Chapter 89: Chapter 84: Deterring Changshan

As the heads of Gao Yuanfeng and the last remnants of the Gao Family were hung high upon the gatehouse of Changshan County Town, the bloody and shocking news landed like a boulder in a calm lake, instantly stirring up massive waves.

It swiftly swept through every corner of the county town, causing a considerable tremor.

From the streets and alleyways to the teahouses and taverns, everyone was discussing the matter.

The very air seemed to be filled with a mixture of fear, awe, and an indescribable excitement.

Previously, Chen Sheng’s swift and brutal annihilation of the entire Gao Family had already frightened the various powers in Changshan County into silence. They all kept a low profile and acted with restraint, terrified that a single misstep would bring about their own destruction.

Now, Gao Yuanfeng, the once-lofty Patriarch, along with the Gao Family’s last hope for their bloodline, had been completely uprooted. His head was put on public display, which was undoubtedly another heavy hammer blow to everyone’s psyche.

"Annihilating the family wasn’t enough; he had to extinguish their entire bloodline... This Commander Chen truly does what he says. He’s so ruthless and absolute!" someone lamented in a low voice, their tone filled with unconcealed terror.

"The Gao Family... a hundred years of heritage, gone just like that? Vanished into thin air?"

More people, however, felt a sense of dazed shock and a deep chill. For the first time, they so clearly understood that the foundations of so-called Noble Families were, in the face of absolute martial power and an iron fist, utterly fragile.

Chen Sheng had used the most direct and brutal method to declare to all that his will was not to be defied and that his revenge would be carried out to the very end.

At this moment, the various powers within Changshan County felt a genuine chill that came from the bottom of their hearts.

No one dared to hope for a lucky break any longer.

For a time, numerous factions began racking their brains, scheming up all sorts of ways to establish a connection with this new Grand Commander of the Military Preparation Camp.

They didn’t dare hope for much favor, only that they wouldn’t anger him over some trivial matter and bring an unforeseen disaster upon themselves.

At the same time, an even more shocking, yet seemingly fantastical, rumor began to circulate quietly in the shadows.

The rumor claimed that not only was the Gao Family Patriarch, Gao Yuanfeng, executed last night, but an Innate Powerhouse had also fallen, and that Chen Sheng himself had personally slain him with a single strike!

However, compared to the bloody, visible heads on the city gate, most people were skeptical about this news of a fallen Innate Powerhouse. In fact, the skeptics were in the majority.

"An Innate Powerhouse? Those are beings who can fly through the air and protect their bodies with True Qi. No matter how formidable Commander Chen is, he’s just a Foundation Establishment Martial Master, right? How could he possibly kill an Innate?"

"It’s probably just an exaggeration to build up prestige for the Government Office."

"It might not be baseless. Otherwise, how could Gao Yuanfeng have been so utterly defeated?"

In a place like Changshan County, beings of the Innate Realm were practically figures of legend. The news of one’s demise was simply too shocking, far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Therefore, the vast majority of people felt it was most likely false—a fake story released by the Government Office.

Below the gatehouse, amidst the bustling crowd, the current Gang Leader of the Seven Stars Gang, Yang Hu, stood still and looked up. He gazed with a complicated expression at Gao Yuanfeng’s head—once familiar, now gruesome and terrifying. He let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, which was immediately replaced by an indescribable sense of heaviness.

He was the one who had personally led the men to hunt down the Gao Family remnants. He knew better than anyone Chen Sheng’s determination to cut the weeds and pull out the roots.

But he had never imagined that even Gao Yuanfeng, who had gone into hiding, would meet the same fate so quickly.

The young scholar-master he had grown up with, who once lacked the strength to even truss a chicken, now displayed methods and a temperament that made him feel like a complete stranger. There was even... a faint trace of fear.

It was precisely because of this unfamiliarity and fear that, as Chen Sheng’s power grew to monstrous proportions, Yang Hu did not rush to join the Military Preparation Camp as others expected. Instead, he chose to remain with the Seven Stars Gang.

On one hand, Chen Sheng had promised to let him lead the Seven Stars Gang. On the other, he had also keenly sensed that the Young Master didn’t seem to rely on him much. It was more of an arrangement made out of consideration for their old ties.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered proactively showing his loyalty. The Yang Family had been serving Master Chen since his father’s generation; they were practically hereditary servants.

But the power, wealth, and the feeling of controlling a faction that came with the Seven Stars Gang were things he found hard to part with. He was unwilling to start over as a common soldier in the military.

After taking one last, deep look at the head on the gatehouse, Yang Hu sighed inwardly. In the end, he still couldn’t bring himself to change the current situation.

’Perhaps... it’s fine to maintain the status quo. Besides, I’ve always carried out the Young Master’s orders.’

Yang Hu could only comfort himself with these thoughts, forcefully suppressing his complex emotions.

---

「Inside the Yang Mansion.」

After learning that Gao Yuanfeng had been executed and the Gao Family’s line completely extinguished, Patriarch Yang Yi sat alone in his study in silence for a long time.

He and Gao Yuanfeng had known each other for decades. They had schemed against each other, both openly and secretly, but they had also shared wine and cheerful conversations. Despite their different positions, they could still be considered friends.

Now, seeing his old acquaintance meet such a tragic end and his family vanish like smoke, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of sorrow for a fallen peer.

"Ten years... Perhaps not even ten years from now, how many people in Changshan County will even remember the Gao Family?"

He muttered to himself, a strong sense of relief welling up in his heart.

He was relieved that he had made the right choice at the critical moment, completely cutting ties with the Huang Family and siding with Chen Sheng. Otherwise, the one wringing their hands and sitting on pins and needles in their study today would likely have been him, Yang Yi.

However, along with the relief, a deeper anxiety also emerged.

His sister’s relationship with Chen Sheng was based more on a union of interests and a bit of affection; it wasn’t a solid foundation.