Chapter 95

With a loud "thud," Hu Shaohua’s palm, though not splitting the heavens, struck with great force, hitting Mo Zhitao’s chest and producing a sound like a drum being beaten.

The Iron Sand Gang members secretly cheered, knowing Hu Shaohua’s strength. Not to mention a person, even three bricks stacked together would be shattered by Hu Shaohua’s palm. This black-clothed man, being hit by Hu Shaohua, was surely finished.

"Boss," Lin Zhenqiang and the others shouted in worry when they saw Mo Zhitao being hit.

Just as it seemed slow, it happened quickly. At the same moment Hu Shaohua struck him, Mo Zhitao unleashed the first move of his Flying Dragon Palm. "Thud." Hu Shaohua looked at Mo Zhitao in disbelief, but the powerful palm strike sent him flying.

"Thump." Hu Shaohua fell to the ground, spitting blood. He couldn’t believe it; how could the black-clothed man be unharmed after being hit? "You, you practice the Shaolin Golden Bell Cover?" Hu Shaohua recalled that Lin Zhenqiang used Hong Quan, and his boss might be a Shaolin expert.

Damn, if he had known, he wouldn’t have hit the black-clothed man like that. No wonder the black-clothed man dared to boast; he took advantage of the moment when Hu Shaohua thought he could knock him down with one palm, and struck back simultaneously, catching him off guard.

"Hu Shaohua, do you know my strength now?" Mo Zhitao said with a sinister tone. "If I kill you now, can you resist?"

"You, you said you would let me go," Hu Shaohua said, seeing the murderous intent in Mo Zhitao’s eyes. Damn, no wonder they dared to come here with just six people to fight for territory. They had such a powerful expert. If he had known, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess.

The black-clothed man’s martial arts were extremely high, especially with the Golden Bell Cover. Hu Shaohua thought about how he had been continuously striking the man, but the man was unharmed, while one strike from the man had nearly finished him. He was now in severe pain, clearly seriously injured.

Mo Zhitao turned to the other Iron Sand Gang members, "You can also try to take my move."

The Iron Sand Gang members, frightened, turned and ran, shouting, "Hall Master, we’ll go back for reinforcements, you hold them off here."

Go back for reinforcements? Hu Shaohua cursed in his heart. By the time the reinforcements arrived, he would already be dead. But now, even if he shouted, it was useless. Brothers are like birds in the same forest, when disaster strikes, they fly away in different directions.

Mo Zhitao walked towards Hu Shaohua, who said in fear, "Sir, don’t kill me, I was wrong, I won’t provoke your people again."

"Hu Shaohua, rest assured, I won’t kill you tonight, but if you dare to provoke my Zhenhai Gang again, I will kill you," Mo Zhitao said coldly. "Go back and tell your Hall Master that if they continue to provoke us, I won’t let them off. Don’t think we are easy to bully. If you anger me, I will destroy your branch."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely tell our Hall Master," Hu Shaohua nodded hurriedly.

"Get lost," Mo Zhitao said.

"Yes, yes, I’ll get lost right away," Hu Shaohua hurriedly left with the remaining defeated members.

Lin Zhenqiang and the others walked up to Mo Zhitao, ashamed, and said, "Boss, we were useless."

"It’s not entirely your fault. They have been practicing for a long time, and those few are all first-level martial artists. How long have you been practicing?" Mo Zhitao shook his head. "Your achievements are already very good." Mo Zhitao had noticed that Tao Mingguang and the others also had good martial arts, but they hadn’t had enough time to fully develop their skills.

"We will practice harder in the future," Lin Zhenqiang and the others said.

"Although I warned them tonight, they might still come back. Be careful," Mo Zhitao said seriously. "If they do, I will make them pay."

After treating Lin Zhenqiang and the others, Li Bin drove away from Macheng District that night.

At the Iron Sand Gang’s Macheng branch, the Hall Master, Yi Fangjiang, angrily slammed the table. "Hu Shaohua, didn’t you guarantee that you would take down the Zhenhai Gang? How did you get so badly injured?"

"Hall Master, it’s not that I’m not capable, but the other side is too strong," Hu Shaohua said with a bitter face. "He knocked me down with one move, and he practices the Golden Bell Cover. I hit him with the Sand Opening and Wave Striking technique, but he was unharmed."

"You learned the Sand Opening and Wave Striking technique?" Yi Fangjiang’s face changed. "Where did you learn it?"

"It was taught by Elder Zuo," Hu Shaohua realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly explained.

Hearing it was Elder Zuo, Yi Fangjiang didn’t mention it. "Did the black-clothed man say anything about his background?"

"He didn’t, but I suspect he’s from the Shaolin Sect," Hu Shaohua said.

"You’re foolish. How could the Shaolin Sect create another Zhenhai Gang? With their status in the martial arts world, they would have a hundred responses to any call," Yi Fangjiang rolled his eyes. "The other side is likely a disciple of a Shaolin high monk, and there’s some connection. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be trying to take our territory."

Hu Shaohua hurriedly smiled flatteringly, "Yes, Hall Master is wise."

"Hu Shaohua, continue to secretly investigate if they have any connections. Once you find out, we’ll deal with it," Yi Fangjiang said, a bit wary after hearing Hu Shaohua’s report. Not a fierce dragon would cross a pass, and if they dared to send Hu Shaohua back with a message, they must have some backing.

If he sent people to deal with Lin Zhenqiang and the others now, the forces behind Lin Zhenqiang might retaliate. He had been in the underworld for many years and had a family and relatives. He needed to be cautious; otherwise, if he couldn’t handle the Zhenhai Gang and needed to call for help from above, his position as Hall Master would be over.

"Hall Master, I’m seriously injured. Send someone else," Hu Shaohua said in fear. He didn’t want to have anything to do with Lin Zhenqiang and especially the black-clothed man, who was terrifying. If the other side hadn’t held back, one move would have taken his life.

"Hmph, Hu Shaohua, can you take some responsibility? You were in charge of this, so you should continue. I’m not asking you to fight, just to investigate. Go, don’t argue. Rest well tonight, and you’ll be fine tomorrow," Yi Fangjiang waved Hu Shaohua away.

Damn, it’s easy for you to talk when you’re not the one injured. Hu Shaohua cursed in his heart as he left.

After Hu Shaohua left, Yi Fangjiang turned to the person sitting nearby, "Black Cat Hall Master."

"Here, Hall Master," Black Cat, an ordinary-looking man, stood up and saluted.

"Hu Shaohua isn’t very capable, so I’ll leave the investigation of the Zhenhai Gang to you," Yi Fangjiang said. Black Cat was like a military advisor in the branch, but he was very low-key and not well-known. However, the hall he managed was more powerful than Hu Shaohua’s.

"Yes, Hall Master," Black Cat said. "I’ve also been secretly investigating Lin Zhenqiang and the others. They are only five or six people, but they are all very skilled, and they are said to be retired soldiers. I didn’t know they practiced martial arts, so we were caught off guard."

Yi Fangjiang nodded, "Yes, I didn’t expect them to be so strong. I thought Hu Shaohua and the others would handle it tonight. The most frightening thing is the black-clothed man behind the scenes. He knows a lot about our Iron Sand Gang, yet they are so arrogant. That’s what’s truly scary."

"Yes, Hall Master, I think your approach is good. We shouldn’t act rashly. It’s better to investigate their strength first," Black Cat said. Yi Fangjiang often discussed gang matters with him, and seeing Yi Fangjiang’s respect, he spoke freely.

"There are still many gang members in Macheng, and although they haven’t taken over territory, they are not here for good intentions," Yi Fangjiang said. In any place, it’s impossible for only one gang to dominate; other gangs would also have a presence.

Like their Iron Sand Gang, their main influence was in Ninghai Province, but they also had branches elsewhere, though not as strong as in Ninghai. Therefore, if other gangs wanted to establish branches in Ninghai, they couldn’t say much. They could only look for opportunities to eliminate the infiltrators.

As for the Zhenhai Gang, they had never heard of it. Was it newly established, or was it a different name for some other force? Yi Fangjiang was puzzled.

The next day, Mo Zhitao received a call from Lin Zhenqiang, saying everything was fine on his side. Mo Zhitao told them to continue opening the market street as usual and to call him immediately if anything happened.

While treating a patient, Mo Zhitao’s phone rang. It was Hu Xun calling. Mo Zhitao had saved Hu Xun’s number that night, "Hello, Commander Hu."

"Zhitao, I thought you wouldn’t recognize the caller," Hu Xun’s voice came through the phone, happy. "Do you have time for lunch? I want to treat you to a meal."

"I’ll treat Commander Hu to a meal. I’ll choose the place," Mo Zhitao thought for a moment. He was considering using Hu Xun to boost Lin Zhenqiang’s reputation. "But it’s just a small restaurant, don’t mind it."

"Hehe, what are you talking about? We soldiers have been through worse," Hu Xun laughed. "When do you finish work? I’ll come pick you up."

Mo Zhitao said, "At noon, 12 o’clock. Thank you, Commander Hu." Mo Zhitao didn’t hesitate, knowing Hu Xun had a purpose for calling.

Then Mo Zhitao called Zou Gaobing, "Brother Bing, are you free? I’ll treat you to lunch at the Zhenhai Restaurant on Kaonian Street. Commander Hu Xun will also be there, you must come."

"Sure, I’ll definitely come," Zou Gaobing also wanted to get closer to Mo Zhitao. Mo Zhitao’s martial arts and medical skills, as well as his ability to produce six first-grade cultivation pills, were all astonishing. Li Sanzhen had also instructed him to get closer to Mo Zhitao, which would benefit them both.