Stirring Hearts

Su Xin's words left everyone present dumbfounded, even Huang Bingcheng, who had vaguely guessed Su Xin's intentions beforehand.

What kind of person was Dai Chong, the Great Head of the Green Bamboo Gang? He was a jianghu bigwig with over a thousand men under his command, and he had likely been roaming the jianghu longer than Su Xin had been alive.

Furthermore, Dai Chong's status wasn't gained through connections; he had carved his way up with his own blade and sword. To them, the idea of killing Dai Chong was nothing short of a fantasy.

"No! You cannot go!" Ji Gang suddenly shouted from below, his face deathly pale.

He wasn't concerned for Su Xin's safety—as far as he was concerned, Su Xin's life was worth nothing to him—but this move by Su Xin would bring a catastrophe upon the Flying Eagle Gang!

Regardless of whether Su Xin succeeded in assassinating Dai Chong, the Green Bamboo Gang would view it as a provocation from the Flying Eagle Gang.

In that case, a full-scale war between the two gangs would be inevitable, and the current Flying Eagle Gang had neither the desire nor the preparation for such a conflict.

"What, Brother Ji has an objection?" Su Xin wore a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Su Xin! What you are doing is leading your own brothers to their doom! Whether you succeed in assassinating Dai Chong or not, the consequences are something you cannot bear! We will all end up being buried with you!"

Ji Gang couldn't care about anything else now. If he didn't stop this, he would surely be implicated when the higher-ups of the Flying Eagle Gang came to punish them.

If he succeeded in stopping Su Xin's insane plan, he would leave an impression of being sensible and would surely be rewarded in the future.

"Well said!"

Su Xin clapped his hands and said loudly, "Originally, I, Su Xin, intended to risk my life to avenge our murdered brother. But as Brother Ji said, I cannot drag everyone down with me."

"Since that is the case, I will leave the choice to all of you. If you all agree to this plan, I, Su Xin, will risk my life to bring back the heads of Dai Chong and Zhang Hong!"

The gang members below were suddenly at a loss, but Ji Gang froze. He immediately realized that Su Xin was playing a game of retreating to advance.

In front of everyone, Su Xin had put on a display of heroic grief to avenge his brother, earning himself plenty of prestige.

Yet, when he stepped out to stop Su Xin and pointed out the risks, Su Xin simply used the opportunity to step down and hand the decision over to the crowd.

For the sake of their own survival, these gang members would certainly not agree to Su Xin's assassination attempt.

In doing so, Su Xin would not only successfully restore his status in the hearts of his men but also establish an even firmer authority.

Ji Gang had to lower his head in frustration; this time, he had been used by Su Xin.

Huang Bingcheng, meanwhile, was itching to applaud Su Xin—this response was truly masterful!

But just then, several men who had been drinking with the murdered gang member stepped forward, their faces filled with grief and indignation.

A tall, burly man among them said with red eyes, "Boss, Chen San cannot die in vain! His two older brothers were veterans of the Flying Eagle Gang who died in the fighting against the Green Bamboo Gang. Now, there's only his blind old mother left at home."

"Since we started following you, Boss, our lives have gotten better. Just yesterday while drinking, Chen San said he would save up for a few more months to get married and take care of his mother. I never expected that right after saying that, he'd be gone!"

"If we hadn't insisted on dragging Chen San out to drink, things wouldn't have ended up like this. We brothers don't want to drag the others down. We are leaving the Flying Eagle Gang right now to kill those two bastards, Dai Chong and Zhang Hong!"

The men tore the Flying Eagle Gang emblems from their chests, their eyes bloodshot.

They were brothers who had grown up together, and their blood was still hot from having just joined the gang. If they didn't do something now, they wouldn't be able to live with their consciences for the rest of their lives!

When the other Flying Eagle Gang members saw the brothers like this, their own eyes turned red. One after another, they tore off their gang emblems, ready to fight the Green Bamboo Gang to the death.

These young men who had just joined the gang didn't think as much as old foxes like Huang Bingcheng, nor did they weigh the pros and cons.

Once their blood was up, let alone Dai Chong, they would even dare to take on the government.

The Flying Eagle Gang loved using such young men, yet also disliked them.

They were daring and fierce, making them the greatest combat force when fighting for territory.

At the same time, they were too impulsive and sometimes uncontrollable, just like now, which gave the leaders a massive headache.

Ji Gang sneered at this.

Did it backfire? You thought human hearts were so easy to manipulate? Now that you're riding a tiger and can't get off, I want to see how you clean up this mess!

But to Ji Gang's surprise, there was no sign of anxiety on Su Xin's face; he remained completely calm.

"Everyone, calm down first!" Su Xin shouted.

The commotion below gradually subsided. Su Xin said in a deep voice, "You don't need to go find Dai Chong for revenge. If my own brother is beaten to death and I don't demand justice, wouldn't I, Su Xin, be worse than trash? I said it before: I will bring back the heads of Dai Chong and Zhang Hong myself!"

Ji Gang was stunned. What did Su Xin mean by that? Was he actually going to go through with it?

Su Xin's words made the gang members present incredibly excited. They truly hadn't followed the wrong boss!

Chen San's brothers quickly said, "Boss, take us with you! If we can't avenge our brother with our own hands, we won't be able to live with ourselves!"

"Count me in." A cold voice rang out.

Seeing Li Huai walk out from the crowd, Su Xin was taken aback.

"Such a fun thing, I want to participate as well."

The gang members below glared at Li Huai.

They were discussing avenging a brother—such a serious matter, and in his eyes, it was just "fun"?

Su Xin looked at Li Huai, seeing the fighting spirit and faint excitement in his eyes. It was likely that for him, this really was just a game.

Ji Gang roared, "Li Huai, have you lost your mind? Do you know what he is doing right now? Not only are you not stopping him, but you're joining in his madness? Have you forgotten what Third Master said?"

Li Huai stretched and said coldly, "The old man is already old; he has lost his edge and only knows how to endure. My sword hasn't tasted blood for so long, it's almost rusting."

"Madman! You are a madman!"

Ji Gang simply could not fathom Li Huai's way of thinking.

Following Su Xin in his reckless antics was one thing, but to address Third Master Hu as "the old man" in public—did he not want to survive in the Flying Eagle Gang anymore?

Li Huai ignored Ji Gang and turned to look at Su Xin instead: "Well? Will I do?"

Su Xin replied: "Of course, but you must listen to me."

"I can listen to you, provided your commands aren't foolish."

Su Xin shook his head, not bothering to argue over Li Huai's tone; that was just how the man was.

"Boss, what about us? Please, let us go too," the tall man pleaded.

Su Xin pondered for a moment before asking: "What is your name?"

"This humble one is Li Qing," the tall man quickly replied.

"You may come, but I can only have you wait at the border between Joyful District and Yongle District to cover our retreat. If you agree to that, I will take you."

They were not like Li Huai; Li Huai was already a renowned figure within the Flying Eagle Gang.

Huang Bingcheng had once told him that Li Huai was one of Third Master Hu's top enforcers, having survived over a dozen battles and claimed more than ten lives with his own hands.

These few were merely new recruits to the Flying Eagle Gang, possessing not even a shred of martial arts skill; at best, they had some experience in street brawls.

If they followed him to assassinate Dai Chong with that level of ability, it would be a one-way trip.

Li Qing and his brothers exchanged glances, then could only nod helplessly.

Although they couldn't join their boss on the front lines to kill the enemy, at least they could contribute a small effort toward avenging their brother.

"Old Huang, take a few brothers, disguise yourselves, and slip into Yongle District. You must find out Dai Chong's whereabouts for tomorrow.

The rest of you stay at the hall. No one is allowed to leave, and keep a close watch on Brother Ji. Do not let him pass any information out."

Su Xin looked at Ji Gang with a playful expression, which made Ji Gang's face darken.

He had originally intended to slip away later and report the matter to Third Master Hu, but it was clear that Su Xin had already prepared for that.

Although Ji Gang's martial arts were decent, he was clearly no match for Li Huai.

Furthermore, there were over a hundred gang members present; no matter how strong Ji Gang was, he couldn't fight his way out.

Thus, Ji Gang remained silent, merely glaring coldly at Su Xin.

There were only two possible outcomes for this affair: either Su Xin failed the assassination and was killed on the spot, triggering a massive war with the Green Bamboo Gang.

Or, Su Xin would fail and flee, only to be cast out by the Flying Eagle Gang's leadership and handed over to the Green Bamboo Gang as a sacrificial lamb to quell the incident.

Regardless of which, Su Xin could not escape death.

As for whether Su Xin could actually succeed in assassinating Dai Chong, that was something Ji Gang hadn't even considered.

If Dai Chong were that easy to kill, Yongle District would have belonged to the Flying Eagle Gang long ago.