Chapter 788: Chapter 787: Wen Bieqing
She had not waited that long when a woman beautifully dressed arrived at the edge of the island amidst a huddle of guards. Upon spotting Niu Dali on the deck, she exclaimed with joy, "Uncle Niu!"
"Rou, you’re becoming more beautiful and charming, where is your mother?"
Niu Dali said with a cheerful smile, unfazed about flirting with another woman in front of Rou. Even more unusually, Rou didn’t seem to mind at all.
Shi Xiaole quietly marvelled at the scene.
From their titles and entourage, this Rou should be the daughter of the leader of the Sea Leaf Gang. But she showed no reaction to the sight of her mother’s lover flirting with other women?
The group was warmly welcomed onto Sea Leaf Island.
Diligently observing their surroundings, Shi Xiaole found that the Sea Leaf Gang was rather competent. The guards were all at least Spiritual-Passage Realm martial artists, with no shortage of Dragon Gate Realm Lords.
As they entered the inner courtyard, he distinctly felt the presence of at least five beings from the Divine Barrier Realm.
"Xiaole, don’t underestimate the West Sea! Hehe, while the surface resources of the ocean appear scarce, the depths are unimaginable. Whether it’s the Flying Horse Dynasty, Daxia Dynasty, Bei Liang Dynasty, or even Western Region kingdoms, all have attempted to control the West Sea islands. As a result, the area has become lawless, and only those with true power can survive for long!"
Seeing Shi Xiaole’s expression, Niu Dali transmitted his voice, "This is just the edge of the West Sea islands. Wait till you get to the heart of it - you’ll see just how chaotic it can get!"
Shi Xiaole nodded thoughtfully.
Lawlessness meant there were no legal restrictions or moral constraints. The law of the jungle reigned. It was a hell for the weak, but a heaven for the strong and wicked.
Indeed, if the ocean had nothing to offer, how could the West Sea islands have been formed? It is said that their prosperity was not inferior to the Flying Horse Dynasty.
As for the pirates of the Whale Alliance who were ignored by all, it was probably because they only occupied the shallow sea area, which was of no real interest to the authorities.
The group sat down in the main hall, and Rou immediately ordered servants to serve tea. After some casual conversation, she tried to dismiss everyone but was forced to keep Shi Xiaole because of a hint from Niu Dali.
"Rou, what happened to your mother?"
As soon as there were only three of them left in the grand hall, Niu Dali asked immediately.
Qiu Mingyue had been on good terms with him for many years. It made no sense that she would avoid him upon his arrival.
Rou glanced at Shi Xiaole then suddenly knelt before Niu Dali, crying, "Uncle Niu, please, help Rou save my mother!"
Niu Dali quickly helped her up, speaking gravely, "Tell me the whole story."
"A month ago, my mother led some of our top fighters to exchange resources with the people from the Water Shark Gang. But things went awry, the Water Shark Gang turned on us, and my mother was chased into the Foggy Area, her whereabouts unknown."
The West Sea islands have a high level of resource exploitation, something outside the understanding of the shallow sea area and the mainland of East Victory. Therefore, leagues on the islands’ edges often trade resources according to their needs.
The Sea Leaf Gang and the Water Shark Gang had cooperated for years. Although the Sea Leaf Gang knew the Water Shark Gang didn’t have their best interests at heart, they weren’t fearful due to a balance of power. Little did they know, the leader of the Water Shark Gang’s martial arts had significantly improved to the point of overpowering Qiu Mingyue, almost killing her on the spot.
Rou was there at the time. If it were not for her mother and her followers protecting her desperately, Rou might not have escaped.
"Didn’t you send anyone to search for her in the Foggy Area?"
Niu Dali asked.
Rou clenched her teeth and hatred sparked in her eyes as she responded, "Although I’ve ordered it multiple times, those loyal to my mother have entered the Foggy Area, while the others have only hovered around the outskirts and haven’t really searched! Uncle Niu, I won’t lie to you, the majority of our gang has turned to Wen Bieqing!"
The Sea Leaf Gang had two leaders, and Wen Bieqing was the deputy.
"Doesn’t your Sea Leaf Gang have four Grand Elders?"
"Yes, but they have no real power, and at the time of the incident, only two supported Rou. That’s why Wen Bieqing has not dared to harm me."
Rou gave a bitter smile.
Wen Bieqing had deep schemes and had been plotting for many years, and had already secretly won over a large number of people. Also, she discovered his treacherous ambitions only recently. But with her mother missing and her own abilities, she was unable to stop him.
The truth was, had it not been for her mother’s loyal followers among those who went out to search for her, she would’ve been left in the dark about Wen Bieqing’s true intentions.
From Rou’s perspective, Niu Dali was incredibly strong and could easily deal with Wen Bieqing, with the help of the two Grand Elders who supported her, they could change the circumstances.
"Uncle Niu, please save my mother!"
Rou pleaded tearfully.
Niu Dali gave a bitter smile.
Truthfully, he didn’t want to get caught up in such internal gang struggles, especially with someone like Wen Bieqing who clearly wasn’t an easy opponent and whose trump cards were unknown.
But abandoning Qiu Mingyue was something he couldn’t bear to do, especially since he did have feelings for her.
It seemed he made a decision, Niu Dali said, "Rou, summon Wen Bieqing and the others."
Rou was overjoyed and immediately summoned her subordinates without hesitation.
Although under control, with Rou’s status, summoning Wen Bieqing and the four Grand Elders for a council was not something they could ignore.
Soon after, two old men arrived one after another. From Rou’s courteous interactions with them, it was probably the two who supported her.
It took more than half a 2-hour period for the remaining three to finally show up.
Shi Xiaole’s gaze instantly fell on the effeminate man in the middle. This man’s power was also at the eighth level of the Divine Barrier Realm, hardly inferior to Niu Dali.
Niu Dali also seemed to realize the truth and his eyes hardened further.
"Rou, what brings you to me? Speak up,"
His gaze swept across Niu Dali and Shi Xiaole, before Wen Bieqing casually took the main seat, from beginning to end, he didn’t spare a glance at Qiu Rou, as if he was the lord here.
Coldly, Qiu Rou said, "Wen Bieqing, my mother is in trouble now. According to the rules of the gang, I should temporarily take over as the gang leader. I demand your people to enter the foggy area immediately."
Wen Bieqing scoffed and mocked, "Rou, you can’t disregard the lives of the gang members just for your personal concerns. Especially now when the Water Shark Gang is watching us closely, we can’t afford to lose any strength. Aren’t your mother’s confidantes already in there? That should be enough."
"You’re making it sound so noble, but you just want to eliminate dissent and seize power! Wen Bieqing, I bet you can’t wait for my mother to die."
With Niu Dali standing by her, Qiu Rou spoke more forcefully.
"Who are you talking to?"
With a slight lift from his eyes, a frightening aura filled the room from Wen Bieqing, making the air in the entire hall feel as heavy as lead. Qiu Rou suddenly felt like she was choking, her face turned pale instantly.
Among the four Elders, two seemed indifferent while the other two frowned slightly but did not make a move.
A chilling sensation swept over Qiu Rou, leaving her feeling helpless.
She suddenly realized that those two Elders supporting her might be plotting their own schemes. They probably heard about Niu Dali’s arrival, and decided to watch first.
At a crucial moment, an equally strong aura appeared before Qiu Rou, who quickly recovered her senses and retreated to Niu Dali’s side.
"Niu Dali, are you, an outsider, intending to intervene in our gang’s affairs?"
Wen Bieqing’s eyes were icy cold, as he said flatly.
Of course, he recognized Niu Dali and was aware of his capabilities. However, times had changed, and if Niu Dali didn’t know his place, Wen Bieqing wouldn’t hesitate to teach him a lesson.
"Meddling? Rou is like my goddaughter. If you bully her, it’s the same as bullying me. Wen Bieqing, I suggest you apologize and do as Rou says. Otherwise, take responsibility for the consequences."
"Hahaha...."
Wen Bieqing laughed uproariously. As his laughter faded, a heavy palm force fiercely attacked Niu Dali.
Niu Dali easily dissolved it and flew out of the hall, Wen Bieqing followed closely behind. Next moment, a thunderous sound came from the sky.
All the gang members on Sea Leaf Island looked up, attracted by the intense battle in the sky.
"Talking nonsense!"
Without taking his opponent lightly, Niu Dali immediately used his killer move, his sword aura mysteriously striking towards his opponent.
"It’s just petty tricks, Omnipotent Claw!"
Wen Bieqing wielded a pair of black filament gloves, which should be a top-class spiritual weapon. His bare hands shot out, numerous sharp claws appearing that easily shattered the sword aura.
Nevertheless, Niu Dali used this opportunity to get closer to Wen Bieqing, running in mid-air with great strides and brandishing his heavy sword. His sword aura struck the distant ocean, creating hundreds of giant waves.
The four Grand Elders on the ground glanced at each other.
Niu Dali was indeed not to be underestimated. His strength was not weak even among Seventh Tier Earth Immortals. None of them stood a chance against him.
But what really shocked the four Grand Elders was Wen Bieqing.
Facing Niu Dali’s relentless attack, he managed with ease, exhibiting strength that completely overturned their previous impression of him.
"He hides so deep, how can this sort of cunningness be dealt with by a girl?"
A triangle-eyed Elder looked at Qiu Rou’s pale face and shook his head quietly.
He didn’t side with Wen Bieqing. One of the reasons was his fear of Qiu Mingyue’s return. But now, even if Qiu Mingyue did return, it might not be possible to suppress Wen Bieqing.
"How could this be?"
Qiu Rou’s face was terribly ugly.
Niu Dali was her last resort, but he couldn’t even take down Wen Bieqing. Was she really going to watch someone seize the foundation that her mother had worked so hard to build?
"Rhino gazing at the moon!"
After hundreds of moves, Niu Dali roared, and his sword radiance, like a new moon, covered most of the sunlight.
"Cold soul swapping sky claws!"
Facing the new moon’s sword radiance, Wen Bieqing did not dodge. He crossed his hands and a huge silver-grey claw aura shot out from the depth of the void, catching the sword aura while he tightened his grip.
Boom...
The sky vibrated, the chaotic aura rapidly spread, staining the sky momentarily.
Niu Dali and Wen Bieqing both retreated thousands of meters, looking like a draw.
Wen Bieqing suddenly laughed sinisterly and shouted to the ground, "Elders, Qiu Rou teamed up with an outsider, trying to harm me, the Gang Leader, and put the gang’s foundation at stake. According to the rules, how should we deal with this?"
"She must be punished!"
An Elder looked at Qiu Rou, no longer hiding the murderous intent in his eyes.
Another Elder looked at the two who were originally supporting Qiu Rou.
The latter two exchanged glances. One of them said, "The young lady is still of tender age, she doesn’t understand the cunningness of human hearts. Maybe she should go back to her room and calm down."
They couldn’t kill, or risk cutting off their retreat. But by seeing Wen Bieqing’s current strength, this was considered their indirect compromise. They didn’t fear Wen Bieqing’s wrath either.
If they drove the two of them away, Wen Bieqing wouldn’t be able to secure his leader’s position due to the strong power of the Water Shark Gang.
