Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 218: Chapter 218. Secret Backer

In Swirly Street District, the Street Aristocrats and the Sewer Snakes were still duking it out. Many were wounded or had fallen. Their comrades didn’t have the time to deal with those who were wounded. They were occupied with fierce battle.

Lu Zu and Dao Se were still embroiled in their duel. The entire second floor of the restaurant they were fighting in was in ruins. Some pillars supporting the upper floor were broken. The floor above was shaking. If they broke more pillars, the floor above would collapse on them.

Their duel had gone on for more than an hour. Neither managed to gain the upper hand in the fight. Lu Zu might have higher cultivation compared to Dao Se, but Dao Se had an elemental advantage. Dao Se had B-level water affinity, while Lu Zu had B-level fire affinity. Their arcane arts mostly followed their affinities. Water trumped fire. Hence, Lu Zu couldn’t win over Dao Se whenever their arcane arts clashed.

As they battled, someone suddenly barged in. This person carried a long iron staff. This staff split into countless images when he swung it in Dao Se’s direction. Dao Se sensed the incoming attack and moved away. The image of the multiple staffs crashed onto the wooden floor. The floor crumbled and created a hole.

”What is this, Brother Lu Zu? Do you admit that you can’t beat me alone and need help from your people?” Dao Se asked.

”Why do you interfere, Fan Bo?” Lu Zu asked the person with the iron staff.

”Sorry, boss, but I need to let you know something is happening to our base,” Fan Bo answered.

”What do you mean?”

”I thought I heard an explosion from the direction of our base. When I looked over, I saw smoke in that direction.”

Lu Zu didn’t enquire further. He ran to the balcony, which was now in ruin. He looked in the direction of his base. It was indeed as Fan Bo said.

He turned to Dao Se and hissed, ”Bastard! How dare you use such a cheap trick? You sent me a letter of challenge to come here but attack my base instead?”

Dao Se was about to scold Lu Zu back but then he remembered Amon’s words. He didn’t like getting accused of using a cheap trick, but denying was useless at this point. Might as well own up even if it was not his deed.

”Haha. You have only yourself to blame for being so gullible,” Dao Se laughed.

”You...!” Lu Zu wanted very much to tear Dao Se apart. But from their duel just now, he knew it was not an easy thing to do.

”Boss... Should we continue the fight?” Fan Bo asked.

”Retreat!” Lu Zu called. The Swirly Street District might be important, but their base was more precious.

The order was given. The Street Aristocrats started pulling back.

The Sewer Snakes gave chase until the edge of the district but did not pursue further. They fought fiercely, but in terms of number, they were indeed lacking. If the fight continued, it was them who needed to retreat sooner or later. Hence, when the enemies retreated, they heaved a big sigh of relief.

Dao Se went up to the roof and watched the enemies retreat from there. Gao Lan joined him up there.

She glanced at Dao Se before asking, ”Are you okay, boss? You have blood leaking from the corner of your mouth.”

Dao Se wiped his mouth. He observed the blood on his hand before clenching that hand into a fist. It seemed he was still nowhere near defeating Lu Zu. He might need to improve to the Intermediate Mystic Stage before that could happen.

”How are our men?” Dao Se asked Gao Lan.

”A lot are wounded. Some died. I say we are lucky they pulled back. Otherwise, it is us who must do so.”

”Bring the wounded to the healers. Give everyone compensation. Take care of the bodies. They need to be gone before morning, or the authorities will use this as an excuse to cause trouble.”

Gao Lan nodded. He went down and issued the order.

Dao Se returned his attention to the smoke in the distance. He wondered what Amon had done over there.

*

Amon returned to the academy and carried out his usual activities. He attended lectures, trained, and visited the Specialization buildings to practice engraving. All the while, the shitstorm in the city was getting worse.

Lu Zu managed to arrive at his base before the whole building burned to the ground. He successfully stopped the fire. Even so, the building was heavily damaged. The worst thing was Yan Ning’s death. Yan Ning might not love her husband, but Lu Zu genuinely loved her.

Her death threw him into another fit of rage. On the same night, he brought his men, already tired from the earlier battle, charging to the Sewer Snakes’ base. A second battle ensued, one that was even fiercer. Unfortunately, the agreement for their battle was only in the Swirly Street District. The authorities couldn’t turn their eyes away from this one. Furthermore, many civilians were killed in this clash since they were not evacuated.

The high-level cultivators from the kingdom had to use force to stop the fight. Lu Zu was as if mad. He even attacked the kingdom’s official who got in his way. He ended up subdued and brought to jail. Only after a few days of cooling down, he was released thanks to Yan clan’s influence.

The Yan clan didn’t stay idle. Yan Ning was their member. Killing her meant offending them. The Yan clan used their influence to pressure the Sewer Snakes. They demanded the authorities disband and punish this underworld organization. Fortunately, there was no evidence linking Yan Ning’s murder to the Sewer Snakes. Otherwise, the Yan clan would have gone there themselves and eliminated Dao Se and his members.

Because of all this pressure, Dao Se arranged a meeting with Amon. They met in a restaurant operating inside his territory. The entire restaurant was booked, so they were alone. No one could eavesdrop on their conversation. Only Dao Se, Gao Lan, and Amon were inside the building.

In the meeting, Dao Se berated Amon for a long time. Amon simply listened to the scolding while calmly sipping his tea.

After venting all his frustrations, Dao Se asked Amon, ”What do you have to say to this, kid? I require compensation! Otherwise, I won’t be satisfied.”

”Don’t be ridiculous,” Amon replied. ”Are you saying the fortune you get from selling the Thousand Dream Powder is not compensation enough? You have already asked for triple the weekly quota I first offered. The profit you amassed from selling my powder could already rival half of what you get from your underground arena.”

”How do you know about our underground arena’s profit?” Gao Lan asked.

Amon didn’t answer Gao Lan. He said, ”Also, don’t act like you are burdened by the situation. I know your organization has grown. Lu Zu has been acting like a lunatic ever since the incident. Many members of the Street Aristocrats no longer see him fit to lead. Yet, they don’t dare to challenge his leadership. Many end up defecting to the Alley Advocates or you. It should be easier for you to target the Silk Street District.”

”You still dare to mention the Silk Street District? After the incident, the kingdom had put pressure on the governor. They don’t want to see another big fight that causes civilian’s lives. We can’t make a move to take over new districts.”

”Things will cool down sooner or later. You can see this as an opportunity to strengthen yourself while you wait.”

”You just have to debate everything, do you? What about the Yan clan? They are not letting me go. They keep looking for trouble with my people. They also pressure city officials to give me trouble.”

”Then ask for help from your backer. Yours should have more power to call those officials to back off.”

Amon’s words caused Dao Se and Gao Lan to look at one another.

”I know you are backed by the kingdom, or at least a power within the kingdom,” Amon added.

Dao Se and Gao Lan tried to hide their surprise, but Amon could detect the subtle change in their expressions.

”I don’t understand what you said,” Dao Se denied.

”Don’t play dumb,” Amon said. ”There is no way one with mediocre backing to get permission to run an underground arena. Even the Alley Advocates relocate their black market regularly to avoid getting found out by the authorities, but the venue of your underground arena never changes. You even run that facility in the open. If you don’t have someone high in the kingdom approving it, no way you can keep it running.”

When the two didn’t say anything, Amon added, ”My guess is, the kingdom grew restless with the Alley Advocates and the Street Aristocrats who had grown powerful in this city. They need another group in the underworld they can control. A group that can keep the underworld in check.”