Chapter 92: The Gathering of Winds and Clouds in Jianghai City

“Son, rest assured. Your father will avenge you! I will never spare that pair of wretched men and women!” Zhang Dalin gritted his teeth as he spoke, his heart seething with hatred for Ling Tian and Song Ziyue.

At the same time, guilt gnawed at him. If he had not sent Zhang Shuai to propose marriage to Song Ziyue, none of this would have happened. His son had been innocent, and Song Ziyue had been utterly merciless. Even if they had refused the union, there was no need to mutilate his boy in such a brutal way.

He did not know that after the proposal was rejected, Zhang Shuai had plotted with Xu Shaobai and Long Qi to rape Song Ziyue, which had led to this tragic end. If he had simply walked away once refused, nothing would have befallen him. Unfortunately, his alliance with those men had earned him Song Ziyue’s wrath—and, worse still, Ling Tian’s.

“Father, the doctor says… is there any hope of recovery? Can I still marry and father children?” Zhang Shuai finally forced out the question that burned in his heart, though he already suspected the answer was grim.

Zhang Dalin fell silent, his heart twisting like a dagger. He had asked the physician before his son regained consciousness, and the verdict had been merciless: the damage was beyond repair, no matter how skilled the surgeons.

“Rest well and heal, my son. Your father will go confer with Qiao Dong and Long Hun on how best to avenge you.” Zhang Dalin could not bear to witness the anguish on his boy’s face any longer. He sighed and stepped out, leaving Zhang Shuai alone and stunned on the bed.

In Xu Shaobai’s room, Qiao Dong gazed at his sworn brother with heavy sorrow. This third brother had never before endured such a crushing blow. As the eldest, he felt the weight of responsibility like a blade.

White hair streaked Xu Shaobai’s temples. His face was ashen, his eyes dull and lifeless, his soul crushed by grief.

He had always loved women, had reveled in every kind of beauty. Now Ling Tian had stolen that power from him, leaving him unable to claim women in bed. Living was harder than death itself.

“Big brother, put a bullet in me,” Xu Shaobai begged, voice hollow with despair. “I cannot bear to live like this.”

“Third brother, pull yourself together!” Qiao Dong’s tone hardened. “This vengeance is mine to exact. I will drag Song Ziyue and Ling Tian before you and let you dismember them slowly.”

“I am no longer a man,” Xu Shaobai whispered. “What is the point of breathing?”

Qiao Dong’s fury boiled over. He slapped the broken man across the face.

The sharp crack echoed. Xu Shaobai blinked, dazed. “Big brother… why did you hit me? You should have struck Song Ziyue and Ling Tian. Why me?”

“Because you said you no longer wanted to live,” Qiao Dong snapped, eyes blazing. “Do you still care about a slap on the face?”

Xu Shaobai seemed to gather himself for a moment. Qiao Dong rose and stormed out, leaving his brother lost and bewildered.

In Long Qi’s hospital room, Long Hun’s brow furrowed deeply, his face etched with concern as he held his friend’s trembling hand.

“Old seventh, you have endured so much,” he murmured.

“I am ruined, big brother,” Long Qi replied, voice thick with pain. “I hate them with every fiber of my being.”

“Cheer up. Third brother is hurrying back from Japan. He is a light-element ability user with extraordinary healing powers—there will be a way.”

Long Qi knew the words were empty comfort. His own brother had been savagely torn off; the severed stump had been cauterized shut by Ling Tian’s ruthless medicine. Even a master surgeon could not reattach what the chemical contraction had fused together.

“Big brother,” he said quietly, “this injury is beyond saving. Even if third brother returned, it would be useless. Ling Tian is too cruel. He knew we would be rushed to hospital, so he made sure we could never be repaired.”

Long Hun nodded grimly. “Still, we must wait for third brother. Rest now. I will contact the bosses of the Northeast Gang and Jin Gang. We will move together against Ling Tian.”

Long Qi’s eyes filled with terror. “Big brother, that man is no ordinary foe. He truly is a cultivator. He broke every defense we had, including the indestructible parts of me. Even a true cultivator should only harm the flesh we can see, yet he reached inside and destroyed what should have been eternal.”

Long Hun’s expression darkened. “Before you were taken, Da Hai and the others were arrested in Jianghai. Even Master Kimura was seized. The four girls were rescued by the police—thanks to Ling Tian meddling where he had no right. He saved one woman and summoned the authorities.”

“What happened after?” Long Qi asked.

“Da Hai took the full blame and was sacrificed. Master Kimura was released and returned to Japan. It is the best we can hope for.”

Long Qi spat the words with venom. “That man is far too arrogant. He enjoys interfering in affairs that do not concern him—too long for his own good.”

“Master Liu Zihao’s assistance is what saved the day,” Long Hun continued. “He arranged for light sentencing in Jianghai City, where his men hold influence. And coincidentally, Ling Tian has also crossed paths with Master Liu Zihao. They are natural enemies. The merchant has asked us to deal with him.”

Long Qi’s breathing quickened with dark resolve. “Big brother, we must be careful. But Song Ziyue… that woman is merely a tool. Ling Tian clearly cares for her. If we capture them both, I want to castrate Ling Tian slowly and then take ten strong men in front of him, until Song Ziyue is broken beyond recognition.”

He could not bring himself to act out such revenge, yet the fantasy burned in his mind.

“Rest assured, old seventh,” Long Hun said quietly. “The day will come—and soon. I will go speak with Qiao Dong and Zhang Dalin. The three gangs will strike as one. Jianghai City’s underworld will soon bear a new name.”

Before this storm had broken, Long Hun had planned to hunt Ling Tian first, then turn his gaze to Song Ziyue and absorb Jianghai’s criminal world under Black Dragon’s banner. Now the path had shifted. They would form a temporary alliance with the Northeast Gang and Jin Gang. Shared spoils were better than facing Ling Tian alone.

In Jianghai City, the air grew thick with tension. The once-distant threats of the Jin Gang, Northeast Gang, and Black Dragon Gang had finally coalesced. Negotiations were discarded; Song Ziyue and Ling Tian were marked for annihilation. Three formidable powers now marched against them, none of them easy prey.

At that moment, Song Ziyue sat in the Purple Moon Gang’s headquarters, surrounded by her loyal followers, plotting their next move. They understood the stakes: they had now earned the enmity of three powerful organizations, and blood would be spilled in rivers before this was settled.