Before long, the physician hurried over, applied wound medicine to Qiu Yuanlang, and stopped the bleeding as best he could. Then he ordered the others to carry Qiu Yuanlang back to his quarters for further treatment.
From beginning to end, Du Ge stayed right by Qiu Yuanlang's side, keeping close watch over him with a long sword in hand and tending to him with the utmost care. Every now and then, he asked the physician about his patient's condition. If he hadn't had a sword pressed to the gang leader's neck, he would have been the gang leader's closest friend.
Seeing Feng Qi venture deep into danger, Wang San opened his mouth to say something. After a moment's thought, he swallowed his words and silently followed Du Ge.
Qiu Yuanlang was badly injured. If they took him away, the Iron Palm Sect's people would keep pursuing them. If Qiu Yuanlang died along the bumpy road, they'd have even less room to maneuver. It would be safer to enter the Iron Palm Sect's territory and let Qiu Yuanlang recover in peace...
Feng Qi always managed to make the right choice in the shortest time. Compared to him, Wang San really was too careless in his own deliberations.
The Iron Palm Sect was a martial arts sect, and its disciples were often injured. The physician was well-practiced at treating wounds, but this was the first time he'd seen someone treated with a sword pointed at him. Usually, people used their swords to force physicians to treat the wounded...
If you were worried he'd die, why stab him so many times?
The physician ranted inwardly, but didn't dare make a move. After all, standing beside Du Ge was a hand fetishist who kept grinning at a severed hand. Anyone who went on an assassination attempt with two such bizarre individuals couldn't be normal.
The physician treated the wound with trembling hands, afraid that one slip would earn him the wrath of his own hall leader—not to mention that the two lunatics holding the gang leader hostage might stab him afterward...
"Physician, steady your hands. This is your gang leader, after all. You must keep him alive, or the Iron Palm Sect is finished." Du Ge warned him, then looked at Han Zuo and the others, who were standing close by, and barked, "You two, move aside. You're blocking the physician's light."
"Feng Qi, have you no conscience? The gang leader already agreed to your terms. Can't you let him go so the physician can treat him properly?" Han Zuo glared at Du Ge, furious beyond words.
"Hall Leader Han, our alliance is still fragile. I'm worried that someone might harm me or the gang leader and ruin the promising situation he and I worked so hard to create. Justice must be protected with a long sword. This is a last resort, so I hope you'll understand." Du Ge fell silent for a moment, then said solemnly.
Wang San glanced at Du Ge and silently studied his way with words, while reflecting on his own shortcomings. Compared to Du Ge, his understanding of yandere behavior was too stiff. Du Ge blended it in so naturally that every word and action seemed perfectly in character for Feng Qi. He couldn't help but admire him.
"Fuck you...!" Han Zuo was so furious that his whole body trembled and smoke nearly came out of his ears. His grip tightened and loosened around his sword. He wanted to charge forward and hack Feng Qi into eight pieces, but he couldn't bring himself to attack. He couldn't bear the responsibility of causing the gang leader's death. If the gang leader died, the Iron Palm Sect really would be finished.
"Senior Brother Han, please calm down. We should save the gang leader first." The taciturn hall leader glanced at Du Ge and said coolly, "Once the gang leader wakes up, he'll take care of everything in the sect himself."
"May I ask your name, Hall Leader?" Du Ge looked at him and asked.
"Liu Cheng," the man replied.
"So you're Hall Leader Liu." Du Ge smiled. "You seem calm and composed, like a man destined for great things. Have you informed the other hall leaders and Qiu Yuanlang's family about what happened tonight?"
Liu Cheng paused. "I have."
"When will they arrive?" Du Ge asked.
"Those nearby can be here tomorrow. Those farther away may take three to five days." Liu Cheng was very cooperative, answering every question Du Ge asked.
"Your plan is probably to placate me for now, then wait for everyone else to arrive and discuss how to deal with me, right?" Du Ge asked with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare." Liu Cheng pointed at the unconscious Qiu Yuanlang and answered briefly, "The gang leader is in your hands."
"A person can't go without food and water forever. As long as I have to eat and drink, there'll be a chance to poison me. But few poisons can kill instantly or rob someone of the ability to move, so you probably wouldn't try that."
Du Ge smiled at him. "That leaves only one option: wait until I let my guard down, then send someone to assassinate me and seize the chance to rescue the gang leader. After all, no one can stay alert forever. People have to sleep. Perhaps you already have archers waiting outside, ready to kill me with one shot when I doze off."
Wang San looked up at Liu Cheng, wondering if it was time for him to step in.
But Du Ge hadn't given the word, so he didn't dare act rashly.
They'd been watched ever since Du Ge launched his sudden attack. The two of them hadn't even had a chance to confer.
The situation wasn't part of the plan, and Wang San had no idea how to help.
Fear of the Delicate had too great a drawback. Using it and ruining Feng Qi's plans would only make things worse. So he could only wait quietly, maintain his persona with the severed hand, and silently raise his attributes.
Liu Cheng didn't change expression. "I won't gamble with the gang leader's life. I can't bear the consequences if an archer fails."
"While he's unconscious, of course you wouldn't dare risk his life. That's why you said the gang leader would handle the sect's affairs once he woke up." Du Ge spoke at length, like a detective who had seen through everything. "While Qiu Yuanlang is unconscious, I can do as I please with him. But once he wakes up, with his skills, he shouldn't have much trouble freeing himself from my control. Perhaps you're not only summoning the hall leaders from around the region, but also inviting experts to ensure nothing goes wrong. After all, anyone who's been in the martial world this long must have three or five close friends with comparable skills, right?"
"Seventh Master certainly has a Linglong Heart." Liu Cheng gave a cold laugh and cut Du Ge off. "I don't twist things into knots the way you do. Just relax. Since the gang leader agreed to work with you, no one will touch you before he wakes up."
"No one will touch me before Old Qiu wakes up?" Du Ge said with a smile.
Old Qiu?
A vein throbbed in Liu Cheng's forehead. He held back his anger. "That's right."
"What if he never wakes up?" Du Ge turned to look at the unconscious Qiu Yuanlang, looking eager to try. "If he stays like this—neither waking up nor dying—then I can stay safe and sound forever."
The physician's hand trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Damn it!" Liu Cheng clenched his fist and lunged toward Du Ge, but in the next instant, Du Ge shifted his sword slightly, and Liu Cheng froze. He took a deep breath, glared at Du Ge with a livid face, and finally understood why Han Zuo kept flying into a rage. The way this guy talked was so damn infuriating.
"Much better. You clearly care deeply about Old Qiu, so why act so calm?" Having easily broken through Liu Cheng's emotional defenses, Du Ge gave him an encouraging look. "Hall Leader Liu, a person's mental health is important and needs constant upkeep. Learn from us Heavenly Demons: express your true feelings directly, and life won't be so tiring."
"..." Liu Cheng took a deep breath and didn't want to say another word to Du Ge.
Wang San silently curled his lip. If he weren't weaker than Du Ge, he'd want to slap him twice. Upkeep was a support-type keyword, so why did Du Ge make it sound so damn obnoxious?
"Relax. Old Qiu is my partner now. I still have to join hands with him to build a great enterprise. If you want him dead, I'll have to protect him." Du Ge shook his head and sighed.
"No one wants the gang leader dead," Liu Cheng said through gritted teeth.
"Mm." Du Ge nodded, then changed the subject. "Hall Leaders, why don't we give Old Qiu a surprise?"
Liu Cheng and Han Zuo exchanged a glance, both sensing that something bad was coming. Liu Cheng asked in a trembling voice, "What surprise?"
"To forge iron, you need to be strong yourself. The Iron Palm Sect is rotten to the core, from top to bottom." Du Ge said, "We need to uphold justice, peace, righteousness, and stability in the martial world. With the Iron Palm Sect's current reputation, that clearly won't do. So we must start by putting our own house in order and turn the Iron Palm Sect into a positive, upstanding organization that everyone praises. I think we should rewrite the sect's rules.
"We should investigate everyone in the sect. Any disciple who bullies ordinary people should be executed in public. We should abolish everything from usurious loans to withholding workers' pay. Abductions of women must never happen again. Those already abducted should all be returned, along with compensation...
"Even the core of our business, river transport, should be made cheaper—more affordable for ordinary people..."
"..." Liu Cheng.
"..." Han Zuo.
"The name Iron Palm Sect isn't very good, either. It sounds too violent and doesn't fit our new image of upholding justice in the martial world." Du Ge thought for a moment, then said, "We might as well change the name too. Let's call it the Peacekeeping Gang. Simple and straightforward..."
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