The Foundation Was Set

Dug looked up.

Wang San's arm holding the blade was stained red with blood, and his willow-leaf saber had long since fallen to the ground.

At that moment, he seemed crazed as he clutched Qiu Yuanlang's head, venting his emotions. With his uninjured hand, he tore open the bandages around Qiu Yuanlang's wound and clawed at it wildly. "Why? I clearly gave you a chance..."

Qiu Yuanlang howled and struggled in agony, his face filled with terror. Like a frightened child, he repeatedly struck Wang San's lower back with his palm and babbled incoherently, "No, let me go! You demon, let me go! Let me leave..."

Qiu Feilong charged at Wang San with his saber, trying to save his father.

At the sight of Qiu Feilong, Wang San's eyes turned bloodshot. He suddenly raised his hand and lifted Qiu Yuanlang before him as a shield, grinning viciously. "My dear, are you going to kill me too?"

Wang San had suffered internal injuries from Qiu Yuanlang's blows. When he opened his mouth, it was full of blood.

Yandere's Fear amplified his terrifying appearance, frightening Qiu Feilong badly. With his father being used as a shield by Wang San, his grip involuntarily loosened. Clang! His long saber fell to the ground. "No!"

Seeing Qiu Feilong ruin such a favorable situation, Dug's anger flared. Grabbing Feng Zhong by the neck, he activated Backstab and charged straight at Qiu Feilong.

Bang! With one kick, he sent Qiu Feilong flying more than five meters. Blood sprayed through the air as he crashed onto the ground. After struggling a few times, he fell unconscious, his fate unknown.

Affected by Yandere's Fear and with his wound being torn at by Wang San, Qiu Yuanlang passed out as well from pain and terror.

At the sight, all the Iron Palm Gang members who had rushed over to surround Wang San froze where they stood.

They stared fearfully at Dug and Wang San, trembling. They did not dare move, nor did they dare run.

The townspeople who had been crying injustice moments ago did not dare approach either, watching from afar.

Dug released Feng Zhong's neck, walked over, and took Qiu Yuanlang from Wang San's hands. Holding him high, he said, "Justice must be upheld with thunderous methods. Fellow townspeople, do not be afraid. The Qiu father and son, who disrupted the order of our gathering, have already been captured by us.

"Qiu Yuanlang was the former leader of the Iron Palm Gang, a renowned first-rate martial artist. Yet now, he is like a scrap of cloth, easily handled in my hands. Qiu Feilong practiced Martial Arts for more than thirty years, but he could not last even one exchange against me. What are you still worried about? Are you afraid these two pieces of trash will rise again and take control of your fates once more?

"When I had a sword at his throat, your worries made sense. But now he is half-dead. What are you still afraid of? What you should fear is your own lack of spirit, your own weakness in not daring to believe in justice.

"If you do not even dare save yourselves while I am here, then who in this world will be able to save you in the future? Fellow townspeople, do not chill this righteous heart of mine. Today, I will put away my sword and leave Qiu Yuanlang here. Let us see who dares come save him.

"Come. Those who bear grievances, those with courage, come back and continue. I will help you seek justice. Let us uphold justice to the very end..."

"Liu Cheng, stop playing dead over there. Come maintain order, and find someone to see whether the Qiu father and son can still be saved." Without needing to hold a sword to Qiu Yuanlang's throat, Dug's confidence instead surged. He tossed Qiu Yuanlang onto the table and sat behind it with imposing authority. "What are you standing around for? Line up, hear the cases. From now on, there are no more supreme elders. I am the leader of the Peacekeeping Gang."

The former Iron Palm Gang members acting as constables were intimidated by Dug's bearing. Holding their short staffs, they hurriedly returned to their positions and swiftly restored order.

Han Zuo and Qiu Muqian had taken the opportunity of apologizing to discuss countermeasures in Luyang City and had yet to return. Qiu Feilong's life or death was unknown as well. Of the Iron Palm Gang's upper ranks, only Liu Cheng remained. When his gaze met Dug's from afar, his heart jolted. He obediently walked back, dropped to one knee before Dug, and clasped his fists. "Liu Cheng, Hall Master of the Peacekeeping Gang's Hidden Dragon Hall, greets the gang leader."

So he was surrendering!

Dug's eyes lit up. Sure enough, threats alone could not get things done. As long as Qiu Yuanlang remained alive, they would feel that he did not have full control of the situation, leaving them with a sliver of hope for a comeback.

Only by crushing those thoughts and leaving them with no way out could he truly make this force his own.

Wang San had stumbled into doing something good.

Of course, circumstances were different now. Yesterday, he had not possessed the strength to suppress everything. Without Qiu Yuanlang as a tool, he would have long been hacked to pieces by their blades.

Spider-Man had been right: with greater ability came greater influence.

"Good." Dug came around from behind the table and personally helped Liu Cheng up. "You are right. What Iron Palm Gang is there anymore? From now on, there is only the Peacekeeping Gang. Liu Cheng, the Peacekeeping Gang was born for righteousness under heaven. There is no need for any Flying Dragon or Hidden Dragon. From this moment on, you are the Hall Master of the Peacekeeping Gang's Justice Hall."

Whew! Liu Cheng let out a breath of relief and knelt again. "Liu Cheng thanks the gang leader for disregarding past grievances. From today onward, Liu Cheng is willing to serve the gang leader in every capacity, even unto death."

"No, not for me. For justice under heaven and peace in the martial world." Dug helped him up again, raised his hand, and said fervently, "Let us devote ourselves together to righteousness, peace, order, faith, ideals, and every beautiful thing worth protecting, until death."

How embarrassing! At that moment, a faint trace of regret flashed through Liu Cheng's heart. But he was already riding a tiger and could not get off. He forced out a smile. "Yes, Gang Leader."

The sudden turn of events had frightened the townspeople. Even though Dug swiftly brought the situation under control afterward, they continued to watch from a distance, not daring to come over.

Dug simply ignored them and turned his gaze toward the Iron Palm Gang members. "And you. I know many of you have made mistakes and are worried that I will punish you.

"But no one is perfect, and no gold is without flaw. When those above set a bad example, those below follow it. Growing up in the filthy environment of the Iron Palm Gang, it was inevitable that you would be influenced by them. At birth, human nature is good. Who is born evil? Most of you took the wrong path because, in this world, if you did not bully others, others would bully you. Over time, you strayed onto the crooked road. That is not entirely your fault.

"Therefore, I have decided to give you a chance to turn over a new leaf. Unless your crimes were truly heinous, I will do my best to compensate the victims with money for the harm you caused before.

"But I hope that from now on, you will turn toward the light. Become upright, truly good people—the kind others give a thumbs-up to when you walk down the road, rather than the kind they point at behind your backs."

The former Iron Palm Gang members stirred restlessly, whispering among themselves.

"Well said!"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

Then, cheers, shouts of approval, and applause rose one after another, merging into a single wave.

Dug raised his hand high, then lowered it. The scene quieted once again. He swept his gaze across the Iron Palm Gang members. "I know what you are worried about. You are afraid that if you follow me, you will not have food to eat. But I am a Heavenly Demon. Money is the last thing I care about. Besides, the Iron Palm Gang's vast estate was not built by me. I can guarantee that as long as you sincerely support the Peacekeeping Gang, everyone's previous wages will be doubled."

He paused. "You help me uphold righteousness, and I will protect you. I will keep you safe and ensure you are clothed and fed."

As soon as he said this—

The Iron Palm Gang members who had not committed many evil deeds to begin with quickly wavered. Before long, someone stepped forward. "Gang Leader, I am willing to join the Peacekeeping Gang and serve you."

"I am willing to serve the Gang Leader too."

"I am willing too."

More and more people stepped forward.

The situation was stronger than the people. They were not Qiu Yuanlang, nor did they have his farsighted vision. Neither were they hall masters or branch masters. They had little savings to begin with, and once they left the Iron Palm Gang, they had nowhere else to go.

Feng Qi had promised to absolve their crimes and raise their wages, so why not stay? Working for one person was the same as working for another. Dug looked over the crowd with a smile. "Good, good, good. I knew most of you had justice in your hearts. You merely lacked an opportunity. Liu Cheng, after today's public trial, register everyone anew..."

Thanks to Eyebrows on Fire Appetizer and Salmonella Lord 1 for their Alliance Leader support. When Eyebrows on Fire Appetizer became an Alliance Leader earlier, the chapter had been scheduled for release, so I did not add an author's note. I had planned to thank him after the novel went premium. I never expected Salmonella Lord 1 to become another Alliance Leader yesterday. If I still said nothing, it would seem ungrateful. Cotton-Clad Guard thanks these two Alliance Leaders for their support. Once the novel goes premium, I will post extra chapters for you. ^_^