326 An Unexplainable Terror
Yang Erbao’s fate was entirely his own doing. He had already provided him with wealth and glory, yet his greed for more support was insatiable. He felt no remorse for Yang Erbao’s death, knowing that he was already on his hit list.
As for Mou Jinfu’s intentions, Zhou Cunzhong remarked with a serious expression, “Mou Jinfu is indeed a cunning old fox. He used Yang Erbao’s head to clear his name and deceive the public. He also tarnished your reputation, after all, Yang Erbao was your right-hand man. If you don’t retaliate, your subordinates will be disappointed. But if you do, you’ll be accused of causing internal strife.”
Zhou Cunzhong sighed inwardly, admiring the elegance of Mou Jinfu’s move. “It seems your progress in gaining prestige and power within the gang will be hindered.”
Zhou Cunzhong observed Qin Huai’s expression but noticed that he had remained calm and composed throughout their conversation. Surprised, he asked, “Don’t you care?”
Qin Huai replied nonchalantly, “What’s there to care about? As long as you’re strong enough, no matter how tarnished your reputation is, there will always be people who are greedy for benefits, and they will naturally come to your defense. Such people are the mainstream in this world.”
Though he spoke diplomatically, he genuinely didn’t care. Even if Mou Jinfu killed his subordinates, it wouldn’t matter. He simply needed to amass as many experience points as possible, and if he could obliterate most of Mou Jinfu’s forces, even better.
“But…” Zhou Cunzhong began, only to be interrupted by Qin Huai, who smiled innocently and instructed, “You just need to do what I tell you to do.” He then patted his shoulder encouragingly.
“Yes, sir!” Zhou Cunzhong nodded, then added, “By the way, Fourth Master announced yesterday that he was going into seclusion. He relinquished all his responsibilities within the gang.”
“Did Godfather say anything?” Qin Huai inquired, deep in thought. His intuition told him that Shao Mo’s seclusion was somehow connected to that terrifying event.
Zhou Cunzhong shook his head. “He didn’t reveal anything. He only asked you and the other masters to temporarily manage the small territory in Fourth Master’s hands. Fourth Master has long since given up his power, so he doesn’t actually have anything left.”
“Understood,” Qin Huai responded, glancing at Shao Mo’s residence in the distance.
It wasn’t far from where they stood. He quickly walked towards it, only to be stopped by a group of serious-looking martial artists in front of the house. The team consisted of ten people, all in the bone pattern realm. These were Shao Mo’s trusted aides and the only people he had left to rely on.
“Fifth Master, please stop!” The leader of the group extended his hand toward Qin Huai.
“What? Can’t I visit my Fourth Brother?” Qin Huai asked with a wry smile, peering into the residence.
“Fifth Master, Fourth Master has given a strict order that not even the heavens are permitted to take half a step into the courtyard. Please don’t make things difficult for me.” Seeing Qin Huai’s agreeable attitude, the person in the lead wore a helpless expression.
“Brother, can you tell me if Fourth Brother is about to break through to the visceral prefecture realm?” Qin Huai asked with a curious expression.
The man’s face was bitter. “I don’t know why, but Fourth Master is going into seclusion for no apparent reason. Perhaps only the leader of the entire Blood Poison Gang knows the reason. Why don’t you go and ask the leader? Come back and tell us, it’ll also give us some reassurance.”
Qin Huai waved his hand. “If I could get the answer, why would I bother looking for you?”
Anyway, he knew that this trip was fruitless, so he returned the way he came.
In addition to the one hundred red qi tiger wolf pills, Qin Huai still had 300,000 taels of silver on him. He didn’t hesitate and instructed Zhou Cunzhong to buy a large quantity of expensive poisonous herbs.
Although the Blood Poison Gang had many poison farms, Qin Huai didn’t want anyone to know what he was buying. After all, the Blood Poison Gang’s martial artists were not like the people he had met before – they were experts in poison techniques.
Especially Mou Jinfu, who had been in the Blood Poison Gang for decades. Although Qin Huai had never seen his poison techniques, he could imagine how powerful they were. So, he preferred to spend more to buy herbs and sell them in small quantities in the city.
…
On the flower boat, Wen Zonghao was reclining on a rattan chair, holding a green porcelain dragon-phoenix seal teacup that had been in his possession for ten thousand years.
“We can’t let the situation at the third pier drag on like this,” Wen Zonghao said in a deep voice. “It’s not a big deal to have some people die, but with people dying every day… that pier is no longer profitable. The remnants of the Thunderbolt Gang and the Dark Dragon Gang are determined to play guerilla warfare with us, like annoying cats.”
Wen Zonghao took a sip of tea. “Our Blood Poison Gang has to spend an exorbitant amount of money to repair the dock every day. If this drags on for another year and a half, where will our Blood Poison Gang’s dignity go?”
Qin Huai looked at Wen Zonghao. “So, what does Godfather plan to do?”
“If they won’t fall for my bait… then you’ll be the bait. You killed the leader of the Dark Dragon gang, so the remaining members must hate you to the core. As for the Thunderbolt Gang, I’m afraid you’re the only one they want to kill. Hua Yanli of the Thunderbolt Gang is missing… Naturally, they don’t want to see our Blood Poison Gang have another genius who’s not inferior to Fourth Brother.”
Wen Zonghao patted Qin Huai’s shoulder. “Do you have anything else to say?” His tone was gentle, but his words were orders, leaving Qin Huai no room for rebuttal.
“Godfather, I have no objections to this plan. But there’s still one thing I want to ask…” Qin Huai began, only to be interrupted by Wen Zonghao’s sigh.
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you about it, but it’s genuinely terrifying,” Wen Zonghao said with a solemn expression. “That matter must not be mentioned, or else we will be targeted.”
“Even if Godfather is a visceral prefecture realm expert, he can’t handle it?” Qin Huai frowned.
“Don’t investigate this matter any further, or you’ll get into trouble!” Wen Zonghao warned. “Focus on what you’re doing now. Your goal should be to take over the boss’s position. Go and prepare. We’ll make a move tonight.”
“Yes, sir!” Qin Huai responded, cupping his fists before leaving quickly.