Chapter 114: Resentment

Tai Tai, Xing Feng, and several other leaders of the Hante Tribe were still talking at the dining table in the hall when a loud noise was heard outside.

“What was that!”

“It was the sound of an explosion!”

The men had just stood up when a subordinate rushed into the hall. “Chief, someone… someone is attacking!”

“Follow me.” With a wave of his hand, Tai Tai led the group toward a small path behind the hall. Having experienced years of gang conflicts, they had long anticipated an attack on their home and prepared a backdoor.

So, Tai Tai led Xing Feng and the others along the path toward the backdoor. After entering the path, they closed and locked the large iron door connecting to the hall behind them.

Along the way, they could still hear sporadic shouts and sounds of fighting from the front yard.

Xing Feng frowned and said, “Who is coming after us? Could it be the Sea Dragon Gang? How dare they?”

“It must be them. That old man Long Feiyang is probably making a desperate move. Hmph.” Tai Tai, walking at the front, said with a face full of disdain, “That old fool must have lost his mind. Our people are all around here. We’ll hide in the small room for a while and come out after the fighting outside is over.”

The small room he mentioned was naturally the one next door, accessible through the backdoor. Tai Tai had bought it long ago as one of his hideouts. It even had a tunnel leading one kilometer away. It was clear he had put a lot of effort into planning his escape.

But just as they were running away, a series of screams suddenly came from behind. Xing Feng couldn’t help but look back and saw a young girl casually push open the large iron door. No one knew how she managed to push it open since Tai Tai had locked it securely.

The girl’s face was cold, but she was extremely beautiful. Every part of her face seemed flawless. Dressed in a white robe, she looked like a fairy made of ice and snow.

However, such goddess-like beauty did not stir any desire in Xing Feng. Beside the ice-cold girl, six white shadows, like ghosts, floated around her, drifting continuously in her surroundings.

“Ah!”

“Kill this witch!”

Behind the large iron door, over ten Hante Tribe blade fighters charged out, swinging their blades at the white-robed girl. But before they could get close to her, the white shadows in the air pounced on them. They screamed and fell to the ground, unable to get up again.

“Dammit.” Next to Xing Feng, a Hante Tribe blade fighter named Huo Yong charged forward. He was one of the most skilled fighters in their tribe. It was said that when he swung his blade, he could cut the wings off a flying fly without harming the fly itself.

But even such a skilled fighter, who had once single-handedly taken down over twenty opponents, had only taken a few steps toward the white-robed girl when a white ghostly shadow rushed at him. This time, it wasn’t just a simple pounce—the ghostly shadow entered Huo Yong’s body through his nose.

Ah! Screams continuously came from Huo Yong’s mouth. The strong man knelt on the ground in less than five seconds, his eyes bulging violently. In the end, he couldn’t even let out a single scream.

From beginning to end, the girl never stopped walking. She headed straight toward Tai Tai and the others. The white shadows around her flew up and down, and no blade fighter could get within ten meters of her.

“Dammit, this girl is too sinister.”

“Let’s run, run!”

By now, Tai Tai and Xing Feng were covered in goosebumps. The woman’s methods of attack were too bizarre, and even an expert like Huo Yong had fallen in an instant. They had no desire to resist and rushed toward the end of the path.

But just then, a young man blocked their way. He had a round face and spoke to Tai Tai and the others with a simple and honest expression. “Sorry, this way is closed now.”

“Get out of the way!” One of the Hante People swung his blade at the round-faced youth. But with a flash of silver light, the blade in the Hante man’s hand shattered into countless pieces. No one knew how many times he had been cut in that instant, but the man became drenched in blood, which spurted out like a fountain from head to toe.

Tai Tai stopped and looked grimly at the round-faced youth holding a curved blade with a simple and honest expression. He looked back and saw the white-robed girl still walking step by step toward them, with over twenty of his skilled subordinates now lying at her feet.

Xing Feng swallowed nervously and asked, “Who are you? Why are you attacking us?”

Tai Tai also asked, “Did Long Feiyang hire you? How much did he pay? I’ll pay double!”

“Long Feiyang…” Tang Yuan curled his lips. “He certainly couldn’t hire us. As for who we are, you’re not qualified to know. Just know that we’re not here to kill you. We’re just here to take you with us.”

“Take us with you?” Tai Tai said, feeling confused. At that moment, he heard the sounds of fighting drawing closer from outside, and his face lit up with hope. “My men have surrounded this place. You can’t escape.”

“You still don’t understand who is surrounding whom.” Tang Yuan smiled slightly and pointed his blade behind Tai Tai. “After you.” Tai Tai and Xing Feng exchanged glances. The round-faced youth in front of them was already a master with the blade, and the white-robed girl was even more formidable and unfathomable. Faced with such a threat, they had no choice but to follow for now.

But as they followed the others out, the scenes they witnessed along the way only deepened their fear. No matter what kind of attack came or how many people there were, the white shadows around the girl only needed to pounce lightly, and no one could withstand them.

Besides the round-faced youth, there were many others in the group. Everywhere were soldiers holding torches and weapons, standing guard at regular intervals. Though they didn’t seem to be city defense troops, Tai Tai and Xing Feng could tell at a glance that they were from the Imperial Court.

They couldn’t understand why the Imperial Court would personally send people to deal with a mere gang like theirs. An overwhelming pressure weighed down on them, crushing any thought of resistance.

While they were still shocked by this outcome, a person appeared in front of the girl. Tai Tai recognized him—it was Zuo Zhicheng, who had been so arrogant in front of him just yesterday. But what struck him as bizarre was the attitude of the surrounding black-clad figures and the white-robed girl toward Zuo Zhicheng.

“You really did me a favor,” Zuo Zhicheng said calmly. He said this because he had just arrived and, before he could even act, he found that Qingyue Qiu had already mobilized the Shadow Corps to eliminate Tai Tai and his men.

“So, we hope you’ll do us a favor in return,” the white-robed girl said. Her words left Tai Tai utterly confused as to why such a powerful girl would speak to Zuo Zhicheng in a negotiating tone, but that was exactly how it sounded to him.

Of course, he had no idea that the white-robed girl’s words were mainly directed at Ghost Fist, who stood behind Zuo Zhicheng.

“We guarantee he will never threaten you again. Could you spare his life?”

Qingyue Qiu’s goal was to maintain a balance between the two sides, preventing Xinlu Port from becoming a battleground for gang wars and disrupting the normal order here.

“Alright.” Zuo Zhicheng glanced at Xing Feng and Tai Tai, seeing their bewildered expressions, and smiled faintly. “I’ll give you this face.”

More than ten seconds later, Zuo Zhicheng walked away as if taking a stroll, gradually disappearing into the shadows.

Qingyue Qiu let out a deep sigh of relief. Xing Feng and Tai Tai could clearly sense her relief. Seeing the looks in their eyes, Qingyue Qiu said calmly, “I know you’re confused, but now I can tell you: we came to save you. If we hadn’t shown up just now, that man would have killed you, no matter if there were hundreds or even thousands of people around you.”

Qingyue Qiu was referring to Ghost Fist, but to Tai Tai and Xing Feng, it sounded like she meant Zuo Zhicheng. Though there was no difference, they still found it unbelievable.

“Don’t doubt it. Starting tomorrow, you must return the port territories to the Sea Dragon Gang. Then, maintain a balance with the Sea Dragon Gang. I don’t want anything to cause chaos in Xinlu Port again.”

“I know you feel resentful, but the more resentment you hold, the more danger your lives will be in. If you can’t swallow your anger, the only ones who will suffer in the end are yourselves.”

By influencing the Hundred Families Association through the Hante People, and with Zuo Zhicheng, as per the previous agreement, only maintaining a balance with the Hundred Families Association, the Shadow Corps could follow their original plan—controlling most of Xinlu’s natives through the Hundred Families Association while gaining a powerful ally in Ghost Fist. The gangs in Xinlu would also enter a relatively peaceful period.

Qingyue Qiu’s demeanor and words gave Tai Tai and Xing Feng a feeling of immense pressure, as if an unstoppable force was at work. This was the power of the Imperial Court, the authority that came with holding power. Under such overwhelming pressure, how could the two of them even think of resisting? They could only agree in fear and trepidation, with only one thought left in their minds.

‘What exactly is Zuo Zhicheng’s identity?’