shocked by the Tang Family's strength, rather than frightened.
Meanwhile, the families attached to the Tang Family, who had been wavering over whether to leave, all felt reassured.
Who could fail to see that the Liu Family had been stirring up the waves behind the Four Seas Gang's attack on the Liu Family in the north of the city? For the Tang Family to step forward at such a time and demand justice for them, even deploying a hundred and thirty Yellow Tier experts, immediately set their minds at ease with that formidable fighting power.
The other three of Cloud City's four great families, however, were nowhere near so relaxed.
In the Liu Family's main hall, Old Master Liu, Liu Wuhui, paced back and forth, while everyone else wore a dark expression.
The strength the Tang Family had suddenly flexed weighed like a great stone on every heart.
"Over a hundred and thirty Yellow Tier experts! Can anyone tell me how you've been keeping watch on the Tang Family? So many experts appeared out of nowhere, and you didn't hear even a whisper?" Liu Wuhui roared.
Everyone in the hall fell as silent as cicadas in winter. A falling needle could have been heard.
Only after a long while did Liu He speak. "Father, even with all these experts suddenly springing up, the Tang Family still can't compare with our Liu Family. We can still strip them of their dignity at tonight's Mid-Autumn Gathering."
"The strength the Tang Family has now displayed can no longer be underestimated. If we really kill Tang Yan then, and the Tang Family throws caution to the winds to fight us, how much will our Liu Family lose?" Liu Wuhui coldly pointed out the problem.
"Well..." Everyone sank into thought. The prospect of the Tang Family deploying over a hundred Yellow Tier experts in one stroke sent a chill through them.
"Though we can't kill Tang Yan, we can still injure him severely. As long as we leave that bastard alive, that old dog Tang won't commit everything to a bloody fight with our Liu Family. Then, once we join forces with the other families against the Tang Family, its destruction will only be a matter of time," Liu Wuhui calculated.
"What if the Tang Family still refuses to attend this year's Mid-Autumn Gathering?" asked Liu Zhi, who had remained silent until now.
"We'll spread word shortly that the Tang Family has no worthy younger generation, not even a direct descendant who can attend the Mid-Autumn Gathering. Whatever strength the Tang Family has now is merely a flower that blooms for a fleeting moment. Once Tang Ling dies, the Tang Family will collapse immediately.
"If the Tang Family really doesn't compete, that rumor will leave a brand on everyone's minds and deal a tremendous blow to its reputation.
"If the Tang Family competes this time, we'll proceed with our original plan and cripple Tang Yan. That will still achieve our goal of striking a blow against the Tang Family." A ruthless gleam flashed through Liu Wuhui's eyes.
"A wise decision, Master." Everyone immediately clapped in agreement.
The sun gradually sank westward.
Only a few brilliant streaks of sunset remained along the horizon.
The annual Mid-Autumn Gathering gradually began to unfold.
Bright lanterns clustered along the shores of Bright Moon Lake, illuminating the entire lake. Men and women, young and old, from every corner of the city hurried over.
Many young men had dressed themselves up carefully before leaving home, combing their hair until it gleamed, hoping to see whether they could charm a pretty girl at this grand gathering.
Quite a few young members of the families were also rubbing their fists and palms together, eager to make a splash at the gathering.
Stalls and street vendors lined the lakeshore and stretched out toward the streets.
Gongs and drums thundered across Bright Moon Lake, filling it with extraordinary bustle.
Yet many people craned their necks, waiting for the spectacle between the four great families.
And in the space of a single day, two rumors had suddenly emerged in Cloud City.
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