Xiao Zhenggong pushed aside the two women beside him and stepped out of the pool.
He was ecstatic. The weather was freezing cold, yet he didn't even care to drape a bath towel over himself. "Old Luo, I knew you were good for something! Take the brothers from your branch, head over to Tiemenbao, and bring that item back."
Old Luo touched the antenna on his head, stayed silent for a moment, and said, "Chief, where did you just say I should take my men? My signal here isn't great, I didn't quite catch that."
Xiao Zhenggong repeated, "I told you to go to Tiemenbao and bring the thing back!"
"Chief, I can't hear you clearly, Chief..." Luo Zhengnan pulled the antenna out from his skull.
*And here I thought you had some brilliant plan.*
*You want me to take my people to Tiemenbao and bring the thing back for you?*
*You think it's that easy to get?*
*If it were that easy, He Jiaqing would have taken it long ago. Would he have left it waiting for you?*
Luo Zhengnan wiped the antenna, put it back in its case, and gave a bitter chuckle.
*Do you even know what kind of place Tiemenbao is?*
*If I take my people there, will any of us come back alive?*
"Old Luo? Old Luo!" The line went dead. Xiao Zhenggong redialed the number, only to get an automated response: *The number you have dialed is not in service.*
"Useless piece of trash! Handed an opportunity to earn merit, and he can't even grasp it!" Xiao Zhenggong slammed down the phone. After fuming for a moment, he placed another call to the branch master of Huangtuqiao.
Under normal circumstances, there were only two ways to communicate with Puluo Province from the Outer States: sending a letter, or having a Scrying Cultivator cast a hook. Any other means of communication involving electricity was unreliable.
In a matter so urgent, sending a letter would definitely take too long, leaving a hook as seemingly the only option.
Every branch of the Jiangxiang Gang had Scrying Cultivators, but Xiao Zhenggong didn't want word of this leaking out. As it happened, the Huangtu branch master was in the Outer States on business, making him the best choice to contact.
The call went through, and Xiao Zhenggong told the Huangtu branch master to rush over to Yuezhou immediately.
The branch master arrived that very night.
Xiao Zhenggong dismissed the attendants and laid out the matter to him in private: "Drop your business in the Outer States for now. Take the brothers from your branch, as well as the men from the Heishipo branch, and make a trip to Tiemenbao to retrieve an item for me."
The Huangtuqiao branch master responded, "Chief, what kind of item is it?"
"A spear."
"What model?"
"Not a firearm. A cold weapon."
"Is it a dharma treasure?"
Xiao Zhenggong was taken aback for a second.
He wasn't entirely clear on what this thing truly was, either.
He knew He Jiaqing had been searching for Zhao Xiaowan's soul, and that her soul possessed a spear.
Yet whether this spear counted as a dharma treasure, a numinous object, or a wandering ghost with physical form, Xiao Zhenggong didn't know.
"Just treat it as a dharma treasure. This spear carries a might that can awe ten thousand troops. The moment you hold it in your hands, you'll know whether it's real.
"The item is in the hands of Zhou Anju, the fort lord of Tiemenbao. Tell Zhou Anju that if he's willing to hand it over, we can buy it with cash—let him name a price.
"If he refuses to give it up, play dirty. This item must be secured. Pull this off, and I will promote you to elder."
Han Jinwei, the branch master of Huangtuqiao, had only taken up his post this year. In his early thirties, he was brimming with drive.
Hearing the chief promise such a heavy reward, Han Jinwei declared boldly, "Chief, leave this to me. There's no need to bring in the men from Heishipo."
Hearing this, Xiao Zhenggong frowned. "Jinwei, Tiemenbao is no ordinary place. One branch alone might not be enough."
Han Jinwei was brimming with confidence. "I know Tiemenbao is easy to defend and hard to attack, but we have our ways. I guarantee I'll bring the item back to you."
"Good!" Xiao Zhenggong praised him. "Whatever men or money you need, just say the word. But remember one thing: not a soul outside must know of this. When your brothers head to Tiemenbao, travel dispersed. Draw no attention."
"Chief, you don't need to worry about any of that. Just wait for my good news." Han Jinwei set out that very night and returned to Puluo Province.
The more Xiao Zhenggong thought about it, the more he felt he hadn't misjudged the man. Now that was someone destined for great things!
…
Up on Feiying Mountain, Chief He Zhenlei was still waiting for word from Ma Dingfu.
Zhou Anju was dead, and all the brothers sent from the mountain to assist him had been wiped out. Little Pockmark was the only one left.
Ma Dingfu wanted to be fort lord, and He Zhenlei had agreed.
Not that he had much choice—Tiemenbao had already accepted him as fort lord, and sending people to intervene now was too late anyway.
Yet Ma Dingfu had promised that as soon as he became fort lord, he would send ten thousand silver dollars to He Zhenlei. Did the brat actually think he could renege on that?
*Should I send someone to knock some sense into him?*
*No, best not be too hasty.*
*Little Pockmark endured for all these years. Now that he's stepped up as fort lord, he's bound to get a bit full of himself. If I push him for the cash right now, he might actually turn on me.*
*Give it a little time. Plant a few men by his side to watch his moves, then drop him a reminder.*
*He's a man of Feiying Mountain. As long as word leaks, he'll never be able to hold his ground in Tiemenbao.*
*As long as I keep this leverage in my grasp, I don't have to worry about him dodging the debt later.*
*Of course, it's best to keep holding onto this leverage and never expose it. Once the truth comes out, there'll be no capital left to keep extorting Tiemenbao down the road.*
Understanding the stakes, He Zhenlei wasn't all that anxious about Tiemenbao. But something that truly made him anxious arrived in the blink of an eye.
The dozen or so subordinates he had sent down the mountain to collect grain were ambushed, and only one managed to run back alive.
This man was named Chen Zhuyu, a petty boss in the mountains. His right ear had been sliced off, and he knelt on the ground, wailing uncontrollably:
"Master Lei, those bastards from Tiemenbao ambushed our brothers!"
He Zhenlei froze. "Who did you say struck you?"
"Tiemenbao! We hadn't gotten far down the mountain before we walked into their ambush! Fifteen brothers are all dead! I had to stake my very life just to run back!"
In reality, even if he staked his life, he wouldn't have escaped.
He had been taken alive; Li Banfeng was the one who released him to deliver a message.
He Zhenlei still couldn't believe it. "Are you sure you didn't see wrong? It was really Tiemenbao? Those Dwelling Cultivators never step foot outside their big iron gates!"
"Master Lei, I didn't see wrong! I've been to Tiemenbao before! There's one named Wu Yongchao—I know him! And another named Tang Yanning—I've seen her too!"
*What does Little Pockmark think he's doing?*
*Is he really picking a fight with me?*
He Zhenlei's hands trembled with fury.
"Take a few brothers and make a trip to Tiemenbao. No need to fight them, and no need to talk to anyone else. You see only their fort lord. Tell Ma Dingfu that I, He Zhenlei, have been missing him!"
*The brat must've fucking forgotten where he came from!*
*If he doesn't come apologize to my face, I'll tear this whole thing wide open, even if it means kissing Tiemenbao's fat profits goodbye!*
Chen Zhuyu gathered five solid fighters and set off for Tiemenbao immediately. They left at noon, and by nightfall, he was the only one who returned.
This time, his left ear had been cut off as well. Kneeling on the ground, he sobbed, choked with tears: "Chief, I took the brothers there, and they told us to wait in a room to see their fort lord. But we never saw the fort lord—they blindsided us again!
"All five brothers were butchered by them, and they cut off my other ear! Chief, you have to avenge us!"
Veins bulged on He Zhenlei's forehead in pure rage!
*Little Pockmark, I was blind back then to have misjudged a bastard like you! You didn't even stop to think who handed you your bowl of rice at Tiemenbao, yet you dare pull this shit on me!*
"Take this letter to Tiemenbao and read it word for word right in front of their gates! If anyone asks where the letter came from, tell them Ma Dingfu wrote it with his own hand! If he denies it, he can confront me face-to-face!"
He Zhenlei thrust a letter into Chen Zhuyu's hands. It truly was written by Ma Dingfu's own hand, describing Zhou Anju's cause of death and Tiemenbao's current situation, while putting forward his request to become fort lord in hopes of gaining He Zhenlei's backing.
Every word in the letter was crystal clear; He Zhenlei was ready to blow the whole grudge wide open today.
Chen Zhuyu didn't want to go. Both of his ears were gone; if he went back again, there was no telling what else they'd slice off.
He Zhenlei cursed him out and dispatched someone else to deliver the letter to Tiemenbao.
That messenger left early in the morning, yet by late night, not a word had returned.
Tossing in bed, He Zhenlei couldn't sleep, his thoughts churning ceaselessly.
*Did Ma Dingfu strike again?*
*What if Ma Dingfu stubbornly refuses to acknowledge it?*
*What if he simply claims he didn't write the letter?*
*Am I truly helpless against him?*
Tossing and turning, He Zhenlei couldn't devise a strategy. As the night wore deep, his throat felt parched, and he wanted some water to drink.
Li Banfeng poured him a bowl of water.
He Zhenlei took the water bowl. Just as he was about to drink, he shuddered violently in fright and roared, "Who are you?!"
Li Banfeng replied curtly, "Fort Lord."
"What fort lord?"
"The fort lord of Tiemenbao."
He Zhenlei stared at Li Banfeng for a moment, seeing only a man in a fedora with a mustache and beard, his features completely unidentifiable.
*He's the fort lord of Tiemenbao?*
*Little Pockmark didn't become fort lord?*
He Zhenlei demanded, "What's your name?"
Li Banfeng sounded rather impatient. "Didn't I just tell you? My name is Fort Lord. Surname Fort, given name Lord."
*What kind of name is that?*
*Is this man truly the fort lord of Tiemenbao?*
Li Banfeng had questions of his own: "The men you sent down the mountain to pillage grain—I killed them. The lackeys you sent to Tiemenbao—I killed them too. And the crew you just sent to deliver that letter—I killed them as well.
"I've been wondering: you claimed this mountain and made yourself king, so I assumed you had some backbone. Yet I slaughtered your men whenever I saw them, and you didn't even have the guts to strike back? Are you really the chief of Feiying Mountain?"
He Zhenlei roared with rage, "How did you get past my mountain gate?!"
Li Banfeng advised mildly, "You don't need to make such a fuss. The lackeys at your door are already dead. Those men you sent to Tiemenbao before were pretty loose-lipped; they told me all about your defenses on Feiying Mountain."
Gritting his teeth, He Zhenlei vaulted out of bed. "I'll take your life!"
Li Banfeng stepped forward and planted a kick square in He Zhenlei's face, knocking out his front teeth, then raised his leg and kicked him right back onto the bed. "I told you, your men talk too much. They told me all about your cultivation.
"For a mountain bandit king, you had quite a reputation. I figured you'd be at least a fourth-tier cultivator. But from what they said, you're only a third-tier Martial Cultivator. That someone like you could dominate an area really caught me off guard. Seems you've acquired the arts of a Deception Cultivator yourself."
He Zhenlei gritted his teeth again and was just about to speak when Li Banfeng delivered another kick, snapping his back molars.
"Don't grit your teeth. I hate the sound."
Clutching his mouth, He Zhenlei slurred indistinctly, "Whaddya want?"
Li Banfeng said, "Looking at what you're made of, I don't care to make things too hard on you. Tomorrow, lead your men to attack Tiemenbao. Bring every capable fighter you have.
"As long as you show up, I'll spare your life. If I don't see you tomorrow morning, prepare to have someone collect your corpse!"
Stunned, He Zhenlei stammered, "You're telling me to attack Tiemenbao?"
Li Banfeng backhanded him across the face. "Your cultivation is lacking, and your ears don't work either? Never make me repeat myself. I'll be waiting for you at the fort tomorrow."
Chapter 222