Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

He quickly spread the news that a mysterious seller in Nanjiang was holding tens of thousands of boxes of top-grade Opium Paste and was suspected of being connected to the Seven Kills Association.

The physical descriptions of Peng Anmin and Gossip, along with the general area of their activities, were all leaked.

In an instant, Peng Anmin and Gossip were thrust into the eye of the storm.

The first to lose their patience and make a move were the Hai Jiao Bang and the Saltwater Bang.

These two gangs controlled the docks, waterways, illicit salt trade, and numerous other criminal enterprises.

At first, they paid a deceptively polite visit, proposing a partnership or a trial purchase to test the waters.

After Peng Anmin and Gossip refused them, stating they only dealt in bulk and not retail, the gangs immediately dropped their facade, bared their fangs, and resorted to robbery.

The San Yi Gang, hastily formed by Peng Anmin from the remnants of the Xinyi, Sanhe, and Chaotian gangs, had an intimidating name but was all bark and no bite.

The elite core of the three former gangs had been decimated by Chen Li’s Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl, leaving behind little more than a disorganized mob.

Facing the fierce onslaught of the Hai Jiao Bang and Saltwater Bang, they crumbled almost instantly.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Seven Kills Association intervened.

At the time, while the Seven Kills Association lacked Grandmaster experts, it still had a considerable core force of cultivators at the Spirit Realm.

The moment they entered the fray, they suppressed the aggressive Hai Jiao and Saltwater gangs, stabilizing the front.

However, this brief advantage did not last long.

Feng Suiyun soon noticed something was amiss.

The number of Spirit Realm experts emerging from the enemy ranks far exceeded the strength the Hai Jiao and Saltwater gangs should have possessed. Moreover, many of them used bizarre, vicious techniques and possessed cold, unorthodox auras—nothing like the methods of ordinary Water Bandits.

Feng Suiyun launched a nighttime raid, captured two of their leaders, and interrogated them harshly.

The confession they extracted sent a chill down the spines of Feng Suiyun and his three companions.

Behind the Hai Jiao Bang and the Saltwater Bang was the clandestine support of the Sect.

They immediately realized that the nature of the situation had completely changed. It was now entirely beyond their control; with their current strength, they had no chance of victory against the Sect.

The four made a swift decision: they would no longer get entangled. They would abandon Nanjiang, split up, and retreat.

But their reaction was a step too slow.

Before they could complete their evacuation, the Hai Jiao Bang and Saltwater Bang—personally commanded and led by the Sect’s experts—launched a thunderous all-out assault on the Seven Kills Association.

Caught completely off guard, the Seven Kills Association suffered devastating casualties and was nearly wiped out in a single battle.

Luckily, Feng Suiyun and his three companions had seen the danger early and made their escape beforehand.

However, the crisis clung to them like a festering wound, impossible to shake off.

Their path of escape was fraught with peril.

What shocked them even more was that, in addition to the Sect, even the Celestial Sword Sect and the Su Family, one of the Jiangzhou Noble Families, seemed to appear out of nowhere to join the chase.

In the end, it was only because Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin desperately held back the enemy’s Grandmaster that Peng Anmin was able to escape with Gossip, eventually finding refuge here in Thunder Shock County.

Years ago, in Thunder Shock County Town, Peng Anmin had by chance saved the life of a local gambling den owner.

Though the man was from the lowest rungs of society, he was a man of his word. Without hesitation, he hid them in his dilapidated fish tackle shop.

Only then did the two of them finally have a chance to catch their breath.

As for Feng Suiyun and Hua Wuxin, who stayed behind to cover the retreat, they had agreed to rendezvous here. But to this day, there has been no word from them; their fate is unknown.

Hearing this thrilling tale of their ordeal, Bai San was left speechless. He scratched his head, unable to contain his confusion, and interjected, "Old Bao, you guys were chased all over the mountains like scared rabbits."

"So after escaping to Thunder Shock County, why didn’t you immediately try to get back to Master Chen to report and ask for help? Even if you were too scared to show your faces, you could’ve found a reliable person to deliver a message, right? Did you just sit here and wait?"

Hearing Bai San’s question, Chen Li’s gaze also fell upon Gossip, his unspoken question clear.

A bitter smile, uglier than a grimace, appeared on Gossip’s face. "You think I didn’t want to? When we first arrived in Thunder Shock County, we were like startled birds for the first few days, too scared to even step out the door. We handled all our business—eating, sleeping, everything—right here in this broken-down tackle shop. It was only after a week or so, when things seemed to have calmed down, that I dared venture toward Jiangkou County to send a message back."

He continued, a tremor of fear still in his voice, "But who could have known? I had just slipped into Jiangkou County Town, and before I could find anyone, I saw our Chen Family’s silk shop being ransacked. I nearly jumped out of my skin, thinking our identities had been exposed. How could I possibly look for someone to deliver a message after that? I fled right back here to Thunder Shock County."

He looked at Chen Li, his tone laced with resignation. "Later, I managed to get someone to take a message to Jiangkou, hoping that if you, Master Chen, sent someone looking, they’d be able to find out where we were. The plan was to wait until the heat died down completely before trying anything else."

Chen Li nodded slightly upon hearing this.

The Jiang Family’s attack on the silk shop was completely unrelated to Gossip and his predicament. It was merely an unfortunate coincidence that increased the pair’s panic and delayed the delivery of their message.

"Where is Peng Anmin now?"

Chen Li didn’t dwell on the matter, instead asking about the other man’s whereabouts.

Gossip replied, "Peng the Kid went out before dark. Said he was going to check on a contact signal left by the Seven Kills Association. He should be back by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"A contact signal?" Chen Li’s brow furrowed.

Gossip explained, "When we escaped, we agreed with Feng and Hua that if we got separated, we’d rendezvous here in Thunder Shock County. The day before yesterday, we went to check and found the signal had been tampered with—it was rearranged. The new arrangement is very strange, though. Peng the Kid doesn’t know what it means and is worried they ran into trouble and left some kind of special warning. That’s why he went to check on it again tonight."