With the Crocodile Gang's stronghold breached and the major forces within the city retreating, the Zhenfu Division's cleanup operation proceeded extremely smoothly.
Both the Liusha Gang and the Crocodile Gang had their respective spheres of influence.
At the same time, they also had many industrial interests within the city.
Of course, these interests now belonged to the Zhenfu Division.
As for whether these interests could be maintained long-term and protected, that would depend on the subsequent reactions of the major forces within the city.
At the Crocodile Gang's stronghold, under the search of many wolf-like Zhenfu Division Yamen Runners, numerous items and resources were unearthed one by one.
Cheng Renjing stood before Chen Ping'an, reporting everything in detail.
“Lord Chen, we found a lot of silver in the Crocodile Gang, as well as weapons and Cultivation Techniques…”
Chen Ping'an sat upright on the large chair in the Crocodile Gang's main hall, listening quietly to the report.
On the table beside him, tea had already been brewed and pastries laid out for his enjoyment.
“Bring all the Cultivation Techniques up, organize and tally the other items, and give me a special report tomorrow,” Chen Ping'an said.
“Yes.”
Receiving Chen Ping'an's instruction, Cheng Renjing respectfully assented and quickly went to carry it out.
Before long, a medium-sized wooden box appeared before Chen Ping'an.
Inside the wooden box were all the Cultivation Techniques confiscated from the Crocodile Gang.
There were over thirty Cultivation Techniques in total, but again, no high-grade ones.
It seemed that, just like the Liusha Gang, the Crocodile Gang's high-grade Cultivation Techniques were stored elsewhere and not kept in the Gang's internal vault.
However, Chen Ping'an didn't pay much attention to this.
More than half of the thirty-plus Cultivation Techniques overlapped with those from the Liusha Gang.
Chen Ping'an flipped through some of the unique ones from the Crocodile Gang, adding them one by one to his Golden Finger panel.
“If I truly run out of things to practice in the future, I can consider practicing these Cultivation Techniques.
Collecting them now is a precaution!”
“Currently, I cultivate high-grade hard Cultivation Techniques, and with both internal and external cultivation, I can directly confront powerful secret arts.
My high-grade leg techniques allow for both offense and defense!
My high-grade saber techniques and high-grade swordplay ensure I'm not inferior in weapon clashes!
My high-grade rigid and fierce palm technique, when suddenly unleashed in special scenarios, is specialized for breaking through defenses!
From a martial arts configuration perspective, the overall setup is quite complete!”
“From the perspective of cultivation efficiency, practicing more high-grade Cultivation Techniques holds little significance for me!
However, from a realistic perspective, I can only look for more high-grade Cultivation Techniques…”
Looking at the busy figures moving back and forth outside the hall, the scene from earlier surfaced in Chen Ping'an's mind.
Jiang Da and the others had trembled violently when they saw him approach.
Then, they had wept bitterly, begging for mercy repeatedly, showing great regret.
Given Chen Ping'an's current status, a few Crocodile Gang underlings were naturally not worth him personally dealing with them.
After watching them cry for a while, Chen Ping'an left on his own.
However, this scene was witnessed by many Zhenfu Division Yamen Runners and Chief Constables.
Had these few people offended Lord Chen before?
They were simply audacious!
Mere ruffians, daring to offend Lord Chen.
What is intended above will be emulated below!
This matter required no words from Chen Ping'an; a mere gesture would suffice, and those below would take care of it for him.
It was likely that Jiang Da and the others would not meet a good end.
Chen Ping'an's eyes flickered slightly.
Somehow, he suddenly thought of Little Tiger Lord.
The Tiger Head Gang was, after all, just a Gang within the lane, while the Crocodile Gang, as one of Baishi City's four major Gangs, had a much larger influence.
Jiang Da, as a minor leader of the Crocodile Gang, was not much weaker than the original Little Tiger Lord in terms of prestige and status.
Back then, when he first entered the Dao of martial arts and had not yet achieved anything, facing Little Tiger Lord's provocation, he could only rack his brains and feign compliance.
Later, when his martial Dao had achieved Minor Achievement, he still dared not completely break ties, fearing that if he didn't cut the grass completely, it would bring disaster to his family.
It wasn't until he ascended to the position of Reserve Chief Constable, using the power of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, and with the overwhelming might of the Righteous Path, that he completely annihilated the Tiger Head Gang, finally resolving the matter.
The details of that process need no further mention!
But today…
Jiang Da and his ilk were nothing but chickens and dogs, utterly insignificant.
Indeed, he didn't even need to personally intervene; merely expressing a slight attitude would prompt others to speculate and handle the matter for him.
“Power…” Chen Ping'an looked up through the doorway towards the distance, where the grey-white wall met the incredibly blue sky: “It truly is a good thing!”
“Compared to power, what I should understand more is, from where does power originate!”
In the boundless blue sky, white clouds drifted, but they could not obscure the sun's radiance.
…
Inventorying, settling accounts, organizing, transporting, and interrogating, the Zhenfu Division Yamen Runners worked tirelessly through the night on the Crocodile Gang's various affairs, their torches burning continuously.
Besides the Crocodile Gang, the Liusha Gang's matters were also being handled simultaneously.
After all, the Zhenfu Division's Yamen Runners, though somewhat lax in earlier years, had undergone rigorous training in terms of overall executive ability and organizational skills since Commander Feng's arrival, despite their somewhat lacking morale.
All matters were handled in an orderly fashion, requiring no excessive concern from Chen Ping'an.
Following the demise of the Liusha Gang, news of the Crocodile Gang's destruction quickly spread throughout Baishi City.
Setting aside the reactions of the six major forces mentioned earlier, most of the other large and small forces within Baishi City were trembling with fear and dread.
They were terrified that they would be next.
Could it be… another Feng Shixian has arrived!?
When Feng Shixian first arrived, he was incredibly forceful, causing heads to roll before suppressing the chaos within Baishi City.
However, in recent years, Feng Shixian's overall demeanor had become increasingly gentle, which had eased their pressure.
Unexpectedly, another killing god had arrived!
If the Zhenfu Division became powerful, the interests of many forces within the city would inevitably be affected.
Furthermore, within just a few days, two of Baishi City's eight major forces had been annihilated; how could the other six forces let this rest.
For a time, Baishi City was filled with panic and trepidation.
Regardless of the outside world, Chen Ping'an returned home peacefully.
His new residence occupied a vast area, and even his training grounds were incredibly spacious.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Chen Ping'an's palm strikes were fierce and powerful; each strike brought a roaring palm wind, almost shattering the air.
Great Vajra Palm, a top-tier high-grade martial art, was naturally incredibly powerful!
Thump!
Chen Ping'an brought down a heavy palm, striking the space in front of him, causing a ripple and a loud bang.
+1.
Within his sight, a cultivation symbol flashed by.
“It's done!”
Chen Ping'an withdrew his palm and stood, a hint of joy on his face.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Profound Light - Spirit Illumination Initial Stage
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Perfection, Flying Locust Stone Perfection, Gongmen Thirteen Blades Perfection, Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Perfection, Golden Bell Cover Perfection, Swift Wind Saber Technique Perfection, Eight Steps Catching Cicadas Perfection, Flying Star Swordplay Major Achievement (36/400), Great Vajra Palm Minor Achievement (160/160)