SFS Chapter 11 Dark Clouds Loom Over the City
Chapter 11 Dark Clouds Loom Over the City
Thirty miles north of Qingyang City, deep in the Black Wind Ridge.
The twilight, like blood, painted over the rugged rocks and a formidable fortress built on a steep cliff.
This is the foundation of Blackwind Gate's operations over the decades—Blackwind Fortress.
The fortress wall is built of black rock and is over four zhang high. The watchtowers on the top of the wall are heavily guarded, and figures holding crossbows can be vaguely seen on guard.
At the highest point inside the fortress stands a grand hall carved from a single block of black iron rock, brightly lit yet exuding a chilling aura.
In the center of the main hall, two figures sat facing each other.
One of them wore a black robe embroidered with gold pythons, his bald head glistening with oil under the lamplight, his face sinister, his temples bulging, and his eyes looking at people with the coldness of a venomous snake. He was none other than Qiu Wanshan, the leader of the Black Wind Sect, known as "Black-Hearted Old Man".
Opposite him sat an old man with a hunched back, his body shrouded in a wide black robe. His face was obscured, with only a pair of withered, bird-claw-like hands with bluish nails visible.
Suddenly, hurried and heavy footsteps came from outside the hall. A burly man practically rushed in; it was none other than "Mountain Opener" Lei Bao.
His face was pale, his forehead was injured, and his robes were covered in dust. He had long lost the imposing manner he once had when he ruled the west of the city, and was now only filled with fear and exhaustion.
"Sect Master! Elder Snake! You two have finally returned!"
Lei Bao suddenly knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse and choked with sobs, "Qingyang City... Qingyang City has changed!"
Qiu Wanshan's eyelids twitched, and a sense of foreboding intensified in his heart. He said sternly:
"What's the panic! Speak slowly! What exactly happened?"
Lei Bao dared not hide anything and recounted the events of the past few days in a rambling manner:
The death of Liu Xiangzhu, the forced suicide of Wen Song of the Seven Killings Society, the fall of Zhu Qing and Fat Venerable in front of Jishitang, the crippling and unknown fate of Li Feng of the Blood Hand Gang... all these events point to that name—Chen Xuan.
"...Your subordinate is incompetent and failed to protect you envoys, nor could he withstand Chen Xuan's ferocious power...Now many of our hidden agents have been eliminated, and those who remain are trembling with fear."
Lei Bao kowtowed, crying out, "Sect Master, Elder Snake, Chen Xuan is clearly trying to uproot our Black Wind Sect's foundation in Qingyang City! We beg you, Sect Master, Elder Snake, to do us justice!"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Wanshan's chest heaved violently, and he suddenly crushed the armrest of the ironwood chair next to him to pieces!
"Chen Xuan! You little beast! How dare you do this!!"
The old snake, his body shrouded in black robes, leaned forward slightly, his eerie green eyes fixed on Lei Bao, and hissed:
"You just said that he crippled Li Feng, who had been practicing his internal energy cultivation for twenty years, with a single palm strike?"
"It's absolutely true! All the brothers who managed to escape saw it. Li Feng's iron hands... were shattered inch by inch!" Lei Bao said in a trembling voice.
The old snake was silent for a moment, then let out a strange "hoho" laugh:
"Interesting... Sect Leader Qiu, it seems our young friend has given us quite a surprise. Give him a few more days, and he might really be riding roughshod over us."
Qiu Wanshan's face was contorted with rage as he looked at Lei Bao:
"How many men can you still muster under your command?"
Lei Bao gritted his teeth and said, "There are still over eighty loyal and courageous brothers left! As long as the sect leader and Elder Snake are in charge, I am willing to be the vanguard, raze the Chen mansion to the ground, and tear that brat to pieces to avenge this humiliation!"
Old Snake slowly stood up, his hoarse voice unhurried:
"Sect Leader Qiu, please calm down. You and I will soon travel to the border of the prefecture to receive the 'Netherworld Guards' and the batch of 'Bone-Corroding Poison Liquid' dispatched from the main altar."
"Wasn't this precisely to deal with Chen Zhan of the Chen family and ensure everything went perfectly? It's just that I didn't expect Chen Xuan to appear, which is far beyond what I anticipated."
He paused, his voice growing even colder: "To kill someone from my Shadow Pavilion is to be an enemy of our Lord. This boy is already on the list of those destined to die. However, what our Lord desires must be obtained first."
"Sect Leader Qiu, you've been operating in Qingyang City for many years. Is that 'Jade Pendant' truly in the Chen residence? That old man Chen Zhan has kept his mouth shut for decades without revealing the slightest flaw?"
A complex emotion flashed in Qiu Wanshan's eyes as he gritted his teeth and said:
"I wouldn't say I'm 100% sure, but I'm 80% sure! Chen Xiaotian and his wife left in such a hurry back then, they probably didn't take the real thing with them."
"Chen Zhan has been living a secluded life these past few years, seemingly clinging to life, but I always felt he was protecting something. That sickly Chen Xuan's sudden surge in martial arts might be related to this thing!"
"Oh?" A green glint flashed in the old snake's eyes.
"In that case, we must hurry. Chen Xuan has fought a series of fierce battles, and last night he killed Zhu Qing and Tie Shou. Even if he has profound internal strength, he must be exhausted by now. This is the best time to eliminate him."
Qiu Wanshan's pupils contracted slightly: "Elder Snake, such a large-scale mobilization might alarm the prefectural government..."
"To alarm?" Old Snake chuckled, a chill seeming to emanate from beneath his black robe.
"By the time the prefecture receives the news, Qingyang City will have already been transformed. The lord only cares about the result, not the process."
"Sect Leader Qiu, it's time to let Qingyang City, and those restless eyes around us, see what happens when they defy us."
Qiu Wanshan's spirits lifted, and he abruptly crushed the wine cup in his hand, rising to his feet with a sinister smile on his face:
"Good! With Elder Snake personally taking action, this brat is surely dead! I'll go gather the men right away!"
On the same night, at the Chen residence.
The atmosphere was solemn, but there was no panic.
Su Yuanshan was placed in a quiet room, where Su Wan took care of him closely. Chen Xuan's internal energy kept him alive.
In the study, Chen Xuan was polishing an ordinary longsword. The sword's blade reflected the candlelight, its cold light shimmering.
Chen Zhan sat opposite him, the heavy iron sword that had been sealed away for many years now resting on his lap, being slowly caressed by his rough hands.
"According to our spies, the Black Wind Sect has been making unusual moves; they seem to have dispatched a large force heading straight for our Chen family," Zhao Fusu said in a low voice, standing to the side.
"The manor has twenty-three able-bodied servants and guards, divided into three teams, led by the old servant and two instructors, and equipped with bows, crossbows, and shields. The old items in the storeroom have also been brought out."
Chen Zhan nodded and looked at Chen Xuan: "Xuan'er, what do you think? If they come, it will be with overwhelming force."
He walked to the window and looked up at the pitch-black night sky:
"Grandpa, Uncle Zhao, this battle is extremely dangerous. Those who come will definitely not be just ordinary gang members. Your objective is to guard the gates, clear out the remaining soldiers, and protect the inner courtyard and Mr. Su and the others. As for Qiu Wanshan and that Snake Elder…"
Chen Xuan paused, his eyes remaining completely calm. "Leave it to me."
Chen Zhan watched his grandson's tall, straight back, his heart filled with mixed emotions. There was pride, worry, and a long-dormant surge of passion coursing through his chest. He slammed his iron sword against his knee:
"Alright! It's time for these old bones of mine to stretch their muscles! It's time to show them what a 'steel blade' really is!!"
...
At midnight, in Qingyang City.
The city, which usually falls asleep after curfew, is now filled with a heart-pounding unease.
The streets were deserted and all doors were tightly shut, but countless eyes peered through window cracks and door gaps, looking in fear toward the north of the city.
There, flames soared into the sky.
The dark, dense crowd, like demons emerging from hell, silently and menacingly engulfed the entire street where the Chen residence was located.
There were no fewer than a hundred people, dressed in a mixed manner. Among them were the "Black Fiend Guards" of the Black Wind Sect, who were dressed in black and had ghost heads embroidered on their chests; the "Netherworld Guards" of the Shadow Pavilion, who had numb eyes and a cold aura; and many other outlaws from other gangs in the city who had been forcibly recruited or lured there.
Armed with sharp blades and bows drawn, they surrounded the Chen residence, their torches blazing into the sky, turning the night sky a blood red.
Qiu Wanshan and Snake Elder did not stand at the front, but rather on the roof of a three-story restaurant behind them, looking down at the isolated mansion below.
The old snake remained shrouded in his black robe, seemingly blending into the shadows. Qiu Wanshan, on the other hand, had a cold and stern expression, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
The gates of the Chen residence were tightly shut, and the interior was deathly silent, as if no one was there.
"You're quite composed." Qiu Wanshan sneered, channeling his inner strength, his voice echoing through the long street:
"Chen Xuan! Come out here and face your death! You killed my disciples and slaughtered my allies. Today is the day your entire Chen family is wiped out! If you are willing to bind yourself, kneel down, and hand over everything in your manor, perhaps you can be spared a whole corpse!"
The sound echoed through the silent night sky, carrying far and wide.
"Squeak—"
The heavy, vermilion-lacquered gate slowly opened inwards.
A figure in cyan stepped across the threshold and walked out unhurriedly.
Chen Xuan was still dressed in simple cloth clothes, his face was calm, and he didn't even have a weapon in his hand.
Inside the mansion gate, Chen Zhan stood with his knife in hand. Zhao Fu and more than twenty servants and guards formed two lines, blocking the gate. They had their bows strung and their swords drawn, their breathing heavy, but none of them retreated.
Chen Xuan's gaze swept across the dark crowd, lingering for a moment on Qiu Wanshan's sinister face, then swept over the unsettling figure in black robes, finally returning to Qiu Wanshan's face, where he suddenly smiled contemptuously.
"A bunch of useless trash; no matter how many of them there are, they're still just ants."
The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out the crackling of the flames and reached everyone's ears.
"Arrogant!" Qiu Wanshan was furious upon hearing this and could no longer restrain himself. He waved his hand violently, but he was always the one who called others trash.
"Kill! Crush them! Lei Bao, lead the men to attack the gate! Black Fiend Guards, follow me and take down this scoundrel!"