Chapter Seventy-One: The Gate of Yu (Conclusion)

With a loud shout, everyone turned to look at the doorway.

Several dignified men hurried in, led by a middle-aged man whose presence radiated an aura of authority, the kind that comes from long years in power. His eyes, even when half-closed, gleamed sharply—a man clearly not to be trifled with.

"I am Yuan Kai, Party Secretary of Lin City! Put down all your guns—are you trying to rebel?" Yuan Kai, seeing that his son was unharmed for the moment, let out a breath and immediately adopted his official domineer.

How could it be such a coincidence? Why would Yuan Kai, the Party Secretary of a provincial capital, appear here of all places?

"Secretary Yuan, is it? I am Major General Jiang An of the Military District. This man is suspected of spying on military secrets and treason, his conduct is vile, and he is extremely aggressive. I am authorized to execute him on the spot!" Facing this so-called regional power, Jiang An was unafraid, answering with deliberate calm.

Yuan Kai, a deputy provincial-level official with a bright future, ranked even higher than a major general and held greater power. Now, after revealing his identity only to be shown no deference, his fury rose; his face darkened. "You can't make such accusations without evidence. How can you take lives so lightly? This man must not be killed."

"My words are evidence enough!"

"Comrade, it looks like I’ll have to speak with your superiors. How did someone so cold-blooded and overbearing become a major general?" Apparently, Yuan Kai had already confirmed Jiang An’s identity with the armed police when he entered. "I will guarantee this man's safety. Who dares touch him?"

"Father, yes, he tried to kill me! Teach him a lesson for me!" With his father backing him, Yuan Feng regained his boldness.

Smack!

Yuan Kai slapped him across the face. "You unfilial son! Once again, you've caused me serious trouble. Do you not know it’s illegal to follow the armed police to a crime scene without authorization? When we get home, I’ll break your legs!"

Hearing this, many in the room sneered inwardly. A sly old fox—he had deftly downgraded a grave crime to nothing more than illegally accompanying the police, reducing it to a mere violation.

Then Yuan Kai made a call. "Hello, Old He? It’s Old Yuan. Yes, yes, I wouldn’t be calling without reason. There’s a misunderstanding here..."

After a lengthy explanation, he handed the phone to Jiang An with a cold smile. "Lieutenant General He from your Eastern Military District wants a word with you."

Jiang An made no move to take the phone. "My direct superior is General Li, commander of the district. You can call him. Anyone else’s words are meaningless."

At this, Yuan Kai squinted, his gaze as sharp as a blade fixed on Jiang An. "So you want to completely break with me? You insist on killing my son?"

In truth, the moment Yuan Kai appeared, Jiang An realized the window to kill Yuan Feng had closed. Killing the son in front of his father was certain to drive Yuan Kai mad. Although Jiang An did not fear him, life would never be peaceful again.

"It need not come to that. Young people make mistakes; we must give them a chance to change. But your son has insulted me so publicly—if he walks away unscathed, where does that leave my dignity?" Jiang An replied slowly.

Sensing a hint of concession in Jiang An’s tone, the seasoned politician Yuan Kai did not press further but instead took the offered compromise. "Indeed, my foolish son was out of line and has offended Major General Jiang. What punishment would satisfy you?"

"Didn't Secretary Yuan just say you’d break his legs when you got home? Why not do it now, in front of me?"

Jiang An’s meaning was clear: break your son’s leg in front of me and I’ll let him go.

For a politician, compromise is a basic skill. Jiang An’s expression was resolute, and his condition was not beyond Yuan Kai’s limits. After some thought, Yuan Kai agreed. "Fine. Unless he learns his lesson, he’ll never change. I’ll do it myself!"

He picked up a table leg from the room and, gritting his teeth, strode toward Yuan Feng.

"Father, no, don’t! Mother and Grandma will never forgive you. Please, don’t break my leg!" Yuan Feng cried in terror, trying to fend off his father.

But Yuan Kai ignored his son’s pleas and brought the club down hard on Yuan Feng’s shin. Yuan Feng immediately rolled on the ground, clutching his leg, wailing in agony.

Jiang An coldly added, "Put some force into it, Secretary Yuan—it’s not broken yet."

Being forced to break his own son’s leg—what a humiliation. Yuan Kai turned his grief and fury into strength and, with a hardened heart, struck again.

Crack.

The table leg itself snapped, and Yuan Feng fainted dead away from the pain.

Afterward, Yuan Kai’s face was expressionless as he fixed his gaze on Jiang An. "Well? May we leave?"

"I won’t see you out," Jiang An replied with a faint smile.

Yuan Kai motioned for his men to carry Yuan Feng, and the group prepared to leave. But Jiang An’s voice sounded behind them. "Next time, I’ll make him break his own leg."

Yuan Kai paused, showing no reaction—it was impossible to read his expression. Yet anyone with sense knew this feud had now become irreconcilable.

With the unexpected incident over, the room’s attention returned to its previous focus.

Thud! Thud!

Two sharp cracks split the air. Old White and Third Lady Feng each fell with a bloody hole in their foreheads, lifeless, terrifying the others half to death.

Jiang An lowered his hand, saying, "Enough. I am not a cruel man, but neither am I a paragon of virtue. Masters Gu, Qiu, and Zhu, rest assured—I will not harm you. Everyone deserves a chance. As for Master Sun, you seem to have crossed me twice now. How do you wish to resolve this?"

Sun Yuntai’s face was ashen, aged a decade in an instant. He gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh. "I failed to recognize greatness before my eyes. Today, I am a stray dog, utterly disgraced. Death would be preferable. I only hope that my death might secure your mercy for the Sun family."

"You wish for death, but I won’t grant it. I want half the Sun family’s assets. As for the Gu, Qiu, and Zhu families, each will pay a quarter of their assets as ransom. More importantly, I will reorganize the Divine Blade Sect and absorb you all. Together, we will sell Xishuang!"

This was the classic strategy—kill some, punish some, and win others over. But the reorganization of the Divine Blade Sect was the true aim.

Jiang An’s pronouncement filled the four great families with dread at first, for the cost would be steep. Yet at the mention of Xishuang, excitement took hold. With that in hand, any losses could be recouped and more.

They all forced smiles to their faces and said, "From now on, we are one family. We will all follow Master Jiang’s lead!"

"Good. Henceforth, the Divine Blade Sect shall be renamed the Yu Sect! I will be the Sect Master, Blade Mo will serve as Deputy, and the rest of the positions are yours to arrange." With a wave, Jiang An declared his decision.

Both the former Divine Blade Sect and the four great families instantly knelt in unison. "We pay our respects to the Sect Master!"

Luckily, no one uttered any nonsense about unifying the martial world for a thousand generations. Jiang An bade them rise, then his gaze shifted toward the nearly forgotten members of the Qi family in the corner.

"Master Qi, this is our second meeting. I offended you last time. Now that the Yu Sect is established and Lin City united, why not set aside past grudges and work together for mutual benefit? Of course, if you have any grievances, feel free to vent them now."

Jiang An made it plain to the Qi family that he was the one who had intruded upon them before. But what could they do? Here was a man who could slay a grandmaster with a single blow, who had just tamed the four great families and annihilated two rival gangs, and who now controlled the Yu Sect—the largest power in Lin City, indeed in all of Eastern Province. Revenge was a fantasy.

Yet the Qi family had their own pride. While none of the other great families had even a single grandmaster, the Qi family boasted two. How could they willingly submit and merge into the Yu Sect? After some consideration, Patriarch Qi Zhenghui sighed. "Congratulations on the founding of the Yu Sect, Master Jiang. We started as adversaries, but have come to know one another. Let us forget our past enmity. I hope we can cooperate with the Yu Sect in the future."

Jiang An understood Qi Zhenghui’s meaning: unwilling to provoke the Yu Sect, but also unwilling to be absorbed—hoping instead to profit from cooperation.

But where in the world could there be such good fortune? Cooperation requires comparable strength, and although the Qi family was far stronger than the others, Jiang An hardly regarded them as equals.

So he pointed to the short, stocky man and said coolly, "I won’t keep the Qi family for dinner, but this one must stay a while."

"What do you mean by this? This man is my martial uncle—he leaves with the Qi family!" Qi Tiancang, once the city's foremost prodigy, shouted. Yet before Jiang An, even younger than he, his tone was more bluster than bravado.

"I mean no harm. I only ask that this friend hand over the antidote."

Jiang An’s words struck like a thunderbolt. The short man’s face changed, while the others were left bewildered—what antidote?