Within a thousand *li* in every direction, who was not afraid of Luo Jiuhong?

Especially within Luzhou — there was no one who did not take Luo Jiuhong’s words seriously.

To have killed a local official appointed by the Ning Army, and then attempted to frame Luo Jiuhong for it — whoever did this must have had considerable backing.

Yet Luo Jiuhong could not bring himself to believe that anyone among his own brothers in the Tiger Gang’s stronghold would try to harm him.

So even if You Yuren wanted to investigate from the inside, he had no opportunity; he could not go around Luo Jiuhong.

Everyone knew that the chief had never once suspected his own people. If there was one man in the jianghu whose brotherhood and loyalty ranked first, it was Luo Jiuhong — no one else would dare claim that title.

As dusk approached, a carriage arrived outside the county yamen. It stopped, but no one stepped out.

A guard went over to inquire. A hand reached out from inside the carriage and passed him a letter.

Shortly after, a figure in a wide-brimmed bamboo hat and a heavy cloak emerged from the yamen, climbed into the carriage, and was driven away.

The carriage moved slowly down the county’s main street, then stopped in front of a tavern.

The passengers entered and were led upstairs by a young waiter — but once there, they slipped back down a rear staircase and exited through the back door, where another carriage was waiting.

They boarded quickly and, after a winding detour, returned to the yamen — through the back gate this time, entering the rear courtyard.

Once inside, led by the figure in the bamboo hat, they went into the study in the inner courtyard.

As soon as the door closed, Cao Lie removed his hat. “Please, sit.”

The other three also removed their cloaks and hats. The one at the front was none other than You Yuren.

The other two were his personal bodyguards — men of absolute trust. They had originally been chosen and assigned to You Yuren by Luo Jiuhong himself, and had followed You Yuren for more than ten years.

“Greetings, my lord.” You Yuren bowed deeply.

Cao Lie stepped forward and lifted him by the arm. “Please, no need for formalities, Sir.”

On Cao Lie’s desk sat the very letter You Yuren had sent in earlier.

In it, You Yuren had identified himself and requested a discreet meeting with whoever was in charge — stating that if they believed him, they should find a way to arrange it, while avoiding the eyes of spies.

Cao Lie poured tea himself, speaking as he filled the cups: “Sir, you are the Fourth Head of the Tiger Gang. Why, then, do you need to be this cautious?”

You Yuren replied: “The spies in this county town right now are too many to count — and completely impossible to identify.”

He looked at Cao Lie. “There are people from other jianghu factions, people from Pei Qi… and even people from our own side.”

He paused, then continued: “No matter which faction’s spy spotted me coming to see you, it would mean trouble.”

From those words alone, Cao Lie could already sense that the situation in Luzhou was deeply complicated.

“Pei Qi’s people?” Cao Lie decided to focus on what mattered most.

“Pei Qi is already besieged in Mei City and cannot get out — what could his people possibly accomplish here?” Cao Lie smiled. “Our lord’s army has Mei City surrounded. Pei Qi won’t be able to hold out much longer.”

You Yuren said: “Pei Qi may not be able to leave, but less than three hundred *li* from here, Grand General Tantai Yajing is locked in a fierce battle with Pei Qi’s forces.”

Cao Lie, sharp as he was, understood immediately.

Tantai Yajing’s army had hit its first real obstacle since advancing into the southwest. Pei Qi’s brother-in-law, Yan Yusheng, was defending the key southwestern stronghold of Chongfu in Shu Province with over a hundred thousand troops. A highly capable commander, Yan Yusheng had held his ground for over ten days against Tantai Yajing’s relentless assault, with no significant breakthrough in sight.

This made the Horse Gang suddenly far more valuable.

If Yan Yusheng could win the Horse Gang over, he could launch a surprise counterattack from the Ning Army’s rear — potentially routing them. And to achieve this, Yan Yusheng would naturally send envoys, sparing no effort to persuade Tiger Gang’s chief, Luo Jiuhong.

Cao Lie asked: “Are you saying that Yan Yusheng’s men are in this county town right now, and that it was very likely *they* who murdered our officials in secret — with the intention of provoking a conflict between the Tiger Gang and the Ning Army?”

You Yuren replied: “My lord, I cannot confirm it was Yan Yusheng’s men who killed the yamen’s officials. But I am certain it is connected to Yan Yusheng.”

He sighed softly. “The Horse Gang is far too complicated.”

Throughout all of Shu Province, there were over a thousand Horse Gang factions — large and small. The smallest had only a handful of members; the largest over eight thousand.

All of these groups nominally answered to Chief Luo Jiuhong. But when they weren’t dealing with outside threats, the internal conflicts within the Horse Gang were severe, with constant feuds.

Their unity against outside threats was legendary, but so too was the depth of their internal strife. Most common people had only heard rumours of it — the finer details were unknown to them.

With so many factions under one banner, cliques and factions inevitably formed within the Gang.

The second most powerful faction, for instance, was known as the Wolf Gang, led by a chief who ranked just below Luo Jiuhong in status. Numerous smaller factions clustered around the Wolf Gang, their interests closely intertwined.

On the surface, Chief Luo Jiuhong had the final word. But in practice, Horse Gang factions frequently came to blows over business disputes. Luo Jiuhong could issue commands in times of unified external conflict, but he could not interfere in the independent operations of individual factions.

The Wolf Gang’s leader was Sun Zuoyi, whose base was in Dongxi County, two hundred *li* away.

As it happened, the Ning Army under Tantai Yajing was stationed just fifty or sixty *li* southwest of Dongxi County, locked in a standoff with Yan Yusheng’s Shu Province forces.

Thinking of this, a wave of unease rose in Cao Lie’s heart.

Sun Zuoyi only had around five thousand Wolf Gang men. Given the Wolf Gang’s strength, he would never dare launch a direct assault on Tantai Yajing’s army.

Unless he had lost his mind, he understood perfectly well: if Tantai Yajing’s hundred thousand troops couldn’t break through Shu Province’s defenses, what hope did his mere five thousand men have of surviving?

But if the Wolf Gang somehow managed to bring the entire Horse Gang to Yan Yusheng’s side — to harass Tantai Yajing from the rear — the Ning Army would find itself caught between two enemies.

The Ning Army was formidable in battle, but the Horse Gang knew this terrain too well. They understood better than anyone how to fight in this land.

And if the Horse Gang truly made its move, every jianghu and outlaw faction across southwestern Shu Province would follow.

Cao Lie furrowed his brow in thought.

Based on the signs so far, and analyzing who stood to gain the most — Sun Zuoyi of the Wolf Gang was indeed the most likely suspect.

He sends men to provoke a conflict between the Tiger Gang and the Ning Army, then steps in to persuade Luo Jiuhong. Once the Gang’s number one and number two united, the situation would be decided.

With that thought, Cao Lie turned back to You Yuren: “If they want to drive a wedge between the Tiger Gang and my Ning Army, they’ll strike again.”

You Yuren said: “That is precisely why I came to see you, my lord.”

Cao Lie’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You mean their next target is me?”

You Yuren replied: “My lord, you are the Imperial Envoy. When the yamen officials were killed earlier, there was no evidence to justify the Ning Army moving against the Horse Gang.”

“But if someone of my lord’s standing were to be assassinated here — with solid proof — the Ning King, acting as he always does, would personally lead an army here.”

You Yuren looked at Cao Lie. “And before the Ning King’s army arrives, the Horse Gang would have no choice but to side with Yan Yusheng.”

Cao Lie nodded.

So it was a chain scheme.

Killing the county officials was merely bait — to lure someone more important. Then killing *that* person would enrage the Ning King beyond all reason.

“Sir,” Cao Lie said, looking at You Yuren, “do you know whether anyone within the Tiger Gang stronghold has sympathies toward Yan Yusheng?”

You Yuren nodded. “There is.”

“Do you know who?”

You Yuren was silent for a moment. “It’s me.”

Cao Lie was genuinely taken aback.

You Yuren sighed softly. “Until recently, I was indeed more inclined toward an alliance with the Shu Province Army, because… after all… the Ning Army are outsiders.”

He met Cao Lie’s eyes. “Moreover, the world says the Ning King has always been ruthlessly cold — he does not allow monopolies to persist.”

Cao Lie nodded.

From this angle, the Horse Gang did have reason to prefer a Shu Province victory.

If the Ning Army won, their future was unclear. If the Shu Province forces won, at least they could continue living as they always had — unchanged.

You Yuren continued: “We had heard that in lands conquered by the Ning King, factions like ours… would mostly be disbanded, or taken over.”

He exhaled slowly. “The Horse Gang has been free for too long. Not just in the next ten years — not even in the next hundred years would the local government yamen have dared to meddle too deeply in our affairs.”

Cao Lie said: “Why did you assume the Ning King would not allow the Horse Gang to continue as it is?”

You Yuren replied: “We’ve heard quite a few things about the Ning King. For instance… the greatest clan in Yuzhou was the Cao Clan. The Cao Clan monopolized both land and river trade in Yuzhou. Once the Ning King arrived in Yuzhou, most of the Cao Clan’s businesses were confiscated…”

He glanced at Cao Lie. “And we heard that the Cao Clan’s people were sent to some mountain… to raise pigs.”

Cao Lie sighed. “Do you know who I am?”

You Yuren looked at him. Cao Lie smiled. “I am exactly who you’ve heard about — the Cao Clan member who, by all accounts, should be up in Qipan Mountain raising pigs. My name is Cao Lie. I am the current head of the Cao Clan.”

You Yuren was genuinely stunned.

Not that it was his fault — for if someone in Shu Province wanted to learn about the Ning King, where would they even go? It was all word of mouth spread by Pei Qi’s people, and Pei Qi would naturally paint nothing but the worst picture.

Things like: *The Ning King shows no mercy to the great clans — all are to be killed without exception.* Or: *Those who dare grow their business too large are also put to death.* Or: *Common people who fall into the hands of the Ning Army are all conscripted for land reclamation — one batch dies, another is seized.* Such rumors had long since spread throughout Shu Province.

It finally dawned on Cao Lie why the local people had been so terrified of the Ning Army when they first arrived.

Pei Qi had smeared the Ning King and the Ning Army with every means at his disposal.

Cao Lie looked at You Yuren. “You said earlier that their next target is me — does that mean you actually know something about their plans?”

You Yuren shook his head. “I don’t know the details. But I am certain they will try to kill you.”

Cao Lie paced back and forth around the room. After a long while, he turned to You Yuren: “Just killing me — is that enough?”

You Yuren didn’t understand the question at first. He thought about it carefully, and then his eyes suddenly went wide.

Cao Lie walked up to You Yuren and spoke word by word: “Killing me alone is far from sufficient. It would only ignite the Ning King’s fury.”

You Yuren nodded, his voice heavy: “Only by killing the chief… only then could they take control of the Horse Gang…”

Cao Lie said: “If I die, the Ning King will be furious. Then if Chief Luo dies, the entire Horse Gang will be furious.”

You Yuren clasped his hands in salute. “My lord, forgive me — I must take my leave now.”

Cao Lie replied: “Of course. If anything comes up, Sir, you may come at any time.”

You Yuren hurried back to see Luo Jiuhong. He had not fully thought this through before, and now he needed to explain it to Luo Jiuhong as quickly as possible.

The next morning.

You Yuren was dead.

Found in the county town, right on the main street — hanged.

Beside the body hung a plaque that read:

*In revenge for the General.*

—