Chapter 41: Council Gathering
"As expected from high-level martial arts, just entering has yielded such significant results. Reaching mastery must be extraordinary."
Song Changming happily sheathed his sword.
Mastering this Light Body Skill, he finally filled his shortcoming.
Woof woof
Under the locust tree nearby, two half-grown puppies seemed to be awakened by Song Changming’s sword practice. They stumbled out from their nests and bit at Song Changming’s trouser legs.
Compared to when they were first picked up and couldn’t open their eyes, the two puppies have grown a bit and could now recognize people.
In his good mood, Song Changming picked one up in each hand and kneaded them like dough; they felt quite nice to the touch.
One had white fur, and the other yellow, so he simply named them Xiaobai and Xiaohuang.
"Go away, get lost." After enjoying petting them, Song Changming immediately turned his back on the dogs and tossed them back into the nest.
He then ran to the kitchen to eat the prepared meat to replenish the energy expended during martial arts practice.
...
At the beginning of July.
Liang Chuan Mountain formally summoned all the Patrol Captains.
When Song Changming arrived at the main hall of the Bureau, the other five Patrol Captains were already present, seated on either side.
The chief seat was still empty, as Liang Chuan Mountain had not yet arrived.
"Changming, you’re the last one." Lv Gang said with a wave, pointing to the empty top seat beside him.
This used to be Liang Chuan Mountain’s seat when he was a Patrol Captain, and now it was Song Changming’s turn to sit there.
On the opposite side, Zhao Dezhi still sat at the top.
Next was Qian Wen, followed by Zhang Sihai.
In the past, meetings like this were dominated by Zhao Dezhi and Liang Chuan Mountain, with Qian Wen and Sun Wenyan having secondary influence.
Now, although Zhao Dezhi still held the top seat, his authority had been recaptured by Liang Chuan Mountain, rendering the position insignificant.
He was not trusted by Liang Chuan Mountain.
Song Changming nodded and took his seat without hesitation, exchanging a few words with Lv Gang.
Across from them, Zhao Dezhi watched the scene with mixed emotions.
The young man he once completely disregarded now stood above him.
He had to admit that he had completely misjudged him in the past.
However, by this point, he couldn’t bring himself to repair relations with the Song Family.
Thus, the relationship between the two families was not particularly close.
Only his son, Zhao Huaiming, who married a daughter from the Song Family, had truly formed a bond with them.
He had previously sternly prevented his son from getting close to the Song Family, but now he allowed his son to visit Song Changming, Father Song, and Song’s Mother to reminisce.
Meanwhile, Qian Wen eyed Song Changming coldly.
He looked down on this young man with shallow experience and harbored resentment towards Liang Chuan Mountain, which extended to his dislike for Song Changming.
Of course, he wouldn’t act openly against him.
He knew very well that targeting Song Changming in the Patrol Armor Bureau would only bring him trouble.
As for Zhu Bairen and Zhang Sihai, they remained neutral and maintained a friendly attitude towards the new Patrol Captains, Song Changming and Lv Gang, having no objections to Liang Chuan Mountain’s arrangements.
This resulted in the elevation of their status within the Patrol Armor Bureau, which was certainly a positive outcome.
After waiting for a moment, Liang Chuan Mountain finally arrived.
"Director!"
The six immediately stood up to salute.
"Mm." Liang Chuan Mountain had now fully adapted to the position of Director, exuding an aura of authority in his speech and demeanor, his dark official uniform instilling awe in those who saw him.
"I gather you here today for one matter only."
Liang Chuan Mountain’s expression was serious, even a bit grave, causing everyone to feel that today’s agenda was likely extraordinary.
Lv Gang wiped the last hint of a smile off his face, awaiting Liang Chuan Mountain’s words.
Only Song Changming remained calm, as he had already been briefed by Liang Chuan Mountain about today’s matters in advance and was well prepared.
"Tonight, gather all Patrol Guards to eradicate the Nine Bends Association!" Liang Chuan Mountain declared firmly.
The Patrol Captains were immediately stirred by the announcement.
The Nine Bends Association had grown powerful recently, a concern that each of them had noticed to some extent.
To eliminate the Nine Bends Association now seemed rather challenging.
"Director, about this..." Zhao Dezhi couldn’t help but speak up.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, Liang Chuan Mountain interrupted him: "I’ve been contemplating this since I assumed office, and have prepared for it for quite a while. It’s time to remove this scourge."
Liang Chuan Mountain’s tone showed a determined intention to kill, forcing Zhao Dezhi to swallow his words.
The other Patrol Captains exchanged glances, realizing that the decision was final and they were there to receive orders, not to discuss the matter.
Liang Chuan Mountain looked around, observing the expressions of the Patrol Captains before speaking solemnly.
"There is another reason to deploy troops. Do you all remember the assassin incident from Anye Pavilion a year ago?"
Everyone visibly tensed, having an inkling of what Liang Chuan Mountain was going to say.
At this point, Liang Chuan Mountain had nothing to conceal and directly explained the matter.
"Damn it!" Lv Gang slammed the arm of his chair, nearly breaking it in his grip.
They had suspected the Nine Bends Association back then but lacked evidence and leads, assuming that such a small organization wouldn’t dare act so brazenly.
They had left it unresolved, thinking it was the doing of the Tengya Mountain bandit army.
"If this is true, the Nine Bends Association must not be spared. It’s a crime deserving of death!" Zhu Bairen immediately expressed his stance, gritting his teeth.
"Indeed," Zhang Sihai echoed in agreement.
At this moment, expressing a position was crucial to show the new Director Liang Chuan Mountain that they fully supported and followed his leadership.
For Song Changming and Lv Gang, however, making statements was unnecessary as they were already aligned with Liang Chuan Mountain.
Finally, Qian Wen and Zhao Dezhi also had no choice but to comply.
"In that case, everyone, share your strategies and thoughts on defeating the enemy, and speak freely." Liang Chuan Mountain nodded in satisfaction and continued.
A pre-battle meeting ensued for over an hour.
As dusk fell, the six Patrol Captains began making final preparations.
Due to effective information control during this period, there was little worry about the Nine Bends Association getting word in advance.
Even if the Nine Bends Association realized something was amiss at the last moment, it would be enough to catch them off guard.
Ideally, they could establish a dominant position from the outset.
Within the Patrol Armor Bureau, each courtyard was filled with Patrol Guards.
They each lit their torches, faces solemn and grim.
This scene reminded Song Changming of the time they campaigned against the Qinghe gang, almost identical.
The difference was that now he was a Patrol Captain, playing the role of the leading wolf, guiding his Patrol Guard into battle.