The Sanhe Gang’s headquarters.
Ever since the Qingyi Gang was annihilated, this place had become the Sanhe Gang’s territory.
BANG!
The table trembled.
Zhou Fu’s expression was grim as he glared at the gaunt man across from him.
"You son of a bitch, Zhang! Are you blind? How dare you hold up the Zhou Family’s goods? Do you really think you’re the one in charge here?"
"Zhou Fu," the man named Zhang said, his eyes cold.
"I’m just following the Vice Gang Leader’s orders. Besides, haven’t the Zhou Family’s goods already been sent back?"
"Zhang Cann!" Zhou Fu snarled.
"Don’t use the Vice Gang Leader to pressure me. You know damn well the Zhu Family Patriarch is my Zhou Family’s son-in-law."
"So of course, Zhu’s Cloth Workshop is also considered part of the Zhou Family."
"Heh..." Zhang Cann sneered.
"As I recall, Zhu Ju hasn’t married your family’s young miss yet, has he? And so what if he did?"
"A married daughter is like spilt water. Zhu’s Cloth Workshop is Zhu’s Cloth Workshop. The Zhou Family is overstepping its bounds."
BANG!
Before he could finish, the table in front of him exploded into splinters. Zhou Fu strode forward, his eyes wide with fury.
"Say that again, Zhang?"
"Alright, alright," someone interjected, trying to smooth things over.
"We’re all brothers here. There’s no need to ruin the harmony over something so trivial. It’s just a shipment of goods."
"Brother Zhang, why not just let Brother Zhou take it?"
"You think I want to stop him?" Zhang Cann snorted coldly.
"This is the Vice Gang Leader’s order. He personally gave strict instructions that no matter who it is, they have to pay up."
"If I give you all face, who’s going to answer for me?"
"Fine!" Zhou Fu said, rolling up his sleeves.
"After all this talk, you’re still not budging. Looks like I’ll have to get serious today."
Zhang Cann’s expression changed.
Although he had practiced martial arts, his strength was far inferior to his opponent’s. If they really fought, he’d just be on the receiving end of a beating.
"Enough!"
Just then, a middle-aged scholar walked out from the back, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Such a ruckus! Have you no decorum?"
"Zhang Cann, release the goods from Zhu’s Cloth Workshop. If the Vice Gang Leader questions it, tell him it was my order."
"Yes," Zhang Cann replied hurriedly.
"Hall Master He."
Shortly after, Zhang Cann took an account book and went to the western district of the headquarters.
The Sanhe Gang’s headquarters was vast, more than enough to accommodate several thousand people, but the sprawling western district was strangely deserted.
And if anyone was seen, they were always in a hurry.
CREAK...
He pushed open the door and was hit by a wave of countless strange odors. Zhang Cann held his breath and walked in, his expression unchanged.
This place seemed to be a large hall.
There were no living people in the hall; instead, it was occupied by creatures like leopards, wild boars, and giant crocodiles.
They were half-human and half-demon in appearance, clearly having not yet completed their Transformation. They were gnawing on the flesh laid out before them.
They paid Zhang Cann’s arrival no mind.
"Croc Hall Master, here are today’s accounts."
Zhang Cann swallowed, suppressing the fear in his heart, and slowly walked up to a crocodile several meters long.
"The Zhou Family was insistent, and Hall Master He also gave an order, so I was unable to collect the silver for the cloth from Zhu’s Cloth Workshop."
The Sanhe Gang had one Gang Leader, two Vice Gang Leaders, and three Hall Masters. Among the Vice Gang Leaders and Hall Masters, one of each was not human.
But a Demon!
"Hmph..." The crocodile’s eyes rolled. It slowly stopped eating and stared directly at Zhang Cann.
"Whose orders do you follow?"
"I... this humble one..." Zhang Cann’s face turned pale, his voice trembling.
"I follow your orders, of course."
"You follow my orders, yet you let someone take things for free?" The crocodile twisted its body, its head morphing into a human form with savage features full of viciousness.
"You traitorous bastard!"
WHAM!
Its massive crocodile tail whipped out, sending Zhang Cann flying into the wall, where he slid down, vomiting blood.
The scent of fresh blood made all the Demons raise their heads, whimpering sounds coming from their mouths as greed filled their eyes.
"Without us, that guy Li would never have become the Sanhe Gang’s Gang Leader, and the Sanhe Gang would never have taken over Taiyuan Prefecture."
The crocodile roared in a low voice.
"What’s the insignificant Zhou Family to us?"
Zhang Cann trembled, forcing his heavily injured body to kneel. He kowtowed and begged for mercy.
"Spare my life, Hall Master! Spare my life! This humble one didn’t want it to be this way, it was... I had no choice!"
"Hall Master," a Little Demon below piped up in a shrill voice.
"We’re the ones who helped that Li fellow get to where he is today, step by step. But now that we need him, he’s proven so useless."
"If you ask me..."
"We should just eat everyone here and turn Taiyuan Prefecture into a Demon City. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?"
"It’s not that simple," a old Pig Demon said in a muffled voice.
"Taiyuan Prefecture has powerful experts guarding it. Even if the Sea Leader called upon his parents, they might not be able to conquer it."
"Besides..."
"This is the territory of the Human Race. It’s ultimately inconvenient for us of the Demon Race to operate here."
"The Leader urgently needs silver taels to buy an Elixir to break through to the Sixth Grade. This cannot be delayed," the Croc Hall Master said, his eyes narrowing.
"They kill my demons, take my things, and I’m still supposed to put up with their attitude..."
ROAR!
It roared furiously in a low voice.
"If they were stronger than me, I could accept it. But a bunch of frail Mortals dare to be so arrogant?"
"Hall Master," a Demon chuckled softly.
"Humans are all like that. Their eyes are clouded by superficial things. They don’t understand that strength is the only reality."
"Very well!" The crocodile lowered its head.
"Then I’ll teach them that the so-called title of Hall Master is nothing compared to true power."
"Zhu’s Cloth Workshop?"
"Go outside the city and call a couple of Tuying over. That way, even if something happens, they can’t blame it on us."
"Yes." In the corner, a Rat Demon nodded in agreement, then its body tumbled as it burrowed into the ground and vanished.
*
*
*
Although his task was unsuccessful, the Wang Family still held a banquet for Zhu Ju.
After all, compared to this one matter, strengthening the relationship between their two families was more important to the Wang Family.
"Sigh!"
The Wang Family Patriarch, Wang Liangcai, was also a portly man. He had a bitter expression on his face.
"I thought that with the Sanhe Gang replacing the Qingyi Gang, our lives would get a little easier. Who would have thought..."
"We may not be paying more taxes, but now there’s a pile of Demons to deal with."
"Oh?" Zhu Ju asked. "A lot more?"
"Yes," Wang Rui chimed in.
"Brother Zhu, you might not be aware, but in recent months, many more Demons have appeared outside the city. In some villages, the Demons have even massacred all the inhabitants."
"Even inside the city..."
"It’s said that people have spotted Demons near the Sanhe Gang’s headquarters. We don’t know if these Demons are related to the gang, but back then, the Qingyi Gang would regularly clear out the Demons outside the city."
"I see," Zhu Ju said, nodding.
"The City Lord’s Mansion won’t just ignore this, will they?"
"Well..." The Wang father and son exchanged a glance before Wang Liangcai finally spoke.
"They probably won’t, but as for when they’ll do something about it, who knows?"
"Mm."
Zhu Ju was lost in thought.
’Even I, who rarely go out, know that Demons are running rampant lately. It’s impossible for the City Lord’s Mansion to be unaware.’
’So...’
’Are they intentionally allowing this?’
’But Zhou Ruxuan said that the Demons can only run wild for a short time and that the problem will be resolved sooner or later. It seems the Zhou Family knows something.’
The feast came to an end.
Zhu Ju boarded his carriage and headed for the Zhu Mansion.
Halfway there, he suddenly opened his eyes, a look of confusion in them. He lowered his head and looked toward his heart.
’Resentment?’
’Although I haven’t cultivated the Great Dao, I’m already at a point where I shouldn’t be easily tainted by resentment. So this feeling... ’
’...is from the original owner of this body?’
’I was only able to achieve Resurrection by borrowing this body’s blood and Essence. The original owner’s imprints have almost completely faded, yet a mere trace of his bloodline can still trigger this resentment. The entanglement of Cause and Effect must be extremely deep.’
Zhu Ju stroked his chest, lost in thought.
’The original owner was just an ordinary rich kid, and the person who harmed him has already been dealt with. For the resentment to be this strong, it can only be...’
’...the feud from his father’s murder!’
’Is the third-in-command of the Celestial Eagle Thieves, Red Eagle Tong Zhixiang, nearby?’
Zhu Ju lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, a slow change coming over his eyes.