The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Seeing Zhang Xiaolin's fearlessness, A Gui glanced at Li Wenzheng with suspicion.

Li Wenzheng remained calm and said, "The accountant isn't here, so we'll have to go back to the gang to reconcile the accounts."

Zhang Xiaolin sneered: "You think the accounts can't be reconciled just because the accountant isn't here?"

Li Wen's expression darkened: "Boss, what do you mean by this? Do you think I'm afraid of reconciliation?"

"That's right!"

"There are no ledgers here, how can we verify the information?"

Zhang Xiaolin said, "Who said there are no ledgers? Ah Can!"

Ah-chan actually pulled out a ledger from his pocket!
Li Wen's expression tightened: "You planned this all along?"

Zhang Xiaolin sneered: "What are you saying? The accountant can't go on a long trip, so A-Can is temporarily keeping accounts for him. What's wrong with that?"

Li Wenzheng sneered: "Who carries an account book when they go out? Isn't it the same to just jot things down on paper and register them later?"

Ah-chan said, "I was too lazy to write it down twice, so I brought the ledger with me."

Li Wenzheng sneered: "Aren't you afraid of losing the ledgers?"

Ah-Can said, "As long as I don't throw it away, who would steal an account book?"

Zhang Xiaolin raised his hand to interrupt, and said sternly, "Enough with the nonsense! Start reconciling the accounts!" At this moment, he had returned to his domineering and autocratic state!
Ah-Can said, "Okay!" He flipped through a few pages and then said loudly, "Let's start from the month before last. On the seventh day of the ninth month, a fight broke out with the Hai Sha faction at the dock. After the fight, each person was given twenty taels, which was collected by Li Wenzheng. Here is the signature of the second leader."

A look of suspicion appeared on Ah Gui's face!
The other disciples looked at each other in bewilderment.
On the seventh day of the ninth lunar month, many people participated in that battle! Many were also injured!
One disciple whispered to his fellow disciple, "Did you get those twenty taels?"

The senior brother shook his head: "That time, the second-in-command said someone was seriously injured and he paid for the medical expenses in advance. Later, nothing came of it, and I was too embarrassed to ask about it again!"

The junior brother was taken aback and whispered, "The second-in-command said you were the one who was seriously injured!"

The senior brother shuddered, immediately stealing a glance at Li Wenzheng before moving closer to his junior brother and lowering his voice even further: "You mean... on the seventh day of the ninth month, the second-in-command said I was the one who was seriously injured? That means... all that money was used to pay for my medical expenses?"

The junior brother nodded!

The senior brother's face instantly turned pale and then red!

The junior brother whispered, "Senior brother, weren't you seriously injured on the seventh day of the ninth month?" In that battle involving nearly a hundred people, everyone was sent to recuperate after the battle, arranged by the second leader. Only the second leader knew who was lightly injured and who was seriously injured!
The senior brother looked at the junior brother with a strange expression and remained silent.
The junior brother understood instantly!

Damn! This second-in-command is such a person! He actually used everyone's hard-earned money to buy people's hearts!

Ah-Can continued, "On September 15th, we took on the task of assisting in the fight. Upon completion of the task, the employer paid each person thirty taels, the gang distributed twenty taels to each member as usual, and the remaining ten taels went into the public account. Ah-Gui also participated this time, earning a total of forty taels!"

Ah Gui suddenly said, "Wait a minute!"

Ah-Can glanced at him and said, "You tell me!"

Ah Gui's eyes flickered: "Who collected it on my behalf this time?"

Ah-Can smiled and said, "What do you think?"

Ah Gui's gaze sharpened: "I want you to speak!"

Ah Can's smile vanished: "Hmph!" He was about to retort when he suddenly saw Zhang Xiaolin's look and immediately held back: "Of course it's the second-in-command!" He waved the ledger, "He signed it himself!"

He didn't give Ah Gui a chance to speak and turned to the next page. "On September 27th, twenty brothers were sent to escort the goods. Afterwards, the employer paid five hundred taels, the gang received one hundred taels, and the remaining four hundred taels were distributed to the brothers who went out to work!" Four hundred taels, divided among twenty people, each of them received twenty taels!
All the entries read by Ah-Can involved Ah-Gui, so Ah-Gui's total income had reached sixty taels by this time!
Ah-Can continued reading: "On September 30th, everyone will receive their pay, twenty taels each. Because some brothers have performed exceptionally well, the gang leader will give them an extra twenty taels. Ah-Gui's income for September will be one hundred taels!"

One hundred taels!

What the hell!

The disciples inside the tent were all taken aback!
Most disciples received nothing in September except for their basic income of twenty taels, but Ah Gui actually earned one hundred taels! That's more than the county magistrate earns! Of course, the county magistrate doesn't rely on his salary!

The one who was most surprised was Ah Gui!

He looked at Ah-Can, his face contorted with rage: "Is Li Wenzheng still in charge?"

He's actually calling the second-in-command by his full name again!
The situation suddenly changed! Li Wenzheng remained calm and composed!

Ah-Can said seriously, "That's right! The Second Boss signed it on my behalf!"

Ah Gui turned around and stared at Li Wenzheng, his breath heavy: "Why?" He is loyal, fearless, and impulsive, but that doesn't mean he's stupid!
Li Wenzheng frowned and asked, "What do you mean, why?"

Ah Gui was somewhat unwilling to accept this; he was determined to get to the bottom of it: "Why did you lie to me?"

Li Wenzheng looked puzzled: "When did I lie to you?"

Ah Gui said, "That silver was originally given to me by the gang leader, so why do you say it was a loan from you?"

Li Wenzheng suddenly laughed, still as kind and amiable as ever: "Agui! They just pull out any ledger and claim it's real, their aim is to sow discord between us! Do you really believe their ledger?"

Ah Gui remained unmoved and said in a deep voice, "Even if the ledger is fake, the contents are real, right? I did go on a mission on September 17th, didn't I? I also went on a mission on September 15th, didn't I? I was also involved in the operation on September 27th, wasn't I?"

Li Wenzheng's smile froze instantly!
Ah Gui was actually smarter than he had imagined! He thought Ah Gui was completely under his control, but unexpectedly, Ah Gui suddenly became unusually clear-headed!

Li Wenzheng laughed and said, "Ah Gui! You didn't take a single penny less of that money! You didn't lose out!"

Ah Gui looked at him as if he were a stranger, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly pulled out a short knife!

Li Wenzheng immediately took a step back and shouted sternly, "What are you trying to do?"

Suddenly, Ah Gui plunged a knife into his own thigh! *Thud!* The knife disappeared down to the hilt!
His face turned deathly pale, and he knelt down with a thud, saying in a deep voice, "Chief, I was blind and fell for the villain's scheme. This blow is punishment for your disrespectful words! As for my violation of the gang rules, how to deal with me is up to you!"

Zhang Xiaolin remained unfazed, simply saying, "You've been kept in the dark. Ignorance is no excuse, but those who hear should take heed! Get up!"

Ah Gui kept his head down and didn't stand up. He was ashamed and embarrassed to stand up! Zhang Xiaolin gave Ah Can a wink, and Ah Can went over to help Ah Gui up. "Get up, you know the gang leader always has a sharp tongue but a soft heart!" Ah Gui slowly stood up.

Zhang Xiaolin looked at Li Wenzheng, "What do you want to say?"

Li Wenzheng laughed and said, "You really have been pretending to be stupid all along! I admire you!" Although the situation had reversed and he was now surrounded, there was no sign of tension or fear on his face.

Zhang Xiaolin said calmly, "I've always been smart. When have I ever pretended to be stupid?"

Ah Can said, "Boss, the second-in-command has said more than once in front of the brothers that you're a roughneck and have no brains!"

Zhang Xiaolin laughed and said, "Oh, so he's just being arrogant! He's been spreading rumors about me behind my back. Could he have started to believe them himself?"

Ah-Can laughed and said, "I think so!"

The sarcasm is off the charts!

Li Wenzheng laughed and said, "You've won!" The situation was settled, and he no longer had a foothold in the Black Tiger Gang!
Many people are speculating why the second-in-command can still laugh at a time like this! Does he have a backup plan?

Zhang Xiaolin's mind raced. He ruled out the possibility of gunpowder planted in the tent and poisoned food. Li Wenzheng's backup plan was either to use his lightness skill to break through the tent and escape, or he might be carrying some deadly weapon capable of annihilating everyone in one fell swoop, or... he might have reinforcements outside the tent! In any case, Li Wenzheng's embezzlement of his brothers' hard-earned money to buy their loyalty was a done deal, with no room for negotiation!

He either escapes or he dies!
Either he dies, or we all die!

The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point!

Everyone instinctively placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, their bodies tense, ready to strike at any moment!
Just then, the aroma of meat wafted in from outside the tent. Ah-Can couldn't help but sniff it twice, and his stomach unexpectedly started rumbling loudly!

Zhang Xiaolin asked, "Are you hungry?"

Ah-Can said, "Mm." He hadn't eaten enough for several days and was getting hungrier and hungrier.

Zhang Xiaolin sighed, "Those damned Tibetan soldiers, they even set a limit on the amount they sold each time, as if they were afraid we'd eat too much! Damn it, they swindled so much money from us, and I was even thinking of getting it back later. Now look what's happened, Feng Jiuxiao and his group killed everyone, and all that money is probably with them now, sunk in the lake."

Ah Can said, "Money is just an external thing, but the most urgent thing is to ask Feng Jiuxiao and the others for some food and firewood, otherwise the brothers won't be able to survive this freezing weather!" At night, without charcoal for warmth, even if everyone is highly skilled in martial arts, once they fall asleep, they might never wake up again! The cold in this high-altitude region is not the cold of Jiangnan! The cold here is a true, bone-chilling cold! A cold that can freeze people into ice sculptures! Below the seventh realm, even if they don't die, they'll be crippled!
Zhang Xiaolin said, "Let's solve the immediate problem first!"

The outside must be safe first!

"Second Master, you've violated so many gang rules, you can't escape responsibility. For the sake of your dignity, commit suicide."

Li Wenzheng laughed and said, "Zhang Xiaolin, you clearly promised to help me establish a new world, but now you've gone back on your word. Not only are you not keeping your promise, but you even want to kill me! Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

A thought flashed through A-Can's mind: Could it be that the two of them reached some kind of agreement while we were away? But the gang leader suddenly changed his mind?
Zhang Xiaolin said, "Haven't you always wanted to kill me? Just now you called Agui to step forward, wasn't that because you wanted to join forces against me? It's just that you suddenly realized I was on guard, so you didn't dare to make a move rashly! Agui, am I right?"

Ah Gui said, "That's right! We've already made a plan. As long as he gives the order, the two of us will join forces to kill you!"

Everyone was secretly horrified! Just now... a great battle almost broke out! Everyone was filled with lingering fear! When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?
Zhang Xiaolin said, "In front of everyone, I can honestly say that I did agree to the second-in-command's request to set up his own separate business."

Everyone was somewhat taken aback.

Zhang Xiaolin said, "But that's just a temporary measure! If I don't agree, he might take action right then and there! Even if he doesn't attack me directly, he'll try to trick you into opposing me! At that time, you won't know his true colors at all. Even if I expose him, you won't believe me. You'll only think that I'm jealous of him and trying to smear him. You'll fight for him and kill me! So I can only use delaying tactics!"

Li Wenzheng smiled wryly, "I have to admire you. You actually let A-Can bring the account book!" The account book is absolutely the key to turning the tide! Without the account book, no one would believe A-Can no matter how eloquently he spoke! But with the account book, it's different! Everyone recognizes that account book; it can't be faked. Everyone has signed their name on it more than once!
Li Wenzheng had planned everything meticulously, but he never expected that the accountant's treasured ledger would actually appear on the Tibetan Plateau in the northwest!
Zhang Xiaolin said, "What are you waiting for? Waiting for a miracle to happen?"

Li Wenzheng suddenly clenched his teeth and let out a shrill whistle!

He's sending a signal!
Ah-chan suddenly drew his sword and stabbed!

Zhang Xiaolin also lunged forward and threw a powerful punch!
Li Wenzheng retreated violently! With a ripping sound, the tent was shattered by him, and he rushed out of the tent!

The group immediately gave chase!

One moment everyone was grateful and praising Li Wenzheng, the next they wished they could tear him apart and drink his blood. This was not for any other reason than that they had been completely deceived and were furious!
Snowflakes drifted outside the tent, and the air was filled with the aroma of meat.

The martial arts heroes were starving, and the aroma of meat made their mouths water. Many even considered spending money to buy some!

At this moment, shouts and yells came from dozens of feet away. When everyone looked over, they saw more than a dozen figures chasing after one person!
Some people recognized them. "Holy crap, the one being chased is Li Wenzheng, the second-in-command of the Black Tiger Gang!"

"Who were those people chasing him?"

"Holy crap! They're all from the Black Tiger Gang! That's Zhang Xiaolin, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang! Holy crap, what happened here? Is there some internal strife?"

"Holy crap, infighting?" Their love of watching a spectacle was aroused, and almost everyone's attention was drawn to it!

Feng Jiuxiao naturally noticed the commotion over there, but only glanced at it before looking away.

He had no interest in any of this. What day in the martial world wasn't filled with fighting and killing? It was always either you attacking me or I attacking you; grudges and feuds raged on, when would they ever end? He was used to it, nothing surprising about it anymore!

Suddenly, he frowned, slowly turned around, and his gaze settled on an inconspicuous tent several dozen feet away. That tent was almost identical to the other Tibetan soldiers' tents. But Feng Jiuxiao sensed a murderous aura emanating from that tent!
Seeing Feng Jiuxiao looking at a tent in the distance with a solemn expression, Pang Shiwu immediately asked, "What's wrong, brother? Is there something going on over there?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "There's a master in that tent!"

Pang Shiwu's eyes flickered. "Could it be that some Tibetan soldiers are cowering and secretly hiding in the tents?"

Through the thick blanket of snow, he couldn't sense any sign of life on the other side. But he firmly believed that Feng Jiuxiao wouldn't be paranoid; there were definitely people there. "I'll go check it out!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Although you have the Blood Rain Fragrance Sword protecting you, you still need to be extra careful! The experts inside are probably no less powerful than me!" His sixth sense told him that the people there were very dangerous! If it weren't for his high level of vigilance, he wouldn't have been able to discover that there was actually a living person hiding there!

At that moment, the Han man in the Tibetan robe happened to see Feng Jiuxiao looking in his direction. Those deep eyes seemed to see through the curtain and discover him!

He was startled!
What level of martial arts has this young man reached? Why can't I sense his skill level? The sword at his waist seems familiar! Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes, "I remember now, that sword is called Xuanhuang! It's the treasured sword of the Khitan Hailar! Could this kid be Hailar's disciple or grand-disciple?"

Just then, he noticed the boy in black walking towards him and couldn't help but sneer. He actually sent a mere brat to spy on him! Since he's here, he's not going back!

Li Wenzheng was surrounded on three sides, with only the lake side remaining untouched. Zhang Xiaolin intended to force Li Wenzheng into the lake! A bloodless victory, yet the enemy would suffer a far more gruesome death! In the dead of winter, amidst heavy snowfall, how delightful it would be to send the enemy into the icy waters, where they would either drown or freeze to death!

Zhang Xiaolin looked at Li Wenzheng, "Is there any point in your continued resistance? Please, enter the lake!" (End of Chapter)