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Chapter 232

The Heaven's Will Sword Sect established its own Resource Circulation and Sales Department, which not only managed its internal resources but also accepted external orders.

As soon as the news broke, the entire prefecture was shaken.

A simple business move seemed unremarkable, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that this was a direct challenge to the East River Gang's livelihood.

In the past, it would have been pointless for the Heaven's Will Sword Sect to compete for this business, as East River was the prefectural capital where resources from all over converged. Who could they threaten by taking orders in a mere county town like Xia State?

But now the situation had changed. Xia State had become the prefectural capital, and all future resources would inevitably flow there. The East River Gang, on the other hand, was now stuck taking orders in a mere county town.

With this move by the Heaven's Will Sword Sect, the East River Gang's very foundation would be gone.

The East River Gang had just prepared to relocate their entire organization when they heard this news. Their leader, Shi Tielong, stood stunned, his face alternating between green and pale.

"I regret it," Shi Tielong said hoarsely to his associates after a long while. "We should never have cooperated with the Heaven's Will Sword Sect to destroy the Incense Burning Tower. The Incense Burning Tower, no matter how provocative, had no great ambitions or capabilities; it only served to annoy people. But the Heaven's Will Sword Sect is a crouching tiger, waiting on the sidelines, ready to pounce and devour once an opportunity arises."

The elders on both sides sighed. "This isn't the leader's fault," they said. "We all agreed to it back then. Who could have foreseen such geographical changes and the relocation of the prefectural capital...?"

Shi Tielong looked up at the ceiling. After a long pause, he said, "The most troubling thing now is that even though everyone can see their aim is to contend for supremacy, on the surface, it's merely a legitimate 'restoration of their sect's former business,' which is beyond reproach. If we were to openly resort to force, we would be the ones in the wrong."

"Isn't the Cangshan Sword Sect facing the same problem?" he continued. "In the past, when the Heaven's Will Sword Sect was weaker, they claimed they would only produce high-grade flying swords and wouldn't compete with the Cangshan Sword Sect for common low-grade business. Now, their smithing department has been producing low-grade flying swords for two or three months. Before, they only sold within Xia State County, which the Cangshan Sword Sect grudgingly tolerated. But what now? Xia State is the prefectural capital!"

"If the Cangshan Sword Sect were to go to them now and say, 'according to our previous agreement, the Heaven's Will Sword Sect is only allowed to make high-grade flying swords,' what meaning would that have?"

Shi Tielong was silent for a long moment, then took a deep breath. "Going to them individually is meaningless. Only by joining forces can we build momentum and make the Heaven's Will Sword Sect show some apprehension."

The elders exchanged glances. If they were to join forces and confront them, that wouldn't just be about building momentum.

It would be an open declaration of hostility.

Yet, such open hostility would be useless... They couldn't truly attack the sect's mountain gate like the Incense Burning Tower did and wage a war of annihilation. All they could do was something similar to the martial arts challenge strategy during the sect's founding ceremony. If they could subdue the Heaven's Will Sword Sect's strong practitioners, then naturally, the Heaven's Will Sword Sect wouldn't dare to act rashly.

Even if they were shameless and continued to act rashly, others in the prefecture would naturally know which faction was more trustworthy, and goods would naturally continue to flow through the East River Gang.

For those dealing with goods circulation, security and escort services come first. With everyone's strength on display, the choice is most intuitive.

But could they subdue them through a martial arts contest? Did they have the confidence?

Shi Tielong's mind flashed back to what he had observed when attacking the Incense Burning Tower with Shen Tang.

"This woman is young but incredibly strong..." She had now reached the middle stage of the third rank. Shi Tielong knew he couldn't guarantee a decisive victory. Zhang Shaoyou, Qin Buwang, and Zhao Guishan had all reached the third rank. The Heaven's Will Sword Sect was at its peak strength, and its fighting capabilities were no longer limited to relying solely on Shen Tang as they once were. Even if a full-scale martial arts contest were to take place, the Heaven's Will Sword Sect would not back down from anyone.

"The only plan now is to seek external assistance," Shi Tielong said in a low voice. "I will ask my uncle to come and help."

The elders all said, "Since that's the case, we should ask the Lingyun Sect and the Cangshan Sword Sect if they also need to bring out their connections."

"Hmm... and also ask some old acquaintances of the Incense Burning Tower..." one added. "Although we were their sworn enemies in their destruction, if we are willing to apologize and offer compensation, might there be some room for discussion...?"

Shi Tielong's uncle was an elder of the renowned first-rank powerful sect, the Canglan Sect, and a second-rank master himself. It was also because of this backing that Shi Tielong rose in East River and built the East River Gang into the largest gang.

The Cangshan Sword Sect and other sects would also have networks of connections. Having been in the world for a lifetime, who wouldn't have some connections or favors owed? The Incense Burning Tower should have had the most connections, but unfortunately, they were suppressed and couldn't utilize them. Otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible to annihilate their sect.

The elders each took their leave to carry out their orders.

Shi Tielong looked outside the door, still feeling uneasy.

This was the second time in just half a year that the various forces in East River had united against the Heaven's Will Sword Sect, and each time the momentum was greater than the last.

But last time, it had completely served to establish the Heaven's Will Sword Sect's authority, and subsequently, the Incense Burning Tower was directly annihilated. What about this time?

Last time, Yang Dechang had secretly orchestrated things, but this time, there wasn't even anyone coordinating from behind the scenes. He heard that Lu Xingzhou's conflict with the Huo family in the capital had grown sharper, and he had become hostile with Prince Jin due to rivalry. So why were they showing even less reaction?

Was it because the Emperor's "support" decree was still holding them back?

After a moment of contemplation, Shi Tielong called over a trusted aide again. "Take my private letter," he instructed, "and hurry to the capital to find Prince Jin and Marquis Huo. See what their opinions are."

The trusted aide took the order and left.

But the capital was far away, and he wondered if there would be enough time for the round trip...

"So, Shi Tielong's backing is actually the Canglan Sect," Lu Xingzhou said in a low voice, looking at the documents in his hand. "This information isn't detailed enough because it doesn't clarify the influence of Shi Tielong's uncle, Shi Zhong, within the Canglan Sect. This is crucial to knowing whether Shi Tielong's backing is merely his uncle personally, or if he can bring along several equally strong fellow disciples, or even a large number of powerful Canglan Sect members... These are completely different concepts."

Shen Tang sat before him, her face slightly flushed, and mumbled softly, "Time is short, and internal information from a first-rank sect is difficult for us to uncover."

"The Prefect has already given word, so the possibility of a large number of powerful individuals entering the area can probably be ruled out. As for the rest..." Lu Xingzhou looked through the documents for a long time, then suddenly smiled. "The Cangshan Sword Sect's backing is the Flying Star Sword Sect, and the Flying Star Sword Sect is an affiliated sect of the Brocade Bloom Sword Sect. The Brocade Bloom Sword Sect owes me a personal favor... I'm wondering if I need to use it."

Shen Tang said, "You don't even need to deliberately mention it. Since there's a favor owed from above, at least the Flying Star Sword Sect won't dare to cause trouble or offer support haphazardly. They might not send anyone at all."

"The Lingyun Sect, through all its twists and turns, seems to have a connection with the Spring Mountain Sect..." Lu Xingzhou mused. "Tsk, it's a small world."

"What about the Spring Mountain Sect?" Shen Tang asked. "A second-rank sect, far less intimidating than the Canglan Sect, isn't it?"

"The Spring Mountain Sect has a Chen Yu, who was my classmate at the Pill Academy. He once tried to assassinate me. I've long wanted to kill him, but it was difficult to act within the Pill Academy. The last time I mentioned faking an injury to trick someone and failing, it was against him. If I had succeeded in killing him directly then, it would have saved so much trouble later. Unfortunately, that fellow is quite capable."

"He dared to try and assassinate you!" Shen Tang exclaimed.

"On the day of our sect's founding ceremony," Shen Tang continued, her eyes holding a hint of killing intent, "the Lingyun Sect was also one of the most offensive parties. People died because of them. Then this time, we'll deal with them more thoroughly as well."

"We should pay more attention to them anyway," Lu Xingzhou said, putting down the documents and stretching. "Although the East River Gang is the core, the ones who cause major trouble might not necessarily be the East River Gang. It's fine. We're on home turf now."

Shen Tang gazed at him with sparkling eyes, truly unable to believe that after Lu Xingzhou made a trip, the Prefect became an ally, and Wan Cheng, the Demon Suppression Division Commander who had initially ignored her, once again became an ally. It truly was their home turf. Now, she even hoped the other side would break the rules more often so that official intervention would be comfortable, and they wouldn't even have to lift a finger.

But then again, with the Incense Burning Tower incident preceding this and the East River Gang's conspiracy following it, two such incidents in just half a year already showed that the court's deterrent power in the hearts of the martial arts sects had significantly diminished.

Powerful first-rank sects like the Brocade Bloom Sword Sect and the Canglan Sect, if they truly wanted to do something, wouldn't give face to local officials. Not to mention demonic sects like the Enchanting Maiden Joy Sect and the Yama Palace, who simply toyed with the bureaucracy.

When people like those from the East River Gang and Incense Burning Tower acted, they merely showed superficial deference, but in reality, they still did what they wanted.

This was precisely how cultivators, relying on their strength, were unruly. Even with the court's suppression, it was already like this. Once the court's deterrent power collapsed, what kind of chaos would engulf the world?

Sects freely slaughtering and annihilating each other, speaking only with their fists?

The thought flashed through her mind, but she naturally wouldn't deviate from the topic while Lu Xingzhou was contemplating his enemies. Lu Xingzhou picked up a pen and circled a few key points on the documents, but he didn't dwell on them. He quickly put down the scrolls and cheerfully opened his arms. "I'm tired. Hug," he said.

Shen Tang scoffed, glanced around to ensure no one was present, then slipped into his embrace, leaving only a wheelchair spinning in place.

"Why isn't your teacher standing stiffly by your side with a stern face today?" he teased.

"We're discussing the Heaven's Will Sword Sect's matters," Shen Tang replied, "what does that have to do with her? Is she supposed to listen endlessly? She's not that idle."

"I think she is idle," Lu Xingzhou countered. "When you went to visit the Prefect, she secretly followed you. Isn't that boring? I didn't even follow you..."

Lu Xingzhou playfully scraped her cheek. "Are you complaining she's nosy, or do you want to take her place?"

"I don't care," Shen Tang pouted. "You've just returned after so long, and I haven't even had many intimate moments with you. I just see her standing by like a giant lantern. Look how sensible Ah Nuo is, she hasn't made her presence known at all since returning."

Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but laugh.

Recalling Lady Ye, it seemed she hadn't appeared since he told her to "smile more."

This comment sounded impudent... but they were accustomed to informal banter. Essentially, he was still concerned about her. He just hadn't expected this caring remark to have such an impact.

This teacher seemed aloof, but perhaps... she was quite in need of care?

This trick wasn't even very effective on Pei Chuyun, who had lacked love since childhood, so it was surprising that it changed the mood of a seemingly lofty teacher. How strange.

Lu Xingzhou didn't elaborate on this, but simply said, "The real conflict will only begin when the East River Gang formally relocates to Xia State; that will be the fuse. Currently, everyone is in the preparation stage, so there are no major events for now. I should also ask the teacher how long she plans to stay here and if it will conflict with her trial plan."

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