With the Lunar New Year approaching, households across the Qingzhou territory bustled with activity, stocking up on festive goods to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Given Qingzhou’s relative prosperity, staples like cured meats and fine flour were common sights in the common homes.

Beyond the New Year celebrations, the most significant event in Qingzhou City was undoubtedly the annual Daoist Combat Assembly. This tournament held immense prestige among the local populace and took place during the first half of the New Year festival period.

Every year before the festival, many affluent and influential families from across the Qingzhou territory would make a special journey to the city to attend the Daoist combat hearings. While there, they would pay visits to the various temples and Daoist monasteries within the city, seeking blessings for the coming year. This was also when the city’s religious sites saw their most fervent influx of incense offerings, and the small and large inns within the city were almost invariably full.

Of course, with the surging crowds in Qingzhou City, an inevitable mix of good and bad elements followed. Many members of the Jianghu gangs operating in Qingzhou took the opportunity to infiltrate the city, vying for turf, which frequently led to clashes between martial sects. Fierce fighting was particularly common between the local Qingzhou gangs and those from outside the city limits. The rich pickings that were Qingzhou City were a prize fiercely contested by every ambitious gang.

However, as Qingzhou City served as the prefectural seat, it was garrisoned by fifty thousand elite troops of the provincial government. Even the most powerful gangs dared not openly challenge the authorities, so no Jianghu faction dared to escalate their turf wars too significantly. Most of the skirmishes between martial artists occurred quietly, beneath the radar.

The renowned Qinghong Inn in Qingzhou City had, at this moment, practically become the headquarters for the Northern Twenty Gangs. The hundreds of elite members of the Northern Twenty Gangs who had entered the city had all been deployed around the Qinghong Inn, surrounding it completely.

Were anyone from the martial world to witness this scene, they would be stunned to discover that nearly the majority of these men were first-rate martial artists, with over thirty being peak masters, and even four of them being peerless martial artists. Furthermore, the three leaders of the Northern Twenty Gangs were also present. Such a concentration of strength represented the full might of any single gang.

These Jianghu heroes, their backs bearing long blades and their waists adorned with precious swords, were positioned in the taverns surrounding the Qinghong Inn, or crouching against the walls bordering the small courtyard, or even lying low in the dark corners. Unfailingly, their fierce gazes were locked onto a secluded, quiet courtyard within the Qinghong Inn, missing nothing—not even a single mouse—as if the occupants held a blood feud against them.

This posture of extreme vigilance terrified many nearby commoners, who assumed a major gang war was about to erupt, leading them to barricade themselves indoors, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

Yet, the reality was quite different. These formidable martial artists of the Northern Twenty Gangs had been squatting and watching outside the small courtyard for five or six days, eagerly anticipating anyone emerging, but waiting in vain. Moreover, they dared not force their way into the courtyard.

The small courtyard at the Qinghong Inn exuded an unsettling aura. Even a peerless martial artist, upon approaching, would be gently repelled by a soft, yielding force. These top-tier masters hesitated to use their jianqi (sword energy) to forcefully break through this barrier, lest they provoke the individuals within the courtyard.

Zhang Rong, one of the three leaders of the Northern Twenty Gangs present at the scene, did not appear overly surprised by this situation. The other two leaders present were Duan Dashan and Lu Fengzhi. Duan Dashan was powerfully built, tall and rugged, his skin thick and tough, and his Twin Iron Sand Palms were exceptionally fierce—a peak master. Lu Fengzhi was slightly leaner but possessed a calm, deep-seated aura, clearly concealing his true strength.

The Northern Twenty Gangs were an alliance formed by twenty large Jianghu factions from the counties in the northern reaches of Qingzhou. Although they had formed an alliance, the individual gangs still operated under their original leaders, resulting in a collective total of twenty leaders.

These three men were merely three among them.

Even as fellow leaders, there was a clear hierarchy among the three. Zhang Rong undeniably held the highest status among the leaders for a simple reason: he was from the Zhang family of Northern Qingzhou and was the biological brother of the Grand Leader (Zong Piaobaizi).

The true decision-maker of the alliance was the Grand Leader, who stood above all the major gang leaders. Within the Northern Twenty Gangs, anyone who had seen the Grand Leader dared not disobey his commands. However, very few were qualified to meet the Grand Leader—only the leaders of the Northern Twenty Gangs and the peerless martial artists held the privilege of an audience.

“Brother Zhang, we have been guarding this place for five or six days without any sign of movement. This cannot go on forever. If the people inside refuse to come out, what should we do? Perhaps we should prioritize our main objective first?”

Duan Dashan inquired of Zhang Rong’s opinion with a hint of deference in his tone.

The Northern Twenty Gangs had dispatched this small contingent of elite core members into Qingzhou City to assess the internal situation, establish a branch headquarters, and prepare to seize territory from the local factions.

However, this plan had been entirely stalled by this unexpected incident. Ever since Zhang Rong discovered the abnormality of this small courtyard, he had immediately redirected all entering gang members here, maintaining a tight guard around the Qinghong Inn, preventing other gangs and commoners from getting near.

Duan Dashan was concerned about delaying the establishment of the branch headquarters, which prompted his question.

Lu Fengzhi also turned to Zhang Rong, seeking his counsel.

Zhang Rong was acutely aware of his own standing; without his brother’s status, Duan Dashan and Lu Fengzhi, who were also leaders, would not treat him with such courtesy.

He replied with great politeness, “Brother Duan, Brother Lu, I have already informed the Grand Leader about the situation here. He should arrive in Qingzhou City within the next few days. Once the Grand Leader comes in person, this matter will naturally be handled by him. You two should be clear: the individuals within this small courtyard are extraordinary. The Grand Leader has long instructed that if we ever encounter anyone equal to him, we must absolutely not offend them, but instead strive to win them over. This is far more important than establishing a branch office.”

Upon hearing Zhang Rong invoke the Grand Leader’s name, Duan Dashan’s face stiffened, and he dared not press the matter further. They had witnessed the Grand Leader firsthand and were fully aware of his immortal arts and divine powers. Faced with such a legendary immortal, these untamable Jianghu figures could only submit, not daring to resist in the slightest.

The Northern Twenty Gangs’ ambition to take control of Qingzhou City depended entirely on avoiding interference from immortals, lest their plans collapse at the final hurdle. Zhang Rong’s extreme caution regarding the occupants of the small courtyard was therefore entirely understandable.

Since the people in the courtyard would not emerge, and the Grand Leader had not yet arrived, they had no choice but to continue standing guard.

Any members of other gangs who dared to approach were driven away. The driven-away factions naturally felt resentful and came in groups to harass the Northern Twenty Gangs.

However, upon seeing the large contingent of peak masters and peerless martial artists of the Northern Twenty Gangs firmly established, guarding the vicinity of the Qinghong Inn, they could only glare impotently. Unless they mobilized a massive force of masters, they stood no chance of breaking through.

Even when the official yamen runners arrived, they too were held back. The runners were unwilling to easily offend these notorious, desperate outlaws of the Northern Twenty Gangs. As long as no major case erupted, the authorities could only let the situation stand.

At this moment, four inconspicuous gray-canopied horse carriages, pulled by eight pure black steeds, slowly entered Qingzhou City. The arrival of these carriages caused little stir in the city, but the members of the Northern Twenty Gangs became intensely alert.

As the carriages entered, over ten peak martial artists and four peerless martial artists accompanied them as escorts. These four carriages proceeded slowly until they stopped before the small courtyard of the Qinghong Inn. By this time, the area surrounding the courtyard had been completely cleared by the Northern Twenty Gangs; no passersby were visible.

Zhang Rong, who had been waiting anxiously, hurried to the front of the horse carriages and bowed respectfully, saying, “Elder Brother, Second Sister.”

The two leaders, Duan and Lu, stood a short distance away, bowing toward the people inside the carriages without approaching them.

Among all the leaders, only Zhang Rong possessed the privilege of speaking directly to the Grand Leader. The other dozen or so leaders were forbidden from stepping forward to speak unless summoned by the Grand Leader himself. This clearly demonstrated Zhang Rong’s superior standing over the other leaders. Yet, the other leaders could not express dissatisfaction; after all, Zhang Rong was the Grand Leader’s brother.

From inside the foremost carriage, the voice of a young man sounded: “Brother Rong, what is the situation here?”

Zhang Rong knew he was asking about the people in the small courtyard, and he quickly replied, “Elder Brother, ever since I discovered the anomaly here, I have kept my men guarding this spot. There has been no movement to date. I estimate the people inside are still there.”

The young man in the carriage hummed in acknowledgment, and the curtain was drawn aside. A young man with a dignified appearance stepped out of the carriage. He wore fine silks and white robes; although the fabric was luxurious, it appeared quite modest given his status.

Three more figures descended from the other three carriages in succession: a pure-looking woman in white robes, a large man leaning on an iron crutch, and a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar.

“Greetings to the Grand Leader, Second Leader, Third Leader, and Fourth Leader!”

Zhang Rong, Duan Dashan, Lu Fengzhi, and the other leaders and masters of the Northern Twenty Gangs immediately dropped to one knee, uttering the somewhat archaic titles with expressions of awe, daring not to look up too closely.

The leaders felt uneasy; the simultaneous appearance of the four leaders of the Northern Twenty Gangs was an uncommon occurrence. It was rare to see all four together.

The young man glanced at the small courtyard of the Qinghong Inn, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes, before frowning. He noticed a faint wall of light enveloping the entire courtyard, which spanned several acres. This was clearly a jinzhi (restriction formation).

He turned to the three figures approaching behind him. “Second Sister, Old Black, Pedant, what sort of people do you think are inside?”

The scholar walked around the perimeter of the small courtyard for a moment, fanning himself, and remarked, “Qingzhou is a necessary pass when traveling to Xian Yuan City, so anyone could appear here. However, ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would not deploy such an extensive restriction; it consumes too many spirit stones, which is wasteful. This could be a group of traveling cultivators, or perhaps a single high-level cultivator. But traveling cultivators usually don’t stay in Qingzhou City for more than a day. Why would the cultivators in this courtyard linger for five or six days? What are their intentions?”

The large man used his iron crutch to tap the light wall. The barrier was incredibly solid, and he muttered, “I’ve seen this type of restriction in Xian Yuan City. It’s a low-tier defensive formation array, costing at least one or two hundred low-grade spirit stones to purchase. Activating the array plate consumes a minimum of five low-grade spirit stones per use. They are wealthy indeed. We struggle and fight tooth and nail controlling twenty gangs here in Qingzhou, and we only net a few dozen spirit stones a month. I fear the people inside have serious backing.”

The pure-looking woman stuck out her tongue playfully upon hearing this. “Five low-grade spirit stones for a single activation? They truly have money. Could they be cultivators from a major clan?”

“Who knows. Let’s hope these traveling cultivators passing through Qingzhou do not interfere with our grand design,” the young man said with a hint of worry.