Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

He squinted unconsciously.

The light lasted for about three breaths.

It vanished suddenly.

Four figures appeared out of thin air in front of him.

The first person was about thirty years old. He had a handsome face, with a dignified and upright air about him. He wore a moon-white robe, a beaded rope tied at his waist, and held a folding fan in his hand. He was elegant and refined, yet subtly exuded the authority of a superior. His cultivation aura was steady and profound, and his blood and energy were surging like a tide. Just standing there, he gave off an aura of unshakeable power.

The second man was over fifty years old. He was thin, and his sleeves fluttered empty—he had no arms. But the old man's eyes were sharp as swords, and he exuded an extremely sharp sword intent. It was as if he himself was a drawn sword.

The third man was in his forties. He was slightly overweight, with a kind face, and looked like an ordinary merchant. But his hands had long, slender fingers that were incredibly dexterous, with a faint metallic sheen at the fingertips.

The fourth man was thirty-five or thirty-six years old. He was burly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. His fists were as big as earthenware pots. Standing there, he resembled an iron tower. His blood and energy surged like a tide, and one could faintly hear the sound of his blood flowing within him, like muffled thunder rumbling.

The four of them didn't hesitate the moment they saw Dongfang Weiwo.

They all knelt down on one knee in unison.

Greetings, Lord!

The voices were unified, respectful, and firm.

Looking at the four living people in front of him, Dongfang Weiwo felt an indescribable shock.

The summoning system actually works.

He suppressed his emotions. The character information from the system notification flashed through his mind—

Chen Jialuo, the leader of the Red Flower Society, is at the peak of the Acquired Divine Power Realm.

Master Wuchen, the second-in-command of the Red Flower Society, wields the "Soul-Chasing and Life-Taking Sword," and is at the mid-stage of the Acquired Divine Power Realm.

Zhao Banshan, the third leader of the Red Flower Society, is known as "Thousand-Armed Tathagata" and is at the peak of the Acquired Golden Body Realm.

Wen Tailai, the fourth leader of the Red Flower Society, is known as "Thunder Hand" and is at the peak of the Acquired Golden Body Realm.

All four are absolutely loyal. Their loyalty is 100%.

"Please rise, all four of you."

He stood up.

Chen Jialuo stood up first, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "My lord, I am Chen Jialuo, the chief of the Red Flower Society. These three are my brothers—Second Master Wuchen, Third Master Zhao Banshan, and Fourth Master Wen Tailai. From this day forward, the four of us will follow your lead without hesitation. We will go through fire and water without fear."

Master Wuchen clasped his hands in a salute, using his arm instead of his hand: "This old Daoist Wuchen greets Your Majesty. I have no other skills, only a sword that is quite sharp. Whoever Your Majesty wishes to kill, this old Daoist's sword will be pointed at."

Zhao Banshan smiled and cupped his hands: "My lord, I am Zhao Banshan. I know a few basic martial arts moves, and my skills with hidden weapons are also quite decent. If there is anything that my lord finds inconvenient to do personally, please feel free to give me your orders."

Wen Tailai spoke the least. He simply clasped his hands and said in a deep voice, "Wen Tailai greets Your Majesty. This subordinate only knows how to fight; nothing else."

Dongfang Weiwo looked at the four people and pondered for a moment.

He currently has four experts at the Acquired Realm under his command. This is a force not to be underestimated. However, he needs to report to the Fufen Division in Qinghe Town, and he can't very well bring four martial arts experts of unknown origin into the city with him—it would be too conspicuous.

More importantly, he needs energy points. And energy points can only be obtained by killing enemies.

We must use our manpower where it matters most.

"Four leaders," he began, "I have something to arrange."

"Please speak, my lord."

"Master Wuchen, Brother Zhao, you two come with me to Qinghe City."

He looked at the two of them.

"After I report to the Zhenfu branch office in the city, you should find a secluded place to stay outside the city. Do not enter the city, and do not expose yourselves. I will contact you outside the city when I need you."

Master Wuchen and Zhao Banshan clasped their hands in unison: "As you command."

Dongfang Weiwo then looked at Chen Jialuo and Wen Tailai: "Master Chen, Fourth Brother Wen, you two have another task."

Chen Jialuo's expression turned solemn: "Please give your orders, my lord."

"The vast mountain range."

He raised his hand and pointed westward.

"The two of you will head to the outskirts of the Vast Mountains, where you will slay demonic beasts and wipe out bandit strongholds. The inner cores and materials from the demonic beasts can be exchanged for cultivation resources. Bandit strongholds often also hide many valuable items. More importantly—"

He paused for a moment.

"Slaying monsters and bandits will accumulate energy for me. The more you kill, the more powerful beings I can summon. This is a path of sustaining myself through war."

"Besides that, there's one more thing."

He continued.

"Rogue cultivators and demon-hunting teams frequently roam the outer perimeter of the Cangmang Mountains. Keep an eye out for these people while you are slaying demons and bandits."

If you encounter someone of good character who is willing to join you, you can consider recruiting them. But remember—better to have none than to have bad ones. It's better to be slower than to let someone with ulterior motives infiltrate.

A glint of light flashed in Chen Jialuo's eyes.

"Rest assured, my lord. The Red Flower Society started from just a few people and gradually grew into the number one gang in the world. I have some experience in gathering people and managing influence."

Wen Tailai also said in a deep voice, "Your subordinates, just kill. Whether they are demonic beasts or bandits, kill as many as come."

Dongfang Weiwo nodded. He took out a hand-drawn map of the outer perimeter of the Cangmang Mountains from his pocket and spread it on the bluestone.

"Master Chen, Fourth Brother Wen, look here."

The finger points to a location marked with a red circle on the map.

"This is the eastern section of the Cangmang Mountains, about three hundred li from Qinghe City. The terrain here is complex, with crisscrossing valleys, and many demonic beasts roam. More importantly, according to the official gazettes and files I've reviewed over the years—at least four or five bandit groups are entrenched in this area, specializing in robbing passing caravans and demon-hunting teams. You should start your attack from here."

Chen Jialuo carefully examined the map and memorized the locations: "My lord, how strong are these bandits?"

"The official gazette mentioned one of them. The bandit leader is nicknamed 'Black Wind Demon,' and it's said he has the cultivation of the Acquired Realm Blood Exchange stage, with over two hundred men under his command," Dongfang Weiwo said. "The other groups should be similar. There shouldn't be any Innate Realm experts among them—Innate Realm experts wouldn't stoop to being bandits in the wilderness. With your and Brother Wen's cultivation, dealing with them is more than enough."

Chen Jialuo nodded: "Understood. Then Wen Sidi and I will go to the Cangmang Mountains first, and after we have established a foothold, we will find a way to contact our lord."

"You don't need to contact me."

Dongfang Weiwo shook his head.

"Just do your jobs. Every month, I will send someone to leave a mark near that abandoned mine on the outskirts of the Cangmang Mountains. Then you can send someone to retrieve the information."

He told Chen Jialuo the exact location of the abandoned mine and agreed on several coded signals and methods of communication. Chen Jialuo memorized them all, and then he and Wen Tailai clasped their hands in a respectful greeting.

"Take care, my lord."

"You too."

Chen Jialuo and Wen Tailai turned and strode away. Their figures quickly disappeared into the depths of the mountains and forests.