I Can Strengthen Everything

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Golden Wolf Gang

He woke up.

It was about time to call it a day.

After listening to reports from a few of his subordinates and finding that nothing major had occurred, Fang Xing left the County Yamen.

However, just as he was leaving the County Yamen and passing through Nanshan Square, a man stepped forward and stopped him.

He was a young, scholarly-looking man with a broad smile on his face.

"You must be Lord Fang Xing, I presume?"

Fang Xing studied the young scholar for a moment, his brow furrowing. "Who are you?"

The young man chuckled. "Lord Fang, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lin Qiu, and I’m with the Golden Wolf Gang. Our Gang Leader has reserved a private room at the Spring Breeze Tower and would like to invite you to dinner. He hopes you will do him the honor."

"The Golden Wolf Gang..."

Fang Xing narrowed his eyes as information about them quickly surfaced in his mind.

’A third-rate gang.’

’They had a certain reputation in North City and were even stronger than the Black Tiger Gang.’

’Their Gang Leader was also at the Peak of Bright Force.’

’Furthermore, the Gang Leader wasn’t their only Bright Force Martial Artist; they had two others in their ranks.’

’They weren’t at the Peak of Bright Force, but a gang with three Bright Force Martial Artists was still very powerful.’

’At least, to him in his current state, they were very strong.’

As the thoughts flashed through his mind, Fang Xing looked at Lin Qiu. "I don’t believe I know your Gang Leader."

Lin Qiu smiled brightly. "Lord Fang, one meeting makes strangers, the next makes friends. Our Gang Leader has admired you for a long time and wishes to get to know you today."

Hearing this, Fang Xing knew exactly what they meant. He feigned contemplation for a moment before speaking. "Alright. I’m free right now, so let’s go have a look."

If they wanted to win him over, Fang Xing didn’t mind.

After all, his primary goal was still to improve his strength, and he had no desire to offend these local gangs.

He would have to deal with them sooner or later anyway.

Besides, he had only just reached the Bright Force realm; he still had a long way to go.

’Making contact with them now would set him up to wipe them all out in one fell swoop later, when the opportunity arose.’

’He was, after all, quite interested in the methods of Evil Cultivators.’

’It was just a shame his current strength was insufficient.’

"This way, Lord Fang!"

Lin Qiu said with a smile. Fang Xing nodded and followed him, heading toward the Spring Breeze Tavern.

...

「North City, Anqing Square.」

Fang Xing followed Lin Qiu to the entrance of a tavern.

This was one of the more bustling streets in the city.

It was lined with taverns, inns, and pleasure houses.

This was the main street of Anqing Square.

Plenty of factions operated here.

Since he had patrolled here before, Fang Xing was quite familiar with the distribution of power in the area.

Soon after entering the tavern, he followed Lin Qiu to a private room on the top floor.

Lin Qiu pushed open the door to the private room.

Three men were seated inside.

The leader was a burly, bald man in a simple black tunic. He looked powerful, and his eyes were sharp.

Of the other two, one was a refined-looking middle-aged man.

The other was a tall, thin man.

These three were the core figures of the Golden Wolf Gang.

As the door opened, all three men’s gazes fell upon Fang Xing.

Their eyes met.

The bald man was the first to rise, a wide smile on his face. "Welcome, Lord Fang."

The other two men also stood, greeting him with smiles.

"Lord Fang, please, come in."

Lin Qiu gestured for him to enter. Fang Xing gave a slight nod and stepped inside.

Seeing Fang Xing enter, Lin Qiu closed the door and tactfully departed.

"Lord Fang, you truly are young and promising. To eliminate the scourge of the Black Tiger Gang on your very first day in your post... truly remarkable," the refined-looking middle-aged man at his side said with a chuckle.

"It is merely my duty to protect the peace of North City," Fang Xing said calmly.

"Lord Fang, allow me to introduce myself. I am Jin Xiong, the Gang Leader of the Golden Wolf Gang," the bald man said with a smile.

Fang Xing nodded. "I have long heard of Gang Leader Jin’s reputation. Seeing you today, I can tell it is well-deserved."

At this, Jin Xiong laughed heartily. "You’re too kind, Lord Fang. I am merely a man of the Jianghu; I can’t compare to an official like yourself."

Fang Xing smiled. Jin Xiong then introduced the refined man beside him. "This is the manager of our Golden Wolf Gang, Jiang Tao."

As Jin Xiong made the introduction, the refined man gave Fang Xing a small smile, and Fang Xing nodded in return, by way of a greeting.

Then, Jin Xiong introduced the other man. "And this is my younger brother, Jin Cheng."

The tall, thin man gave Fang Xing a fist-and-palm salute, and Fang Xing returned a slight nod.

"I’ve prepared this simple banquet today because I wanted to get to know you and make a friend, Lord Fang. Please, have a seat."

Jin Xiong said with a chuckle, gesturing to a seat. Fang Xing didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down.

His eyes swept over the delicacies and fine wine on the table before landing on Jin Xiong.

"You’re too kind, Gang Leader Jin. I, too, was hoping for a chance to meet you."

"Hahaha! Then it seems we’re of the same mind."

Jin Xiong laughed, and as he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Tao, who immediately picked up a jug and poured a cup of wine for Fang Xing.

"Lord Fang, a toast to our new acquaintance! Please!"

Jin Xiong raised his cup, and Jiang Tao and Jin Cheng followed suit.

Fang Xing smiled faintly, raising his cup with one hand. "Please!"

After speaking, Fang Xing took a small sip of wine before setting his cup down.

"Come, come, Lord Fang, please eat. This was made by the Spring Breeze Tower’s finest chef. The flavor is superb."

Jin Xiong said enthusiastically. Fang Xing replied with a pleasant smile, picking up a tender piece of fish and taking a bite.

The atmosphere was quite amicable.

The men ate and chatted.

They seemed like old friends reuniting after years apart, and soon they were addressing each other as brothers.

After several rounds of drinks and numerous dishes...

The private room was filled with cheerful laughter.

Fang Xing put down his chopsticks and looked at Jin Xiong. "Brother Jin, there’s something I’d like to ask, and I was wondering if you might be able to answer."

With a hearty expression, Jin Xiong put down his cup. "Brother Fang, please speak freely. Anything I know, I will surely tell you."

Fang Xing’s eyes gleamed as he asked with a placid smile, "I was wondering, Brother Jin, how much do you know about the Black Tiger Gang?"

’The Black Tiger Gang?’

Jin Xiong was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "I don’t know much about them, really. I only know a little about the Black Tiger Gang’s leader, Xu Hu. He was originally just a local ruffian from Bai Chao Village outside the city. Then, through some unknown stroke of fortune, he managed to become a Martial Artist. After that, he gathered a group of men and carved out a bit of territory for himself in North City."

"I never had much contact with the man himself."

"But I have heard some rumors."

"Oh?"

Fang Xing’s eyes brightened, but he kept his expression neutral as he looked at Jin Xiong. "What kind of rumors, I wonder?"

"Something about being connected to an Evil Cult, I believe," Jiang Tao, who was at the side, suddenly interjected.

"An Evil Cult..."

Hearing Jiang Tao’s words, Fang Xing turned his gaze to him.

Jiang Tao met Fang Xing’s gaze. "I’m not clear on the specifics. I’ve only heard rumors."

’In that case, the ’Envoy’ behind him was most likely from the Fire Worship Sect...’

The thought flashed through Fang Xing’s mind, and his heart grew heavy.

’Evil Cults hide their tracks well.’

’If the Envoy Xu Hu mentioned was really from an Evil Cult, then they wouldn’t be easy to find.’

’He didn’t know the true depth of the Fire Worship Sect, but the very fact that it had existed for so long was proof of its power.’

’From Bai Chao Village... could it be that the Fire Worship Sect has a stronghold there...?’

The thought flashed through his mind.

’Even if there is an Evil Cult stronghold there, with my current strength, going would be suicide. It’s safer to stay in the city...’

Fang Xing sighed inwardly.

Even if there was, he couldn’t possibly go.

’My strength is insufficient!’

Still, getting this information gave him a better grasp of the situation.

At the very least, he could be fairly certain that the Envoy Xu Hu mentioned was a member of the Fire Worship Sect. freēwebnovel.com

It was also very likely the same fugitive from before.

"Brother Fang, hasn’t the Black Tiger Gang already been wiped out? You even killed Xu Hu yourself. Surely you’re not worried that this Evil Cult will come after you?" Jiang Tao asked, looking at Fang Xing from the side.

Fang Xing snapped out of his thoughts. "It’s nothing. Just some cases from my superiors that require a coordinated investigation."

The men nodded and didn’t press the issue, returning to their drinks and idle chatter.