Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Shadowed Contest

It must be said that Hu Mo’s words struck a chord with many of the old men, especially the shrewd and treacherous sort.

As the saying goes, an open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. Such underhanded means may be beneath the conduct of a gentleman, but when enemies stand opposed in earnest, so long as one does not violate heaven or conscience, who cares about a gentleman’s code?

What Hu Mo and the old men were discussing now was how to uproot the Black Fiend Gang, the claw of the Situ family. To control these underground forces was to control more than seventy or eighty percent of the intelligence sources in Flame City. No filthy, unspeakable secret could ever escape their eyes.

What was more, taking these forces under command would also open a new stream of wealth for the Hu family. Though hardly honorable, it was something Hu Mo had no choice but to do in his haste to expand.

Bringing these underground powers into line would at least ensure that their movements were under his control. That was far better than letting them carve out their own territories and slaughter the innocent at will.

The Fire God Army was now entirely under Hu Mo’s command, though there was one point he had to keep in mind. Though in certain respects the Fire God Army could be called the private troops of the Hu residence, its designation had been granted by the imperial house of the Heavenly Flame Empire. Thus Hu Mo could only mobilize the most core members of the clan. Few though they were, they were exceptionally elite, swift and decisive in all they did, never dragging their feet.

By the second watch of the night, Hu Mo was already standing before them. A mighty aura rolled off his body, actually pressing down the force of nearly a hundred men before him.

The eyes of those Fire God Army soldiers were all ablaze when they looked at Hu Mo. It was the gaze of reverence. Hu Mo was very satisfied with the way they looked at him, and he felt quite pleased in his heart.

He had to thank Hu Yihu. It was Hu Yihu who had told him how to control this band of killers, and the method had left Hu Mo between laughter and tears.

Fight them! Beat them hard! Pound them all into fear, and naturally they’ll become obedient.

To achieve that, Hu Mo had spent an entire afternoon fighting them by brute force, and at last he had beaten all one hundred of them black and blue, until every last one had collapsed.

He was terribly frustrated. Once these fellows started fighting, they were like men injected with blood-rage; even when knocked down, they would get back up after a moment and rush him again. By the end, Hu Mo was exhausted to the point of collapse.

“Brothers, no more nonsense. Let’s move out!” With that one sentence, Hu Mo nearly made Steward Fu, who had been watching in secret, choke.

At first, Steward Fu had thought that with such overwhelming presence, Hu Mo would surely say something earth-shaking. Instead, it was only this dull, flavorless line, which left him both amused and helpless.

Yet the reaction of the Fire God Army made him look twice. Without a single word of nonsense, they answered in unison, “Yes, sir,” and all leapt away like a hundred tigers charging down a mountain.

“Steward Fu, rest assured. We’ll go and return quickly.” Hu Mo smiled toward the place where Steward Fu was concealed, then flew after the soldiers.

Steward Fu stood there in a daze, watching Hu Mo’s figure gradually vanish. He could not help muttering to himself, “No, what exactly has the young master’s strength reached? Without the cultivation of a Battle Emperor, how could he possibly sense my presence?”

This time, Steward Fu was truly frightened. If that were really the case, then how terrifying would that be? Only a few months, from merely a third-stage battle aura cultivator to the level of a Battle Emperor? That was sheer fantasy! If he had to believe such a thing, he would rather believe that the continent itself had merged again.

In truth, the matter was not quite so exaggerated. The reason Hu Mo had been able to sense Steward Fu was that he had used the Three Treasures as his support, forcibly raising his aura to that level. There was no other choice. If he wanted to intimidate those Fire God Army soldiers, an openly upright method would have little chance of success. He could only borrow outside power.

Steward Fu hurried away. Whether this matter was true or false, he had to report it to Hu Yihu at once.

Hu Mo was already dressed in night-black clothing. Like the soldiers, he raced at great speed toward a grand residence. With the soldiers’ keen senses, the hidden sentries and open guards were swiftly rooted out one by one.

This was Hu Mo’s first operation alongside these soldiers, and for him it was truly thrilling.

Everything went smoothly, without the slightest obstruction. In the blink of an eye, the soldiers had cut down all resistance, and then brought the gang leader of the Black Fiend Gang, Luo Hong, before Hu Mo.

Luo Hong was wearing nothing but a pair of underpants, as though he had just been dragged straight from bed. Truly, he had been dealt a bitter hand. They had not come earlier or later, but just as he was about to finish, this group had burst in and frightened him so badly that even now he could not perform. What resistance was there left to speak of?

Among the Fire God Army soldiers, even the weakest was stronger than Luo Hong. The result was obvious. Luo Hong was not a fool; he would not smash an egg against a stone.

“Reporting to the boss, all three hundred and two members of the Black Fiend Gang have been captured. Thirty-six resisted and have been eliminated; none of the surrendering were killed. This fellow is Luo Hong, the gang leader of the Black Fiend Gang. Boss, will you interrogate him personally, or shall we brothers do it for you?” The speaker was the captain of the hundred-man squad, named Liu Peng, one of Hu Yihu’s trusted men. The title of boss had also been agreed upon in advance, since their identities could not be exposed yet, or there would truly be great trouble.

“Uncle Liu, I’ll do it myself. I’ve never interrogated anyone before; I lack experience. This is a good chance to train myself on them.” Hu Mo smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. At that smile, Luo Hong felt as though he had fallen into ten-thousand-year black ice, his very soul beginning to shiver.

Hearing Hu Mo say that, Liu Peng instantly understood. With a slight smile, he stood aside. He knew that this Luo Hong was probably in for a tragedy.

Luo Hong’s teeth chattered with cold. He was a fire-element fighter, yet under the suppression of Hu Mo’s aura he actually felt cold. It was utterly unbelievable.

“Don’t hurt the women and children. Uncle Liu, take some men to guard the courtyard. If anything happens, report at once.” Hu Mo gave the order, then seized Luo Hong by the collar and hurled him into a small room beside them.

Hu Mo closed the door and looked at him with a faint smile. That simple smile alone nearly scared Luo Hong into losing control of his bowels and bladder.

“You... you hero, what exactly do you want? I don’t seem to have offended you people.” Luo Hong said tremblingly. The pressure Hu Mo gave off was truly terrifying.

“Heh. Must you have offended me before I can do something to you? On the Martial Continent, isn’t strength always the measure of all things? Haven’t you people always believed that the bigger fist speaks the truth?” Hu Mo asked coldly, studying him with interest.

Hearing this, Luo Hong knew he was probably truly doomed. With that thought, he instead calmed down and said sternly, “No matter who you are, you should know who backs the Black Fiend Gang. If you move against us, you will not get a good ending either!”

He spoke viciously, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Hu Mo first paused slightly, then burst out laughing.

“How laughable. Begging for mercy failed, so now you threaten me instead. To carry yourself this way in the world is truly a rare thing. You think the Situ family will avenge a fellow like you? Are you trying to make me laugh?” Hu Mo said with a smile, picking up an unidentified iron sphere from the table and kneading it lightly. Before long, drops of crimson molten metal began to drip from his hand. Just that one move was enough to shut Luo Hong up.

A threat. A naked threat.

Hu Mo suddenly realized he was completely in character. With this performance alone, he could easily win Best Actor at the Golden Duck Awards.

Luo Hong’s mouth hung open, and not a single word could come out. He looked as though he had swallowed a giant fly, his face turning completely green.

Inside the Situ residence, the expressions of Situ Feng and Bai Han were both extremely ugly. After hearing the report from their subordinates, Bai Han flew into a towering rage. If Situ Feng had not forcibly stopped him, he might already have rushed out.

“The Black Fiend Gang has actually vanished without a trace. What in the world is going on? Damn it, this is really troublesome now,” Bai Han said angrily. Though the Black Fiend Gang was only a minor force, it was truly important to them. The disappearance of this small faction was equivalent to being stabbed in the back alive.

“Calm yourself. Don’t lose your footing,” Situ Feng said coldly. Though his own anger kept rising, he forcibly suppressed it.

“Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down now? In just a few days, the entire underground power structure of Flame City has been consolidated by someone else. Even we would have difficulty accomplishing something like this. Now that the Black Fiend Gang has suddenly vanished, it is as if we have gone blind in one eye in Flame City. We...” Bai Han was nearly spitting fire.

“So what if we have? What can we do now?” Situ Feng’s voice was low. “In all of Flame City, only two powers have the means to deal with us like this: the imperial house and the Hu family. Tell me, whom should we strike first?”

“And what then? Are we just going to swallow this? That is not your style!” Bai Han barked without restraint, his gaze turning even sharper.

Situ Feng gave a cold laugh. “Indeed, it isn’t my style. But if we want to accomplish anything now, we have to endure this period first. Haven’t you noticed how targeted this is? Among Flame City’s underground forces, our Situ family only subdued the Black Fiend Gang, yet the one that vanished completely was also the Black Fiend Gang. The reason is simple: this is merely a show of force. Someone wants to tangle with us, that is all.”

“Who? Could it be that brat from the Hu family?” Bai Han cried out in alarm.

Situ Feng’s eyes changed, and he said viciously, “Aside from that brat, I’m afraid no one would dare stir up such a storm in Flame City. He is riding high right now; if we fight him, we will surely suffer. Let him be arrogant for a while. Once this period passes, I’ll take back everything that should be taken back, with interest!”