Chapter 350: The Operation Had Begun

Li Xiaofei rode his heavy motorcycle to the Martial Alliance headquarters. The injuries on Li Feiwen’s body, though seemingly random, revealed subtle clues. They had the telltale characteristics of gang-related violence.

While Li Xiaofei generally stayed out of Martial Alliance affairs, he had a decent understanding of the gangs in Liuhe Base City. He only needed a glance to find a lead. Lately, there had been growing unrest within the Martial Alliance. It was the perfect time to dig deeper and uncover the truth.

His mind pieced together the fragments of this violent puzzle as he accelerated toward headquarters. He needed to know who within the Martial Alliance had ties to these gangs and how deep those connections ran. If someone within had ordered Li Feiwen's death, they would soon regret it. It was time to investigate thoroughly.

***

At the Martial Alliance Headquarters.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Ning Wuwo stared at the group in front of him, his face brimming with anger. “When the Martial Alliance was established, we all swore an oath before the statue of Taiyi, the Saint. Now you want to withdraw? Aren’t you afraid of going back on your word?”

Several gang leaders who had just submitted their withdrawal applications ducked their heads in embarrassment.

Ning Wuwo continued, “Hasn’t Alliance Leader Li Xiaofei treated you all fairly since he took office? He ensured equal business opportunities for everyone, helped you move past the days of fighting and bloodshed, and even distributed martial arts manuals for your benefit. You’ve all profited from it. Now that the Alliance Leader is facing a bit of trouble, you want to abandon him? Is that how you repay his kindness?”

The gang leaders lowered their heads even further in shame.

“Hmph, Old Ning, you’re not being fair,” sneered Zhang Renjie, the leader of Bloodfire Society. “Sure, Li Xiaofei has brought us plenty of benefits, but wasn’t that his duty as alliance leader? Now that he’s dragged us into his mess and caused trouble for our brothers, he should step down. We’re just withdrawing from the alliance. That’s already showing him plenty of face. What more do you expect from us?”

Bloodfire Society was the instigator behind the current unrest within the Martial Alliance. It was none other than Zhang Renjie who had incited six or seven other gangs to leave the alliance as well.

Ning Wuwo was so furious that his beard bristled with rage.

“You all know what kind of man Alliance Leader Li is.” He said through gritted teeth. “He’s loyal to his friends and is always there when you need him, but he’s ruthless to his enemies. You remember what happened to the Dragon Claw Gang and Tianyu Palace, don’t you?”

The expressions of everyone present changed dramatically. Of course, they knew. Both had been wiped out entirely.

“Damn it,” Zhang Renjie slammed his palm onto the table, shattering it into pieces.

He suddenly stood up, his face twisted into a cruel grin. “Old Ning, you think you can scare us with that little punk Li Xiaofei? Don’t think I don’t know that Li Xiaofei’s made enemies with some big shot from Xiajing, and now he’s like a Bodhisattva crossing the river. He can’t even save himself! Hah, even if Li Xiaofei were here, I’d spit right in his face.”

“Oh, really?”

Zhang Renjie froze as a voice came from behind. His body began to tremble violently. Li Xiaofei walked slowly up to the table, nodding to Ning Wuwo before turning to fix Zhang Renjie with a piercing gaze.

“I’m here now. Want to try?”

“Li... Alliance Leader Li, I...” Zhang Renjie stammered, his legs turning to jelly as a sickly smile stretched across his face.

“Kneel.” Li Xiaofei’s voice thundered with authority.

"You... I..." Zhang Renjie nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.

However, after a moment of hesitation, he managed to steady himself. He grit his teeth as he said. “I’ve already left the Martial Alliance, I’m not under your authority anymore. Stop being so aggressive!”

“Left?” Li Xiaofei’s voice was cold. “Did I agree to that?”

“You... what? Are you going to force your brothers to stay?” Zhang Renjie suddenly remembered that he wasn’t alone in this. Confidence crept into his tone as he said, “Let me tell you, Li Xiaofei, we, the Bloodfire Society, have allied ourselves with an important guest from Xiajing. We’re not afraid of you anymore.”

“Oh? A guest from Xiajing?” Li Xiaofei’s eyes narrowed as a thought crossed his mind. “Let me ask you, did you kill Attorney Li Feiwen?”

Zhang Renjie’s face twisted, his reflexive response slipping out. “No... no... I don’t know anyone named Li Feiwen...”

Smack!

Li Xiaofei slapped him hard across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

He planted his foot firmly on Zhang Renjie’s face, his voice booming with fury. “Tell me, why did you kill Attorney Li?”

“I didn’t! It wasn’t me...”

Zhang Renjie felt his head was about to be crushed under the pressure of Li Xiaofei’s foot.

His heart filled with terror, but as a hardened gang leader, he managed to hold his ground as he spat out, “Li Xiaofei, Liuhe Base City isn’t the same anymore. If you kill me, you won’t survive either.”

Li Xiaofei leaned down, his gaze intense as he growled, “Look into my eyes, scum.”

At that moment, Li Xiaofei activated his mental manipulation technique. Zhang Renjie locked eyes with Li Xiaofei, and instantly felt as though he was staring into an abyss. His entire consciousness began to spiral downwards, sinking deep into Li Xiaofei’s control.

“Did you kill Attorney Li?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why did you kill him?”

“Because he ruined the plan of the important guest. The guest wanted him to stay silent, but he refused to take the money. He didn’t know what was good for him.”

“Who else was involved?”

“Me, and Old Cao from Thousand Beasts Pavilion. We did it together to prove our loyalty.”

“Who is this guest?”

“It’s... it’s... it’s Zhou Ruomin.”

“What is her role?”

“She’s Elder Su’s assistant.”

Under the influence of the mind-controlling technique, Zhang Renjie revealed every detail he knew without hesitation. After getting what he needed, Li Xiaofei kicked Zhang Renjie, knocking him out and leaving him crumpled at the base of the wall.

As expected, Su Yuncao's people were involved. Li Xiaofei quickly began formulating a plan. Since the other side had chosen to use underworld tactics, how could he, a true underworld boss, not respond in kind? Li Xiaofei had never feared anyone on this battlefield.

He grabbed Zhang Renjie by the leg and dragged him toward the door. Then, as if struck by a thought, he turned to the other gang leaders who had submitted their withdrawal applications. Their faces had gone pale with fear. He flicked a finger and several waves swept through the air.

Thud, thud, thud.

Each of the gang leaders collapsed into a pool of blood. Ning Wuwo was startled, but upon closer inspection, he realized they hadn’t been killed. Li Xiaofei had merely crippled their martial arts abilities, rendering them unconscious.

"Alliance Leader, is there anything I can do to help?" Ning Wuwo asked.

He understood all too well that he had to stand firmly by Li Xiaofei’s side if he wanted to weather this crisis.

“Lock these treacherous dogs up,” Li Xiaofei ordered. “If anyone else dares mention leaving the alliance, cripple them all.”

“No problem.” A rare hint of ruthlessness flashed across Ning Wuwo’s elderly, but still sharp face. “Anything else this old man can do for you?”

“Nothing more.”

Dragging Zhang Renjie like a dead dog, Li Xiaofei walked out of the office.

Ning Wuwo watched him go, his face filled with concern. He had been carefully following the recent turmoil, and well aware of how dangerous this storm was. He wasn’t sure whether Li Xiaofei would survive it.

***

Half an hour later at the Thousand Beasts Pavilion.

No one knew what was happening inside the sealed quiet chamber of the Pavilion Master.

Pavilion Master Cao Huayun lay on the ground, his face pale, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. Despair filled his eyes as he pleaded, “Alliance Leader, please, spare me... I was forced into this...”

Li Xiaofei silently sent a thread of sword qi through him, crippling his martial arts. Cao Huayun let out a blood-curdling scream before falling unconscious. Li Xiaofei tossed Zhang Renjie beside him.

These two traitorous dogs!

Li Xiaofei had learned everything he needed to know from his interrogation and soul manipulation. He took out the materials he had prepared in advance and began crafting a human-skin mask. The famed disguise technique of the legendary rogue Wang Lianhua was indeed an intricate art. Before long, Li Xiaofei had completely transformed himself into Cao Huayun.

He packed the two unconscious men into a specially designed box and carried it out of the chamber.

“Pavilion Master.” Two disciples outside the door greeted him respectfully, unaware that their master had already been replaced.

Li Xiaofei, now in the guise of Cao Huayun, replied, “I’m heading out for a bit. No one in the pavilion is to participate in any activities. We’re on lockdown. Understood?”

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

The disciples hurried off to relay the command.

Li Xiaofei walked out confidently with his package. After making his way to a secret safe house, he stashed the box securely and took out Cao Huayun’s light-core phone. He dialed a number as he prepared for the next phase of his plan.

“Hello?” A sharp female voice answered from the other side. “Didn’t I tell you not to contact me unless it’s necessary?”

Imitating Cao Huayun’s tone perfectly, Li Xiaofei responded obsequiously, “Teacher Zhou, I’ve discovered some fresh dirt on Li Xiaofei, something that can bury him for good. Should I bring it directly to your residence, or...?”

“Oh?” Her tone shifted, now piqued with interest. “Meet at the usual place first, I’ll come to you.”

“Understood.” Li Xiaofei hung up, a cold smile spreading across his face.

The operation had begun.