The feeling of being looked down upon made Tan Mu very unhappy.
“If you want to become the gang leader, it’s simple—just take me out. Of course, you might end up getting taken out by me instead.”
A fierce glint flashed in Tan Mu’s eyes, and her gaze turned ferocious.
In the chaotic mix of Cloud City, becoming the leader of a faction meant Tan Mu was no simple character.
“Then come at me.”
Chen Qing took the longsword from Su Mu. In truth, taking out Tan Mu was as simple for her as taking out that Liu Yi from the tea stall.
Tan Mu was fairly strong, but only at the peak of second-rate—not even a match for Shen Ling.
However, her practical combat experience surpassed most martial artists, so her true strength was definitely beyond second-rate.
But in Chen Qing’s eyes, they were all opponents she could cut down with a single sword stroke.
Seeing how serious Chen Qing looked, Tan Mu solemnly dismissed her underlings.
She wanted to see just what this sudden interloper was capable of.
Su Mu, hiding behind Chen Qing, sensed the tense atmosphere and voluntarily stepped back a few paces.
The vibe felt just like a duel between two great heroes in a TV drama.
Thinking of those cool scenes from TV dramas, Su Mu watched the two women with excitement.
Though she knew Chen Qing was incredibly powerful and could easily take her out, Su Mu had never truly seen her fight before.
But now that she herself was a second-rate expert, even this hateful Villain, Chen Qing, probably couldn’t dispatch her as effortlessly as before.
If her strength kept improving steadily like this, she’d have a real shot at counter-killing this detestable Villain.
Imagining the scene of turning the tables on Chen Qing in the future, Su Mu’s heart raced with excitement.
Chen Qing had no idea what Su Mu, hiding off to the side, was fantasizing about.
But as she faced Tan Mu, she couldn’t shake the feeling of strange eyes watching her from behind.
Tan Mu caught that flicker of distraction from Chen Qing. She never imagined her opponent would dare to get distracted during their duel.
She was far too arrogant. Tan Mu would make her pay for that underestimation.
Tan Mu seized the moment, striking at what she perceived as an opening in Chen Qing’s defense.
But the next second, Tan Mu’s body froze in place.
A cold iron sword was now pressed against her neck.
If she moved even a fraction, the icy blade would slice her skin and draw warm blood.
The duel’s outcome stunned everyone else present. The Wild Wolf Gang members had pegged Chen Qing as nothing more than an arrogant hothead.
They never dreamed their mighty Boss would be instantly defeated.
Only Su Mu had anticipated Chen Qing’s win, but even she hadn’t expected it to be so quick—or so utterly uneventful.
She’d been hoping for a legendary clash between experts, only for the opponent to lose that fast.
Seeing Chen Qing victorious, Su Mu hurriedly put on a delighted expression, clapped her hands, and shouted, “Amazing!”
But after a couple of shouts with no one joining in, her fair, delicate face flushed bright red, and her voice grew quieter.
She’d meant to use the moment to win some favor with Chen Qing, but instead, she’d socially imploded.
Watching Su Mu cheer for her, Chen Qing’s lips curved into an involuntary smile.
She knew it was all an act, but she couldn’t help enjoying the sight of Su Mu putting on that show for her.
Chen Qing withdrew the sword from Tan Mu’s neck.
“From now on, I’m the new leader of the Wild Wolf Gang. Bring me the member roster and the list of assets for review.”
With that, Chen Qing walked toward the blushing Su Mu.
Tan Mu watched Chen Qing’s retreating back with complex emotions. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke up.
“By gang rules, you have to kill me to become the new leader.”
“I’m the leader now, and I’ve changed the rules. Beating the previous leader is enough from here on out.”
Customs like this ingrained rule in the Wild Wolf Gang weren’t something even a new leader could casually alter.
But Tan Mu wasn’t one to be obstinate. Since Chen Qing had spared her life, she simply dropped to her knees and shouted,
“Greetings, Leader!”
Seeing the former leader kneel, the other underlings exchanged glances and knelt as well.
Tan Mu hadn’t brought many followers, but there were still dozens. The sight of them all kneeling and crying out “Boss” was impressive.
Chen Qing deliberately positioned herself beside Su Mu, giving her the illusion that they were bowing to her too.
Chen Qing was quite at ease in such situations. After briefly instructing Tan Mu to fetch the Wild Wolf Gang’s member roster and asset list, she dismissed the crowd around them.
Once the large group dispersed, the socially anxious Su Mu let out a sigh of relief.
All those strangers and the big commotion earlier had put considerable pressure on her.
With them gone, the open space felt much more comfortable.
But Su Mu had barely relaxed for a few seconds when spotting Chen Qing beside her made her tense right back up.
Chen Qing wore her usual indifferent expression, but Su Mu couldn’t shake the feeling that she was plotting something against her.
This time, though, Chen Qing did nothing malicious to Su Mu. She simply shoved the sword into her arms and continued walking ahead.
“Keep up, or you’re on your own if you get lost.”
Chen Qing led the way. Su Mu, trailing behind, glanced at the dense cluster of buildings around them.
She hurriedly quickened her pace, trotting along after Chen Qing.
Su Mu figured that if she lost sight of Chen Qing amid all these structures, she really might get lost.
Somehow, Chen Qing found the Wild Wolf Gang’s Main Hall.
Tan Mu, whom they’d only just parted from, was directing a group of underlings in rummaging through chests and cabinets, pulling out bamboo slips one after another.
But those bamboo slips looked like they had some years on them.
Spotting Chen Qing, Tan Mu gave an awkward smile.
“Leader, those things you asked for aren’t used much normally. I’ll have everyone search carefully.”
Chen Qing eyed the pile of aged bamboo slips, her expression unchanging.
“I’ll wait here. Bring them to me when you find them.”
Chen Qing stood calmly, which instilled a sense of urgency in the underlings as they rummaged.
A new boss meant three fires to light—they had no desire to be the kindling.
Their originally sluggish movements grew brisk under Chen Qing’s supervision.
Chen Qing had the patience to stand and watch them search, but Su Mu’s temperament wasn’t so enduring.
After zoning out for a bit, her gaze began wandering everywhere.
The Main Hall was built impressively tall, and the decorations looked quite valuable.
Su Mu quietly shuffled over to a vase.
Confirming Chen Qing wasn’t watching, she relaxed and closely examined the large vase before her.
Su Mu didn’t know much about antiques, but this vase clearly wasn’t cheap.
If she could somehow take it back to the real world, she wouldn’t have to grind away at live streaming for months.
