90: Madness

The bizarre disappearance of Zhang Yuchen and Wei Jingtong was like two massive boulders thrown into a pool of stagnant water, setting off a colossal wave in the underworld of Qinghe County.

For the first few days, the Black Mountain Gang managed to maintain a facade of calm. Zhang Zhifeng mobilized every resource at his disposal, turning the county inside and out like combing hair, but found nothing. No person was found alive, nor was any corpse recovered; the only remaining clue was a few messy wheel ruts on a secluded road and traces of a struggle that had been almost deliberately erased.

This kind of unknown and complete disappearance was even more terrifying than finding a corpse.

The unease and anxiety in Zhang Zhifeng's heart grew day by day. Finally, after a trusted subordinate responsible for cleaning the secret room broke under pressure and revealed the details of how Wei Jingtong had consumed the blood and Qi of gang members to heal his injuries, it transformed completely into desperate madness.

He was almost certain that both his son and the envoy had met with misfortune.

And in Qinghe County, who else but the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall—with its deep official background and the backing of the Prefectural Commander—could have done it so cleanly that even a trace was hard to find?!

"Zhao Zheng! Martial Uncle! You have cut off my lineage and destroyed my future! I will make you pay the price! I will make the entire Qinghe County be buried with you!"

Inside the secret room, Zhang Zhifeng's eyes were bloodshot and his hair and beard bristled. The Qi and blood of his Jiaojin Realm overflowed uncontrollably, making the walls hum and vibrate. He was like a wounded beast trapped in a cage, his reason completely consumed by the pain of losing his son and the resentment of his ruined future.

Since he couldn't find the exact culprit, he would eliminate every possible and potential threat!

A bloody, indiscriminate retaliation quietly unfolded under the cover of night.

First to bear the brunt was the Hundred Herbs Hall, which had recently had friction with the Black Mountain Gang.

Overnight, two Herb Gathering experts at the Skin Tempering Realm, who were responsible for guarding the warehouse at night, were found dead inside. Their throat bones were crushed, and seventy to eighty percent of their blood was gone. Their deaths were somewhat similar to the old veterans from the military camp, but the wounds were more violent, clearly the result of venting rage.

Next, the Fumen Escort Agency, which had competed with the Black Mountain Gang over freight routes, suffered misfortune.

The Deputy Chief Escort, an experienced Flesh Refining Realm Martial Artist, was ambushed on Shili Slope ten miles outside the city while returning from an escort mission in a neighboring county. He and four other escorts were all killed, and the goods were plundered. Only several sharp claw marks deep enough to see bone were left at the scene—Zhang Zhifeng's famous technique, the Black Fiend Claw.

Subsequently, the owner of the Shi Family Carriage and Horse Shop—a Martial Artist who had accumulated some family wealth through diligent management and had only recently broken through to the Flesh Refining Realm—was found in the well in his own backyard. His body was bloated from the water, and a clear palm print on his back had shattered his heart vessels.

Even the Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall and Changxing Martial Arts Hall, which usually minded their own business and were only slightly smaller in scale, did not escape.

An instructor at the Flesh Refining Realm from the Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall was attacked and killed on his way home late at night.

At the Changxing Martial Arts Hall, a talented Personal Disciple died suddenly and mysteriously in his own room. Extreme terror remained on his face, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Within just a few days, five or six Flesh Refining Realm Martial Artists had either died or disappeared, including several prominent figures within the county.

For a time, everyone in Qinghe County was on edge. Martial Artists with some strength, in particular, lived in fear, not daring to step out at night. Major shops and martial arts halls strengthened their security, and the air was thick with panic and oppression.

Such rampant serial murders, targeting the Martial Artist class within the city, seriously challenged the Government's bottom line and shook the ruling order of Qinghe County.

The County Magistrate could no longer sit still.

If the previous deaths of the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall Disciple and several veterans could be temporarily suppressed as "accidents" or "the work of an evil cult," now those dying were martial arts instructors, escort chiefs, and shop owners with properties and status! How many networks of relationships were involved behind these people? How much tax revenue did they contribute to the county office every year?

Furthermore, County Commandant Wang and Li Xunya bore the greatest pressure.

Commander Martial Uncle had explicitly warned them before leaving to do their utmost to maintain stability and cooperate in the investigation of the White Lotus Sect.

Now, not only had no clues about the White Lotus Sect been found, but the county had fallen into chaos first, and those dying were all talents who might have participated in the Martial Examination and served the imperial court!

"Investigate! Conduct a thorough investigation for me! County Commandant Wang, Li Xunya! I give you three days to give me an explanation! Otherwise, you can stop wearing those official robes!"

In the back hall of the County Yamen, the County Magistrate smashed his favorite teacup and roared at the silent, trembling County Commandant Wang and Li Xunya.

County Commandant Wang's face was ashen, and he had already cursed Zhang Zhifeng a thousand times in his heart.

This idiot is simply seeking his own death!

Li Xunya's back was even more drenched in cold sweat. He knew that if he tried to smooth things over again this time, he might lose not just his post, but his life. The Yangwei Martial Arts Hall and Commander Chen from the prefecture would never let him off.

Meanwhile, inside the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall, Zhao Zheng and the hurriedly returned Martial Uncle sat playing chess, but neither of them was focused on the board.

"Senior Brother, Zhang Zhifeng is acting out of desperation," Zhao Zheng said, placing a piece, his voice cold.

Martial Uncle nodded slightly, a cold light flickering in his eyes.

"He has lost his only son and the support of the White Lotus Sect's envoy; he is now a cornered dog. Such madness gives us the perfect excuse to uproot him entirely."

"As for the Government side..."

"The County Magistrate and County Commandant Wang are more anxious than we are now," Martial Uncle interrupted, a cold smile curling his lips. "I have already filed a report at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, stating that the Black Mountain Gang in Qinghe County is in league with the White Lotus Sect, endangering the locality and threatening major upheaval. Now that the chaos has manifested, it is the perfect time for a complete eradication."

The two looked at each other, both seeing the resolve in the other's eyes.

Soon, a joint cleanup operation, secretly pushed by the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall, fully supported by the Water Patrol Division, and openly executed by the County Yamen, quickly unfolded.

Zhao Zheng personally stepped forward to unite the victimized Hundred Herbs Hall, Fumen Escort Agency, Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall, Changxing Martial Arts Hall, and other forces to form a temporary "City Protection Alliance" to exert collective pressure.

Shi Poyue and Di Moyu led the elite Disciples of the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall, cooperating with the fast boats and soldiers of the Water Patrol Division, to begin blockading the docks and warehouses under the Black Mountain Gang's name, cutting off its economic lifeblood and external communications.

Martial Uncle sat in the County Yamen, in his capacity as the Commander of the Constabulary, directly ordering County Commandant Wang and Li Xunya to mobilize all Yamen Runners and Constables, even borrowing a portion of the garrison under Wu Tiande, to conduct surprise raids on the core properties of the Black Mountain Gang. They made mass arrests under the names of "suspicion of murder," "harboring an evil cult," and "disturbing public order."