Li Feng watched as the burly man's palm descended upon him and, with a flash of resignation, closed his eyes, cursing his bad luck internally.
It was his turn to guard Shenghe Hall today; there was no avoiding this beating.
Feeling the force of the wind approaching, Li Feng prepared himself for the loss of a few teeth.
But the expected slap did not fall.
Upon opening his eyes, he saw Han Zheng, who had unexpectedly appeared by his side, gripping the man's wrist in his hand.
The burly man cursed angrily, "Where did this little shit come from, meddling in other people's business? Seems like you're tired of living!"
As the words fell, the man threw a punch, reasonably forceful, hinting at the strength of the early stages of the Postnatal realm, having unlocked one or two meridian channels.
Han Zheng forcefully flicked the man's wrist, sending the burly man twirling into the air.
He then forcefully kicked out, sending the man flying like a kicked ball.
The man landed with a thud on the ground, not even a whimper escaping him before he passed out.
"Scram!"
The thugs behind the burly man instinctively wanted to rush forward but abruptly halted their steps.
If their boss was sent flying with a kick, wouldn't they end up with cracked skulls if they charged forward?
The thugs didn't dare utter another harsh word, lifting the burly man and skulking away dejectedly.
Li Feng straightened his clothes and turned to Han Zheng, full of gratitude, "If not for you, Brother Han, I would have definitely taken a cruel beating just now.
Speaking of which, Brother Han, your cultivation must have improved again, right? That guy was in the early stages of Postnatal, yet he couldn't withstand a single move from you."
Outside, Han Zheng had been suppressing his aura below the Innate Realm; Li Feng was not a martial artist and had not taken his pulse, so he could not perceive Han Zheng's true strength.
"It's also thanks to your medicine bath, Pharmacist Li. The effects were truly excellent."
"Of course, we're all in this together, and I made sure to use a generous amount of ingredients for the medicine bath."
Initially, Li Feng had befriended Han Zheng precisely for a moment like this.
Shenghe Hall's pharmacists, despite their high standing, were essentially scholars without the strength to truss up a chicken.
When faced with unreasonable brutes threatening violence, they had little recourse.
Thus, they had to make friends with some martial artists, who could be called upon for help in times of trouble.
It was the same when Chen Baiqing had made friends with Li Jingzhong, and now Li Feng was doing the same with Han Zheng.
Watching the thugs depart, Han Zheng asked with curiosity, "Who were those people just now, and how dare they cause trouble at Shenghe Hall's doorstep?"
Shenghe Hall, after all, was Black Stone County's largest pharmacy, and Chen Baiqing had plenty of connections; those who made trouble here were certainly no ordinary hoodlums.
Li Feng invited Han Zheng into Shenghe Hall and had a servant bring tea before saying with a wry smile, "Ah, to tell the truth, I've been struck by misfortune.
Those people just now are from Sanhe Gang, under Gao Kaiyuan, and they came to demand spiritual medicine."
Hearing that they were from Gao Kaiyuan, Han Zheng felt a stir in his heart and asked, "Sanhe Gang is so brazen as to demand spiritual medicine for protection fees?"
Li Feng shook his head, "No, it's not a protection fee but an order of spiritual medicine that Sanhe Gang had placed with Shenghe Hall.
Recently, the spiritual medicine brought back from the manor had been gradually delivered to all the major powers in Black Stone County, except for a dispute with Sanhe Gang.
They had paid a deposit for the spiritual medicine and were supposed to pay the balance upon delivery.
Yesterday, Gang Leader Cao Bin's son, Cao Rui, asked me to deliver the spiritual medicine, and today, the second-in-command Gao Kaiyuan's men did the same. So, whom should I deliver it to?
No matter who I give it to, I will offend the other, and then who do I ask for the balance payment?
The last batch of spiritual medicine from the manor required special processing.
The Store Manager has been refining these medicines these past few days, so us senior pharmacists take turns guarding Shenghe Hall, three days each.
Unfortunately, it's my shift these two days, and I'm faced with this dilemma.
Why make things difficult for me when you have your own internal strife?
If we disturb the Store Manager during his work, the entire batch of spiritual medicine might be wasted.
There's still one more day to go; how will I get through it?"
Li Feng expressed a mix of helplessness and grievance, releasing a long sigh.
Han Zheng spun the teacup in his hand, his thoughts churning, "I actually have a way to get you out of this."
"Oh? What is it?"
Li Feng eagerly inquired.
"Well, this situation arose from the conflict between Cao Bin and Gao Kaiyuan, and it's the ownership of the spiritual medicine that has put you in the middle.
They're both picking on the softer target since they've not come to blows yet.
So, instead of being caught between the two, why not bring the matter into the open?
Now you just have to be proactive—go to Sanhe Gang and invite both Cao Rui and Gao Kaiyuan's men, letting them know you'll deliver the spiritual medicine tomorrow."
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However, due to a shortage of staff at Shenghe Hall, they would have to come and fetch the items themselves.
"When the time comes, just lay out the Spiritual Medicine in front of Shenghe Hall and let them divide it themselves. Why should Shenghe Hall get involved?"
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Li Feng hesitated a bit and said, "But won't this cause both parties to harbor resentment toward Shenghe Hall?"
Han Zheng smiled and replied, "Don't worry. This matter stems from their own conflict. Once they meet, they will definitely start fighting over it. They'll be too busy hating each other to have time to hate Shenghe Hall."
The more Li Feng thought about it, the more he felt that what Han Zheng said made sense, and he instructed his staff to do as Han Zheng suggested.
After chatting with Li Feng for a while, Han Zheng went to the entrance of Sanhe Gang's hall and found a tea house to sit down in.
While sipping tea, Han Zheng surreptitiously observed the members of Sanhe Gang coming and going from the hall.
Among the three Gang Leaders, Cao Bin spent almost all day inside Sanhe Gang and rarely ventured out.
His son, Cao Rui, was quite ostentatious in his ways, walking in and out with a dozen or so gang members following him, appearing quite imposing.
On the other hand, Gao Kaiyuan was on the opposite side of the hall entrance from Cao Bin, one north and one south, dividing Sanhe Gang distinctly.
Only the Gang Leader Jiang Tai, who was like a rich young master, went out in the morning cradling a rooster, gambling on dog and cockfights, and returned at noon drunk, even bringing a brothel girl with him.
Han Zheng looked at Jiang Tai with a smile that was neither smiling nor not smiling.
Among the three leaders of Sanhe Gang, Cao Bin and Gao Kaiyuan had significant reputations in Black Stone County.
Only Jiang Tai had an extremely low presence, seeming to not care much about Sanhe Gang's affairs beyond indulging in eating, drinking, and play.
But was this really the case? Was Jiang Tai truly inept?
One must remember that when the three of them swore brotherhood and created Sanhe Gang, they fought to carve out their own territory in Black Stone County.
Back then, Jiang Tai was only in his twenties when he entered the Innate Realm, which in a small place like Black Stone County truly classified him as a talented youth.
Now, he was only in his thirties. Was he truly satisfied with his current position?
Han Zheng didn't believe it.
As the sky darkened and the tea house gradually emptied, Han Zheng followed the crowd and left to avoid arousing suspicion.
The next day, according to Han Zheng's instructions, Li Feng laid out all of the Spiritual Medicine intended for Sanhe Gang in front of Shenghe Hall and sent someone to notify the confidants of Cao Rui and Gao Kaiyuan simultaneously.
Cao Rui, who was just over twenty years old, although abrasive and arrogant, was quite talented, having reached the Perfect Postnatal stage.
Cao Bin wanted his son to succeed him, but if Cao Rui were truly incompetent, he would not have risked so much to forcefully promote him to the position of Gang Leader.
At Gao Kaiyuan's side was his trusted aide, Deng Bao, Hall Master of the Battle Tiger Hall, who also possessed Perfect Postnatal cultivation.
Sanhe Gang had three battle halls named after tigers, leopards, and wolves. Each hall had no more than a hundred members, but all were elite, not just small-time bullies swaggering around.
Cao Bin controlled two battle halls, but the Battle Tiger Hall under Gao Kaiyuan was the most powerful, which was why he dared to stand up to Cao Bin.
There, Cao Rui came with a dozen men, and Deng Bao also brought a dozen elite members from Battle Tiger Hall. The two groups glanced at each other, sparks practically igniting.
Li Feng bowed with a cheerful smile: "Gentlemen of Sanhe Gang, the Spiritual Medicine you previously ordered is all here, and each packet has been sorted according to the standards for a Medicine Bath.
You may take them at any time now, and it's not urgent to pay the final payment for the Spiritual Medicine. I trust the credibility of Sanhe Gang.
Today, my Shenghe Hall needs to handle some Spiritual Medicine, so we will temporarily close. Please take these medicines back to Sanhe Gang yourselves."
Having said that, Li Feng waved his hand, and the staff of Shenghe Hall immediately dropped the doorboard, sealing the entire Shenghe Hall tightly.
After all, the Spiritual Medicine has been given to Sanhe Gang, as for who takes them back, that's their business now.
And indeed, just as Han Zheng said, nobody paid any attention to Li Feng.
Cao Rui, with a skin-deep smile, looked at Deng Bao: "Hall Master Deng, your brothers from the battle hall seem to have a lot of free time.
Instead of fighting over territory with the Sky Eagle Gang and Black Tiger Gang, you've come to be movers?"
Deng Bao, a tall, fierce-looking man with a full beard, grinned at the words: "Young Master Cao, if you have nothing better to do, why don't you go find a girl in the Zuihua Brothel? What's Sanhe Gang's business to you, as if you had a coin's worth of say in it?
Although you are the great Gang Leader's son, you hold no official position in the gang.
Sanhe Gang is not your Cao Family's one-man show. You're not even the Gang Leader yet and you're already trying to call the shots.
When you do become Gang Leader, is it going to be our turn to go live off the wind?"
Deng Bao, though rough in appearance, was quite sharp with his tongue, his words laced with sarcasm.
Cao Rui, by nature arrogant and quick-tempered, could not stand this at all.
Furthermore, there had already been conflicts between them, so seeing his enemy now was especially enraging.
"How dare you! Deng Bao, you are nothing but a thing, and yet you dare to insult me like this? Attack!"
Deng Bao's expression also darkened.
"The foundation of Sanhe Gang was built with our blood and battles against both the Sky Eagle Gang and Black Tiger Gang. What do you think I am?
Sanhe Gang's future doesn't belong to you to command, and certainly not now for you to dictate!
Charge! Take back all the Spiritual Medicine, and don't leave them a single package!"
As his voice fell, members of the same gang instantly engaged in a brawl right there on the street.
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