Chapter 85: Gangs

After the paperwork was finished, Cheng Feng took the four women and returned home directly.

He had the women of the house settle the four women in.

Cleanse the body, burn the old clothes, and change into new ones.

Serve tea to acknowledge the elder sisters and clarify their status.

After going through the whole process, the women were all accustomed to it.

Although he hadn't prepared for the four women Cheng Feng suddenly bought, the courtyard was large and had many rooms, so he wasn't worried about not having enough space.

Moreover, the pregnant women in the inner courtyard each had their own room.

It was perfectly fine for two people to share a room in the outer courtyard.

And it would be convenient in the future to let the pregnant women choose a personal maid to accompany them; that would be better than anything else.

Of course, it had to be done in the order of pregnancy; first to conceive, first to get one, and no one could say anything about it. Anyway, there were four pregnant women and four maids, so everyone had one.

Chunyu and Xiahe had already been assigned to Cai'er, the eldest sister.

Only Xiao Qing was still all alone for now, but Cheng Feng indicated that it wasn't a big problem and would happen sooner or later.

Looking at the empty plaque space outside the gate, Cheng Feng now had money in hand, so he went out and ordered a "Cheng Mansion" plaque, which cost another tael of silver.

With all this back and forth, besides Cheng Feng being the only man, there were twelve women in the house.

Chengping and Chen Zhu sat at the children's table.

Looking at the meager four taels left from the dividend he had just received, Cheng Feng fell into deep thought.

Was he spending too fast?

But looking at the women in his house, all chirping like swallows and carrying big bellies, Cheng Feng felt this was nothing.

The main foundation was already set.

There wouldn't be any major expenses after this.

Cheng Feng didn't gamble, didn't womanize, and didn't use drugs, so his required expenses were pitifully low.

In another two months, he would be a middle-class family with surplus grain again.

So next, Cheng Feng looked at the data regarding the Martial Dao on his Panmian.

Basic Blade Technique (Proficient 130/200)

Thunderous Blood-Bursting Art (Entry 20/500)

Which one should he choose?

Basic Blade Technique belonged to skills.

Thunderous Blood-Bursting Art belonged to realms, increasing Cheng Feng's realm according to the progress ratio.

However, Cheng Feng wasn't sure if it would be the same as the Strength Refining and Skin Refining realms; after all, the base number for the latter was a bit large.

Cheng Feng calculated the progress of the Thunderous Blood-Bursting Art; at three times a day, it would take 160 days, nearly half a year, to reach Proficient.

And it wasn't certain that it would raise his realm.

Cheng Feng turned his gaze back to the Basic Blade Technique; he only needed 70 more to reach 200.

At three times a day, it would only take 24 days to max it out.

Cheng Feng made his decision; after all, he had no choice.

At the current stage, choosing something with lethality was more appropriate.

The appearance of Babai also gave Cheng Feng some different ideas.

Babai was a ruthless and cold robot with strength even a notch higher than Skin Refining Perfection.

Dealing with a gang made up of a few local thugs shouldn't be difficult, right?

Business involving physical storefronts required capital, background, and even more so, strength.

There were too many entanglements involved, and Cheng Feng didn't have the energy to do it.

But what was Cheng Feng's current advantage?

Of course, it was strength. So, were there any projects that could be developed just by relying on the ability to fight?

Cheng Feng thought it over and went through everything he could think of in his mind.

He discovered that only the form of a gang could match him here and allow his strength to play a sufficient role.

And with Babai's image and strength, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for him to be a Protector!

Of course, for the safety of the women in the house,

Cheng Feng had to disguise his identity.

But in his past life, Cheng Feng had never been in contact with the underworld; he had watched quite a few underworld movies, though. Cheng Feng pondered, so, was he missing a guide?

The next day, Cheng Feng went directly to see his prospective father-in-law again.

In Cheng Feng's circle, the person he was closer to was his mother's younger brother, his uncle. But in Cheng Feng's view, whether mixing in the black or white, one had to rely on strength. His uncle was clearly an ordinary person who had risen to power by relying on the bravery and ruthlessness of an ordinary person. Cheng Feng relied on strength, and he didn't want to involve his uncle, Xu Minghao, too much. Although Cheng Feng didn't know about underworld matters, he hadn't heard of any large-scale gang wars, which meant his uncle was still very safe in the gang.

Persuade him with force? Forget it, he hadn't even started yet!

The only other place that counted was the Martial Arts Hall, but that was Cheng Feng's side job, mainly for money. He was planning to hide his name and change his identity; if the people in the Martial Arts Hall found out, what would there be to hide?

If Wang Tieshan knew his Closed-door Disciple was mixing in the underworld, he was afraid his peers would say Wang Tieshan failed to teach his student properly!

In desperation, Cheng Feng could only find his prospective father-in-law. After all, they weren't married yet, and there was only a verbal agreement. The relationship wasn't too far or too close, just right, and they could still chat about trivial matters.

Seeing Cheng Feng had come again, Mei Zhou smiled and said, "What, the silver didn't add up?"

Cheng Feng laughed and said, "How could that be! It's just that I had something to do yesterday and left early, so I came over today to have two drinks with Shopkeeper Mei."

Mei Zhou smiled without a word. This kid Cheng Feng was the type who wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit; he wouldn't have come on his own initiative unless he had encountered some difficulty, right? Usually, he never saw him come over to reminisce or chat about daily life.

Following Cheng Feng's lead, the two walked to a partition on the second floor. After setting up wine and food and exchanging cups, Cheng Feng said somewhat embarrassedly, "May I ask if Uncle Mei has any understanding of underworld gangs? Could you enlighten this young man a little?"

Hearing Cheng Feng address him as Uncle Mei, Mei Zhou knew this matter was quite important. He didn't put on airs and roughly told Cheng Feng everything he had seen and heard about gangs. Afterward, he added, "My nephew has a bright future; don't let those troublesome things delay your prospects."

Cheng Feng knew this was his prospective father-in-law caring about him, so he said nonchalantly, "Uncle Mei, don't worry, I have a plan for this."

After Cheng Feng thanked Mei Zhou, he left the restaurant. He already had a plan in mind, deciding to start with some small gangs to understand their operational methods and rules.

The night was like ink, shrouding every corner of Qingxi County. Cheng Feng stood before the window, his gaze deep as he stared into the distance, calculating his next moves in his heart.

He already had a preliminary understanding of the underworld gangs in Qingxi County, but to truly get to the bottom of them, he still needed more in-depth investigation.

The next morning, Cheng Feng changed into casual clothes and quietly left his residence. He arrived at a teahouse in South City, a place where the underworld gangs of South City often gathered. He found a seat in a corner, ordered a pot of tea, and began to quietly observe the movements around him.

The teahouse was bustling with noise, with conversations in various accents rising and falling. Cheng Feng noticed a few figures constantly exchanging glances, seemingly passing on some information. He continued drinking his tea without changing his expression, but his ears were pricked up high, striving to catch every trace of sound in his surroundings.

Before long, a burly man walked into the teahouse. His appearance immediately drew the attention of those around him, and many people greeted him one after another. Cheng Feng's heart stirred; he knew this person must be someone of status and influence.

He continued to observe without changing his expression, only to see that man walk to a table, sit down, and begin talking with a few people.

They seemed to be discussing some business, but the price was not agreed upon; the burly man's expression was clearly not good, as if he had suffered a loss.

Cheng Feng felt this was just right; only when someone suffers a loss and hits rock bottom is it a good time to lend a hand, and incidentally see how real gangs conduct their affairs.