Night Fortress on the Run Chronicles
The moment he heard of Hua Yumeng’s exploits, Hong Jiu called for an urgent pack-and-dash operation, taking just the elites with him while abandoning everyone else on the mountain. If the name “Hua Yumeng” was not too similar to his shifu’s name for comfort, then the rumours of his womanising exploits was more than suspicious. To make matters worse, he was awfully elusive. If his exploits were real, then Hong Jiu could not even dream of matching him.
Were Hong Jiu to go, even if he was hypothetically proficient in qinggong, then the maidens still would have cried for help the moment they saw his face. If he silenced them via their acupoints, then they would have reported him to the magistrate office once he returned them as if their life depended on it, and Yan Buer would be on his case again. If the maidens were to speak about him, they would have only cursed him.
Putting two and two together, Hua Yumeng was not only skilled but also gifted with good looks. No matter how he sliced and diced it, it matched the description of his shifu. Plus, since Matriarch Zi had announced her coming wedding, it would not have been surprising if he was in Hangzhou to seek vengeance on them.
Night Fortress’ peak was when they just absorbed Dark Moon Faction’s survivors into their ranks. During that window, they had new members join daily as did they send off members to the Western Regions daily. There were easily tens of thousands of Divine Moon Cult family members in the Central Plains who feared being implicated by virtue of association. Thanks to Ming Feizhen sheltering them and Zero rigging strings as Tianhu, their family members were able to avoid the imperial court’s detection.
Obviously, the survivors not only needed a roof over their heads but also food and clothing. Mount Daluo had supplies, but Ming Feizhen did a lot of “business” to feed them. Numerous elites living in the grey zone in the Central Plains were now either Ming Feizhen’s former subordinates or those he recruited.
The residences built on the mountain were built during the period to house them until they were able to migrate to the Western Regions, which was when the buildings were cleared out. There were only thousands who refused to leave. Therefore, there were only roughly a hundred elites left after the numerous years that had passed.
Hong Jiu sighed. “When we were a big group and had Leader leading us, everyone bowed their heads to us. Nowadays, we only have around a hundred guys who can hold their own in a fight.”
Tang Ye: “Only” around a hundred guys of this level?
The population Hong Jiu referred to was their total number of members, not just the combatants. In reality, their number of combatants was not reduced by that match. To begin with, even if Divine Moon Cult’s survivors were able to help, they could not become part of the main force as they had to stay out of the public eye. Those who joined Ming Feizhen’s conquest remained with Night Fortress. Hence, those of Chang Biwan’s calibre made up the majority of their fighting force, and there were even more of their members who went solo in the underworld. Chang Biwan did not even rank among the top ten of their elites, so he was not among the dozen-odd who went into the underground palace with Hong Jiu. A hundred of them were enough to give the Seven Champion White Princes a run for their money, let alone Night Fortress’ master being added into the mix. Were it not for Wutong Jin Yuxuan and Mount Daluo, Night Fortress would not be what it was now. After all, who would not consider Night Fortress a threat waiting to explode, let alone the imperial court and Qilin Guards?
Although the Seven Champion White Princes’ taxation and military privileges, in addition to the problems they started, were the sparks that prompted the imperial court to strip them of their power, His Majesty had been harsh with them in recent years. Plus, if they were a threat, how come he allowed Night Fortress to exist? Thus, Tang Ye wondered if there were things he was unaware of.
“Even if he was here, it does not seem to justify fleeing the mountain overnight.”
Hong Jiu whacked his thigh. “You think I wanted to run? Leader was the one who recruited our boys. Who would dare to disrespect Shifu; not to mention he created Night Fortress. You think I’d dare to oppose him? Even if all our boys got together, we wouldn’t be able to stop him, either. If he forces us to get back at Leader, we’d have to follow his demands.”
“Why has nobody mentioned anything when you’ve made such a ruckus fleeing the mountain?”
Hong Jiu rolled his eyes. “And who, besides three particular individuals, would dare to oppose us in Hangzhou? If someone dares to leak half a word, we’ll send a small team to make them eat liquid food for a month.”
Frightening? For sure. Tang Ye caught sight of them throwing empty bowls on the ground, vomiting wherever they wanted after getting drunk and throwing chicken bones onto the beams overhead without missing. Nevertheless, based on his time calculations, there were some things that were not logical.
“Why are you all still in Hangzhou? Also, why have you not contacted Big Bro?”
Hong Jiu sighed. “Where are we supposed to go with such a big group? If we leave Hangzhou, we’ll probably have all sorts of targets on our backs. I considered reaching out to Leader, but we’re on the run. If all of us move as one big unit, Shifu will probably catch us. If I send out a letter, it’d be intercepted before it could leave Hangzhou. I’ve been scratching my head for days for a way to contact Leader. Thankfully, you came knocking out of nowhere!”
“On the run?” Tang Ye followed the trail of smoke going out the door with his eyes.
“The guys are exhausted. Since we’re here, we might as well eat a nice meal, right? Dead hungry or dead full, we’re dead either way. Isn’t it the same thing?”
“What about your arm?”
“Oh, this?” Hong Jiu grinned. “This is an old tactic of ours that we learnt from the best strategist and tactician called ‘Amputated Warrior’. If Shifu comes, I’ll play the pity card so that he doesn’t assault me. If Leader comes and knows I abandoned his treasures, he won’t beat me, either. You also asked me why nobody mentioned our activities, right? Threats aren’t that effective. This is the real trick. No matter who comes knocking, I’ll sadfish, and they won’t mention it out of pity for me.”
Tang Ye went to speak, then paused, then finally replied, “Okay.”
Hong Jiu smacked Tang Ye over the head and then finally got serious. “Hurry and tell Leader to come here. The situation has changed. This damn city is about to be spun in circles again. If we don’t promptly devise a plan, I don’t think he’ll be able to handle what’s coming.”
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