Footsteps drew closer, a dense tide of them, arriving with a thunderous roar.
The neighbors nearby shut their doors and windows tight.
"We're done for. Zhao Er is completely done for."
They knew the newcomers were all members of the gangs, each one a vicious sort. They had no idea what Zhao Er had done to provoke these calamities.
Lin Fan grabbed Master Li by the back of the neck and took him outside. Then, as if he were throwing out garbage, he flung Master Li to the ground.
Looking at the scene before him, there were at least twenty or thirty people.
Not that many.
The Skyrocket Signal had been conspicuous, but many people had already gone home. Even if they saw it, they pretended they hadn't. They only got a few taels of silver each month—why risk their lives?
The ones who'd come now were all trusted underlings of Yuan Jiang.
Seeing the large group arrive, Master Li felt much more at ease. He wasn't nearly as frightened as before.
"Lin, you're finished. So what if you can fight? When you're out in the world, what matters is your status, your connections, and your underlings. I gave you a chance to make peace, but you refused. You're dead for sure."
"Who? Who's got the gall to oppose me, Yuan Jiang?" Yuan Jiang stepped out with a sinister look and demanded angrily. When he saw who it was, he jolted in surprise. "It's you, Lin Fan of the Loyalty Hall."
At those words,
the Fierce Tiger Gang members felt a sudden, inexplicable unease.
If anyone had been making waves lately, it was Lin Fan of the Loyalty Hall. They'd heard he was incredibly good at fighting, a downright monster.
"It's your grandpa," Lin Fan said.
Yuan Jiang's face darkened, fury blazing in his eyes. The main reason he hadn't launched an attack on Jili Pier lately was that he feared this fellow who'd appeared out of nowhere.
He was too good at fighting.
He could be said to be someone capable of affecting the entire situation.
Yuan Jiang had no idea where that bastard Wang Changhai had found someone so formidable.
Yuan Jiang glanced at his underlings gradually closing in behind him, and a thought seemed to occur to him. He swept his hand through the air and roared:
"Beat him to death!"
"Whoever kills him gets a hundred taels!"
The moment he promised a hundred taels, the underlings who'd still been somewhat timid lit up with greed, as if they'd taken a drug.
A hundred taels?
Enough to make them forget their fear.
Yuan Jiang wanted to cripple Lin Fan. If he could do that, it would be like cutting off both of Wang Changhai's arms. Holding on to Jili Pier would be nothing but a pipe dream.
As the gang members charged at him, Lin Fan didn't panic in the slightest. The first underling to reach him clutched a sharp axe and swung it viciously at Lin Fan's head.
Lin Fan shifted aside and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying five or six meters and scattering the group's formation.
Others nearby swung their clubs at him.
His arms swept out like clubs, and every blow landed with the strength of an ox, sending out a series of dull thuds. No one could withstand even a single strike. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight people were sprawled on the ground, wailing in pain.
Zhao Er came charging out of the house, clutching two rusty cleavers.
"Brother, don't be afraid. I'm here to help!"
As for why he'd only come out now, it was mainly because finding the cleavers had taken a little time—and because he'd knelt before his mother.
Your son has failed you. I can't care for you in your old age or see you off when you die.
Every buff was stacked.
He was ready to risk his life.
But when he charged out, the sight before him left Zhao Er dumbfounded.
Wait, what was going on?
He knew Brother Lin could fight, but he'd never imagined he could fight this well. The ground was covered with people, all groaning and screaming.
Brother Lin looked like a god of war. He hoisted a man up with one hand and hurled him forward, knocking down several more. It was truly astonishing.
Yuan Jiang's scalp went numb, and his head buzzed.
"Charge! Charge!"
He could only roar.
He hoped they could wear Lin Fan down.
Security Bureau.
"Master, what was that firework just now?" Yang Ming asked, puzzled.
Song Qing said, "That's the Fierce Tiger Gang's signal. Looks like another fight has broken out."
"Ah, should we go stop them?"
"No need to get involved. Let them fight it out."
Song Qing shook his head. Some matters were beyond their ability to interfere with, even if he was a constable. The Fierce Tiger Gang had deep ties to the authorities, and the authorities turned a blind eye to them.
It was anyone's guess whether he and his apprentice could return safely if they went over there.
As for calling over their other colleagues, that was a pipe dream. Those colleagues were all old hands at dodging trouble. Once they knew the fight involved the Fierce Tiger Gang, getting them to intervene would be harder than killing them.
Sun Manor.
Steward Li reported, "Master, rest assured. This matter is all but certain. I can guarantee I'll bring Lin Fan over to our side."
"Good, good. As long as you bring him over, I'll give you top credit. When the opportunity comes, I'll help you rise to a higher position." Sun Xiao drew him a tempting picture. Armies were easy to come by; talent was hard to find.
Clearly, Lin Fan was the kind of talent he wanted.
They'd spent quite a bit of silver lately, but as long as they got something in return, it would all be worth it.
"Thank you, Master."
Steward Li was delighted. As for what he'd just said, he'd been bragging. He wasn't sure he could bring Lin Fan over. The main thing was, he'd noticed the young man seemed slippery.
It felt as though Lin Fan was stringing him along, apparently just to freeload off him.
Of course, Steward Li didn't mind. He could use the opportunity to freeload, too. After all, the silver being spent belonged to the master. With someone else footing the bill, what did he have to worry about?
Just then,
a gang member hurried in. "Steward Li, something's happened! Something terrible!"
Steward Li looked at the newcomer. He was a spy Steward Li had planted by Yuan Jiang's side—really, he'd planted him for the master. Some of the branch leaders were harboring ulterior motives these days, so planting a few people was perfectly normal.
"What happened?" Steward Li asked.
Sun Xiao drank his tea without changing expression. He never bothered with little things like this, leaving everything to Steward Li.
"Yuan Jiang has gathered a large group and gone to the shantytown. He's going to, going to beat someone up."
Steward Li frowned. "If he's beating someone up, then he's beating someone up. Why are you rushing in here like this?"
"No, it's Lin Fan, the man from the Loyalty Hall at Jili Pier, he's going after."
"Ah..."
Hearing this, Steward Li jumped up on the spot and grabbed the gang member by the collar. "What did you say? Who's he going after?"
"Lin Fan."
"Fuck him!"
Steward Li's expression changed in an instant. He was so frantic he was practically burning up. "Master, this really is a disaster! I'd already planned to lay my cards on the table with Lin Fan tomorrow and tell him outright about switching gangs. But now this has happened. It's over. It's all over. All the effort I put in has gone down the drain."
"All that wine we drank, all that food we ate, all that silver we spent—it's all been wasted because of that fool Yuan Jiang."
"Damn him. Damn him to hell. He can't get anything done, but he sure knows how to ruin things."
"He's wrecked the master's great plan!"
Steward Li's face flushed red, the veins in his neck bulging as he frantically dumped the blame onto Yuan Jiang.
He'd already been wondering what excuse to come up with in case he failed to bring Lin Fan over.
After all, he'd spent so much silver and still hadn't gotten the job done. Even as the master's trusted aide, he'd have a hard time explaining himself.
But now Yuan Jiang had jumped right into the mess of his own accord. If he didn't dump the blame on him, who else could he dump it on?
Be ready, Big Head Yuan. I'm about to dump the blame on you.
Sure enough, Sun Xiao's expression changed too. Yuan Jiang really had ruined his plans.
"Master, I'll hurry over now. Hopefully, there's still a chance to salvage the situation," Steward Li said.
Sun Xiao nodded. "All right, go. But I'll come too. I won't show myself; I'll just see how things stand."
"Yes, Master."
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