33: Five Spirits Gang Headquarters

Inside the carriage, Qi Longhu and Chen Heng sat facing each other.

Qi Longhu looked out the window, saying nothing.

Chen Heng did not speak either, circulating his Nine Revolutions Longevity Art to silently increase his internal Qi.

"Brother Chen, do you know that the Five Spirits Gang used to have eight Protectors?"

Qi Longhu broke the silence and looked at Chen Heng.

"Eight Protectors? Aren't there only the Gang Leader and the five Hall Masters?"

Chen Heng also stopped circulating his Nine Revolutions Longevity Art, looking at Qi Longhu with some confusion.

"I remember you came from Fulai County, right?" Qi Longhu did not answer Chen Heng directly, but asked instead.

"Yes, Fulai County was targeted by the Ghost Corpse Temple for a blood sacrifice."

"My family had no choice but to flee to Qiyang City."

"Originally, there was an Evil Path faction near Qiyang City that raised Anomalies and used the blood of Anomalies to strengthen themselves."

"What does this have to do with the eight Protectors?" Seeing that Qi Longhu still hadn't gotten to the point, Chen Heng was even more confused.

Why did the conversation turn into a history lesson?

"It seems you know nothing about them." Qi Longhu shook his head.

"That Evil Path group was known as the Lower Aristocratic Clans."

"Aristocratic Clans?" Chen Heng knew the meaning of the term, but he had never seen one in the Great Liang Kingdom.

"Yes, Aristocratic Clans." Qi Longhu's gaze drifted into the distance.

"The original Aristocratic Clans protected the Great Liang Kingdom for generations, but they turned to the Evil Path."

"They were wiped out by the very Anomalies they raised, which led those Anomalies to set their sights on Qiyang City."

"The Great Liang officials were powerless, so only our Five Spirits Gang could resist those Anomalies."

"Wait, aren't Anomalies and demons the same thing?" Chen Heng interrupted Qi Longhu, his confusion growing.

"Demons?" Qi Longhu sneered.

"Compared to Anomalies, demons seem so friendly."

"We martial artists have the ability to fight demons once we reach the External Force stage, but Anomalies are different."

"Ordinary martial arts methods are completely ineffective against them; only Innate martial artists have a chance to kill them."

"The original eight Protectors all died in that great battle against the Anomalies."

"The Gang Leader was originally an Innate martial artist, but he was severely injured in that great battle, and his strength plummeted."

"Even after twenty-plus years of recuperation, the Gang Leader still cannot return to his Peak strength."

"What does this have to do with me?" Chen Heng still didn't understand what Qi Longhu meant by saying this.

"It really has nothing to do with you." Qi Longhu sighed.

"I just wanted to remind you to be very careful of Anomalies when you are out and about."

"Every year, the Five Spirits Gang recruits two or three hundred members, but do you know why the total number always hovers around one thousand?"

"It is because of the Anomalies."

"That thing does not distinguish between friend or foe; even demons and ghosts are their food."

"Furthermore, the Gang Leader's sons are disappointing; instead of focusing on cultivating the Dao of martial arts, they have started fighting for power and profit within the gang."

"Try to have as little contact with them as possible."

Chen Heng did not reply; he was not yet qualified to speak on such topics.

Qi Longhu stopped talking, and the two sat in silence.

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped.

The driver stepped forward, knocked on the door, and said: "Hall Master, Steward Chen, we have arrived at the Headquarters."

Qi Longhu adjusted his mood, casting the old memories aside.

"Come on, let me show you our Five Spirits Gang Headquarters."

"Although it looks a bit strange, it is still very spectacular!"

Chen Heng followed Qi Longhu out of the carriage, and what came into view was a strangely shaped... building?

Chen Heng recognized the one on the left; that was the City Lord's Mansion.

The one on the right must be the Five Spirits Gang Headquarters; it was twice the size of the City Lord's Mansion.

Moreover, this thing shouldn't be called a Headquarters; it was a land fortress.

The perimeter wall was thicker than the outer city wall, and it was even reinforced with a layer of iron plating.

In addition to the five flags of the five halls, a pure black flag with the words 'Five Spirits' written on it hung at the highest point.

"How about it? Impressive, right?" Qi Longhu patted Chen Heng on the shoulder, his face full of pride.

"Wait, the Headquarters is built even larger than the City Lord's Mansion; isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Chen Heng had a strange expression; this was really not showing any respect for the City Lord.

"Hmph, that guy is just a piece of trash, a piece of trash who knows nothing but eating, drinking, and playing."

Qi Longhu snorted angrily.

"The City Lord's Mansion doesn't manage anything at all, and even the defense of Qiyang City is handled by the Five Spirits Gang, so what if we built it bigger than his?"

"Enough about him; there are already people at the gate to welcome us."

The main gate of the Headquarters opened, and a row of men and women walked out to look at Chen Heng.

On this path of less than two hundred meters to the gate, there were at least over one hundred gang members lined up in two rows, guarding with swords in hand.

Qi Longhu took two steps forward and led Chen Heng toward those men and women.

"Greetings, Hall Master Qi!" The group of men and women bowed respectfully.

"The Gang Leader and the various Hall Masters have been waiting for a long time!"

Qi Longhu did not dawdle; he led Chen Heng directly up the stairs, all the way up, and into the main hall.

At the very top of the main hall sat an old man with white hair but a ruddy complexion; he looked like the Gang Leader.

The old man was bare-chested, his well-defined muscles showcasing explosive power.

He wore a pair of black metal wrist guards on his wrists, which looked like high-quality items.

Although Qi Longhu had said that the Gang Leader had not yet recovered from his severe injuries, his Aura was still extremely fierce.

As soon as Chen Heng walked into the main hall, he felt at least a dozen gazes land on him.

It was not that Chen Heng was too sensitive, but that those gazes were simply too sharp.

It even made Chen Heng's skin feel a slight tingling sensation.

It was obvious that these dozen gazes belonged to at least experts at the Hua Jin stage.

Chen Heng was not the type to just take things lying down; his expression did not show the slightest fear, and he glared back at each one of them.

To be honest, Chen Heng was especially excited right now.

There were actually a whole bunch of experts here that he couldn't even see before.

It would be so convenient to find people to spar with in the future!

Those gazes seemed to sense the Battle Intent on Chen Heng, and more than half of them immediately retracted.

Two of them even lowered their heads, trying to avoid eye contact with Chen Heng.

They were most annoyed by battle maniacs like Chen Heng, who would want to spar with you at the drop of a hat.

He didn't know how to hold back during a fight, and you would get injured as soon as you started.

Qi Longhu had the same personality; before he was a Hall Master, he would look for people to fight every day, making the entire Five Spirits Gang miserable.

This explains why Qi Longhu liked this kid so much.

These two were birds of a feather!

After looking at the dozen or so experts below the Gang Leader, Chen Heng's gaze went straight to the Gang Leader.

"I am Gou Longxun; that kid Qi Longhu really didn't lie to me!"

Gou Longxun's gaze was fiery as he stared at Chen Heng.

"You really are a good seedling for martial arts, and your own strength is not weak either; even that kid Qi Longhu couldn't take you down."

Gou Longxun's voice was full of energy; one couldn't tell at all that he had been injured.

"You have all seen him; tell me your thoughts."