Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 37: Breakthrough Failed?

Seeing that Huang Dongchun and Yang Yi's argument was escalating and even showing signs of coming to blows, Gao Yuanfeng, who had been observing coldly, finally spoke in a deep voice, tapping the table with his knuckles:

"enough!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the authority of the head of the family, instantly drowning out the noise in the room.

"Both of you are heads of your families. If this infighting gets out, won't it make us a laughingstock? If we fall apart because of this, it will give Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng an opportunity to defeat us one by one! Is this the behavior of a wise man?"

Huang Dongchun, still furious, snorted coldly:
"Does the Huang family think we can just let this go after losing a master like Li Huaisheng?"

"Brother Huang, please calm down."

Gao Yuanfeng turned his gaze to him, softened his tone, and said in a deep voice, "I believe that Brother Yang is not an unreasonable person and would never do such a foolish thing that would cause pain to his loved ones and joy to his enemies."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yi's expression softened slightly. He bowed slightly to Gao Yuanfeng to express his gratitude, but still sat back down in his original seat with a cold face, clearly extremely dissatisfied with Huang Dongchun's unfounded accusations.

This disturbance did not ease the atmosphere in the hall; instead, it made it even more oppressive and gloomy.

Gao Yuanfeng knew that the stalemate could not continue, so he took the initiative to break the silence and steer the conversation back on track:
“There is indeed something strange about this matter. Perhaps Chen Sheng is meticulous and has noticed some clues, so he set up an ambush in advance. If we suspect each other because of this, or even fight among ourselves, we will probably fall right into the hands of Chen and Wu and fall into their scheme to sow discord.”

His words, seemingly meant to exonerate Yang Yi, were actually addressed to everyone present.

He naturally harbored doubts about Yang Yi, after all, the Yang family's wavering attitude was obvious, and they were the most likely party present to leak information.

But he knew even better that at this critical moment, maintaining the alliance's superficial unity was far more important than tracking down the leaker. If internal strife broke out, it would only allow the watchful government to reap the benefits.

Huang Dongchun closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling slightly. He was clearly not completely convinced, but he did not refute him further.

Seeing this, Yang Yi took the opportunity to change the subject:

"Brother Gao, in your opinion, what should we do next? Should we just continue this stalemate with the government?"

"Stalemate?"

Gao Yuanfeng shook his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes:
"Now that the Seven Stars Gang has been destroyed and our assassination attempt on Chen Sheng failed, the two sides have almost completely broken off relations. Given the current situation, either we join forces to completely drive Wu Kuang, this outcast, out of Changshan County, or... he will eradicate us from the root. There is no other way."

His brow furrowed, and the uneasy premonition in his heart grew stronger.

Things had spiraled out of their control, and he had a gut feeling that if they couldn't defeat Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang quickly, the Gao family might face annihilation.

"Therefore, we must take the initiative and stop being on the defensive. We must come up with a foolproof plan to put Chen and Wu to death! At the very least, we must drive them out of Changshan completely and eliminate any future troubles!"

At this moment, Gao Yuanhe, who had been silent all along, spoke up, his voice low and deep:

"Gentlemen, I have a plan that might sever Wu Kuang's arm, or even..."

"Oh? What plan?"

Yang Yi and Huang Dongchun immediately turned their gazes to Gao Yuanhe, but their hearts were clear as day—this was most likely the scheme of his brother Gao Yuanfeng, who was just speaking through him.

Gao Yuanhe slowly uttered four words, which sent a chill down the spines of everyone present:
"Qing, Lin, Shui, bandits!"

Yang Yi and Huang Dongchun exchanged a glance, both seeing a deep sense of gravity in each other's eyes.

The Qinglin Water Bandits, entrenched in the complex waters bordering Changshan County and neighboring counties, were notorious and had been a major concern for the government for many years.

Because of their elusive whereabouts and scattered strongholds, the government repeatedly launched campaigns to suppress them, but all attempts failed, resulting in heavy losses. The previous magistrate of Changshan County was unexpectedly killed in a battle to suppress the river bandits, his blood staining the Qinglin River.

Of course, the three families knew perfectly well that it was no accident. It was their secret collusion with the river bandits and their leaking of military intelligence that led the former county magistrate headlong into a meticulously laid death trap.

But it was precisely because of this that they learned from some sources that this matter had aroused the fury of a certain important figure in Beiling Prefecture.

This is also the main reason why they had many reservations about Wu Kuang before, and tried to coerce and entice him to cooperate rather than directly killing him.

Who would have thought that Wu Kuang wouldn't buy into that, but instead took a hard line, pushing the situation step by step to the point where they are now at war.

It's fair to say that they would never take such a risky move again unless absolutely necessary. If things were exposed, or if they angered the prefectural city again, the consequences would be far beyond what the three families could bear.

A look of hesitation immediately appeared on Yang Yi's face:
"Is this move... too dangerous? It involves river pirates; one wrong move and we'll be playing with fire and getting burned!"

"Pass?"

Gao Yuanfeng took over the conversation, his tone chilling: "Brother Yang, if your Yang family is willing to be treated like fish on a chopping board by Wu Kuang and Chen Sheng, and be slowly tortured to death, then of course it's not too much."

But if we wish to preserve our family's legacy and maintain our foothold in Changshan County, we must act ruthlessly and decisively! This is no longer a struggle for profit, but a life-or-death battle for survival. Any further hesitation or retreat will lead to our own destruction.

His gaze was sharp as a knife as he swept over Yang Yi and Huang Dongchun, exuding a chilling aura.

Huang Dongchun frowned and replied:
"If we really have to take this step, I'm afraid we'll have to bleed again. Those bandits have quite the appetite."

The three major families were practically local tyrants in the county, but they couldn't gain much advantage against those ruthless and fearless outlaws. Their relationship was more of a cooperative one of mutual exploitation than an alliance.

"How can you expect to have peace of mind without paying a sufficient price?"

Gao Yuanfeng's tone was resolute: "The price is actually quite simple. The three of us will pool together enough cultivation resources to tempt the river bandits, and give them to them. The condition is that they are allowed to plunder extensively on the Qinglin River waterway, creating a large enough disturbance to force the government to send troops to suppress the bandits again. At that time..."

He lowered his voice and laid out his plan in detail: how to lay a trap during the bandit suppression campaign, and how to use the river bandits...

Yang Yi listened, his face still showing worry:
"Wu Kuang is, after all, an official appointed by the imperial court, a county lieutenant, representing the face of the government. Wouldn't it be safer to spare his life and force him to transfer voluntarily?"

Gao Yuanfeng saw that Yang Yi still harbored a glimmer of hope and knew he couldn't push him too hard. After a moment's hesitation, he took a step back.
"Very well, let's concentrate our forces and eliminate that brat Chen Sheng. Firstly, it will cripple Wu Kuang, and secondly, it will give him a final warning. If he knows what's good for him and asks to be transferred, we can all live in peace. If he remains stubborn... Hmph, then don't blame us for being ruthless and sending him down to keep the former county magistrate company!"

He sneered inwardly. Once Chen Sheng was dead, the Yang family would be completely tied to the war machine, and Yang Yi's attempt to play both sides would be wishful thinking.

"By the way, that Chu Yueshan... is he reliable?"

Huang Dongchun suddenly remembered the current commander of the Armed Forces Battalion and asked aloud.

Gao Yuanfeng narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them:
"Don't worry, he was also involved in the death of the former county magistrate. His hands are stained with blood. It would be best if he knew what was good for him. But if he dared to waver... I have my own ways to force him to submit!"

……

Meanwhile, inside the military camp office in the northern city.

Chen Sheng sat cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into his mind.

The ancient scroll of "seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune" silently unfurled once more, revealing a line of text:
My name is Chen Sheng. When you see this sentence, I will be filled with regret... Wu Kuang's hesitation in choosing the commander of the military camp has given me a sense of urgency.

Eager to improve, I finally decided to directly attempt the Marrow Transformation Realm. I was confident in my solid foundation and had also practiced the Toad Fishing Technique, which could help me break through to the Marrow Transformation Realm. I thought this breakthrough would be a natural success... However, I overestimated myself and underestimated the difficulty of the Marrow Transformation Realm.

Because the secret technique of "Fishing for the Toad" was not yet fully mastered, and my foundation was insufficient, I ultimately failed to break through, suffering a backlash that damaged my very core.

If I had known this earlier, I certainly wouldn't have been so greedy and reckless. Instead, I would have tried every means to seize the Huang family's treasured 'Spirit Marrow Gu' first. With this item protecting my meridians and nourishing my bones, my breakthrough would have been foolproof. Unfortunately... there's no medicine for regret in this world.

(End of this chapter)