Chapter 118: Chapter 116: Daqing Gang Leader

That night, rivers of blood flowed through Cyan Dragon City’s most bustling commercial street.

That night, the Daqing Gang, Cyan Dragon City’s largest underground faction, suffered a devastating blow!

That night, an unknown number of people were too shocked to sleep.

That night, an unknown number of people were smiling from ear to ear.

The officials were, as always, slow to act. By the time they finally arrived, the blood on the ground had already grown cold. They made no superfluous movements; their one and only purpose here was to collect the bodies.

Of the forty-six members of the Daqing Gang’s Battle Blade Hall, not a single one survived!

In the end, even Qin Li couldn’t help but be moved. He felt a newfound admiration for these men, for Cyan Dragon City’s number one underground faction. Even by revealing only the strength of a Middle-Tier Earth Level Martial Artist, for Qin Li, killing the members of the Daqing Gang’s Battle Blade Hall was like a tiger let loose among sheep. It wasn’t a battle—it was a slaughter!

And yet, knowing they faced certain death, not one of them tried to flee.

’That kind of discipline... it’s almost on par with professional soldiers!’ A thought flashed through Qin Li’s mind. ’Aren’t these Daqing Gang members just like soldiers? Could it be...?’ Qin Li sat by the third-floor window, squinting as he watched the officials silently collect the bodies below. He then dismissed the idea as a bit preposterous. ’They’re just an underground faction. Perhaps... they were soldiers once.’

After all, the Daqing Gang claimed to have one hundred thousand members! If they were all truly soldiers, there was no way the emperor would tolerate such a ferocious beast existing right under his nose.

Even if one of the Princes was the Daqing Gang’s backer, something like this would be absolutely impossible!

As he was lost in thought, Bu Yunyan approached, carrying a cup of hot tea. Her footsteps were as light and silent as a cat’s.

"Why aren’t you asleep?" Qin Li asked softly, noticing Bu Yunyan’s languid expression and the hint of drowsiness in her eyes.

"I tried, but I can’t sleep. This Imperial Capital is even more dangerous than Yellow Sand City. There’s truly danger at every turn!" Bu Yunyan said with a sigh, having witnessed the heart-pounding slaughter.

"Heh, if one doesn’t brave danger at every step, how can one achieve ’Lotus Blooming with Every Step’?"

Qin Li smiled faintly, took the tea, and had a sip. He closed his eyes slightly and said flatly, "I’m going to let everyone in the Imperial Capital know that I’m a powerful, rabid dog. A reckless fool who kills without batting an eye. Whoever messes with me dies!"

"You... who compares themselves to a rabid dog?"

Bu Yunyan covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled softly, sitting down across from Qin Li. The more time they spent together, the more she realized that while the young man seemed cold and indifferent on the surface, he was incredibly easygoing with his own people. The line between master and servant had gradually blurred. This was especially true because she harbored a faint, indescribable feeling for Qin Li deep in her heart. She wasn’t like Leng Yao, who was quiet, reserved, and painfully shy at her core.

While Bu Yunyan had never grown accustomed to any man, her upbringing had given her an understanding of the male psyche that few women could ever hope to match.

However, Bu Yunyan had no interest in giving ordinary men a second glance, let alone studying their minds or discovering their preferences. In her twenty-some years of life, only the young man before her had ever earned her esteem.

"Aren’t you afraid of provoking a Celestial Level expert?" Bu Yunyan rested her chin on her hand, her captivating eyes fixed on the young man opposite her. In the dim light, his handsome face held a unique charm.

"Celestial Level? What do you take Celestial Level Martial Artists for? They don’t come that cheap! So far, only the Ancient Ruins at Phoenix Lake managed to attract a large number of them. Other than that, when have you ever seen a Celestial Level Martial Artist parading down the street?"

Bu Yunyan thought about it and realized he was right. Back when they were taking on missions for the Hunter Guild in Cyan Dragon City, a Profound Level Martial Artist like Hu was already considered an incredible expert.

Most were Yellow Level Martial Artists. In the world of ordinary people, Yellow Level, or Entry Grade, Martial Artists were already incredibly powerful—countless times stronger than street thugs with their flashy but useless moves. As for Profound Level experts, they were even more extraordinary and rarely seen.

Among the great Noble Families, a Yellow Level Martial Artist was considered somewhat beneath notice, but they were still far stronger than any servant. It was actually quite simple: High Level Martial Artists had their uses, and Low Level Martial Artists had their own niche in which to survive. There was no conflict between the two.

A Martial Artist who reached the Earth Level would be granted an extremely high status in any family. Even the Royal Family spared no effort in recruiting Martial Artists of the Earth Level and above.

This was because once a Martial Artist reached the Earth Level, their speed and strength attained a terrifying degree that Profound Level Martial Artists simply couldn’t compare to.

As for the Celestial Level... that was a realm so distant it seemed utterly untouchable.

’Thinking back,’ she mused, ’ever since I started following him, Earth Level Martial Artists, Celestial Level Martial Artists, great Noble Families, and even members of the Royal Family have gradually lost their sense of awe and mystery in my eyes.’

’If not for him, I’d still be that alluring woman from the Yellow Sand City Hunter Guild, spending my days counting on my fingers how much of a dowry I’d saved up...’

At this thought, a gentle look surfaced in Bu Yunyan’s lively, captivating eyes. ’What the sons and daughters of the Martial World seek is nothing more than to have braved great storms, to come and go with the wind and the rain, to kill a man within ten paces, and to travel a thousand miles without a trace.’

’And now, I’ve experienced it all!’

’And it was all because of the man before me. This life has not been lived in vain! Even if I never hear from that heartless father of mine again, I won’t have any regrets. As long as... as long as he can stay by my side...’ As she thought this, a blush crept silently across her cheeks.

Qin Li’s eyes were half-lidded, inwardly amused by the Royal Family’s reaction. He was certain that his recent performance had successfully caught the attention of the one who resided in the palace. ’It seems that when you need to be forceful, you shouldn’t keep a low profile!’

’Keeping a low profile only makes others think you’re an easy target.’

...

Meanwhile, on this night that was destined to be anything but peaceful, Leng Ping, the Gang Leader of the Daqing Gang, was thrusting fiercely into one of his favorite women.

He was a man who loved wine and women. He couldn’t go a single meal without wine, nor a single day without a woman.

But unlike most Martial Artists, whose bodies were ravaged by debauchery, the forty-six-year-old Leng Ping possessed the strength of a Tier-Eight Earth Level expert. The combat technique he cultivated was called the Flame Sword!

The technique’s moves were incredibly fierce, and its Sword Qi was intensely scorching. If used in a Forest, it could easily start a wildfire. Even those of comparable strength found it difficult to withstand his tide-like assault. The Sword Qi was like a flame that could easily sear a person’s skin; even a Celestial Level Martial Artist wouldn’t dare to arrogantly face his attacks head-on.

This technique had likely cultivated a personality in Leng Ping that was the complete opposite of his surname, which meant "cold." He was, in fact, remarkably forthright, passionate, and righteous.

Otherwise, how could his gang possess such solidarity?

A few years ago, one of the Crown Prince’s guards had approached Leng Ping. The guard said that His Highness greatly admired their gang and wished to recruit them. Naturally, Leng Ping refused. The Daqing Gang was a brotherhood he had built from the ground up, and his men were willing to die for him. If they submitted to the Crown Prince, what would that make them?

Leng Ping was no fool; he had heard so many stories about heirs fighting for the throne that his ears were practically calloused. Yet when that man easily subdued him and held a sword to his neck, he agreed. It wasn’t because he feared for his own life. It was because the man had told him, "If you refuse, I will kill you first, and then I will kill every last one of your brothers."

"We’ll just frame it as clearing out the criminal underbelly of Cyan Dragon City," the man had said. "For the Crown Prince, it would be a great accomplishment!"

And so, Leng Ping yielded. From that day forward, no matter how reluctant he was, in the eyes of those in the know, the Daqing Gang was branded as part of the Crown Prince Faction.

Afterward, various Noble Families aligned with the Crown Prince began to secretly join the Daqing Gang, becoming its Tributors. Of course, these arrangements were extremely clandestine; not even His Majesty the Emperor could possibly know everything. As a result, the world only knew that the Daqing Gang had a profound background and a powerful backer, but very few knew who that backer truly was.

It had to be said that because of this, the Daqing Gang had managed to transform from a medium-to-large gang into Cyan Dragon City’s most powerful organization in just a few short years. And Leng Ping, the Gang Leader, had become the undisputed Dragon Head of the underworld.

Gradually, Leng Ping grew accustomed to this life. He started to think that being part of the Crown Prince Faction wasn’t so bad. At the very least, no one in Cyan Dragon City, whether in the criminal underworld or on the right side of the law, dared to provoke him.

There was one other incident that made him particularly proud: his son had fought with the Second Prince over a woman, and the Second Prince had actually been the one to back down! Although Leng Ping gave his son a vicious tongue-lashing afterward, it was from that moment on that he saw the true value of the Crown Prince.

It solidified his resolve to cling tightly to the Crown Prince’s coattails. He had already boarded the Crown Prince’s ship, and there was no way, no chance, of getting off halfway.

So, he didn’t worry too much about having offended the Second Prince. They were all in the same boat, after all. As long as the Crown Prince ascended the throne, their own status would naturally rise with the tide.

Furthermore, the Daqing Gang’s core ranks had gradually been filled with more and more retired soldiers. These were true warriors who had experienced the crucible of slaughter, and their caliber was far superior to the gang’s original members, who were merely thugs that enjoyed a good brawl.

And Leng Ping, with his own formidable power, sat securely in his position as the Dragon Head.

He hadn’t paid much mind to today’s events at first. ’Just some exiled noble from another kingdom, what’s all the fuss about?’ he had thought. Gao Shitong was weak to begin with and had always been arrogant and overbearing. It was perfectly normal for him to suffer a bit after running into a desperate man.

However, that shadow who was always by the Crown Prince’s side had personally sought him out and ordered him to dispatch men to eliminate this Qin Li. Leng Ping was rather reluctant. ’It’s just a shared name,’ he thought. ’Isn’t the Crown Prince being a bit too sensitive?’

But the Crown Prince was his ultimate boss, and he couldn’t defy a direct order. So, he sent out the men from the Battle Blade Hall. As far as Leng Ping was concerned, it was just a measure to ensure there were no mistakes.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. This concept was ingrained deep in Leng Ping’s bones.

So, after dispatching his men, he had come to his most favored woman’s residence with his mind at ease. The thought of her soft body, her enchanting voice, and her fiery passion made Leng Ping’s heart burn with desire.

Only two or three of his most trusted confidants knew of this place. He would absolutely not be disturbed.

At this moment, Leng Ping’s face was a ferocious mask as he thrust with all his might, sweat pouring like rain from his powerful body.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

Three very faint knocks sounded on the outer courtyard gate, yet they sent a chill through Leng Ping’s entire body, causing him to freeze instantly.