Chapter 90: The Death of the Deputy Helmsman

Heaven and Earth Alliance, Qinghe Branch.

Main hall.

“Shame! Utter disgrace!”

Outside the door, even the sound of Tang Sheng’s roar like a lion could be heard inside.

Outside the door, and even farther at the branch offices, Tang Sheng’s fury echoed—everyone wore grim expressions.

Dao Xiong sat at the front.

He was the one cursed the most.

Who else but the branch master? The first to bear Tang Sheng’s wrath was naturally him.

Superiors bring many benefits, but enduring humiliation is a required lesson.

Li Rui sat at the very back, head bowed, expression unreadable, appearing utterly detached from the world.

The Qinghe Branch seemed cursed: whenever the number of deputy branch masters exceeded four, they were forcibly returned to normalcy.

Formerly Zhao Wei, now Qian Cai.

In terms of Li Rui’s Qianshi scientific explanation, that was entropy returning to equilibrium.

Tang Sheng’s face twitched.

He was enraged beyond measure.

It wasn’t just because the branch lost a deputy branch master—the Heaven and Earth Alliance operated in the Jianghu, where grudges were endless; deputy branch masters died one or two every year.

Last night’s banquet hosted by Xuehu Bang’s Ma Chao.

The main guest invited was actually him!

But Tang Sheng had been occupied yesterday and did not attend.

That meant this assassination was very likely aimed at him—Qian Cai was merely an unfortunate victim.

Who dared plot to assassinate a deputy leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance?

Audacious to the extreme.

This was a blatant disregard for the Heaven and Earth Alliance!

Cannot let it pass. Absolutely cannot let it pass.

Must investigate thoroughly!

Li Rui sat calmly; in truth, he too had received an invitation from that Deputy Fragrance Master Ma, but he had declined them all.

Yet behind it lay hidden murderous intent!

Zhou Rui’s eyes turned cruel: “Damn it, these Xuehu Bang bastards dare scheme against our Heaven and Earth Alliance? Do they want to die?”

Qian Cai was killed on his way out of the banquet.

Only two hundred zhang from Xuehu Bang’s premises.

To say this had nothing to do with Xuehu Bang? He’d never believe it.

At least half of this grudge must be laid at Xuehu Bang’s door, or the others won’t be satisfied.

Tang Sheng’s eyes flickered with murderous intent.

Xuehu Bang was certainly involved, but the ones who struck this time probably weren’t just Xuehu Bang alone.

“Who dares kill a man of the Heaven and Earth Alliance must pay!”

At this moment.

Ge Hong walked in from outside.

“Lord Tang, I’ve examined the body—it’s a spear wound. The technique matches the Green Snake Spear style of the Ghost Ming Teachings.”

He hadn’t been present today—he had gone to the scene.

To inspect Qian Cai’s corpse wounds.

He had once been the director of the Iron Knife Martial Hall and had studied the styles of renowned martial artists in Qinghe’s Jianghu, thus mastering the ability to identify an assassin’s technique by the nature of the wounds.

“Green Snake Spear.”

Tang Sheng’s rage surged: “The Ghost Ming Teachings dare this!”

Outside Qinghe City, in a patch of withered, yellow forest.

Crack. Crack.

The sound of crushed dry leaves echoed.

A lean middle-aged man gripped a three-foot-long green-bladed sword, walking swiftly.

Anyone familiar with Qinghe’s Jianghu would recognize him as Zeng Jiang, leader of Xuehu Bang.

Soon after.

He stopped and stared coldly at the pale-faced man before him: “I want an explanation. Since Tang Sheng didn’t come to the banquet, why kill Qian Cai?”

Zeng Jiang’s temple veins bulged, his knuckles whitening from gripping the sword.

Clearly, he was suppressing his fury with great effort.

Gong Yanghan sneered: “What the Ten Thousand Ghost Mother orders, you simply carry out. You don’t need to know the rest.”

Last night.

He saw Tang Sheng didn’t appear, so he lunged with a spear and impaled Qian Cai.

Searched his body.

Found no trace of the Immortal Treasure. He even searched Qian Cai’s home—nothing there either.

But he had done it, and he saw no problem.

In the Heaven and Earth Alliance, Tang Sheng was the prime suspect, but the other deputy branch masters were equally possible.

The Immortal Treasure was of critical importance.

Better to kill the wrong one than let the right one escape.

Zeng Jiang took a deep breath.

He cursed inwardly:

“Madman. All of Ghost Ming Teachings are mad!”

He outwardly served as Fragrance Master of Xuehu Bang’s Qinghe branch, but in truth, he had long secretly pledged allegiance to the Ghost Ming Teachings.

Zeng Jiang didn’t care who died.

But now that Qian Cai was dead, the Heaven and Earth Alliance would not let this go.

Deputy leader Peng Hu was still in Qinghe—if they dug him out, it would be troublesome.

Ma Chao secretly formed a small circle and maintained close ties with Heaven and Earth Alliance members.

He knew all of this.

It was he who leaked the news of Tang Sheng’s planned attendance to Gong Yanghan.

This way, he eliminated a Heaven and Earth Alliance expert and simultaneously undermined Ma Chao.

Two birds with one stone.

Who knew Gong Yanghan was a complete madman? Even though Tang Sheng didn’t come, he still killed the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s deputy branch master.

Killed a useless man—and risked exposing himself.

How could he not be furious?

Gong Yanghan chuckled softly; he still needed Zeng Jiang and didn’t want to turn on him yet.

“Don’t worry. The Mother will return soon. I’ll find a way to settle this matter for you.”

Zeng Jiang’s eyes lit up:

“The Mother is returning?”

A heavy burden lifted from his heart; his thoughts turned active.

He probed cautiously: “Lord, when can I be summoned back into the Teachings?”

He had no interest in the Ghost Ming Teachings, but he craved the Dark Arts of the Ten Thousand Ghost Mother.

Whether the arts were evil or not didn’t matter to him.

As long as they let him break through the Willow Tendons, they were good arts.

Gong Yanghan spoke rare kind words: “I know your devotion. When Qinghe’s affairs are settled and we recover what the Mother seeks, I’ll speak well of you before her.”

“Thank you, Lord Gong Yang.”

Zeng Jiang was overjoyed.

Even if Gong Yanghan’s words held little sincerity, they were still a vast improvement over before.

He had gotten what he wanted.

Zeng Jiang finally left, satisfied.

The Heaven and Earth Alliance had lost a deputy branch master—and he was killed just outside Xuehu Bang’s gates.

This matter would not be easily settled.

Yet Tang Sheng did not choose to openly confront Xuehu Bang.

Li Rui heard Tang Sheng met secretly with Peng Hu.

Their conversation remained unknown.

The final outcome: numerous Ghost Ming Teachings spies were unearthed in both the Qinghe Branch of the Heaven and Earth Alliance and in Xuehu Bang.

Even a clerk in the Qinghe Branch turned out to be a Ghost Ming Teachings agent.

Xuehu Bang was the same.

Unexpectedly, after repeated investigations, the banquet host, Deputy Fragrance Master Ma, was found completely innocent.

A purge took place.

The Heaven and Earth Alliance and the Blood Tiger Gang lost at least twenty people.

Tang Sheng and Peng Hu’s iron-blooded cruelty was evident.

Even they themselves had not anticipated that the Ghost Ming Sect had planted so many spies in corners they had overlooked.

Li Rui naturally contributed his share.

After all, as deputy helmsman, he couldn’t keep feigning illness to hide away.

Of course, he couldn’t possibly lead from the front.

At most, he merely swept through the black market and the herbal hall under his jurisdiction—and he actually caught two disciples.

It was enough to satisfy his duty.

Following the bloody lesson of Deputy Helmsman Qian, Li Rui became even more reclusive.

“I’m just an old man. Let the young ones handle such vicious things as the Ghost Ming Sect.”

(End of Chapter)