Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Chapter 102 is about to collapse

Time passed by little by little, and more than a month has gone by in the blink of an eye.

The biggest change in the city is not the weather, but people's hearts.

Rumors started circulating half a month ago that "Ye Xiao died outside the city," but no one took it seriously at the time.

The new leader of the Green Owl Gang, who was currently enjoying the most prominence in the city, couldn't just disappear without a trace.

Rumor has it that this thing isn't afraid of being absurd, but rather of having someone cooperate with it.

Every extra day he stays out of the public eye is like adding fuel to the fire. Who added it or who lit it is irrelevant.

The important thing is that the fire only gets stronger and stronger.

Xingchen Hall remains open as usual, accounts are settled as usual, and dock affairs continue as usual.

The surface is very stable.

However, it was immediately obvious to any passerby that there were fewer people from "Star Hall" at the dock, and even fewer of the few who could command respect.

Yan Quan is gone, leaving only Huang Lang standing guard above the waterline.

All of this stemmed from the sweep of the docks seven days ago.

That morning, the mist hadn't yet dissipated, and the surface of the inland river looked like it was covered with a layer of dirty white gauze. Several cargo ships had just docked, and the unloading planks hadn't even been properly placed when a muffled sound rang out from the Yongxian River.

"Bang!"

The Blackwater Gang announced their names, and dozens of them seemed to emerge from the water, pressing down on the bridge and dragging out the Star Hall members to beat them.

The people moving the goods didn't move, the people carrying the boxes didn't move, and the dockworkers didn't move either.

They played with great finesse.

Don't use lethal force.

But the punches and kicks are all aimed at the joints and bones, specifically targeting those who are capable of managing things.

One by one, the core members of Xingchen Hall fell down, and blood seeped into the river through the cracks in the wooden planks.

No one died.

Almost all the members of the Star Hall at the dock were injured.

This isn't just a matter of life and death; it's a matter of losing your job.

Yan Quan rushed forward to take the lead, but in the end, he was also seriously injured.

If it weren't for Wild Wolf taking advantage of the chaos to suppress the other side's leader, the Blackwater Gang might not have been willing to accept him.

The news spread like wildfire that very day.

"The Star Hall has been swept away."

"The Blackwater Gang is so audacious? They dare to trespass on the Green Owl Gang's territory?"

"They dare to act because they use the rules as a shield," someone said coldly. "No one died, no boundaries were crossed, and they keep saying it's an old grudge from the waterline or a dispute at the dock. If the Green Owl Gang's higher-ups get involved, it's tantamount to admitting that their branch can't control their territory, and they'll lose face."

Others put it even more bluntly: "What's more—the fact that the Blackwater Gang dared to raise their knives means that someone in the Green Owl Gang is cooperating. The Green Owl Gang's higher-ups have their own considerations regarding this entanglement and stakes. If the Star Hall can't get past this hurdle, then it's beyond saving."

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Where is the leader of the Star Hall? Isn't he coming out?"

Some people scoffed, "He hasn't shown up for over a month; it's hard to say if he's even alive. You still expect him to come out?"

"And haven't you heard? The Blackwater Gang's leader has become a martial artist. Even if the Star Hall's leader really comes out, what use will it be?" Another person shook his head: "Unless he seeks help from the Green Owl Gang or other halls, the Star Hall is finished."

The people of Xingchen Hall naturally heard these things as well.

They were all frustrated.

But they couldn't refute it: the docks were indeed raided, the gang was indeed bloodied, and Ye Xiao was indeed missing.

So from that day on, the phrase "Ye Xiao died outside the city" went from being a joke that no one took seriously to a "possible" statement.

In the last two or three days, this "possibility" has almost become a "fact" in the eyes of many people.

The reason is cruelly simple: given the series of events, if a hall master were still alive, even if he didn't show his face, he should at least make a statement, right?

But Ye Xiao seemed to have vanished into thin air.

This naturally makes people think a lot, especially those who know that Ye Xiao burned his blood. They are even more convinced that he burned his blood for too long, and his body couldn't hold on, so he either became disabled or died and will never come back.

The rumor is that things will get better and better as they roll along.

Because it fulfills the wishes of too many people.

Black Feather Hall wants it, and Night Raven Hall wants it too.

The Blackwater Gang wanted it more.

Even the other branches of the Green Owl Gang were almost all hoping that the position of leader of the Star Hall would become vacant—if it did, they could reach out and take advantage of the situation.

At the Azure Dragon Martial Arts Academy, the gusts of wind from the morning practice hadn't even dissipated when rumors began to circulate.

"Senior Brother Ye—is he really gone?"

"He's cultivated his golden bones; how could he just disappear without a trace?"

"He hasn't shown his face for over a month, and the docks have been ransacked. If he were really alive, he would have come out and taken control of the situation long ago. So what if he's a Golden Bone? Not every Golden Bone is like Senior Brother Chen Tao."

In a corner of the inner training ground, one person listened with the most satisfaction, unable to suppress his laughter.

Tang Qi.

He who had been humiliated the most back then is now like he's regained his breath and finally dares to expose his sourness.

Tang Qi raised his voice first, deliberately making sure half the audience could hear: "Someone like him, born in a mute alley, no matter how popular he is, is just a passing fad. Once the wind stops, his true colors will be revealed. I just didn't expect him to lose his life."

He paused, his tone growing even more sinister: "Besides, someone like him, who rose to the position of hall master by burning blood, will fall the loudest the higher he stands. Now he's vanished without a trace—most likely shattered from the fall."

Zhang Qiu scoffed, his words stubborn but his eyes flashing: "So what if you cultivate golden bones? Golden bones are just the foundation, not destiny. Martial arts never look at temporary victories or defeats, only at who can last until the end."

A newly arrived inner disciple frowned, but couldn't help asking, "But Senior Brother Ye—first he killed Xu Chongshan, then he wiped out the Scorpion Gang. Could such a ruthless person really just disappear like that?"

Tang Qi glanced at him sideways and sneered, "You think being ruthless is a skill? Ruthlessness requires survival. Someone like him is like throwing himself into boiling oil; it may make a lot of noise, but in the end, he'll only die."

Zhang Qiu immediately took the knife: "Besides, Gao Yue of the Blackwater Gang has become a martial artist. Even if Ye Xiao didn't die outside the city, he won't have an easy time."

As soon as he said that, the laughter in the training ground subsided.

Some people laughed, some didn't.

Those who didn't laugh didn't argue, but instead punched harder, as if afraid of having chosen the wrong side.

The best at reading the wind in the martial arts school.

People stand wherever the wind blows.

Night Crow Hall.

The main hall was not lit, only two side lamps were left on, their light falling obliquely under the beams, illuminating half of a person's face in light and half in shadow.

It's bright outside, but here it's like you can't see the sun.

Feng Tailai sat at the head of the table, twirling a bird bone pendant between his fingers, turning it once and then pausing.

-

The man at the bottom lowered his voice and reported, "News has just come in that the Blackwater Gang has launched another raid on the inland river docks under the jurisdiction of the Star Hall."

"It didn't escalate much, unlike the sweeping incident seven days ago. They changed their methods."

After listening, Feng Tailai raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "It seems they are ready to take over that dock."

He placed the bird bone pendant on the table and tapped it with his knuckles: "Where's the wild wolf?"

"He's still there." The man hesitated for a moment, then lowered his stance even further. "He's holding on, but—he's sustained considerable injuries. The Blackwater Gang specifically targeted his men this time, and then they left."

Feng Tailai laughed out loud, but not a very big laugh: "That stupid dog, Huanglang, thinks he can turn things around by changing masters. With me, he's the blade of the Night Raven Hall; with Ye Xiao, he'll only be a door panel for the Star Hall."

"A knife can be sharpened, but a door is only fit to be kicked."

The subordinate added, "The leader is right. Yan Quan and his core members have almost all collapsed. Now, only Huang Lang is holding on in Xingchen Hall. With the Blackwater Gang's pressure today, he can't hold on any longer—Xingchen Hall is about to collapse."

""