Chapter 97

Two days later.

Early morning.

When Lu Zhangsheng stepped into the Demon-Suppressing Division main hall, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit wrong.

The three Deputy Hall Masters and several Patrol Officers were all in the hall, and there were many unfamiliar figures around, their auras quite powerful.

These people were clearly the old-generation strongmen of the Demon-Suppressing Division.

At this time, Xiao Tianci's face was livid, looking at the open space in the center of the main hall.

Lu Zhangsheng scanned with his gaze and discovered that it was exactly the headless corpses of the two Patrol Officers.

And these two were also Xiao Tianci's subordinates.

He walked rapidly to Tong Yuhua's side and stopped.

This woman's movement speed was quite fast; she had actually escaped back this time.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng return safely, Tong Yuhua turned her head and smiled slightly, a trace of joy revealed in her eyes.

The two had the weakest strength among the six, yet they hadn't expected that both would escape safely, while the two under Xiao Tianci had fallen, which made everyone on the field quite surprised.

Even Zhu Houyu and Chen Zhanpeng had a trace of strangeness in their eyes.

Two days ago, they had all thought that Tong Yuhua and the other had fallen.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng return safely, Qin Ruobing also hooked a smile at the corner of her mouth.

"It is said that that heretic cult Protector was killed; this matter is quite strange."

Xiao Tianci's expression was cold.

His own Patrol Officers falling one after another made him lose quite a bit of face, and even He Chunlin and Qin Ruobing were watching his jokes, which made him quite unhappy.

"It might have been killed by some strongman passing by."

Qin Ruobing was calm.

"Now the conflict between the two sides has escalated, and we still need to be prepared."

"Correct, those heretic cultists kidnapped a large number of young children, likely refining evil techniques, and the Black Mountain Bandits are also participating; it is truly an eventful autumn..."

He Chunlin sighed softly.

If the situation continued to develop like this, a great battle would break out between the two sides sooner or later.

At that time, even the three of them wouldn't dare to say they could retreat unscathed.

"Once the County Magistrate is ready, we will go out of the city to exterminate the bandits and sweep away all the heretic cultists."

Xiao Tianci's tone was incomparably cold.

At this moment, Qin Ruobing's majestic gaze scanned the entire field: "When you go out of the city, be extremely careful when encountering heretic cult strongmen, and you must provide full support within the range of the communication gemstones."

After the full-effort manufacturing of the Heavenly Crafts Hall, most of the strongmen within the Demon-Suppressing Division were now equipped.

"We obey the order."

Everyone spoke in unison.

Subsequently, the group left the main hall one after another.

…………

In the days that followed, the fighting outside the city became increasingly intense.

Both sides were fighting to the death on the official road.

At the same time, there were a large number of heretic cultists hiding in the dark, collecting young boys and girls.

Through the hostages rescued and the strongholds destroyed, the government forces discovered that those Wenxiang Sect people were actually refining pills.

Refining them with the essence blood of young children was simply insane.

Where those pills were being used was also unknown.

The situation around the entire county city was becoming increasingly strange.

Time passed in a flash for over half a month.

During these days, Lu Zhangsheng had been keeping a low profile, practicing blade techniques in the courtyard, and did not communicate with others.

The Source Energy Points in his hands were still growing endlessly, as if there were no limit.

He estimated that the resources in that small mountain range were enough for him to break through to Blood Exchange.

On this day, at noon.

Lu Zhangsheng opened the panel.

A blue light screen appeared in the void ahead.

Source Energy Points: 1100.

After many days of digging, the resources in his hands broke a thousand again.

However, the plus sign behind the technique deduction was still gray.

He suspected that to deduce a higher-level technique, the resources in his hands were likely still insufficient.

He did not hesitate anymore and immediately began to upgrade his footwork.

With a thought, he clicked the plus sign.

"Buzz..."

As the Source Energy Points decreased, a fluctuation from the void descended again, as if a strongman were practicing in his mind.

【After years of your hard cultivation, the Cloud Mist Step has finally been cultivated to the Transcendent Realm.】

A moment later.

Lu Zhangsheng drank a mouthful of spirit wine, and the strands of coolness rushed straight to his crown.

He saw his legs kick, and his entire body began to move rapidly in the courtyard.

Gradually, his speed became faster and faster, to the point where even his body couldn't be seen, only a large number of shadows shuttling in the courtyard, which was extremely astonishing.

"Shoo..."

Lu Zhangsheng stopped his footwork, standing in the center of the courtyard.

Countless residual shadows from all directions gathered one after another, merging into one with his main body.

His expression was quite happy.

After this upgrade, his speed had increased quite a bit.

Likely, within the entire county city range, very few people could catch up to him.

Just at this moment, a burst of light footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

Lu Zhangsheng turned his head to look and saw a woman in white walking over slowly from outside the courtyard.

The woman was beautiful, with a slender figure and light footsteps, but there was a trace of anxiety in her eyes.

The person who arrived was Yue Shulan.

Not long after, Yue Shulan arrived in front of Lu Zhangsheng.

"How do you have the time to come to my place today?"

Lu Zhangsheng felt a bit puzzled.

As former teammates, the two had some friendship.

Yue Shulan pinched her skirt, looking as if she had something to say but hesitated.

"If you have something to say, just say it directly."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled faintly.

He guessed that the other party was likely because of matters within the Haisha Gang.

A year ago, when this woman invited him to become a guest, he had directly declined.

Sure enough, the other party's next words confirmed his own guess.

"My mother wants to see you; if there is anything that offends you, please don't take it to heart."

Yue Shulan's tone was gentle.

She could also vaguely guess her mother's intention; if because of some matters, she made Lu Zhangsheng unhappy, then the two likely wouldn't even be friends anymore.

Moreover, now that Lu Zhangsheng was rising steadily within the Demon-Suppressing Division, the gap between the two was also getting larger and larger.

That the other party could see her today was also based on some friendship from the past, which she naturally cherished extremely.

"Then let's meet."

Lu Zhangsheng stood with his hands behind his back and smiled faintly.

Yue Shulan had personally invited him; looking at the friendship of several years between the two, he also decided to meet her first.

As for wanting him to help for nothing, that was impossible; it would depend on what kind of price the legendary beautiful Gang Leader could offer.

The two walked forward all the way, walking through the bustling crowd.

Pedestrians on both sides avoided them one after another.

Not long after.

Lu Zhangsheng and the other arrived in front of a large courtyard, with two stone lions in front of a vermilion gate, looking quite mighty.

Two green-clothed gang members stood on both sides of the gate, scanning the surroundings with vigilant expressions.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng and the other arrive, a tall and thin gang member said in a flat tone: "Eldest Miss, according to the gang rules, idlers are not allowed to enter."

While speaking, the two blocked the gate.

Seeing this, Lu Zhangsheng's expression tightened.

That Yue Shulan had brought him here only to be blocked showed that the beautiful Gang Leader's days were likely not going well; she had likely already lost power.

"Get lost, are you people able to block an official of the Demon-Suppressing Division?"

Yue Shulan's pretty face was full of murderous intent.

She also hadn't expected that the subordinates of the two Deputy Gang Leaders would be so bold.

They even dared to block the distinguished guest she had worked so hard to invite.

Hearing this, the two gang members looked at each other, their faces full of struggle.

They couldn't afford to offend either the big shots of the high-level or the strongmen of the Demon-Suppressing Division; a slight carelessness would mean a dead end.

After a few breaths.

The two finally couldn't withstand the pressure and retreated.

However, after retreating, they ran directly towards the end of the street, likely to notify the gang high-level.

Yue Shulan didn't care, directly leading Lu Zhangsheng towards the interior of the courtyard.

The two walked through, crossing many small buildings, and arrived in front of an exquisite pavilion.

"My mother is inside."

Yue Shulan smiled slightly, standing prettily in front of the pavilion, looking as if she didn't intend to go in either.

"Hmm."

Lu Zhangsheng nodded with a smile.

He lifted his foot, crossed the steps, pushed open the door, and walked in.

He saw a beautiful woman wearing a pink long dress sitting on a chair.

Her face was charming, a pair of willow eyebrows like a crescent moon, and her eyes were rippling with light, making one's heart ripple. This woman was exactly the Haisha Gang Leader, Yue Wanting.

The other party looked only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, not like Yue Shulan's foster mother, but rather more like two sisters.

This beautiful Gang Leader had quite a reputation in the county city; she was the daughter of the previous Haisha Gang Leader and had never married, so she adopted a daughter, who was Yue Shulan.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng arrive for the appointment, Yue Wanting smiled sweetly, as if even the anxiety at the corner of her eyes had dissipated quite a bit.

"Thank you, Patrol Officer Lu, for coming to show your face."

She stood up to welcome him, bowing gracefully, the pink long dress outlining her explosive figure.

"Creak..."

Lu Zhangsheng closed the door casually and walked to the table to sit down.

The table was filled with various delicacies, the fragrance wafting over.

"Gang Leader Yue, what is the matter for which you seek me?"

He spoke in a flat tone, straight to the point.

His time was precious, and he had no time to chat with the other party.

Because the two were not far apart, he could roughly sense the other party's martial arts cultivation.

This woman was only at the Bone Forging perfection level, not having broken through to Blood Exchange.

One had to know that the two Haisha Gang Deputy Gang Leaders were at the Bone Forging perfection level; Yue Wanting was likely finding it very difficult to suppress the other party.

Yue Wanting's expression was somewhat sorrowful: "Sigh... such a large Haisha Gang, this concubine is already finding it difficult to control; the foundation left by my father will also not be preserved; I hope that Officer Lu can look at the face of my daughter Shulan..."

Her tone was faint, her eyes full of pain.

Over the past year and a half, the two Deputy Gang Leaders had been pressing step by step, and even the old people left by her father had mostly defected, making her heart and mind exhausted.

Not only that, but the two Deputy Gang Leaders were also secretly colluding with the Sanhe Gang; with her strength, it was almost impossible to turn the tables, so she had no choice but to seek out Lu Zhangsheng again.

She hoped that this Patrol Officer, who was in the ascendant in the Demon-Suppressing Division, could bring some changes to her situation.

Lu Zhangsheng listened quietly to the other party's narration, not answering, but instead having a smile that wasn't a smile.

He wouldn't help just because the other party was pitiful; the change of ownership of the Haisha Gang had little to do with him.

For him, all interests were based on the principle of equivalent exchange.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng remain silent.

Yue Wanting's eyes flickered, and she also knew that selling misery was of no use to this Patrol Officer Lu.

She spoke softly again:

"As long as Officer Lu agrees to take action, this concubine is willing to offer thirty thousand taels of silver, ten high-grade techniques, one top-tier technique, four maids whose appearance and figure are both top-notch..."

She also didn't act clever, but instead directly offered her own maximum price.

This also showed her sincerity.

She believed that these things were enough to move the other party, and she was quite confident in her heart.

Hearing this, Lu Zhangsheng's expression flickered slightly.

This sincerity was not small; the Haisha Gang couldn't earn thirty thousand taels of silver in a year, and these techniques were likely all the other party had.

However, for him, they were chicken ribs, of no use.

He also didn't lack silver, and techniques could just be deduced using Source Energy Points.

Yue Wanting saw that Lu Zhangsheng remained unmoved, her face full of astonishment.

She hadn't expected that these things still couldn't make the other party take action, which was completely beyond her expectations.

So many resources were almost the limit of what she could give.

After a few breaths.

Yue Wanting's face suddenly became somewhat conflicted.

The two Deputy Gang Leaders were pressing step by step, and now she had nowhere to retreat.

The other party not only wanted to force her to marry him, take her virginity, but also wanted to swallow the entire Haisha Gang, which was something she absolutely could not accept.

"Rather than marrying an old man, it's better to..."

Thinking of this, Yue Wanting looked at Lu Zhangsheng's heroic and upright figure and suddenly moved to untie her own dress.

As the long dress slowly retreated.

With her shoulders half-exposed, it presented a patch of snow-white, looking even more charming.

At this moment, Yue Wanting's face was flushed red, as if covered in fire clouds.

"As long as Officer Lu is willing to take action, this concubine..."

This was already her last bargaining chip; she believed she had maintained herself well, and sacrificing herself for one night in exchange for the Haisha Gang's foundation was a last resort.

With her own appearance, she believed the other party wouldn't refuse; at this moment, she had a trace of confidence again.

"Wait... did the other party misunderstand something?"

Lu Zhangsheng's expression froze, his heart full of strangeness.

"Madam, there is no need for this."

He quickly opened his mouth to stop the other party.

This kind of scene was something he hadn't expected at all; he hadn't expected Yue Wanting's situation to be so difficult.

Otherwise, as a Gang Leader, she wouldn't have acted like this.

Of course, Lu Zhangsheng wouldn't do such a base thing either.

The two still had that layer of relationship with Yue Shulan.

Hearing this, Yue Wanting's eyes instantly revealed a trace of despair.

"Is Officer Lu still unwilling to take action?"

She hadn't expected that even adding herself couldn't move Lu Zhangsheng.

The other party's martial arts heart was truly too firm.

She also knew that those who could become Patrol Officers must have top-tier strength among Bone Forging.

The two Deputy Gang Leaders were simply not his opponents.

As long as Lu Zhangsheng was willing to help, her crisis could be largely resolved.

"I can take action, but I need some conditions."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled slightly.

"What conditions?"

Yue Wanting's eyes lit up with joy.

As long as Lu Zhangsheng spoke, she would try every possible way to do it, and the Haisha Gang matter would have a turning point.

"I want the entire Haisha Gang to belong to my command, and every year, you will hand over fifty percent of the earnings, and also collect intelligence from all directions..."

Lu Zhangsheng spoke slowly, giving his own conditions directly.

He also didn't want to beat around the bush anymore, to avoid the other party coming up with any more tricks.

He was also inclined to take action in his heart; one was to strike at the Sanhe Gang, to avoid them easily swallowing the Haisha Gang, and the other was that he also needed a force of his own, and this Haisha Gang was just right.

"What!"

Yue Wanting's expression was shocked, the joy in her eyes fading rapidly.

She hadn't expected the other party to actually open his mouth like a lion; these conditions were no different from the two Deputy Gang Leaders.

She spoke decisively: "The Haisha Gang is the foundation left by my father; this concubine absolutely will not agree..."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled faintly; he also knew that these conditions were likely difficult for the other party to accept.

He was just probing Yue Wanting's bottom line step by step.

"The Haisha Gang Leader will still be you; I will not participate in any management, but you need to complete the missions I issue from time to time; what do you think?"

Hearing this, Yue Wanting's eyes were full of struggle.

Although these conditions were harsh, they were much better than being swallowed in one bite.

She also understood that this was likely the last price the other party would give.

If she refused, Lu Zhangsheng would absolutely not take action for the sake of her daughter's face.

She understood this point very well in her heart.

Lu Zhangsheng didn't urge her, just watching the other party quietly.

A moment later.

Yue Wanting finally couldn't withstand the pressure and sighed softly.

"Sigh... this concubine agrees, but can the tribute be reduced a bit? How about thirty percent every year?"

"Can."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled and nodded in agreement directly.

"This concubine pays respects to Officer Lu."

Yue Wanting smiled sweetly, bowing again.

"In the future, just call me Young Marquis Lu."

Lu Zhangsheng stood with his hands behind his back, smiling.

"The weather is cold, you should put your clothes on first."

Hearing this, Yue Wanting's face flushed red, and she immediately picked up the long dress on the ground and draped it over herself.

At this moment, she felt a trace of disappointment in her heart, suspecting whether her charm had decreased, or whether the other party's will was too firm.

"Taking advantage of the fact that you have time today, go and summon all the dissenters; we will deal with them all at once."

Lu Zhangsheng waved his hand, his expression calm.

"Summon them all? Isn't it better to defeat them one by one?"

Yue Wanting's expression froze, as if she had misheard.

The two Deputy Gang Leaders plus a Bone Forging perfection supporter—even if the two of them went together, it would be very difficult to kill the other party.

If they weren't careful, they would capsize in the gutter.

"Does the Young Marquis want to be a bit more cautious?"

Yue Wanting was quite worried in her words.

Regarding the entire Haisha Gang's foundation, she also didn't want any accidents.

"No matter, just do as I say."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled faintly.

"This concubine obeys the order."

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng insist again and again, Yue Wanting couldn't persuade him anymore and could only gamble.

If they unfortunately failed, then dying in battle was also a good choice for her.

After thinking it through, Yue Wanting walked rapidly towards the outside of the house.

(End of chapter)