North City.

The Four Seas Gang's main stronghold stood here.

Inside a hall, Chen Dao, leader of the Four Seas Gang, sat at a game of chess across from a middle-aged man. A closer look revealed that this man was none other than Liu Jing, the Liu Family's Second Master.

"Second Master Liu, the Tang Family hasn't appeared at the Mid-Autumn Conference for two years now. If they stay away again this year, their standing in Yun City is sure to plummet. Today my Four Seas Gang struck the Liu Family of North City without warning, which is bound to have offended the Tang Family.

"If they still hope to win back some of their name, they'll surely move against my Four Seas Gang. I fear this will be a hard fight." Years of clawing his way up through Yun City, facing every kind of enemy, had honed Chen Dao's mind to a fine edge.

The Liu Family's true aim in goading the Four Seas Gang to provoke the Tang Family was perfectly clear to him.

"Rest easy, Gang Leader Chen. Of Yun City's four great families, the Tang Family is the weakest. If they truly clash with the Four Seas Gang, their strength will be gutted. And should they actually dare to fight, tonight will be the day the Tang Family falls. They'll come, throw out a few threats, and demand satisfaction at most. They won't risk anything reckless."

Liu Jing sipped his tea and went on. "Besides, how many can they even bring? Thirty guards at Origin Rank Ninth Grade? Fifty? A force like that may not beat the Four Seas Gang outright.

"And the Tang Family will never guess that my Liu Family has men planted inside the Four Seas Gang.

"Forty at Origin Rank Ninth Grade, fifteen Yellow Rank experts. Such strength, joined to the Four Seas Gang's own men-what is there to fear from that Tang Family? The moment they raise a hand, we'll see to it that none of them leave alive."

"Well said, Second Master Liu. Still, my Four Seas Gang takes a great risk in this. When the Tang Family falls, as we agreed, two parts in ten of their holdings come to the Four Seas Gang." Chen Dao smiled.

"That goes without saying." Liu Jing nodded, smiling.

The two exchanged a glance, then threw back their heads and laughed, as though the Tang Family were already theirs for the taking.

"Report-Gang Leader, the Tang Family's men are charging straight for us!" A scout rushed into the hall.

"Oh? So soon?" Chen Dao and Liu Jing both raised their brows.

"How many did the Tang Family bring? Who leads them?" Chen Dao asked.

"Old Mo of the Tang Family leads them-twenty men, all Tang Family guards. They'll reach the stronghold in about five minutes!" the scout answered at once.

Hearing this, Chen Dao let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Gang Leader Chen, most of the Tang Family's guards stand at Origin Rank Ninth Grade. With fifteen Yellow Rank martial artists holding our line, there's nothing to worry about. Whatever demands the Tang Family makes, simply refuse them." Liu Jing smiled from the side, the very picture of a man with everything in hand.

"As Second Master Liu commands." Chen Dao nodded knowingly, then bellowed his order. "Ready the men! Every martial artist at Origin Rank Eighth Grade and above, assemble!"

At his word the rear courtyard filled-with the Liu Family guards counted in, more than a hundred men gathered. Over eighty stood at Origin Rank Ninth Grade, and more than twenty were Yellow Rank martial artists.

"Chen Dao, you little wretch-get out here!" Uncle Mo reached the Four Seas Gang's main stronghold, looked up at the great gated manor, and gathered his full True Qi into a roar.

"So it's Uncle Mo. Forgive me for failing to greet you properly." Chen Dao opened the courtyard gate, more than a hundred men filing out at his back. He cocked his head at the men behind Uncle Mo and feigned surprise. "Uncle Mo, what's the meaning of bringing so many along?"

Uncle Mo fixed Chen Dao with a cold glare, his voice hard with anger. "Gang Leader Chen, let honest men speak plainly. You knew full well the Liu Family of North City stands allied with my Tang Family, yet you struck them all the same. Where does that leave my Tang Family?

"The Tang Family holds an oath with every allied house-advance and retreat as one, shared glory and shared shame. To provoke the Tang Family so, and offer no reckoning-my Tang Family will never let it rest!"

Chen Dao's eyes went cold. He tipped back his head and laughed. "Uncle Mo, you've grown old, and your wits along with you. Mark this-the Tang Family today is not the Tang Family of years past. So what if it's offended? Take my advice and turn back now, before this trip becomes one you don't return from and fouls the view before my Four Seas Gang's gate."

But even as Chen Dao spat his contempt at Uncle Mo, his gaze swept the distance-and caught several waves of men racing toward them. By their numbers, there had to be seventy or eighty.

Chen Dao's heart lurched. This was bad. For all his careful reckoning, he had never guessed the Tang Family would split their men into separate waves and slip them past his watchers.

"So Gang Leader Chen won't repent. Kill!" Uncle Mo kept Tang Yan's instructions firmly in mind and wasted no more words. With a furious roar, before Chen Dao could react, he was the first to charge into the Four Seas Gang's ranks.

"Kill!" The Tang Family guards from behind had arrived-more than a hundred Yellow Rank experts, every one of them charging the Four Seas Gang with bloodshot eyes.

For before they set out, Uncle Mo had given his word: cut down one man, and earn a Reward of a hundred taels of silver.

In their eyes the Four Seas Gang were no longer men, but walking silver.

Every one of them strained forward, each wishing he could wipe out the whole gang alone. A hundred taels a head-how much silver was that?

"All of you, assemble-kill!" Chen Dao was choking with frustration. He had thought the Tang Family numbered only forty; instead his own side held no edge in numbers at all.

"Aaah!" As scream after scream tore from the Four Seas Gang's men, Chen Dao's eyes split wide with rage.

In that moment he could have torn the scout apart with his bare hands.

What garbage report was this? First the count of the Tang Family came back wrong-and now this black tide of Tang guards surged in, every aura among them that of a Yellow Rank martial artist.

When had the Tang Family come to hold so many Yellow Rank experts?

He had no time to dwell on it. Uncle Mo's long spear was already sweeping toward him.

Of late Tang Yan had given Old Tang and Uncle Mo no small store of spiritual medicines. Uncle Mo, already at Black Rank Eighth Grade, had now climbed to the peak of the Eighth Grade, on the verge of breaking into the Ninth.

Chen Dao held only Black Rank Seventh Grade-a gap from Uncle Mo that was far from small.

"Second Master Liu, help!" Under Uncle Mo's savage assault, Chen Dao could hold out no longer and twisted around to shout.

The words turned Uncle Mo's eyes to ice. Second Master Liu? So it truly was the Liu Family pulling the strings.

That Second Master Liu had reached Black Rank Fifth Grade himself. If the two joined hands against him, he would gain little. He had to finish this fast, before they could combine their strength. Uncle Mo roared, his aura swelling, his attacks turning fiercer still.

The Tang Family's hundred-odd men were all Yellow Rank experts. Under so vast an edge in strength, the ranks of the Four Seas Gang and the Liu Family guards thinned with terrible speed. In a mere quarter hour, more than half had been wiped out.

Even one against one, the Four Seas Gang had been no match. Now, facing two against one and even three against one, their defenses collapsed like a toppling mountain, and they were swiftly swept away.

And the lesser men below Origin Rank Ninth Grade who poured out after could no more stand against the Tang guards than chives against a scythe-they were cut down and harvested in moments.