They'd changed the gang's name in the time it took to say a few words?
Was this supposed to be a surprise for the gang leader, or were they digging up his ancestors' graves?
The two hall masters exchanged a glance and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Han Zuo gave Liu Cheng a meaningful look.
With no other choice, Liu Cheng said, "Seventh Master, these matters are too important for us to decide. We should wait until the gang leader wakes up and discuss them with him."
"Hall Master Liu, don't you want Old Qiu to wake up and see the Iron Palm Sect's rapid progress? Before he fell unconscious, Old Qiu agreed to work with me." Du Ge frowned. "Or are you planning to defy the gang leader's orders?"
Rapid progress, my ass. You're treating a chicken feather like a royal decree. Who do you think you are?
You really think you can do whatever you want just because you're holding the gang leader hostage?
Liu Cheng said coldly, "Seventh Master, the gang leader did agree to work with you, but he didn't give us any specific orders. We belong to the Iron Palm Sect, not to you. Unless the gang leader gives us the order himself, we can't carry out your commands."
"You want Old Qiu to give the order himself?" Du Ge asked.
"That's right. We only take orders from the gang leader." The two hall masters nodded in unison.
"I overlooked something." Du Ge smiled apologetically. "I forgot that the Feng Family gave me the title of Supreme Elder. No matter. Wait here a moment."
As Han Zuo and Liu Cheng watched in confusion, Du Ge bent down and pressed his ear close to Qiu Yuanlang's mouth, nodding gently.
A moment later.
Du Ge straightened up and told them matter-of-factly, "All right, go carry out the orders I just gave you! Old Qiu just appointed me Supreme Elder of the Iron Palm Sect. I have the same authority as he does and can direct everything in the sect."
The physician's hand shook, and he nearly poked his finger into Qiu Yuanlang's wound.
How could anyone be so shameless? Han Zuo and Liu Cheng were both stunned. Did Du Ge think they were stupid or blind?
Wang San held his breath. He felt like he'd learned something new.
Han Zuo flushed with anger and roared, "Feng Qi, you're talking nonsense! The gang leader hasn't even woken up!"
Du Ge nodded firmly. "He woke up. Just for a little while. Wang San, did he wake up?"
Wang San cooperated without hesitation, saying expressionlessly, "He woke up. I saw his eyes move, and his mouth moved too. The physician's skills are excellent."
What does that have to do with me?
The physician's hand trembled again. At that moment, he wished he were both deaf and blind. Treating patients was too stressful.
Fortunately, Han Zuo and Liu Cheng wouldn't take their anger out on a physician.
The corner of Han Zuo's eye twitched violently. He cursed, "Feng Qi, have you no shame? Even if the gang leader had woken up, he couldn't have said so much in such a short time!"
"Hall Master Han, when there's a sword at your throat, you can talk pretty fast." Du Ge said it with a straight face, then adjusted the angle of his sword.
Han Zuo's voice cut off abruptly.
Du Ge narrowed his eyes. "So, you understand now? If you do, go carry out my orders."
Liu Cheng looked at Du Ge, then suddenly stepped forward. "You wouldn't dare kill the gang leader. If you did, you wouldn't survive either..."
"Liu Cheng, are you trying to seize the position?" Du Ge pressed his sword lightly against Qiu Yuanlang's neck. A red line appeared at once as he snapped, "Stop right there!"
Liu Cheng halted.
Du Ge looked at the two men and smiled. "Hall Master Liu, stay and tell me about the Iron Palm Sect's key personnel. Hall Master Han, carry out the orders I just gave. Start with the sect's headquarters. Have a tailor make matching uniforms for the gang, with 'Peace' on the front and 'Keeping' on the back. Get a carpenter to replace the signboard. By tomorrow morning, I want to see the Peacekeeping Gang's sign hanging above the entrance. Once everyone's wearing the same uniform, we can root out the parasites in broad daylight. Oh, and since you're disturbing the craftsmen in the middle of the night, remember to pay them triple..."
Han Zuo looked at Liu Cheng.
Liu Cheng nodded at him. "Go ahead."
Han Zuo glared at Du Ge and turned to leave.
"Hall Master Han, don't pretend to obey while doing the opposite." Du Ge's voice drifted after him. "At dawn, I'll take the gang leader to inspect the results."
Han Zuo realized what Du Ge was planning and jolted. He spun around, eyes bloodshot. "Feng Qi, don't push your luck! How could the gang leader possibly inspect anything in his condition?"
Du Ge smiled. "I have faith in the physician's skills. Besides, I've heard that people who are injured should move around more and get plenty of sunlight. It helps them recover."
Benevolence of a Physician.
The physician knew he couldn't stay silent any longer. He looked up at Du Ge. "Seventh Master, the gang leader is badly injured and needs to rest. Moving him now could make his injuries worse."
"Did you hear that?" Du Ge glared at Han Zuo. "Now get to work and stop giving the gang leader more to worry about. If his injuries get worse, it'll be all your fault."
"..." Han Zuo glared at Du Ge and strode away.
After a brief silence.
Liu Cheng suddenly asked, "Feng Qi, why are you doing all this? Is the little Feng Family really worth it?"
"The Feng Family is in the past," Du Ge said. "I've said it countless times. Everything I do is for the world, to uphold the honor of the martial world and preserve peace in the jianghu."
Liu Cheng asked, "Are you really a Heavenly Demon?"
"Absolutely. No normal person could do what I do."
And you're proud of it?
Liu Cheng's brow twitched. "Are there many Heavenly Demons like you?"
"There must be several hundred." Du Ge sighed wistfully. "I'm a Heavenly Demon whose purpose is to protect others, yet with only a little effort, I can throw the Iron Palm Sect into chaos. Imagine how bad things will get once the other Heavenly Demons grow stronger."
As he spoke, he glanced at Wang San.
"..." Wang San.
"..." Liu Cheng.
"That's why I can't afford to wait. I have to nip them in the bud and prevent any trouble before it starts. I can't let them grow stronger!" Du Ge declared righteously.
"You'll become a target for everyone," Liu Cheng said after taking a deep breath.
"For justice and peace, I'd even lay down my life. Why should I fear becoming a target?" Du Ge smiled.
"Madman," Liu Cheng muttered, convinced that Du Ge really was a Heavenly Demon.
"That's because you don't understand Heavenly Demons. Once you do, you'll be as eager to eliminate them as you are to eliminate me." Du Ge sighed wistfully. "Hall Master Liu, let's not waste time on meaningless talk. There's a saying among you humans: judge by actions, not intentions. If you judge by intentions, no one is good. You can't tell whether someone is good or bad by looking at them. Heavenly Demons are among the few who are true to their nature. Whatever their nature is, that's what they are. Once you've spent more time with me, you'll see that I'm a good person. When it matters, I'll risk my life to protect you, just as I once protected the Feng Family."
You protected the Feng Family right into the ditch!
And the Iron Palm Sect was headed there too.
Liu Cheng grumbled inwardly and said nothing more. Yet he couldn't help agreeing with Feng Qi's assessment of Heavenly Demons. He even began to wonder whether they could use Heavenly Demons to deal with other Heavenly Demons.
"Hall Master Liu, tell me about the Iron Palm Sect's structure," Du Ge said. "I need to understand our personnel before I can decide what to do next. We don't have much time..."
Liu Cheng looked at Du Ge, then at Qiu Yuanlang beneath his sword, and said, "The Iron Palm Sect has more than three thousand members under the gang leader. It has ten halls: the Azure Dragon Hall, led by Qiu Feilong; the White Tiger Hall, led by Qiu Feihu; the Vermilion Bird Hall, led by Qiu Muqian; the Black Tortoise Hall, led by Han Zuo; the Azure Dragon Hall, led by Qiu Feipeng; the Green Wood Hall, led by Yan Wu..."
Before you continue