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Chapter 77 Taking Over the Lin Family Mansion, the Overbearing Government (Please Subscribe)
Hong Ming didn't say the specific details because the others arrived shortly afterward.

The others were clearly still somewhat bewildered by Hong Ming's summons.

"Everyone's here!" Hongming said when he saw that everyone had arrived.

Liu Fang stepped forward and cautiously reminded her, "Master, Junior Sister Fang Rou hasn't arrived yet."

Hong Ming shook his head and said nonchalantly, "I didn't call her this time."

Upon hearing this, everyone reacted with varying expressions, their curiosity only growing stronger.

Hong Ming wasted no time and explained the purpose of his gathering: "Starting today, you will all come with me to the Lin residence to await the government's orders."

"what?"

"what?"

Everyone assumed that Hong Ming had summoned them to say goodbye, but his next words surprised them.

Go to the Lin residence and await orders from the government?

Hong Ming looked somewhat helpless, but still nodded and said, "Yes, you heard right. Not only us, but all the major and minor forces in White Stone City with martial artists have basically been conscripted by the government!"

Hong Ming then recounted the events in detail.

It turned out that yesterday, Hong Ming had received an invitation from County Magistrate Tao Wenxuan to go to the county government office this morning.

Others who accepted the invitation included the owners of other martial arts schools, the owners of two major families, and the owners of two major gangs, as well as more than a dozen other forces of varying sizes.

After they arrived at the county government office, Tao Wenxuan revealed his purpose: to unite all the martial arts forces in the city to fight against Lianyun Village.

Those with money contributed money, and those without contributed manpower. The appropriate amounts were set for each faction, and the number of martial artists was fixed.

Such actions naturally aroused dissatisfaction among many forces. Why should they be forced to empty their pockets and lose both their money and their people with just a few words?
Ning Yuan, the head of the Ning family, was the first to politely refuse, but the Han family jumped out at this moment to contradict everyone else.

Fortunately, most people support the Ning family.

This stalemate did not last long, and a man named Tao Dingfang came out.

He didn't waste any words, and his attitude was very arrogant. He simply said that anyone who could defeat him could leave the county government office.

Ning Yuan, the head of the Ning family, fought against him, but was defeated within three moves.

Even Ning Yuan was defeated, so the others were no match for him and could only reluctantly agree to his demands.

Immediately, Tao Dingfang replaced Tao Wenxuan and issued the first order, instructing all the martial artists on the list to move into the Lin family mansion.

"So, we're all on the list?"

Wei Ping quickly realized what was going on after hearing this. He hadn't even heard about this news before, but he had vaguely heard rumors about it. However, he wasn't sure. Now that Hong Ming had said it, it confirmed his suspicions.

Hong Ming nodded: "That's right."

"Who is this Tao Dingfang? Judging from his name, he seems to be related to Magistrate Tao?" Zhou Tao asked.

“He is Magistrate Tao’s nephew!” Liu Fang replied, having heard of the name.

"Master, do we really need to mobilize all the martial arts forces in Baishi City to deal with Lianyun Village? This... isn't that giving Lianyun Village too much credit?" Qin Hao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"If I'm not mistaken, Lianyun Village is very likely colluding with the Rebirth Sect," Wei Ping said with a solemn expression.

"Pursuantism!"

Those who knew about it pondered it, while those who didn't were carefully considering it. Hongming only gave a brief introduction to the Rebirth Teachings and didn't say much more.

The plan was disrupted, and although Hong Ming was helpless, he could only accept it. Compared to the others, he knew the seriousness of the matter better. If it were only Lianyun Village, the matter wouldn't be so troublesome; no matter how strong Lianyun Village was, it could only cause trouble within a single city.

However, if the Rebirth Cult is involved, things are not so simple. The effects of the rebellion in Huangshi City have not yet been eliminated.

The rumors circulating alone revealed the brutality of this rebellion, with the city's population dropping by almost 30%.

Many innocent people suffered heavy losses as a result of this rebellion and were forced to flee to other cities to make a living.

Recently, the refugees in Baishi City, apart from the villagers from the affected towns and villages, have mostly come from Huangshi City.

The fact that the Rebirth Sect is now colluding with Lianyun Village means that Baishi City cannot afford to ignore it.

Despite the importance attached to it, the government's domineering behavior still left many people with some dissatisfaction.

Tatata!
As everyone remained silent, Hong Ming was about to explain some key points about combat when footsteps sounded outside the door.

dong dong dong.

"Master Hong, we can set off now!"

It was government officials. There were only two of them, but their attire made Hong Ming's eyes narrow.

These people were definitely not yamen runners; they were most likely soldiers. The faint aura of menace they exuded was enough to show that they had seen blood.

After they finished speaking, the two looked at the crowd inside the martial arts hall.

Hong Ming stood up and asked helplessly, "Could you give us a little time to tidy up?"

One of them said coldly, "No need to pack. Once you arrive at the Lin residence, someone will prepare everything. It's getting late; it's time to set off."

"In that case, let's set off."

Hong Ming sighed softly, looked at his disciples behind him, and said helplessly.

Ignoring Hong Ming and the others' attitudes, after receiving a reply, the two led the way one after the other, looking as if they were escorting prisoners.

Su Chen stood at the back of the group, without saying a word. He hadn't brought anything with him this time.

The steel knife and short knife were hidden at home, and he only had a small amount of sleeping powder on him.

"Judging from the situation, it seems the government won't let them go back easily. They'll probably be staying at the Lin residence for quite some time."

He thought to himself that if that were the case, he would have to see if he could go back and bring more of the sleeping powder.

After a stick of incense had burned, the group, each with their own thoughts, arrived at the Lin residence, which had now become a temporary residence for the government.

Ten constables stood guard on each side of the main gate, keeping a close watch on everything.

Two soldiers led Hong Ming and his men to a courtyard and assigned each of them a room. To everyone's dismay, the rooms were labeled with their names.

"Please stay here for the time being. If you don't have anything to do, please don't wander around. Meals will be delivered to you. We will send someone to notify you when the operation begins..." After giving these instructions, the other party turned and left.

The group did not go inside, but instead stayed in the courtyard for a while.

Outside the courtyard, soldiers patrolled, and at the archway, soldiers guarded, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.

Currently, only the Hong Family Martial Arts School group lives in the entire courtyard; the others are probably in another side courtyard.

This left everyone feeling helpless, but fortunately, they didn't restrict them from leaving the room.

As the soldiers brought the group of martial artists to the Lin residence one after another, Tao Wenxuan and Tao Dingfang were discussing matters in the main hall.

(End of this chapter)