350 The Extermination of a Gang
As he spoke, a disciple behind him had already begun scanning everyone with the gray bronze mirror in his hand. The process was slow, each individual needing three to five breaths’ time before moving on to the next.
As the mirror passed over each person, it only displayed a blurry human figure, their faces indiscernible. Given that everyone present represented the backbone of the Blood Poison Gang, a demon intending to infiltrate would certainly choose one among them.
A full hour passed before the procedure was complete.
“Thank you for your cooperation.” Feng Zhiqun nodded to everyone, leading his group away promptly.
Meanwhile, Wen Zonghao cast a cold gaze at the crowd. “If you want to fight, why not attack the Lin Gang?”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Father means…” Huang Qiguang pondered over the implications.
“The Lin Gang has recently been infiltrated and decimated by the demon, so this is a perfect opportunity for us!” Wen Zonghao announced, revealing his strategy. “We will attack the Lin Gang from both the south and the north. We leave tonight.”
“Understood!”
Qin Huai hadn’t anticipated that the recently bickering Blood Poison Gang and Thunderbolt Gang would unite against the Lin Gang, one of the major factions. The four gangs in the outer city prioritized benefit over everything else. In the face of gain, all grudges could be dissolved.
Rumble…
The Blood Poison Gang, initially immersed in drunken revelry, swiftly mobilized after Wen Zonghao’s directive.
Many sect members were summoned by their leaders to assign tasks. Qin Huai, however, delegated these tasks to his subordinates, realizing this attack on the Lin Gang would enable him to reach the second full mark in his cultivation.
The war between the four outer city gangs had begun abruptly. When Qin Huai and his large group arrived at the Lin Gang’s territory as per Wen Zonghao’s orders, they found the area already strewn with corpses.
“Damn it,” Qin Huai couldn’t help but curse. The fallen members of the Lin Gang lay dead, without a single experience orb in sight.
“Fifth Master, it’s the Mountain City Gang!” Zhou Cunzhong identified from the emblem on a corpse’s clothing.
“Tell the brothers to attack with all their might! If we delay, we won’t even get a bite,” Qin Huai urged.
With a wave of his arm, hundreds of Blood Poison Gang elites charged into the hinterland.
The outer city gangs were like bloodthirsty cats, ready to pounce at the slightest movement. The Lin Gang, already heavily weakened by the great demon’s calamity, was incapable of resisting the three-on-one assault.
As Qin Huai and his party advanced into the heart of the Lin Gang’s expansive territory, they met with no resistance. The land was bisected by a river, its originally clear waters now stained a deep red, littered with bodies and debris. Numerous large ships fled from the direction Qin Huai’s group had arrived.
Boom!
Suddenly, flames erupted in the distance. The battle had intensified. Buildings, docks, and warehouses were demolished in the explosive onslaught. Even from a mile away, the raw power was palpable.
Rumble…
With swift steps, Qin Huai moved forward, his hands launching poison darts with relentless speed. From alleyways to street corners, muffled thuds could be heard repeatedly as one figure after another fell from the shadows.
“Ding! You have collected a [Green Fist Technique Essence (Purple)], [Green Fist Technique] experience points +3,111!”
“Ding! You have collected a [Green Fist Technique Essence (Orange)], [Green Fist Technique] experience points +11,111!”
As the experience orbs entered Qin Huai’s body, he motioned for his Blood Poison Gang disciples to scatter and continue their rampage. The battle, surprisingly, posed no significant challenge to the Blood Poison Gang.
With Qin Huai leading his subordinates in their swift charge, they encountered few corpses. More often than not, they were on the move. The highest-level casualty they found was a martial artist of the Lin Gang, wounded from the four leaders’ battle, who was only at the second-level bone pattern realm.
In just four hours, Qin Huai concluded this battle, which had felt strangely devoid of his involvement. Corpses lay scattered across the Lin Gang’s territory. A stream of blood formed under his feet, trickling toward the lower regions. The pungent stench of blood hung heavy in the air.
Expertly navigating among the corpses, Qin Huai collected the sparse experience orbs and the money left on the bodies. As for the more lucrative spoils such as money warehouses and treasure vaults, it appeared the three gangs had already divided them amongst themselves.
A trusted aide of Wen Zonghao gave the order to split the spoils evenly, a decree which seemed to be carried out systematically.
“Fifth Master!” A hearty laugh echoed from the front.
Qin Huai looked up to see an honest smile on a familiar face – it was Song A’san, Yin Rongen’s sworn brother who he had only learned about today.
“A’san, what are you doing?” Qin Huai asked, amused to see Song A’san crouched on the ground, ignoring gold, silver, or pills in favor of female accessories like hairpins and jade pendants.
“My wife loves gold and silver jewelry, but I don’t know what to get her… I thought women would like what these women warriors had,” Song Asan replied, scratching his head.
Qin Huai laughed. “Why not go to a cosmetics shop or ask women on the streets what kind of jewelry they prefer?”
He found it absurd that Song A’san would consider salvaging jewelry from the dead for his wife. But as Qin Huai voiced this thought, Song Asan shook his head vehemently.
“No, no, I can’t speak to any woman other than my wife. That would be betrayal!” Song Asan declared earnestly.
Qin Huai was left dumbstruck, unable to respond to such absurdity. “As long as you’re happy,” he eventually said, his expression unreadable.
He held neither affection nor dislike for Yin Rongen’s sworn brother, but he did feel a pang of sympathy for Song A’san, who was oblivious to the fact that his beloved wife had long been stolen by his best friend, who had gone through life and death with him.
“Uh… Fifth Master,” Song Asan suddenly called out to Qin Huai. “You’re a man of exceptional ability, so you will certainly be a big shot and ascend to a position of leadership in the Blood Poison Gang in the future. My big brother is ambitious and competitive, and other than being a little lecherous, he’s a good person and values loyalty…
“Should a conflict arise between our two families in the future, I will undoubtedly do my utmost to prevent Eldest Brother from attacking you. I’d like to pledge allegiance to you on his behalf now, with the hope that you might show him mercy when the time comes.”