Chapter 28: The Situation Takes a Turn for the Worse

Chapter 28: The Situation Is Dire

That night, Chu Tianfeng returned to the cave in the middle of the lake.

Thanks to his improved cultivation, the process of refining the marrow-cleansing elixir went smoothly for Chu Tianfeng, taking barely half an hour.

Afterward, he poured all the elixir into the pool, shed his clothing, and leapt into the spiritual spring.

He began by heating the spring with a spell, then thoroughly mixing the elixir into the water.

When everything was ready, he sat cross-legged in the pool, immersing himself as one would in a hot spring.

It felt as though countless tiny insects were biting at every inch of his skin, burrowing inside him, rampaging through his flesh, muscles, bones, blood, and even his internal organs.

The sensation of itching and pain was almost unbearable.

He hurriedly activated the Five Elements Technique, guiding the invading elixir with his true energy, hastening its passage through every part of his body, cleansing each organ and tissue.

At first, he could only soak for ten minutes at a time before having to leap out and meditate at the pool's edge.

Gradually, his endurance increased; ten minutes became twenty, then thirty, until by dawn on the fifth day, he could soak as long as he wished.

He knew his spiritual root was nearly at its maximum, approaching the legendary Perfect Root.

The spring water, originally milky white, turned pale green after the addition of the deep green elixir.

After three days and nights of soaking, the spring gradually became gray, almost like dirty water.

Chu Tianfeng then used Water Manipulation to guide it through the tunnel and out of the cave.

He took out the demon core of the giant python, cut the snake meat into countless pieces, kept about a hundred pounds for himself, and tossed the rest into the lake.

The python had eaten many of the lake's creatures; returning it to Thousand Bird Lake was, in a sense, just retribution.

Though the spring was now dry, the cave's spiritual energy remained dense.

Naturally, Chu Tianfeng would not waste it; he kept a hundred pounds of snake meat for cultivation within the cave.

——————

Hang City, Eastern Pavilion.

This was a high-end local establishment, also serving as the Hang City branch of the Salt Society.

The clubhouse had six floors, with Branch Leader Liu Zuo's office on the sixth.

A steady knocking sounded at the door.

"Come in!" Liu Zuo frowned.

The door was gently pushed open. A thin, middle-aged man stood in the doorway, holding a file. He entered, closed the door behind him, and approached Liu Zuo's large desk.

"What is it?" Liu Zuo gestured toward a chair.

"The situation is a bit dire." The thin man pulled out the chair, handed Liu Zuo the file. "Branch Leader, take a look."

Liu Zuo glanced over the file, then tossed it onto the desk. "Modern craftsmanship! Ah De, you really did me a disservice!"

"Who would've thought Ah De was so two-faced; this time he’s dug a huge pit for you," the thin man sighed.

"Hmph!" Liu Zuo slapped the armrest of his leather chair. "He even claimed that they risked their lives for this alchemy furnace!"

"Branch Leader, I’m not intentionally slandering Ah De," the thin man said, glancing at Liu Zuo. "But there are too many suspicious points."

Liu Zuo looked out the window thoughtfully.

He didn’t need the thin man to explain; he had already investigated the entire matter thoroughly.

Hu Changde thought he could easily deceive Liu Zuo. But Liu Zuo had risen from the ranks of petty street thugs to become a dominant branch leader—his courage and talent set him apart. Hu Changde playing tricks with him was nothing but self-sabotage.

"First, Ah De claimed Guo Xiancheng and Shao Fei fought over the treasure and both were wounded, allowing Ah De to play the fisherman. On the surface, this sounds reasonable," the thin man continued, shaking his head. "But I investigated the pressure point techniques used on Guo Xiancheng and Shao Fei; they weren’t from our Salt Society. The technique was very peculiar—I’ve never seen it before."

Liu Zuo nodded; he’d looked into that as well.

He preferred to believe Guo Xiancheng's account: they were ambushed by a minor character, and based on Chu Tianfeng’s identity, Liu Zuo suspected that the minor character was Chu Tianfeng himself.

Of course, he didn’t think Chu Tianfeng was that formidable—whether it was single-handedly playing with Hu Changde's group or taking down Guo Xiancheng and his men, Liu Zuo believed it was someone behind Chu Tianfeng who did it.

In other words, Chu Tianfeng had a powerful helper, someone whose cultivation was certainly not low!

That person had the ability to incapacitate Guo Xiancheng and his men without detection—just that alone made Liu Zuo uneasy. Even with his mid-stage Internal Force, he couldn’t guarantee such a feat.

He even speculated boldly: the person behind Chu Tianfeng was either his master or his senior disciple.

In any case, this person likely matched Chu Tianfeng in skill.

"Second, Ah De claimed they surrendered their bag for inspection to protect the alchemy furnace from being discovered by others. However, from what I learned, Ah De did surrender, but not after finding the furnace—it was before."

The thin man paused and continued, "Branch Leader, from my investigation, Guo Xiancheng and his group were among those who forced Ah De to surrender. If Ah De already had the furnace and Guo Xiancheng was subdued, how could they force him?"

"Hmph!" Liu Zuo’s face darkened with anger. "To think I trusted him so much, and he dared to deceive even me."

Liu Zuo could not tolerate subordinates who deceived or betrayed him. That was a red line; once crossed, he would punish severely.

"Branch Leader, please don’t be upset." The thin man picked up the file. "Finally, Ah De brought the fake furnace and Guo Xiancheng back to the branch. That’s the real trap—a careless misstep and both you and the branch could face annihilation!"

Liu Zuo waved his hand; he knew it was a big trap.

If the furnace were real, it would be fine. But it was fake, and so it was nothing short of a time bomb.

"How do we resolve this crisis? I fear the Hengshan and Huangshan sects will eventually trace it back to us," Liu Zuo didn’t want to hear more.

Those three points the thin man analyzed—Liu Zuo already knew. What mattered more was how to handle the situation.

"I’ve thought of two plans for you to consider." The thin man counted on his fingers. "First, sacrifice the pawn to save the king: return Guo Xiancheng and his group, hand over Ah De’s people, and compensate Hengshan and Huangshan for their losses. Second, eliminate Guo Xiancheng and his group in secret; if Hengshan or Huangshan come asking, we deny everything."

"Which plan do you think is better?" Liu Zuo frowned.

"I personally favor the first plan. Though it seems weak, it offers a clean break. The second plan is simple but risky; if word gets out, not only are our lives in danger, but the president and the entire Salt Society could be implicated."

Liu Zuo picked up a cigarette from the desk, tossed one to the thin man.

They smoked in silence, the room steeped in deathly quiet.

After a moment, Liu Zuo said, "You make a good point. But if we really hand over Ah De, won’t that chill the hearts of the brothers in the branch?" He sighed. "And will the president agree? Will Hengshan and Huangshan accept?"

"They shouldn’t mind. You could announce their crimes to the branch, and afterward take care of their families. The brothers will understand our predicament," the thin man replied, taking a deep drag.

He coughed, then continued, "I’ll explain to the president. Between a few errant subordinates and thousands of brothers, I trust the president will make the wise choice."

He cleared his throat. "As for Hengshan and Huangshan, as long as our gifts are generous and our sincerity clear, they won’t fight us tooth and nail over two low-ranking disciples. After all, the Salt Society is no small operation."

Liu Zuo considered for a moment, then finally nodded. "Very well, let’s do as you suggest. But what about the Mojin Sect?"

"I recommend the same approach as before: deny everything. We didn’t do it, unless the Mojin Sect can provide solid proof."

"Yes, but I worry they’ll keep pestering us and anger the president, which could get out of hand."

"No need to fret too much. I do have an idea."

"Oh? Go on," Liu Zuo became interested.

"My plan is to shift the blame eastward. We can tell the Mojin Sect their disciples were tracking Chu Tianfeng alongside us before the incident, guiding them to trouble Chu Tianfeng instead."

"But wouldn’t that mean giving up on Chu Tianfeng? If the treasure really is in his hands, wouldn’t that be a loss for us?"

"Branch Leader, whether Chu Tianfeng has the treasure is still unknown. Even if he does, we likely can’t intervene—his backer is formidable. I don’t recommend confronting him directly. But we can lead the Mojin Sect to clash with Chu Tianfeng, while we sit back and reap the benefits. Why not?"

"Hmm, it seems that’s our only option right now." Liu Zuo sighed helplessly.

Just then, the knocking sounded again.

Liu Zuo slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "Come in."

The door opened again, and a young man entered respectfully, addressing Liu Zuo and the thin man, "Branch Leader, Brother Chen."

The thin man nodded in greeting.

"What’s going on?" Liu Zuo asked.

"Brother De and his group went to Thousand Bird Lake early this morning—they heard Chu Tianfeng was spotted," the young man replied.

Liu Zuo glanced at the thin man.

The thin man quickly asked, "Did all of them go?"

"Yes, two stayed at Thousand Bird Lake, and four from the branch went over."

"Branch Leader, we may need to call them back," the thin man suggested.

Liu Zuo nodded and turned to the young man. "Go tell Ah De: plans have changed, have them withdraw immediately."

"Yes, Branch Leader." The young man agreed and left.

"Send another team to keep watch," Liu Zuo said calmly. "Pick smart ones."

"Understood." The thin man nodded. "I’ll handle this."

"And inform the Enforcement Squad; have a team ready. Once Ah De and his group return, arrest them all," Liu Zuo finally resolved, sacrificing the pawn for the king.