Du Xing had always believed that he was the one using Xu Kaishan, but in reality, it was Xu Kaishan who had been manipulating him from the very beginning. It was only when the Twin Dragons intervened that Xu Kaishan's plans were disrupted. Otherwise, Xu Kaishan had already planned to pin the blame for the Wolf Bandits' crimes on Du Xing.
"The Wolf Bandits? How is that possible?"
At the entrance of the North Tyrant Gang's headquarters, after Duan Lang revealed the identities of Du Xing and Xu Kaishan, a large crowd quickly gathered. Most of these people were representatives of major merchant guilds from Shanhai County.
The Wolf Bandits' rampage had caused significant losses to these guilds, not only in terms of wealth but also in human lives. Naturally, they harbored deep hatred for the Wolf Bandits. However, the idea that Du Xing and Xu Kaishan were the Wolf Bandits was something most people found hard to believe.
Xu Kaishan's North Horse Gang was one thing—their reputation in the region was far from stellar, with forced transactions being a common occurrence. In the original story, when the Twin Dragons arrived in the frontier, their horses were almost forcibly taken by the gang. However, they had underestimated the Twin Dragons and ended up biting off more than they could chew.
On the other hand, Du Xing's reputation in the frontier was one of righteousness and fairness. He had mediated numerous conflicts and was widely respected.
"But it's not entirely impossible. Don't you find it strange that Du Xing always manages to retrieve goods from the Wolf Bandits? Why do the Wolf Bandits show him such respect? If they were in cahoots, it would explain a lot."
While many people trusted Du Xing, there were also those who doubted him. In the past, even if they had suspicions, they would keep them to themselves, not daring to voice them openly. But now that Du Xing had fallen from power, there was no longer any need for restraint.
"Exactly, this guy is too greedy. He wanted to double-dip."
After this person spoke, many in the crowd nodded in agreement. Those who came to the frontier to do business were no fools. There were three major bandit groups in the frontier, but only the Wolf Bandits had been wreaking havoc in Du Xing's territory. Previously, no one had considered the possibility that Du Xing and the Wolf Bandits were one and the same. At most, they suspected some form of collusion.
But if Du Xing was indeed the leader of the Wolf Bandits, then it was clear that he was trying to double-dip—first stealing the goods, then having the owners pay to get them back, often at several times the original value.
Not everyone had the same influence as the Twin Dragons, who managed to get Du Xing to return their goods for free. For others, no matter how displeased they were, they had no choice but to buy back their stolen goods.
This wasn't just about money; it was about reputation. Failing to deliver goods on time severely damaged one's credibility, and once credibility was lost, clients might switch to other traders.
Doing business with the various tribes in the frontier was highly profitable. For example, the glass products that Daniel Davis sold—if people from the future knew the prices he charged, they would be shocked at how exorbitant they were.
"Sorry, we had no choice. The gang leader forced us."
As the crowd outside argued heatedly over whether Du Xing was the leader of the Wolf Bandits, the gates of the North Tyrant Gang's headquarters finally opened. The deputy leader and several other high-ranking members of the gang emerged and immediately knelt down, confessing everything about Du Xing and Xu Kaishan's schemes.
These men were so compliant because Duan Lang had used his Twin Hands technique to control them. However, while he controlled them, he didn't fabricate anything—everything they said was based on facts.
To ensure that no one would doubt their words, Duan Lang had them produce some of the treasures that had been stolen by the Wolf Bandits and had mysteriously disappeared. This revelation caused an uproar, with many people eager to kill Du Xing and Xu Kaishan on the spot.
However, Duan Lang stopped them. He planned to hold a public trial for the Wolf Bandits, scheduled for seven days later, to give everyone enough time to attend.
"Now, the Great Ming Cult should walk right into our trap."
Duan Lang had deliberately kept Xu Kaishan's identity as the Great Ming Cult's Grand Master a secret. From Xu Kaishan, Duan Lang had learned that the members of the Great Ming Cult were scattered far and wide, and even Xu Kaishan didn't know the location of every member.
Although Xu Kaishan was the Grand Master of the Great Ming Cult, he wasn't the sole leader. Within the cult, the Good Mother held equal authority.
The Great Ming Cult was divided into two systems: the Light and the Dark. The Light system, led by the Good Mother and the Five Bright Ones, was responsible for spreading religious teachings.
The Dark system, led by the Atom and the Five Demon Kings, was tasked with eliminating enemies and served as the cult's executioners. They operated in secrecy and were known for their ruthless methods.
Xu Kaishan led the Dark system. Yang Xuyan held the position of Atom within the cult, making him the future Grand Master. He practiced the "Scripture of the Root of All Laws," a technique reserved for the Grand Master.
Given Xu Kaishan's position within the Great Ming Cult, there was no doubt that others would try to rescue him. Just as when Daniel Davis imprisoned Kong, the Four Guardian Kings, and others in Luoyang, many had attempted to break into the prison to free them.
For those people, breaking into the prison to rescue their comrades offered a slim chance of success, but attempting a rescue during a public execution would be suicidal.
"The 'Scripture of the Root of All Laws,' the 'Scripture of the Medicine King,' the 'Scripture of Light,' and the Five-Colored Stone—there are quite a few treasures here. But dealing with the Persian Empire won't be easy."
From Xu Kaishan, Duan Lang had obtained many valuable items, including the wealth he had amassed as the leader of the Wolf Bandits and the North Horse Gang, as well as the Great Ming Cult's secret scriptures. The cult's sacred texts were on par with the "Heavenly Demon Codex" of the Yin Kuai Sect. The reason Yang Xuyan had joined the Great Ming Cult was precisely for the "Scripture of the Root of All Laws."
As the disciple of the Evil King, defeating Shi Zhixuan would be extremely difficult, so Yang Xuyan sought external help. As the son of the former Sui Dynasty crown prince Yang Yong, even though Shi Zhixuan had taken him as a disciple, Yang Xuyan harbored deep hatred for him. After all, Shi Zhixuan had sided with Yang Guang and helped him overthrow the Sui Dynasty.
Duan Lang had no interest in the "Scripture of the Root of All Laws," but the "Scripture of the Medicine King" contained some useful information about medicinal applications.
Although the "Scripture of the Root of All Laws" was useless to Duan Lang (or rather, Daniel Davis), it didn't mean it was useless to others. After all, it was a martial arts scripture second only to the "Heavenly Demon Codex." Even if one couldn't practice it, it was still valuable for reference.
In addition to these scriptures, Duan Lang also obtained intelligence about Persia. The Great Ming Cult in the frontier couldn't truly be considered part of the Great Ming Cult. The real Great Ming Cult was in Persia, where it was the state religion. Xu Kaishan and his followers were essentially defectors who had fled Persia and reestablished the cult in the frontier.
The orthodox Great Ming Cult in Persia was incredibly powerful, even more so than the major factions in the Central Plains. This was to be expected, as it was the state religion, enjoying unrivaled dominance. In contrast, the Central Plains had no such unified religious authority. While Buddhism appeared strong and commanded respect, there were also Taoism and the Demon Sect to contend with.
The strength of the orthodox Great Ming Cult prompted Duan Lang to prepare for the future. He planned to gather the Central Plains' top experts to ensure they wouldn't be outmatched in a potential conflict with Persia.
The Central Plains were vast and rich in resources, with no shortage of powerful individuals. However, there were also significant issues. For instance, many of the top-tier experts were difficult to mobilize.
"That guy Ning Daoqi, we can't let him off too easily. We need to mess with his mind a bit more."
After learning about the situation in Persia, and considering the threats posed by the Eastern Turks' Bi Xuan and Goguryeo's Fu Cailin, Ning Daoqi's name once again came to mind. In other factions, experts at the Grandmaster level would contribute their full strength during external conflicts.
For example, in the original story, when Li Shimin fought against the Eastern Turks, Bi Xuan personally took to the field. However, it was the Twin Dragons, Ba Fenghan, and others who ultimately stopped him. Meanwhile, Ning Daoqi, the Central Plains' number one Grandmaster, remained conspicuously absent.
He didn't participate in external conflicts but was extremely active in internal ones, engaging in two battles with Song Que and effectively neutralizing another Grandmaster.
Thinking of this, Duan Lang immediately took out a piece of paper, wrote down some notes, and then, along with the wealth he had seized, used the Flying Thunder God Technique to send everything to his main body.
"Ning Daoqi, it's time to deal with him. And Fan Qinghui too. Next, we'll have the scene of the bald monks daring to compete with the Taoist priest for the nun. But I never thought I'd be the one drawing this."
After reading the contents of Duan Lang's message, Daniel Davis's eyes turned cold. He immediately picked up a brush and began to paint. This time, he wasn't drawing landscapes or portraits, but rather the true forms of Ning Daoqi, Fan Qinghui, and Kong.
Prior to this, Daniel Davis had spent his spare time after training drawing comic-style picture books, primarily aimed at teaching literacy. For ordinary people, dry text was far less engaging than illustrations accompanied by stories.
In addition to his own drawings, he had also commissioned works from several famous artists, but the results were disappointing. Most of the skilled painters of the time were Confucian scholars, and to them, comic books were heretical.
However, one person did submit a piece, which surprised Daniel Davis—Hou Xibai. When it came to this kind of work, Hou Xibai was truly in a league of his own.
"What? Du Xing and Xu Kaishan are the Wolf Bandits? Does that mean they were responsible for the Anle Massacre? No wonder someone was able to wipe out the Anle Gang without a trace—it was them!"
After the identities of the Wolf Bandits were revealed and the public trial was announced, the news caused a massive uproar in the frontier. The biggest factor was the Anle Massacre that had occurred several months earlier.
Anle County was a major city north of Yuyang. The largest gang in the city was the Anle Gang, led by Lu Ping, a man of great virtue and wide connections who was highly respected. While investigating a robbery case, Lu Ping had offended the Wolf Valley bandits. In retaliation, the leader of the Wolf Valley bandits led a group of experts into the city and slaughtered Lu Ping's entire family—over a hundred people, including children and pregnant women. They then set fire to the Lu family estate, which spread to neighboring homes, destroying dozens of houses and killing hundreds of innocent people.
This atrocity enraged the martial world of the northern frontier. For the first time, the various gangs, which usually operated independently, formed an alliance to investigate the Wolf Bandits and bring justice to the victims.
Upon hearing the news, members of the alliance immediately headed to Shanhai County.
"Good Mother, what should we do now?"
As martial artists from across the northern frontier made their way to Shanhai County, Good Mother Shafang also received the news. When she heard that Xu Kaishan had been captured by the Qilin Demon Duan Lang, her expression darkened.
She had been aware of Xu Kaishan's plans and had given her approval. However, she never expected that, despite Xu Kaishan's strength and careful preparations, he would still fail.
"Summon the Five Bright Ones and the Five Demon Kings. Send them to Shanhai County."
As the cult's Grand Master, Xu Kaishan had to be rescued. Moreover, this might be an opportunity to take control of Shanhai County. Previously, Du Xing had controlled Shanhai County with the support of both Jieli and Tuli, making it difficult for even the Great Ming Cult to challenge him.
"Also, keep an eye on Jieli's reaction."
Du Xing's control over Shanhai County had undoubtedly been sanctioned by Jieli and Tuli. Of course, if the person who replaced Du Xing could continue to provide them with what they wanted, Jieli and Tuli wouldn't care who controlled the city.
Unfortunately, Duan Lang had no intention of continuing to funnel profits to them. Du Xing's underground operations weren't limited to the Wolf Bandits; they also included gambling dens, brothels, and human trafficking.
The latter was something Duan Lang could not tolerate.
"Who are you?"
"Try to be a better person in your next life."
In a small tribe in the frontier, screams echoed as bodies littered the ground. Many people, terrified by the gruesome scene, tried to flee, but Duan Lang gave them no chance.
This tribe wasn't a genuine frontier ethnic group but a stronghold of the Xiang family in the frontier. Duan Lang showed no mercy to the Xiang family. He hadn't expected that Du Xing and the Xiang family had such close ties.
Using the information extracted from Du Xing's mind, Duan Lang swiftly eliminated all remnants of the Xiang family.
"There are quite a few people coming. We should be able to recruit a good number from them."
Looking at the list of factions and independent practitioners entering Shanhai County, Duan Lang suddenly smiled and ordered a recruitment notice to be posted.
After taking over the North Tyrant Gang, Duan Lang couldn't continue using its members, as none of them were from the Central Plains.
Now that he was ruling Shanhai County, he needed to properly manage the city, which meant he couldn't be as careless as before.
"Lie Xia is quite bold, daring to show up so openly. Is he that confident his identity hasn't been exposed?"
Within the Great Ming Cult, Lie Xia was the leader of the Five Bright Ones, but this identity was unknown to most. In the frontier, Lie Xia had another identity—a romantic and charming playboy.
With his exceptional martial skills, mastery of the arts, and handsome appearance, Lie Xia had captivated many young women in the frontier.
The Great Ming Cult had an interesting approach to selecting its members. The Five Bright Ones were all handsome men and beautiful women, while several of the Five Demon Kings were hideously ugly, embodying the contrast between light and dark.
"The bandits are here! All three major bandit groups have arrived!"
On the eve of the public trial of Xu Kaishan and Du Xing, an unexpected development occurred. A large number of bandits appeared near Shanhai County. The sheer number of bandits made many in the city regret coming to witness the event. It was clear that with their leaders captured, the Wolf Bandits wouldn't let the matter rest.
"They came at just the right time. This will save me the trouble of hunting them down."
The appearance of the three major bandit groups was unexpected, but Duan Lang wasn't afraid. In fact, it saved him the effort of tracking them down.
(End of Chapter)
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