Volcanic Age

The Blue House's Head Madam asked in confusion.

"Information about Xia Wu Sect…?"

"To put it bluntly, I am looking for someone who can help me. Meeting the Xia Wu Sect Master would be even better."

"Hmm."

A look of concern crossed the Madam's face. After a brief silence, she spoke again.

"Direct contact with the Sect Master is difficult, but I do know someone who might be able to help."

"Good. Then, please connect me to them."

"However, I can't just let you meet them. At the very least, they'll need a very compelling reason…"

Zhou Xuchuan nodded once at the Blue House's Head Madam's words.

Zhou Xuchuan told the lie he had prepared in advance.

"Actually, I was an assassin from the Valley of Phantoms."

"What?!"

The Madam's eyes widened in shock, and she drew a sharp breath.

A member of the most secretive organization in the murim!

While it was surprising, what weighed more heavily on her mind were the rumors. Everyone who saw them ended up dead.

The Blue House's Head Madam's face turned unusually pale, her eyes filled with fear.

"Don't be so scared. After all, I was a 'recruit.'"

Zhou Xuchuan's lies flowed as smoothly as water.

"I was originally a Phantom, but I accidentally killed my instructor and was forced to flee. The emotions and rage that built up from the harsh training overflowed back then. I need the power of Xia Wu Sect Master to hide from them."

"??!"

The Blue House's Head Madam's mind was spinning. She studied Zhou Xuchuan's face, but while his expression was difficult to read, it didn't seem like he was lying.

More than anything, his past achievements gave strength to the lie.

The Silent Messenger!

When she thought about the rumored actions of the Phantoms and how the Silent Messenger worked, they were eerily similar.

After all, didn't the Silent Messenger kill without leaving a sound or trace, just like a Phantom?

The Blue House's Head Madam looked at the Silent Messenger with a fearful gaze before nodding. She promised to relay his message.

After waiting for half a day, the Blue House's Head Madam brought a man to see him.

He appeared to be in his early thirties, his fierce eyes and the savage qi flowing within him were very impressive.

"Are you the Silent Messenger I've only heard about in rumors? It's an honor to meet you. I'm Jiang Nengchu."

"The Tough Bastard."

Zhou Xuchuan just stated the man's title instead of greeting him.

"Do you know me?"

"I work at the Blue House. How could I not?"

Both the Blue House and the Red House had people who supported them, and Jiang Nengchu was one of them. There was no way that Zhou Xuchuan wouldn't recognize him.

While the Tough Bastard's title might not make waves across the gangho, within Zhengzhou at least, his name was somewhat well-known.

"I heard about your situation from the Blue House's Head Madam."

Jiang Nengchu's eyes were cautious, but he showed no sign of fear.

"Let me get straight to the point. The Xia Wu Sect Master is not a very trustworthy person."

Zhou Xuchuan remained silent as Jiang Nengchu continued.

"Instead of protecting you, the Xia Wu Sect Master is someone who would contact the Valley of Phantoms and hand you over for profit."

"..."

"Of course, I know how unreliable the words of a complete stranger, especially someone from the Black Hand, are."

"What's your reason for telling me that?"

"There are two reasons," Jiang Nengchu replied, holding up two fingers.

"First, I need the power of a Phantom."

Obtaining the power of a Phantom was an extremely attractive offer to anyone, not just Jiang Nengchu.

Even if the Silent Messenger wasn't a real Phantom, he was still just as desirable. What was important was the power he possessed.

"Two, the Sect Master of the Xia Wu Sect will soon change!"

Jiang Nengchu's voice and gaze were filled with strength. It wasn't just confidence, it was more like absolute certainty.

When Zhou Xuchuan looked into those eyes, it felt like staring into an abyss. No, it was too vague to call it an abyss.

His fierce expression revealed a deep desire, firmly rooted in his mind.

It was so obvious.

Dirty, yet also seemingly innocent, like a child.

He's good enough!

While Zhou Xuchuan didn't show it, he was cackling inwardly.

He already knew the identity of the Xia Wu Sect Master and had a rough idea of their usual whereabouts. He even knew a little about the Sect Master's subordinates.

However, most of his intel was limited to the fact that the Xia Wu Sect Master often visited and roamed around Zhengzhou—he couldn't narrow it down to any specific locations within the city.

However, if he hastily attacked the Zhengzhou branch of the Xia Wu Sect just to weaken the power of the Dark Heavens Association's Vast Gate Division, there was a high possibility that the Xia Wu Sect Master would flee and hide.

If that happened, it would become nearly impossible to root the Sect Master out.

Zhou Xuchuan had to be careful not to spook the Xia Wu Sect and create a situation where its leader had no choice but to come forward if he wanted to succeed.

Internal strife. The Xia Wu Sect Master's position isn't absolute, so I have to use those who covet that power.

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes flashed eerily for a moment.

Since the intelligence of the Vast Gate Division is essentially the Xia Wu Sect's intelligence, as long as I shake the foundation of the Xia Wu Sect itself and force the Sect into a standstill, Vast Gate won't be able to hide or run, either. Most importantly, as long as it's not a stranger and one of their own who causes the commotion, they won't suspect me.

That was why he had changed his appearance and infiltrated the Xia Wu Sect, even calling himself the Silent Messenger while helping the Blue House.

"Are you really planning to use me?"

Zhou Xuchuan deliberately lowered his voice.

He sensed a presence behind Jiang Nengchu but chose to ignore it. Clearly, Jiang Nengchu had prepared a backup plan in case of an emergency. As expected of the Xia Wu Sect, though the quality of the backup plan left much to be desired.

"Isn't that what the murim is all about? Developing relationships where you use and are used for each other's benefit? Cooperation or loyalty or whatever, all of that shit is nothing more than empty talk!"

Considering his strength and ambition, why did I never hear his name in my previous life?

The Tough Bastard, Jiang Nengchu. This was the first time Zhou Xuchuan had heard that name in this life.

Seeing him in person, Zhou Xuchaun realized he was a bigger person than he had thought. Jiang Nengchu was confident and had high spirits, and he didn't even bow down to the strong.

Finding someone like him in the Black Hand was rare.

No wonder he wasn't famous. If he had harbored such hostility toward Vast Gate, the Xia Wu Sect Master, he wouldn't have survived.

In the original timeline, he most likely challenged for the Sect Master position. The result, of course, was obvious.

Gulp!

The Blue House's Head Madam, who was waiting far behind, swallowed nervously. Her face was tense and covered in cold sweat.

If Silent Messenger had refused, the Blue House, who shared the fate of Jiang Nengchu, would also be making the greatest enemy. The thought of becoming the Silent Messenger's enemy was terrifying.

Fortunately, the Blue House's Head Madam's fears were short-lived.

"I accept."

Whew!

The Blue House's Head Madam let out a sigh of relief.

On the other hand, Jiang Nengchu narrowed his eyes, his face contorting as if he hadn't expected Zhou Xuchuan to agree so readily.

"Are you doubting me after you yourself convinced me?"

"Well, things don't come so easily in the murim, no, the world."

Zhou Xuchuan snickered and got up from his seat.

"If I had to give a reason, it's because you're at least more trustworthy than someone I've never met."

"Are you saying you trust me just because of that? Have you ever considered that I might be lying, trying to make it seem like the Xia Wu Sect Master isn't trustworthy?"

"Trust you? What a strange thing to say. I haven't been with the Xia Wu Sect for long, but I know the rules of the nightlife very well. No one is trustworthy."

A child, claiming to be an inn's attendant, would offer to guide someone, but in reality, he was just a beggar who only knew the way.

Most people who screamed in dark alleys were always bait.

Don't trust anyone!

It was an old saying in the Black Hand.

***

A crescent moon rose in the night sky, though most of it was hidden by clouds, leaving the rest obscured in darkness.

While the night seemed unusually dark, the true terror came from the occasional screams that pierced the silence.

Jiang Nengchu led around a hundred Xia Wu Sect members to attack the rear of the Red House.

"Agk!!"

"Aghhh!"

All of Zhengzhou watched the bloody battle unfold while keeping an eye on the situation. Everyone was on high alert and cautious, not wanting to get caught up in it for nothing.

Still, the city wasn't afraid. While an all-out war of this scale was certainly uncommon, it still happened occasionally enough.

"It's the Silent Messenger!"

"Jiang Nengchu has recruited the Silent Messenger!"

"Run away! There's no hope for the Red House!"

Loyalty meant nothing to the Xia Wu Sect.

Even if they had become sword brothers the day before, they would abandon you without hesitation today. It wasn't called the Black Hand for nothing.

The Red House's forces, which were already noticeably weakened, were unable to resist the attack and eventually collapsed.

Their fate had been sealed the moment they lost their experts, the Head Splitting Ax and the Singing Hacker.

"From now on, the Red House will be under the control of me, Jiang Nengchu."

"P-please, spare our lives!"

Now, the Blue and Red Houses were under Jiang Nengchu's command.

Since they both had considerable influence in the red light district of Zhongzhou, Jiang Nengchu's force's profits and military power doubled.

This commotion reached the ears of the Xia Wu Sect Master.

"Jiang Nengchu, Jiang Nengchu…" the Xia Wu Sect Master muttered in the darkness. There was a hint of annoyance in the Sect Master's voice.

The Tough Bastard, Jiang Nengchu.

Information about the upstart came to mind and unfolded, extensive in both depth and reach.

Jiang Nengchu had been a pretty average child in Zhengzhou from birth, an orphan commonly seen on the streets of the red light district.

He had been abandoned under a bridge when he was young and grew up not knowing the names of his parents.

Like many others, he had begged to survive as a child, relying on pity. He was fortunate enough to learn martial arts from a martial artist, though he wasn't taught any impressive techniques.

No, the truly impressive one was Jiang Nengchu himself.

He trained relentlessly for the sake of survival.

While he had some talent, what was even greater was his tenacity.

Sometimes, when he couldn't comprehend something, he would follow the martial artist persistently, learning what he could while loitering around the brothel.

While the martial artist vented his anger and beat him viciously under the pretext of training, Jiang Nengchu never succumbed to it. There had been more than a few times when he was close to death, but it was precisely those hardships that had brought him to this point.

"He's not important enough for me to worry about yet."

The red light district of Zhengzhou was the most dangerous place in the world. A force could disappear overnight, only to be replaced by another.

This kind of thing happened a lot. Although it wasn't common, many invited experts from the outside world to expand their sphere of influence.

While the Silent Messenger had caught the Xia Wu Sect Master's eye, it wasn't enough to move Vast Gate, who was busy with the affairs of the Dark Heavens Association.

Within Zhengzhou's Xia Wu Sect, there were many other famous forces other than the Blue and Red Houses. Among them, there were many who had pledged loyalty to the Xia Wu Sect Master and had become Vast Gate's servants.

They were the targets to aim for in the future.

"I'll tell you what's going to happen from this point on."

In front of Jiang Nengchu were his childhood comrades and Xia Wu Sect members who had recently joined him after receiving a promise of protection. They were a little over a hundred. They waited for his next words with solemn expressions, thinking, "It's finally here."

"We swallowed up the Red House not too long ago, but I'm not satisfied with just that. Don't you all know how dangerous and greedy the red light district of Zhengzhou is? There are many who won't leave us, who've grown so quickly, alone. If we don't want to be defeated by them, we have to strike first.

Gulp!

"Does that mean it's an all-out war, Hyungnim?"

"Yes. Not only that, but we'll also bring the entirety of Zhengzhou under our control."

His subordinates murmured, but that was only for a moment.

They all nodded as if they had expected it.

"The Arsenic Pig, the Viper Sword, the Murderous Harlot!"

Jiang Nengchu's subordinates flinched when they heard the three names. Most of them looked terrified.

It was understandable, given that these three were powerful figures, famous not just in Zhengzhou but throughout the entire Xia Wu Sect.

Each of them had created their own forces, and their size and strength were enormous. They were also extremely vicious, and countless people had either been used or killed by them.

"Don't be so afraid! We have the Silent Messenger!"

"The Silent Messenger!"

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The faces that had been hidden in shadows brightened.

The name Silent Messenger was the very definition of fear in Zhengzhou, and the rumor that he was an ally boosted their morale.