Zhu Sihai squinted his eyes and said:

"Then send an invitation and invite this Constable Chen to my Northern Sea Gang. This gang leader will personally test his mettle to see if he really has the ability, or if he's just a silver spear with a wax head, good-looking but useless."

"With the gang leader taking action, everything is naturally settled!"

Someone flattered him.

"Gang leader, something bad has happened!"

Suddenly, a Northern Sea Gang member dressed in black rushed into the hall, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands.

"What happened?"

"Hmm?"

"What's the panic!"

Several hall masters of the Northern Sea Gang immediately reprimanded.

The gang member kneeling on the ground slightly opened his mouth and quickly said, "Reporting to the hall masters, outside... outside are all people from the yamen (government office)."

"What?"

"What did you say?"

"People from the yamen?"

Several hall masters stood up one after another.

Zhu Sihai slightly exerted force on the iron balls he was playing with, showing a little panic in his heart, but on the surface, he still calmly scolded the hall masters:

"What's the big deal if people from the yamen are here? What's the panic? The sky isn't falling!"

The hall masters pursed their lips, not daring to refute, but their eyes were still fixed on the gang member on the ground.

Zhu Sihai frowned tightly and asked in a low voice:

"How many people from the yamen have come?"

"This subordinate glanced roughly and saw at least fifty or sixty people, all armed with knives, and some even with crossbows, heading towards our branch. Now, I'm afraid they've already arrived."

"Fifty or sixty people, all armed with knives, and with crossbows..."

Zhu Sihai felt uneasy in his heart and quickly said:

"Who is the leader?"

"I... I don't recognize him. He looks very young, and some old yamen runners are following behind him..."

Zhu Sihai immediately stood up. He guessed who had come.

The newly appointed constable of the county yamen, Chen Yuan!

Before he could send an invitation, he had taken the initiative to come, and he had come with ill intentions!

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Sihai put his hands behind his back:

"Summon the gang disciples to meet this Constable Chen!"

......

......

"Yuan-ge'er (Brother Yuan), are we going to make a move?"

Wang Ping moved closer and asked in a low voice.

Everyone formed a fan shape, surrounding the gate of the Northern Sea Gang. The atmosphere was tense, and the legs of the Northern Sea Gang disciples guarding the gate were trembling slightly.

Chen Yuan raised his hand:

"Don't make a move yet. Wait for Zhu Sihai to come out!"

Wang Ping nodded and then stood silently behind Chen Yuan.

Before long, a hearty laugh came from inside the Northern Sea Gang:

"What wind has brought Constable Chen here? It's truly a blessing for my Northern Sea Gang..."

Then, there was a burst of footsteps. More than thirty Northern Sea Gang members poured out from the gate, all armed with weapons, watching the yamen runners behind Chen Yuan vigilantly.

Seeing this, without anyone's orders, the eight yamen runners holding crossbows stood in front, lined up, and aimed at the Northern Sea Gang members.

Chen Yuan's face was calm as he stared at a slightly bloated middle-aged man walking out from the gate. He was wearing an expensive silk robe, with a face full of fat, a ferocious face, but a smile on his face.

It was none other than the leader of the Northern Sea Gang, Zhu Sihai!

He was at the Bone Refinement Realm, but Chen Yuan had also heard that due to laziness in martial arts, his strength was far from what it used to be. He didn't know if it was true.

While Chen Yuan was sizing up Zhu Sihai, Zhu Sihai was also carefully sizing up the young man in front of him. If he changed his clothes, Zhu Sihai would definitely think Chen Yuan was a wealthy young master.

"Constable Chen."

Zhu Sihai cupped his hands, his words very polite.

"Gang Leader Zhu..."

"Such a big show, has my Northern Sea Gang violated any laws?" Zhu Sihai raised his eyebrows, pointing at the yamen runners behind Chen Yuan.

"It seems Gang Leader Zhu already knows something. That's right, this constable received reliable information that there are hidden Wusheng Sect (Unborn Sect) demons lurking within the Northern Sea Gang. County Lieutenant ordered me to thoroughly investigate the Northern Sea Gang!"

Chen Yuan stared directly at Zhu Sihai.

"Constable Chen must be joking? My Northern Sea Gang is clean and honest, how could we collude with the Wusheng Sect's thieves?" Zhu Sihai's face turned gloomy.

"The Huang family also said they didn't collude, but they were still raided and exterminated. Does this constable need to recount the relationship between the Northern Sea Gang and the Huang family one by one?"

"You..."

Zhu Sihai was momentarily at a loss for words. He really wanted to yell that the Huang family was slandered, but he didn't dare to say it.

It wasn't just him who thought so, most people in Ping An County felt that the Huang family had been slandered. The Wusheng Sect was just an excuse, after all, the yamen hadn't caught any real thieves.

Zhu Sihai felt that Chen Yuan wanted to repeat the tragedy of the Huang family on the Northern Sea Gang.

"It's okay for Constable Chen to search, but you need to show evidence!" Zhu Sihai said in a muffled voice.

Chen Yuan chuckled and said loudly:

"When I, Chen Yuan, search, I don't need evidence!"

Zhu Sihai took a deep breath, his eyes darted around, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly said:

"Constable Chen, would you like to talk in private?"

Chen Yuan saw that his goal had been achieved, so he nodded and said:

"Sure."

......

......

Northern Sea Gang, inside the main hall.

Chen Yuan, Zhu Sihai, Wang Ping, and a hall master of the Northern Sea Gang with a scar on his face were sitting around a table, with fourteen dishes of delicacies placed on it.

"Constable Chen, this is the finest wine, please."

Zhu Sihai was very polite.

"Gang Leader Zhu should drink first," Chen Yuan glanced at the wine and chuckled.

Zhu Sihai smiled knowingly and didn't try to persuade him further, raising his glass and drinking it all in one gulp.

Looking at Zhu Sihai's behavior, Chen Yuan smiled. He hadn't intended to annihilate the Northern Sea Gang this time. It would cost a bit, but he could do it. However, if he destroyed the Northern Sea Gang, who would pay Li Mingqi the monthly tribute of two hundred taels of silver?

Chen Yuan couldn't afford it himself. He had given Li Mingqi his word today that the Northern Sea Gang would be settled before tomorrow!

Therefore, from the beginning, Chen Yuan's goal was to first blunt Zhu Sihai's edge so that he could negotiate terms and settle Wang Meng's account.

Of course, if Zhu Sihai really didn't know what was good for him, Chen Yuan wouldn't hesitate to let him go. At worst, it would be a bit more troublesome to take over the Northern Sea Gang's forces entirely through Tie Qinghua or others.

However, if that were the case, the northern part of Ping An County wouldn't be stable for a short time, and County Magistrate Wu Qingfeng might interfere, which could easily lead to accidents, and Li Mingqi's evaluation of him would be much lower.

Wang Ping had been so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back. At Chen Yuan's signal, he frequently ate the dishes, admiring Yuan-ge'er in his heart. He said he would eat something good, and they really ate something good.

Unlike Wang Ping, who was gobbling it down, Chen Yuan was not very interested. He wouldn't sacrifice the big picture for small gains. If there was something in the dishes, it would be a loss.

Of course, that possibility was very small. Zhu Sihai wouldn't be so unwise.

Zhu Sihai saw that Chen Yuan wasn't very interested and clapped his hands twice, saying:

"Constable Chen, try the two dishes below. They will definitely whet your appetite."

As soon as he finished speaking, an old man wearing a white hat walked in, carrying a small pot, smiling as he walked:

"Haha, chicken soup is here..."

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