Standing before the ruins of the Elysian Melody Dancehall, Shi Boyu, the master of the second branch of the Medicine King Hall of Jiangxiang Gang, remained silent for a long time.

The Elysian Melody Dancehall had exploded!

Someone had blown up the Elysian Melody Dancehall!

That was the Jiangxiang Gang’s business. It had been the second branch’s most profitable venture. Just yesterday, it had been perfectly fine, and now it lay in ruins after the explosion.

Not only was the dancehall gone, but Wind Watcher Du Hongxi and the manager of the dancehall, Zhou Yujuan, were missing. It was uncertain as to whether they were dead or alive.

Who did this? Was that person insane? Who would dare blow up the Jiangxiang Gang’s dancehall and kill their people? What did he take the Jiangxiang Gang for? Shi Boyu’s thoughts churned in anger.

Shi Boyu had once served as a Redstaff Enforcer under the Third Branch of the Greenwater Hall. After earning great merit, he was promoted to master of the second branch of the Medicine King Hall, yet he had been in office for less than two months when this disaster struck.

It started to rain, and Shi Boyu’s mood sank to its lowest point.

Xiang Guicheng, the third-level Martial Cultivator and also the Redstaff Enforcer of the second branch, glared at the ruins and spat through clenched teeth. “Who’s the bastard that did this? Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we’ll find that worthless scum!”

Several of Xiang Guicheng’s men, also known as the Redstaff Crewmates, chimed in at once. “It must have been Nanny Butch[1]! We’ll rip out her heart and liver, peel her skin, and tear out her tendons!”

“Killing her alone will not be enough. We will drag the whole Yu Family Cloth Shop down with her. Wind Watcher Du, if your spirit can hear us, wait for us. We will avenge you.”

Xiang Guicheng could barely control his anger, while the Redstaff Crewmates burnt with fury. In contrast, Branch Master Shi Boyu remained silent, though his cheeks twitched faintly.

Zhong Desong, a second-level Ascetic Cultivator and the Virtuous Adept of the second branch, stood quietly to the side.

The role of a Virtuous Adept was to recommend capable men, and at this moment, he was already thinking about who would become the next Wind Watcher.

One of the Redstaff Crewmate suddenly stepped forward and said to Xiang Guicheng, “Big Bro Xiang, I saw that bastard Qin Tianjiu[2] yesterday. He was eating at the Prosperity Bun Shop, sitting there with a smug look on his face and acting all proud of himself.”

Xiang Guicheng frowned. “Qin Tianjiu? Which one?”

Another Redstaff Crewmate quickly reminded him, “That fat guy with the surname Qin. The one who started all that trouble with the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House!”

“Goddamn it!” Xiang Guicheng spat his half-smoked cigarette to the ground and faced Branch Master Shi Boyu. “Branch Master Shi, say the word and I’ll have my men drag that fat bastard right now! I’ll tear out his tendons and skin him alive!”

Before Shi Boyu could answer, the Heartkeeper Sun Xiao’an spoke from the side. “Brother Xiang, calm down for now. The branch master is upset enough already. We can talk about this later.”

Xiang Guicheng shouted back, “What good is being upset? We must avenge Brother Du first!”

Sun Xiao’an shook his head. “Brother Xiang, we have not even found Wind Watcher Du’s body. We cannot say for sure that he is dead. Talking about avenging his death when he might be alive is not the right thing to do.”

Xiang Guicheng scowled. “I don’t have time for your word games. Fine! Let’s not talk about Old Du! Let’s just talk about the dancehall! Someone must pay for what they did to the dancehall, right?”

Sun Xiao’an nodded. “Of course! We must get revenge for our dancehall, but the problem is we do not know who we should take our revenge on.”

“Who else could it be?!” Xiang Guicheng barked. “It has to be that fat bastard Qin and that Nanshag Butch! That Fatty Qin is already swaggering around the bun shop like he runs the town. He’s making it clear he doesn’t fear the Jiangxiang Gang!”

Sun Xiao’an took a slow puff from his water pipe and gave a cold laugh. “Brother Xiang, if Yu Nan really had that kind of ability, she wouldn’t have left Inner Gully and not dared to come back. As for why Qin Tianjiu’s back, we should look into it before drawing conclusions.”

Xiang Guicheng’s eyes bulged as he glared and asked, “And how long is that going to take?”

Sun Xiao’an flicked the ash from his pipe and said calmly, “That depends on what the branch master decides.”

Xiang Guicheng fell silent.

Then Sun Xiao’an turned to Shi Boyu and advised, “Branch Master Shi, we need to handle this matter carefully. You should head back to the branch hall and wait for news. I expect that the Hall Master will soon send someone to question us.”

Shi Boyu nodded, got into the carriage, and returned to the branch hall, with Sun Xiao’an accompanying him.

The Heartkeeper’s duty was to serve as the branch master’s trusted adviser.

After arriving at the branch hall and sending the others away, Shi Boyu said to Sun Xiao’an, “I thought Xiang Guicheng and Du Hongxi weren’t that close. Yet judging from today, they seem to share quite a deep bond.”

Sun Xiao’an packed some tobacco into his water pipe, shook his head with a faint smile, and said, “Branch Master Shi, you’ve only just taken over, so it’s natural that you might not be familiar with everyone’s temperament.

“At the start of the year, Xiang Guicheng asked Du Hongxi to lend him three hundred thousand, but Du Hongxi only gave him one hundred thousand. Xiang Guicheng then brought his men to encircle Du Hongxi at the dancehall, and Du Hongxi survived only because of his ghost servants.

“Then, just last month, Xiang Guicheng got drunk, went to the dancehall, and ended up sleeping with Zhou Yujuan. Because he slept with Zhou Yujuan, Du Hongxi fought him for an entire day and night. Do you really think those two could be close?”

Shi Boyu frowned. “Then what about today’s incident?”

“There’s something odd about all of this,” Sun Xiao’an said with a frown. “Ever since the disaster at the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House, I have felt that something was off. We might have offended someone we shouldn’t have. Now that Qin Tianjiu’s back, it’s gotten even stranger.”

“How is it odd?”

“Branch Master Shi, think about it. We have only just stepped into the matter between the Geng Family and the Yu Family. Actually, we have not really intervened yet;
we have only begun to investigate. We have not even drawn our knives, yet someone has already blown up our dancehall. Would any normal person do this? Even our Hall Master wouldn’t act with such ruthlessness!”

Shi Boyu tapped the sofa armrest lightly as he said, “How about we bring Qin Tianjiu in for questioning?”

Sun Xiao’an quickly shook his head. “We can’t do that. We can’t capture him. If we take him in now, we might be walking straight into a trap. I have already sent men to investigate, and we should have news by today.”

***

At the Prosperity Bun Shop, Qin Tianjiu had ordered twenty baskets of buns and was eating with the Iron Seal.

The position of Iron Seal was unique to the Three Heroes Sect. Unlike other gangs that divided their hierarchy by halls and branches, the Three Heroes Sect ranked its members according to the seals they held.

Within the sect, the lowest-ranking members had no seal of their own and served under an Iron Seal. Each Iron Seal commanded five or six subordinates who handled the smaller, day-to-day affairs.

Above the Iron Seal was the Bronze Seal, followed by the Silver Seal, and finally the Golden Seal, which belonged only to the three leaders of the Three Heroes Sect.

In Puluo Province, the Three Heroes Sect had the simplest hierarchy, yet it was also the largest and most powerful gang in the region.

Chubby Qin’s superior was Iron Seal Zhang, whose full name was Zhang Liuze. He was in his fifties and had a blunt, straightforward nature.

Zhang Liuze was a first-level Gourmandism Cultivator. When he met Chubby Qin, who walked the same cultivation path, the two hit it off at once.

Each afternoon, the two would stop by the bun shop for lunch and eat at least thirty baskets and several meat dishes. Whenever the server at the bun shop saw them, they would tremble and beg, “Sirs, the kitchen staff are already down from exhaustion. We really can’t make any more buns for you. How about coming back tonight?”

Zhang Liuze scowled. “Every time I eat here, I can never get full!”

Chubby Qin rubbed his belly and said, “Let’s just eat until we’re half full for now. Brother Liu, this meal’s on me.”

Regardless of age or rank, everyone in the Three Heroes Sect, even the gang leaders, addressed one another as “brother.”

Zhang Liuze snorted. “You barely make any money. Save it, buy some supplements, and break through to the first level already.”

Whenever they ate together, Zhang Liuze never once let Chubby Qin pay.

Zhang Liuze and Chubby Qin strolled down the street, stopping by various shops to check on things. Halfway down the street, Zhang Liuze suddenly asked, “The Jiangxiang Gang’s dancehall blew up last night. Be honest with me. Do you have anything to do with that?”

“Of course I do,” Chubby Qin said through clenched teeth. “I hate those Jiangxiang bastards the most. I swear I would fuc—”

Before Chubby Qin finished talking, Zhang Liuze kicked him and scolded, “You little punk! If you didn’t actually do it, then stop running your mouth. I’m not here to listen to your bragging!”

Chubby Qin scratched his head. “I have thought about doing it, but I really have no idea who blew up the dancehall.”

Zhang Liuze gave him a light punch on the shoulder and laughed. “You think I don’t know you? You don’t have that kind of skill. All you ever do is talk big. You would never—”

Suddenly, Zhang Liuze’s smile vanished, and he turned his head sharply to look behind them.

A man in a Gatsby cap was walking slowly after them. When he saw Zhang Liuze glance back, he hurriedly reached into his pockets and pretended to be looking at wares on a nearby stall.

Zhang Liuze went right up to him, yanked him up by the collar, and growled, “Why are you following us?”

The man in the Gatsby cap glared. “Who’s following you? This road isn’t your private property. Am I not allowed to walk?”

Zhang Liuze smiled and warned, “I’ll ask only once. Who are you? If you don’t answer, you’ll suffer.”

The man in the Gatsby cap gritted his teeth. “I’m telling you, I’m with the Jiangxiang Gang. Let go of me, or I’ll have you…”

Bam!

Zhang Liuze swung his fist and hit the man right in the mouth. Two of his teeth broke, and he let out a muffled cry.

Zhang Liuze looked at Chubby Qin. “Xiaopang, this is a brother from the Jiangxiang Gang. Take care of him.”

Chubby Qin rolled up his sleeves and grinned. “Brother Liu, how do you want me to take care of him?”

Zhang Liuze thought for a moment. “The poor fellow’s had it rough. You can beat him up but spare his life. Do not kill him.”

***

At the hall of the second branch, Branch Master Shi Boyu stared at his battered subordinate with knitted brows. “I didn’t expect Qin Tianjiu to have joined the Three Heroes Sect.”

Sun Xiao’an waved his water pipe to dismiss the others. He lowered his voice and said to Shi Boyu, “Branch Master Shi, if you had followed Xiang Guicheng’s advice today and seized Qin Tianjiu today, what would the consequences have been?”

The thought sent a chill through Shi Boyu.

The Jiangxiang Gang was only a mid-sized gang in Puluo Province. If they truly provoked the Three Heroes Sect, their entire branch could be wiped out in an instant.

“I thought Xiang Guicheng wanted to capture Qin Tianjiu,” Shi Boyu said, feeling that something was still not making sense.

Sun Xiao’an shook his head. “Do you think he will actually seize Qin Tianjiu? I am guessing that he would never do it. Even if he agrees now, when it comes time to act he will find an excuse. He will say he caught a chill or a cramp, or anything to delay it. If you lose your patience and seize Qin Tianjiu yourself, you will, in effect, be seizing members of the Three Heroes Sect. Can you imagine the kind of trouble that would bring?”

Shi Boyu’s expression darkened. “I hold no grudge against Xiang Guicheng. Why would he want to harm me?”

Sun Xiao’an sighed. “It’s an unwritten rule in the Jiangxiang Gang that if a branch master dies, the Redstaff Enforcer takes over. You were previously a Redstaff Enforcer at Greenwater Bay before you became a branch master at Medicine King Gully. Xiang Guicheng is also a Redstaff Enforcer. How do you think he feels about that?”

“Does he think I’m standing in his way?” Shi Boyu clenched his jaw and asked, “Sun Xiao’an, what do you think we should do?”

After a moment’s thought, Sun Xiao’an said, “I say we don’t do anything.”

1. Yu Nan’s nickname ☜

2. This is Chubby Qin’s real name. ☜

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep