Chen Sheng’s decision to reveal his origins to Wu Kuang at this moment came only after careful deliberation.
First, as Wu Kuang had noted, faced with the possible alliance of the three great families, they urgently needed a breakthrough to sow division among them.
And the justification of “a father’s murder” naturally carried the strong coloring of a personal vendetta—sufficient to single out the Gao family to a certain extent and make them the primary target.
This stratagem might not necessarily break them apart, but it might compel the other two families to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight.
Second, Chen Sheng knew full well that his background was not without clues. As his reputation rose in Changshan County, it would inevitably draw the scrutiny of every power in the region.
Rather than waiting to be exposed later and falling under suspicion, it would be better to take the initiative and confess to Wu Kuang—both demonstrating his sincerity and transforming a latent threat into a cornerstone of mutual trust.
When Wu Kuang finished listening, the many doubts in his heart were suddenly dispelled.
He finally understood why Chen Sheng showed little enthusiasm for wealth yet was so fixated on exterminating the Seven Stars Gang.
Putting himself in Chen Sheng’s shoes, if he himself had suffered such a blood feud, he would probably also spare no cost.
Thus, he felt no anger at being kept in the dark; on the contrary, he regarded Chen Sheng even more highly—this youth had endured in silence until now, planning before acting; his disposition was truly extraordinary.
However, on the surface he still put on a stern face, feigning displeasure: “Such an important matter—you should have told this official long ago! Had I known earlier there was such a cause, this official would certainly have helped you avenge your father sooner.”
“It was this subordinate’s lack of thorough thought, too many misgivings. Please forgive me, Your Excellency.”
Chen Sheng readily accepted and immediately bowed to plead guilty.
“Enough.”
Wu Kuang waved his hand, his expression easing. Lightly tapping the tabletop with his fingertips, he fell into thought. “Since there is such a cause, things will be much easier to maneuver going forward. A father’s murder is an irreconcilable enmity—no one can fault you for anything. Using this as a starting point, we might be able to make some moves…”
He well knew that the Gao family alone was not frightening; but if the three great families formed an iron plate, combining their strength to oppose the authorities, the situation would become exceptionally thorny.
The crucial point at present was to find a way to break their alliance—to divide and dissolve them, to defeat them one by one—so as to truly weaken the power of these local snakes.
The two continued their secret discussions in the study for a long time, until the night grew deep and Chen Sheng finally took his leave.
At the same time, within Changshan County City, the news of the Seven Stars Gang’s annihilation had already stirred up massive waves.
The Seven Stars Gang, which had occupied the north of the city for many years and leaned against the great tree of the Gao family, had actually been uprooted in a single day by the Northern City Martial Camp!
This news spread as though it had grown wings, swiftly reaching every corner of the county city and causing tremors among the various powers.
Chen Sheng’s name also resounded once more throughout the county alongside this clean and decisive suppression operation; the force of his momentum was momentarily unmatched.
In the Gao family mansion, however, the atmosphere was the exact opposite of the clamor outside—so oppressive it was suffocating.
Inside the council hall, the lights burned bright, yet they could not disperse the gloom permeating the air.
First, a direct-line descendant, Gao Qiheng, had been killed; now their vital arm, the Seven Stars Gang, had been exterminated. The authorities’ intention to target the Gao family was already glaringly obvious.
Although the Gao family had been the first to provoke, the authorities’ retaliation was so brutal, leaving absolutely no room for mercy, that the entire Gao family still felt waves of chill.
The family head, Gao Yuanfeng, wore a face as heavy as water.
The undisguised warning Wu Kuang had issued in the county yamen today still echoed in his ears, making him acutely feel the imminent crisis.
As the head of a clan, he bore the lives and fortunes of several hundred clansmen on his shoulders; he absolutely could not permit the Gao family foundation to be destroyed overnight.
Precisely because of this, he forcefully suppressed his rage and urgently recalled his third brother, Gao Yuanhe, who had nearly clashed with Chen Sheng, choosing to temporarily avoid the sharp edge.
The pressure from the authorities absolutely must not be borne by the Gao family alone. The Huang and Yang families had to be dragged into the water together—no one was to remain an idle bystander!
He had already sent men to invite the two family heads over for discussions.
During the wait, Gao Yuanhe’s brows were tightly locked, his mind continuously replaying the scene of his confrontation with Chen Sheng during the day. The more he thought about it, the more Chen Sheng’s brows and eye contours struck him with an inexplicable sense of familiarity; an indescribable doubt lingered in his heart.
“Third Brother, what has you so restless?”
Gao Yuanfeng noticed his younger brother’s peculiarity and asked aloud.
Gao Yuanhe exhaled a long breath of turbid air and voiced the strange feeling in his heart:
“Big Brother, I keep feeling like I’ve seen that Chen Sheng’s face somewhere before. Those brows and eyes especially—the more I look at them, the more familiar they seem…”
“Oh? Similar to whom?” Gao Yuanfeng’s curiosity was also piqued.
Gao Yuanhe closed his eyes and searched desperately through his memories. Time passed bit by bit, and after roughly a hundred breaths, he suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of keen light within them, blurting out:
“Chen Xingzhou—it’s Chen Xingzhou! Big Brother, between that brat’s brows and eyes, he looks almost exactly like Chen Xingzhou, as if carved from the same mold!”
Chen Xingzhou… Chen Sheng…
When these two names were linked together, the two brothers exchanged glances, their expressions both turning grave.
“Big Brother, do you think this Chen Sheng could be that son Chen Xingzhou kept outside back then?” Gao Yuanhe’s voice was low, carrying a trace of disbelief.
The Gao family had known even back then that Chen Xingzhou had a son secretly kept outside, but the child was hidden so deeply that even within the Seven Stars Gang few knew of him.
After eliminating Chen Xingzhou, they had instructed Ma Changhai to pull out the roots to eliminate the weeds, to be certain to find and deal with this child.
Unfortunately, that child seemed to have evaporated from the world; despite a long search, nothing was found. Later, with Yang Kaisu’s suicide, the clues were completely severed, and the matter ultimately had to be dropped.
After half a year, they had nearly forgotten this hidden danger.
“Same surname Chen, the age matches, and the appearance is so similar… it looks like it’s all but certain.”
Gao Yuanfeng’s eyes were gloomy and fierce, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the back of the chair. “No wonder this brat was so hostile to Qiheng and the Seven Stars Gang—he wanted to avenge his father’s murder! Hmph, Chen Xingzhou’s son truly has some ability. In a mere half year, he actually managed to transform into an official and dares to come back to Changshan County to stir up trouble.”
His tone gradually cooled, killing intent spreading. “However, if he thinks this is one of those tales where fortunes reverse after thirty years, and that he can put on a show of a king’s triumphant return, then he truly doesn’t take my Gao family seriously enough.”
“Big Brother, I’ll go kill him right now and eliminate future troubles!”
Gao Yuanhe suddenly rose, bristling with killing intent.
“Wait.”
Gao Yuanfeng raised his hand to stop him. “This man certainly must die, but it need not necessarily be our Gao family who acts personally. The Huang and Yang families have been watching for so long; it’s time they contributed some effort.”
Gao Yuanfeng was crystal clear in his heart: to murder a martial camp commander appointed by the court was a matter of grave consequence.
If the Gao family handled this matter entirely on their own, once it triggered a frenzied retaliation from the authorities, the Huang and Yang families would likely reap the fisherman’s benefits. He absolutely could not place the Gao family in such a perilous position.
Although Gao Yuanhe was unwilling, he also understood his elder brother’s concerns, and could only sit back down resentfully. However, the killing intent in his heart toward Chen Sheng grew even more intense.
Before long, Huang family head Huang Dongchun and Yang family head Yang Yi arrived together.
After exchanging courtesies, Gao Yuanfeng detailed the extermination of the Seven Stars Gang today and Wu Kuang’s open provocation, deliberately depicting Wu Kuang’s intentions between the lines as suppression targeting all local magnates.
As for the personal enmity between Chen Sheng and the Gao family, he glossed over it lightly.
He had to make the Huang and Yang families realize that Wu Kuang’s blade was pointed at all of them; only thus could he firmly bind them onto the same war chariot.
Sure enough, after hearing Gao Yuanfeng’s account, both Huang Dongchun’s and Yang Yi’s expressions darkened.
“It seems this County Commandant Wu is dead set on not cooperating.”
“If we don’t counterattack, I’m afraid he’ll push his luck even further. By then, we will likely have no peace.”
Gao Yuanfeng, seeing the time was ripe, smoothly continued:
“What you two say is extremely true. Killing Wu Kuang is too risky and easily provokes the prefectural city’s fury. But if we don’t give him a bone-deep lesson, he’ll truly think this Changshan County is a place where he can do as he pleases.”
“Brother Gao, what is your esteemed opinion?” Huang Dongchun turned his gaze to Gao Yuanfeng.
Gao Yuanfeng pondered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:
“Since Wu Kuang has already made his move, and blood has already been spilled, we must respond forcefully to deter the petty riffraff. That Chen Sheng under his command holds a low official rank yet is extremely trusted by him; he can be regarded as his claws and fangs.
If we can eliminate that beast, we can both cut off one of Wu Kuang’s arms and maximally demonstrate our resolve, letting him know that we are not people to be pushed around!”
“Chen Sheng is, after all, a Ninth-Rank official. Killing him, wouldn’t that…” Yang Yi showed hesitation on his face, appearing somewhat concerned.
“Without killing a chicken, how do you warn the monkeys?”
Gao Yuanhe couldn’t help but retort, “If we don’t use thunderbolt means, Wu Kuang’s next step will likely be to ride on all our heads and lord it over us!”
Yang Yi frowned slightly and did not reply.
Huang Dongchun, however, quite agreed with Gao Yuanfeng’s view: if they were going to counterattack, it had to be sufficiently brutal to achieve a deterrent effect.
Twirling his beard, he said, “Brother Gao’s words are reasonable. In the past, even county magistrates and county commandants—if they didn’t understand the rules—could be made unable to move an inch by us, let alone a mere commander?”
Seeing Huang Dongchun state his position, Gao Yuanfeng felt settled in his heart, then seemingly casually proposed:
“Brother Huang, I heard that your honorable household earlier recruited a poison expert known as the ‘Bone-Melting Hand,’ whose strength is formidable and nearly comparable to a Marrow Refinement Realm martial master. If he acts against Chen Sheng, victory would surely be within grasp, and it would ensure no slip-ups.”
Huang Dongchun’s pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this. Looking at Gao Yuanfeng with a fake smile, he said, “Brother Gao truly has a thorough knowledge of my Huang family’s affairs.”
His tone was flat, but deep in his eyes a hint of vigilance and displeasure had risen. The existence of the “Bone-Melting Hand” was a secret even within the Huang family, yet the Gao family could state it accurately. This immediately made his heart tighten with alarm.
Gao Yuanfeng smiled faintly, meaningfully. “Likewise. Changshan is only so large, and the three great families have breathed as one for many years—between each other, how many secrets can there truly be?”
Huang Dongchun was silent for a moment, then let out a cold snort:
“That Chen Sheng is merely at the Bone Forging Realm. Having the ‘Bone-Melting Hand’ act personally is a bit of overkill, isn’t it?”
“A lion pouncing on a rabbit still uses its full strength.”
Gao Yuanfeng said with a straight face: “According to my knowledge, that Chen Sheng holds a weapon suspected to be a treasured blade, exceptionally sharp. An ordinary Bone Forging Realm warrior may not be his match.
To ensure a sure strike with no loose ends, it is still better to be prudent. If because of underestimating him we let him escape, or even allow him to injure the men we send, then the loss would truly outweigh the gain.”
Huang Dongchun thought long and hard. Considering the effort the Gao family had made in this matter and their common interests, he finally nodded:
“Very well, we shall follow Brother Gao’s words. My Huang family accepts this matter.”
Now that the tone was set, the several men no longer hesitated. Immediately lowering their voices, they began to conspire over the specific time and place for the action.