Chapter 499 - 506: Poaching

Wu Rouyun’s smile vanished in an instant, her expression turning cold and ruthless.

"If you got kicked in the head by a donkey, go get it checked out. Don’t parade your stupidity around."

"You were brainless in life, and you’re the same idiot in death. Otherwise, how could the Wind and Cloud Gang have declined under your leadership?"

"You can’t even get your own house in order, yet you’re sticking your nose into other gangs’ business. You’ve really got some nerve!"

"No one from my Wolf Fang Gang has said a word. What does that foul mouth of yours do besides spew shit?"

She unleashed a full-on barrage, a torrent of insults that left the leader of the Wind and Cloud Gang red-faced and fuming. He pointed at Wu Rouyun, speechless for a long moment.

"You... you... you... Truly, women and petty men are the most difficult to handle!"

After struggling for a long time, that was the only sentence he could squeeze out.

"Look down on women? Were you born from a crack in a rock?"

Wu Rouyun sneered. "We’re all in the Netherworld, and you still think being a man makes you something special? You look like a good-for-nothing to me!"

In life, she had endured plenty of malice and condescension for being a woman. ’But now we’re in the Netherworld,’ she thought. ’Everyone can cultivate. I have no idea where he gets his sense of superiority. Especially when his strength doesn’t even come close to mine.’

"You—"

The leader of the Wind and Cloud Gang shot to his feet, so furious he looked like he wanted to personally rip Wu Rouyun’s face off.

"Let’s see how long you can keep up this arrogance. Now that you’ve offended Ghost King Valley, you can just wait for the Wolf Fang Gang to be wiped from the face of the Netherworld."

"I hope you can still be this defiant when that time comes!"

He snorted, then addressed the others standing behind Wu Rouyun. "When that day comes, the gates of our Wind and Cloud Gang will be open to you all. You’re welcome to join us anytime!"

As soon as he said this, the expressions of those around them changed. The members of the Wolf Fang Gang, in particular, looked grim.

They had been worried about this for days. But since they couldn’t sway their leader’s decision, they could only bury their concerns deep inside.

Now the leader of the Wind and Cloud Gang had brought it out into the open, and no one looked happy about it.

Wu Rouyun’s expression turned thunderous. An undisguised killing intent erupted from her and shot straight toward the leader of the Wind and Cloud Gang.

The man was trying to poach her members right in front of her. He was going too far.

Seeing that the two were about to come to blows, the other gang leaders finally stepped in to mediate. This was supposed to be a competition for the disciples; if the gang leaders themselves started a brawl, they would become a laughingstock.

A strange glint flashed in the eyes of the Qingfeng Gang leader as he suppressed a smug feeling.

’All I need to do is give a little nudge, and someone else will pop up to deal with Wu Rouyun. I don’t have to lift a finger!’

Still, the Wind and Cloud Gang’s leader wasn’t wrong. Without Elixir Pills, it would be incredibly difficult for the gang members to improve their Cultivation.

Over time, the gap between them and other gangs would naturally widen.

At that point, the Wolf Fang Gang could very well be eliminated.

With this in mind, the Qingfeng Gang leader’s gaze fell upon the disciples of the Wolf Fang Gang. He was actually starting to consider poaching them...

He wasn’t the only one; many others had the same idea.

This was a chance—a chance to strike a blow against the Wolf Fang Gang and, at the same time, increase their own power.

"Alright, alright, everyone calm down. The disciples’ competition is what’s important!"

"Yes, yes, we can talk through anything. We’ve all been friends for years; there’s no need to fight over an outsider."

Everyone chimed in to make peace, and after a while, they managed to get the leader of the Wind and Cloud Gang to sit back down.

"Hmph!"

Neither could stand the sight of the other, so they sat down more than ten meters apart.

"Nice!!"

Suddenly, a cheer erupted. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the Martial Arts Arena, where they saw someone had already won his match, having knocked his opponent clean off the platform.

The surrounding disciples burst into applause, and even members from other gangs couldn’t help but cheer along, a testament to the man’s skill.

"Wolf Fang Gang disciple, Meng Dong, is the winner!"

The announcer’s declaration of the results sparked another round of exclamations.

Meng Dong’s expression was triumphant as he leaped down from the Martial Arts Arena, looking spirited and immensely pleased with himself.

Wu Rouyun immediately broke into a smile. ’Just as I expected from the junior I have high hopes for. He ended the match so quickly!’

The other gang leaders’ expressions flickered for a moment, but they quickly composed themselves and congratulated Wu Rouyun, though the sour grapes were evident in their tone.

Wu Rouyun beamed and cupped her fists in acknowledgment, unable to stop the smile from spreading across her face.

In the following rounds, the Wolf Fang Gang’s performance was commendable, with two of their disciples making it to the finals.

The leader of the Wind and Cloud Gang was livid. Not only had just one of his members made it to the finals, but their skills were clearly inferior to the Wolf Fang Gang’s.

Having been outdone by the Wolf Fang Gang yet again, his heart filled with rage, and he began plotting his revenge against Wu Rouyun...

Soon, the first day of the competition was over. Everyone returned to their inns to rest and await the next day’s finals.

...

That evening, Wu Rouyun was in contact with Wu Yaozu. When she learned that Song Wanning hadn’t opened her door all day, a flicker of worry crossed her face.

Song Wanning possessed a reassuring quality that made people instinctively want to trust her.

’But right now, I’m truly not confident.’

This was a massive gamble. If she won, both the Wolf Fang Gang and she herself would face a completely different future.

But if she lost, the Wolf Fang Gang would be carved up and divided among the others, and would cease to exist.

"Sigh..."

Though she projected an air of extreme confidence to outsiders, in the dead of night, she couldn’t help but be plagued by worries.

However, it was one thing after another.

A knock at her door in the middle of the night startled her. It was Meng Dong.

She opened the door and let him in.

"Why aren’t you resting and preparing for tomorrow’s competition? What are you doing here?"

A bad feeling crept into Wu Rouyun’s heart. She sensed that Meng Dong’s visit was not good news.

And sure enough, Meng Dong’s next words sent a chill down her spine.

"Leader, the head of the Qingfeng Gang approached me. He wants me to join them."

His expression was aloof, and the look he gave Wu Rouyun had lost its usual respect.

He had clearly found a new backer, and the smugness in his eyes was plain to see.

Wu Rouyun’s face darkened, and her heart grew cold.

"So what’s your position on this?"

She stared coldly at Meng Dong. ’Back then, Meng Dong’s aptitude was so poor that he was rejected by several gangs. I was the one who took pity on him and accepted him into the gang. Later, he stumbled upon a fortunate opportunity that improved his aptitude, which is the only reason he has the skills he does today. And now, before he’s even competed in the finals, he’s already planning to betray us. It’s truly disheartening.’

"If you make me the vice-leader of the Wolf Fang Gang, I might consider staying."

Meng Dong’s ambition was sky-high. With only a mere Nascent Soul Cultivation, he was already scheming to become vice-leader.

The audacity of it made even Wu Rouyun laugh.

"Where do you get the nerve to make such a demand?"

Even her own brother was only promoted to vice-leader after he had achieved the necessary level of Cultivation.

’Who the hell does this guy think he is?’