Chapter 358: The Inside Story of the Situation

As the Deputy Hall Master of the Caobang’s Sanhe Commandery hall, and for the moment its undisclosed acting Hall Master, Wangchuan had a fairly clear grasp of the situation.

He knew very well that what Qinghe Commandery urgently needed right now was not fighting or revenge, but the swift restoration of the Caobang’s shipping operations. They needed to protect the goose that laid golden eggs and let it keep laying in peace.

As long as shipping operations resumed and the hall’s income stabilized, it would only be a matter of time before they could spend heavily, recruit more men, and recover their strength.

Back when he had been stationed in Huishui Town and at the Sanjiang Branch Helm, the business he had protected with all his strength had always been the shipping trade. That was why, no matter how many losses he suffered, he always had money to recruit more men.

He had weathered Blackwind Stronghold;

He had ground the Five Poisons Sect down to half-death;

He had even worn down the Beggar Sect sub-branch until it was forced back.

That was why he truly could not make sense of the situation in Qinghe Commandery now.

With Yin Xingtian’s and Old Seven’s experience, it was impossible that they did not understand the logic behind it.

They should not still have been going head-to-head with the Beggar Sect when Qinghe Commandery was already so badly weakened.

Wangchuan rubbed his temples with a headache, unable to make sense of it no matter how much he thought.

“It seems the situation in Qinghe Commandery is even more complicated than I imagined.”

“Even two Hall Masters can’t settle Qinghe Commandery.”

“In a single day, more than fifty elites died again... I have no idea how many men Old Seven and Hall Master Yin still have left under them.”

Of course,

none of that had anything to do with him for the moment.

The hall had already dispatched two hundred men in one go...

Old Seven knew perfectly well that the Sanhe Commandery hall had no more reinforcements to spare.

All Wangchuan could do was remain silent and wait to see how events developed.

...

At the medical hall,

Wangchuan entered the rear courtyard under Divine Physician Shen’s personal reception.

Divine Physician Shen was in a good mood, wearing a sincere smile from the bottom of his heart. As he poured tea, he said to Wangchuan, “Hall Master Wangchuan, please sit.”

“This time, I truly must thank you.”

“If it hadn’t been for you, our people would certainly have suffered a calamity.”

Divine Physician Shen was clearly much more talkative today.

Wangchuan smiled and said, “The people of Medicine King Valley are tough and tight-lipped. Even after being tortured to that extent, she still refused to betray Xiumei. She put many men to shame!”

“Heh.”

Divine Physician Shen personally set the tea down before taking a seat of his own.

“The girl they captured was a young disciple of Medicine King Valley who had only just begun her journey and knew little of the world. Even this old man never imagined that a girl could be so unyielding. But if Hall Master Wangchuan had not helped us, then no matter how hard her bones were, in the end she still would have become nothing more than a handful of yellow earth. Come—allow me to offer you a toast, Hall Master.”

Wangchuan lifted his teacup, nodded in acknowledgment, and only took a small sip.

“Excellent tea.”

This visit, however, was not for the tea.

“Senior Shen, I want to ask you about the situation in Qinghe Commandery. I know Medicine King Valley has its own intelligence channels. I want to know what the situation over there really is.”

“...”

At those words, Divine Physician Shen revealed a troubled expression.

“Ordinarily, Medicine King Valley is a neutral force. We should not be drawn into Jianghu disputes between factions, nor should we favor either side. But... Hall Master Wangchuan, you have shown great kindness to Medicine King Valley. If I were to keep this to myself, it would be somewhat too cold-hearted.”

“...”

The moment Wangchuan heard that, he immediately understood that the other man definitely knew some inside details.

“Senior Shen, rest assured. What passes between us today will not be known by a third person.”

“All right, then.”

Divine Physician Shen leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and revealed,

“There is actually a Beggar Sect mole inside the Qinghe Commandery hall... On the very night Yin Xingtian was to take office, the Hall Master had already arranged for more than a dozen trusted aides to contact the dock leaders of the various subordinate gangs throughout Qinghe Commandery. They were preparing to gather men, turn the tide, and revive shipping operations! But in the end, those more than ten trusted aides... were all sunk in the Qing River!”

“...”

Shock flashed through Wangchuan’s eyes.

More than ten trusted aides!

All of them sunk into the river!

One had to understand that anyone worthy of being called one of Hall Master Yin’s trusted aides would be at least a second-rank martial artist.

Before Hall Master Yin had even taken office, he had already lost a batch of his right-hand men. That was a crushing blow.

Divine Physician Shen continued,

“If Old Seven had not personally rushed over with a large force of men this time, Yin Xingtian might already have been beheaded by the Beggar Sect.”

“...”

Wangchuan drew in a cold breath and frowned as he considered it carefully.

Having lost a batch of his trusted guards... Yin Xingtian was effectively alone, with only thin protection around him. He truly would have been in grave danger.

A single fifth-rank martial artist would have been enough to wipe Yin Xingtian out!

Divine Physician Shen clearly held quite a bit of intelligence. Watching Wangchuan’s expression grow increasingly grave, he said,

“I’ve heard that the mole within the Caobang has already been identified and executed by Yin Xingtian, but your Caobang’s disadvantage remains glaring! Without a way to reassure the halls at the various docks, it will be very difficult to get the shipping business moving again!”

“The great families and merchant houses no longer think highly of the Caobang’s strength in Qinghe Commandery. They would rather travel by land than by water, and none of them are willing to get caught up in the fighting between your two major factions.”

“Of course!”

At that point, he changed the subject.

“It is fortunate that the Five Poisons Sect was taken out. That at least lifted the Caobang’s morale somewhat! It also kept the Beggar Sect from destroying Yin Xingtian in one uninterrupted push.”

Divine Physician Shen deliberately glanced at Wangchuan.

“Unfortunately, after that, they still went head-to-head with the Beggar Sect in another battle! Although both sides took losses, the Beggar Sect only suffered light damage, and its losses were minor. Your Caobang hall, however... already did not have many men to begin with, and now one injury has been piled on top of another. Its situation is only growing more difficult.”

“Sigh.”

Wangchuan let out a sigh.

If even Divine Physician Shen could see the situation this clearly, then the Caobang’s position in Qinghe Commandery was indeed already extremely dangerous.

“What I’m worried about now is that Old Seven may get bogged down and become unable to withdraw. If that happens, he may drag the Sanhe Commandery hall into it as well and end up implicating all of Sanhe Commandery.”

By now, Wangchuan and Divine Physician Shen could be considered comrades who had gone through hardship together, so his words carried less restraint than before.

Divine Physician Shen nodded, fully agreeing.

“Sanhe Commandery is currently in a good position and is suppressing the Beggar Sect firmly. But if it gets dragged into Qinghe Commandery and starts fighting on the Beggar Sect’s own turf, your advantage will vanish completely. In the end, you will be no more than frogs slowly boiled in warm water!”

“My advice is that you inform Old Seven as soon as possible and have him withdraw at once. Let Hall Master Yin handle the mess in Qinghe Commandery himself. Let the Caobang deal with it.”

Divine Physician Shen’s suggestion made a great deal of sense.

But Wangchuan also knew that it was impossible...

Old Seven had followed Hall Master Yin for many years. There was no way he would pull out at a moment like this.

And the Caobang itself might not even have the spare strength left to support Hall Master Yin.

Divine Physician Shen looked straight into Wangchuan’s eyes and said,

“If Old Seven truly intends to help Hall Master Yin regain his footing at any cost, then the Sanhe Commandery hall will be in real danger. Hall Master Wangchuan, you must make preparations early.”

“...”

Wangchuan’s heart trembled.

He heard the meaning beneath those words.

Old Seven acted without scruple;

Hall Master Yin, too, was a man of extreme self-interest.

If they truly were willing to drag the Sanhe Commandery hall down with them at any cost...

Then the entire hall, including the Sanjiang Branch Helm, would be dragged into it.

And everyone in Sanjiang Studio would be placed in mortal danger.