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In the pre-dawn hours, the clear moonlight cascaded down from the night sky.

Kuang Wenbai was twice awakened by the noises from outside the ward. The pain in his face intensified, making it impossible for him to fall back asleep.

In his mind, Jiangning was truly an unlucky place. Twice he had been caught up in inexplicable battles between experts, never even seeing where his attackers came from before his nose was utterly smashed.

Having one's nose smashed was a miserable thing.

Especially after having medicine applied to a smashed nose. The irritation of the medicine, mixed with the pain in his face, made breathing difficult. On top of that, all sorts of bizarre "smells" would appear from nowhere from time to time, hard to distinguish from reality, just incredibly unpleasant. In recent days, he had been choked awake by his own saliva many times in his sleep, only to abruptly inhale the medicine from his nose into his lungs upon waking, several times coming close to being choked to death. The details of it were hard to put into words.

Everyone in the world ought to have their nose smashed once, perhaps then they could understand his current predicament.

It wasn't just these two injuries that made him unlucky. The second injury had occurred on Gold Street. When the incident broke out, he had been knocked unconscious by a single punch. Later – perhaps someone had wanted to escape in the chaos – he had been dragged into a nearby alley and stripped of all his clothes. When he woke up, the situation was extremely embarrassing. He had insisted that he was a member of the Undying Guard, but Gao Huiyun's subordinates, who were clearing the area, refused to believe him. Later, the matter became quite a scandal. Although nearby comrades had vouched for him, the whole affair had spread afterward.

Kuang Wenbai had spent half his life licking blood from the edge of a blade. Although his talent and opportunities had limited him from becoming a grandmaster famed throughout the land, he was, at forty-some years of age, a veteran of the martial world, having traveled the length and breadth of the country, made countless enemies, and seen a great deal. If he weren't in Jiangning, a place where heroes from all directions were gathered, but in some rural town, he would be a figure capable of holding his own.

Having weathered storms in the past, he had thought about the things he might encounter in the future. In the martial world, losing a hand or a foot, or facing a bleak old age, were not unimaginable things, and even had a touch of heroism to them. But fate was fickle. Never could he have imagined that in Jiangning, he would completely lose his nose and be stripped naked. As a deputy commander of the elite "Undying Guard" under "King Reincarnation," he felt that people were pointing at him and whispering about him these days whenever he went out. This path of the martial world was clearly veering off course, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

Of course, after one's nose is shattered, the first thing to do is heal. And after the Gold Tower incident, Fair King entered the city, and Jiangning was peaceful for a while, the Undying Guard's work was light, and he was given some time off.

During the first ten days of September, internal meetings were held every day, and martial arts competitions in the city were lively. Heroes from all walks of life gathered, and tales of martial prowess were spread daily, truly creating an ideal atmosphere for the martial world. However, in the two days after the Double Ninth Festival, the situation finally began to become complicated again.

The various wards began to strengthen their defenses, and chaotic sounds rang out again at night. Although the internal meetings of the Fair Party were still being held, the entire atmosphere had a feeling of being the calm before the storm.

Unable to sleep anyway, Kuang Wenbai endured the complex sensations in his nose and carefully applied ointment to it. Then, he dressed carefully and went out. The core of his attire was naturally the area around his mouth and nose. Since his nose was gone and he had applied ointment, going out directly with bandages would make him look like a thief in a play. After applying the medicine, he had to add an extra layer of masking to completely cover the lower half of his face, making him look mysterious and fierce, but difficult to take off for eating.

Based on this image, he had also prepared to make himself an iron mask for the lower half of his face so that he could continue to roam the martial world after his nose healed. Of course, Jiangning was no longer a good place for him. Here, he was the deputy commander of the Undying Guard, and many people knew him inside and out. If he dressed strangely, it would only make others talk more about why he had this mask. But after leaving Jiangning, the world was vast, and he could always find a way to make a living wherever he went.

After leaving the room, the moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. This was a small ward occupied by the Undying Guard, surrounded by wooden walls, with soldiers patrolling the rooftops. On such nights, many people would sit up there dozing, but because of the noise just now, some figures were standing on high, looking into the distance. Kuang Wenbai went up the stairs next to him, only to see that there was still movement in the dark city in the distance.

"What's going on?" He walked to a soldier and asked.

"Oh, Squad Leader Kuang." The other party glanced at him and then pointed to the distant street. "Just now, a group of people chased and beat them over there. Three people escaped, and more than twenty people chased after them, some on horseback. Look, they went to Bingzi Street. Bingzi Street is home to a bunch of poor ghosts. Although they fly the flag of Fair King, they are a mixed bag without even a barricade. I think this is going to get big."

"Is it that Reading Society thing again?"

"Looks like it. The pursuers are flying the 'Bao Feng Trading Company' Heaven banner."

The two watched the movement in that area from the wall. Sure enough, the commotion, which had not been very large before, did not gradually subside. Instead, it became even more violent after spreading to Bingzi Street. In the months that Jiangning had been in chaos, similar situations were not uncommon. Many powerful forces with backgrounds had picked out some of the better preserved streets and alleys in the city, but there were always a large number of refugees who had nowhere to go. They temporarily gathered in some places that were either burned down or dilapidated. Sometimes, these people were gathered into a small force, but more often, they were beaten to death and scattered in repeated chaos.

In gangland vendettas that broke out in the city, those being pursued with nowhere to go often had no choice but to flee to such areas, hoping to create greater chaos and seek a glimmer of hope for themselves. Although the vagrants and beggars in these places also had some combat power because they had nothing to lose, they were completely unthreatening in the eyes of the Fair Party's five direct elites.

More than twenty people chased the three all the way, not knowing how many people they would trample to death along the way. Sure enough, as the chaos on Bingzi Street began to grow in scale, someone fired a signal arrow in the chaos. It was the manpower-summoning arrow of the Bao Feng Trading Company’s Human banner, and from a street not far from Bingzi Street, another group of people was vaguely coming. The two carefully looked at it.

"It's Fu Pingbo of 'Dragon Sage'."

"They are really tired." Kuang Wenbai smiled gleefully. Fair King He Wen had seven Sages, and Fu Pingbo, the Dragon Sage, was in charge of the internal direct guard, considered one of He Wen's most useful arms. And as the strongest guard of Reincarnation King, the Undying Guard, often benchmarked itself against the Dragon Sage. Of course, these months in Jiangning, Fu Pingbo took his men everywhere to put out fires, troublesome and tiring, while the Undying Guard killed and arrested people, not doing similar housekeeping things. This made the Undying Guard feel somewhat superior when they saw Fu Pingbo's busyness.

"Squad Leader Kuang, you are knowledgeable." The soldier next to him looked at the excitement in the dark and tilted his head. "Do you think this matter...can it end?"

"What do you mean by end?" Kuang Wenbai was extremely fond of answering people's questions, and he smiled noncommittally when he heard the question.

"I mean...can the Fair Party's conference continue to be held?" The soldier lowered his voice. "Outside, they are saying that Fair King is crazy, that he wants to acknowledge the Reading Society's affair, that he is challenging the other four. And...look at this Equal King. He could have talked, but by some quirk of fate, he almost lost a son the day before yesterday. We are meeting to merge. Going on like this, it doesn't look good."

"What does it matter if a big shot loses a son?" Kuang Wenbai laughed. "Moreover, he didn't die, did he? Look at how chaotic you are."

"Squad Leader Kuang is saying that the meeting will be alright?"

"...It can't be said that it will be alright either." Kuang Wenbai was silent for a moment. "We will have trouble, but the Fair Party will mostly be alright."

"How do you mean?"

"In this world, power is such a thing that it doesn't treat people like people." Looking at the commotion in the distance, Kuang Wenbai also lowered his voice. "The five great kings of our Fair Party are gathered here for the sake of merging, not for fighting. Merging is beneficial, so the overall situation will not change. But even when two families get married, there will be friction, let alone when five families are merging into one. Before the merger, there will be no shortage of clashes, both in private and in public."

"Fair King He Wen is using the Reading Society's affair to make trouble in order to gain an advantage. Gaining an advantage is his purpose. The Reading Society is just a bargaining chip. Without the Reading Society, he would use other things to gain an advantage. And Equal King Shi Baofeng initially made trouble in order to gain an advantage. He was tricked by Fair King, so he has to get back at him. It just so happens that something happened to his son. He is going crazy from drinking because he is really crazy? No. Look, the people tonight are not crazy, they just want to gain an advantage."

Kuang Wenbai looked into the distance and spoke eloquently. At this time, the Dragon Sage's team had obviously begun to confront the Bao Feng Trading Company's team, but the fire between the two sides in the night did not diminish at all. More people from the Bao Feng Trading Company came from the night. It looked like there would be another melee.

"Before the merger, there has to be a fight," Kuang Wenbai said with his hands behind his back. "The lives of us underlings are not that valuable. The people above begin to negotiate, and the people below begin to fight. When everyone has a sense of proportion, this matter will be settled. Just like the three people that the Bao Feng Trading Company is chasing. They are said to be from the Reading Society, but do you think they really are? In reality, which boss in the Bao Feng Trading Company is taking the opportunity to eliminate dissidents? I think that's more likely."

He had rich experience in the martial world. His words immediately showed his depth, and even the injury on his nose seemed to have improved a bit. The soldier next to him frowned, thinking that it made sense. "Then, Kuang...Brother Kuang, our side..."

"Our side won't be peaceful for long either. When the fight starts, it means that the key things are being discussed. Be alert." Kuang Wenbai looked calmly at the outside. After a moment, he patted the other party on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We know each other well. We are brothers. I will remind you if anything happens. Take care of yourself recently, be careful in your words and deeds, and that's it. Great storms and waves, isn't that how it has been all these years? Back then in the north, we encountered Jurchens..."

In the night, the confrontation in the distance continued. Both sides were gathering more troops. Kuang Wenbai said this for a while, recalling the past when he was in the north, and chatted with the other party for a while. The soldier listened in shock, and immediately tried his best to flatter him, boasting and complimenting Kuang Wenbai.

After half an hour, big shots from both sides arrived, and the chaos in the distance gradually dissipated. Kuang Wenbai said, "Look, fight as you fight, make noise as you make noise, life still has to go on. Today is the eleventh, a single number day, so the conference will be held. You wait and see, none of our five families will not go, and there will be a lot of arguing."

As he spoke, he went down the wall with his hands behind his back. It was close to dawn at this time. Showing off in front of people had slightly relieved the pain in his nose. After sunrise, after eating breakfast, he went out to inquire a little. Sure enough, the Fair Party's internal conference was still held as usual this day. Many people with qualification to attend had already rushed to the venue one after another. It was conceivable that this day's meeting would be very intense.

By noon, some of the situations from the morning meeting had already spread. It was said that Equal King Shi Baofeng had demanded at the meeting that the five families in the Fair Party jointly pass a decision to clean up the Reading Society. His will was strong, directly interrupting the discussion of all other issues. Some big bosses at the venue almost drew swords and fought.

Regardless of the outcome of the meeting, from yesterday to today, Equal King had already begun to issue large-scale rewards and arrest warrants throughout the city, searching for people who were hiding southwestern books, even stating that if the evidence was reliable, rewards could be claimed with heads. Such rewards began to cause chaos in the city. The Dragon Sage's men were dispatched on a large scale, stopping such things in various parts of the city. It was said that anyone who killed people on the street was immediately killed by the Dragon Sage's men.

Even though Equal King was taking the opportunity to explode after his son was almost killed, as the confrontation from yesterday to today continued, the people under the Fair King's command in the city had also become angry. Many people even shouted on the street: "Let you see that Jiangning today is still ultimately under the control of our Fair King!" Such declarations.

Kuang Wenbai and the others listened to these rumors, feeling excited and uneasy at the same time. As long as Fair King or Equal King refused to give in during this incident, the situation in the city would not be simple next.

At the hour of Wei (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM), further changes came.

At this time, the afternoon conference may have just begun. Kuang Wenbai was sitting on the street enjoying the cool, when he saw a messenger knight rushing into the Undying Guard's courtyard in this ward. Soon after, the assembly gong rang loudly. The people on the road were still watching the excitement. Kuang Wenbai was on injury leave and did not know whether to assemble for a time, but after a moment, some soldiers who received the order closed the two ends of the ward.

The Undying Guard guarding this place and some ordinary soldiers were all transferred out. Then, the order to investigate the Reading Society was announced inside the ward.

The order to arrest members of the Reading Society issued by Reincarnation King Xu Zhaonan was extremely stern in its wording, and the subsequent measures were also quite severe. First, the Undying Guard and the soldiers were to send people to search each other's residences, and then thoroughly search every house in this ward. Anyone who hid books "falsely claiming to be from the Southwest" or "spreading rumors to mislead the public" could be killed without mercy!

Something is going to happen...

Kuang Wenbai's heart sank.

After a moment, he saw warning fireworks rising in the city. He did not know where a fight had broken out.

After a while, in the Undying Guard's residence, something seemed to have been discovered in the room of a captain and several members. A fight suddenly broke out, and someone shouted, "This is a frame-up!" and fled.

King Reincarnation Xu Zhaonan, has joined the game.

……

At the third quarter of Wei (1:45 PM), Qu Longjun, the Small Scholar who went out to buy newspapers, saw the sudden changes in the city.

Something happened in King Reincarnation's territory. Two warning fireworks rose one after another in a short period of time, and the sounds of fighting and chaos came faintly.

She hugged the newspapers she bought tightly and ran towards the small courtyard where White Rakshasa lived.

Many pedestrians were also running on the street.

Qu Longjun did not have much physical strength to defend herself. The range of her usual walks was not very far. After turning two streets, she saw the gate of the dilapidated courtyard. She went towards it, but halfway, a figure greeted her, suddenly put her arm around her shoulders, and took her in the opposite direction.

"Aun...Auntie..."

The person she called Auntie was Huo Qinghua, the leader of the White Rakshasa in this dilapidated courtyard. She had a scar on her face and was usually unsmiling, but she took good care of Qu Longjun, took her into this courtyard, and decided to let her read the newspaper every day.

At this moment, this Auntie Huo stuffed something into Qu Longjun's arms. Qu Longjun looked at it, but it was some broken silver and two knives, one long and one short.

"Something is going to happen, don't go back."

"Wh...What's wrong..."

"The higher-ups will immediately issue an order to investigate...that thing, the people from the Reading Society..."

"Reading Society...I'm not..."

For several months in Jiangning, Qu Longjun knew the details of the so-called Reading Society here. Several times, even sisters inside the White Rakshasa had snatched some small books and brought them back for her to read. As someone who had stayed in the southwest and read books such as *Women Hold Up Half the Sky*, she felt that the rhetoric in those pamphlets seemed a bit strange and did not sound like the southwest. But of course, her understanding of the political aspects of the southwest was not very deep, and she could not make a judgment on this matter.

"The old man has given the order. Regardless of whether he can find it out, every place, every hundred people, must hand over at least one person to deal with the errand. It's better to kill the wrong person than to let one go." Auntie Huo hugged her and walked forward, simply explaining the problem. "In our entire courtyard, you are the only one who can read..."

"But..." Qu Longjun was almost incredulous, "...How can it be like this."

"People who know words have to be killed. The Fair Party has no future." Auntie Huo lowered her head and hugged her. "Hurry up and go, find a way to leave the city and escape further away..."

She let go of her and pushed her forward.

Qu Longjun turned her head back and saw the woman with a scar on her face, who was usually indifferent, waved to her, and then turned around and walked towards the courtyard.

The afternoon sunlight was bleak. Qu Longjun turned her head and ran. She was a little tearful when Auntie Huo told her to leave just now, but she was no longer crying at this moment. She looked at the chaos around her and knew that she had to find a place to hide as quickly as possible.

She ran into a small alley next to her, passed through the alley, and behind her was a sewage river full of mud. Qu Longjun slammed into the mud by the river. When she got up, she was covered in a lot of stinky mud. No one would pay attention to her anymore.

Tightening the silver in her arms and hiding the dagger close to her body, Qu Longjun hugged the slightly longer knife and walked towards a place nearby where she could hide in her memory with her head down.

The messenger soldiers ran on the street and rushed into the nearby dilapidated courtyard.

King Yama Zhou Shang, has joined the game.

……

The meeting continued with a lot of noise throughout the afternoon.

Chaotic sounds from the city often entered the meeting, and messenger soldiers kept coming and going, bringing various messages to various people, and taking out one order after another. But on the issue of the Reading Society, He Wen and the Fair King had never let go from beginning to end.

As evening approached, even if there was no result, the various people in the meeting probably knew that Xu Zhaonan and Zhou Shang had already expressed their position this afternoon.

The twilight sunset turned red. Everyone took a break, gathering and chatting in nearby pavilions and courtyards. Some people wondered "what exactly is Fair King selling in his gourd." Some people said, "The next meeting will be in two days. Who knows what will happen in these two days."

In the distance, black smoke columns were rising in the city.

Dragon Sage Fu Pingbo was still leading people to suppress the situation in the city, but some medium-sized fights had occurred one after another.

There were also various unexpected occurrences.

Holding a newly received message, Meng Zhutao, who was in charge of the Grudge Society, was silent for a moment in front of the window on the second floor of the wooden building where the meeting hall was located. He casually responded when someone greeted him. After a while, Cold Crow Chen Juefang came in a hurry.

"Something happened..."

"It's my people who died. Old Chen, your appearance is really unpredictable. Don't cry crocodile tears..."

"Can't you see what's going on? We were tricked by the Reading Society..."

"Who knows if you deliberately framed me."

"Do I need to?" Chen Juefang glared. "Your people attacked first. Why would they attack if they were innocent? Wouldn't it be better to explain it clearly?"

"There are only thirty people in one place under me. Twenty-three people have small notebooks under their blankets. Old Chen, we are not all day one in the martial world. If we really fall into a pit...how many people can clear themselves!?" Meng Zhutao also glared.

Chen Juefang looked at him for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Old Meng, it's your people who didn't follow the rules. They attacked first."

Meng Zhutao looked at him calmly: "Yes, they deserve to die."

Chen Juefang waved his hand: "It's not like that...Old Meng, don't be angry with me. It's clear that the Reading Society did it on purpose."

"...Do you think I wouldn't think of that?" Meng Zhutao was silent for a moment. "He Wen made a move, Shi Baofeng made a move, Zhou Shang and we made a move, and the Reading Society also made a move. Old Chen, I'm hosting today, let's talk about it...Not only in Jiangning, but there will be many such things happening next."

Chen Juefang looked at him, and then nodded solemnly.

Similar conversations were taking place in many places at this moment.

……

On a terrace of the main building behind the venue, Gao Chang and He Wen were also watching the chaotic scenes spreading throughout the city.

"Is it necessary to make it like this?" After watching for a while, Gao Chang opened his mouth, "Brother He, what exactly do you want to do? Is the Reading Society really your people? Or do you really believe in what they say?"

He Wen glanced at him: "General Gao, is there really no truth to what the Reading Society says?"

"What is the value of truth?" Gao Chang said, "Brother He, look at these things in Jiangning City. Now it's not just Jiangning anymore. After the decision was made to clean up that society, their orders have been sent out five hundred miles away. Do you know that the whole of Jiangnan will be in chaos next? If you really directed the Reading Society behind the scenes to clean up our four families, what they are doing is preparing for the war in the entire Jiangnan next. Today in Jiangning, only I, Gao Chang, have not taken action. Brother He, it's because I want to figure it out before I take action, lest I attack the wrong person."

"General Gao, truth can help you win the war." He Wen said, "Today, the strongest and most capable army in the world is that one. Brother Gao, you know it. Why don't we learn from it?"

"Because I can't use it!" Gao Chang said, "If we train troops according to the southwest, today's Fair Party would not have a place for me, Gao Chang! I, Gao Chang, can win the war because the brothers under my command believe in me and obey me! Let the people under my command believe in them and obey them, and that's why there is the so-called Heavenly King Gao today! I, Gao, treat my brothers the way I should treat them. Today in Jiangning City, I have not taken action because I treat you as a brother! Brother He, tell me, what exactly are you thinking?"

He looked at He Wen, and He Wen also looked at him: "I'm thinking, sooner or later, we will have to face that strongest army. At that time, how will our brotherhood fight them?"

Gao Chang waved his hand: "Those scholars said that the southwest is rigid and will easily break, they won't last long."

"Even so, what if we fight the Jurchens? What if we fight the Beiwei Army in the southeast?"

"The Jurchens are already decaying and not as good as they were in the past. As for that Beiwei Army, you and I know very well that it is just the little emperor blocking the wind and rain outside for him, training troops with extreme harshness. It will not last!"

"General Gao, is your method of training troops to rely on all the enemies to not last?"

"He Mister, I'm afraid you'll lose your followers right away!"

Gao Chang waited for him.

After a moment, Gao Chang waved his hand: "It's not about this. He Mister, what if I admit that what you said makes sense? How did we get up in these two years? Can you still throw it away? Can we learn from the southwest's training methods? According to the southwest's model, officials must be honest and prohibit orders. How many people under my command would immediately disobey me? How many people under your command would immediately disobey you!? You scholars, I read history too, Old Gao also reads. Which emperor throughout history did not rise up with this kind of brotherhood you are talking about, and then take away their power and raise them as wealthy idlers? Who would fight for you if you didn't have any benefits? Southwest Ning Yi says 'the people' in his pamphlets, but are the people under his command not greedy? The people under his command are still greedy! He fights year after year because he has great prestige, he is strong and people are afraid of him, not because his truth is great. When he dies one day, you see how much that truth is worth!"

He Wen laughed: "It seems that General Gao still reads those pamphlets."

"Brother He, you and I cannot pick it up. If this is your means of gaining power, then that's fine, but if you want to gain power, kill those three, or kill Zhou Shang, why bother with the Reading Society hat? Do you have the strength to fight four at once? There are no outsiders today, give me a straight answer, let go of the Reading Society chess piece, and I will always help you."

Gao Chang's eyes were sincere. He Wen sat aside, poured himself a cup of tea, and seemed to be considering it. After a while, he sighed: "General Gao, in the past two years, the Fair Party has been moving too fast. Indeed, I also know that some things are beyond your control. The people around you are referring to wealth and glory to get rich. But as you said, if we can't beat them, then we might as well surrender today. Why should we go to the future and humiliate ourselves?"

"I have said that throughout history..."

"That's because no one has ever trained troops like the southwest! But today we have! Since we have it today, we will definitely have it tomorrow! Things that were considered throughout history will not be considered tomorrow!" He Wen's voice was decisive, "General Gao, the expedient measures have come to an end. If the Fair Party wants to change, this is the only opportunity. Use the fire of the Reading Society, use the name that came from the southwest to strictly enforce military discipline and internal discipline, so that everyone can prohibit orders and no longer mess around!"

"What do you do with the people who can't keep up?"

"Either I kill them, or they kill me. General Gao, will you follow, or not?"

"No one will follow you!" Gao Chang slammed the table with a slap of his palm, his beard and hair were disheveled. He reached out and pointed at He Wen: "What exactly do you..." Saying this, he suddenly hesitated for a moment, and then thought about it.

"You...you cooperated with the people from the southwest?"

He Wen looked at him: "...What if?"

“……”

"General Gao, your concerns are reasonable."

On September 11, the cool autumn wind blew into this sprawling residence with the evening sun. He Wen spoke calmly.

"...Throughout history, no one has done this before. If I were to talk empty words before, perhaps no one would believe me. But today's world is not yesterday's. The southwest has done those things, and some people will believe what they say. If the Fair Party wants to innovate, it can be based on such people. With such people, we may be able to train troops like the southwest...We have been running forward for two years. If we continue to run forward, we really won't be able to turn back, and in the end, it will just be the old path of the so-called peasant uprising. Stopping now is the only opportunity. Maybe we will die, but if we know that we will die in the future, I want to gamble."

"Brother Gao...will you follow, or not?"

……

With a loud bang.

In the room, Gao Chang blew open the entire table with a bang. Wood chips were flying in the sunset, and his eyes were bloodshot, confronting He Wen –