No One Can Save Them!

He Yuxiu sat silently in her room, chain-smoking one cigarette after another. Over a hundred men waited outside for her orders, but right now, she had no idea whom to strike. After turning it over in her mind, He Yuxiu decided to pay the Chu family a visit first. "That bastard Chu Huaijun! The He family has always treated him well, yet he chooses this moment to stab me in the back. I'm heading over to his place right now to ask that son of a bitch to his face why he's playing dog for the Outer States!" Ma the Fifth tried to talk her down. "Sister Xiu, there's no need to ask. Anyone can see what this is about. Ever since their family head died, the Chu family has barely managed to cling to their spot among the Four Great Families. Chu Huaijun's reputation isn't even a match for Chu Huaiyuan's." He Yuxiu nodded. "True enough. That girl can actually get things done. She's got more guts than that bastard Chu Huaijun ever will!" "Now that the Chu family has finally stumbled upon a rare chance to turn things around," Ma the Fifth said, "how could Chu Huaijun not strike with everything he's got? If you go there, the Garrison Commissioner and the Chu family will hit us from both sides, and the He family will be finished!" "You think I'm scared of them? Let them come at me together! This old lady would love to see what they're actually made of!" "Sister Xiu, calm down first. It's hard to say what my father's up to either—he's waiting for his own chance to make a comeback!" "Old Ma..." He Yuxiu sank back onto the bed. "Old Ma wants to stab me too? That bastard wants to stick a knife in my back as well?" Lu Chunying's expression turned solemn as she recalled something Lu Dongliang had once said: *This is the nature of Puluo Province.* What that nature truly was, Lu Chunying couldn't put into words just yet, but she was beginning to understand. Ma the Fifth's brow furrowed tightly. "Sister Xiu, take Madame Yan and go hide in the newland for a couple of days." "Why the hell should I hide? What did we do wrong? Someone wiped out the Jiangxiang Gang's branches—what does that have to do with us?" Ma the Fifth couldn't make sense of it either. "Would the Outer States really go to such lengths over a gang like the Jiangxiang Gang?" Lu Chunying asked, "Shouldn't we ask the Garrison Commissioner? What on earth is their goal here?" "I already asked!" He Yuxiu's temper flared again. "I've asked more times than I can count, and those bastards won't say a damn word!" Ma the Fifth tried to untangle the threads of the situation, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a single clear lead. If only Old Seven were here; he could talk things through with him. "Sister Xiu, go hide in the newland first. I'll get the truth out of them for you!" Ma the Fifth left the He family compound and hailed a carriage to the newspaper office. He instructed the editor to draft an article immediately: *The Boundless Evils of the Jiangxiang Gang: What Reason Has the Garrison Commissioner to Harbor Such Villains?* The staff at the newspaper office were terrified. They hardly dared print news targeting the Garrison Commissioner. Ma the Fifth told the editor there was no need to fear; he doubled the month's pay and arranged guards specifically to secure the premises. The next day, the daily paper went out. Ma the Fifth made the rounds among various newsstands, only to realize the impact was far too weak. Back when he had just taken over the newspaper business from the Lu family, he and Ling Miaoying had traded blows back and forth. Now that Ling Miaoying was dead and the business had passed to Shen Rongqing, Ma the Fifth found himself struggling to compete. Shen Rongqing was only muddling along in the motion picture industry, but when it came to newspapers, she was a true professional. She controlled roughly sixty percent of the business across the major stands. He needed her help for this. Ma the Fifth went straight to the motion picture company. Shen Rongqing didn't want to see him, but after hesitating time and again, she finally agreed. Once they met, Shen Rongqing kept her head down and said, "Junyang, didn't I tell you to forget about me?" "I want to forget you, but I can't." "We can't be together..." "I know you have your difficulties. We can talk about everything else later. Right now, I need your help." Hearing that he had come seeking assistance, Shen Rongqing looked up. "What can I do for you?" "The Jiangxiang Gang are animals, and now someone is shielding those animals. We need to demand justice! With our writers' backbone and pens, we need to seek justice for everyone they've brutalized!" "Junyang, tell me the whole story from start to finish." *** At a hotel, He Jiaqing received a message from Shen Rongqing: *Jiaqing, the Garrison Commissioner is openly harboring the Jiangxiang Gang and moving against your family's businesses. Should this go to print?* He Jiaqing had too many things on his plate; if Shen Rongqing hadn't brought it up, he truly would have forgotten about the newspapers. *Write it, Sister. Call on our best writers and put everything into it. It shouldn't just be in the papers—put it in magazines, put it in motion pictures! Run it everywhere!* *** At the Dark Star Bureau, Xiao Zhenggong read through the report and asked Director Shen Jingye, "He Jiaqing blew up?" Shen Jingye nodded. "He resisted arrest. We had no choice but to eliminate him on the spot." "Are you sure that was He Jiaqing?" Xiao Zhenggong didn't quite believe it. "The DNA match results are right here. It's in the report—take a look." "I don't believe in that junk." Xiao Zhenggong stood up. "I want to see He Jiaqing's corpse with my own eyes." As he moved toward the door, a faint glow lit up around the room. A Boundary. A Boundary just like the borderlines found across Puluo Province. Xiao Zhenggong looked toward Shen Jingye. Shen Jingye stood up and said, "Zhenggong, you have already used the Balancer's Seal, and now you must submit to arrangements. For the time being, you have to remain in the bureau. There is another matter as well. Over in Puluo Province, the Garrison Commissioner has already taken action, and all of the He family's assets have been frozen. We have fulfilled our end of the obligations; now you must fulfill your corresponding responsibilities. Here is a list. Take a look first." Xiao Zhenggong took the list, which had five location names written on it. "What does this mean?" Shen Jingye said, "These five branches of the Jiangxiang Gang will henceforth be under the direct command of the Garrison Commissioner. Of course, in name they will still belong to the Jiangxiang Gang, and whatever actions they take will remain under your gang's name." Xiao Zhenggong's brow twitched. "In other words, you take the profits, and I take the blame?" "Zhenggong, mind your phrasing." Shen Jingye smiled at him. "I warned you before not to use the Balancer's Seal lightly, but you have already used it. Taking over a portion of the branches is not an attempt to seize anything from your hands; it is to better balance our relations with all parties in Puluo Province. Fundamentally, this serves both our interests. It is a win-win choice for both sides." Xiao Zhenggong stared coldly at Shen Jingye. Shen Jingye held out a fountain pen to him. "If there are no issues, sign your name on the appointment covenant deed. Tomorrow, the Garrison Commissioner will dispatch new branch heads." *** In the Law Enforcement detachment's office at the Dark Star Bureau, Qin Minghui sat staring blankly at a newspaper. Chen Changrui walked over. "Zhong'er, not going home yet?" Catching sight of the newspaper in Qin Minghui's hands, he froze. This wasn't a paper from the Outer States. It was from Puluo Province. "Zhong'er, where did you get this paper? You can't just casually—" Qin Minghui didn't answer his question, instead turning back to Chen Changrui with one of his own. "Captain, what is the Jiangxiang Gang?" "The Jiangxiang Gang is an organization based in Puluo Province." "An organization of murder, arson, fraud, child kidnapping, and every evil imaginable? And the mission we carried out at the hospital was to protect an organization like that?" Qin Minghui looked intently at Chen Changrui. Chen Changrui thought for a moment before saying, "When you joined the squad, you said you wanted to protect everything important in this world. Some things can't be judged purely by appearances. This gang is extremely important to us. What we did was also a form of protection." "This isn't what I want to protect." Qin Minghui folded the newspaper and left the office with a cold expression. *** Inside the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng peeled open three lotus seed pods. These three seeds had come respectively from the remains of the Mountain Uprooter and a pack of aberrations, the corpse of the Star of Mourning, and the corpse of Lin Dexing. Refining this batch of pills had indeed been slow, but by Li Banfeng's estimate, if they yielded a full count of Golden Origin Pills, they would be enough to push him to Tier 10. Yet when the pods split open, Li Banfeng grew tense. He smelled a strange, intoxicating fragrance. What burst forth were not Golden Origin Pills, but Profound Accumulation Pills. The very pills that had nearly killed his wife back then. Three Profound Accumulation Pills filled the entire room with an exotic aroma. Except for the Judge's Brush, which couldn't be bothered to move, every artifact fixed its gaze upon them. Yet it seemed they could only feast their eyes. Hong Ying was different; she was itching to make a move. She could consume these pills. "What do you think you're doing, you slut!" the gramophone snapped. "You've gorged on so much flesh and blood, and now you want to eat pills too?" Hong Ying scoffed and continued combing her hair in the mirror. The gramophone tucked the pills into its front cabinet. "Dearest husband, you cannot consume these pills just yet. Let your humble servant keep them safe for now." Li Banfeng didn't mind. "Keep them safe for what? Just eat them yourself. Only be sure to check their potency—don't go overdosing again." "My husband cherishes his humble servant with all his heart, and your humble servant serves my husband with absolute devotion. For the two of us to be so deeply in love is enough to drive every slut in this room to drop dead of rage!" Hong Ying drew a mouth on her spear tip and secretly spat toward the gramophone. The gramophone continued singing, "Dearest husband, these three pills might be of no use right now, but they will come in handy in the future. Your servant will save them for you. Husband, clear the scent from your clothes before you head out." A plume of steam enveloped Li Banfeng, stripping away the fragrance of the medicine clinging to his clothes. Li Banfeng looked toward the calendar poster and asked Mengde, "How long have I stayed home?" "Thirteen hours and twenty-eight minutes." Over thirteen hours—his fortune had ticked up slightly. The key was on the train; the Portable Abode ran alongside the train, and Li Banfeng ran within the Portable Abode, so his journey cultivation was not neglected either. Calculating the time, they were about ready to arrive. Li Banfeng stepped out of the Portable Abode, briefly packed his things in the train compartment, and got off alongside Luo Zhengnan. Heishipo, the city Li Banfeng liked best. He loved its customs, and he loved its fierce spirit even more. After taking over Lu Maoxian's business, Li Banfeng's influence in Heishipo was second to none, but this was not the time to bring that influence to bear. Yu Nan had once said the Jiangxiang Gang was like a dog. That wasn't quite accurate; more accurately, they were a pack of rabid dogs. Among all the gangs of Puluo Province, the Jiangxiang Gang's actions were the most contemptible, yet very few great families or major organizations ever crossed swords with them. Once bitten by a rabid dog like that, the trouble was endless. In Heishipo, Li Banfeng went by the name Boss Ye, but if he acted under that identity, every industry he held in Heishipo would be placed in jeopardy. The proper identity was still the Benefactor. That identity carried no worries at all. Li Banfeng bought a newspaper outside the station. News concerning the Jiangxiang Gang filled the front page. Li Banfeng gave the articles a cursory glance, then headed straight for the branch alongside Luo Zhengnan. Newspaper coverage was a good thing; it would ensure these cockroaches could never see the light of day again. Yet it also brought Li Banfeng some trouble. The larger the fuss grew, the more vigilant the Jiangxiang Gang became. Fortunately, the Heishipo branch was not difficult to handle. The people of Heishipo had backbone, so the Jiangxiang Gang found business hard to conduct here. The branch controlled only three rudders, and each had only three to five men under it. With barely a dozen men in total, they could only just manage to plant their flag. Li Banfeng made a quick calculation: it wouldn't take half a day to rip that flag out by its roots. Yet as they drew close to the branch, Luo Zhengnan realized something was amiss. Over a dozen physiognomists and fortune-tellers had gathered in front of the branch doors. Swindling money through fortune-telling was one of the Jiangxiang Gang's primary trades. However, for so many fortune-tellers to congregate near the branch meant far more than just conning people. Luo Zhengnan knew the tricks of their trade: they were recruiting hands. The Heishipo branch was looking to expand? That was certainly news. Li Banfeng had just wiped out two of their branches. By all rights, every branch ought to be on high alert and treading with caution. How had this branch grown so brazen instead? Especially in a place like Heishipo—they dared to make a show of strength here? With things defying common sense, Luo Zhengnan advised Li Banfeng not to act rashly and to gather intelligence first. Li Banfeng paid a visit to the newspaper office and instructed Bai Qiusheng to investigate the cause. Lately, the papers were saturated with news of the Jiangxiang Gang, and as *Yelaixiang* was a legitimate publication, Bai Qiusheng had gathered a substantial amount of information. "Seventh Master, the Jiangxiang Gang's Black Stone branch has received backing from the Outer States, and lately they've grown arrogant. The practice of child snatching had nearly died out in Heishipo, but recently it seems to be rearing its head again." Child snatching—the method of drugging and abducting children. Luo Zhengnan urged Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, now that the Garrison Commissioner has stepped in, we ought to pull our hands back. In Puluo Province, no matter what happens, you cannot afford to offend the Garrison Commissioner." Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat and said to Luo Zhengnan, "Head back to Lüshui City first and await my word. Today, no matter who steps in, not a single one of these bastards will walk away alive."