Start with a red name

Chapter 143: Different Neighborhoods, Signs of Famine

Faced with Geng Xuan's question, Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong and others remained silent.

When Luo Qing, Wang Xi and other members of the Giant Bear Gang saw this, they all showed a hint of displeasure on their faces.

From a certain perspective, it was quite unkind of Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong and others to do this at this time.

Geng Xuan did not show any displeasure or dissatisfaction, but instead asked, "Does this trip have to be made?"

"...Yes." Fan Hongsheng said.

"What's the reason?" Geng Xuan asked.

"There are a lot... Well, I don't know how much you know about the relationship between us and Yueluyuan, and it's a bit difficult to explain in a few words." Fan Hongsheng said.

"I know a little about this. You can pick out the important things to tell me."

……

In fact, when Fan Hongsheng and others mentioned "visiting relatives in Yueluyuan", Geng Xuan had some guesses in his mind.

As a native of the neighborhood, Geng Xuan was naturally clear about the relationship between "Yue Luyuan" and their neighborhood.

From a certain perspective, "Yueluyuan" can be simply regarded as a blood-replenishing pack for the inner districts such as Changpingfang and Wanfufang.

Don’t underestimate neighborhoods like Changpingfang, Wanfufang, and Yonganfang. They are just like little brothers in front of forces like Kangleji and Baiyuanji.

There is a clear ceiling that is difficult to break.

But if we compare it horizontally with all the neighborhoods in Yuanzhou.

Whether it is the eight Lifangs around Kangle Market, including Changpingfang and Wanfufang, or the Lifangs around the markets such as Santong Market, Qingyuan Market, Baiyuan Market and Anle Market.

More than 90% of the towns and villages in Yuanzhou are so unattainable that one can’t help but drool with envy just thinking about them in dreams.

Because these neighborhoods that "live off the mountain" have one thing in common, that is, there is a treasure trove-like Chiwu Mountain behind them.

From this treasure trove, they can obtain a steady supply of meat, furs, medicinal herbs, minerals, gems, and many other precious products with huge economic value.

With these stable outputs, these "livelihoods" can not only easily meet the annual food and clothing needs of the entire neighborhood, but also allow many children in the neighborhood to embark on the path of cultivation.

Those who have the talent for cultivation can rely on the normal output of the mountains and forests behind the village to cultivate to the blood refining realm without encountering too much hindrance.

If the entire neighborhood were to gather its strength, it would be possible to cultivate strong men at the Marrow Refining Realm, and pass the tradition on from generation to generation.

It is precisely because of this strength and confidence that even neighborhoods like Changpingfang and Wanfufang are still suppressed by markets such as Kangleji and Santongji.

Most of the profits from the resources they produced and harvested from Chiwu Mountain with great effort were skimmed off by those guilds.

But in order to prevent the families from overturning the tables, they did not dare to oppress them too harshly and always had to give each family a portion of its profit margin.

From this we can also see that although the status of the two sides is different, they are generally at the same level.

The Lifang has the basis for equal dialogue with the market. If the Lifang work together, they can even make the market fear them.

Such strength and status are a luxury for more than 90% of the neighborhoods in Yuanzhou.

Therefore, places like Changpingfang, Wanfufang, and even all the neighborhoods that rely on Chiwu Mountain for survival are "abnormal" among the neighborhoods in Yuanzhou.

On the contrary, the neighborhoods scattered across Yueluyuan are the true reflection of most of the neighborhoods in Yuanzhou.

They cannot "live off the mountain" or "live off the water". They only have a piece of arable land, and food is their most important, or even their only, output.

For neighborhoods like Changpingfang and Wanfufang, the ceiling is the marrow refining realm.

But for these "unfortunate" people, the ceiling is not the marrow refining realm, or even the bone refining realm or the blood refining realm.

——If you are really "unfortunate" to be born in such a neighborhood, no matter how talented you are, it is simply wishful thinking to want to cultivate to the blood refining realm alone by relying on the output of these lands.

For those heroes who aspire to rule the world, these neighborhoods are the natural place to start.

In their eyes, plains like Yueluyuan, which can support a large population and produce a large amount of food, are "golden bellies" that make them salivate at the mere sight of them.

On the contrary, the neighborhoods like Changpingfang and Wanfufang, which are remote, have small populations, strong power, and independent minds, and often produce unruly people and rebels, are the "grass corners" that are like chicken ribs.

However, ever since Yuanzhou "abandoned his own martial arts" and voluntarily withdrew from the game of fighting for supremacy in troubled times.

Go down to the market which is closest to these neighborhoods, where a large number of city foxes, rats, hooligans and wanderers gather and have the power of life and death over them.

Go up to those guilds and gangs with stronger power.

They all took the initiative to cut off ties with these neighborhoods and no longer sought direct control.

However, this does not mean that the good times have come for these neighborhoods.

On the contrary, what awaits them is a new era of even greater suffering and danger.

Those heroes and tycoons also need their blood and flesh, and they need to constantly and continuously burn themselves to illuminate their future.

But even if it is just to allow them to burn longer, they will know when to stop and not fish out the pond.

On the spiritual level, we will win them over, comfort them, and show them kindness.

Now, all of that is gone.

Those forces that have the power to decide their life and death will no longer regard them as their personal property, and naturally they will not have the obligation to take good care of them and provide them with a long-term support.

If we don’t know such simple truths as “If you kill the chicken, there will be no more eggs” and “If no one grows crops, everyone will starve”.

Those forces that can decide their life and death will not mind taking away the last grain of food in their hands.

With this basic concept, we can roughly imagine what kind of life the people in these neighborhoods live.

Compared with other forces, such as Changpingfang and Wanfufang, which have the same needs for them, they are the most compassionate and are even regarded by the people in these neighborhoods as a perfect way to escape from the sea of suffering.

For neighborhoods like Changpingfang and Wanfufang, their only need is population.

To be more precise, it is "high-quality population".

Take Changpingfang as an example.

Changpingfang and the three Jiazhongfangs in Yueluyuan have a marriage relationship that lasts for two or three generations at the shortest and five or six generations at the longest.

Not only Changpingfang, Wanfufang, Yong'anfang, but also the surrounding neighborhoods of Santongji, Baiyuanji and Anleji have long-term and stable marriage relations with some neighborhoods in Yueluyuan.

Every year at the turn of spring and summer, all things enter the season of reproduction and growth after a winter of dormancy.

Hunting, herbal medicine gathering and other activities in the neighborhoods around Chiwu Mountain will be suspended for several months.

In order to give the mountains and forests more time to "recuperate", some neighborhoods will even implement stricter mountain closures and hunting and collection bans.

During this period, all the villages, including Changpingfang, would go to Yueluyuan in a large-scale and organized manner to "visit relatives".

One is to maintain influence in these neighborhoods and maintain existing in-law relationships.

For these neighborhoods, the arrival of Changpingfang and other neighborhoods is also very welcome.

There will even be a grand welcoming ceremony for this.

Because for these neighborhoods, having a "high-quality in-law" like Changpingfang and Wanfufang is also what they desire.

Even though many people in the Marrow Refining Realm died at Geng Xuan's hands, looking at the entire Yuanzhou, a force with strong people in the Marrow Refining Realm is still very influential.

A force that has something to do with the Marrow Refining Realm, even if it cannot completely prevent being bullied by others, will more or less be cautious and restrained.

Another, and most important, thing is to find excellent spouses for the next generation of the neighborhood.

Taking the family closest to Geng Xuan as an example, Chen Rongshan’s second wife, the aunt Zeng Rou who made his previous life palpitate and allowed Geng Xuan to experience the feelings of family members rarely in this life, her parents’ home is in Yueluyuan.

Thinking of this, Geng Xuan thought of another thing.

In fact, including Changpingfang, all the neighborhoods adjacent to Chiwu Mountain and relying on Chiwu Mountain for livelihood are implementing a cold and almost harsh "population screening mechanism" under the peaceful appearance.

To put it simply, if a family has no outstanding person for two or three generations, and they are all ordinary people,

Then, this family would surely disappear silently in neighborhoods like Changpingfang and Wanfufang.

Of course, the neighborhood will not take direct action against these families.

On the surface, the neighbors are still friendly and warm.

But under that cold and almost harsh mechanism, this family would definitely not be able to settle down in the neighborhood for a long time.

For example, the family of "Xue Tuozi" in Changpingfang. Even if Xue Tuozi had not been targeted by the rapist who was good at disguise, the "Xue family" with only two old people, Xue Tuozi and Xue Po, would be completely disappeared in the cemetery of Changpingfang in at most ten to twenty years.

The small courtyard where they live may be demolished and renovated, or it may remain intact to welcome a new family.

The other side of neighborhoods like Changpingfang, which have higher ceilings and higher yield rates, is the sacrifice of a large number of high-quality population.

Hunting kills people;
Collecting herbs can kill people;
After making some progress in cultivation, if you want to go further, travel outside, fight and exchange ideas with others... all of these will result in death.

Every death may very well mean the destruction of a family’s future hopes.

But it was precisely these deaths that allowed neighborhoods like Changpingfang and Wanfufang to continue from generation to generation.

Putting aside the changes in specific families, from the perspective of the Lifang, this is the basis for each Lifang to maintain its equal status in dialogue with the market despite its difference in status.

The other side of that cold and harsh screening mechanism is to prevent the mediocre and uncontributory daughters of these families from reaping the fruits of their successive deaths.

When he first came here, Geng Xuan was ignorant of all this and could not see clearly.

Gradually, Geng Xuan realized that he had glimpsed the cold underlying logic beneath the warm appearance.

This made him feel shocked and chilled.

The most typical incident was when the upper echelons of the neighborhood, including Chen Rongshan, Liao Lei and other backbone members of the neighborhood, conspired with Kangleji to "conspire" against the vendors in the neighborhood.

Because of his experience in his previous life, Geng Xuan subconsciously stood on the side of the vendors in the neighborhood emotionally.

Because of that incident, Geng Xuan's impression of Chen Rongshan became somewhat complicated for a while.

But then people tried their best to help him get a position to draw a salary without working, and gave him a share of the blood-stained silver.

The moment he took the silver, Geng Xuan still remembers the extremely complicated emotions in his heart.

Later, as Geng Xuan's understanding of the world became more and more profound.

It cannot be said that he has a full understanding of this cold mechanism, but he has more helpless sighs of being unable to distinguish right from wrong.

Can the Lifang's methods be a little more gentle?
of course can.

Is it possible to relax the harsh "population screening mechanism" and allow existing families in the neighborhood to have children as they please, so that the population can be completely self-sufficient without relying on external resources?
Of course.

No one stipulates that you must do this or that.

The cold mechanism currently in force in the neighborhoods of Changpingfang and Wanfufang did not suddenly appear out of nowhere, but evolved gradually.

Because those neighborhoods that did not follow this rule and occupied the precious land of Chiwu Mountain eventually disappeared in the long river of history for various reasons.

Or they may perish in conflicts with other nearby neighborhoods;
Or maybe it was a lack of successors, lacking the strength of the Marrow Refining Realm to take charge, and was frequently "visited" by various unknown characters at all times of day and night;

Or perhaps the population explodes, but the power decreases instead of increasing, and the forests with fixed output cannot support the endless demands, and naturally collapse...

There is nothing black or white here.

It's nothing more than "survival of the fittest".

After understanding this, you will have some understanding of why Bajiafang was so impatient and chose to go to Yueluyuan to "visit relatives" at this time.

In the past, Bajiafang was like a pool with a fixed reserve because the output of the mountains and forests behind it was fixed.

The amount of "living water" that needs to be replenished each year is basically fixed.

But now, Bajiafang has an additional amount of cash in its hands, exceeding two million taels.

On average, every neighborhood had an astonishing wealth of nearly 300,000 taels.

How to deal with this wealth?
Dig a cellar and bury it?
Some money-hungry individuals might do this.

But no matter whether it is Changpingfang or Wanfufang, all the neighborhoods that can now gain a foothold around Chiwu Mountain have already realized how power is formed, operates, and continuously enriched.

These lifangs retain the advantages of lifangs.

It has objectively evolved into a "gang-like" form with cultivation as its core and the growth of cultivation and strength as its top priority.

Therefore, converting wealth into power as quickly as possible is the inevitable choice for these neighborhoods.

The fact was just as Geng Xuan had thought, each family seemed to be a little impatient.

These forces can be specifically divided into "current forces" and "future forces".

The weapons, horses, and Xuanyou cavalry purchased at huge expense are the "current power."

Purchasing more blood-replenishing pills, as well as the Yueluyuan visit proposed by Fan Hongsheng and others, is the "power of the future."

……

The "Yueluyuan" mentioned by Fan Hongsheng and others aroused all kinds of thoughts in Geng Xuan's mind.

While his mind was in a mess, Fan Hongsheng also truthfully told him the reason why Bajiafang had to set out at this time.

The first reason he said was exactly what Geng Xuan was thinking.

They wanted to go to Yueluyuan and use the "in-law relationship" with many neighborhoods to find more high-quality men and women.

Before the annual "visiting relatives season" that is popular in all the neighborhoods around Chiwu Mountain arrives, those excellent seedlings are snatched up in advance.

The target of Bajiafang this time includes not only men and women who have reached the marriageable age, but also young boys and girls who have not yet reached the marriageable age but have gradually shown promising signs.

It can be said that Bajiafang’s appetite this time is surprisingly big.

After listening to Fan Hongsheng's story, Geng Xuan frowned and said:

“Let alone anything else, just finding these people will take quite a while.

The whole thing will take at least ten days to complete, right?
Given the current situation, the Anleji Wu family will react within three to five days at most. They don't have that much time to mess with you!"

Fan Hongsheng glanced at Geng Xuan and whispered:
"In fact, we have already done this."

"What do you mean?"

Fan Hongsheng said:

"Since the middle of last month, we have been using the 'Dongwuji' channel to sell various pills and medicines.

By the end of last month, there were people stationed at "Dongwuji" for a long time, continuously releasing various drugs and collecting cash.

At that time, we were already considering how to deal with the silver we had obtained.

Finally, everyone reached a consensus on one issue, which was to take advantage of this opportunity to go to Yueluyuan to recruit more outstanding students and increase the potential of each district.

Because we have people stationed in 'Dongwuji' for a long time, we have the advantage of geographical location.

Therefore, each of our neighborhoods used our original in-law ties to contact and communicate with the neighborhoods in Yueluyuan in advance.

These days, they have been helping us search secretly according to our requirements.

In fact, news had been coming in as early as the beginning of this month.

We just need to go over there once and the matter will basically be done.

So, it won’t waste any time.

On the contrary, the longer the time goes on, the more likely it is that something will change.

...Now, because of the Wu family's affairs, a lot of time has been wasted.

We are really worried that if we delay any further, a good thing will turn into a bad thing."

From "Dongwuji" to the east, there is a vast plain with fertile land, which is Yueluyuan.

In Yueluyuan, the neighborhoods that have "in-law ties" with the neighborhoods around Chiwu Mountain are basically concentrated to the west of Yueluyuan, close to the direction of "Dongwuji", which is not far away.

This is also the reason why Fan Hongsheng said that they were stationed in "Dongwuji" for a long time some time ago because of the geographical advantage.

As for what Fan Hongsheng said, the longer this matter is delayed, the more likely it is that something will change, or even turn a good thing into a bad thing.

It's also easy to understand.

First, these lifangs are not just the "blood tonic packages" for the eight lifangs around Kangleji, but the "blood tonic packages" needed by all the lifangs around Chiwu Mountain.

If they knew that Bajiafang, which is located near Kangle Market, had engaged in such cunning behavior this year, they would definitely "express their opinions".

This kind of variable is already considered relatively optimistic.

At least, this is still within the scope that Bajiafang can handle.

If some other variables occur, Bajiafang may even become completely hostile to those "in-laws".

It's a very simple truth. The high-quality men and women of the right age that Fan Hongsheng and his gang are secretly looking for are in demand not only in neighborhoods like Changpingfang and Wanfufang.

In Yuanjing, within almost all forces, there is an extremely strong and endless demand for such people!
If you are targeted by these forces, it is basically like falling into the abyss.

Your future and destiny can only be left to luck.

If you are lucky, you might even get a job as a maid or servant.

Those who were less lucky, regardless of gender, were sent directly to places like brothels to be used as consumables.

If your luck is even worse and you are targeted by forces like Wuyou Palace, it would be easier to just kill yourself.

On ordinary days, even if the families in the neighborhood have children of school age, they will deliberately act ugly and stupid in front of others.

The better the woman or boy is, the more her family and the boy will try their best to hide themselves, mixing pearls and jade with dust to protect themselves and their family.

If it is unfortunately exposed, it will not only be a personal tragedy, but also a tragedy for the whole family. Now, Bajiafang has taken the initiative to expose these "pearls and jades" based on the trust established by the "in-law relationship" that has been bound for generations.

——No matter how hidden it is, as long as there are traces, there will eventually be flaws.

If Bajiafang fails to take these people away in time, they will be targeted by other forces and caught in one fell swoop.

In this world where trust is as precious as gold, Bajiafang should stop dreaming of having a good reputation among these neighborhoods.

Don’t even think about continuing to maintain this “in-law relationship”.

If this kind of thing really happens, there will be turmoil within Bajiafang.

——Like Zeng Rou, there are many men and women who married out of Yueluyuan or married into other families in Bajiafang.

This is a bond of trust, but it can also be a trigger for backlash.

According to Fan Hongsheng and others' original estimate, by the time they finished processing the last batch of medicinal wine, Yue Luyuan would have finished his business.

At that time, they happened to be in "Dongwuji", so they didn't have to return to the neighborhood, and could go directly to Yueluyuan together to pick up the person.

There is no delay on either side and everything is connected just right.

But plans cannot change quickly enough, because of the crisis from the Wu family, life and death are imminent, and Bajia Lifang has to deal with it with all its strength.

The problem at Yueluyuan can only be postponed.

If the eight families in the neighborhood couldn't even get through this disaster, then they could only say sorry to those people in Yueluyuan who exposed their "pearls and jades".

But now we have barely gotten through this disaster.

Nearly ten days had passed. Thinking of the unfinished business at Yue Luyuan's place, Fan Hongsheng, Wei Wanzong and the others must have been feeling anxious and tormented.

When Geng Xuan heard Fan Hongsheng's explanation of the whole story, his attitude had already clearly changed.

Fan Hongsheng's next words made Geng Xuan completely determined.

"Another thing is, when we were at 'Eastern Fifth Episode', Yue Luyuan sent us several messages asking for help.

Before this, we were busy taking care of ourselves and had no time to pay attention to it.

Now, we have bought ourselves a few days of window period, and we must respond to this matter immediately.

Moreover, this matter is also closely related to us."

"Yue Luyuan asked you for help? This kind of thing rarely happens, right? What exactly is it all about?" Geng Xuan asked curiously.

The people in Yueluyuan are very aware of how real this "in-law bond" is. It would be fine if they didn't touch it, because the result of touching it would probably be like borrowing money from a friend whom they thought was close.

Therefore, unless something extremely serious and unthinkable happens, the "relatives" Lifang from Yueluyuan will not really ask for it.

The most effective use of this relationship is to use it to intimidate the surrounding areas.

——Even if other forces know that the neighborhoods around Chiwu Mountain will not really end up like this, if they marry their children into these neighborhoods or marry into their wives' families, who knows what achievements they will make and what kind of relationships they can leverage. This can make people feel a little cautious.

Now, not only did those neighborhoods speak up, but Fan Hongsheng also said that it was closely related to them, so Geng Xuan couldn't help but become curious.

……

"It is said that several rice shops in the nearby markets have been putting pressure on them to hand over another batch of grain." Fan Hongsheng said.

Geng Xuan was surprised:

“The rice shop is collecting grain. This should be done at about the same time as the autumn hunt, right?

It's been almost two months, why are you still urging us to pay for the food?"

In the markets that have taken root around Chiwu Mountain, medicine shops are generally one of the most powerful and influential guilds, and many of them can even omit the word "one of" altogether.

In Yueluyuan, the most powerful guild is naturally the rice shops in various markets.

Many big shop owners in the market simply serve as the president of the rice shop association.

"Collecting grain" after the autumn harvest every year is the top priority of the rice shop's work.

They do this work much more diligently and conscientiously than the clerks in the government.

After all, clerks work for the government.

Mi Xing, on the other hand, works entirely for himself.

It concerns my livelihood for the whole year, how can I not pay attention to it?

So, when Geng Xuan heard that the rice shop was still urging for grain, he found it very strange.

It has been more than two months since the end of the autumn harvest.

Even matters that concern one's job can be delayed so much.

Fan Hongsheng shook his head and said:
“After the autumn harvest, the rice shops have already collected the harvest once.

Now the rice shops are asking for payment again, and it’s not just one rice shop, but several surrounding rice shops that are putting pressure on each other.

Those families were really at their wit's end and could only ask us for help!"

Geng Xuan was silent for a moment, then said softly:

"The rice dealers are urging us to pay for grain, right? They're pushing every household to the limit, right?
Now, everyone has only enough food to survive the winter... This is totally leaving no room for survival!"

Fan Hongsheng shook his head and said:

"They don't care about that. They just want each family to follow the rules."

"Follow the rules? What rules?" Geng Xuan was surprised that there were actually rules for this matter.

"Yueluyuan was in chaos for a long time. Anyone could go to the inner quarters to buy food, or even rob it directly.

Kill people if you are not satisfied.

Later, the rice industry flourished and drove out all these disorderly people.

They also made an agreement with each neighborhood that they would be responsible for keeping away those disorderly people and preventing the neighborhood from being frequently plagued by food problems.

Kelifang also had to abide by the rules and only sell grain to rice shops, and not sell it to others privately.

Moreover, in transactions between both parties, the money and goods are received.

As long as the rice shop needs it and as long as the local residents still have food, they cannot refuse for any reason.

The rice merchants are now using this as an excuse, saying that they have already brought the silver, so they must take the grain with them.

Because of this agreement, after the autumn harvest every year, the rice shop could collect all the grain except the winter grain from every household in the neighborhood at a very low price.

...Who would have thought that they could be so shameless that they would even include the life-saving food of each household.

They also demand that each family fulfill its obligations according to the agreement! Isn't this forcing people to death?"

Hearing this, Geng Xuan stopped talking, but his eyes were as gloomy as water.

Fan Hongsheng continued:
“Moreover, the news coming from Yueluyuan is very unusual.

If my prediction is correct, there will be a serious food shortage in Yueluyuan and even the entire Yuanzhou.

After the autumn hunt, we only stored food for the winter.

Now, we have added so many horses, especially the Xuanyou horses, which not only eat a lot but are also very picky. We must prepare enough food for them in advance to last them through the entire winter.

We are also planning to recruit new people from Yueluyuan to increase the manpower in each district, which also requires more food.

If we don't quickly resolve this issue before the food crisis breaks out, the more time we wait, the more difficult it will be to resolve! "

Fan Hongsheng explained the necessity and urgency of this trip to Yueluyuan.

Luo Qing, Wang Lu and others who originally had dissatisfied expressions on their faces no longer had any feelings towards Fan Hongsheng and others.

Luo Qing, who was in charge of logistics, and Teng Yu, who was responsible for taking care of all the horses, looked even more solemn after listening to what Fan Hongsheng said.

Teng Yu said to Geng Xuan:
"Boss, according to the food we confiscated from the Anleji convoy, the hundreds of thousands of pounds of fine food can sustain eighty Xuanyou horses until the fifteenth of next month.

At best, those coarse materials can only sustain the sixty Yuanzhou horses until the eighteenth of next month.

If the situation is as serious as Master Fan says, we should find a way to solve it now. It would be best if we could store up food for everyone and horses through the winter."

Geng Xuan nodded slightly and said to Fan Hongsheng, "You guys should make some more preparations, right?"

"Yeah." Fan Hongsheng was a little confused, but still nodded seriously.

Geng Xuan said, "I'll go with you."

"what?"

Fan Hongsheng was shocked and said hurriedly, "Boss Su, if you come with us... wouldn't this place be completely empty?"

By then, let alone Wu Yiqiang, who had lost his beloved son, breaking into the neighborhood.

Even if a random person from An Le Ji came to the marrow refining stage, he could cause great damage to the vitality of the eight families, or even cause them to completely collapse.

The gap between the Marrow Refining Realm and the Non-Marrow Refining Realm is really too big.

According to the plan of Fan Hongsheng and others, Yue Luyuan and his group went there this time to show off their muscles and stand up for their "in-laws".

The more marrow refining realms you visit, the better.

The more powerful a person is, the more weight his words carry.

Therefore, they have prepared to go out in full force. As long as the unfathomable strength of "Su Ruiliang" is there, they don't have to worry about Wu Yi stealing their homes in the neighborhood.

But now, "Su Ruiliang" wants to go to Yueluyuan with them.

This is naturally a great benefit to Yue Luyuan's actions.

But for Bajiafang, isn't this equivalent to exposing its defenseless belly to the enemy?

Geng Xuan nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will take care of this."

As he spoke, Geng Xuan's eyes swept over Luo Qing, Teng Yu, and Ding Yong, and said:
"You guys get ready to go."

Luo Qing asked hurriedly, "How many people does the gang leader plan to take with him?"

Geng Xuan said, "Take all the Xuanyou horses and Yuanzhou horses with you."

"This... we don't have enough manpower, right?" Luo Qing was startled and said quickly.

Geng Xuan said, "Count Gu Laosi and the others who were captured at Yixianxia as well."

As he spoke, Geng Xuan looked at Fang Jintang beside him and said, "Master Fang's cavalry also has many good fighters. I will select some of them when the time comes... I will definitely need Master Fang and Master Qi to go with me."

Neither Fang Jintang nor Qi Mingcheng reacted at all.

They now know very well that until Wu Yi finds all the "clues", proves that they are the masterminds of the murder of Wu Youxin and his group, and launches an attack in anger, the "Boss Su" in front of them will not give them freedom.

Nor will they be allowed to act alone.

So, after Geng Xuan made the arrangements, he said to the two of them:

"I have to go out and do something now. Please come with me."

The two of them did not show any resistance and followed Geng Xuan obediently.

The three of them rode on three Xuanyou horses and quickly left Wanfufang.

Geng Xuan urged his horse ahead, while Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng followed silently behind.

Take the opportunity to slip away?

Not to mention how likely this would be to succeed in front of this vicious man.

The two followed behind "Su Ruiliang" and pushed things forward step by step to this point. The idea of "withdrawing in time and putting safety first" had become very weak.

There seemed to be a pervert roaring in the hearts of both of them.

"I want to see a river of blood!"

I don’t know if it’s because my mind is distorted or perverted, or if I have completely released the true self that has been suppressed deep in my heart.

After galloping out of Wanfufang, it didn't take long for Xuanyou Horse, which had accelerated to sixty or seventy kilometers per hour, to arrive at the entrance of Kangleji.

When the three Xuanyou horses were still several hundred steps away from the entrance of Kangleji, there were some black-robed guards at the entrance.

But when they saw the three riders rushing towards the entrance without slowing down.

These black-robed guards immediately dodged to the sides, leaving the entire road to them.

"Da da da da——"

Twelve horse hooves crisscrossed on the deserted street, like beating giant drums, and the crisp sound of the hooves seemed to reach every corner of Kangleji.

Wherever they passed, there was no other unusual sound or movement except the constant clatter of the three Xuanyou horses' hooves.

Kangleji, which was once a bustling place, was now deserted, with not a single person to be seen on the streets or in the shops.

If he had not been able to see clusters of red mist coming from the cracks in the doors and windows, Geng Xuan would have really thought that Kangleji was now deserted.

Geng Xuan was somewhat surprised that Kang Leji was so wary and cautious about what was happening in the outside world these days.

But he didn't stop there.

Finally, the three Xuanyou horses stopped in front of the gate of the recreation center.

Just outside the gate of the recreation center, the chief owner Fan Qi was in front, and the other four masters were behind, all of them looking like they were welcoming distinguished guests.

However, their expressions were too serious.

Geng Xuan reined in his horse and looked at the four officials behind Fan Qi.

He knew three of them: President Ming of the rice business, President Jing of the cloth business, and Master Gu of the iron business.

He originally didn't care much about these three people.

But after listening to Fan Hongsheng's account of the rice shops in Yueluyuan, he realized that he had underestimated the "heroes" of the world.

Finally, Geng Xuan's gaze lingered for a moment on the fourth seat standing behind Fan Qi.

He had heard from Wei Wanzong and Fan Hongsheng that the last time Master Fan was recruiting a new leader, in addition to adding Fan Hongsheng, the president of the car dealership, he also found a man named Zhu Yi from elsewhere to serve as the leader of the black-robed guards.

Geng Xuan now paid more attention to this person, firstly because he was the youngest among all the people present.

Secondly, this person has a bad reputation. If we quantify his good fortune, it would be at most 16 or 17 points.

This was the person with the least killings among all the powerful Marrow Refining Realm masters he had seen so far.

While Geng Xuan was looking at these people, these people were also looking at the three of them.

When they saw Geng Xuan, Master Gu and Chairman Jing, who had once had close contact with "Su Ruiliang" in the stone chamber of the Peng family martial arts school, both twitched their eyelids uncontrollably.

There was no big ripple on Master Fan's face, but the turmoil in his heart was more intense than anyone else's.

The moment he saw this person, he felt his chest start to hurt again.

Only Zhu Yi and President Ming of Mi Xing had relatively calm reactions.

However, when their eyes fell on Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng, they all couldn't control their expressions.

How could they not know the recently famous masters of Santongji and Qingyuanji, who both make a living around Chiwu Mountain!

With these three beings gathered at the recreation center, each of them was already beginning to feel annoyed.

Geng Xuan dismounted and came before Master Fan, smiling and bowing.
"Master, I'm sorry to bother you!"

Master Fan looked at him sullenly, without a smile in his face.

But no one was driven away with bad words.

He just nodded his head imperceptibly, then turned and walked towards the main entrance of the recreation center.

Geng Xuan, Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng followed behind him, leading the Xuanyou horses, and entered the gate of the recreation center with him.

The other four masters did not follow in silently until they saw the tall and big butt of the last Xuanyou horse enter the gate of the recreation center.

After tying Xuanyou Horse to the pillar outside the hall, Geng Xuan led Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng up the stone steps and walked towards the central hall.

Fan Qi was standing at the entrance of the hall, his eyes fell on the three mysterious horses, and suddenly said:

"As far as I know, around here, only the Wu family of Anleji has such a majestic Xuanyou horse, right?"

Geng Xuan smiled and said, "The Grand Master has a keen eye. This horse was obtained from the Wu family's Xuanyou horse."

Fan Qi looked at "Su Ruiliang", then shifted his gaze to Fang Jintang and Qi Mingcheng, and said:

"I don't know how the Wu family's Xuanyou horse ended up in your hands."

Geng Xuan smiled and said, "This is a long story... Master, I want to talk to you alone about what's next."

Master Fan looked at the four masters standing in the courtyard, gestured, and said, "You all go back."

Just as the four masters turned to leave, Geng Xuan suddenly said:

“Master, I heard that many people in the surrounding markets have a favorable impression of the Wu family in Anleji.

Please keep the news of the three of us appearing here today a secret.

Don’t let anyone leak it.”

　Please support me with monthly tickets! There are only four days left until the end of the month, and I’m only two hundred away from breaking a thousand monthly tickets. I have great hopes!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)