Promise!

Chapter 117, A Poisonous Scheme

The matter of Xing Yan was just a minor episode. In the days that followed, Zhuang Jin focused on cultivation, waiting for the attack on the front lines on the night of the sixth day.

The Medicine King Gang, of course, would not sit idly by and wait for their doom.

Dong Pei, who was the one who devised the original hunting plan and had clashed with Dongqiaowu many times, also received the news: "On the night of the sixth day, my ward will be facing our old rivals: Dongqiaowu and Pingshuipo?"

The fact that he can still hold onto his position as the leader of a branch is due to his outstanding performance amidst the chaos. The Medicine King Gang suffered repeated defeats in the north of the city, and his performance was still commendable. The Medicine King Gang also learned from his advice when they repeatedly tried to get away with things in the north of the city. In addition, his hunting plan in May made him a strategist. This is how he was able to remain the leader of a branch despite the Medicine King Gang's repeated defeats in the north of the city.

"At the end of last month, my Medicine King Gang just established rules with the Shen family that we could not cross the line again for a while. Facing twice the number of martial artists from the Shen family, we had no choice but to harass and delay them!"

Dong Pei knew that no matter how good the strategies and plans were, they were useless if the gap in hard power was too large. He continued to look at the intelligence: "Liu Licheng of Pingshui Marsh, an old acquaintance, and the garrison commander of Dongqiaowu Ward... Zhuang Jin?!"

He paused on Zhuang Jin's name, a thought forming in his mind.

Back when Zhuang Jin was in his fourth year of high school, he joined forces with Duan Tao to kill a minor incense master named Yu Shen. They took down two streets in one night and were used as a model by the Shen family. At that time, they caught Dong Pei's eye, who intended to get rid of them. However, later the hunting plan was exposed, and he was in a mess. Later, Zhuang Jin went to the medicinal fields outside the city and gradually forgot about it.

In August and September, Zhuang Jin returned to the north of the city and ruined his plans twice. However, by then the other side had become powerful, and his plans were useless. He was also bound by the rules and could not take action against the martial artists below.

I never expected to hear that Zhuang Jin was also a seventh-grade student!
Zhuang Jin's rise to power was so rapid. Although he cultivated the Black Fiend Technique, a technique that squeezes out potential, it still attracted attention. Naturally, the Medicine King Gang conducted a detailed investigation.

The Medicine King Gang is a force capable of rivaling the Shen family. Even in the northern part of the city, through some investigations, Zhuang Jin, a mere ward keeper, has nothing to hide. From his family background, his grudges and affections with Zhuang Yutang and Zhuang Yuyong, to his fall into begging, his shared experience as a beggar with Gao Shi, and recent events such as the Miao Lun case and the indifferent attitude of other ward keepers... everything has been exposed.

"The Shen family is an old and powerful clan in the prefecture, having dominated for over a century. They certainly have a deeper foundation. However, this also means that they are more rigid internally. When Zhuang Jin enters the middle and upper levels, he will inevitably face exclusion because of his background... This is the opportunity!"

"And then there's the Miao Lun case, it's all sordid inside..."

Looking at Zhuang Jin's intelligence report, Dong Pei pondered, "When Zhuang Jin was a beggar, he had a close companion named Gao Shi, right? If I remember correctly, he's currently in the north of the city, in my Shunqing Street... I could send someone there to test the waters!"

Ideally, Zhuang Jin would betray them.

"Although it's unlikely, what if Zhuang Jin loses his mind and is fooled by arsenic disguised as sugar? That would be a huge slap in the face to the Shen family, and I would have done a great service!"

Dong Pei narrowed his eyes: "Even if it doesn't work, it can still create a pretext for those other town guards of the Shen family to attack... The consequences, whether it's Zhuang Jin becoming disloyal, or the other town guards of the Shen family intensifying their exclusion, or even the higher-ups being gullible and suppressing him, can all widen the rift, which is also a huge profit."

Even if we assume there was no defection, if Zhuang Jin handled the situation well and there was no suspicion, it would still be a good opportunity to annoy Zhuang Jin, so it wouldn't be a loss either!

It can be said that this method is not honorable, and can even be described as dirty and despicable, with malicious intent. However, as a true member of the Medicine King Gang, he does not care about such things. This is the style of the Medicine King Gang: only practicality matters, and in order to achieve the goal, they will stop at nothing and use any means necessary.

"Zhuang Jin, is it? Let me see what you're made of." Dong Pei paced to the window, gazing towards Dongqiaowu, and murmured to himself.

……

North of the city, within the territory of the Medicine King Gang, the seat of Shunqing Street.

Gao Shi, dressed in a gray robe with three lines on his chest, had clearly broken through to the third level and reached the squad leader level. With a wave of his hand, he ordered two of his men to take in a woman whose hands and feet were bound, whose mouth was gagged with a white cloth, and who was struggling.

"That Captain Gao is such a good dog, he's sent another woman to our young master!" In the courtyard, a martial artist from the Medicine King Gang couldn't help but say this. "Are you out of your mind?! Think about Zhou Yuan..." another person spoke up, and the martial artist who had spoken earlier shuddered in fright.

The so-called 'Zhou Yuan' was someone who once called Gao Shi his brother, borrowed money from Gao Shi for the life-or-death killing he had committed, and later, after breaking through to the second level of cultivation, he refused to acknowledge Gao Shi and instead bullied him for the sake of face... After Gao Shi reached the third level of cultivation, he severed Zhou Yuan's meridians, crippled him, and destroyed his cultivation. He also sold off the parents and brothers of this former 'good brother,' and sent Zhou Yuan's sister-in-law to prostitution. It can be said that he killed him and destroyed his spirit, and squeezed his marrow from his bones.

An elderly martial artist muttered in a low voice, "That Gao Shi... used to be a pitiful man. Now he's no longer pitiful, but he's no longer a human being either!"

……

Compared to when Zhuang Jin met him in May, Gao Shi has grown up and matured. However, the biggest change is not his appearance, but something else that has become extremely unfamiliar.

Martial artists have hearing far superior to ordinary people. Gao Shi seemed to have heard the discussion of these people as well. He glanced back and his sinister, wolf-like gaze immediately silenced the martial artists. They subconsciously avoided his gaze and scattered like rabbits. But when they turned around and entered the room, their expressions changed instantly when they faced one person. They smiled obsequiously and bowed and scraped like servants.

This man was Fei Xu, a minor sect leader and martial artist of the Four Classics from Shunqing Street. When he saw the woman Gao Shi had brought, his lecherous gaze seemed to pierce through her clothes. He patted Gao Shi on the shoulder and laughed, "Gao Shi, you're not bad! Very good! Perfect timing, I have a good job for you!"

He recounted the instructions given by Dong Pei, along with detailed information about the matter: "...Your mission this time is to persuade your childhood friend, who was a beggar, to join our Medicine King Gang!"

Gao Shi agreed without hesitation: "Alright, sir, rest assured, I will handle this matter discreetly and quietly..."

“No, you must go openly and honestly!” Fei Xu interrupted.

Gao Shi naturally understood what this meant and how it would bring Zhuang Jin a lot of trouble, but he still agreed without hesitation: "I will follow your orders, sir!"

……

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, at noon, outside the ward's residence, in the most bustling area of ​​the ward, the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air, and people came and went.

Liu Licheng came over again. Zhuang Jin stopped practicing martial arts, and Chen Yun brought over some side dishes. The two of them drank together as usual and discussed the plans for tonight's operation. Suddenly, someone from below reported that they needed to see him.

"Zhuang Town Commander has something to attend to, so I'll excuse myself for a moment," Liu Licheng said, standing up.

Zhuang Jin's gaze sharpened slightly, and he smiled, "It must be nothing more than a trivial matter, why bother? I'm the kind of person who... has nothing to hide from others. Brother Liu, please go behind the screen first, and we can discuss the battle tonight in detail later."

Liu Licheng readily agreed and went behind the screen.

Zhuang Jin let someone in. The person who came in was Qian Wende, who also brought another person with him: "Brother Zhuang, this martial artist from the Medicine King Gang came here suspiciously. I arrested him, but he said he was an acquaintance of yours..."

"He's someone I know, Dezi, you can go now!"

Zhuang Jin looked at Gao Shi. He had experienced a lot and changed a lot, so he could no longer be viewed with the same old perspective. But the other man seemed to have changed even more, making him feel like a stranger: "Gao Shi, what brings you here?"

"Please join my Medicine King Gang, Lord Zhuang, and let us share in the riches!" Gao Shi's words were astounding.

……

(End of this chapter)