When Yang Ning and the Patrol Bureau's men escorted dozens of rescued people out of Red Scarf Alley, where the Blood Ape Gang Headquarters was located, and returned to East Third Street,
word of the Patrol Bureau's great battle against the Blood Ape Gang had already spread through East Street as if it had grown wings.
The streets were crowded on both sides with residents who had come after hearing the news.
They watched the procession: Patrol Bureau officers leading the way, the people who had suffered this undeserved calamity walking in the middle, and the Blood Ape Gang's once-arrogant remnants being marched along at the rear.
They could only feel as though they were in some inscrutable dream.
The Patrol Bureau really did "patrol." It really had gone after the black-hearted forces in the city, the ones it had never wanted to deal with before.
They looked at the familiar figures near the front of the procession, along with a young man wearing a long saber at his waist.
Pointing and whispering among themselves, they stared with shock, curiosity, and awe.
"Did you see that? The Patrol Bureau actually did something!"
"The people the Blood Ape Gang kidnapped were ordinary folks. At the time, I thought that once they were taken, that was that.
I figured they were just unlucky, and the Patrol Bureau would never get involved. Who'd have thought they'd finally stood their ground?"
"My god, they really took people and wiped out the Blood Ape Gang's lair?
I heard they even killed Wang Han?"
"I heard a young man chopped off Wang Han's head!
Patrol Commander Gong personally led the operation!"
"Unbelievable!
Could it be that young man up front?"
"It really could be."
The rescued members of the Porter Guild and the Yang Family's distant relatives walked in the procession, feeling countless eyes fixed on them from both sides. Their original fear and dejection gradually gave way to a complex mix of emotions.
Fear in hindsight, relief, and, more than anything, an indescribable sense of confidence that came from their connection to the figure up ahead.
Riding at the head of the procession on a tall horse, Yang Ning listened to the people's thoughts, his own feelings equally mixed.
Gong Tian saw it all.
"Do you know why I brought you along and had these people escorted home in broad daylight?"
Yang Ning thought about everything Senior Brother had done:
He had sent all the other Patrol Chiefs back to the bureau, leaving only himself and Yang Ning to make a grand show of escorting these people home.
"Was it... to win people's hearts, to establish a reputation for virtue?"
"You really do understand at the slightest hint."
His senior brother, who had spent many years in officialdom, spoke slowly:
"Wiping out the Blood Ape Gang establishes your prestige. Protecting the people establishes your virtue.
Once you have both, your name and image will be firmly established. Then I can help you climb even higher."
The procession reached the street corner where the Porter Guild's headquarters stood.
The doors of the headquarters were open, but inside, all was desolate and uneasy.
On the day the Blood Ape Gang had come demanding people, the young master's cowardly behavior had chilled the hearts of many longtime members. Afterward, he had been so frightened that he claimed to be ill and stayed hidden in the inner quarters.
The remaining porters and managers were bewildered and afraid for the future. They had no idea whether the Porter Guild, the very sign under which they made their living, would survive.
Now, seeing the Patrol Bureau escort back the companions the Blood Ape Gang had taken,
the crowd rushed out and embraced the returning members, weeping and laughing.
When they learned the Blood Ape Gang had been wiped out and its leader, Wang Han, executed, they let out a deafening cheer!
The terrifying clouds that had long hung over them had vanished in a single day!
Once their excitement had eased a little, everyone's eyes turned of their own accord to Yang Ning, surrounded by the crowd at the center.
Yang Ning dismounted and, with Gong Tian's tacit approval, walked up to the stone steps in front of the Porter Guild headquarters.
Wu Xian supported his father. Zhao Tie had been freed from his shackles. Though he had yet to recover his strength, he stood ramrod straight. The two men stood beside Yang Ning.
He surveyed the familiar and unfamiliar faces, then spoke, his voice carrying clearly across the crowd:
"Uncles and brothers of the Porter Guild."
The crowd fell silent at once.
"The Blood Ape Gang terrorized East Street and preyed on the weak. Today, the Patrol Bureau has wiped them out in accordance with the law, and their chief culprit has been executed!"
"However, this incident has also exposed the shortcomings within our own Porter Guild!"
His tone shifted, growing more solemn:
"When faced with vicious enemies, the previous leader failed to protect the brothers of the guild. He lacks both virtue and ability and is no longer fit to lead the Porter Guild!"
His words were blunt, but no one objected.
"Today, I, Yang Ning, have been entrusted with the confidence of Patrol Commander Gong and appointed Patrol Chief of the East Street Patrol Bureau."
He paused briefly and displayed the Patrol Bureau's bronze badge at his waist.
"Having taken this position, I must uphold peace in this district and look after our neighbors."
He turned to Wu Xian and Zhao Tie beside him and spoke loudly:
"Shopkeeper Wu Xian is honest, shrewd, and capable. In times of danger, he remains calm and collected. He has both courage and good judgment.
Instructor Zhao Tie is highly skilled in martial arts and a paragon of loyalty. He was willing to go to prison to protect the brothers of the guild, and his resolve is as unyielding as iron!"
"I propose that, starting today, Wu Xian take charge of the Porter Guild as its new guildmaster!
Instructor Zhao Tie will remain its chief instructor, responsible for the guild's guards and teaching martial arts to its disciples!"
"Here, in my capacity as Patrol Chief, I make this clear: from now on, the Patrol Bureau will be responsible for keeping order in East Street!
With the Blood Ape Gang gone, the gap in the existing order is open to be filled. The Porter Guild may take part in any legitimate business!
I, Yang Ning, will do everything in my power to look after you. I will never allow another evil force to oppress our neighbors on East Third Street or the brothers of the Porter Guild!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Porter Guild members erupted.
"Good!"
"Shopkeeper Wu as guildmaster! We support him!"
"Instructor Zhao's staying on as chief instructor! That's wonderful!"
"Patrol Chief Yang! Thank you, Patrol Chief Yang!"
"The Porter Guild is saved!"
Cheers and shouts surged like crashing waves, filling the entire guild.
Every face was alight with excitement and hope.
Everyone knew Wu Xian was capable and well liked, and Zhao Tie was brave and loyal. They had far more faith in those two leading the guild than in its cowardly young master!
Besides, Yang Ning—now a Patrol Chief, with formidable strength and powerful backing—had made it clear he would look after them!
This meant that the Porter Guild had not only weathered the crisis but might also be on the verge of unprecedented growth!
Wu Xian looked at the surging crowd, then at Yang Ning beside him, his gaze resolute. Warmth welled up inside him.
He knew this was Yang Ning's repayment for giving him the saber without reservation and for all the help he had given him in the past. More than that, it was a sign of Yang Ning's faith in his abilities.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and cupped his hands to the crowd, greeting them as the new guildmaster and beginning to settle them.
He arranged the aftermath, speaking clearly and methodically. Before long, the excited crowd had calmed down and returned to their duties.
Zhao Tie also clasped his hands toward Yang Ning, his tigerlike eyes brimming with emotion and approval.
The boy whose stance he had once corrected with a few pointers had grown to the point where Zhao Tie could only look up to him. More remarkable still, his loyalty and gratitude had never changed.
Looking over the familiar and unfamiliar faces below, filled with anticipation, gratitude, and excitement, Yang Ning's gaze was calm and far-reaching.
Today, he had beheaded Wang Han and wiped out the Blood Ape Gang. It had been satisfying revenge, settling a deep grievance and rescuing his friends and family.
But this was only the first step.
Senior Brother Gong Tian had brought him here, and Master Sun Nian had allowed him to make his mark. Neither had done so merely to let him vent his anger.
His identity with the Jingan Bureau needed cover, while his position as Patrol Chief required accomplishments and a power base.
With the Blood Ape Gang gone, East Fourth Street needed a force to fill the void. So Yang Ning had chosen the familiar Porter Guild to serve as a candidate.
If he wanted to truly establish himself in this increasingly chaotic world,
he could not rely forever on his personal prowess or on the protection of his senior brother and master.
He needed a voice of his own, a foundation of his own. He needed to leave his own mark as "Yang Ning" on East Street.
The scattered Porter Guild before him was an ideal place to start.
The Porter Guild seemed to be no more than an association of laborers at the very bottom of society. But its membership was large, its information network extensive, and its presence spread throughout the Outer City. In truth, it was a force not to be underestimated.
It connected with the broadest swath of ordinary people and reached into the city's networks of cargo transport and information.
It had only seemed weak and easy to bully because the Blood Ape Gang had oppressed it and incompetent people had led it.
If he could unite it and bring it under his control, it would be like placing a seemingly inconspicuous yet vital piece on a chaotic chessboard.
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