Chapter 138: Chapter 128: Stitching Wounds, Hidden Agendas
Arrows were stuck in both of his legs, and two physicians were tending to his wounds, trying to remove them.
But the arrows were buried deep, the heads caught tight on muscle and sinew. The slightest movement made the man grimace and curse unendingly.
"Fucking hell, can’t you be more gentle? Are you trying to kill me with the pain?"
The two physicians dared not say a word, only working on his wounds with even greater care.
He then turned his gaze to a man at his side.
This was a portly, middle-aged man who looked amiably harmless, like a statue of the Maitreya Buddha from a temple.
Yet no one would have ever guessed that this very man was the dreaded grand strategist of the Beheading Gang, the "White Paper Fan," Mo Daoyuan.
"Mo! You made it sound so good before. You said that after we killed Xie San, fifty percent of Flower Square’s annual income would be mine. But now, I’ve lost so many of my brothers, I’ve taken two arrows myself, and we’ve gotten absolutely nothing for it. So what are you going to do now?!"
"Marshal Zhang, please, calm down. I never expected Xie San to have such powerful backup! If it wasn’t for someone suddenly firing those sneak shots, we’d be the masters of Flower Square by now," Mo Daoyuan said, his face a mask of distress.
"Cut the crap. My men are dead, and I took two arrows meant for you. You owe my brothers in the Black Banner Camp an explanation," the man raged.
Zhang Pengcheng was, justifiably, furious.
As Marshal of the Black Banner Camp, his official rank wasn’t particularly high, but his command over a troop of elite soldiers made him a prominent figure within the Huangpu Guard.
But because he’d fallen for Mo Daoyuan’s silver-tongued persuasion, he had lent out his men to ambush Xie San and seize Flower Square.
The plan had been going smoothly. Zhang Pengcheng was already picturing himself in Flower Square, a beautiful woman on each arm, enjoying the most exquisite pleasures life had to offer.
Then an arrow, shot from nowhere, shattered all his fantasies. The thing was, he hadn’t even been doing anything—just standing beside Mo Daoyuan.
Who would have thought that an arrow meant for Mo Daoyuan would end up hitting him instead?
He could have let that slide. After all, getting hurt was an unavoidable part of battle.
The real problem was that Mo Daoyuan then opened his mouth again, drawing another arrow.
And what a coincidence it was. To avoid getting hit again, Zhang Pengcheng had limped behind Mo Daoyuan for cover. But when the arrow flew, Mo Daoyuan dodged with lightning speed, and the arrow found a new home in Zhang Pengcheng’s other leg.
It was enough to drive Zhang Pengcheng insane with rage.
From his perspective, he’d done nothing at all, yet had taken two arrows for someone else for no good reason.
The archer was long gone now, so naturally, he was going to settle this score with the Beheading Gang and Mo Daoyuan.
Mo Daoyuan understood Zhang Pengcheng’s implications perfectly and offered a placating smile. "Marshal Zhang is right. What kind of compensation did you have in mind?"
Zhang Pengcheng held up a hand.
Mo Daoyuan froze for a second, then gritted his teeth. "Fine. As you say. I’ll have my men prepare it for you shortly."
Only then did Zhang Pengcheng nod in satisfaction. "Good. Now you’re talking sense."
"However, there is one more thing!"
Zhang Pengcheng’s expression soured instantly. "What? You dare to make demands of me?"
Mo Daoyuan quickly explained, "Marshal Zhang, please, don’t be alarmed. That’s not what I meant. I just want to discuss our next move."
"Xie San may have escaped, but she is gravely wounded. Even if she receives treatment, she isn’t likely to live for long. Furthermore, her subordinates suffered heavy losses in the ambush. This is when she is at her absolute weakest."
"So you plan to...."
"Marshal Zhang, you were wounded by Xie San’s people, and so many of your brothers have died. Are you really going to just let it go?" Mo Daoyuan pressed.
Zhang Pengcheng went silent.
Of course he wasn’t willing to give up. He had extorted some compensation from Mo Daoyuan, but it was nothing compared to the gold mine that was Flower Square.
"What’s the plan?"
"We strike while she’s down, of course. Since we’ve already started, we might as well see it through. We’ll seize Flower Square by force."
As he spoke, a cold light flashed in Mo Daoyuan’s eyes. His once amiably harmless face was now suffused with murderous intent.
"But you have to understand, I already broke the rules by helping you with the ambush at the river. If I now help you attack Flower Square, won’t things get completely out of hand?"
"Rules..." Mo Daoyuan chuckled coldly. "Rules are for those who intend to follow them. Do you really need to care about such things?"
"Even so, I have to show some restraint...."
"Rest assured, I will smooth things over with all the necessary parties. It’s just a matter of spending more money, and I refuse to believe there’s anyone in this world who’d argue with that."
"Besides, once we take Flower Square, the money we’re spending now will be a drop in the bucket."
"Besides, Marshal, wouldn’t you like a promotion? I hear the current Judicial Commissioner is about to end his term and return to the capital...."
This last sentence was exactly what Zhang Pengcheng wanted to hear. A fervent gleam lit up his eyes, and he finally nodded.
"Alright. But let’s be clear: your Beheading Gang will take full responsibility for any consequences."
"But of course."
"And one more thing. We need to find a way to get rid of that hidden archer. If a situation like today’s repeats itself, we’ll be in big trouble," Zhang Pengcheng said through gritted teeth.
"I’ll send men to investigate. It’s probably not one of Xie San’s own people; I’ve never heard of her having a master archer. It must be a hired expert from the outside."
"I don’t care if they’re hired help or one of her own. Find out who it is and kill them. I need to quench this hatred in my heart."
"Understood!"
Zhang Pengcheng sighed in relief, then glanced at Mo Daoyuan.
"By the way, what’s the deal with that Gang Leader of yours? Why hasn’t he been seen in years?" Zhang Pengcheng asked.
As the Marshal of the Black Banner Camp, he had only met the mysterious Gang Leader of the Beheading Gang once.
In recent years, especially, there had been no news of him whatsoever.
Rumors had even begun to circulate that the Gang Leader of the Beheading Gang had died long ago, and that the gang was simply keeping it a secret.
Now that their important business was concluded, Zhang Pengcheng couldn’t suppress his curiosity and decided to ask.
Mo Daoyuan smiled faintly. "Our Gang Leader has been in seclusion for the past two years, diligently cultivating his martial arts. That’s why he hasn’t made any appearances."
"Secluded cultivation? Is he trying to break through to the next realm?" Zhang Pengcheng remarked.
"That is indeed his intention," Mo Daoyuan said with a placid smile.
Zhang Pengcheng had long heard that the Gang Leader of the Beheading Gang was an expert of the Minor Fourth Realm, one who had completed the Blood Exchange stage but had not yet perfected Bone Marrow Cleansing.
But he never thought the man would be so audacious as to attempt to break through the final bottleneck and achieve the rank of Grandmaster.
Zhang Pengcheng sneered inwardly.
’How could it be that easy? Countless people have practiced martial arts throughout history, but how many have ever reached such a legendary state? What’s more, the Gang Leader is already fifty. Trying for a breakthrough at this age is a fool’s errand—a futile effort, like grasping for the moon’s reflection in the water.’
On the surface, however, he showed nothing and simply nodded.
"Then I wish your Gang Leader a successful and speedy end to his seclusion."
"Thank you, Marshal Zhang!"
Just then, after a great deal of painstaking effort, the two physicians finally managed to extract the two arrows from Zhang Pengcheng’s legs.
Once his wounds were bandaged, Zhang Pengcheng was seated in a chair. Men lifted it, and he departed, surrounded by an escort of his Black Banner Camp soldiers.
Mo Daoyuan personally saw him to the door. He waited until the entire procession had rounded the corner and vanished from sight before letting out a soft, cold sneer.
"Idiot."
Having spat out the word, he finally let out a breath of relief and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, back at Flower Square, Wu Liangchen was speaking to his sister and Yang Lian’Er. "You two should stay here for a few days."
First-Class Restaurant had been burned down, and the small courtyard behind it had naturally met the same fate, reduced to a pile of ashes.
So, Wu Liangchen had arranged a new place for the two of them to live.
It was a small, secluded courtyard behind Moqin Pavilion, a rather tranquil spot.
The two young women, of course, had no objections.
"It’s just a shame about all the things we bought these last few days!" Yang Lian’Er said, her voice full of regret.
"And our money!" Compared to clothes and makeup, Wu Mengchan was more concerned about the money.
It was a huge pile of silver coins, after all. Now it was all lost to the fire, and she had no idea if any of it could be recovered.
Wu Liangchen laughed at her words and reached into his robes, pulling out a cloth bundle.
"Take a look at this."
