Simultaneous Transmigration: My Strength Comes Entirely from My Own

Page 140

When the entire Hai family was massacred, Shangguan Jin Hong, a distant relative, did not avenge the Hai family immediately. Instead, taking advantage of the fact that the Hai family was alone and Shangguan Haitang was young, he seized the family property belonging to Shangguan Haitang and turned it into the foundation of the Money Gang.

Moreover, this was all done under the pretext that Shangguan Haitang was too young to manage the family property.

To put it simply, Shangguan Jin Hong has essentially wiped out the Shangguan Haitang family line.

Of course, given Shangguan Haitang's personality, she wouldn't care about those so-called inheritances.

However, it was also because of her sentimental nature that Shangguan Haitang didn't feel very fond of her uncle, who only saw the Hai family's wealth and completely ignored the Hai family's hatred.

However, it wouldn't be entirely true to say that Shangguan Haitang hated her uncle; she was more like an insignificant passerby.

Shangguan Haitang doesn't care about her cousin Shangguan Jin Hong, but Shangguan Jin Hong can't ignore his cousin niece who has Zhu Wushi as her backer.

Because of Shangguan Jin Hong's personality, he always goes to extremes when doing things. If it weren't for Zhu Wu Shi, Shangguan Hai Tang would have died long ago.

However, Shangguan Jin Hong did not make a move against Shangguan Haitang, mainly because he was wary of Zhu Wushi.

Shangguan Haitang didn't take the loss of her family property to heart, but Shangguan Jin Hong never let it go.

Shangguan Jin Hong never had any enemies, not because he was a particularly good person, but because he eliminated all his enemies using various methods.

Since they no longer exist, where would enemies come from?

However, since Shangguan Haitang couldn't resolve the issue, it remained a thorn in Shangguan Jin Hong's side. So, he changed his approach and decided to become one of Shangguan Haitang's own.

Shangguan Haitang was not taken seriously by Shangguan Jin Hong, but Zhu Wushi was someone Shangguan Jin Hong had to be wary of.

Therefore, he used various methods to get in touch with Zhu Wushi and became Zhu Wushi's collaborator, thus becoming one of Shangguan Haitang's own people to some extent.

Zhu Wushi, the "loyal and courageous" Iron-Blooded Marquis, naturally could not openly eliminate dissidents in the martial arts world. His loyal followers, such as the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, could not be used for such dirty work. Their battlefields should be in the army and the imperial court.

Therefore, the affairs of the martial arts world were left to Shangguan Jin Hong, his front man, to handle.

The meager wealth of the Hai family could not possibly create a money-making gang, but Wan Sanqian, who was known as the richest man in the Ming Dynasty, was fully capable of doing so.

The arrogance of the Money Gang is inseparable from Shangguan Jin Hong's painstaking management, as well as from Wan Sanqian, their financial backer.

Even Shangguan Jin Hong didn't know that his patron was Wan Sanqian, since Zhu Wushi's people were the ones who handled the transfer of resources and money every time.

At this moment, the letter in Shangguan Jin Hong's hand was from Zhu Wu Shi.

Ever since Luke left Beijing, Zhu Wushi has been keeping an eye on him.

Zhu Wushi paid attention to Luke for two reasons: first, he had not yet given up on Xue Ruyi; and second, he suspected that Luke was the one who had injured him in the Heavenly Prison.

Admittedly, Luke's aura changed when he fought Zhu Wushi at the inn, becoming completely different from when he was in the prison.

However, for some things, Zhu only needs to be suspicious.

Although the world is vast, Zhu Wushi did not believe that two people capable of defeating him would appear in the capital at the same time.

After suffering a loss in his fight with Luke, Zhu Wushi turned his suspicious gaze towards him.

Monitoring someone doesn't necessarily require martial arts skills. Sometimes, ordinary people who don't know martial arts but have good acting skills are more suitable for this job.

Because people generally tend to focus on the strong and ignore the weak, this characteristic is naturally amplified in martial artists.

With the spies of the Dragon Guard Manor spread throughout the Ming Dynasty, and with Luke's portrait, finding and monitoring Luke couldn't be easier; all they had to do was follow the plan step by step.

·· ·Requesting flowers··· ···

Zhu Wushi's letter mentioned that Luke's martial arts skills were extremely high, possibly no less than Zhu Wushi's, and that he was very likely to disrupt the Money Gang's plans. Shangguan Jin Hong was encouraged to test Luke whenever possible.

Zhu Wushi certainly wouldn't personally do something as dangerous as testing Luke. At this stage when his injuries hadn't fully healed, it would be better to introduce Shangguan Jin Hong as a collaborator.

After all, allies are meant to be betrayed, and Zhu Wushi himself doesn't care about the existence of allies.

Or rather, in Zhu Wushi's eyes, there were no allies at all; they were all pawns in his grand scheme.

Shangguan Jin Hong was never a fool. In fact, aside from martial arts, Shangguan Jin Hong was more profound and powerful than Zhu Wu Shi.

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Both are creatures of power and ambition, but compared to Shangguan Jin Hong, who is ruthless and only cares about power, Zhu Wu Shi has the added burden and weakness of Su Xin.

Shangguan Jin Hong cooperated with Zhu Wu Shi because he valued Zhu Wu Shi's royal background and influence in the court. Although these things could not be openly discussed, they brought him many hidden benefits.

Even so, Shangguan Jin Hong would not become Zhu Wu Shi's pawn.

The fact that someone's martial arts skills were no less than those of Iron-Blooded Marquis was enough to dissuade him from attacking Luke.

However, even someone as cold and ruthless as Shangguan Jin Hong had to admit that Zhu Wushi made a very accurate point in one of his letters.

That is, Luke's sudden appearance could very well disrupt his plans and schemes.

Therefore, he does need to test Luke's strength to see if he is truly no less than Zhu Wushi, or if Zhu Wushi is just bluffing him.

Of course, Shangguan Jin Hong would not personally do such a dangerous thing as testing the waters. He had plenty of pawns, after all, Jiangnan was his base of operations.

"No life!"

Shangguan Jin Hong uttered two words indifferently, and a figure immediately opened the door and walked in. It was Jing Wuming, Shangguan Jin Hong's right-hand man, one of the people Shangguan Jin Hong trusted the most, and also the most capable assassin under Shangguan Jin Hong's command. He had killed countless people and made great contributions to the Money Gang.

Chapter 256: Martial Arts Chronicle: Shangguan Jin Hong and Zhu Wu Shi's Cooperation

"Gang leader!"

After Jing Wuming entered, he respectfully bowed to Shangguan Jin Hong and then spoke.

This respectful demeanor was merely Jing Wuming's gesture, but in reality, Jing Wuming's expression never changed from beginning to end; it remained deathly gray, exuding a heavy aura of death, and even his tone of voice showed no fluctuation.

Jing Wuming was Shangguan Jin Hong's number one henchman. He had three scars on his face, was very tall, and wore a golden shirt with short hem that only covered his knees. The cuffs were tightly bound, and his fingers were thin and long with protruding bones, making him look very strong.

He had a sword tucked into the right side of his belt, with the hilt facing left, indicating that he was left-handed, though he could actually wield the sword with either hand.

The most terrifying thing about this person is his eyes; they are a deathly gray, devoid of both emotion and life.

　"630" - He didn't even know what he was living for.

Jing Wuming's swordsmanship is not only mysterious and bizarre, but also unconventional, with each strike aimed at a point that the opponent would never expect.

His sword was also strangely thin yet sharp, without a hilt. Though light, it was not dull; though thin, it was not brittle. It possessed both strength and flexibility, and both hardness and toughness. Although this sword appeared crude and simple, it was actually a masterpiece by Master Gu, the foremost swordsmith in Jiangnan at the time, and it was specially forged for Jing Wuming.

In some ways, Jing Wuming is very similar to A Fei, like two sides of the same coin, each going in a different direction.

In the original work, the two are also like sworn enemies, but at the same time they also respect each other.

In the original work, A Fei's achievements were unmatched by Jing Wuming, because when Shangguan Jin Hong died, Jing Wuming's sword had already lost its soul.

However, before this, Afei had been defeated by Jing Wuming many times.

At this moment, Jing Wuming was unaware of his predetermined fate. He stood calmly beside Shangguan Jin Hong, awaiting orders.

"There's something I need you to do, but you can't do it yourself."

Everyone knows that Jing Wuming is Shangguan Jin Hong's most capable lieutenant and the person he trusts most, so Jing Wuming naturally cannot show his face when this matter is being handled.

However, there are some things that only Jing Wuming can do, and some people that only Jing Wuming can contact.

Besides the Money Gang, there are many other shady organizations that were established with Shangguan Jin Hong's support. These organizations may not necessarily have Shangguan Jin Hong's involvement, but he can certainly drive them.

This includes thirteen assassination organizations of varying sizes, as well as many money-making organizations, such as the Plum Blossom Thieves.

Indeed, the Plum Blossom Bandits, an organization that has recently been hated to the bone by people in the martial arts world and feared by countless female heroes, also has the shadow of Shangguan Jin Hong behind it.

Lin Xian'er is indeed beautiful and charming, but without the protection of martial arts, beauty will only be possessed and played with by others, rather than obeying their commands.

There are only a few simps in this world; most people's first reaction when they see a beautiful woman is to possess and plunder her.

Lin Xian'er was able to organize the Plum Blossom Bandits, which naturally involved Shangguan Jin Hong's organization. For Shangguan Jin Hong, even a piece of toilet paper had its uses, let alone a stunning beauty like Lin Xian'er.

Although Shangguan Jin Hong decisively abandoned Lin Xian'er after giving birth to her daughter, he simply stopped sleeping with her. After all, Shangguan Jin Hong would never allow a woman to wear down his will.

In some ways, Shangguan Jin Hong is a truly ruthless person.

Of course, Shangguan Jin Hong rarely showed up for these matters; Jing Wu Ming always handled them on his behalf, since he was the person Shangguan Jin Hong "trusted" the most.

In fact, someone like Shangguan Jin Hong doesn't even trust his own son, and is even willing to sacrifice him for his great cause at any time. So how could he trust an "outsider" like Jing Wuming?

The main reason is that Jing Wuming is capable and reliable, so Shangguan Jin Hong often asks him to handle many things, which creates this illusion.

Even Shangguan Jin Hong's own son believed that Jing Wuming was Shangguan Jin Hong's illegitimate son, and thus harbored immense jealousy and hatred towards Jing Wuming.

After receiving Shangguan Jin Hong's order, Jing Wuming didn't ask why. He simply nodded coldly, his deathly gray eyes remaining completely still.

"By the way, I heard he's been spending a lot of time with Li Xunhuan these past few days. On the Hundred Weapon Rankings, Li Xunhuan is only one place below me. I'm really curious to know if his throwing knives are truly infallible. It's time to move Long Xiaoyun, this pawn..."

After whispering his orders into Jing Wuming's ear, Shangguan Jin Hong suddenly spoke again.

Long Xiaoyun is a treacherous and cunning man, a deeply hidden hypocrite.

He pretended to be magnanimous and generous, and made friends with so-called righteous people everywhere, thus gaining great fame in the martial arts world.

Long Xiaoyun once killed Bu Ba with a single silver spear, feigning to save Li Xunhuan.

Then, using a combination of deception and reality, he pretended not to know about Li Xunhuan and Lin Shiyin's relationship, made himself genuinely ill, and begged Li Xunhuan to marry Lin Shiyin to him. He believed that as long as he truly loved Lin Shiyin, he would never harm him because of Li Xunhuan's loyal and righteous character, and then he could successfully possess everything Li Xunhuan had!

This action earned him a second glance from Shangguan Jin Hong, but only a second.

After seeing Long Xiaoyun from afar once, Shangguan Jin Hong recognized him clearly.

This person is treacherous and cunning, unscrupulous in his actions, and likes to cloak himself in a veneer of righteousness.

However, this person is timid and hesitant in his actions, and he doesn't handle things properly at all.

If Shangguan Jin Hong were placed in Long Xiao Yun's position back then, and even if their martial arts were replaced, Li Xun Huan wouldn't have survived to the day he left for the border when Shangguan Jin Hong had everything.

There are many ways to kill, not just martial arts. Poisoning, assassination, traps, and entrapment are all possible methods.

Especially since Li Xunhuan was still reluctant to part with Long Xiaoyun at the time, a cup of wedding wine was enough to make Li Xunhuan's soul fly to the heavens.

But Long Xiaoyun, though not entirely evil, actually let Li Xunhuan go.

Perhaps Long Xiaoyun still felt grateful to Li Xunhuan deep down, but this made Shangguan Jin Hong look down on him.

But even if I look down on it, it's still good enough to be a pawn.

All the pieces need to do is move; Shangguan Jin Hong doesn't really care about anything else.

After all, in the martial arts world, might makes right. If Long Xiaoyun's fist wasn't big enough, Shangguan Jin Hong wouldn't take him seriously.

Chapter 257: Martial Arts Chronicle: The Melancholy Beauty Lin Shiyin

Xingyun Manor was not originally called Xingyun Manor, but Li Garden, the garden of the Li family, the garden of Li Xunhuan.