Chapter 20: Chapter 20
Long after the two of them had vanished into the night, the surviving Yang family servants finally dared to emerge.
“What do we do?”
“The master is dead!”
“Someone — go notify the young master!”
“The young master went back to the Divine Fist Gate!”
Dozens of Yang family guards and servants huddled together, terror on every face.
The Yang family was Nanyang Prefecture’s foremost herb merchant. And now the patriarch had been cut down just like that — what would become of the family’s fortune?
Several quick-thinking guards slipped quietly away, heading for the family storerooms.
They knew perfectly well that the Yang family had been colluding with the Red Lotus Sect. If the young master stayed away, fine — but if he returned, he’d be facing the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s wrath.
Right now, even a handful of rare herbs from the stores would be worth years of their wages.
“What the—”
One of them let out a strangled cry upon reaching the storeroom.
Every precious herb they’d ever heard of was gone.
Only the cheap, common stock remained, still piled in its usual place.
…
The courtyard in Green Stone Alley.
Li Suifeng set down his haul.
“I’m heading back to the docks. Keep an eye on this.”
The Yang family had certainly earned its reputation as the city’s premier herb merchant. The banknotes alone totaled over a hundred thousand taels, and that was before the chest of gold and the medicinal stores.
The entire Nanyang Branch of the Canal Gang would need years to earn that much.
And the Canal Gang had legions of members to support. Maintaining operations at their current scale was an enormous expense in itself.
Li Suifeng turned and headed for the docks.
Stepping out of Green Stone Alley, he murmured:
“Extract.”
BOOM!
The Frigid Ice True Qi cultivation method flooded into his mind — along with a lifetime of practice and a colossal surge of internal energy.
The energy erupted from his dantian, flowing through his entire body, crashing against the Ren and Du meridians.
CRACK!
The overwhelming tide of power smashed both meridians open with laughable ease. A soothing warmth enveloped Li Suifeng’s entire being.
Like standing in the spring sunshine.
He shaped his hand into a blade and slashed the empty air.
A crescent of blade qi tore free from his body.
HISS!
A dozen zhang away, a bat gliding through the night sky was cleaved cleanly in half.
“Both the Ren and Du meridians — fully opened. True qi can leave my body and hold its form. I’ve reached peak sixth-rank.”
A spark of elation lit Li Suifeng’s eyes.
Opening either the Ren or Du meridian alone was enough to qualify as sixth-rank. Now his true qi could maintain coherence over a dozen zhang — the hallmark of peak sixth-rank.
“The next step is opening the Ancestral Aperture between the brows, bridging heaven and earth, and using heaven-and-earth vitality to refine my true qi into gang qi.”
If he could transform his internal energy into gang qi, his destructive power would multiply many times over.
…
Nanyang Prefecture was destined to be a sleepless city tonight.
The Qi residence.
Every lamp was burning.
Even the combat-averse Sun Xi had been roused from bed.
“You’re telling me the Red Lotus Sect tried to use the Linshui Docks to ship a load of herbs — and Li Suifeng intercepted them?”
Qi Hu stared at the reporting Canal Gang disciple, disbelief written across his face.
He knew perfectly well that someone in the Canal Gang had been helping the Red Lotus Sect move goods.
Barely a month ago, the Helmsman himself had fought a Red Lotus Sect master.
But Qi Hu had always kept his distance from the branch’s entanglement with the Sect.
The Red Lotus Sect might be universally despised — even the demonic sects kept them at arm’s length — but the fact that they’d survived decades of suppression under the Daye Dynasty spoke volumes about their strength.
And they were fanatics. Every last one.
He had no desire to provoke them.
Over the years, more than a few sects had opposed the Red Lotus Sect — and been annihilated for it.
“Yes, sir!”
“Boss Li has moved the herbs into the dock warehouse. The bodies are still laid out on the dock — dozens of them!”
The reporting disciple could barely contain his excitement.
Boss Li had single-handedly killed dozens of Red Lotus Sect cultists. Even though the rest of them hadn’t lifted a finger, they’d surely get a cut of the credit.
Knowing Boss Li, a few taels per man and a good meal were practically guaranteed.
“Damn it all!”
“How did he manage to tangle with the Red Lotus Sect?”
Beneath his composure, Qi Hu felt the first stirrings of genuine alarm.
Li Suifeng was nominally his man. If the Red Lotus Sect came seeking vengeance and traced the connection back to him — how was he supposed to defend against that?
“Go back and tell Li Suifeng to secure those herbs. I’ll be there shortly.” Qi Hu’s voice was cold, his face dark.
“Yes, sir!”
The disciple looked slightly confused but didn’t press the matter. He saluted and jogged out through the Qi residence gates.
“Hmph!”
Only after the man was well out of sight did Qi Hu allow himself a cold snort.
“That Li Suifeng is a magnet for disaster.”
“It’s time to cut ties.”
“I won’t be showing my face for this one. Sun Xi — take Zhou Chao and handle the docks. Get those herbs back to the branch…”
“Remember — bring only half. The rest comes here.”
“Yes, sir.” A chill ran through Sun Xi.
This Qi Hu was truly something else. He wanted to distance himself from Li Suifeng, yet in the same breath, he was helping himself to half the herbs.
Utterly shameless.
Sun Xi had barely stepped through the Qi residence gates when he ran into Zhou Chao approaching from the opposite direction.
“Brother Sun!”
Zhou Chao clasped his fists in greeting.
“Let’s go — the docks.”
Sun Xi waved impatiently and set off at a brisk pace.
Zhou Chao fell in behind him.
…
CRACK!
Inside Qin Wuyang’s residence.
A sharp report echoed from the study.
A teacup lay in fragments on the floor.
“You’re saying the Red Lotus Sect’s herbs were seized by Li Suifeng at the Linshui Docks — and dozens of their people were killed?”
Qin Wuyang’s face had gone black as a thunderhead.
“Yes!”
“The dock men just reported to the branch. The moment I heard, I came straight here!”
Lei Yun was practically vibrating with excitement, standing at Qin Wuyang’s elbow.
“Elder — Li Suifeng has impounded a massive amount of herbs at the dock. If we get there first, we can divert some to headquarters and skim a batch for ourselves!”
“If that old fox Qi Hu beats us to it, we won’t see a single stalk.”
Qin Wuyang nodded. He snatched the sword from his desk and strode toward the docks.
Those herbs were technically his.
But the operation had gone up in smoke. If he could recover a portion and send it to Elder Yun, at least he could claim he’d tried. If Yun laid blame later, Qin Wuyang would have something to stand on.
However—
Shortly after Qin Wuyang left.
KNOCK KNOCK!
A Canal Gang disciple sprinted up to Qin Wuyang’s gate, breathless.
“What do you want?”
The gate creaked open.
The gatekeeper glared, bleary-eyed and irritated.
People coming and going in the dead of night — did no one in this house get to sleep?
“Where is Elder Qin?”
“Something huge just happened!”
“At the Yang compound — the Red Lotus Sect’s branch master was killed by Ye Qingmei!”
The disciple was gasping for air between words.
“Huh.”
The gatekeeper yawned.
“Dead is dead.”
“The elder left for the Linshui Docks a moment ago — apparently people died there too.”
“If you need to find him, try the docks.”