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The salty night wind off the pier quickly congealed the warm blood on his face. Under the fearful gazes of the servants around him, Luo Bin drew his long saber and stepped forward.
Luo Wendi's expression shifted. He was clearly shocked by the scene before him. Could this kid be the gang leader's mole planted in the Pei Family? he wondered.
He stepped forward and asked, "Kid, did you kill your own brother with your own hands?"
After steadying himself, Luo Bin replied expressionlessly, "He wasn't our brother."
Luo Wendi's interest was piqued by the answer. He asked curiously:
"You servants were planted here at Long Wind Pier by that old bastard Pei Song and that little animal Pei Yuan to stop us? How come you haven't even crossed blades with the Green Bamboo Gang, and you're already fighting among yourselves?"
Luo Bin took a few more steps forward, trying to close the distance so both sides could hear him. Given the situation, everyone had to put survival first.
Otherwise, if the gang members behind Luo Wendi came forward with their guns, these people wouldn't last a single burst.
Whether Aunt Wen and the others were dead or alive was beside the point. Even if they were dead, Luo Bin had to live. Whatever came after could be dealt with later. So he spoke without either fawning or defiance:
"Hall Master Luo, we brothers may be poor wretches scraping by at the bottom of Ping City, but every one of us is a real man. Still, what does anyone live for? A house full of children and grandchildren, a happy family?"
"We have none of that. The Pei Family promised that if we gave our lives tonight, they'd take our wives, children, and elders to Tianhai and make sure they wanted for nothing. But they didn't keep their word. So why should we fight to the death against you?"
"We want to live, and Meng Jiu openly intends to oppose the Green Bamboo Gang. That leaves more than a dozen of us with no way out. So... Hall Master Luo, please show us a path. What can we do to stay alive?"
Luo Bin's words were nothing special. It wasn't even a negotiation. He had simply laid out the pros and cons, then left Luo Wendi with a choice. If the man was cruel and unpredictable, and left them no way to live—
Then Luo Bin would die.
But if there was even the slightest chance of surviving, he couldn't give up.
His words also gave the dazed men behind him a clear direction.
They had a chance to live!
The older Zhang Xin and Xu Ping both showed a trace of gratitude in their eyes. Some even began whispering among themselves. They could all tell that Luo Bin was trying to protect them.
For a moment, Zhang Xin's cloudy eyes could hardly recognize this young man. Before, he had been timid and bowed to everyone he met. Now, he had the bearing of a rising warlord...
"Luo Bin's right. Meng Jiu's cutting off our way to live!"
"Exactly. If the Pei Family has no loyalty, why should we lay down our lives for them?"
The commotion among the crowd unfolded under Luo Wendi's gaze. He turned to the bloodstained youth and studied him from head to toe for a long while, then let out a baffled cry:
"The Pei Family's clan members are a bunch of bastards, but the servants they hired have the spirit of heroes... No wonder those bastards have such good information. They've got a bunch of fine men working for them..."
"Young man, what's your name?"
"Luo Bin."
"You a guard at the Pei Family?"
"Yes."
Luo Wendi pulled a handkerchief from the neat pocket of his clothes and walked toward Luo Bin. Zhang Xin, Xu Ping, and the others hurriedly grabbed their weapons again in alarm. But when they saw the large crowd behind Luo Wendi, their guns pointed like black holes, they immediately wilted.
Luo Bin felt a little flustered, but he held his ground. After all, these people could kill him with a single shot.
Luo Wendi stepped closer and gently wiped the dried blood from Luo Bin's face with his handkerchief. A resolute, handsome face, brimming with spirit, was revealed.
"Fine-looking fellow. I like you."
"Also, the thirty-two elderly and children the Pei Family left behind should be your family, right? The Green Bamboo Gang isn't the kind of beast that visits its sins on people's families. But that doesn't mean you're all innocent."
At his words, the crowd behind Luo Bin burst into tears of joy. Their families were safe. To them, that was the greatest gift imaginable.
"Thank you, Hall Master Luo! Thank you, Hall Master Luo!"
The thanks rose one after another, but Luo Wendi soon silenced them. His deep, magnetic voice sent a chill down everyone's spine:
"I said you're guilty!"
The joy in the crowd froze at once. Luo Bin fixed his eyes on the Green Bamboo Gang hall master, trying to figure out what he was up to. If it came to it, he could look for a chance to jump into the river. He absolutely couldn't die here.
"So..."
"From now on, the dozen or so of you will be placed under Luo Bin. You'll work for the Green Bamboo Gang to atone for your sins."
Luo Wendi finished speaking, then turned to the youth beside him. "You're Luo Bin, right? Fine young man. Report to the gang tomorrow!"
The crowd behind Luo Bin erupted.
The reversal was like leaping from one extreme to the other, from ice to fire. In just a few breaths, they had endured the greatest joy and sorrow of their lives. Not only had their wives, children, and elders been spared, but they had also been assigned to Ran Shaohua, the man known as "Ping City's uncrowned king."
Many wept with joy. Even the weathered eyes of Zhang Xin, so accustomed to life's hardships, grew moist.
The situation had taken Luo Bin by surprise. He hadn't expected Luo Wendi to recruit them, but he had to admit that this was the best possible outcome.
Luo Wendi stuffed the handkerchief into Luo Bin's hand, then returned to his car. After giving a few instructions to a young man, he drove slowly toward the city.
The Green Bamboo Gang members followed behind him toward the city as well. The plainly dressed young man came over to Luo Bin, a few others trailing behind him.
"Luo Bin? I'm Feng Yi. I'll be taking care of you all from here on out. I envy you—you've barely joined the gang, and you already have so many trusted men... I've been in the gang for two years, and I only have a few brothers I can truly rely on."
Feng Yi laughed heartily and glanced at the men behind Luo Bin before continuing:
"The hall master said you'll keep living at the Pei Family Manor, just not in the servants' quarters anymore. You're the masters of that courtyard now... But in a couple of days, the hall master will arrange for another group to move in too."
"After all, the Pei Family Manor is quite large."
Luo Bin was surprised by the arrangement. As he walked and talked with Feng Yi, the former servants behind him felt as if they had passed into another life.
They never would've guessed that the usually taciturn fool would suddenly become their leader...
They soon returned to the Pei Family Manor. The plaque had been kicked to pieces and replaced with one bearing the five characters "Green Bamboo Black Sheath Hall." Gang members stood guard outside the gate with rifled guns in hand...
The faint sound of women and children crying came from inside. Led by Feng Yi, Zhang Xin, Xu Ping, and the others rushed in all at once. When they found their families safe and sound, they finally relaxed.
Feng Yi saw that Luo Bin wasn't moving and looked puzzled. Luo Bin bowed to him.
"The hall master has shown us great kindness. Please convey our gratitude to him, Brother Feng."
"...Oh, I thought it was something serious. The Pei Family's business never had anything to do with you. The gang leader gave the order in a fit of anger and only corrected it later.
"The Pei Family secretly colluded with the Demon Den and caused so many deaths. How could you have known?"
Luo Bin's thoughts stirred. "The Demon Den?"
Feng Yi waved a hand and laughed as if it were nothing.
"You'll soon find out why the Green Bamboo Gang rose so quickly. It's because we deal with demons—but we don't join them."
"Don't overthink it. You'll see for yourself in a couple of days. There's food in the kitchen. Go grab something to eat."
So Luo Bin went to the kitchen with Feng Yi and had a hot meal. At the table, he once again sent his consciousness deep into his mind.
[Luo Bin] [Realm: Unranked] [Technique: White Ape Fist (Beginner, modifiable)+] [Modification Points: 1] [Spirit Charm: 0]
Whether it was a mule or a horse, he'd know once he took it for a spin. Luo Bin directed his consciousness to put his only modification point into the White Ape Fist.
[Modification Points: 1→0]
This was a basic fist-fighting technique taught to every guard in the Pei Family.
[Technique: White Ape Through-Arm Fist (First Layer, 0/3)]
A surge of warmth immediately welled up from every one of Luo Bin's acupoints.
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