#238 - Chapter 238 Victory

With the successive destruction of the Black Serpent Gang in the west of the city and the Red Star Gang in the east, the sky over Qingxi County seemed to be shrouded in an even deeper, invisible haze.

Rumors flew through the streets and alleys, and every teahouse and tavern became a hub of information, where people discussed this irresistible new force with fear and curiosity.

Inside the ancient mansion of the Blood Wolf Gang in the north of the city, the atmosphere was heavy and tense. The owner of the mansion, a middle-aged man in a long robe with a stern face, was turning iron balls in his hand, staring at the map of Qingxi County's power distribution hanging on the wall.

On the map, the originally intricate network of forces had become much clearer, with only one place slowly converging into a new center of the storm.

Zhong He, the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang, felt a mix of complex emotions at this moment: "Hongmen, what a Hongmen! Wang Tieshan really has a good disciple!"

No one would have thought that the original four gangs would be reduced to just one, the Blood Wolf Gang. When the Green Bamboo Gang was destroyed, everyone was watching the show. Not long ago, the three gang leaders had gathered to chat about Hongmen and discuss countermeasures.

It's only been a few days, and things have already changed. The main point is that they won two against one.

The speed of Hongmen's development is too fast. Zhong He felt unprecedented pressure and unease.

"Pass down the order," Zhong He said in a deep voice to his confidant beside him, "Strengthen our defenses and secretly contact Hongmen's spies. I want to know, what kind of deity is this Hongmen, that it can rise so quickly in such a short time?"

The confidant obeyed and left, and the mansion fell silent again. Zhong He's gaze returned to the power distribution map on the wall. The Blood Wolf Gang's position seemed particularly conspicuous, and particularly lonely.

At this moment, the Blood Wolf Gang was like a small boat in a storm, which could capsize at any moment.

Putting himself in their shoes, if Zhong He occupied three territories, he would definitely not let go of the fourth.

At the same time, in the shadows of Qingxi County, a number of forces began to stir. Some families were afraid of Hongmen's rise and tried to unite against it; others saw an opportunity and wanted to take a share of the pie.

But no matter how they calculated, they couldn't avoid one core question: what is Hongmen's true strength?

A few days later, shocking news spread throughout the county. It turned out that the leader of Hongmen was Wang Tieshan's closed-door disciple, a once unknown young talent who was now sweeping through Qingxi County with lightning speed—Cheng Feng.

Cheng Feng's name, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirred up layers of ripples. People began to re-examine this once-ignored young man, whose wisdom, courage, and methods were all breathtaking.

Under Cheng Feng's leadership, Hongmen seemed to be gradually lifting its mysterious veil, revealing its true power and ambition.

Cheng Feng didn't have time to pay attention to the jealousy of other forces. He was busy incorporating the manpower of the gangs and collecting his spoils of war.

From the Black Serpent Gang, he got 120,000 taels of silver and 1,000 weapons. The Red Star Gang made their fortune through freight, yielding 180,000 taels of silver and 1,000 weapons, as well as a surplus of horses and livestock, house deeds, treasures, servants, and countless other items.

Cheng Feng mainly cared about silver and manpower, followed by martial arts manuals and house deeds.

The silver searched out, plus the Hongmen headquarters' 40,000 taels of silver, totaled 340,000 taels of silver, plus six large boxes of swords, totaling 3,200 swords.

After rectifying all the outer hall disciples, Cheng Feng refined the group, organizing 4,000 people. With 1,000 inner disciples, a 5,000-strong Hongmen was definitely a behemoth in a county town.

Cheng Feng was also overwhelmed by such a large number of people. There were still many skin-training martial artists incorporated into the outer hall, who, according to management, needed to undergo group training before they could be marked.

Fortunately, there were many people and a lot of silver, so the huge income and expenditure could still operate normally.

Wei Zhuang even suggested opening a manor outside the city, which could accommodate people and train them, as the movements of too many people in the city were too conspicuous.

Cheng Feng carefully adopted the suggestion. With a wave of his hand, two mountain peaks ten miles away from Qingxi County were bought by Hongmen, and the craftsmen among the disaster victims could also be accommodated.

Cheng Feng's original intention was good, but Wei Zhuang's eyes were not calm when he looked at Cheng Feng.

Building a martial arts training ground, accepting people and materials, with plenty of silver and complete weaponry.

These things made Wei Zhuang think too much. In this chaotic world, what good man doesn't want to make contributions?

What is the master preparing for?

But seeing that Cheng Feng didn't say anything, Wei Zhuang also suppressed the surge of heroism in his heart.

Now is really not the time to talk big. He is proficient in everything he has learned, and he hopes to help the master go further.

Holding the flute in his hand, Cheng Feng asked curiously: "Gao Jin used this flute to control the snake swarm?"

"Yes, master. Moreover, when we fought the Black Serpent Gang in the first battle, there were also a group of people from the Black Serpent Gang who could control the snake swarm. Your subordinate suspects that it should be a kind of technique or secret art."

Cheng Feng became interested: "Then did you find this secret art?"

Wei Zhuang shook his head and said: "No, I sent people to search carefully, but I didn't find this key secret art. However, I collected a lot of other martial arts."

Cheng Feng was a little envious, but he also knew that this kind of beast-controlling secret art must be rare.

"Keep looking. By the way, have you captured Gao Jin's family? Maybe his family knows something."

Wei Zhuang nodded: "They have already been captured, but they have not yet been interrogated and verified."

Cheng Feng waved his hand: "From now on, you will be the master of Hongmen. The direction of Hongmen's command will be temporarily set on unifying the county first. As for the state city, I have other plans."

"Yes, master," Wei Zhuang replied in a deep voice, his eyes flashing with firmness and determination.

"Regarding Gao Jin's family, I will immediately arrange for people to conduct interrogation, and at the same time increase the search for the beast-controlling secret art," Wei Zhuang added, making it clear that Cheng Feng attached importance to this type of secret art, and that this may be an indispensable part of Hongmen's future development.

Cheng Feng nodded lightly, the flute in his hand glowing faintly in the sunlight. He stroked the body of the flute thoughtfully, as if he could feel the power of Gao Jin's former control of the snake swarm.

"As for the development of Hongmen, unifying the county is only the first step," Cheng Feng looked into the distance with deep eyes, "What we have to do is to first ensure our own safety, and then talk about other things."

"Master, rest assured, your subordinate will do his best and live up to your expectations," Wei Zhuang solemnly promised, his voice echoing in the hall.

"Of course I believe you. Your knowledge and ability are the best in Hongmen. I am very relieved to let you take the helm," Cheng Feng said with a smile. The items summoned by the blessing bag are all loyal to him.

How could he not be at ease!

As night deepened, the two continued to discuss Hongmen's future plans and strategies, so that Hongmen could develop better and faster to prepare for the coming chaos.