Little Chuan had prepared over a hundred buckets for Little Gen, each filled to the brim with filth. The workers had grumbled and gagged their way through the job. The pay was good, yes, but no amount of silver could make that kind of work pleasant.

The crowd that had been circling the Pure Conduct Society scattered at once. They fled in all directions, clutching their sleeves over their noses, terrified that even a single drop might touch them.

The filth was not the only thing Little Chuan had prepared. Every trick, every hidden device, every nasty little surprise used in the fight outside the cinema had been arranged ahead of time by Little Chuan and his crew. That was why everything had gone so smoothly.

Seeing that the time was about right, Li Banfeng gave the order. "Ring the bell."

That was how things were usually done when a film began. Little Chuan quickly spoke up from the side. "Master Qi, that's not how it works here. In Blackstone City, we use a whistle."

This cinema was connected to the neighboring factory's steam pipes. In winter, it was used for heating, and at other times, it was used for cleaning and disinfection. Once the valve was opened, the steam whistle would sound. Every cinema in Blackstone Slope used a whistle instead of a bell.

In fact, it wasn't just the cinemas. The entire slope ran on steam. Some households kept their own boilers, puffing away like stubborn old beasts. Others simply bought steam from the factories. Either way, every home had pipes running through it, hissing and sighing at all hours.

The whistle shrieked through the air. At once, the audience poured in, one after another, all of them perfectly delighted to settle in and watch the movie!

With the onlookers gone and the Pure Conduct Society retreating, Little Gen and Little Chuan led their men in cleaning up the area in front of the cinema.

The clash at the cinema had been fierce, and Li Banfeng now had evidence of the Pure Conduct Society's wrongdoing. He had no intention of letting them off lightly.

Li Banfeng returned to the factory and ordered Bai Qiusheng and the others to hurry with the articles.

The front-page headlines had already been decided: "Members of Pure Conduct Society Beats Elderly Woman in the Street" and "Elder Drenched in Filth, Stench Spreads Far and Wide."

Beneath the headlines came a parade of commentaries, each one eagerly laying out the whole scandal from beginning to end. They told how the Pure Conduct Society had marched in to wreck the cinema, beaten an old woman in the street, and then, in a most satisfying twist, found themselves surrounded and thoroughly doused in filth.

This was not a single voice. Several writers contributed, each offering their own perspective.

Some insisted that the Pure Conduct Society had gone after the cinema because The Legendary Bloodspear Detective was indecent and failed to meet their moral standards.

However, the photographs told a rather different story. There they were, clear as day, beating an old woman in the street. It did not seem, somehow, that morality troubled them very much at all.

And just like that, the argument collapsed in a heap.

Another writer had a different take. He claimed that Elder Tang Peigong was getting on in years and no longer quite up to it. With one wife and twenty-six concubines, the pressure alone was enough to wear anyone down.

Then along came a movie like The Legendary Bloodspear Detective, with its main character Song Chunjie charging about with alarming vigor. Seeing such youthful enthusiasm, the old elder was thrown into a dreadful state. A most uncomfortable fire began to burn inside him, one he could neither quench nor ignore.

And so, driven by this misery, he resolved to oppose the film with all his might.

As ridiculous as it sounded, at least this version made sense. Another version made far less sense, but it was a lot more fun to read. It claimed that all twenty-six of Tang Peigong's concubines had fallen head over heels for the film's leading man. Some had even gone so far as to write him letters.

Tang Peigong, naturally, began to suspect the worst. In his mind, he had already been made a cuckold, which was why he hated the film with such burning passion.

This version had already been adapted into a serialized story, featured mainly on the third and fourth pages of the newspaper. In it, Song Chunjie played a central role. He had just won over the first two concubines, and the rest of the story would continue as a serialized novel in the papers and magazines.

There was also another claim, suggesting that Tang Peigong had been bribed by the Ling Family's film company. To help them eliminate a competitor, he deliberately targeted The Legendary Bloodspear Detective. This theory even dragged in people like Lu Maoxian, the granduncle of the Lu Family.

Opinions were all over the place. In that night's Night-Blooming Jasmine, nearly a third of the paper was talking about the Pure Conduct Society.

For something on this scale, a single newspaper was never going to reach a wide enough audience.

Li Banfeng had the same concern. But with so little time, setting up even one newspaper was already pushing the limit.

Fortunately, he had another helper.

Li Banfeng called over a worker, handed him a silver dollar, and told him, "Go invite Zeng Wenbing from the Green Fire Gang."

The worker was puzzled. "What do we need him for?"

Li Banfeng said, "Just tell him the business has made a huge profit and we want to calculate how much bonus we should give him."

The worker was even more confused. "A bonus? Didn't we already give them twenty thousand?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "I am generous. A little extra now buys a lot more peace later."

The worker couldn't make heads or tails of it. Still, a coin was a coin. Since he had taken Li Banfeng's money, he had no choice but to do as he was told.

Before long, Zeng Wenbing arrived with a cigarette dangling from his lips, swaggering in like he owned the place. The moment he stepped through the door, he lashed out, kicking the worker twice before sending the neatly stacked newspapers flying across the floor.

"Damn it!" he barked. "You make a bit of money and start acting like a big shot? Instead of bringing me my bonus, you make me come all the way here to collect it myself?"

Li Banfeng stepped forward at once to greet him, all smiles. "Second Master Zeng, we invited you so we could settle things properly, face to face."

Zeng Wenbing looked Li Banfeng up and down. He did not seem quite the same as the man he had seen yesterday.

Something felt different from yesterday, but it didn't matter. A newspaper office could pop up today and disappear tomorrow. He could not be bothered to think about it.

"What the hell is there to calculate? Just give me twenty thousand first!"

Li Banfeng paused. "Second Master, isn't twenty thousand a bit much?"

"I came here myself, and you're saying it's too much? Have I been going too easy on you?"

Li Banfeng was surprised. "Ah, so this is about showing your authority? I will do as you said then. Twenty thousand it is."

Zeng Wenbing spat the cigarette butt onto the floor and shot Li Banfeng a vicious glare. "What the hell are you trying to say? Are you tired of liv—"

Smack!

Suddenly, Li Banfeng moved in front of him and gave him a clean slap on the face, knocking a molar straight out of his mouth.

Zeng Wenbing's vision flashed white for a moment. He stared at Li Banfeng. "You dare..."

Li Banfeng swung his hand again and slapped him, breaking the bridge of Zeng Wenbing's nose.

Clutching his nose, Zeng Wenbing shouted at his men, "Don't hold back! Fight him!"

His men rushed forward together, but Zuo Wugang stepped in. He grabbed one in each hand as easily as catching chickens and slammed them to the ground.

Then he turned to the workers. "Step on their faces. That's it. Pin them down. Put your weight into it. Once you have got them pinned, don't move!"

Seeing his men pinned to the ground, Zeng Wenbing stared at Li Banfeng in horror.

Li Banfeng slapped him again and said with a cheerful smile, "You asked for twenty thousand right off the bat. That's a bit much to hand over all at once. I will give you three first. That leaves nineteen thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven. We will calculate the interest later. For now, you are going to help me with something."

Zeng Wenbing's jaw had already been knocked out of place. Just then, Bai Qiusheng walked out from the factory. "Second Master Zeng, what just happened was our Boss Ye settling accounts. I still have my own to settle with you. Start by telling me how many newspaper offices are under your control."

Zeng Wenbing didn't dare hide anything. "I oversee three. There's another one that mainly sells magazines. Altogether, our gang has fifteen. Two of them might shut down soon."

Zuo Wugang grabbed Zeng Wenbing and said, "Come with us. We will visit those three first and discuss something."

Bai Qiusheng followed behind Zuo Wugang. They really were just going to talk things through. Li Banfeng had no plans to make money from newspapers or magazines, so there was no need to make things difficult for others in the trade.

When they arrived at one of the newspaper offices, two writers sat at a table, worrying over what to write for that night's issue.

The whole newspaper office was run by just two people. They wrote the articles, handled the printing, folded the papers, and delivered them themselves. On a good day, they sold two to three hundred copies, barely enough to scrape by.

When Zuo Wugang walked in, the two men froze, unsure of what this big, burly man wanted.

Zuo Wugang dropped the man he was holding in front of them. The sight of the bloodied, battered figure made them shudder.

One of the writers had better eyesight. After staring for a while, he finally recognized the battered figure. "Is that Second Master Zeng?"

Zuo Wugang nodded. "You understand now, right?"

The two writers shook their heads repeatedly. They did not understand at all.

What does this mean? Does this mean Zeng Wenbing no longer controlled this territory? Are we supposed to hand over the protection fee to this big tanned man instead?

Bai Qiusheng hurried forward and explained. "Gentlemen, we are all in the same trade. We are from the Night-Blooming Jasmine. We came to ask if you would be willing to run a piece in tomorrow's paper."

"What news?"

Bai Qiusheng laid the Night-Blooming Jasmine article in front of them. The two writers glanced at it, then at each other, but neither dared to say a word right away.

Publishing a piece was not a big deal. Most of their news was copied anyway. However, this one involved the Pure Conduct Society. Spreading rumors about the Pure Conduct Society would bring a lot of trouble.

Bai Qiusheng had been in this line of work long enough to know their concerns.

"Brothers, this news is real! We won't have you do this for nothing. We will pay. Thirty silver dollars for one day of publication! If anything happens, just come to us. We will take responsibility."

Thirty silver dollars for a single day!

The two men felt their hearts jump straight into their throats. They wouldn't see that kind of money even after working themselves half to death for an entire month.

The brothers glanced at Zeng Wenbing. Zuo Wugang held him up and slapped him. "You heard the question!"

Zeng Wenbing nodded. "Alright..."

These people were ruthless. They had already beaten Zeng Wenbing into a miserable, barely recognizable state. And now they were offering money. Good money. For a tiny favor. There was no reason to refuse.

The two agreed on the spot. Zuo Wugang dragged Zeng Wenbing along and headed to the next place.

At the next office, a magazine photoshoot was in full swing. When Zuo Wugang stormed in dragging a bloodied man, all the girls screamed and ran off.

Zuo Wugang slapped Zeng Wenbing. "Talk!"

Zeng Wenbing's lips were swollen and split. When he tried to speak, the words came out in a miserable stammer. "Pr... print... the newspaper..."

Print what newspaper?

Bai Qiusheng stepped forward and explained, "There's something we would like to ask of you..."

After they had gone through all three newspaper offices, Bai Qiusheng turned back to Zeng Wenbing and asked, "Your boss is around, isn't he? Let's go have a chat at your homebase."

Zeng Wenbing said nothing.

Bai Qiusheng raised his hand and slapped him. "Not talking?"

Zeng Wenbing still refused to talk.

Bai Qiusheng glanced sideways at Zuo Wugang with a faint sigh. "Master Zuo, I'm afraid I don't hit hard enough."

Just as Zuo Wugang raised his hand, Zeng Wenbing finally spoke, "My boss is at the homebase, I will bring you all there."

Zuo Wugang hauled Zeng Wenbing to his feet. "Let's go. We will find Master Qi first."

Bai Qiusheng said, "Master Zuo, this is a small matter. There's no need to trouble Master Qi. We can handle it ourselves."

"No. Master Qi gave orders. If we are going to the home base, he must be informed."

Zuo Wugang was not good at making decisions. Whether it was a simple or difficult task, he only followed the instructions of Li Qi and Ma Wu.

With Zeng Wenbing leading the way, Li Banfeng and the others made their way to the Green Fire Gang's headquarters.

In Puluo Province, the Green Fire Gang was not even considered a third-rate gang. Their headquarters was little more than a factory.

Zuo Wugang moved to step inside, but Li Banfeng stopped him and told him to wait at the entrance.

There was something at the entrance. Zuo Wugang could not see it, but Li Banfeng saw it clearly.

The gang was called the Green Fire Gang. Li Banfeng had already guessed that its leader must be a Nightfiend cultivator.

Sure enough, two ghost servants were standing guard at the entrance. As Li Banfeng walked into the factory, they followed behind him.

The front courtyard of the factory was overgrown with weeds, and the abandoned machinery had rusted beyond recognition.

The gang might be small, but it should still have some resources. It should not have been reduced to staying in such a rundown place.

However, Li Banfeng knew the reason why. The factory was heavy with yin energy, and many ghosts lingered nearby. It was an ideal place for a Nightfiend cultivator to cultivate.

When they reached a secluded corner of the factory, Li Banfeng moved without warning.

The pendulum flashed into his hand.

The two ghost servants barely had time to react before he cut them down in a single sweep and sent them straight into his Pocket Dwelling.

His wifey took a bite and let out a small puff of steam, as if she were tasting something quite disappointing.

"Heyaaaaaa~ Husband dear~" she said, "today's dishes aren't very fresh... and the quality is rather poor."

That single remark revealed the gang leader's cultivation level.

The fact that the ghost servants didn't taste fresh meant that the Nightfiend Cultivator had raised these ghost servants for a long time. And if even those long-raised servants were this poor in quality... then their master's cultivation could only be so-so at best.

Li Banfeng strode toward the factory building.

Two thugs at the entrance stepped forward to block his path. "What are you here for?"

Li Banfeng asked politely, "Is your boss in?"

One of the younger thugs didn't like that at all. He stepped in and shoved him. "I asked what you are here for!"

The older thug, however, said nothing. He just stood there, watching.

There were ghost servants at the entrance. The fact that this man had walked in meant he was no ordinary person.

Li Banfeng glanced at the young thug, then swung his sickle and slit his throat.

The older thug trembled and lowered his head. "I'll take you to the boss."

Author's Note:

PS: Since they have made their move, they have to make the Pure Conduct Society feel the pain. They will continue the fight against the Pure Conduct Society in round two!