Chapter 83: Chapter 80: Traveling by Night

Along Wutong Grove District, heading west.

After passing through countless streets and alleys, a very wide moat appeared ahead, usually large enough to accommodate large ships, but now the entire river surface was solidly frozen.

This was also the border between the west and south of Yu City. Across the river was City West, under the jurisdiction of the City Guard General of the West City District, and as Chen Mu knew, the Chief Constable on the west side had the surname He.

Originally, when the gang of villains tried to reach beyond their bounds to fish for benefits in the South City District, and incurred the wrath of Xu Hongyu, the reason they could pull back was obviously due to the interference and obstruction from another Chief Constable from the west.

Otherwise, although the gang of villains was powerful, Xu Hongyu, as a Chief Constable, should have been able to handle it. They even dared to bounce around under her watch and at times tried to retaliate.

In the situation where she could not mobilize manpower freely, could not invade other territories, and even faced interference from the City Guard General across, Xu Hongyu indeed had no effective means to deal with the gang of villains unless she went alone with a sword to kill them – a gang that certainly included a Tendon Changing expert.

Under the cover of night.

The city's snow-covered ground reflected the dim moonlight.

A figure, cloaked in a black cape, quietly reached the riverbank of the moat and then effortlessly crossed over to the other side.

Ever since being promoted to Prefecture Chief, Chen Mu rarely moved about at night. After all, a Prefecture Chief was a man of status, commanding hundreds of troops. Any investigation required could be assigned to subordinates.

As for matters like murder and plunder, those were hardly befitting of a Prefecture Chief's dignity and image… of course, the key reason was that there was no shortage of silver.

"Gang of villains…"

Chen Mu lightly stepped ashore and walked into the streets and alleys, his eyes sweeping across the distance.

This was his first visit to City West. After all, Yu City was vast; some people might live their whole lives without ever circling around the entire city.

Based on his judgment, even if the Gang of Villains was not a force cultivated by the He Family, they were certainly rabid dogs that had thrown in their lot with the He Family. Therefore, investigating and handling them through the official status of the City Defense Division would meet with constant obstructions and bring no benefits.

But this was not a problem for Chen Mu.

He simply needed to resolve the problem under another identity.

"The Gang of Villains is different from the Black Crow Sect, although their influence also spans multiple districts in the west, the headquarters of the gang is quite clearly placed in the open," he noted.

Chen Mu continued forward with ease, appearing to walk slowly, but in reality, each step he took made him move quickly like a streak through the streets and alleys.

He was not familiar with the Gang of Villains and did not have much intelligence; even City West was new terrain for him, but these were not key issues. At worst, he would just have to make a few more trips – his only real target was the Gang Leader of the Gang of Villains, Zhang Lang.

Zhang Lang.

Rumored to have risen from an insignificant figure who struggled to survive in the most desolate and chaotic fringes of City West, he got involved in a gang, learned Blade Technique, and quickly skilled up.

In addition, he was ruthless and cruel, quickly securing his position, and after skirmishing among various gangs, he eventually acquired the chance to practice the Body Tempering Method, climbing from a minor leader to a major leader, and finally establishing the Gang of Villains as its Gang Leader.

Later, by a stroke of luck, he obtained a Tendon Changing Pill from who knows where; nearing his thirties, he vaulted into the realm of Tendon Changing. Since then, the Gang of Villains not only rapidly established itself but also turned into a power holding sway over multiple locations and commanding over a thousand troops within just over a decade.

These were the circumstances Chen Mu had come to understand.

To many commoners in City West, Zhang Lang could be considered a legendary figure. After all, there were not many who could rise from obscurity, but the Gang of Villains not only engaged in flesh trade and operated gambling dens, but covertly engaged in all types of nefarious deeds, hence Zhang Lang was more infamous than famous.

Although Chen Mu did not know much about the finer details, merely based on the Gang of Villains' actions during the great disaster, from price-gouging to exploiting misfortune for profit to driving out disaster victims, their deeds were indeed too numerous to recount.

An influence of up to a thousand people was impossible to eradicate in one fell swoop, after all, even if it were a thousand pigs, the City Defense Division wouldn't be able to catch them all in three days.

In Chen Mu's view, such extreme measures were not necessary. As long as Zhang Lang and some of the Gang of Villains' leaders were dealt with, the gang would quickly disperse like monkeys fleeing a falling tree, vanishing into dust in no time.

Gangs, even after being entrenched and mingling for over a decade, lacked any real foundation.

"Hope this won't be a wasted trip."

Chen Mu murmured.

He knew where the headquarters of the Gang of Villains was located, but Zhang Lang might not necessarily be there. If he wasn't, to avoid stirring things up, Chen Mu would have to return tomorrow.

Though he didn't mind making the trip each night, he preferred to resolve matters sooner rather than later for peace of mind.

…

The headquarters of the Gang of Villains.

The entire station occupied a rear street and covered a large area of bungalows, where hundreds of gang members gathered on ordinary days.

At this moment, as far as the eye could see, almost every alley in the distance was pitch dark, all the households had already turned off their lights and closed their doors, yet a few candles still flickered within the territory of the Black Crow Gang's main station. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

In a clean and spacious courtyard at the center of the station.

A room glimmered with dim candlelight, casting several shadows through the paper-covered windows.

"Gang Leader, the Liu and Wang families from the north sent word today that they are also willing to cooperate with us," said a man dressed in commoner's gray, seated at the lower end of the table, speaking softly.

"Hmm, good that they know their place," replied the man seated at the head of the table.

The man at the head was about forty years old and dressed in a clean brocade robe, appearing like a wealthy country squire. However, in City West, there were hardly any who did not know his name.

It was the leader of the Black Crow Gang, known by the moniker 'Black Blade', Zhang Lang.

The others beside him, who were the deputy gang leaders, laughed and said, "It's a business that makes money together; what reason would they have to refuse, unless they want to lose out on the profit over some stubborn commoners?"

"Speaking of which, I heard today that the new prefecture chief in Wutong Grove District cracked down on all six gangs over there, extorting quite a silver tael amount. Yet, he actually used this silver to build shelters and provide firewood and porridge for those disaster victims," Sun Jiuli said, shaking his head.

"Wasting good silver on charity, truly sinful, we're still in need of silver taels ourselves, too bad they didn't give some to us," lamented Wei Sihai, clicking his tongue and taking a drink from the liquor on the table.

Sun Jiuli chuckled, "After all, he's the prefecture chief of Wutong Grove. He has to do something, even if it's just for appearances. But wanting to save those disaster victims is good for us too. We can push ours over there, let him save them all, saving us the trouble of keeping them around, dead or alive."

"You both shouldn't underestimate that new prefecture chief from Wutong Grove. I heard about the commotion he caused today; he took down Sha Xiangtian of the Flowing Sand Gang with a single blade strike. You all know Sha Xiangtian; none of us are likely much better than he was," Liu Lanshan suddenly said with a grave tone.

On hearing this, Sun Jiuli's expression grew serious, "Hmm, not much to say about the man, but his martial skills are indeed remarkable. It's said he has mastered more than one blade momentum and has developed a body as tough as copper armor with a pure gold physique. Against him, a common martial man who practices body refinement stands no chance." Experience exclusive tales on m v|l e'-NovelFire.net

"Also, I remember some time ago, didn't our gang try to deal with him once? It was Elder Wei who assigned the men, right?"

As soon as Sun Jiuli finished, everyone in the room turned their gaze toward Wei Sihai.

Wei Sihai showed a look of helplessness and said, "Back then, news from outside suggested that this man was a talent Xu Hongyu wanted to groom. Thinking of giving that lady some trouble, I sent people to test him. But who knew the rumors were false? Not only had he mastered blade momentum by that time, but he had also developed toughened skin, and it happened in Ninth District's turf.

Not only did it fail, but it also brought us a lot of trouble."

While saying so, Wei Sihai shook his head continuously.

If he had known earlier, he might have deployed more men, sent some capable subordinates, or even gone in person.

But then again, Ninth District is deep into South City District, an unfamiliar place. Even if you manage to take down a chief constable there, it's hard to come out unscathed afterward.

This was also why he had sent merely a group of ordinary ruffians from the gang, considering Chen Mu as just a minor talent at the time.

Who would have thought.

In just a year or two, Chen Mu had become the prefecture chief of Wutong Grove, governing an entire region across the river.

And now, this man was formidable enough to wipe out the Zheng Family, kill Sha Xiangtian… If he had known this was such a troublesome character, he would have either not acted at all or taken the risk to eliminate him early on.

"It's all in the past, no need to mention it anymore,"

Zhang Lang, who had been sitting at the head watching his subordinates converse, finally spoke indifferently, "He is Xu Hongyu's man; there's no offense in it. We were not on the same path to begin with. At the time, the fact that Sihai didn't act personally did indeed miss an opportunity."

"What the Gang Leader said is true,"

Liu Lanshan agreed, "This man was never one of us. Holding a grudge isn't necessary. He's just a southern prefecture chief, not daring enough to come west. Not to mention him, even Xu Hongyu's reach doesn't extend here."

Wei Sihai grinned, "Anyway, I'm not going to the south, why bother so much about him? Speaking of which, this time he's actually helping us make some silver. He wants to build shelters for those disaster victims, but he can't do without firewood. If really need be, I might even give him a discount," he said.

At this, everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh.

This kind of money-making opportunity didn't exist in previous years, but this year, not only was there heavy snow, but the cold winter season was longer. It looked to last at least another month, and the firewood at each household was running short.

The Black Crow Gang, using its name to collaborate with a few families to control several district's firewood businesses, was making a good sum every day, which was another profitable business they had added.

Just as the men in the room made merry.

A cold breeze suddenly blew through the window gap, gently snuffing the flickering candle on the table without sound, leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.