Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 254 Kicking the Stronghold is the Only Way

At this moment, it seems that the other side is clearly full of fighting spirit, and the concerns of the others earlier are no longer necessary.

"But before that, we need to do something," Du Fan said thoughtfully, resting his chin on his hand.

"Oh? What does the chieftain mean?" The old man surnamed Shen asked, somewhat puzzled.

"We can't just keep accepting challenges from others, that would be too passive. Since this rule exists in the martial arts world, why don't we use it ourselves?" Du Fan chuckled, his eyes lighting up as he spoke.

"Does the chieftain want to challenge other gangs in the martial arts world and then swallow up their power?" The old man surnamed Shen's pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light as he blurted out.

The other three elders and Tian Wu also narrowed their eyes and looked at Du Fan with shock on their faces.

"Nonsense, if I don't go raid the stronghold, where will I get my cultivation opportunities?" Du Fan chuckled inwardly, but on the surface, his expression was solemn and serious. After a moment, he said righteously:

"If you want to grow stronger, you can't just stay put. Otherwise, you'll be eaten up sooner or later. In this chaotic world, the principle of 'I won't attack unless attacked' doesn't work. Haven't you heard the saying, 'The best defense is a good offense'?"

"However, other gangs naturally have their own experts. Of course, in a fair fight, it wouldn't be difficult for the chief to defeat them. But on their turf, they might resort to some underhanded tactics, so we must be careful." The slightly overweight old man was somewhat tempted, but after a moment's thought, he still hesitated and said.

"Why should I be afraid of him? Even if he used some tricks, it's nothing in my eyes. He's just a clown at best. Elders, there's no need to say more. I've already made up my mind!"

"By the way, list out all the gangs in the vicinity that are hostile to our Green Forest Stronghold. Hmm, list the neutral ones too. I'm going to set out tomorrow and wipe them out!" Du Fan said with a wave of his hand, full of heroic spirit.

At that moment, everyone in the room was stunned, all looking incredulous.

Based on his previous behavior, they thought this new chieftain was a man of both wisdom and courage. But now it seems that this Chief Li is even more of a bandit than the bandits outside...

"Chief, what if the Zhuxuan Gang sends people while you're away?" After a long silence, the old man surnamed Wu coughed lightly, breaking the surrounding tranquility first, and spoke hesitantly.

"What else can we do? Just tell them the truth. Tell them I'm going to raid the stronghold. If they're not in a hurry, tell them to wait for me for two days. If they don't want to wait, just give them thirty taels of silver and get rid of them."

"Then, Miss Tianwu will lead a group of skilled brothers, conceal their identities, rob the money back for me, and kill them to silence them. That way, no one will know that we refused the challenge." Du Fan picked up the teacup on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and said casually.

Upon hearing this, the other five were stunned again, their expressions growing increasingly incredulous. Even their gazes towards Du Fan held a strange quality. They had never imagined such a thing before; it was truly despicable…

No, that's not right. It's not that they didn't think about it, it's that they simply can't do it! If the truth comes out later—no, not if, such a big thing will definitely come out, and soon it will spread throughout the entire martial arts world.

By then, not only will their Green Forest Stronghold lose all face, but they will also commit a major taboo in the martial arts world. In that case, there will be no need for outsiders to attack them. It would be best for them to disband on their own and run away.

"Li Daoming, are you serious?" Tian Wu suddenly narrowed her eyes and said coldly.

"Of course, do you think I'm joking?" Du Fan shrugged, looking somewhat innocent.

"Are you trying to plunge our Green Forest Stronghold into utter ruin by doing this?" Tian Wu's eyes were icy cold as she suppressed her anger, gritted her teeth, and said each word clearly.

"Wu'er, don't be presumptuous!" The old man surnamed Shen's face darkened, and he suddenly shouted in a low voice.

Tian Wu's face flushed red, her breathing became slightly rapid, and after letting out a heavy hum, she simply crossed her arms and said nothing more.

The old man then turned his gaze, gave Du Fan a deep look, and sighed softly:

"Chief, it's not that we disagree with your approach, but you've only just taken the throne, and there are still many matters, big and small, that you need to handle. As for kicking the stronghold, could we perhaps discuss it further, at least until the matter with the Zhuxuan Gang is resolved?"

The old man's words were earnest and reasonable, but Du Fan remained unmoved by either persuasion or coercion, calmly asking, "How many days' journey is it to the nearest hostile force to our Green Forest Stronghold?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Wu turned her head sharply, her pretty face icy cold and her eyebrows raised. She was furious to the extreme. She stared at Du Fan, about to burst into a tirade, but was stopped by a single look from the old man surnamed Shen.

"It's a two-day journey," the elderly man surnamed Shen sighed.

"Where is the Zhuxuan Gang?" Du Fan asked again.

"Half a month." The old man's eyes flashed.

"That's it. Even if the Zhuxuan Gang sets off now, they won't arrive by the time I return from my campaign. What do you all have to worry about?"

"Also, don't tell me you don't have any spies from our Green Forest Stronghold within the Bamboo Pavilion Gang." Du Fan rolled his eyes and said irritably.

The four old men exchanged glances for a while, and then, without making a sound, they all nodded.

The old man surnamed Wu suddenly smiled and said, "Since the chieftain has such lofty ambitions and a firm resolve, we will not try to dissuade him. But we wonder what the chieftain needs us to prepare?"

"Mark the name of that faction and the location of their stronghold on a map for me, and... oh, that's all. You guys get your people ready now. I'll set off first thing tomorrow morning." Du Fan said this after only a moment's thought.

"What? Gone?" The old man surnamed Wu was stunned, his mouth agape.

"Ahem, since the chieftain has said so, we will do as he says. May I ask how many brothers you plan to take with you on this trip? We'd like to inform them in advance so they can be prepared." The slightly plump old man in white coughed lightly and spoke in a low voice.

"No need to trouble them. I can manage on my own. When I return, you can send someone to take over the territory." Du Fan waved his hand, somewhat impatiently.

"What! The chieftain wants to go alone? Absolutely not! Now that you are the chieftain, your life and death are in your hands and the safety of the entire village is at stake. I will never agree to this!" Old Shen's expression suddenly changed, and he flicked his sleeves, his attitude unusually firm.

Du Fan frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then realized that he had gone a bit too far. Moreover, without a single bandit, his plan would indeed be less convenient to carry out. Thinking of this, Du Fan smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting:

"I didn't think things through beforehand, please don't take offense, Elders. How about this, I'll bring two brothers with me on this trip. After all, when it comes to raiding a stronghold, it's not a matter of strength in numbers. If you have too many people, the other side will look down on you."

"I'll go with you." Tian Wu said abruptly, stepping forward with a serious expression.

"Women shouldn't interfere in men's affairs. Old Shen, could you please help me choose two men... males?" Du Fan glanced at the woman and said without any politeness, then stood up and walked out of the room without looking back.

"You...bastard!" Tian Wu's face turned red, she gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.

"Alas, Wu'er, you really should change your temper, otherwise you will suffer in the future," Old Wu sighed softly.

"Brother Shen, are we just going to let this brat run wild?" The cunning old man who hadn't spoken until now had a dark expression on his face, and a hint of anger appeared between his brows as he spoke in a cold voice.

"What? That kid? He's our chieftain!" Old Shen glared and corrected him seriously. Then he sighed and continued, "The chieftain is in his prime, so it's inevitable that he's a bit impetuous. In my opinion, that's not necessarily a bad thing."

As for the Kunwu Sect, which numbers several dozen people, they're nothing special. If we wanted, we would have absorbed them years ago. Using them now to establish the chieftain's authority is a good option. Alright, let's prepare according to the chieftain's wishes.”

……

After returning to the bamboo house, Du Fan immediately dropped the arrogance and recklessness he had deliberately displayed, and returned to his own calm and restraint.

He came to the bedside, sat cross-legged on it, and carefully considered the events of the past two days. Finding nothing wrong, he closed his eyes and began to cultivate with the help of ginseng essential oil.

At dawn the next day, Du Fan finished his cultivation and got up to leave the bamboo house.

It was just dawn, and most of the bandits were fast asleep in their rooms. However, outside the bamboo house where Du Fan lived, three people were standing there.

One of them was none other than Tian Wu, the former leader of Green Forest Village and now its second-in-command. The other two were two burly, strong men whom Du Fan was unfamiliar with and had probably never met before.

"Jiang Fei and Hu Zicheng greet the chieftain!" The two burly men stepped forward in unison, clasped their hands in a salute.

"Chief Li... these two brothers are the ones Elder Wu carefully selected for you. They are highly skilled in martial arts, not much worse than me, and they have rich experience in the martial world. They are reliable in their work, so you can take them with you without worry. If there is any emergency, they can naturally lend you a hand." Tian Wu reluctantly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Du Fan and said in a somewhat stiff tone.

"Thank you for your trouble, Second Boss. Let's go." Du Fan nodded expressionlessly, then flicked his sleeves and led the two bandits toward the gate of the stronghold.