Chapter 361: No One Can Hold Them Back!

He Yuxiu sat silently in the room, smoking one cigarette after another.

Over a hundred people waited outside for her orders, but she didn't know who to strike first.

After much thought, He Yuxiu decided to pay a visit to the Chu family: "That bastard Chu Huaijun—He Family has always treated him well, yet now he stabs me in the back—

I'm going straight to his house to ask him face-to-face: why is he acting like a dog for the Waizhou?"

Ma Wu tried to dissuade He Yuxiu: "Sister Xiu, you don't need to ask him—this is obvious at a glance.

After the head of the Chu family died, they've barely managed to cling to their place among the Four Great Families; Chu Huaijun's reputation doesn't even match Chu Huaiyuan's."

He Yuxiu nodded: "Yes, that girl can actually get things done—she's got more guts than that bastard Chu Huaijun!"

Ma Wu said: "Now the Chu family has a rare chance to turn things around—do you think Chu Huaijun won't go all out? If you go there, and both the Border Warden and the Chu family move against you, He Family is finished!"

"I'm afraid of them? Let them come together! I want to see how much power they really have!"

"Sister Xiu, calm down first—my father's still uncertain about his next move; he's waiting for his own chance to rise too."

"Old Ma…" He Yuxiu sat back on the bed, "Does Old Ma want to stab me too? Does he want to stab me in the back too?"

Lu Chunying's face was grim; she recalled something Lu Dongliang had said: "This is the root nature of Puluozhou."

She couldn't yet articulate exactly what the root nature of Puluozhou meant, but she had begun to sense it.

Ma Wu frowned tightly: "Sister Xiu, take Madam Yan and head to Xindi for a couple of days."

"Why should I hide? What did we do? The Jiangxiangbang's halls were wiped out—what's that got to do with us?"

Ma Wu couldn't make sense of it either: "Would the Waizhou really expend so much effort just for the Jiangxiangbang?"

Lu Chunying said: "Shouldn't we ask the Border Warden? What's their real goal here?"

"I've asked!" He Yuxiu's temper flared again, "Asked a hundred times—those bastards won't say a word."

Ma Wu tried to untangle the threads, but after much effort, found no clear lead.

If Old Qi were here, we could discuss this with him.

"Sister Xiu, go to Xindi and lie low—I'll find out what's going on!" Ma Wu left the He Family mansion and took a carriage to the newspaper office.

He ordered the editor to write immediately: "The Crimes of the Jiangxiangbang Are Too Numerous to Record; Why Does the Border Warden Protect These Villains?"

The newspaper office was afraid—stories targeting the Border Warden were risky.

Ma Wu told the editor not to fear: double the monthly pay, plus a dedicated guard detail to ensure the office's safety.

The next day, the daily paper was published; Ma Wu visited several newsstands and found the impact insufficient.

When he first took over the newspaper business from the Lu family, Ma Wu and Ling Miaoying had battled fiercely.

Now that Ling Miaoying was dead, the business had passed to Shen Rongqing, and Ma Wu couldn't compete with her anymore.

Shen Rongqing struggled slightly with film, but newspapers—she was a true expert; she controlled sixty percent of the newsstand sales.

He needed her help.

Ma Wu went straight to the film company.

Shen Rongqing didn't want to see him, but after much hesitation, she agreed.

After they met, Shen Rongqing lowered her head: "Junyang, didn't I tell you to forget me?"

"I wanted to forget you, but I can't."

"We can't be together…"

"I know you have your reasons—leave other matters for later; right now, I need your help."

Hearing Ma Junyang was seeking aid, Shen Rongqing looked up: "What can I do for you?"

"The Jiangxiangbang are beasts. Now someone is protecting these beasts—we must demand justice! With our scholars' bones and pens, we must seek justice for those they've harmed!"

"Junyang, tell me the full story."

…

He Jiaqing received a message from Shen Rongqing at the hotel: "Jiaqing, the Border Warden openly protects the Jiangxiangbang and has struck at your family's business—should this be published?"

He Jiaqing had too many pressing matters; if Shen Rongqing hadn't mentioned it, he'd have forgotten the newspaper entirely.

"Publish it, Sister—use our best writers, go all out. It must appear in newspapers, magazines, and films!"

…

In the Dark Star Bureau, Xiao Zheng read the report and asked Director Shen Jingye: "Did He Jiaqing blow up?"

Shen Jingye nodded: "He resisted arrest—we had no choice but to shoot him on the spot."

"Are you certain that was He Jiaqing?" Xiao Zheng didn't believe it.

"The DNA match is here—in the report. Take a look."

"I don't trust that stuff," Xiao Zheng stood up. "I need to see He Jiaqing's corpse myself."

As Xiao Zheng prepared to leave, he noticed a halo of light glowing around the room.

The boundary.

A boundary similar to those along Puluozhou's borders.

Xiao Zheng looked at Shen Jingye.

Shen Jingye rose: "Zhenggong, you've already used the Balance Seal—you must now comply. You'll remain in the Bureau for now.

There's another matter: in Puluozhou, the Border Warden has acted—He Family's assets have all been frozen.

We've fulfilled our obligations; now you must fulfill yours. Here's a list—take a look."

Xiao Zheng took the list. Five place names were written on it.

"What does this mean?"

Shen Jingye said: "These five Jiangxiangbang halls will now be under the direct command of the Border Warden.

Of course, they'll still nominally belong to the Jiangxiangbang, and all their actions will be attributed to the Jiangxiangbang."

Xiao Zheng's brow twitched: "So the profits are yours, and the blame falls on me?"

"Zhenggong, watch your wording," Shen Jingye smiled. "I warned you not to use the Balance Seal lightly—but you've used it now.

We're taking over some halls not to seize anything from you, but to better balance relations with all sides of Puluozhou.

Fundamentally, this serves both our interests—it's a mutually beneficial choice."

Xiao Zheng stared at Shen Jingye with icy eyes.

Shen Jingye handed him a pen: "If there are no objections, sign the appointment contract. Tomorrow, the Border Warden will send new hall masters."

…

In the Enforcement Team's office at the Dark Star Bureau, Qin Minghui stared blankly at a newspaper.

Chen Zhangrui approached: "Zhong Er, aren't you going home yet?"

He saw the newspaper in Qin Minghui's hand and froze.

This wasn't a Waizhou paper—it was a Puluozhou paper.

"Zhong Er, where did you get this paper? You can't just have this kind of thing…"

Qin Minghui didn't answer. Instead, he asked Chen Zhangrui: "Captain, what is the Jiangxiangbang?"

"The Jiangxiangbang is a gang in Puluozhou."

"A gang that kills, burns, swindles, kidnaps children—does everything evil? Are we, in the hospital, protecting this gang?"

Qin Minghui stared intently at Chen Zhangrui.

Chen Zhangrui thought for a moment: "When you joined the team, you said you'd protect everything important in this world.

Some things can't be judged by appearances alone. This gang is vital to us—what we're doing is also a form of protection."

"That's not what I want to protect," Qin Minghui folded the newspaper and left the office with a cold expression.

…

In the Sui Shen Ju, Li Banfeng peeled off three lotus seeds.

These three seeds came from the remains of Ba Shan Zhu, a group of strange monsters, the corpse of Sangmenxing, and the corpse of Lin Dexing.

The elixir production was indeed slow, but according to Li Banfeng's estimate, if he could produce a full batch of Jin Yuandan, it would raise his cultivation by ten levels.

But after the lotus seeds burst, Li Banfeng grew tense.

He smelled an unusual fragrance.

What emerged wasn't Jin Yuandan—it was Xuan Yun Dan.

The Xuan Yun Dan that had nearly killed his wife.

Three Xuan Yun Dan filled the room with strange fragrance; apart from the Judge's Pen, which refused to stir, every magic treasure turned its gaze toward the three pills.

They could only admire them from afar.

Hong Ying was different—she wanted to act. She could eat these pills.

"What are you doing, slut?" the phonograph scolded. "You've eaten so much flesh—now you want to eat pills too?"

Hong Ying snorted and kept combing her hair in front of the mirror.

The phonograph tucked the pills into its front cabinet: "Beloved husband, you can't eat these pills yet—let little slave keep them safe for you."

Li Banfeng didn't care: "Keep them? Just eat them. Check the quality carefully—don't overdo it."

My beloved husband truly cares for little slave; little slave devotes herself entirely to serving my husband. Our loving marriage has driven every whore in this room to death!

Hong Ying drew a mouth on the tip of her spear and spat silently at the phonograph.

The phonograph continued: "Beloved husband, these three pills aren't useful now, but they will be later. Little slave will store them for you. Go out only after you've washed off the scent."

A cloud of steam enveloped Li Banfeng, removing the medicinal fragrance from his clothes. He looked at the calendar and asked Meng De: "How long have I been home?"

"Thirteen hours, twenty-eight minutes."

Thirteen and a half hours—fortune slightly increased.

The key was on the train; the Sui Shen Ju followed the train; Li Banfeng followed the Sui Shen Ju; the traveling cultivator wasn't falling behind.

Calculating the time, it was about time to arrive. Li Banfeng stepped out of his private compartment, tidied his belongings in the carriage, and got off the train with Luo Zhengnan.

Heishipo, Li Banfeng's favorite city—he loved its customs, and even more its ferocity.

After taking over Lu Mao's business, Li Banfeng's influence in Heishipo ranked among the top two, but now was not the time to deploy his power.

Yu Nan once said the Jiangxiang Gang was a dog.

That description was inaccurate; the accurate one was: the Jiangxiang Gang was a mad dog.

Among all major gangs in Puluozhou, the Jiangxiang Gang's actions were the most despicable, yet few powerful clans or large gangs dared to confront it, because once bitten by this mad dog, the consequences were endless.

In Heishipo, Li Banfeng was known as Ye Laoban, but if he acted under that identity, all his assets in Heishipo would be threatened.

The correct identity must be En Gong—this identity carried no risks whatsoever.

Li Banfeng bought a newspaper at the station; the front page was filled with news about the Jiangxiang Gang. He skimmed the headlines and went straight to the hall with Luo Zhengnan.

Media attention was good—it would ensure these cockroaches never saw daylight again.

But it also brought Li Banfeng some trouble: the bigger the incident, the more cautious the Jiangxiang Gang became.

Fortunately, the Heishipo hall was easy to handle. The people of Heishipo had grit; the Jiangxiang Gang struggled to make money here, and the hall had only three squad leaders, each with three to five men.

These dozen or so men barely held up a flag for the Jiangxiang Gang. Li Banfeng roughly calculated—he could tear down that flag in less than half a day.

But as they neared the hall, Luo Zhengnan sensed something was wrong.

Dozens of fortune-tellers had gathered in front of the hall.

Fortune-telling to swindle money was one of the Jiangxiang Gang's main businesses.

But so many fortune-tellers congregating near the hall wasn't just for fraud—Luo Zhengnan knew the drill; they were recruiting new hands.

For the Heishipo hall to expand—this was unusual.

Li Banfeng had just destroyed two halls; logically, all other halls should be on guard, acting cautiously.

Why was this hall suddenly becoming brazen?

Especially in a place like Heishipo—how dare they act so openly here?

Something was amiss. Luo Zhengnan advised Li Banfeng not to act rashly, but to first gather intelligence.

Li Banfeng went to the newspaper office and asked Bai Qiusheng to investigate the cause.

Lately, newspapers had been full of Jiangxiang Gang news; "Ye Lai Xiang" was a legitimate paper, and Bai Qiusheng had gathered plenty of information.

"Seventh Master, the Heishipo hall of the Jiangxiang Gang has received support from outside the province—it's grown arrogant lately. The practice of snatching children had nearly vanished in Heishipo, but it's reappeared."

Snatching children was a method of kidnapping.

Luo Zhengnan urged Li Banfeng: "Seventh Master, since the Frontier Commissioner has intervened, we should withdraw. In Puluozhou, we must never offend the Frontier Commissioner."

Li Banfeng lowered his hat brim and told Luo Zhengnan: "Return to Lüshuicheng first. Wait for my message. Today, no matter who interferes, none of these scum will live."

(End of Chapter)