The streets were empty, and ordinary households had long since retired for the night.
The entire city was submerged in stillness.
At this moment, within White Tiger Hall,
Xiao Hu entered the room where Chen Jie was resting and saw that Chen Jie was forcing his eyes open, sitting on a chair, with a table beside him. On the table lay a long spear with a red-hued shaft adorned with coiled dragon patterns.
It was the famed spear, Fire Dragon Spear, that Chen Jie had spent a fortune to forge from fire iron!
By now, the spear had been fully assembled and was laid there, emitting a chilling gleam.
Xiao Hu approached and whispered into Chen Jie’s ear, "Jiu Si, everything is ready."
Chen Jie’s eyes slowly opened, and in an instant, a cold light flashed.
The time had finally arrived, and Chen Jie looked at Xiao Hu, "Are the brothers ready?"
Xiao Hu replied, "All prepared, just waiting for your command."
Chen Jie cracked a smile, grabbed the Fire Dragon Spear from the table, and felt its reassuring weight in his hand. The dragon patterns provided ample friction, making it very comfortable to hold.
Grasping the spear, a smile appeared on Chen Jie’s face, "Today is the day this spear drinks blood, without slaying the enemy, there’s no returning home."
With that command, Chen Jie strode out of the room. Outside, a hundred impeccably arrayed White Tiger Guards stood in formation with Xiao Hu following close behind, and Chen Zhu and Chen Gou were also among the crowd.
Zhou Chu was nearby, silently polishing his seldom-used saber.
As Chen Jie emerged, the hundred White Tiger Guards abruptly lifted their heads, their gazes uniformly fixed on Chen Jie. Just one look was enough to overwhelm the faint-hearted.
It was as if a hundred silent beasts had suddenly awakened, primed to stalk their prey.
Seeing Chen Jie come forth, led by Chen Gou and Chen Zhu, they uniformly shouted, "Hall Master."
Chen Jie nodded slightly, "Gentlemen, you all know how important today’s battle is. However, I do not ask you to fight valiantly; remember, this time, we fight only when the odds are in our favor—avoid any needless sacrifice."
Upon hearing these words, Chen Zhu asked, "Hall Master, what about if we encounter resistance? Can we kill?"
Chen Jie looked at Chen Zhu, "You may kill, but remember, our priority is to capture them alive. We’ll need their forces once we take over the Fishing Guild—test the strength of these Headquarters disciples today; they might well be your subordinates in the future."
Hearing this, everyone nodded in unison. If the Hall Master succeeds this time and becomes the Gang Leader of the Fishing Guild, their fortunes would rise with his; they would become influential leaders. From then on, Mianshui County would be their domain.
With these thoughts, everyone was excited, and the impulse to kill subsided.
After all, these members of the Fishing Guild may become their subordinates in the future, and one must not kill their own men—otherwise, whom would they lead, and how could they be competent leaders?
Chen Jie then beckoned, and the next moment Zhou Chu approached, "What are your orders, Hall Master?"
Chen Jie addressed Zhou Chu, "Later, you and Xiao Hu keep the brothers in check; do your best to avoid casualties. They are our assets, after all!"
Hearing this, Zhou Chu looked at Chen Jie, "Hall Master, what’s this about? I was ready to lead the charge, to fight my way in and out seven times!"
Chen Jie gave Zhou Chu a stern look, "Still harping on about fighting your way in and out seven times, haven’t you been putting on weight recently? Looks like you’ve been gaining."
Zhou Chu replied, "No, I’ve been diligently practicing my saber technique, I even planned to slay Nan Batian myself!"
Chen Jie glanced at Zhou Chu’s antics, "Oh, is that so? Then how about I give you a chance to go and kill Nan Batian, how about that?"
Zhou Chu was taken aback, "Jiu Si, I think there’s no need for that. I’ll just keep the brothers in line!"
Zhou Chu said with a forced smile, to which Chen Jie responded, "When will you get rid of that habit of bragging?"
Zhou Chu laughed, "That’s something I can’t change."
"Aren’t you afraid your wife will discipline you for it?"
"She wouldn’t dare!" Zhou Chu said, chin held high and full of arrogance.
Indeed, it had been a long while since he had been reprimanded. Since Chen Jie’s White Tiger Hall had grown in strength, carrying Zhou Chu along in its ascent, Zhou Chu had become the ostensible second-in-command.
Zhou Chu managed all external affairs in lieu of Chen Jie, enjoying an elevated status.
Such a position meant even his father-in-law, Sun Bu’er, the Old Leader, had to treat him with a degree of respect.
Clearly, if Chen Jie became the Gang Leader of the Fishing Guild, Zhou Chu was likely to climb even higher in status. At that point, the entire Sun family would come to rely on Zhou Chu’s favor.
It would truly be a tale of a husband’s meteoric rise in the world, and he had hardly exerted himself—the one thing he did was to align himself with a great leader.
Chen Jie then announced, "Alright, brothers, let’s move out!"
With that, the group quietly opened the grand entrance of the White Tiger Hall to depart.
They moved slowly out of the gates and onto the deserted streets, with Chen Jie, guarded by Xiao Hu, the last to leave the courtyard.
Before departing, he instinctively looked back and saw a figure standing in the shadows.
She stood silently, hidden within the darkness, careful not to disturb the man setting out to battle.
Yet her eyes were filled with concern, as they always were.
Chen Jie turned to meet her gaze, and although no words were spoken, a thousand words were exchanged in their hearts; both understood the other’s feelings perfectly.
Chen Jie nodded towards the shadows, gripped his spear, and marched out.
In the shadows, the silent figure continued to stand, gently caressing her belly.