Chapter 78

Chen Zhao was already over sixty years old, but as a congenital martial artist, his qi and blood were robust, and he looked no older than forty, similar to Meng Changhe.

When he was informed that Meng Changhe had come to visit, he was momentarily taken aback.

He had taken over the brother's courier agency alone back then, forcing this nephew to leave, and the two of them had not communicated for years.

Over these past dozen years, Meng Changhe knew that Chen Zhao was in seclusion in Chenzhou Prefecture, and Chen Zhao had also vaguely heard about Meng Changhe's exploits in Changning Prefecture, but they had never contacted each other.

Now, with Meng Changhe's sudden visit, Chen Zhao was a bit nervous. Could it be that his nephew had broken through to the congenital realm and come to seek revenge for past grievances?

When he saw Meng Changhe bow respectfully and call him "Uncle," and that his strength was still at the peak of the acquired realm, Chen Zhao was certain that Meng Changhe must have come to ask for his help.

"Hehe, it's been over a decade, Uncle, you still look so radiant," Meng Changhe said with a smile.

Chen Zhao sat lazily in his chair, took a sip of the ginseng tea served by a servant, and said, "No matter how radiant I am, I can't compare to your might in Changning Prefecture. I've heard you're the head of the largest gang in Changning Prefecture, with tens of thousands of brothers under your command, dominating the region. That's quite impressive."

"Hehe, Uncle, don't tease me. What's my gang to you, an elder? Without a single congenital martial artist, it's just like children playing house," Meng Changhe said with a self-deprecating smile.

Chen Zhao stroked his beard and said, "Alright, just say what you want. You didn't come here just to reminisce, did you?"

"Alright, I'll be straightforward. I came to ask for your help."

Meng Changhe then told Chen Zhao the whole story, but he omitted the part about Chen Hong and Ma Qingyuan giving him two million taels of silver.

Chen Zhao couldn't help but chuckle after hearing the story. "Tsk tsk, Changhe, I'm not saying this to criticize you, but you're over forty, a regional overlord in Changning Prefecture, and now you can't even subdue a junior. He even killed your son and disciple. You're really useless."

Meng Changhe cursed Chen Zhao in his heart, wishing he could tear a piece of flesh from him right then and there.

But on the surface, Meng Changhe could only smile and say, "That young man is not simple. To break through to the peak of the acquired realm before the age of twenty, even some disciples of famous sects can't do that. Besides, the Three Heroes Association isn't under my control alone, so I can only come to you for help, Uncle."

Chen Zhao immediately shook his head. "Changhe, I'm your elder, and in principle, I should help you. But as you know, I retired from the martial world over a decade ago. If I were to intervene now, it would break the rules."

"Five hundred thousand taels of silver!" Meng Changhe suddenly said.

"What did you say!?" Chen Zhao's expression changed instantly.

Meng Changhe said calmly, "I'll give you five hundred thousand taels of silver as a token of appreciation."

Hearing about the silver, and such a large sum, Chen Zhao was immediately tempted.

He was a congenital martial artist, but he had been in seclusion for over a decade. The money he had earned from selling the courier agency was almost spent. Chen Zhao wasn't good at managing finances, and he had been living a life of luxury, so his funds were running low.

Now, with Meng Changhe offering five hundred thousand taels, just to deal with a junior at the peak of the acquired realm, it was a very good deal.

But he still held back from agreeing immediately and said sternly, "One million taels, and I'll go with you."

Meng Changhe pretended to be hesitant. "Uncle, it's not that I'm stingy, but most of the Three Heroes Association's funds are in the gang, and my personal savings are limited. I can only offer six hundred thousand taels."

Chen Zhao, of course, was unwilling. After some haggling, they agreed on seven hundred thousand taels.

Seeing Chen Zhao's expression, as if he had gotten a good deal, Meng Changhe secretly sneered in his heart.

His "good uncle" was even more desperate for money than he had imagined, and seven hundred thousand taels had done the trick.

"Right, what do you want to do? Kill that kid directly?" Chen Zhao, who had received the money, was much more polite.

Meng Changhe shook his head and said with a grim expression, "Not yet. I promised the Green Bamboo Gang to help them reclaim their territory, and I don't want to kill him so soon. He wants to expand the Flying Eagle Gang, right? Fine, I'll take away all his territories first, make him feel desperate, and then kill him!"

Chen Zhao chuckled. "Simple. If he doesn't hand over the territory, I'll cripple his martial arts, and you can take his territories as you please."

Chen Zhao was very confident in his strength. The difference between the congenital and acquired realms was vast, and no one could stop him from crippling Su Xin.

At this moment, Su Xin was unaware of the impending crisis.

After swallowing the Green Bamboo Gang, he immediately rewarded a large number of gang members. Every member of the Battle Hall who participated in the battle against the Green Bamboo Gang, regardless of their contribution, received a reward.

The rewards ranged from thousands to tens of taels, making the other disciples envious and eager to join the Battle Hall. Su Xin also took in the Green Bamboo Gang's disciples, increasing his total number of followers to twenty thousand, with fifteen thousand in the Battle Hall.

As the saying goes, the first strike is powerful, the second weaker, and the third exhausted. Seizing the momentum, Su Xin found a pretext to attack the Jiangyang Gang and captured a market in one night.

In the Jiangyang Gang, Jiang Beifei and the two deputy leaders were pacing anxiously in the meeting hall, at a loss for what to do.

Deputy leader Yang Dong gritted his teeth. "I said from the beginning that Su Xin had ulterior motives and would eventually attack us! Even if we had sent Jiang He's head to him, it would have only delayed the inevitable. Now you see, the Jiangyang Gang is about to suffer the same fate as the Green Bamboo Gang!"

Jiang Beifei and Shen Zhongming were silent. They had decided to send Jiang He's head to Su Xin to prevent him from attacking.

But they had been too naive. If Su Xin really wanted to destroy the Jiangyang Gang, would he need an excuse? He could just attack directly.

The Flying Eagle Gang's attack was terrifying, and the Jiangyang Gang lost one of its three markets in one night.

Fortunately, the Jiangyang Gang didn't have the internal strife that the Green Bamboo Gang had, and they managed to set up some defensive formations, allowing them to survive the night without being completely destroyed like the Green Bamboo Gang.

Jiang Beifei slammed the table. "It's too late to talk about this now. The most important thing is to figure out how to get through this crisis. We should seek help from the Three Heroes Association. Meng Changhe has a personal vendetta against Su Xin for killing his son, so he won't sit idly by. We should also inform other gangs. If the Flying Eagle Gang continues to expand, they will be next!"

Yang Dong sneered. "I just sent someone to the Three Heroes Association, but Meng Changhe wasn't there. The other two leaders have no personal vendetta against Su Xin, so they refused to get involved and chased my messenger away."

Shen Zhongming also smiled bitterly. "My messengers to other gangs had similar experiences. They don't see Su Xin as a threat yet. Even if he swallows the Jiangyang Gang, his forces will only be comparable to the Iron Knife Gang and the Divine Wind Gang, far from the Three Heroes Association. As long as there's no new power in Changning Prefecture that can dominate the entire region, they won't unite, let alone get involved in this."

Just as they were at a loss, a gang member came in to report that someone from the Three Heroes Association had sent an invitation to meet at the Shenglong Tower the next day.

Jiang Beifei and the others looked at each other. Was the Three Heroes Association getting involved? Was this a turning point?

Regardless, as long as they could meet someone from the Three Heroes Association, it was good news.

Meanwhile, all the leaders of the three gangs and four associations in Changning Prefecture, including Su Xin, received invitations from the Three Heroes Association.

Holding the invitation, Su Xin was puzzled. "The Three Heroes Association is gathering everyone at the Shenglong Tower. What do they want?"

Huang Bingcheng hesitated. "As far as I know, all the leaders of the gangs in Changning Prefecture have only gathered once in history, when the Three Heroes Association rose to power and tried to dominate the region. The other gangs united to resist them. But now, apart from our annexation of the Green Bamboo Gang and the ongoing attack on the Jiangyang Gang, there are no other major events. Could they be targeting us?"

Su Xin casually threw the invitation away. "It's useless to speculate now. We'll know tomorrow. If it comes to it, we'll deal with it as it comes."

The next morning, Su Xin, Li Hua, and Huang Bingcheng went to the Shenglong Tower in the center of Changde Market.

Although Changning Prefecture was once the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Great Zhou was just a small southern kingdom, and there were no grand buildings to speak of. The only impressive structure was the Shenglong Tower.

The Shenglong Tower had seven floors, and each floor required a certain status to enter.

In the past, only the nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty were allowed to enter the Shenglong Tower. Now, it was reserved for the true leaders of Changning Prefecture.

As soon as they entered the Shenglong Tower, a short, plump, and cheerful-looking innkeeper greeted them warmly. "Welcome, Su Xin of the Flying Eagle Gang. This is your first visit, and I have a seat reserved for you on the seventh floor."

Su Xin bowed. "Thank you, innkeeper. But the Flying Eagle Gang is quite far from Changde Market, so I can't visit often."

The innkeeper flattered him. "Who knows, maybe that will change soon. Your speed of expansion is unprecedented in Changning Prefecture. Under your leadership, the Flying Eagle Gang is truly soaring to new heights."

Su Xin exchanged a few polite words with the innkeeper. The innkeeper was not a simple man. Although he was just the manager of the Shenglong Tower, the owner was said to have ties to the Great Zhou royal family.

The owner of the Shenglong Tower had moved to the new capital, Shengjing, but this short, plump innkeeper represented him and was treated with great respect by even the leaders of the Three Heroes Association, unlike other merchants.

PS: Thank you to the readers Tidy Bear, Think of You Bug, Xiao Luo Yan Chen, Ling Ye, and My QQ Name is Cold for your support.