Chapter 176: When the Heavens Change, the Battle at the City Gate

After seeing the mask the person was wearing, Li Fei found the situation somewhat absurd.

He really did have a fated connection with the Green-Faced Ghost.

In fact, the moment this martial artist who practiced Strength-Refining made his move, Li Fei guessed immediately that he must have been sent by Yu Hu.

At this time, among the major factions in the city, only the Tiger Blade Gang had the motive to make a move against him.

It was just that he did not understand what Yu Hu was relying on.

To make a move against him at this time was undoubtedly provoking both Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao, those two great Foundation Establishment powerhouses; what gave Yu Hu the courage?

And after seeing the mask the person was wearing, a thought suddenly arose in Li Fei's mind.

There is only the thousand-day defense against a thief, never the thousand-day thief; since he could not see through Yu Hu's trump card, he might as well beat him at his own game!

Using the identity of the Green-Faced Ghost to capture Li Fei only showed that Yu Hu was indeed sharp, having realized that the Green-Faced Ghost was not a member of the Green Origin Fist Stronghold.

If the Green-Faced Ghost were truly from the Green Origin Fist Stronghold, he could not have offended both sides simultaneously before, to the point where the Green Origin Fist Stronghold was nearly wiped out by the two major factions joining forces!

Back then, joining forces with the Green-Faced Ghost to deal with the Tiger Blade Gang was merely that Great Leader acting for self-preservation.

This was the "truth" Yu Hu had deduced, which was why he had people impersonate the Green-Faced Ghost to capture Li Fei.

Whether others believed it or not, it could at least make that Great Leader harbor suspicions toward the Green-Faced Ghost, and many subsequent matters could also be blamed on the Green-Faced Ghost.

This was indeed a brilliant move, but it was a pity that Yu Hu never expected he was sending a fake Green-Faced Ghost to capture the real one.

Bang!

The person struck the Ghost-Slaying Blade that Li Fei held horizontally in front of him with a palm, and a ball of flame exploded, sending Li Fei flying back heavily.

This ball of flame was the Flame-Burst Force, condensed from Bing-Fire True Qi; it was extremely Yang and rigid, exploding upon contact!

The person assumed that after Li Fei took this Flame-Burst Force, even in his "Tyrant Body" state, he would be left numb all over, so he strolled forward as if walking in a garden, reaching Li Fei's side before he landed, and struck his right shoulder with another palm, driving a tyrannical strand of Bing-Fire True Qi into Li Fei's body.

If the energy driven into his body had been the Flame-Burst Force, Li Fei would have already exploded and died; the person did not want to kill him, so he chose to drive in Innate One Qi instead.

After the Bing-Fire True Qi entered his body, Li Fei felt as if a stream of scalding hot oil was flowing through his blood vessels throughout his entire body!

He let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood; he could no longer maintain his "Tyrant Body," and his body completely lost its strength.

All of this was within the person's expectations; with a wave of his hand, he instantly extinguished the flames burning on Li Fei, then picked him up and left quickly.

This scene was seen by quite a few people nearby.

From the moment the person suddenly launched the attack to when he captured Li Fei and left, the entire process took less than ten seconds, leaving those nearby with no time to react.

"Who was the one taken away?"

"It seems to be that Li Fei, Mr. Hao's student."

"Who was the one who grabbed him?"

"Looking at the mask that person was wearing, it seems to be the Green-Faced Ghost?"

"."

The crowd discussed it in hushed tones.

Soon, the news that the Green-Faced Ghost had broken into the Martial Lecture Hall and captured the Grade-A student Li Fei spread out.

"What did you say? The Green-Faced Ghost broke into the Martial Lecture Hall and captured Li Fei?!"

Upon receiving the news, Gu Zhenhui looked at his secretary with a face full of astonishment.

The secretary nodded: "The news is indeed like that; many people saw it at the time, and Li Fei is indeed missing now."

Gu Zhenhui's expression shifted uncertainly.

"My lord, could it really be the Green-Faced Ghost who kidnapped Li Fei?"

The secretary asked.

"How is that possible? For no reason, why would the Green-Faced Ghost go and kidnap a student? This Green-Faced Ghost must be a fake; he is one of Yu Hu's men!"

Gu Zhenhui said with great certainty.

"But what benefit does Yu Hu get from sending someone to kidnap Li Fei? Isn't this offending two great Foundation Establishment powerhouses for no reason?"

The secretary asked in confusion.

Ever since Hao Yi revealed his skills and exposed his relationship with Shangguan Xiao, if one were to name the people in the Xingcheng area who were most not to be trifled with, Li Fei would certainly be among them.

With two great Foundation Establishment powerhouses shielding him, who would dare to provoke him easily?

Therefore, the secretary did not understand why Yu Hu would move against Li Fei at this time.

He was already at a disadvantage; why create more enemies for himself?

Was he crazy?

"Unless he is already confident in dealing with these two Foundation Establishment powerhouses! He is planning to make his move!"

Gu Zhenhui said with a serious expression.

"Ah?"

The secretary widened his eyes.

"Immediately order the City Guard to Level One combat readiness!"

Gu Zhenhui stood up abruptly and said sternly.

Inside a small courtyard, the "Green-Faced Ghost" took rooster-comb blood from a live chicken prepared in advance, then sprinkled it evenly on himself and Li Fei.

After the bloodstains dried, he carried Li Fei out of the small courtyard, passed through several alleys, and entered another empty courtyard.

Slap!

The "Green-Faced Ghost" threw Li Fei into a room.

On the way, he had driven a strand of Bing-Fire True Qi into all of Li Fei's joints, making Li Fei feel as if his internal organs were burning and as if a fire were burning in every joint of his body; let alone resisting, even standing up was difficult.

After throwing Li Fei down, the "Green-Faced Ghost" turned around, with his back to Li Fei, and raised the Ghost-Slaying Blade in his hand, examining it carefully by the daylight.

He had noticed this blade immediately and had snatched it away after capturing Li Fei.

"An exotic weapon?"

After injecting a strand of Bing-Fire True Qi into the blade, this person revealed a look of surprise.

"The blade is quite good, isn't it?"

A voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

This person was shocked and immediately wanted to turn around, but he was a step too late; a palm had already pressed against his back, and an extremely fierce aura was driven into his body!

A muffled groan sounded in the room, followed by the sound of vomiting blood, and finally Li Fei's voice:

"It's a pity, the blade is mine, and this identity of yours is also mine."

Yu Mansion.

"Gang Master, news has come from Gray Eagle; the task has been completed."

A subordinate reported to Yu Hu.

"Good."

Yu Hu's face lit up with joy; he walked quickly into the room, picked up the receiver, and dialed a number:

"The person is already in my hands; you can make your move on your end!"

After hanging up the phone, Yu Hu walked out of the room, looked up at the sky above, and a wild, arrogant smile appeared on his face:

"This sky, it's time for a change!"

1: 9 PM, at the East City Gate of Xingcheng.

Several on-duty City Guards stood at the gate, wearing soft armor, with swords at their waists, and carrying Tiger-style rifles on their backs.

A straw shed had been set up not far away, which was a place for the on-duty City Guards to rest; a squad of City Guards was sitting around a table playing cards.

"I heard that the higher-ups issued an order for Level One combat readiness, telling us at every city gate to be vigilant, and that a few more squads will come to guard here together in a while."

The squad leader, a team captain, said with a laugh while playing a card, not caring at all.

"Hey, if you ask me, those lords above are confused too; this Level One combat readiness is to guard against enemy troops attacking the city, how could there be enemy troops here in our Xingcheng?"

"Could it be to guard against the Tiger Blade Gang? Give Yu Hu a hundred guts, would he dare to attack the city?"

"Exactly, if they really wanted to follow Level One combat readiness, why not sound the city-wide alarm and directly order the city gates to be closed? They just know how to mess us people below around."

"Enough, enough, play your cards, play your cards!"

"."

This squad of City Guards continued to play cards, not noticing that more than a dozen nervous-looking strong men were walking toward them from afar.

When these dozen or so strong men reached the city gate, each of them pulled out a revolver from their bosoms and opened fire at the surrounding City Guards!

Bang bang bang bang bang—

A series of gunshots rang out, and this small squad of City Guards guarding the East City Gate soon all fell into a pool of blood!

"Ah—"

On the street, the pedestrians who saw this scene were so frightened that they screamed and fled in all directions.

At the same time, several squads of City Guards were rushing toward this direction after hearing the gunshots.

These squads of City Guards had been sent out as reinforcements after Gu Zhenhui issued the Level One combat readiness order.

But these people didn't take this "Level One combat readiness" seriously at first, so they were rushing toward the city gate at a leisurely pace; as a result, before they could even arrive, the gunshots reached them first.

Only then did these people realize the severity of the problem and hurried toward the direction of the city gate.

"Hold this place, the Cult Master will be here with people immediately!"

At the East City Gate, among the group who had shot the City Guards, a strong man shouted loudly.

"Yes!"

The group picked up the Tiger-style rifles used by the City Guards, then found cover to hide, preparing to intercept the City Guards rushing toward them.

Soon, a gunfight broke out near the East City Gate!

"What did you say?!"

Inside the Chief's office, Gu Zhenhui received news of the East City Gate at the first possible moment.

"The City Guard headquarters is near the West City Gate; the opponent choosing to attack the East City Gate means this was premeditated. Is Yu Hu really planning to rebel?"

Many thoughts flashed through Gu Zhenhui's mind in an instant, and at this moment, the phone on his desk rang.

He immediately picked up the receiver and connected the call:

"My lord, this is Wei Ge!"

The voice of the City Guard Garrison Commander, Wei Ge, came from the other end of the line.

With such a major incident occurring, if Wei Ge were still unaware, he would no longer be fit to serve as Garrison Commander.

"You are to lead all City Guards and rush to the main administration building immediately!"

Gu Zhenhui issued the order directly to Wei Ge.

Faced with a potential rebellion, this Chief who kept saying "what sin have the common people committed" was not worried about the city's defense, but rather his own safety; thus, he would rather leave the city's defenses completely empty than fail to bring all the City Guards to his side!

"Yes!"

Wei Ge on the other end of the line did not hesitate at all and accepted the order directly.

Gu Zhenhui put down the phone, forced himself to calm down quickly, and then said to his secretary:

"You are to handle a few things immediately!"

"Please speak, my lord!"

"First, send word to Hao Yi, tell him about the situation in the city, and have him return quickly!"

"Second, contact Li Lei of the Supervision Academy, tell him the Tiger Blade Gang is rebelling, and have him immediately take the First Battalion of the Supervision Academy to the East City Gate to join the battle!"

"Third, have all the secret agents of the Inspection Academy mobilize, strike directly at the people of the Tiger Blade Gang, and try to create trouble for the Tiger Blade Gang to delay them."

"Fourth, have all the instructors and students in the Martial Arts Hall mobilize and rush to the East City Gate immediately to defend against the external enemy!"

"Finally, send someone to contact the Great Leader of the Green Origin Fist Stronghold, tell him that the Tiger Blade Gang's rebellion this time is surely intended to wipe out all the forces in the city; if they don't act now, it will be too late once Yu Hu frees up his hands!"

"Yes!"

"Go!"

After the secretary left the office, Gu Zhenhui stood up, pondered for a moment, picked up the phone on his desk, and dialed a number.

It took over ten seconds for the call to be answered.

"I am Chen Yujing, who is this?"

A deep, resonant voice came through.

Chen Yujing, the current head of the Chen family!

"Brother Yujing, this is Gu Zhenhui."

Gu Zhenhui's tone at this moment sounded very calm and full of vigor.

There was a silence of a second or two on the other end of the line before Chen Yujing spoke:

"So it is Chief Gu. Chief, you are calling me suddenly; do you have any instructions?"

"Brother Yujing, I won't beat around the bush. You must have already received the news about the East City Gate."

"Just received it."

"What is Brother Yujing's take on this?"

"Forgive my dullness, but for such a major event, what opinion could a commoner like me have?"

Hearing this answer, anger appeared on Gu Zhenhui's face, and he cursed the old fox in his heart, but his tone remained unchanged:

"This matter is definitely related to the Tiger Blade Gang. Yu Hu intends to rebel!"

"Really? Does Yu Hu have such guts? Has he gone mad?"

Chen Yujing's surprised voice came from the other end of the line.

Gu Zhenhui gripped the receiver tightly, suppressing his anger:

"Brother Yujing, regardless of whether Yu Hu has truly gone mad, the East City Gate is currently being attacked, and Yu Hu must have follow-up actions. If he succeeds and I am defeated, the situation in Xingcheng will change drastically. Can the Chen family still maintain its current stability?"

Previously, Xingcheng had always been in a situation of two tigers fighting, with the other two major forces capable of participating in this struggle being the Green Origin Fist Stronghold and the Chen family.

The Green Origin Fist Stronghold had always remained neutral, silently making money, while the Chen family bet on both sides, cooperating with both, fishing in troubled waters, and developing in a low-key manner.

Once the situation of the two tigers fighting was completely broken, it would be very difficult for the Chen family to remain a bystander.

"What instructions does Chief Gu have?"

Chen Yujing finally stopped beating around the bush.

"It's not an instruction, I just hope the Chen family can act at the critical moment to stabilize the situation."

Gu Zhenhui stated his purpose.

He knew it was impossible to get an old fox like Chen Yujing to place a bet now; the other party would definitely watch from the sidelines and only consider acting at the critical moment.

And all he wanted was an attitude from Chen Yujing, while also giving the other party a promise:

"As long as the Chen family is willing to help today, I am willing to give my full support to Brother Yuliang afterward, so he can take a step further!"

The Chen family had been in Xingcheng for decades, naturally having people in government, practicing martial arts, and doing business, flourishing in all aspects.

Among them, the person who had gone the furthest on the path of officialdom was named Chen Yuliang, Chen Yujing's own younger brother, who was currently the Deputy Director of the Main Personnel Department of the Datong Prefecture Internal Affairs Academy.

The Datong Prefecture Internal Affairs Academy managed all government affairs within the prefecture, including several cities and dozens of towns.

The Deputy Director of the Main Personnel Department was a full level higher than the same position in Xingcheng; he was a third-rank imperial official, an 11th-grade official, only one grade lower than Chief Gu.

Currently, Chen Yuliang had the opportunity to rise one more level to become the Director of the Main Personnel Department.

The Main Personnel Department of the Internal Affairs Academy was responsible for the evaluation and promotion of officials, which could be called a position of great power. If Chen Yuliang could become the Director, then in the future, even Gu Zhenhui would have to ask for his help.

Therefore, this next step for Chen Yuliang was crucial for both himself and the Chen family!

Gu Zhenhui also had some connections in the officialdom of Datong Prefecture; the reward he offered, expressing his willingness to help Chen Yuliang complete this step, was indeed very tempting.

"Good, if that is truly the case, the Chen family will certainly not let Chief Gu down!"

On the other end of the line, Chen Yujing said this.

The two hung up the phone shortly after.

Gu Zhenhui stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the street below.

He had done everything he could; what happened next depended on what the trump card Yu Hu had prepared really was.

Outside the window, the sky began to turn gloomy.

(End of chapter)