Holding the Gang Leader Hostage to Protect Justice

No one paid any attention to the fleeing Feng Shiyi. With the gang leader under attack, the Iron Palm Gang had already descended into chaos, and its members rushed forward one after another.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

"Save the gang leader, quickly!"

In no time at all, Dug was surrounded by the Iron Palm Gang. He stopped stabbing Qiu Yuanlang in the lower back and pressed a small throwing knife to the back of his neck. The tip pushed lightly, piercing the skin. "Gang Leader Qiu, tell them to stand down."

"Don't move."

Qiu Yuanlang panted heavily as he shouted the command.

Other than the first two strikes, the later stabs had not gone deep. But Dug had stabbed him far too many times! No matter how powerful his Internal Energy was, being stabbed still hurt. Lose too much blood, and anyone would grow faint. Qiu Yuanlang felt as though his lower back was about to be poked full of holes like a sieve. Besides, Dug's first two strikes had injured his lungs and internal organs. By now, he was struggling to hold on.

Moreover, he could feel the arm around his neck tightening more and more. If this continued, even if the little knife did not stab him to death, he would suffocate.

Qiu Yuanlang had not truly believed that Feng Qi had been possessed by a Heavenly Demon, but now he did.

He knew exactly how powerful his palm strike was, and he knew Feng Qi's arm had been crushed in several places. It took a hundred days even to recover from torn muscles and broken bones, yet in such a short time, Feng Qi's arm had already returned to normal. It was even stronger than before. No human could possibly possess such recovery. He truly was a Heavenly Demon.

If the two of them continued struggling, Qiu Yuanlang would undoubtedly be the first to die.

"Release the gang leader, or I'll make sure you die without a burial ground!" one hall master barked harshly, gripping a long saber and staring intently at Dug.

Another hall master seized Wang San, placing a longsword against his throat as he threatened, "Release the gang leader, or I'll kill your companion first."

Wang San still held the severed hand he had picked up earlier, stroking it obsessively as though he had no idea of his current situation. Every now and then, he raised his head to glance at Feng Qi, resentment in his eyes, yet he said nothing.

With a blade already at his throat, he did not dare speak at all. What if the other man panicked and slit his throat in fright? Who would he complain to then? "Threatening me with him is useless. For the righteousness of the martial world, anyone can be sacrificed. Feng Qi can be sacrificed, and naturally Wang San can too." Madness glinted in Dug's eyes. "If one Feng Qi dies, there will naturally be tens of thousands more Feng Qis who rise up to continue fighting you."

"You think saying that means I won't dare kill him? Release the gang leader." The hall master pressed down with his sword, immediately leaving a bloody line on Wang San's neck. Yet as Wang San stroked the severed hand, the wound slowly healed.

Even so, Wang San still shuddered instinctively.

"You release the gang leader, and I'll release him," the hall master said anxiously.

The classic movie and television trick of villains using hostages to threaten good people? He was not falling for that! "Kill him, then." Dug chuckled. "If your intelligence is accurate, you should know that I didn't even know him a day ago. Besides, Heavenly Demons compete against one another—they are enemies to begin with. Killing him causes me no loss whatsoever."

"..." The man fell silent.

"Did you hear that? I told you long ago that capturing me was useless," Wang San said gloomily.

"Han Zuo, release him." Qiu Yuanlang glanced at him and called out loudly.

"Gang Leader." The hall master named Han Zuo hesitated, but did not move.

"Release him. I'm not dead yet—do my words no longer count?" Qiu Yuanlang snapped.

"Yes, Gang Leader." Han Zuo's expression darkened as he unwillingly released Wang San.

Wang San gave him a disdainful look, hugged the severed hand he had collected, and leisurely walked over to Dug's side.

"Seventh Master's methods truly are extraordinary." Qiu Yuanlang steadied his emotions. "Since you did not kill me at once, you must be considering a way out for yourself! How about this? Release me, and I will personally see to it that you are allowed to leave. What happened tonight will be forgotten. What do you say? If we drag this out and I die, I'm afraid you will never leave the Iron Palm Gang again."

"Gang Leader Qiu, Feng Qi is killing you to uphold the righteous spirit of the martial world..." Dug insisted.

"The martial world is full of flies and dogs scrambling for profit. Of the five sects and three schools, who dares claim their own house is spotless? Without trickery and plunder, how would they have attained their positions today?" Qiu Yuanlang sneered. "If you kill me, will the atmosphere of the martial world become clean?"

He took several ragged breaths. "Seventh Master, you possess supernatural powers, and I possess martial strength. If the two of us cooperate and jointly control the Iron Palm Gang, enjoying glory and wealth, would that not be wonderful? Seventh Master is a clever man. If you truly acted for the martial world's righteousness, you would have killed Qiu long ago. Why put on such a show, restraining me as a hostage..."

"Gang Leader Qiu, one person's strength naturally cannot turn around the crooked winds and evil currents of this martial world. That is why I did not strike to kill you!" Dug suddenly smiled. Looking at the two hall masters opposite him and the gang members eyeing him like tigers watching prey, he said, "Gang Leader, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Heavenly Demons mingling among the people. For their own selfish interests, they may throw the martial world into chaos at any moment. Whenever I think of such a thing happening, my heart aches bitterly.

"Therefore, I not only wish to uphold the martial world's righteousness, but also to quell the turmoil soon to come and preserve peace in the martial world. Gang Leader Qiu, my original intent was to have you assist me, to borrow the Iron Palm Gang's strength and together uphold the justice of the martial world. Drive out the Heavenly Demons and return a bright, clear sky to the martial world..."

"..." Wang San's breathing caught. He suddenly understood Feng Qi's intentions. This bastard really had flipped the table again. He was dead set on racing wildly down the road to his own destruction! What a lunatic!

Qiu Yuanlang spat out a mouthful of blood. If you wanted to deal with others, then deal with others—why did you need such a grand and righteous excuse? If you wanted to recruit me, did you have to beat me half to death first? Couldn't we have discussed it properly? Who did things like this?

Uphold the martial world's righteousness? Bah!

"Fine, I agree," Qiu Yuanlang said urgently.

"You agreed so readily—could there be a trick?" Dug froze for a moment and asked.

"A trick my ass!" Qiu Yuanlang said furiously. "Don't you know how many times you stabbed me? If I keep negotiating with you, I'm fucking dead! If I die, who among them can make the decisions?"

"..." Dug paused, then gave an awkward laugh. "Gang Leader Qiu is right."

"If you want to cooperate, quickly find someone to treat my wounds..." Having finally learned Dug's true demand, Qiu Yuanlang's willpower, which had been holding him up, instantly slackened. After hurriedly saying that sentence, his body went limp, and he swiftly fell unconscious.

The arm Dug had around his neck suddenly dropped with his weight. Dug hurriedly tightened his grip to support Qiu Yuanlang, then reached out to check his breathing. He urgently shouted, "Han Zuo, what are you standing around for? Go find someone to treat the gang leader's wounds! If the gang leader dies, you'll be the sinner of the Iron Palm Gang."

"..." Han Zuo nearly choked on his anger. Fuck, the gang leader was obviously beaten half to death by you. How does his death become my responsibility?

Complaints aside, he did not dare delay. He shot Dug a vicious glare, then sprang away in a few leaps to find a physician within the gang.

The remaining gang members still surrounded Dug like tigers watching prey, afraid he might escape.

Dug smiled faintly. The arm around Qiu Yuanlang's neck supported him, while the throwing knife in his other hand pressed against Qiu Yuanlang's throat. He looked toward the remaining hall master. "Hall Master, please restrain your men. The gang leader and I have just reached an agreement to cooperate. I would not want his passing to ruin the great peace soon to arrive in the martial world. Then Feng Qi would become the sinner of the entire martial world."

Wang San glanced at Dug, his heart violently shaken. Holy shit, this guy actually pulled it off!

It had only been two days! Feng Qi had actually taken a quasi-first-rate expert hostage and turned a dignified second-tier major gang into his own support. Was there any justice in this world? Without drawing attention, he opened his personal profile and looked at his rank, which had risen to 33. He could not help swallowing. Even he, who had merely chimed in from the sidelines, had advanced more than two hundred places. Feng Qi, who had led the whole affair, was probably already first in the Simulation Arena!

Among the Iron Palm Gang's disciples, one lowly lackey who had witnessed everything stared wide-eyed at Dug and Wang San in disbelief, nearly going mad.

Who the hell were these two? They were too fierce!

I finally managed to gain a foothold in the Iron Palm Gang and was preparing to find a chance to climb upward, but you guys went and took over the Iron Palm Gang. That makes me look completely useless!