Chapter 141: Seizing Power

Zhanlang Barbecue Shop.

Cang Luo was eating skewers at a table in the corner of the shop, with Shop Director Yin Mengruo and Assistant Yunjiao seated opposite him.

The two women still wore the deep purple flight attendant uniforms he had designed; several servers were dressed in black-and-white maid outfits, bustling about and drawing the eyes of many customers.

When they first wore them, they had been shy, but now they were accustomed to it, confidently displaying... the allure of their uniforms.

Too bad, Cang Luo had no interest in appreciating it.

He... was physically weak!

Cang Luo quietly sighed and began asking about the recent situation of the Zhanlang Gang and the barbecue shop’s performance.

Yunjiao, having not seen Cang Luo for so long, couldn’t hide her excitement and whispered, “Luo... Boss, I did a rough calculation yesterday—after deducting costs, the barbecue shop has made about two thousand low-grade Qi Stones!”

After speaking, she looked at Cang Luo expectantly, waiting for praise.

But Cang Luo merely said Dandan ly, “Not bad.”

Yunjiao didn’t get the praise she expected and felt disappointed, lowering her head slightly and falling silent.

Cang Luo noticed but didn’t think much of it—two thousand low-grade Qi Stones in twenty-two days, nearly a hundred per day, was indeed impressive.

Back then, when he led the entire Zhanlang Gang into the Beast Forest for half a month, with Satellite’s help, they’d only gathered thirteen hundred low-grade Qi Stones’ worth of supplies.

Compared to that, the barbecue shop’s performance was indeed impressive.

But that was all it was.

The Zhanlang Gang wasn’t a small group—it was a large crew. When he left, there were sixty members; now, they’d probably recruited some new ones.

A large crew needed feeding—cultivation cost money, weapons and elixirs consumed money, rent cost money, and wages had to be paid...

How could this amount possibly be enough?

Of course, if averaged out, earning a hundred low-grade Qi Stones per day meant each person got one—quite decent, everyone could live comfortably.

But Cang Luo would never do that. To grow and strengthen the gang, he had to invest heavily and expand operations.

Only after his business plan was preliminarily completed could he afford to give each member one low-grade Qi Stone per day.

As Cang Luo pondered his business plan, Yin Mengruo suddenly said, “Boss, during your absence, the Zhanlang Gang recruited sixty-seven new members; we now have one hundred twenty-seven members total...”

Yin Mengruo paused halfway, wanting to tell Cang Luo that at least half of these one hundred twenty-seven were loyal to Vice Boss Zhao Renwu—but she didn’t know how to bring it up.

Between Zhao Renwu and Cang Luo, she still believed Cang Luo had greater potential.

So despite Zhao Renwu’s constant courting and declarations of affection during this time, she merely smiled politely—neither rejecting nor accepting.

After thinking it over, she decided to let Internal Affairs Vice Boss Wang Fuhai tell him instead; if she spoke up, he might misunderstand her as sowing discord, thinking her scheming and devious.

“One hundred twenty-seven members already!”

Cang Luo sighed. He had over a hundred subordinates?

Who would’ve thought—the loser before his reincarnation had now become a local boss...

Cang Luo marveled, wanting to ask for details about the new members—especially their cultivation bases—but before he could speak, Wang Fuhai arrived, looking anxious.

Wang Fuhai rushed into the shop, glanced at Cang Luo, then turned back to stare at the rune-chariot parked at the entrance, puzzled—why was there a mechanical vehicle here?

Whose guest had left it here?

But was this even a mechanical vehicle? It only had two wheels?

He didn’t dwell on it, glanced farther away, saw Zhao Renwu and his group approaching, then hurried over to Cang Luo’s side to explain the situation first, so he wouldn’t be caught off-guard and lose control of the scene.

Wang Fuhai whispered a few rapid sentences into Cang Luo’s ear; Cang Luo’s expression didn’t change as he calmly continued eating skewers, though inwardly he was surprised.

Zhao Renwu is a clever kid—while I was away, he’s grown powerful.

Not only has he won over half the gang, but his cultivation has surged from Warrior Seventh Layer to Warrior Ninth Layer in less than a month!

Excluding myself, he’s now the highest-ranked member in the Zhanlang Gang.

Impressive—he’s got the capital to seize power.

Wang Fuhai whispered further, “Zhao Renwu is arriving soon. Don’t argue with him when he gets here. First, reward their achievements—let them know you’re still the Boss, solidify your position...”

As he spoke, Zhao Renwu led over forty people into view at the entrance of the Zhanlang Barbecue Shop.

Due to the crowd, only Zhao Renwu and Zhuque Hall’s Hall Master Zhao Jin entered the shop; the rest stood outside, curiously pointing and whispering about the rune-chariot.

Zhao Renwu glanced at the chariot once before entering, and immediately spotted Wang Fuhai, who was whispering to Cang Luo—the man who’d been gone nearly a month.

He didn’t need to guess what Wang Fatty was telling Cang Luo—it was surely about how he’d been acting lately.

Hmph! So what if you know? What can you do about it?

During this time, I’ve worked tirelessly for the gang’s growth—everyone has seen it. Who dares speak ill of me?

Wang Fatty guessed right—I did take a few liberties acquiring beast resources, secretly hoarding much of it—but my arrangements were flawless, with not a single trace left behind.

As Zhao Renwu thought this, he sneered inwardly, yet his face beamed with delight as he strode quickly toward Cang Luo, closing his fan with a smile: “Boss, you’ve finally returned...”

Cang Luo rose as well, smiling: “Brother Zhao, you’ve worked hard. Come, sit down, have a drink, and tell me about the gang’s recent developments...”

Zhao Renwu shook his head slightly: “No need for drinks yet, Boss. During your absence, the Zhanlang Gang welcomed over sixty new members—some are still outside. Won’t you go greet them?”

“You’re right!”

Cang Luo nodded, said nothing more, smiled faintly, and walked outside; Wang Fuhai followed behind.

Zhao Renwu also smiled, reopened his fan, and gave a nod to Yin Mengruo and Yunjiao before following.

Outside, the Zhanlang Gang members gathered around the chariot, pointing and whispering, fell silent as they saw them emerge.

These members weren’t all new—half were veterans who’d joined since the gang’s founding; upon seeing Cang Luo, they all bowed and greeted him.

The newer members, however, only a few followed the veterans in greeting Cang Luo; most remained silent, until Zhao Renwu appeared...

“Vice Boss Zhao!”

“Brother Zhao!”

“Zhao... Boss!”

As Zhao Renwu emerged, both veterans and newcomers called out loudly—some even omitted the word “Vice,” addressing Zhao Renwu as “Boss” right before Cang Luo, the legitimate Boss.

The voices were quiet, but Cang Luo’s Yuan Consciousness, strong enough to draw arrays, heard them clearly; his expression flickered briefly, then returned to calm.

Beside him, Wang Fuhai let out a barely audible sigh—he knew the situation was dire for Cang Luo.

The newcomers had almost no loyalty to him; only about ten veterans were truly his allies. The rest admired and respected him—but only for his ability to fight above his level, not for any true bond.

Now, Zhao Renwu was at Warrior Ninth Layer, powerful enough to challenge a General Second Layer!

Cang Luo’s authority, built on sheer martial prowess among the veterans, had nearly vanished.

Wang Fuhai sighed again, glancing at Cang Luo—his face was calm, but was it real composure, or just a mask hiding panic?

Zhao Renwu was watching Cang Luo too, secretly observing his expression, sneering at his calm facade.

Hmph! Keep pretending. Let’s see how you get out of this.

Zhao Renwu thought for a moment, then, before Cang Luo could speak, barked: “Don’t you see the Boss is here? Disrespectful! Bow and greet him properly!”

Instantly, the crowd before them all bowed in unison: “We pay our respects to the Boss...”

Zhao Renwu smiled.

See? Orders are obeyed without hesitation.

Wang Fuhai sighed again.

He saw it clearly—Zhao Renwu was delivering a warning, and worse was coming. He intended to humiliate Cang Luo, strip him of face, and force him into submission.

Inside the shop.

Yin Mengruo watched them silently, lost in thought.

Yunjiao stared anxiously at Cang Luo’s back, recalling what Baoli Wu’nan had told her days ago.

Baoli Wu’nan had told her: Zhao Renwu’s actions these past days were a power grab!