Xii Mountain.

Jinlun Temple.

As the Buddhist Ancestral Court and a Martial Arts Holy Land, the thousand-year-old temple’s fame was known to one and all.

On this day.

The tranquility Jinlun Temple had enjoyed for many years was shattered by a burst of wretched screams.

"AHH!"

"Villains!"

"GURGLE..."

Dozens of Black-Clothed Men with superb Martial Arts stormed the temple under the cover of night, unleashing a massacre upon the unarmed monks of the Buddhist Sect.

Flashes of blades and swords filled the air.

In moments, the main hall was littered with corpses and awash in blood.

"ARGH!"

A Martial Monk roared in fury:

"You fiends of the Red Blood Sect! You broke your promise and dare to defile our Buddhist Holy Land! Today, I shall reveal the Vajra Wrathful Aspect!"

"Haha..." A white-clad figure flashed into the main hall, his Judge’s Pen tapping out a flurry of afterimages in the air:

"I have long heard of Master Guanghui’s exquisite Buddhist Technique and his masterly Arhat Palm. Allow me to experience them for myself!"

"BANG!"

"CLANG CLANG CLANG..."

The figures crossed paths. Guanghui staggered backward, staring at the bloody hole that had mysteriously appeared over his heart.

"White... White Impermanence!"

"Indeed!" The white-clad figure landed, revealing a refined-looking middle-aged man.

"Foo Qi, White Impermanence, one of the Three Capitals Guardians of the Red Blood Sect. Master Guanghui, your abilities don’t quite live up to your fame!"

"Hehe..." Another man appeared outside the hall and chuckled under his breath.

"These temple monks train hard for decades, so they have a deep foundation. They just lack real-world combat experience."

"If this had been any other Limit-Breaking Grandmaster, you wouldn’t have killed him so easily."

"True enough," White Impermanence Foo Qi nodded.

"This Monk had a solid foundation and powerful Palm Force. If I hadn’t exploited a moment of opportunity, killing him would have been difficult indeed."

"Let’s go!"

"Let’s check the rear hall."

The two spoke amongst themselves as if no one else was there. Guanghui wanted to stop them, but he couldn’t stanch the blood gushing from his chest and collapsed to the ground.

The forbidden grounds of the Buddhist Sect.

The Pagoda Forest.

A towering, burly figure ascended the stone steps, striding toward a Treasure Pagoda.

Behind him, firelight leaped and danced, his silhouette like that of a demon. The dozens of monks before him were being relentlessly pressed back.

"Stop!"

"Dugu Wuwang, this is the forbidden ground of the Buddhist Sect! Don’t take another step!"

"A pack of fools!" The figure was none other than the current Sect Leader of the Red Blood Sect, Dugu Wuwang. He was one of the greatest experts of his generation—or perhaps even that "one of" was an understatement.

He waved a hand, and a terrifying blast of Powerful Qi swept out, sending the dozens of monks scattering.

"Get out of my way!"

"Kill them!"

The Red Blood Sect disciples behind him swarmed forward, brandishing their weapons at the monks. In an instant, the air was filled with screams of agony.

Dugu Wuwang strode onward. Facing the sealed stone door, he let out a cold snort as a bloody light flared in his eyes.

Red Blood Divine Gang!

"BOOM!"

The stone door exploded inward, revealing a figure sitting in meditation on a cushion within.

"Yuanding!"

Dugu Wuwang’s eyes widened. In a flash, he was before the figure, a hand outstretched to check for breath.

"Haha..."

"Just as I thought!"

"You were already dead! You concealed the news of your death and forewent a burial, all to keep me from returning to the Martial World?"

"Good that you’re dead, just wonderful!"

Amidst his maniacal laughter, the temple’s monks finally broke through the Red Blood Sect’s lines and burst into the Pagoda Forest.

"Master Yuanding!"

"Dugu Wuwang killed Master Yuanding!"

"Despicable!"

"..."

"Hm?" Dugu Wuwang whirled around, his tiger-like eyes glaring at the monks.

"Yuanding was already dead, so I haven’t broken my pact with him. But... it no longer matters."

"To celebrate my return to the Martial World, I’ll use your blood as a sacrifice to the heavens."

"Kill them all!"

On the seventh day of the third month, Dugu Wuwang led the fiends of the Red Blood Sect in storming Jinlun Temple, killing Master Yuanding in the pagoda tower, slaughtering the monks for three days, and burning the thousand-year-old ancient monastery...

The news spread like wildfire, and every major power in the Martial World was gripped by fear.

*

*

*

Yue City.

The Cloth Shop.

This was the meeting place for all the merchants of the Wancai Cloth Shop. By tradition, they gathered once a month, took inventory every six months, and settled accounts and distributed profits once a year, all while planning for the year to come.

Zhu Ju, the Association Leader, sat at the head of the table.

To his sides were Shenn Hu, representative of the Martial Arts Hall; Xiang Zhongyuan, Gang Leader of the Caoo Gang; and the Patriarch of the Zhao Family...

There were also various other merchants from cloth shops, clothing stores, and even the mulberry and hemp trade.

Wancai Cloth Shop had always been bringing various factions into its fold. After losing their income from Flower Street, the city’s wealthy families were in desperate need of new investments. It was a perfect match, and the cloth business subsequently flourished.

These days, when outsiders spoke of Yue City, the first thing they thought of was not the Fish Market or Flower Street, but the Wancai Cloth Shop.

"Currently, our cloth shop does business all across Haizhou. Shopkeeper Liu’s suggestion for the next step is to head for the Capital City."

"I share that view."

Yann Jingfu spoke up:

"Wancai Cloth Shop’s fabrics are bestsellers in the Capital City. It won’t be difficult to establish a foothold, as long as we can ensure a steady supply of goods..."

"Must we be in such a hurry?" Master Zhao frowned.

"I feel it would be better to proceed with caution. Let’s first consolidate our position in Haizhou. If we start supplying the Capital City, we’ll run short on inventory."

"Master Zhao, we must prioritize. We’re not the only ones who can produce red silk and blue cloth anymore," said Yann Jingfu.

"Wait another year, and I fear the Capital City will no longer care for our fabrics."

"New dyes have already been developed..."

"That’s still not acceptable!"

"..."

"Enough." Zhu Ju cut off the argument and made a decision.

"The Capital Region is crucial. Once we have a foothold there, it opens up routes in all directions. The Haizhou side of things can be put on hold for a bit."

"The matter is settled. Next item."

"..." Master Zhao opened his mouth, then sighed in resignation.

"Very well!"

"The next item is logistics." Yann Jingfu glanced over at the men from the Caoo Gang and spoke, ledger in hand.

"Last month, two of our waterborne shipments had issues. One was water-damaged, and the other was missing items..."

"Gang Leader Xiang needs to cover the difference."

"And why should we?" a young man standing behind Xiang Zhongyuan shouted furiously.

"We ship your goods at a cheaper rate than anyone else. A little loss is inevitable."

"We’re not paying!"

"Gang Leader Xiang," Yann Jingfu said, raising an eyebrow.

"And this is...?"

"My son, Xiang Wen. He’s been away studying these past few years and only recently returned." Xiang Zhongyuan cupped his hands, his expression somber.

"My son doesn’t know much about business matters. Please be patient with him, Steward Yann."

"I see," Yann Jingfu said with a nod of understanding.

"Since Young Master Xiang doesn’t understand, allow me to explain. The Caoo Gang transports the shop’s goods cheaply because of our high volume. We could get the same rate from any other carrier. Using the Caoo Gang is a matter of us taking care of our own. It’s not a question of who’s taking advantage of whom."

"As for the losses..."

"It’s all stipulated in the contract. That’s simply how it is. Does Young Master Xiang understand?"

"Hmph!" Xiang Wen snorted coldly.

"And what are you going to do if we don’t pay?"

’Hm?’

Zhu Ju’s eyebrow twitched. He slowly straightened in his seat. Beside him, Shenn Hu and the others exchanged confused glances. ’Why is the Caoo Gang suddenly acting so lawlessly today?’

"Gang Leader Xiang."

Waving for Yann Jingfu to sit, Zhu Ju spoke slowly,

"Is this your intention?"

"..." Xiang Zhongyuan opened his mouth, then sighed in resignation.

"Xiang Wen’s intention is my intention."

"Very well," Zhu Ju nodded.

"According to the rules, a breach of contract means the Wancai Cloth Shop will no longer use the Caoo Gang for transport. Furthermore, we will seize the collateral the Caoo Gang has deposited with us until the value of the lost goods is reimbursed."

"BANG!"

Xiang Wen slammed his palm on the table, shattering the woodwork, and roared:

"I’d like to see anyone try!"

"SHUFFLE SHUFFLE..."

Several men behind him stood up in unison, a fierce energy radiating from them as their cold eyes scanned the room.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yann Jingfu’s expression changed drastically.

"What are you people doing?"

The others in the room wore various expressions, and the guards responsible for the Cloth Shop’s security had already rushed in.

"Stop!"

Shenn Hu rose to his feet, his voice deep and rumbling.

"Xiang Wen, it looks like you’ve really learned a thing or two while you were away. Did you bring all these men here just to cause a scene?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Master Shenn," Xiang Wen said, jutting out his chin.

"The Caoo Gang handles more than sixty percent of the shop’s logistics, yet we only receive a tiny fraction of the profits..."

"And him!"

He pointed a finger at Zhu Ju and said in a cold voice:

"He alone takes nearly thirty percent of the shares—more than our two factions combined. By what right?"

As he said this, strange looks appeared on the faces of everyone present.

’By what right?’

’Zhu Ju himself came up with the name Wancai Cloth Shop. Without him, the shop wouldn’t exist, and this entire industry would never have been born in Yue City.’

’Nearly thirty percent!’

’That was already a concession on his part.’

"Hah..." Shenn Hu laughed, his anger boiling over.

"Xiang Wen, then according to you, what should be done?"

"The Caoo Gang demands a fifty-percent share of the shop’s profits," Xiang Wen declared, his head held high.

"Furthermore, my father will be the new Association Leader. From now on, you’ll all listen to us. Anyone who disagrees can get the hell out."

"By what right?" Shenn Hu’s eyes narrowed.

"On the strength of those few men behind you?"

"On the strength of this!"

"THWACK!"

A Token flew from Xiang Wen’s hand and embedded itself in the wooden pillar beside Zhu Ju. It was emblazoned with a large character: "Whale."

"The Giant Whale Gang!"

Shenn Hu’s face paled.

"You joined the Giant Whale Gang?"

’The Giant Whale Gang?’

Zhu Ju’s expression turned thoughtful.

By now, he was no longer completely ignorant of the Martial World in the Zheng Kingdom and had naturally heard of the Giant Whale Gang, the tyrants of Haizhou.

It was a power that ruled the seas—or to put it more bluntly, they were pirates and Water Bandits. Because they sometimes gave handouts to fishermen, they were also known as "righteous bandits" who robbed the rich to aid the poor.

That part didn’t matter much.

The crucial point was,

the Giant Whale Gang was backed by one of the most renowned figures of the age: the Limit-Breaking Grandmaster, Whale Rider Mui Beiting.