Chapter 238: Fruits of Victory

Following the successive collapse of the Black Snake Gang in West City and the Red Star Gang in East City, the sky over Qingxi County seemed to be shrouded in an even deeper, invisible haze.

In the streets and alleys, discussions were rife; every teahouse and tavern became a distribution hub for information, with people discussing this irresistible new force with either fear or curiosity.

Inside the ancient residence of the Blood Wolf Gang in North City, the atmosphere was heavy and tense. The master of the residence, a middle-aged man in a long robe with a cold expression, held iron balls in his hand, rotating them as he stared at the map of the power distribution in Qingxi County hanging on the wall.

On the map, the once intricate network of power had become much clearer, save for one spot that was slowly converging into the center of a new storm.

Zhong He, the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang, felt a complex and indescribable emotion at this moment: "Hong Sect, what a Hong Sect! Wang Tieshan truly has a good disciple!"

No one had ever expected that of the former four major gangs, only the Blood Wolf Gang would remain. When the Green Bamboo Gang was destroyed, everyone was watching the joke; not long ago, the three gang leaders had even gathered together to chat about the Hong Sect and discuss countermeasures.

It had only been a few days, and already the flags had been changed. The point was that it was a complete victory of one against two.

The speed of the Hong Sect's development was too fast. It made Zhong He feel unprecedented pressure and unease.

"Pass down the order," Zhong He said in a deep voice to his confidant nearby, "strengthen the guard, and at the same time send people to secretly contact the Hong Sect's spies. I want to know what kind of divine entity this Hong Sect is, to be able to rise so rapidly in such a short time."

The confidant accepted the order and left, and the residence fell into silence once again. Zhong He's gaze landed once more on the power distribution map on the wall; the position of the Blood Wolf Gang appeared particularly conspicuous, and particularly lonely.

At this moment, the Blood Wolf Gang was like a small boat in a storm; one slight misstep, and it could capsize.

Putting himself in their shoes, if Zhong He had occupied three territories, he certainly would not let go of the fourth.

At the same time, in the dark corners of Qingxi County, various forces began to stir. Some families felt fear at the rise of the Hong Sect and tried to unite to resist; others saw an opportunity and wanted to take advantage of the situation to get a share of the spoils.

But no matter how they calculated, they could not bypass one core issue—the true strength of the Hong Sect.

A few days later, a shocking piece of news spread through the county. It turned out that the leader of the Hong Sect was the Closed-door Disciple of Wang Tieshan, a young talent who was once unknown but had now swept through Qingxi County with the force of a thunderbolt—Cheng Feng.

Cheng Feng's name, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirred up layers of ripples. People began to re-examine this young man who had once been overlooked; his wisdom, courage, and methods were all breathtaking.

Under the leadership of Cheng Feng, the Hong Sect seemed to be gradually lifting its mysterious veil, revealing its true power and ambition.

Cheng Feng had no time to pay attention to the wariness of other forces; he was currently busy reorganizing the gang's manpower and collecting his spoils of war.

From the Black Snake Gang, there were 120,000 in Silver and 1,000 swords; the Red Star Gang had made its fortune through freight, yielding 180,000 in Silver, 1,000 swords, plus a harvest of horses and livestock, house deeds, treasures, and servants—countless items large and small.

Cheng Feng mainly cared about the silver and the number of people, followed by the martial arts Secret Manuals and house deeds.

The silver found, added to the 40,000 in Silver from the Hong Sect headquarters, totaled 340,000 in Silver, plus six large crates of swords, totaling 3,200 swords.

Now that all the Outer Hall Disciples had been reorganized, Cheng Feng had refined the selection, organizing 4,000 people, with 1,000 Ren Men Disciples; in a single county, a Hong Sect of 5,000 people was absolutely a behemoth.

Cheng Feng also had a headache facing so many people; there were still many Skin Refining Martial Artists recruited into the Outer Hall, and according to management, they all needed group training before they could reach the tripod-lifting level.

Fortunately, with more people and more silver, the income and expenditure were massive, and it could still operate as usual.

Wei Zhuang even suggested opening a manor outside the city, which could accommodate people and train them; the city was too crowded and noisy, and the movements were too large.

Cheng Feng carefully adopted the suggestion and, with a wave of his hand, two hills ten miles away from Qingxi County were bought by the Hong Sect, and the craftsmen among the disaster victims could also be accommodated.

Cheng Feng's original intention was good, but the look Wei Zhuang gave Cheng Feng was not very calm.

Building a manor to practice martial arts, taking in people and holding resources, with silver and supplies all complete, and swords and blades ready.

With these things, it was hard for Wei Zhuang not to think too much; in these troubled times, what great man would not think of establishing merit and building a career?

What is the Master preparing for?

Just seeing that Cheng Feng did not speak, Wei Zhuang also suppressed the surge of heroism in his heart.

Now was indeed not the time to boast; his own learning was refined, and he hoped to help the Master go further.

Holding the flute in his hand, Cheng Feng asked curiously: "Gao Jin used this flute to control the snake swarms?"

"Yes, Master. And when we fought the first battle with the Black Snake Gang, the Black Snake Gang also had a group of people who could control snake swarms. Your subordinate suspects that it should be a type of technique or secret art."

Cheng Feng became interested: "Then did you find this secret art?"

Wei Zhuang shook his head and said: "No, I sent people to search carefully, but we did not find this key secret art, though we did collect quite a few other martial arts."

Cheng Feng was a bit envious, but he also knew that this kind of beast-controlling secret art must be rare.

"Keep looking. By the way, have you captured Gao Jin's family? Perhaps his family knows something."

Wei Zhuang nodded: "They have been captured, but we have not yet interrogated or verified anything."

Cheng Feng waved his hand: "From now on, you are the Sect Master of the Hong Sect. The Hong Sect's direction of command is temporarily set to unifying the county first; as for the provincial city, I have other plans."

"As you command, Master." Wei Zhuang replied in a deep voice, his eyes flashing with firmness and determination.

"Regarding Gao Jin's family, I will immediately arrange for people to interrogate them, and at the same time increase the intensity of the search for the beast-controlling secret art." Wei Zhuang added; he understood Cheng Feng's emphasis on this type of secret art and knew that this might be an indispensable link in the Hong Sect's future development.

Cheng Feng nodded slightly, the flute in his hand gleaming faintly in the sunlight; he touched the body of the flute thoughtfully, as if he could feel the power Gao Jin once had to control the snake swarms.

"As for the development of the Hong Sect, unifying the county is only the first step." Cheng Feng's gaze was profound as he looked into the distance, "What we must do is first ensure our own safety, and then talk about the rest."

"Master, rest assured, your subordinate will certainly do his utmost and not fail your expectations." Wei Zhuang promised solemnly, his voice echoing in the main hall.

"I certainly believe in you; your insight and talent are the best in the Hong Sect. Letting you take the helm, I am very relieved," Cheng Feng laughed; the items summoned using the Lucky Bag were all loyal to him.

How could he not be relieved!

As the night deepened, the two continued to discuss the Hong Sect's future plans and strategic deployments, allowing the Hong Sect to develop better and prepare faster for the coming troubled times.