After taking down Brother Sum, Chen Ye's reputation skyrocketed.
As the new leader of the Axe Gang, none of the other participants in the Reincarnation Space dared to utter a word in protest.
Then, Chen Ye issued a new order, instructing the entire Axe Gang to keep an eye out for Sing.
With that command, Chen Ye resumed his hands-off approach. He only had one month in this world, so he had no interest in power struggles.
He left the daily affairs of the Axe Gang to the Advisor and the Third-in-Command. The Advisor managed internal matters and finances, while the Third-in-Command oversaw the territories.
In this setup, the Third-in-Command, while still nominally in that position, gained much more power. So, it was no surprise that he fully supported Brother Sum's demise.
…
One morning, while Chen Ye was having breakfast, a subordinate came to report.
"Boss, there's an old man at the door who seems quite skilled. He says he's an old acquaintance of yours and wants to see you."
"Oh?"
Chen Ye glanced at his subordinate, noticing the bruises on his face, and chuckled. "Let him in."
He already had a good idea of who it was.
A moment later, a disheveled old man in flip-flops was brought in.
Chen Ye didn't get up, but smiled and said, "I didn't expect the great Beast of Fire Cloud to pay me a visit. Forgive me for not greeting you properly."
The others in the room were confused. They had never heard of The Beast and had no idea what that name signified.
"Shura, I came to ask you—are you human or a god?" The Beast asked as soon as he saw Chen Ye.
Last time, during their sparring match, Chen Ye's final move left him deeply shaken, even after all these days.
After over ten days of recovery, The Beast's injuries had improved significantly, and his skin seemed to have shed a layer, growing fresh and new. However, the few strands of hair he had were completely gone, leaving him completely bald.
"Sit down and have some breakfast first, old man," Chen Ye invited.
The Beast didn't refuse, sitting down at the table and starting to eat a bun. "You still haven't answered my question," he said between bites.
"Of course, I'm human," Chen Ye replied.
The Beast stared at him intently before asking, "Then how did you summon lightning that day? How can a human control thunder and lightning?"
"Oh, that's just one of my magical items."
"Magical item?" The Beast's eyes gleamed. "An artifact of the immortals?"
Chen Ye thought for a moment and nodded. "Something like that..."
The Thunder God's Hammer could indeed summon lightning, so calling it an immortal artifact wasn't too far off.
The Beast's eyes widened. "Does that mean immortals really exist in this world?"
Chen Ye suddenly smiled. "I don't know about immortals, but martial arts have no limits. Old man, there are martial arts in this world that can rival the powers of gods and ghosts. If you're not busy, why not stay here with me for a while? Soon, I'll show you miracles!"
"Miracles?" The Beast was taken aback, but then quickly agreed, "Alright!"
He had actually come today to see if he could learn some of Chen Ye's abilities. Once he mastered them, he planned to kill Chen Ye and reclaim his title as the invincible champion.
But Chen Ye's words piqued his interest. If someone as powerful as Chen Ye called it a miracle, it had to be something extraordinary. Since he was bored anyway, why not wait and see?
Just then, a subordinate pointed to the sky in the distance and said, "Boss, look! Someone has fired a signal flare."
Chen Ye looked up and saw a large "firework" explode in the sky far away. The firework then formed the shape of an axe—a clear signal.
He had been with the Axe Gang for a little over ten days, so he knew this was a distress signal sent by a member in great danger.
A single signal arrow, and the whole gang would come to help!
Such a signal was only used in dire situations, and once it was sent, everyone who saw it was required to respond and assist.
Even though Chen Ye was the leader, he couldn't just ignore the rules. Besides, if he gained a reputation for ignoring distress calls, no one would respect him.
"Prepare to move out!" Chen Ye immediately ordered.
At once, the subordinates began their preparations.
Chen Ye stood up and, looking at The Beast who was still eating breakfast, asked, "Old man, want to come along and take a look?"
The Beast shook his head. "No interest!"
He was a martial arts fanatic, only interested in pursuing higher levels of martial arts. He had no interest in mundane matters.
"Then stay here and relax," Chen Ye said as he turned and left.
Outside, he got into the car.
About an hour later, the car arrived at a remote and rundown area.
From the outside, it looked like a block of tenement buildings. The sign at the entrance read "Pig Sty Alley" in large, prominent characters.
"So, this is the place!" Chen Ye said with a smile.
Once the car stopped, a subordinate immediately came over to open the door for Chen Ye.
Chen Ye got out of the car and led his group of followers into the courtyard.
Inside, many Axe Gang members had already gathered. When they saw Chen Ye, they all lowered their heads in unison and greeted him, "Boss!!"
The chorus of voices was quite intimidating.
The ordinary villagers were so frightened that they hid inside their houses, too scared to come out.
Chen Ye scanned the area and noticed that all the participants in the Reincarnation Space were among the Axe Gang members.
He didn't mind them infiltrating the gang to complete their tasks, as long as they didn't interfere with his plans.
"Boss!" The Advisor approached, pretending to be distraught. "The Third-in-Command… he's not going to make it!"
"Take me to him."
The Advisor led Chen Ye to a large iron tub. Inside, the Third-in-Command was twisted in an unnatural position, his spine clearly broken.
At that moment, the Third-in-Command was foaming at the mouth, barely clinging to life.
Seeing this, Chen Ye felt a bit speechless.
The inertia of history was strong indeed. Even though he had made so many changes to the Axe Gang, the Third-in-Command still ended up coming to Pig Sty Alley to meet his end, just like in the original story…
"Who did this?" Chen Ye asked calmly.
Hearing his question, the Axe Gang members immediately surrounded the entire Pig Sty Alley, ensuring no one could escape.