Chapter 210: Summons

Cheng Feng's family matters had come to an end, but the Hong Sect was now being troubled by a summons from the County Magistrate.

Before the Hong Sect became the leading gang in South City, Peng Yuyan had already promised the County Magistrate on behalf of the South City gangs that they would provide men to help the County Magistrate's troops suppress bandits.

Originally, they thought it would just be a matter of cooperating, but the Hong Sect suddenly rose to prominence, and Cheng Feng, disregarding martial ethics, deployed an unconventional Mechanical Dog, leading to the destruction of the Green Bamboo Gang.

Therefore, the burden of sending men fell squarely on the shoulders of the Hong Sect.

Wang Hu and the others were having a headache; the connections they had linked up with before weren't that extensive, and they were worried about being used as pawns—getting no benefits while ending up in a mess.

Inside the main hall of the Hong Sect, the faces of those present were filled with gravity. Cheng Feng sat in the main seat, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his gaze deep as if he could peer into the human heart. Wang Hu, Li Yang, and a group of core members sat around him; the atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

"The County Magistrate's summons this time is ostensibly for suppressing bandits, but in reality, there are undercurrents," Wang Hu broke the silence first, his voice low and powerful. "Although our Hong Sect is strong, a tall tree attracts the wind. If this matter is handled carelessly, we fear becoming the target of public criticism."

"Indeed," Li Yang nodded in agreement. "The matter of the Green Bamboo Gang has already made other gangs wary. If we act rashly again, I fear it will invite unnecessary trouble."

Cheng Feng smiled slightly, but that smile hid a sharpness that was hard to detect. "What you all say is very true, but precisely because of this, we cannot retreat. What the Hong Sect must do is not to fight passively, but to take the initiative in planning, turning a crisis into a turning point."

He stood up, stood with his hands behind his back, swept his gaze over the crowd, and continued: "First, we must make one thing clear: the County Magistrate's move is nothing more than wanting to borrow a knife to kill, using the strength of our Hong Sect to suppress the bandits. But why can't we, in turn, use this opportunity to consolidate our status and even further Expand?"

"What high insight does the Sect Master have?" Wang Hu's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly.

Cheng Feng paced slowly, thought for a moment, and said: "First, we must carefully select the personnel to participate in the bandit suppression. We must show the strength of the Hong Sect, but we cannot let other gangs feel that we are hogging the credit. For this kind of scene, it must be the Ren Men Disciples who take action."

"Second, we must demonstrate our benevolence and righteousness during the operation. For example, for those commoners who were forced to become bandits, we can open a side door and give them a chance to turn over a new leaf. In this way, we can win the hearts of the people and increase the positive image of the Hong Sect."

"Third," Cheng Feng changed the subject, a flash of sharp light in his eyes, "we can use this opportunity to secretly investigate all the news about the Black Wind Stronghold. If we can pull it up by the roots, not only can we eliminate future worries, but we can also make the Hong Sect's status in South City as stable as Mount Tai."

After listening to Cheng Feng's words, everyone felt a lift in their spirits, as if they had seen the key to breaking the deadlock. Wang Hu even slapped the table in admiration: "The Sect Master truly has great foresight! We are willing to follow you to the death!"

Li Yang and the others also expressed their agreement one after another, and the main hall regained its vitality and energy. Seeing this, Cheng Feng nodded inwardly; as long as the Hong Sect was of one mind, there would be no difficulty they could not overcome.

Cheng Feng also found it very headache-inducing to receive such news from Wang Hu at home. Two days ago, various factions had sent people to attend his wedding banquet, and the gifts were in line with the status of the Hong Sect.

As a result, within two days, they started wanting him, the newly appointed Hong Sect leader, to be this vanguard, and he couldn't refuse.

Outside the city, refugees were everywhere. It was rumored that they had already attacked some villages just for a bite to eat. Cheng Feng had the heart to help but was powerless to turn the tide. This kind of large-scale man-made disaster was not something Cheng Feng alone, or one faction, or even one county could solve.

Qingxi County occupied high walls and strong horses, and occasionally they would go out to suppress some cruel refugees, but it was of no use at all.

That was why Cheng Feng worked hard to climb higher. What if the people from the Red Lotus Sect really came to Qingxi County? If they worked from the inside and outside and the city fell, what would he do?

This was also a factor in Cheng Feng's active development of the Hong Sect. Now that grain prices were still slowly rising, Cheng Feng felt there was still time. Once the Hong Sect disciples were strong and well-equipped, then he could really venture out.

Cheng Feng had looked at the situation of the refugees outside the city a few times and stopped looking; seeing the tragic scene once was enough.

He was currently powerless; it was good enough if he could take care of himself.

Fortunately, after the Mechanical Dog had stayed in the Hong Mansion's cellar for a month, it continued to go out to check the terrain for Cheng Feng, just in time to follow the location given by the government to see what the situation was with those people in the Black Wind Stronghold.

The refugee area outside the city was like a forgotten wasteland. Whenever the night was quiet, the wails and cries coming from there could always pierce through the thick city walls, catching the attention of the patrolling soldiers in the county town.

The Mechanical Dog, this seemingly cold mechanical creation, had become Cheng Feng's most capable assistant. After resting in the cellar for a month, it set out again, using its extraordinary speed and keen perception to shuttle through the mountains and forests, collecting the most frontline intelligence for Cheng Feng.

Following the clues provided by the government, the Mechanical Dog approached the territory of the Black Wind Stronghold silently.

The walls of the Black Wind Stronghold were towering and the guard was strict, but all this was a mere formality in front of the Mechanical Dog. In its high-tech eyes, which only had infrared body sensing, it could see every person around even through the walls, and the pitch-black night was its best cover.

It nimbly bypassed the patrolling sentries, went deep into the stronghold, and transmitted clear images back to Cheng Feng via the Remote Communicator.

In the images, the bandits of the Black Wind Stronghold were either drinking and making merry or practicing martial arts, and more were ravaging the women beneath them.

The bandits guarding and patrolling around seemed lax, but in reality, they hid murderous intent.

Their eyes revealed a kind of ruthlessness and cunning that made one's hair stand on end.

What made Cheng Feng feel even more uneasy was what the bandits in the stronghold were saying.

Inside those seemingly Ordinary rooms, there were large quantities of blades hidden—brand new blades that emitted a cold light, as if they could take a life at any moment.

These blades were clearly not something that ordinary bandits could possess, but came from a mysterious figure—a friend of the Black Wind Stronghold's Great Stronghold Master.

"A friend? Sending blades?" Cheng Feng frowned, an ominous premonition surging in his heart.

He realized that there might be more complex forces supporting the Black Wind Stronghold, perhaps even involving levels he could not yet reach.

These newly emerged pieces of information made the already variable mission even more confusing.

Cheng Feng took a deep breath, calmed down, and began to analyze the situation.

He knew he had to act cautiously and could not easily leak the news.

"Mechanical Dog, monitor remotely, but be sure to be careful, do not startle the snake." Cheng Feng issued instructions to the Mechanical Dog through the Remote Communicator.

At the same time, he also secretly calculated his next plan of action.

This mission was far more complex than he had imagined; Cheng Feng needed more time to collect intelligence and understand the enemy's strength and background.

Only in this way could he formulate a perfect plan to ensure the successful completion of the mission.

But before that, perhaps he had to find a way to figure out who that mysterious friend of the Great Stronghold Master was, and what the purpose of him sending the blades was.

These questions troubled Cheng Feng, causing him to fall into deep thought.

He knew the danger of this operation; if he were the slightest bit careless, it might truly be a matter of life and death...