Chapter 222: Flying Eagle Mountain

Xiao Zhenggong pushed away the two women beside him and stepped out of the pool.

He was excited. Despite the cold weather, he didn't even want to wrap himself in a towel. "Old Luo, I knew you'd be useful. Take your men from the hall to Iron Gate Fortress and retrieve the item."

Old Luo touched the antenna on his head, remained silent for a moment, then said, "Leader, where did you just say I should take my men? My signal isn't very good; I didn't hear you clearly."

Xiao Zhenggong repeated, "I told you to go to Iron Gate Fortress and bring back the item!"

"Leader, I can't hear you, Leader..." Luo Zhengnan pulled the antenna from his head.

"What kind of brilliant idea was that? Send me and my men to Iron Gate Fortress to retrieve something for you? If it were that easy, He Jiaqing would have already taken it. Why would he wait for you?"

Luo Zhengnan wiped the antenna, put it back in its box, and gave a bitter smile. "Do you even know what kind of place Iron Gate Fortress is? If I take my men there, will we ever make it back alive?"

"Old Luo, Old Luo!" The line went dead. Xiao Zhenggong dialed back, but the reply was: "The number you have dialed is not in service."

"That good-for-nothing! I give him a chance to prove himself, and he can't even take it!" Xiao Zhenggong slammed the phone down. After a moment of irritation, he called the leader of the Huangtuqiao hall.

To contact Puro State from outside states, there were normally only two ways: sending a letter, or using a "Peeker" to create a connection. Other communication methods involving electricity were unreliable.

For such an urgent matter, sending a letter would definitely be too slow. It seemed relying on a "Peeker" was the only option.

Every hall of the Jiangxiang Gang had a Peeker, but Xiao Zhenggong didn't want this matter to be leaked. Coincidentally, the Huangtu hall leader was in the outer states on business, so contacting him was the best choice.

The call connected, and Xiao Zhenggong urged the Huangtu hall leader to come to Yuezhou immediately.

The hall leader arrived that very evening.

Xiao Zhenggong sent everyone else away and spoke to him privately. "Don't bother with your outside state business for now. Take your men from your hall, and those from the Heishipo hall, and go to Iron Gate Fortress. Help me retrieve an item."

The Huangtuqiao hall leader replied, "Leader, what kind of item is it?"

"A long spear."

"What model?"

"Not a firearm; it's a cold weapon."

"Is it a magic artifact?"

Xiao Zhenggong paused, momentarily stunned.

He wasn't sure what exactly the item was. He knew He Jiaqing had been looking for Zhao Xiaowan's spirit and that her spirit possessed a long spear. However, Xiao Zhenggong was unsure if the spear was considered a magic artifact, a spiritual object, or perhaps a restless spirit with a physical form.

"Just treat it as a magic artifact. This spear possesses the power to intimidate thousands of troops. You'll know if it's the real one as soon as you hold it. The item is currently with Zhou Anju, the master of Iron Gate Fortress. Tell Zhou Anju that if he's willing to hand it over, we can buy it; let him name his price. If he refuses, then use force. This item must be acquired. If you succeed, I'll promote you to Elder."

Han Jinwei, the Huangtuqiao hall leader, had just taken office this year. In his early thirties, he was full of vigor.

Upon hearing the leader's generous reward, Han Jinwei confidently replied, "Leader, just leave this to me. There's no need for the men from Heishipo."

Xiao Zhenggong frowned at this. "Jinwei, Iron Gate Fortress is not an ordinary place. One hall might not be enough."

Han Jinwei was very confident. "I know Iron Gate Fortress is difficult to attack and easy to defend, but we have our own methods. I guarantee I'll bring the item back for you."

"Good!" Xiao Zhenggong praised. "Use any personnel or funds you need, just let me know. But there's one thing: this matter cannot be known by outsiders. When you send your men to Iron Gate Fortress, they must operate discreetly and not attract attention."

"Leader, you don't need to worry about any of this. Just await my news." Han Jinwei set off that very night, returning to Puro State.

Xiao Zhenggong increasingly felt he had chosen the right person; this was someone capable of great achievements!

On Flying Eagle Mountain, Chieftain He Zhenlei was still waiting for news from Ma Dingfu.

Zhou Anju was dead, and all the brothers who supported him on the mountain were also gone. Only "Little Pockmark" remained.

Ma Dingfu wanted to become the fortress master, and He Zhenlei agreed.

He couldn't refuse, as Iron Gate Fortress had already recognized Ma Dingfu as its master. It was too late to send anyone else to intervene.

However, Ma Dingfu had promised to give He Zhenlei ten thousand silver dollars once he became master. Was he trying to renege on the deal?

Send someone to pressure him? No, don't be too hasty. Little Pockmark had endured for so many years; now that he was fortress master, he was likely feeling a bit overconfident. If He Zhenlei pressured him for money directly now, he might truly turn against him. He'd wait a while, then arrange for a few people to get close to him, observe his actions, and then give him a reminder.

Ma Dingfu was a man of Flying Eagle Mountain. If this secret were to be leaked, he would certainly lose his standing at Iron Gate Fortress. As long as He Zhenlei held this leverage, he wouldn't fear Ma Dingfu defaulting on his debt in the future. Of course, it was best to keep this leverage hidden and not expose it; once the truth was revealed, He Zhenlei would lose his means of continuing to extort Iron Gate Fortress.

Understanding the implications, He Zhenlei wasn't overly anxious about Iron Gate Fortress. However, a truly urgent matter soon arose.

More than a dozen of his subordinates, whom he had sent down the mountain to collect grain, were ambushed. Only one managed to escape alive.

This man, named Chen Zhuyu, was a minor leader in the mountains. His right ear had been cut off, and he knelt on the ground, wailing incessantly:

"Master Lei, those bastards from Iron Gate Fortress attacked our brothers!"

He Zhenlei was stunned. "Who did you say attacked you?"

"The people from Iron Gate Fortress. We hadn't gone far down the mountain before we fell into their ambush. Fifteen brothers died; I was the only one who fought for my life and managed to escape."

In reality, he wouldn't have escaped even if he had fought for his life. He had been captured alive, and Li Banfeng had released him to deliver a message.

He Zhenlei still couldn't believe it. "Are you sure you weren't mistaken? People from Iron Gate Fortress? Those reclusive cultivators never leave the main gate!"

"Master Lei, I wasn't mistaken. I've been to Iron Gate Fortress. There's a man named Wu Yongchao; I know him. And I've also seen a woman named Tang Yanning!"

What was Little Pockmark doing? Was he truly turning against him? He Zhenlei's hands trembled with rage.

"Take a few brothers and go to Iron Gate Fortress. Don't fight them, and don't talk much. Just see their master, Ma Dingfu, and tell him that I, He, miss him!"

"That bastard has forgotten his origins! If he doesn't come and apologize to me in person, I'll reveal everything, even if it means losing out on Iron Gate Fortress's profits!"

Chen Zhuyu took five capable men and immediately went to Iron Gate Fortress. They left at noon, but only he returned that night.

This time, his left ear had also been cut off. He knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. "Chief, I went with the brothers. They told me to wait in a room to see their master. But I didn't see the master, and they ambushed us again! Five brothers were killed, and they cut off another one of my ears! Chief, you must avenge me!"

He Zhenlei's veins throbbed with fury!

"Little Pockmark, I must have been blind to misjudge a scoundrel like you! How dare you try this with me, forgetting who put you in charge of Iron Gate Fortress!"

"Take this letter to Iron Gate Fortress and read it out word for word in front of their gate. If anyone asks about its origin, tell them it was written by Ma Dingfu himself. If he denies it, he can come face me for a confrontation!"

He Zhenlei handed a letter to Chen Zhuyu. It was indeed a letter written by Ma Dingfu himself, detailing the cause of Zhou Anju's death and the current situation at Iron Gate Fortress, as well as his request to become the master, hoping for He Zhenlei's support.

Every word in the letter was clear. He Zhenlei was going to settle this dispute today.

But Chen Zhuyu didn't want to go. Both his ears had been cut off; if he went again, it was hard to say what else he might lose.

He Zhenlei scolded him thoroughly and sent another person to deliver the letter to Iron Gate Fortress.

The man left early in the morning, but by late night, there was still no news from him.

He Zhenlei lay in bed, unable to sleep, his mind racing. Had Ma Dingfu attacked again? What if Ma Dingfu never admitted to it? What if he claimed the letter wasn't his? Would there truly be nothing He Zhenlei could do?

Tossing and turning, He Zhenlei couldn't come up with a solution. He stayed awake until late at night, feeling parched and wanting some water.

Li Banfeng poured him a bowl of water.

He Zhenlei took the bowl, and just as he was about to drink, he shuddered with fright and suddenly exclaimed, "Who are you?"

Li Banfeng replied succinctly, "The fortress master."

"What fortress master?"

"The master of Iron Gate Fortress."

He Zhenlei stared at Li Banfeng for a moment. The man wore a top hat and had a beard, making his face unidentifiable. Was he the master of Iron Gate Fortress? Had Little Pockmark not become the master after all?

He Zhenlei asked, "What's your name?"

Li Banfeng replied impatiently, "Didn't I tell you? My name is Fortress Master, 'Fortress' being my surname, and 'Master' my given name."

What kind of name was that? Was this person truly the master of Iron Gate Fortress?

Li Banfeng, too, seemed to be asking a question. "Your subordinates whom you sent down the mountain to seize grain were killed by me. Those few ruffians you sent to Iron Gate Fortress were also killed by me. The group you just sent to deliver a letter? Also killed by me. I've been wondering, you're a mountain chieftain, supposedly a formidable one. I've been killing your men right and left, and you don't even have the courage to fight back? Are you truly the chieftain of Flying Eagle Mountain?"

He Zhenlei roared, "How did you get into my mountain stronghold?"

Li Banfeng advised him, "You don't need to make such a fuss. Those ruffians at your gate are already dead. And the men you previously sent to Iron Gate Fortress were loose-lipped; they told me all about Flying Eagle Mountain's deployments."

He Zhenlei gritted his teeth, jumped out of bed, and declared, "I'll kill you!"

Li Banfeng stepped forward and kicked out He Zhenlei's front teeth, then kicked him again, sending him back onto the bed. "I told you, your subordinates are loose-lipped. They told me all about your cultivation level. As a mountain king, you have quite a reputation, so I thought you'd at least have a fourth-level cultivation. But then I heard from them that you're only a third-level martial cultivator. I truly didn't expect someone like you could dominate a region. It seems you also acquired the trick of deceiving cultivators."

He Zhenlei gritted his teeth again, about to speak, when Li Banfeng delivered another kick, breaking his molars.

"Don't grit your teeth. I don't like that sound."

He Zhenlei clutched his mouth, his voice muffled, "What do you want?"

Li Banfeng said, "Given your caliber, I don't want to make things difficult for you. Tomorrow, take your men and attack Iron Gate Fortress. Bring everyone capable of fighting. If you go, I'll spare your life. But if I don't see you tomorrow morning, you can wait for someone to collect your corpse!"

He Zhenlei exclaimed in astonishment, "You want me to attack Iron Gate Fortress?"

Li Banfeng slapped him back. "Your cultivation isn't good, and your ears aren't either? Don't make me repeat myself. I'll be waiting for you at the fortress tomorrow."