We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 177 Substituting One Thing for Another, the Luo Family's Conspiracy

The flickering candlelight cast a dim and gloomy glow on Qiuyue's face.

She forced a smile: "Young master, this packet of medicine was found in Chunhua's room, how could it be mine? If you don't believe me, you can ask the guards."

Su Chen shook his head slightly and looked at Qiao Qiliang.

Qiao Qiliang sneered: "Stop making excuses. You framed Chunhua for this medicine, and the ginger soup, although Chunhua made it, was served by you. You must have done this more than once."

"Young Master, I..." Qiu Yue was about to explain, but seeing Qiao Qiliang's indifferent expression, she felt a chill in her heart.

Knowing she had been exposed, she quickly knelt down and protested, "Young master, I was forced into this..."

"Who forced you?" Qiao Qiliang asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Qiu Yue hurriedly said, "Young master, as long as you let me go, I will tell you who you are."

Qiao Qiliang was taken aback when he heard this, not expecting that Qiu Yue would still dare to play tricks on him at this time.

"Alright, I promise to let you go," Qiao Qiliang said after a moment of silence.

"You can't use others to harm or kill me." Qiu Yue glanced at Su Chen beside her and spoke again.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen glanced at Qiao Qiliang and thought, "You've taught this maid terribly!"

Qiao Qiliang coughed lightly: "No problem."

"You must guarantee that I can leave the Qiao residence alive." Unexpectedly, Qiu Yue made an even more demanding request.

"Are you ever going to stop?" Qiao Qiliang's face darkened.

Qiu Yue gave a bitter laugh: "Young master, I only have one life, I dare not gamble!"

"Fine, but if you dare to hide anything, don't blame me for being impolite." Qiao Qiliang snorted coldly.

Upon hearing Qiao Qiliang's agreement, Qiu Yue stood up and said, "I don't know who they are. Last time I went out, they gave me a large sum of money and asked me to drug the young master every day..."

"Qiuyue, I've treated you well, and you betray me for this?" Qiao Qiliang said with a heavy heart.

"Yes, you have treated me well, but think about how many wives, concubines and maids you have. I am your personal maid, but you never touch me. If you don't touch me, how can I change my status?"

"I don't want to be a maidservant my whole life. I want to be a concubine, then Mrs. Qiao, and step by step, become the mistress of the Qiao family!"

The words were resounding, like a thunderclap, and landed in Qiao Qiliang's ears, leaving him dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at Qiuyue, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Although Chunhua and Qiuyue were maids, their status in his heart was no less than that of his concubines. He just never expected that Qiuyue would betray him because of this.

"You can leave now!" He took a deep breath and looked at Qiuyue with a complicated expression.

Qiu Yue stared directly at Qiao Qiliang, then got up without a word, closed the door, and left.

Squeak.

A moment later, Qiao Renzhou walked in and said, "The matter of Qiu Yue poisoning someone is not so simple."

He just had Qiuyue severely tortured and learned the whole story.

During one of Qiu Yue's outings, she was unwittingly defiled and given a large sum of money to poison Qiao Qiliang.

This left Qiu Yue, who desperately wanted to become the mistress of the Qiao family, utterly heartbroken.

She hated the person who had defiled her innocence, and she hated Qiao Qiliang even more.

If Qiao Qiliang had favored her earlier, she wouldn't have ended up like this. Now that her body has been defiled, she has no chance to change her fate.

Furthermore, after the man assured her that no one would find out about this and that he would take her away afterward, Qiuyue finally took the risk.

However, what troubled Qiao Renzhou was that no matter how he interrogated Qiu Yue, she did not know the man's identity.

He initially thought Qiuyue was protecting the other person, but when he saw the hatred in Qiuyue's eyes, he guessed that Qiuyue probably didn't know the other person's identity either.

Such elaborate efforts to conceal his identity immediately made Qiao Renzhou realize that things were not simple.

After listening, the two fell into deep thought.

Qiao Qiliang mentally reviewed the forces he had offended and said, "Could it be the Luo family?"

“Possibly.” Qiao Renzhou nodded. “If something happens to you, the biggest beneficiary will be the Luo family.”

"But what is their purpose? Simple revenge? Or the territory of the Four Seas Gang? Even if something happens to me, Father, you will still keep the Four Seas Gang running." Qiao Qiliang fell into deep thought.

"No matter what, you need to be careful of the Luo family recently. Although the Luo family won't dare to openly target you, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark." After giving Qiao Qiliang a few words of advice, Qiao Renzhou told him to get some rest and then turned to leave.

"Ugh!"

Qiao Qiliang sighed softly. In comparison, the City Lord's Mansion was far inferior to the Luo family.

If it weren't for the fact that the City Lord's Mansion had the backing of the City Lord, and that Fengbei City was adjacent to Dafeng City, the father and son alone would have been no match for the Luo family.

Of the four major cities outside Dafeng City, except for Fengbei City, the rest of the cities have successively fallen into the territory of various clans.

Once all the powerful members of the Luo clan arrive in Fengbei City, the situation there will likely reverse, with the Luo clan taking the lead.

"Why are you sighing?" Su Chen chuckled.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly feel really tired," Qiao Qiliang said quietly.

"Then let's continue to pretend to be sick and rest. Maybe we'll get some unexpected benefits," Su Chen said meaningfully.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

……

three days later.

Qiao Qiliang found Su Chen.

"Just as you predicted, those people started to make trouble after they learned that I was seriously ill."

As soon as he entered, Qiao Qiliang said, looking refreshed.

This feigned illness exposed the flaws of the Four Seas Gang and made him aware of its many hidden dangers.

Qiao Qiliang sat down, took a sip of water, and continued, "However, what puzzles me is that the Luo family has remained silent."

"No movement?" Su Chen put away the golden needles, surprised and doubtful.

"Yes." Qiao Qiliang nodded. "There was neither a struggle for territory nor any trouble."

He was somewhat skeptical that the Luo family would pass up such a good opportunity to kick someone when they were down, but based on the intelligence he had recently obtained, the Luo family was indeed very well-behaved.

The more obedient Luo Shi was, the more Qiao Qiliang felt that she was harboring some bad intentions.

"Something's happening." Su Chen's ears twitched slightly, and he said something cryptic to Qiao Qiliang.

Qiao Qiliang was taken aback, then turned his gaze to the outside of the courtyard. Soon, a figure ran over and shouted upon seeing Qiao Qiliang:

"Young Master, Chief Qiu has something important to discuss with you and requests your presence."

……

The Four Seas Gang.

An invisible tension filled the lobby.

Qiu Sihai sat in the head seat, his face gloomy, while everyone around him sat upright and remained silent.

“Vice Chief Qiu, it’s not that we’re dissatisfied, but Chief Qiao is seriously ill and didn’t publicly announce that he would hand over all matters to you. Now you’re overstepping your bounds, which makes it difficult for the brothers in the gang to be convinced,” a lean man stood up and said.

The news of Qiao Qiliang's serious illness was not concealed and quickly spread throughout the Sihai Gang, causing waves of turmoil in the previously peaceful gang.

“That’s right. Our Four Seas Gang has three vice leaders. Not to mention the nominal vice leader Su Chen, just consider Vice Leader Lu. Not only is his strength far superior to the other two vice leaders, but he also has high prestige within the gang. It is most appropriate for him to temporarily act as the leader.”

"Although my Sihai Gang may not be the number one force in Fengbei City, it is still among the top. It is understandable that Gang Leader Qiao has made great contributions in creating the Sihai Gang and commanding the entire gang. But how can Deputy Gang Leader Qiu be compared with Gang Leader Qiao? If the outside world knew that the acting gang leader was a martial artist who had not even reached the Blood Transformation Realm, wouldn't they laugh their heads off?"

“Vice Chief Qiu, you won’t know if someone is a mule or a horse until you test them. These past few days, under your leadership, the Four Seas Gang has been in a state of panic, and even our deterrent power has declined. In my opinion, Vice Chief Lu is the most suitable person to serve as acting chief.”

"Nonsense! This was Chief Qiao's decision. How can you change it as you please?"

"Is there any proof? If not, then the claim is not legitimate."

"The gang leader's words are the proof. Besides, according to seniority, it should be Vice Gang Leader Qiu who should take over. When did it become Lu Donglai's turn to interfere?"

"..."

The entire lobby became noisy.

Qiu Sihai watched coldly, taking in everything, before his gaze fell on Lu Dong, the deputy gang leader that everyone was talking about.

Lu Dong sat calmly and composedly, his expression serene, seemingly unaffected by the words of the crowd.

Seemingly noticing Qiu Sihai's gaze, Lu Dong turned his head to look at him, their eyes meeting, and a smile appeared on his face.

That smile was incredibly irritating to Qiu Sihai. He snorted coldly and looked away.

However, a lingering sorrow remained in his eyes; today's situation was truly beyond his expectations.

Although he had expected the Four Seas Gang to become chaotic recently, he did not expect that Lu Dong and his group would seize power while Qiao Qiliang was seriously ill.

Aren't they afraid of being held accountable by Qiao Qiliang afterward? Qiu Sihai felt a slight unease creeping into his heart.

Seeing the noisy scene before me, resembling a bustling market, only intensified my frustration.

Although Lu Dong is the third deputy leader of the Sihai Gang, he has not been there for long and joined the gang midway.

Besides Lu Dong, he had three other brothers who joined the Four Seas Gang, and all four of them were at the Blood Transformation Realm.

This force is not to be underestimated even by the Luo family, let alone the Four Seas Gang.

Therefore, after learning that the four intended to join the Four Seas Gang, Qiao Qiliang not only agreed, but also appointed Lu Dong as the de facto deputy leader of the Four Seas Gang.

This is far more powerful and prestigious than Su Chen's position as a nominal deputy leader.

To Qiu Sihai's surprise, the four Lu brothers had only been in the Sihai Gang for a few months, yet they had already gained considerable influence and managed to win over nearly half of the gang members to support him as acting deputy gang leader.

“Two gang leaders, there’s no point in arguing like this. In my opinion, we should hold a vote. The one with the most votes wins and can temporarily exercise the power of the gang leader.” At this moment, an elder of the gang spoke up.

His words immediately silenced the arguing crowd.

Someone chimed in, "That's definitely a good idea, I agree."

Others objected, saying, "Vice Chief Qiu is the acting chief appointed by Chief Qiao. How can you decide this by voting?"

Seeing that the scene was about to become chaotic again, Lu Dong, who had been silent all along, looked at Qiu Sihai and asked, "Sihai, what do you think?"

"I'll say it again: if you're not satisfied, you can go find Chief Qiao." Qiu Sihai swept his gaze across the room, his face solemn and cold.

"There's no need to trouble Chief Qiao with this matter; we can discuss it ourselves," Lu Dong chuckled.

"So, you want to replace Chief Qiao?" Qiu Sihai's gaze darkened.

Lu Dong shook his head: "I just didn't want to disturb Chief Qiao's rest."

He paused, glanced around, and said, “Sihai, since ancient times, strength has been paramount. The leader should be the capable one and the incompetent one should step down. Even if you insist on your own way now and can convince me, it is hard to guarantee that the brothers below will not be convinced. At that time, wouldn’t the huge Sihai Gang fall apart?”

"Oh? Then what do you suggest?" Qiu Sihai sensed that the true intentions were about to be revealed.

"Let's have a contest. Whoever is stronger will temporarily take over as gang leader. Don't worry, I won't bully the weak. I'll give you ten moves. If you can defeat me within ten moves, you'll be the gang leader."

"you……"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Sihai felt a surge of anger.

Even if someone at the peak of Bone Forging Realm were to face someone at the second level of Blood Transformation Realm, let alone give them ten moves, or even a hundred moves, the opponent could easily defeat them.

In this match, Qiu Sihai seemed to have the upper hand, but in reality, Lu Dong was the biggest beneficiary.

If he agrees, wouldn't that be going along with Lu Dong and the others' wishes?

But if he didn't agree, the words had already been spoken to this extent, putting him in a dilemma.

If he refuses, how will he gain any prestige within the Four Seas Gang?
"How is it?" Seeing Qiu Sihai's expression change unpredictably and his silence, Lu Dong asked with a cold smile.

"How about we have a match? I don't need you to give me ten moves."

Suddenly, a calm voice rang out, reaching everyone's ears and causing them to tremble.

Following the sound, they saw two figures striding towards them. Everyone was startled to see that the two were Su Chen and Qiao Qiliang.

"It's the gang leader and Vice Gang Leader Su!" someone exclaimed, revealing Su Chen's identity.

He rarely appeared in the gang, so only a handful of veteran members knew him, and the vast majority of people did not.

"Boss, are you alright?" Soon, someone noticed Qiao Qiliang's abnormality and asked.

Qiao Qiliang coughed lightly and glared at the other person angrily: "Do I look like I'm alright?"

Having said that, he swept his cold gaze across the entire room, his eyes lingering on Lu Dong and the others for a moment before he sneered, "Thanks to this illness, I, the gang leader, got to watch a good show. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known that my words carried so little weight."

No one spoke; everyone fell silent.

"Master, we were only thinking of the Four Seas Gang." Lu Dong cupped his hands in a respectful but not arrogant manner.

"What a fine excuse for thinking about the Four Seas Gang!" Qiao Qiliang sneered. "Disobeying this gang leader and forming cliques for personal gain—is that what you call thinking about the gang? In that case, this gang leader has truly learned something new!"

"Your subordinates dare not," everyone quickly replied in unison.

Qiao Qiliang ignored everyone and snorted coldly.

At this moment, Su Chen looked at Lu Dong and said, "Didn't you want to temporarily take over as gang leader? I'll give you a chance, just defeat me."

Lu Dong didn't speak, but glanced at Qiao Qiliang.

"His meaning is my meaning."

Upon hearing this, Lu Dong gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said, "In that case, I'll have to offend you."

He didn't know much about Su Chen either; in fact, he wouldn't have known that the Four Seas Gang had a nominal deputy leader unless someone mentioned it.

But how strong can a nominal vice leader really be?

Do you need me to give you ten moves?

When everyone arrived at the courtyard, Su Chen and Lu Dong looked at each other across the distance and suddenly asked a question.

Lu Dong was taken aback, then stood with his hands behind his back and nodded, saying, "Giving you ten moves is fine."

“I said you can have it,” Su Chen repeated.

"Let me?" Lu Dong looked surprised.

Su Chen nodded.

"No need!"

Lu Dong, who had recovered, turned ashen-faced. "I need you to let me in?"
He was very unhappy and planned to teach Su Chen a lesson later.

"Let's begin," Qiao Qiliang announced.

As soon as the voice fell, Lu Dong, who had been waiting for the right moment, took a step forward, and a vast surge of blood energy erupted out, like billowing smoke.

A blue light surged from his arms, and ripples of energy spread out and gathered in his palms.

With a soft shout, Lu Dong transformed into a gust of wind, flashing forward and delivering a powerful palm strike straight at Su Chen's face.

As the palm struck, a strong wind rose up, squeezing and displacing the surrounding air, and a series of sonic booms echoed through the air.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eardrums trembled, and a look of horror quietly crept into the depths of their eyes.

The mere presence of a Blood-Transferring Warrior inspires fear and prevents anyone from even considering resistance.

Seeing Su Chen remain unmoved, Lu Dong sneered, his eyes growing cold and filled with killing intent.

"If you have someone to blame, blame yourself for being ungrateful. Go to hell!"

Snapped!
Just as his palm was about to strike Su Chen, a smile appeared on Lu Dong's face, but suddenly a whistling sound came from the direction of the hand.

Immediately afterwards, everything went black, and the whole world started spinning upside down.

He didn't know what had happened; he just felt a terrible sensation, as if his head was filled with water, and his body felt like it was falling apart.

A series of exclamations could be faintly heard: "What?" "Oh my god!" "Big brother!" "Hiss!"

The audience was silent.

Everyone stood there stunned. The battle ended so quickly that they hadn't even had time to react before they saw Lu Dong flying backward.

Once they realized what was happening, everyone turned their gaze to Su Chen, their surprise turning into deep awe.

Who would have thought that this unassuming young man would be so powerful?

Some of the gang members who supported Lu Dong suddenly looked grim. If they had known Su Chen was so powerful, they would never have supported Lu Dong.

"Alright, I have an announcement to make. The four Lu brothers have committed insubordination and will be expelled from the Sihai Gang effective immediately."

Qiao Qiliang stepped forward and announced loudly.

Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted in various ways, but no one objected.

Upon hearing this, the four Lu brothers glared at Qiao Qiliang with resentment. Lu Dong, forcing himself to stand, coldly said, "Let's go."

Upon seeing this, Qiao Qiliang exchanged a glance with Su Chen, after which Su Chen turned and left.

"Brother, are you okay?"

The four walked out of the Four Seas Gang, and Lu Lao Er and the others asked them with concern.

Lu Dong's breathing improved slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "I'm fine. I didn't expect the Four Seas Gang to have such an accomplice."

"Damn it! If it weren't for Su Chen, how could Qiu Sihai possibly be our match? In the end, we would definitely be able to control the Sihai Gang!" Old Lu said through gritted teeth, wishing he could kill Su Chen for ruining their plans.

"Didn't Young Master Sheng say that Qiao Qiliang wouldn't live more than a few days? Why is he still here?" Lu Lao Er asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know about this either.” Lu Dong’s face was ashen. “Let’s find a place first, and I’ll report this to Young Master Sheng tonight.”

(End of this chapter)