Nothing more need be said of that night; it passed without incident. But the personal arrival of Zhang Xing, Zhang Sanlang, chief of the Exorcising the Dragon Gang and a great hero of the Northern Lands, could hardly be concealed. It did cause a stir, and over the next three days, local notables from the various Northern Lands factions came to visit.
They included three female regiment chiefs and two ladies who managed their family businesses. Chief Zhang received them all warmly, saying nothing about men and women being alone together and showing no fear of his wife.
Throughout this, Zhang Xing made no secret of having come to discuss unifying the Exorcising the Dragon Gang and the Demon-Suppressing Guard with the Great Director of Fate, and he publicly reiterated the gang's basic conditions several times... Meanwhile, Lady Lu had arrived in person and taken up lodging across the river, yet the two sides had no contact whatsoever. Commander of Fate Lan had accompanied Lady Lu, Black Commander of Fate had accompanied Chief Zhang, Commander of Fate Lu had also arrived, and word had it that the commanders of two other nearby guards would arrive soon. All these scraps of information mixed together and instantly whipped up countless rumors.
Of course, with the overall situation plain to see, the general understanding did not stray too far from reality-the Exorcising the Dragon Gang had already pacified all of Hebei and had now sent troops into the Northern Lands. Fighting had reportedly begun in the south. Naturally, the gang wanted to win over the Demon-Suppressing Guard, subdue the enemy without battle, and take the whole Northern Lands in one stroke. But the other Northern Lands powers, Lady Lu included, were naturally unhappy with this, so the two sides had begun a tug-of-war