Volcanic Age

Jiang Nengchu wasn't an idiot who only knew how to show off his strength. After all, there were all kinds of dark schemes lurking in the red light district of the Black Hand's Zhengzhou.

If one relied solely on strength and set out recklessly, they would likely die before ever leaving their mark. Of course, this didn't apply to an expert with overwhelming cultivation, but such an expert wouldn't find themselves working within the dregs of the murim to begin with.

Jiang Nengchu had actually meticulously prepared for the night's attack. He dispersed his troops for an ambush, following the strategy of attacking an enemy in various places with small gathered forces.[1]

Since Zhengzhou was a place where all kinds of intelligence gathered and rumors spread quickly, he had to be careful of every movement.

Although he may have recently grown stronger after absorbing the Red House's forces, it would be easy to lose everything if he let his guard down.

"First, we need to deal with the most annoying of them. The Viper Sword."

The Viper Sword was the most difficult to deal with among the three targets. Not only was his cultivation incredible, but he also possessed great wisdom.

He was skilled at perceiving the best time to hide in dangerous moments and always appropriately utilized his support forces around him during any power struggles. Moreover, his skill with setting traps was particularly annoying.

Jiang Nengchu knew that if he wasted energy on the others first, The Viper Sword would exploit any opening. That's why he made him his primary target.

Experts generally didn't like to be ordered around by the weak, especially within the Xia Wu Sect. Even the Sect Master of the Xia Wu Sect was looked down upon, let alone a small-time commander.

Jiang Nengchu never expected that an expert on the level of the Silent Messenger would listen to him in the first place.

"The Arsenic Pig," Zhou Xuchuan said, casually twisting his wrists as if he was loosening them up.

"There's no way…?"

The Blue House's Head Madam's jaw dropped, while Jiang Nengchu frowned silently.

"I'll take care of him."

"That's ridiculous!"

The Blue House's Head Madam exclaimed before closing her mouth with a gasp. Her face turned as pale as a corpse.

I must have gone crazy!

Jiang Nengchu wasn't her concern. He was warm and gentle to his own people. He could forgive this level of disrespect to some extent. Moreover, she was one of his strategists, holding the highest level of authority after the Tough Bastard.

That's why she consistently attended the meetings before any operation.

The problem was the Silent Messenger.

She was afraid of him, a monster who had shown her an unforgettable intimidation since the first time they had met.

However, contrary to her worries, Zhou Xuchuan just stood up from his seat without even looking at her.

"The Arsenic Pig may not be as intelligent as the other two, but that doesn't make him a complete fool. Even if you defeat the Viper Sword, your forces will be decimated, and the pig bastard and his forces will definitely attack you. He might even take control of the Blue or Red Houses and hold them hostage."

"We're fully aware of that. It's just, even if you are the Silent Messenger, if you enter the Arsenic Pig's den alone…"

Jiang Nengchu raised his hand to stop the Blue House's Head Madam.

His already fierce eyes narrowed, becoming even more terrifying.

I never expected him to go this far. I don't know if it's his confidence in his cultivation or skill, but there's no reason for me to refuse.

He had already been concerned about the exact point that Zhou Xuchuan had brought up, even preparing several strategies to try to handle it. But now, there was no need to do so.

Even if the Silent Messenger failed, his skills would likely cause more damage than whatever Jiang Nengchu could have come up with.

I'd be happy if he manages to trade his neck for that pig's. That uncontrollable power is a double-edged sword. I may be able to cut down the enemy using it, but one day, it might turn against me. For now, I'll use it to my advantage.

With superhuman self-control, Jiang Nengchu barely managed to stop himself from smiling like an idiot. He didn't want to ruin this good flow.

"Understood. Then, we'll gather the remaining troops at the Blue House and focus on defending our territory. It'll be hard for us to provide you with support. Is that okay?"

"It's fine."

The outskirts of Zhengzhou were all just dark streets with poor security.

The intricately intertwined alleys were so dark that even Zhengzhou's residents were likely to get lost.

It went without saying that it was dangerous.

If a healthy man entered these streets, he would be sold into slavery before anyone noticed, and if a woman entered, she would be raped to death.

There were even places that members of the Xia Wu Sect, who were accustomed to Zhengzhou's red light district, wouldn't dare approach.

The east, west, and southern outskirts.

To the west, there was a night market that mainly sold counterfeit goods, stolen goods, and drugs.

The Snake Den.

When the lanterns rose instead of sunlight, a group appeared in the market's streets near the entrance to the Snake Den.

"Huh?"

A Xia Wu Sect member who was patrolling the streets suddenly felt something strange.

This feeling…

Something was bound to happen today.

Several people gathered in the crowd, walking through the market.

One person became two, and two became four.

Soon, the patrolling members realized something was wrong when that number began to increase at an alarming rate.

"Ugh!"

The patrolling member's jaw dropped as he recognized one of the gathered people. Alarm bells rang loudly in his head.

His comrade, standing nearby, also noticed something, drawing his sword and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"It's the Tough Bastard!"

The residents of Zhengzhou were quick to react, scattering like flies at the first sign of trouble.

Jiang Nengchu gave a fierce order.

"Kill them!"

There was no need for him to say anything else. He had already told them not to touch anyone other than the Viper Sword's subordinates.

ROAR!!!

"Follow the Tough Bastard!" Jiang Nengchu's experts, including those from the Red and Blue House, shouted.

Although they were only in the Third Class realm, their momentum shook Zhengzhou as if they were true experts.

The Snake Den members, hearing the commotion, kicked open a door and rushed out, only to be terrified by the sight before them.

"Get up! It's an attack!"

"Call Eldest Hyungnim!"

"Agh!!"

Screams echoed through the streets and all over the Snake Den as its members, caught completely off guard by the attack, fell one by one.

Jiang Nengchu and his forces slaughtered all the nearby Snake Den members and pressed on toward the Viper Sword's lair.

"Beware of traps!"

However, unlike their initial charge, the continued advance wasn't easy.

Yes, the labyrinth-like alleyways were annoying, but the most frustrating part was the traps set at nearly every turn, which made things difficult.

Word of the attack at the Snake Den's entrance reached the Viper Sword swiftly, like a gust of wind.

"Tough Bastard, you brat who doesn't even know your place!" the Viper Sword hissed with cold anger.

"You dare attack me, the Viper Sword?! You've forgotten who to fear!"

The Viper Sword was proud to be the strongest in Zhengzhou after the Xia Wu Sect Master, and to be fair, he wasn't wrong.

The Arsenic Pig had incredible strength but lacked brains, while the Murderous Harlot had both skills and brains but lacked strength.

On the other hand, The Viper Sword was a talented martial artist who had both strength and brains, as well as proper technique.

Even if the Tough Bastard was a recently rising little snake, he wasn't on par with a fully grown Viper.[2]

Rather than being afraid, the Viper Sword just laughed.

"Rat!"

At the Viper Sword's call, a man bearing an uncanny resemblance to a rat appeared. He was small for an adult male.

"Send everyone who has even the slightest experience with a bow up to the roof and tell them to shoot wherever I point out. If anyone flees, don't hesitate to make them an example and behead them."

"Understood!" Rat responded before disappearing.

"Tsk!"

The Viper Sword clicked his tongue in irritation, his brow furrowing. Something about the situation didn't sit right with him.

A brat full of energy who recently gained strength isn't a match for me. No, the real problem is the Silent Messenger.

The Silent Messenger!

Although he had only been in the streets of Zhengzhou for a short time, in less than a month, he had become an expert who dominated the streets through sheer terror.

Even for Zhengzhou's Strongest[3], the Viper Sword, the idea of a spirit of death that stalked silently and reaped souls was quite nerve-racking.

With everything else that he had to consider, his head began to pound.

***

While a commotion erupted in the west as the Snake Den was attacked, the east side of the city was also somewhat noisy.

However, the commotion there was a daily occurrence, so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Only those with little patience and ferocious tempers gathered on the east side, making it a lawless land even within Zhengzhou.

Most of their work was in predatory lending, illegal gambling, human trafficking, and intimidation.

Since it was a place where all kinds of violence ran rampant, even the weaker members of the Xia Wu Sect would avoid it altogether.

However, there was a place where the indiscriminate violence was kept in check.

The secret underground gambling hall.

Starting with dogfights and cockfights, it was a place where even people fought for their lives, with an incredibly long history. Considering merchants and officials who enjoyed watching bloody violence would occasionally visit, it was the one place in the east where some concern was placed.

"T-this is it."

Guided by an employee of the Blue House, Zhou Xuchuan passed through a narrow, eerie alley and arrived at a dead end.

In front of him was a wall that was a zhang high (roughly 3ish meters) with a pig's face painted on it. At the center of the wall was a suspicious-looking iron gate.

The only difference between this place and the streets he had come from was that here, the surroundings were lit by torches, and a large gatekeeper stood guard.

"W-well, I'll be leaving now, hehe!"

The employee laughed nervously and tried to run away, but Zhou Xuchuan's hand shot out, gripping the man by the back of the neck and holding him in place.

"Ugh!"

"You said you used to work in this arena, right?"

The employee nodded his head in response.

"Do you know the way inside?"

Feeling a growing sense of dread, the employee was about to say that he didn't know. However, he quickly closed his mouth and just shrank back.

As much as he wanted to avoid entering the arena, he feared upsetting the Silent Messenger even more. After all, his life was in the Phantom's hands.

"Then guide me."

"Sob sob!"

The employee couldn't hide his expression. His face crumbled, tears streaming down as snot dripped from his nose

Knowing very well what the Silent Messenger planned to do after invading the underground arena, he couldn't hold back his intense emotions.

If I had known this would happen, I would have written a will!

He walked forward, muttering under his breath and cursing inwardly.

"That's enough."

The gatekeeper standing in the center of the alley drew his sword from his waistband.

"Well, that's a face I've never seen before."

A bitter smile spread across the gatekeeper's lips.

"It's two taels of silver if you want to come in."

"I don't have it."

"S-sir!"

The employee who had been searching through his cloak turned pale.

"What?"

The gatekeeper's face twisted into a grim expression.

"How are you letting yourself get looked down on by these losers?"

"Kekekeke!"

The gatekeepers nearby cackled. Some of them even clapped their hands, relieved to have something entertaining since they had been bored.

The gatekeeper, who had been singled out as the target of ridicule by his colleagues, trembled, unable to bear the humiliation.

His face flushed bright red, as if it might burst, and his eyes were filled with a fierce bloodlust.

"Good, it seems you've forgotten how to fear!"

No one in the alley, especially not these grunts, could sense Zhou Xuchuan's cultivation level.

The gatekeeper just assumed Zhou Xuchuan was one of those lowlifes who sometimes appeared, people who liked to show off with no real skills.

"Little Ghost."

"Yes."

The gatekeeper who had stepped forward froze, his pupils trembling as if an earthquake had shaken his mind. His face paled, like he had seen a ghost.

He wasn't the only one, the other gatekeepers looked the same.

"Eek!"

The Blue House's employee let out a startled squeal and collapsed on the floor.

W-when did she?

In the blink of an eye, someone clad in black with their eyes covered by a cloth appeared in front of the Silent Messenger as if they had always been there.

Even though the person was said to be clad in black, the cloth was so thin and their skin so shrouded in shadows that their silhouette was difficult to make out.

"Prepare to counterattack, but prioritize the safety of this employee. Focus on defense, not offense."

Little Ghost stood beside the fallen employee.

"It's fine to let him go if there aren't any enemies left. Otherwise, kill them all quickly."

As ten figures seemed to rise from the ground, the gatekeepers realized something was terribly wrong.

"We've received your orders."

1. Sun Tzu's Art of War, chapter IV, Disposition of the Military. ☜

2. The word bastard, 독종, literally translates to venomous one. Thus, he's also a little snake in terms of wordplay. ☜

3. Yes, I know it says Xia Wu Sect Master is stronger. This is his title, the Heaven's Number One. It just sounds so ridiculous considering Xia Wu Sect is ALREADY so weak, so we just went for Zhengzhou's Strongest. ☜

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