Chapter 43: The Grand Scheme and the Secret Medicine

A glint sparked in Rong Guangliang’s eyes, and he spoke in a low, resonant voice, “Continue.”

Noticing Rong Guangliang had taken the bait, Quan Haoqing immediately declared, “Boss Rong, while our gang may be teeming with talent, and no force within a ten-mile radius can truly contend with us, it’s a regrettable truth that our gang’s standing still cannot enter the halls of respectability.”

Song Mo slammed his fist against the floor then, rising to his feet and pointing at Quan Haoqing as he roared, “Impudent! You, a mere piece of trash who just joined us, dare to look down on our gang?! Do you believe I won’t…”

“Silence!”

Before Quan Haoqing could even open his mouth, Rong Guangliang suddenly erupted, his cold, piercing gaze fixed on Song Mo as he demanded in a deep voice, “He hasn’t finished speaking. What are you rushing for?”

“I, I, I merely felt he was offending you, Boss, which is why I was so angry. I wasn’t…”

Rong Guangliang offered no further words, simply staring at him with the predatory gaze of a lion.

Song Mo shivered, immediately settling down obediently, not daring to even draw a full breath.

Subsequently, Rong Guangliang sat cross-legged, looking at Quan Haoqing as he calmly stated, “Now, get to the main point.”

Throughout this, Quan Haoqing maintained an unruffled composure, neither perturbed by criticism nor swayed by praise. With Rong Guangliang’s permission, he promptly began to elaborate, “If I looked down on our gang, why would I have dedicated myself to joining you? When I speak of the halls of respectability, I refer to gaining recognition from those prestigious sects and renowned factions.”

Rong Guangliang’s expression grew serious. Indeed, only gangs and aristocratic families acknowledged by such prominent powers were truly qualified to openly govern a town or city; otherwise, they were simply considered rogue bandits. If they caused no trouble, all was well.

However, if they dared to offend the local magnates, suppressing rogue bandits would be entirely justified, and even if their own strength proved insufficient, they could seek assistance from their affiliated sects.

Rong Guangliang and his men naturally fell into the category of rogue bandits.

Meanwhile, Quan Haoqing continued, “As everyone knows, with the endorsement of these major sects and factions, we can legitimately control a specific region—much like those aristocratic families who manage towns within a sect’s jurisdiction. However, to catch the eye of these sects, two conditions must be met: strength and influence.”

“For strength, we must at least have an Origin Reversion Realm expert presiding over us; otherwise, those major sects and factions won’t even spare us a glance. As for influence, we should find a town where a minor aristocratic family is entrenched, then devise a way to replace them. By regularly submitting resources to the sect and cultivating connections, we could then be permitted by the sect to govern that land.”

“At that point, spirit stones would flow into our hands endlessly, and with the backing of those righteous sects, we could all live prosperous lives. Boss, you might even gain the appreciation of those esteemed powers and be taught supreme divine abilities…”

Quan Haoqing eloquently painted a vivid picture of a glorious future for the bandit leader, completely oblivious to the fact that Rong Guangliang and his subordinates were utterly stunned.

Truth be told, their lives before had been a cycle of taking whatever they could and spending it all. While they did use some resources to improve their strength, the people they robbed were typically Rogue Cultivators with no backing or power, making it difficult to acquire large sums of spirit stones at once. After dividing the spoils, each person received very little, and even Rong Guangliang, despite taking the lion’s share as boss, spent it like water due to his lack of self-control.

But if they could acquire a thousand spirit stones in one go!

Could they truly cleanse their past and establish themselves legitimately, just as Quan Haoqing described?

Given the chance to pursue honorable, legitimate work, who would willingly choose the blood-soaked, dangerous dealings of the underworld?

Previously, no one had possessed such long-term vision or planned for their future. Quan Haoqing’s words were undoubtedly a guiding lighthouse in the darkest night, showing them which direction their ship should sail.

Song Mo was the first to react. He had always feared Quan Haoqing would usurp his position, viewing all of Quan Haoqing’s words through a biased lens, and thus was the first to shake off the illusion of the beautiful future Quan Haoqing had conjured.

“That sounds better than a song, but how could it be as easy as you say?”

“And what endeavor is easy? Is it easy for us to risk life and limb to rob the rich and aid the poor? Our gang’s continuous expansion will inevitably alarm the aristocratic families governing this region. They are the entrenched local tyrants of this land, and we are tigers descending from the mountains. When fierce beasts meet, a struggle to the death is inevitable.”

“Yet, if those local tyrants sense danger, they can summon sect disciples to reinforce them. If we fall into peril, it would be a near-certain death. Furthermore, even if we win, could we truly take over this land? How could that be? The sect that controls this territory would personally dispatch us. Regardless of victory or defeat, we gain nothing. Are we to continue living these days without a future?!”

Quan Haoqing took two or three quick steps to Rong Guangliang’s front, knelt on one knee, cupped his hands in a respectful salute, and declared with resolute clarity, “For the future of our gang, and for your future, Big Brother, your junior brother is willing to serve you with all his might! For a brighter tomorrow, I shall brave any danger, no matter how great!”

“Excellent, excellent, excellent! With you, my dear Junior Brother Quan, how could any great endeavor fail?”

Rong Guangliang burst into hearty laughter, rising to his feet and pulling Quan Haoqing up. He then turned to You An and Xie Xiang, instructing, “Go, bring out my finest wine to honor our great benefactor!”

You An and Xie Xiang stared at Rong Guangliang in utter confusion. Xie Xiang scratched his head, asking, “Boss, where exactly do you keep your finest wine?”

“Useless dolts! You don’t even know this!”

You An and Xie Xiang felt immensely disgruntled by Rong Guangliang’s unwarranted scolding. Rong Guangliang always hoarded his good things, never sharing them, yet now he was putting on airs.

“Forget it, both of you, follow me!”

Seeing this, Quan Haoqing quickly interjected, “Boss Rong, there’s no need to go to such expense. Perhaps I should treat everyone instead?”

“Today, you are our lucky star! Our benefactor! Our hero! You stay here and enjoy yourselves with the brothers for a bit; we’ll be right back!”

Rong Guangliang pressed down on Quan Haoqing’s arm, making him sit, then led Xie Xiang and You An directly back to his cave dwelling.

As the cave dwelling’s door closed, You An and Xie Xiang felt their vision darken. The dim, yellowish stone lamps, replacing the bright sunlight, illuminated their pale faces, and a chilling sensation permeated the dwelling.

You An couldn’t help but inquire, “Boss, um, where exactly is your good wine? We’ll go fetch it.”

“We’re not in a hurry for that. How has that brat Quan Haoqing been acting these past two days?”

Rong Guangliang gazed coldly at the two men, his voice calm but imbued with immense authority.

“Don’t tell me you’re clueless, or that you’ve just been eating, drinking, and having fun!”

A mountain-like pressure descended upon the two men, causing You An and Xie Xiang to immediately collapse to the ground, trembling in agony.

Rong Guangliang’s words had indeed struck true. You An and Xie Xiang, who were already not particularly loyal to him, had completely forgotten the tasks he assigned them, swayed by Quan Haoqing’s endless sugar-coated bullets (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to a seemingly attractive but harmful offer or tactic, often used to corrupt or win someone over.).

If today hadn’t been the day for their medicine, they wouldn’t have even bothered to return and endure his temper.

Though they were all Bone Cleansing Realm cultivators, and Rong Guangliang typically received more resources and had a higher cultivation level, his authority should not have been so absolute.

It was the secret medicine in Rong Guangliang’s possession that compelled them to such subservience.

The medicine was taking effect.

Rong Guangliang had not yet given them today’s dose.

Xie Xiang and You An thrashed wildly on the ground, like chickens and pigs awaiting slaughter for a festival.

Their sharp fingertips tore at their own skin, and their once ornate robes were reduced to rags in the process, revealing large, blood-streaked gashes.

What sounded like bestial roars echoed through the room, while Rong Guangliang watched this horrifying scene with cold detachment. He then tossed two pills onto the ground.

Xie Xiang and You An lunged for them as if they had seen their saviors, snatching the pills and stuffing them into their mouths.

Several minutes later, though their faces were exceptionally pale, they no longer experienced that feeling of agony worse than death.

With some strength restored, the two men immediately prostrated themselves before Rong Guangliang, their tormentor, weeping, “Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!”

Rong Guangliang looked at them with disdain, asking in an icy voice, “My question earlier?”

Xie Xiang remained frozen, but You An had already begun to speak.

“No problems! He’s been acting completely normal! Just as he said, apart from staying in his room, he’s been discussing with that ‘fortune-bringing boy’ how to obtain the bounty. I’ve clearly recorded all their conversations!”

As You An spoke, he pulled a small booklet from his robes and handed it to Rong Guangliang.

Rong Guangliang raised an eyebrow, took it without ceremony, and quickly began to peruse its contents.

The booklet meticulously detailed ‘all’ conversations between Quan Haoqing and Ye Qingfeng, as well as ‘all’ the supplies Quan Haoqing had purchased during this period. It was so thorough that Rong Guangliang couldn’t find any fault with You An’s work.

He looked at You An suspiciously, inquiring, “You did this alone?”

You An shook his head, saying, “No, it was Old Brother Xie and I working together.”

Rong Guangliang immediately turned to Xie Xiang. Though Xie Xiang found it somewhat hard to believe You An would include him, his survival instinct instantly prompted him to say what was needed.

“That’s right, it was me and Junior Brother You working together. He was in the open, and I was in the shadows. We cooperated with each other; we could certainly handle this much. Otherwise, wouldn’t we have failed your meticulous planning, Boss?”

You An cast an approving glance at Xie Xiang. Such a skill in flattery was something he truly could not emulate.

Rong Guangliang’s brow visibly relaxed, though he still had no intention of letting the two off easily.

“I recall instructing you, Xie Xiang, to remain hidden in the shadows, didn’t I? Yet you two decided to cooperate privately.”

You An and Xie Xiang’s bodies trembled. Again, You An was the first to speak, “That, well, Old Brother Xie was actually too focused on his surveillance and nearly got noticed by Quan Haoqing. Thankfully, I discovered it in time and helped Old Brother Xie smooth things over. Afterward, to better complete the task you assigned, Boss, I suggested we cooperate. Please, Boss, punish us as you see fit.”

Xie Xiang quickly chimed in, “It was my carelessness. I was too eager for success, which almost led to my exposure. Thankfully, it didn’t hinder your plans, Boss.”