Chapter 223

Xiao Zhenggong pushed away the two women beside him and walked out of the swimming pool.

He was very excited. The weather was very cold, but he didn't even want to wrap himself in a bath towel: "Old Luo, I knew you were useful. Take the brothers from your hall, go to Tiemenbao, and bring the thing back."

Old Luo touched the antenna on his head, was silent for a moment, and said: "Gang Leader, where did you just say to take my people? My signal isn't very good, I didn't hear clearly."

Xiao Zhenggong repeated it again: "I told you to go to Tiemenbao and bring the thing back!"

"Gang Leader, I can't hear clearly here, Gang Leader……" Luo Zhengnan pulled the antenna out of his skull.

And here I thought you had some good idea.

You want me to take people to Tiemenbao and bring the thing back for you?

Is it that easy to bring back?

If it were that easy, He Jiaqing would have taken the thing away long ago; would he wait for you to bring it back?

Luo Zhengnan wiped the antenna, put it into the box, and gave a bitter smile.

Do you know what kind of place Tiemenbao is?

If I take people there, can we even come back?

"Old Luo, Old Luo!" There was no sound on the phone. Xiao Zhenggong dialed back, and the echo was: The number you dialed is an empty number.

"This piece of trash! I give him a chance to perform a meritorious service, and he can't even grasp it himself!" Xiao Zhenggong threw the phone, was annoyed for a moment, and then called the Hall Master of Huangtu Bridge.

To contact Puluo Province from the Outer Province, under normal circumstances, there are only two channels: one is sending a letter, and the other is using a Peeping Cultivator to set a hook. Other communication methods, as long as they involve electricity, are unreliable.

For such an urgent matter, sending a letter would definitely be too late; it seems he can only rely on a hook.

Every hall of the Jiang Xiang Gang has Peeping Cultivators, but Xiao Zhenggong didn't want to leak this matter. It just so happened that the Hall Master of Huangtu was in the Outer Province on business, so contacting him was the best choice.

The call went through, and Xiao Zhenggong told the Hall Master of Huangtu to hurry to Yue Province.

The Hall Master arrived that same evening.

Xiao Zhenggong sent others away and told him the matter privately: "Don't worry about the affairs in the Outer Province for now. Take the brothers from your hall, as well as the people from the Heishipo Hall, go to Tiemenbao, and help me bring back an item."

The Hall Master of Huangtu Bridge responded: "Gang Leader, what item is it?"

"A long gun."

"What model?"

"It's not a firearm; it's a cold weapon."

"Is it a magic treasure?"

Xiao Zhenggong was stunned for a moment.

He wasn't clear about the exact status of this thing either.

He knew He Jiaqing had been looking for Zhao Xiaowan's soul, and he also knew Zhao Xiaowan's soul was attached to a long gun.

But whether this long gun counted as a magic treasure, a spiritual object, or a ghost with a physical form, Xiao Zhenggong wasn't clear.

"Just treat it as a magic treasure. This long gun has the prestige to deter thousands of troops and horses. As long as you hold it in your hand, you can distinguish the real from the fake.

This thing is in the hands of Zhou Anju, the Fort Master of Tiemenbao. You tell Zhou Anju that if he is willing to hand it over, we can pay to buy it; let him name a price.

If he refuses to hand it over, you use dirty tactics. This item must be obtained. If the matter is accomplished, I will promote you to Elder."

The Hall Master of Huangtu Bridge, Han Jinwei, had just taken office this year; he was in his early thirties and full of energy.

Hearing the Gang Leader promise a heavy reward, Han Jinwei answered loudly: "Gang Leader, just leave this matter to me. The people from Heishipo don't need to go."

Xiao Zhenggong frowned upon hearing this: "Jinwei, Tiemenbao is not an ordinary place. I'm afraid one hall of yours won't be enough."

Han Jinwei was very confident: "I know Tiemenbao is easy to defend and hard to attack, but we also have our own methods. I guarantee I will bring the thing back for you."

"Good!" Xiao Zhenggong praised. "Use as many people and as much money as you need, just tell me. But there is one thing: this matter must not be known by outsiders. When you let the brothers go to Tiemenbao, they must act separately and not attract attention."

"Gang Leader, you don't need to worry about these things. Just wait for my news." Han Jinwei set off overnight and returned to Puluo Province.

Xiao Zhenggong felt more and more that he hadn't misjudged the person; this was someone who could accomplish great things!

……

On Flying Eagle Mountain, the Mountain Lord He Zhenlei was still waiting for news from Ma Dingfu.

Zhou Anju was dead, and the brothers who supported him on the mountain were all dead, leaving only Little Mazi.

Ma Dingfu wanted to be the Fort Master, and He Zhenlei had agreed.

He couldn't not agree; Tiemenbao had already recognized him as the Fort Master, and it was too late to send someone else to intervene.

But Ma Dingfu had promised that as long as he became the Fort Master, he would send He Zhenlei 10,000 ocean dollars. Could it be that he wanted to renege on this debt?

Send someone to give him a warning?

No, don't be too hasty.

Little Mazi has been enduring for so many years; now that he's finally become the Fort Master, he must be a bit arrogant. If I force him to pay money now, he might really turn against me.

Wait a few days, arrange for a few people to be by his side, see what he does first, and then give him a reminder.

He is a person from Flying Eagle Mountain; as long as this matter is leaked, he definitely won't be able to stand firm in Tiemenbao.

As long as I hold this handle in my hand, I'm not afraid of him reneging on the debt later.

Of course, it's best to keep holding this handle and not expose it. Once the truth is revealed, there will be no capital left to continue extorting Tiemenbao.

Clear about the pros and cons, He Zhenlei wasn't that anxious about Tiemenbao's affairs, but the matter that truly made him anxious arrived in the blink of an eye.

The dozen or so subordinates he sent down the mountain to collect grain were ambushed, and only one person ran back alive.

This person was named Chen Zhuyu, who was considered a small leader in the mountains. His right ear had been cut off, and he knelt on the ground, wailing incessantly:

"Master Lei, those bastards from Tiemenbao played dirty with our brothers!"

He Zhenlei was stunned: "You said who played dirty with you?"

"The people from Tiemenbao. We hadn't gone far after going down the mountain when we were ambushed. All fifteen brothers died, and only I risked my life to run back."

Actually, even if he had risked his life, he wouldn't have been able to run back.

He had been captured alive, and it was Li Banfeng who let him go back to deliver a message.

He Zhenlei still didn't believe it: "You didn't see wrong? Was it really the people from Tiemenbao? Those residential cultivators never leave the big iron gate!"

"Master Lei, I didn't see wrong. I've been to Tiemenbao. There's one named Wu Yongchao, I recognize him, and there's one named Tang Yanning, I've seen her too!"

What is Little Mazi trying to do?

Is he really going to turn against me?

He Zhenlei's hands trembled with anger.

"Take a few brothers and go to Tiemenbao. You don't need to fight them, and you don't need to say much to them. Just see their Fort Master and tell Ma Dingfu that Master He misses him!"

This kid has forgotten where he came from!

If he doesn't come to me to admit his mistake in person, I'll give up the profits from Tiemenbao and expose this matter!

Chen Zhuyu took five capable men and went to Tiemenbao immediately. They went at noon, and by evening, he was the only one who returned.

This time, his left ear had also been cut off. He knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably: "Master, I took the brothers there. They told me to wait in a room to see their Fort Master, but I didn't get to see the Fort Master, and we were ambushed by them again.

All five brothers were killed by them, and they cut off another ear of mine! Master, you have to decide for me!"

He Zhenlei was so angry his veins were popping!

Little Mazi, I was blind back then to have misjudged you, you bastard. You don't even ask who gave you this bowl of rice in Tiemenbao, and you dare to pull this on me!

"Take this letter to Tiemenbao and read it out word for word in front of their fort gate. If anyone asks you about the origin of this letter, tell them it was written by Ma Dingfu himself. If he doesn't admit it, he can come to me for a face-to-face confrontation!"

He Zhenlei handed a letter to Chen Zhuyu. This was indeed a letter written by Ma Dingfu himself, introducing the cause of Zhou Anju's death and the current situation of Tiemenbao, and also proposing his request to become the Fort Master, hoping to obtain He Zhenlei's support.

Every word in the letter was clear and plain. Today, He Zhenlei was going to pick a fight.

But Chen Zhuyu didn't want to go. Both his ears had been cut off; if he went again, it was hard to say what else would be cut off.

He Zhenlei scolded him and sent someone else to deliver the letter to Tiemenbao.

This person set off early in the morning, and by late at night, there was still no response.

He Zhenlei lay in bed unable to sleep, his heart churning incessantly.

Did Ma Dingfu play dirty again?

What if Ma Dingfu never admits to it?

What if he just says he didn't write this letter?

Is there really nothing I can do about him?

Tossing and turning, He Zhenlei couldn't think of a countermeasure. He stayed up until late at night, feeling his mouth dry and wanting to get some water to drink.

Li Banfeng poured him a bowl of water.

He Zhenlei took the water bowl, and just as he was about to drink it, he was startled and shouted fiercely: "Who are you?"

Li Banfeng answered briefly: "Fort Master."

"What Fort Master?"

"The Fort Master of Tiemenbao."

He Zhenlei stared at Li Banfeng for a moment, only to see this person wearing a top hat and sporting a beard, his face impossible to identify.

He is the Fort Master of Tiemenbao?

Little Mazi didn't become the Fort Master?

He Zhenlei asked: "How should I address you?"

Li Banfeng was a bit impatient: "Didn't I tell you? My name is Fort Master, surname Fort, given name Master."

What kind of name is that?

Is this person really the Fort Master of Tiemenbao?

Li Banfeng also wanted to ask this question: "The subordinates you sent down the mountain to grab grain were killed by me. The few lackeys you sent to Tiemenbao were also killed by me. The group you just sent to deliver the letter was also killed by me.

I've been thinking, you occupy the mountain as king, so you should be considered to have some guts. I kill your people whenever I see them, and you don't even have the guts to fight back? Are you really the Mountain Lord of Flying Eagle Mountain?"

He Zhenlei shouted angrily: "How did you enter my mountain gate?"

Li Banfeng advised him: "You don't need to make such a big scene. The few lackeys at your gate are already dead. Those people you sent to Tiemenbao earlier, none of them had tight lips; they told me all the deployments on Flying Eagle Mountain."

He Zhenlei gritted his teeth, jumped off the bed, and said: "I want your life!"

Li Banfeng stepped forward and kicked He Zhenlei's front teeth out, then raised his leg and kicked He Zhenlei back onto the bed: "I told you, your subordinates don't have tight lips; they told me all about your cultivation.

As a mountain king, you have quite a reputation. I thought you should at least have fourth-layer cultivation. Later, when I heard them say it, I realized you're just a third-layer martial cultivator. I really didn't expect that someone like you could dominate a region. It seems you also obtained the techniques of the Deception Cultivators."

He Zhenlei gritted his teeth again, and just as he was about to speak, Li Banfeng kicked him again, breaking his back molars.

"Don't grit your teeth; I don't like hearing that sound."

He Zhenlei covered his mouth and said in a muffled voice: "What do you want?"

Li Banfeng said: "Looking at your quality, I don't want to make things difficult for you either. Tomorrow, take your men to attack Tiemenbao. Bring everyone who can fight.

As long as you go, I'll spare your life. If I don't see you tomorrow morning, wait for someone to collect your corpse!"

He Zhenlei was stunned: "You want me to attack Tiemenbao?"

Li Banfeng backhanded him with a slap: "Your cultivation isn't good, and your ears aren't sharp either? Don't make me repeat what I've said a second time. I'll wait for you at the fort tomorrow."

PS: To hone combat power, you have to rely on actual combat!

(End of Chapter)