"Master Ma, things have been taken care of at Happy Village, but what should we do with the girls we rescued?"
That night, at the market, in Magu's house, Xiaotian was giving a report.
“What are their own wishes?” Magoo asked.
“These girls, apart from a few who were trafficked, were mostly sold to the village by their own parents or husbands. So most of them are unwilling to go back to their original homes and hope that Master Ma can give them a way to survive.”
Ma Gu pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's keep a few to help out at the market, and send the rest to the cloth shop. Didn't Old Li say he was short of manpower the other day? I've sent him so many people, he can't possibly bother me again, can he?"
"yes."
Xiao Tian also thought it was a good idea.
The fabric shop is full of women, so it would be perfect to arrange for these girls to stay there.
“There’s one more thing, Master Ma. In Happy Village, besides finding a lot of money, we also found these two things.”
Xiao Tian took out two books from his pocket and presented them to the emperor.
Magu took it and looked at it, somewhat surprised: "A secret manual?"
He looked through them and found that they were two martial arts techniques at the Qi and Blood Realm.
One is called the Heart-Piercing Hand, and the other is called the Poison Wolf Fist.
“The ninth leader of the Black Wolf Gang, known as the Heart-Piercing Wolf, must rely on these two martial arts techniques,” Ma Gu said.
"Yes, these two manuals were found in the bedroom of the Heart-Picking Wolf. They were placed in a fairly conspicuous place, and the pages of the manuals were already frayed. It seems that the Heart-Picking Wolf often studied these two martial arts and was quite diligent," Xiao Tian explained.
“What good is diligence? When you meet Brother Lu, you’re no match for him. He didn’t even scratch his clothes,” Ma Gu said disdainfully.
Ma Gu had previously observed that Lu Qing had almost completely slaughtered the entire Happy Village, yet he had no injuries whatsoever, only some bloodstains on his clothes.
It's easy to imagine that the Heart-Picking Wolf posed absolutely no threat to Lu Qing.
“That’s true. I asked the girls who were there at the time, and they said that the Heart-Picking Wolf was beaten so badly by Young Master Lu that he had to run away in just one encounter. He was no match for him at all,” Xiao Tian said.
"My little brother is truly remarkable. I originally thought he only had amazing talent in cultivation, but I never expected his mastery of martial arts to be so astonishing as well," Ma Gu sighed.
He was truly shocked by the strength that Lu Qing had displayed.
Both being martial artists at the Qi and Blood Realm, and with Heart-Picking Wolf being a seasoned martial artist who had honed his skills in the Qi and Blood Realm for many years, he was unable to pose the slightest threat to Lu Qing.
Given the vast difference in strength between the two sides, he simply couldn't imagine how Lu Qing had managed to cultivate.
While progress in martial arts can be explained by talent, combat experience cannot be accumulated solely through talent.
However, judging from the traces of the battle in the village, Lu Qing could be said to have crushed the Heart-Picking Wolf to death from beginning to end.
How did he manage to do that?
I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out.
Magu felt that his brain wasn't quite up to par.
"I never expected that Young Master Lu would be so murderous."
Xiao Tian felt extremely uncomfortable recalling the scene of countless heads rolling in Happy Village.
He never imagined that Lu Qing, who was usually gentle, humble and polite, would be so terrifying once he set his mind on killing, and would like to chop off other people's heads at the drop of a hat.
Therefore, he now feels an indescribable sense of awe towards Lu Qing.
Magu felt a similar unease when he recalled the tragic scene at Kuaihuozhai that night.
As a master of the Bone and Tendon Realm, he has experienced quite a few battles and has taken lives on his hands.
But even if he had fought for more than a decade, it would still be far less than the number of deaths Lu Qing caused in one night.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the horrific scene from his mind.
“Alright, I’ll leave these two manuals here for now. These are Brother Lu’s spoils of war. In a couple of days, once we’ve tallied up the money and valuables found at Happy Village, I’ll personally take them to him,” Ma Gu said.
"Master Ma, so what should we do next to deal with the Black Wolf Gang?" Xiao Tian asked. "The Black Wolf Gang has cut off Happy Village's source of income, so they will definitely send people to investigate."
Xiao Tian was a little worried. The Black Wolf Gang was not to be trifled with; their power was much greater than that of the Ma family.
If the two companies clash, they might not be able to withstand the pressure.
"What's there to deal with? We don't need to deal with this." Ma Gu said, "The head steward of the Wei family values Brother Lu so much, he certainly doesn't want anything to happen to him. I'll write a letter later, and you can set off tonight to deliver the letter to the Wei residence. The rest is naturally none of our concern."
Xiao Tian's eyes lit up; it turned out that Master Ma had planned this all along.
That night, Xiao Tian set off on a fast horse.
Just as the city gates opened at dawn, they entered the prefectural city and handed the letter to the gatekeeper of the Wei residence.
When the head steward of the Wei family received the letter, opened it, and read it, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
After thinking for a moment, he took the letter and went to an elegant courtyard. He respectfully addressed a middle-aged man with a long black beard who was slowly practicing martial arts in his training clothes:
"Sir, there is something I need your advice on."
"Oh, what's wrong? Is there something you can't decide?" the middle-aged man said while practicing his boxing.
"It's about that old doctor Chen's disciple."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man with the black beard slowly stopped his morning exercise.
"What's up?"
"Here is a letter, sent by Ma Gugang of the Ma family." The head steward took out the letter.
"Ma Gu? Is that the Ma family's collateral descendant who was almost expelled from the family before?" The black-bearded middle-aged man took the letter.
"That's right, it's that Ma Gu. When Young Master Zi'an went out a while ago, he stayed at his place. It was thanks to his reminder that the young master was able to be sent to Doctor Chen in time and receive treatment," the head steward explained.
The middle-aged man with the black beard nodded and opened the letter to read it.
As he looked at it, his brows furrowed involuntarily.
Is what's written here true?
After reading it, the middle-aged man with the black beard looked up.
"This old servant has not yet investigated, but that Magoo should not dare to lie about such a matter," the head steward replied.
“Then the Black Wolf Gang’s actions are really outrageous; they’ve crossed the line,” the middle-aged man with the black beard said, frowning.
"Should this old servant send someone to deal with the Black Wolf Gang...?" the chief steward asked tentatively.
With the Wei family's power, wiping out a small Black Wolf Gang wouldn't be difficult at all.
Moreover, he knew that the master probably wouldn't approve of such a thing.
The middle-aged man with the black beard looked at the letter in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "Go and warn the Black Wolf Gang to tell them to behave themselves."
“Master...” The head steward was taken aback.
This decision is quite unlike the old man's usual style.
The middle-aged man with the black beard did not explain immediately, but instead waved the letter in his hand.
"The young man mentioned in this letter is Dr. Chen's disciple, right?"
"That's right. When the young master was first sent to Doctor Chen, it was this young master Lu who stayed up all night brewing medicine, which saved the young master's life."
"What a bloodthirsty young man!" the black-bearded middle-aged man praised. "He killed nearly a hundred villains in one night. There are few people in the entire Cangzhou with such bloodthirstiness."
The chief steward remained silent.
He never expected that Lu Qing would have this side to her.
Back in the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, he saw Lu Qing every day, but he never realized that he was such a ruthless and decisive killer.
When he first saw the contents of the letter, for a moment he even wondered if Magoo had misspelled the name.
More importantly, Lu Qing's progress in martial arts also surprised him.
He remembered that when he left the small courtyard halfway up the mountain that day, Lu Qingcai had only just entered the Qi and Blood Realm.
It hasn't been long since then, yet he was able to kill a martial artist like Zhai Xinlang, who had honed his skills in the Qi and Blood Realm for many years and had already achieved minor success in Qi and Blood.
“I remember a while ago, you suggested that Madam give some gifts to this young man, right?” the black-bearded middle-aged man asked.
"Yes, when I was taking care of the young master under Doctor Chen, I often saw this young master Lu. I found him to be very intelligent and talented in martial arts. He is a rare young talent, so I suggested to Madam that we could form a good relationship with him," the head steward explained.
"You have a good eye; this is indeed a rare talent."
The middle-aged man with the black beard recalled what he had said in his heart and praised again.
"However, even geniuses need pressure to grow faster. Let's keep the Black Wolf Gang for now and use it as a whetstone for this young man."
"This old servant understands."
The head steward then understood the master's intention.
"Alright, go and make the arrangements."
After the head steward of the Wei family stepped down, he first summoned the guards of the mansion, gave them some instructions, and then wrote a letter, which he asked Xiao Tian, who was still waiting outside for news, to take back.
While Xiao Tian was rushing to the market with the reply, on the other side, at the side gate of the Wei residence, a group of guards on horseback filed out and headed west of the city.
"Are they the Silver Armor Guards of the Wei Manor?"
"What happened that made the Wei family dispatch the Silver Armor Guards?"
"The last time the Wei family's silver-armored guards were mobilized was when that young master of the Wei family had an accident a while ago, right? Could it be that that young master has secretly slipped out again?"
"Nonsense! As far as I know, that young master's injuries haven't healed yet, where would he get the energy to go out!"
"And what's it about this time?!"
As the Wei family mansion holds a superior position in the city, its internal affairs have always been closely watched by the major forces in the city.
Upon seeing this small squad of guards appear, the scouts from various factions immediately perked up.
The Silver Armor Guards are a unique protective organization belonging to the Wei family. It is said that every Silver Armor Guard is at least at the Bone and Tendon Realm level.
The Bone and Tendon Realm! Among the other forces in the prefecture city, those who possess such strength are at least pillars of the state.
However, within the Wei household, he could only serve as a guard.
It is easy to imagine the Wei family's status in the county government; they were truly superior and no force dared to provoke them.
Even the county magistrate, if he wanted to see the head of the Wei family, had to send a formal letter of invitation beforehand, and also had to consider whether the head of the Wei family was in a good mood at the time.
Seeing that the Wei family had actually dispatched a small squad of silver-armored guards, how could this not shock the major powers?
"Look, the Silver Armor Guards have headed west of the city!"
When the various factions saw where the Silver Armor Guards had gone, they were once again taken aback.
The western part of the city has always been a place where all sorts of people live together.
The power dynamics are complex, and all sorts of characters are involved.
Why did the silver-armored guards go that way?
The forces that were already located in the western part of the city were particularly uneasy upon seeing this scene.
Because none of them were sure whether the silver-armored guards were coming for them.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of various forces in the city, the Silver Armor Guards traveled all the way to the west of the city and finally stopped in front of a building.
"Spring Moon Pavilion?"
Everyone was stunned when they saw the Silver Armor Guards' destination.
Everyone knows Chun Yue Lou, the most famous brothel in the city.
But what are the Silver Armor Guards doing at Spring Moon Pavilion? Is there some important figure inside who is indulging in pleasure and needs their assistance?
However, the next moment, everyone knew that they had guessed wrong.
The silver-armored guard at the head of the guards stopped in front of Chun Yue Tower, and without even dismounting, shouted:
"Black Wolf, get out here!"
Black Wolf?!
Upon hearing this shout, everyone froze again.
They never expected that the Silver Armor Guards had come to Wangyue Tower for their mastermind, Black Wolf, the leader of the Black Wolf Gang.
At this moment, everyone showed expressions of anticipation, as if they were watching a good show.
The other factions in the western part of the city, in particular, were gloating.
They didn't know how Black Wolf had offended the Wei family, but as fellow forces in the west of the city, their relationship had never been friendly.
Now that they see the Black Wolf Gang has foolishly provoked the behemoth that is the Wei family, how could they not be happy?
At this moment, inside the Spring Moon Pavilion, a tall, burly man with long arms and legs, a bare chest covered in black hair, and a distinct scar on his face, looked on in astonishment.
"The Silver Armor Guards came for me?"
"Brother!" At this moment, several men burst into the room. "What's going on? Why do the Wei family's silver-armored guards want to see you?"
These were the other leaders of the Black Wolf Gang.
"I don't know either!" Black Wolf said, sounding a little flustered.
He immediately tried to recall what had happened in the gang recently, but he couldn't figure out where he had offended the Wei family.
"Why did the Wei family's silver-armored guards come so aggressively and specifically ask to see you?" the gang's second-in-command asked.
"I want to know too! I've been with you guys in the gang lately, I haven't even left the west side of the city, how could I have offended the Wei family? Besides, where would I get the guts to mess with them!"
Black Wolf was both shocked and panicked, completely losing his usual authority within the gang.
The other leaders thought it made sense.
Despite their considerable influence in the western part of the city, and their reputation as one of the three major gangs, the Black Wolf Gang is not as powerful as they seem.
However, it was nothing compared to the behemoth that was the Wei family.
Even if you gave my elder brother a thousand lives, he wouldn't dare to provoke the Wei family.
"Then what should we do? Should we go out or not?" one of the leaders asked.
"Do we even have a choice?" Black Wolf said with a wry smile.
The other leaders remained silent.
Indeed, the silver-armored guards are already at the door; even if they wanted to escape, it would be too late.
"Perhaps things aren't as bad as we think. Although these silver-armored guards came with great force, they didn't barge in directly, so there's still room for maneuver," the second-in-command said.
“Second Brother is right.” The eyes of the leaders lit up.
Given the power of the Wei family, if their Black Wolf Gang had truly offended them, they wouldn't be so polite as to shout outside; they would have already stormed in and arrested them.
"Okay, then I'll go out!"
Black Wolf always trusted the second-in-command's judgment, and upon hearing this, he gritted his teeth and said.
