Chapter 89: A Thorny Matter

Yang Cheng looked down at Song Qinghuo. By now, the fury he had felt at the start was gone, and he asked, “Will your Azure Fire Gang yield now?”

Song Qinghuo lay on the ground, staring up at him. Seeing that Yang Cheng’s cultivation was not high, he was deeply displeased by being looked down on in such a manner. He spat to the side. “Bah. Yield to you? If you don’t kill me today, I’ll wipe out your whole family another day.”

He had always been a fierce talker. Even when the situation was against him, he would not let his words lose their edge, or else he would have no way to survive in this underworld.

Yang Cheng said, “You’ve lost so badly. Can you still beat us?”

Song Qinghuo shot a venomous glance at Dao Bailiu, then sneered at Yang Cheng. “You think just because you’re this trash—”

“Smack, smack, smack.”

Before he could finish, Li Tianjun, enraged at the insult to the young master, stepped forward and raised his big hand, slapping Song Qinghuo’s face mercilessly. His blows were far heavier than Old Zhu’s, and he spat out blood and teeth in several mouthfuls. Instantly, he could only make muffled sounds, though from his eyes alone it was clear he had nothing good to say.

Seeing that Song Qinghuo was still so stubborn, Yang Cheng had thought he might scare them into submission and settle the matter there. But now it looked troublesome. This man would not take that sort of defeat lying down. If they let him go, who knew what would happen later? People like him lived by stirring up trouble; if they had to watch their backs every day, the business would never run. Yang Cheng had never dealt with such matters before, and could only keep the ringleaders for now and think of a solution later.

He called out, “All of you from the Azure Fire Gang listen well. I will keep the few of you who led this, for a few days. The rest may disperse.”

The crowd thought he was probably going to seize the leaders, drag them somewhere hidden, and kill them, or at the very least torture them. Some timid ones felt as if they had been pardoned by decree and hurried off, supporting one another. The loyal ones, seeing that even their gang leader had been beaten so badly, knew rescue was hopeless, and there was no point staying to suffer together. One after another, the members of the Azure Fire Gang drifted away until they were all gone, leaving only the seven leaders held under guard by the others.

Dao Bailiu had recovered enough to stand. Yang Cheng felt that this man had done them a service and ought to be asked his opinion, but before he could speak, a streak of cold light flashed.

Dao Bailiu’s throwing knife went straight into Song Qinghuo’s throat.

Song Qinghuo had already been left on the brink of death by Li Tianjun’s slaps, and no longer had the strength to evade that strike. The blade was swift and precise, and the people nearby had no time to react. Only a gurgling sound came from his throat as blood kept welling up and his body shuddered convulsively. Soon the smell of blood and foulness filled the air.

Among the people surrounding them, aside from Yang Cheng and Old Zhu, who had never killed or seen blood before? Yang Cheng had never killed anyone with his own hands, but he had been standing too close to Song Qinghuo, and this sudden turn of events had left him unprepared. Seeing a living man die from such close range was indescribable: shocking, nauseating, enough to churn the stomach violently. If he had not forced himself to endure it, he would likely have thrown up already.

As for Old Zhu, he had already run off to one side, retching loudly.

Li Tianjun and Duan Zhiwu saw how deadly Dao Bailiu’s knife was, impossible to guard against. Fearing he might suddenly turn murderous toward the young master and Boss Zhu, they promptly drew their weapons again and surrounded Dao Bailiu.

Hong Yunshan and the others crouching on the ground also stared at Dao Bailiu in astonishment. They had never expected that the leader of the Azure Fire Gang, Song Qinghuo—the man most likely to alter the balance of the South City underworld—would die just like that. And die at the hands of his own sworn brothers, no less. From this day on, there would likely be no Azure Fire Gang in South City.

Yang Cheng steadied himself and waved the others back. Dao Bailiu said, “It is not that I am cruel. From what I know of him, this man is vindictive to the core and endlessly despicable in his methods. If he is not killed, he will cling like a mangy dog-skin plaster, and once he sticks, he will be hard to shake off. I and this young master will inevitably become his first targets for revenge. I fear it will end only in death.”

Yang Cheng did not blame him. He only told himself that he must learn to adapt to this world of ruthless killing, where human lives were no more than weeds.

He said, “Brother Dao, what are your plans now? We were fortunate to have your help today, and I am deeply grateful. You are injured at present, so why not come to my Yang residence to recover for a while? I will invite a physician to tend your wounds, and it may serve as a small token of my gratitude.”

Dao Bailiu had no particular plans either. This had all been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Now that he had offended the Azure Fire Gang, he had nowhere to go. The person before him was in a weaker position, yet showed no arrogance or bullying temper. Since he had already bowed and invited him, Dao Bailiu decided to tend his injuries first and speak later. He clasped his hands. “Then I shall accept with thanks.”

Yang Cheng looked at the other six men under guard. Killing them was impossible; for this kind of matter, he did not yet have the heart to be ruthless. Letting them go would only create trouble. Since he could not think of a solution for now, he ordered that they be taken back first.

Hong Yunshan and the others also breathed a sigh of relief. When they had seen the gang leader killed, they had thought they would surely be silenced as well, perhaps left to die out in this wilderness. Though anyone who had climbed to their level already understood that a life in the underworld often ended in a sudden and violent death on the street, still, if one could live a little longer, no one was eager to die.

Li Tianjun had the others gather together and tally the losses. More than thirty were wounded. Thanks to the timely rescue amid the melee, the injuries were not serious; all were only flesh wounds. The crowd remained high-spirited, boasting about their own bravery moments before.

Yang Cheng was also overjoyed, and praised their performance heavily. As for Song Qinghuo, though dead and gone, he could not be left exposed in the wilderness. He ordered that the body be buried properly. Then he commanded the return to the residence to treat the wounded, and invited everyone brought by Old Zhu to join the evening celebration banquet, where rewards would be granted according to merit. The crowd cheered and returned in triumph.

Liu Feng and the others gathered with Zhong Qiang and Wei Xu, never imagining that the “experts” who had come to reinforce them would actually be their own brothers. As they walked, they chatted together, all of them envious of that fighting strength. They were also astonished that, in such a short time after joining the Yang household, these men had improved so rapidly.

Zhong Qiang and the others were happy too, but they knew what could and could not be said. After all, many of these people might one day return to their original sects or families and serve them there, perhaps even becoming enemies. For now, they were part of the Yang family, and naturally could not reveal the family’s secrets to outsiders.

It seemed to Zhong Qiang and the others that there were also separate opportunities waiting for them by the young master’s side. Liu Feng envied them, but his branch of the Liu family was still waiting for him to return, so he could not afford any other considerations. He would not ask what should not be asked. The other guards had their own thoughts as well.

Li Tianxing and the other young men were equally excited. It was their first time taking part in such a large battle. Though it was not a struggle to the death, it was still a rare real combat experience. They chattered noisily, boasting about how many men they had knocked down. Only Li Tianbiao, bruised and swollen, hung his head dejectedly, drawing a burst of laughter from his brothers.

On the way back, the grim killing aura from their journey out was gone. Li Tianjun did not restrain them further, and simply let the laughter and banter continue. By the time they returned to the Yang residence on South Hill, it was already noon.

Liu Dong had gone ahead to report, and Steward Su had long since arranged for the kitchen staff to prepare the meal. Several skilled physicians invited to the estate were also waiting in the front hall, having been there for quite some time, ready to begin the celebration banquet once everyone had been bandaged.