County Magistrate Lang waved his hand and a few bailiffs like wolves and tigers pounced forward. The iron chains in their hands were wrapped around Wenbin's head. Wenbin turned pale with fright and exclaimed: "Lang Shaofu, what crime did I commit?"
Madam Wen, Wen Changxing's concubines and some of the Wen family members panicked. County Magistrate Lang rolled his eyes and sternly shouted: "Silence! I am only here to arrest the person. What crime did you commit, the County Magistrate will know. Take him away! "
Wei Yongtang hesitated for a while before cupping his hands and said: "Lang Shaofu …"
Lang Wen acted as if he did not know him at all and did not allow him to continue speaking. He immediately interrupted him and said sternly: "What? You want to stop me from handling this case?"
Wei Yongtang hurriedly said: "I dare not, I am only …"
"Then step aside or else arrest him as well!"
County Magistrate Lang's voice was stern. His skinny and dark cheeks were lined with lines that looked as if they were cast from iron. He really looked like an iron-faced judge. At this time, a short and fat man dressed in casual clothes squeezed in from behind. He stroked his moustache and asked: "Lang Shaofu, have you arrested the person?"
County Magistrate Lang's stern expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly went forward, smiling like a spring flower in March. With a face full of radiance, he said, "Imperial Judiciary Official, you see, this lowly official has already said that such a small matter does not require your presence. Aren't we going to arrest them now? Shall we go back now?"
Wen Ao had just caught up with weak steps. He had played Canary Cat for a whole night yesterday and had not exercised for a long time. His limbs were weak and his thighs were aching. After much difficulty, he finally caught up. Once he heard this, he panted and said: "Let's, let's go back now!"
These officials came quickly and left quickly. In a short while, they had left the Wen Family. However, their act of breaking into the Wen Family to capture people was like throwing a large stone into a pool of stagnant water that had been silent for many years. Many years of mud and residue floated up.
Wei Yongtang's face turned ashen as he stared at Li Hei and scolded: "Master Hei, no matter how we fight amongst ourselves, we have to depend on the water for our livelihood. This is Ba Shang's own matter, but you actually allowed the government officials to interfere. Aren't you afraid of breaking Ba Shang's rules and becoming a public enemy?"
As long as the gangs on Ba were slightly more powerful, there would always be one or a few officials behind them. They could provide you with the convenience of sailing, but they would not easily get too involved and would not act as your hired thugs. However, this did not mean that they would not act when others deliberately challenged their authority.
Blocking one's path to wealth was akin to killing one's parents. Officials were like wild beasts in the forest, each with their own sphere of influence. If someone crossed the line, it would immediately trigger a strong backlash. Hence, the official factions of power would only provide the convenience for you to pass through the checkpoint. As for the fights between sects or within sects, they would not interfere. This became a rule that everyone agreed upon.
If any of the official factions directly interfered in the fights between sects, it would be seen as a direct provocation to the protector behind the other factions. If the protector also jumped out to accept the challenge, the heroes of Ba Shang would no longer have a choice whether to advance or retreat.
At that time, they would naturally be the pawns and cannon fodder, not to mention how much money they would have to fork out to bribe the protector behind the scenes to personally pay for the transportation fees.
Li Hei flew into a rage: "Surnamed Wei, don't slander me! I, Li Hei, have no idea why Young Master Wen was captured. How can you accuse me of being the culprit? If I had the ability to get someone to capture Young Master, the Flood Dragon Gang would be under my control. Do I need to do this? "
Wei Yongtang felt a little regretful after saying this. He was indeed rash with his words. Although Li Hei had retired from the position of the Flood Dragon Gang's Caoquan leader, the real power was still in his hands. If he could get in touch with the officials, then Caoquan and Caokou would be under his control.
Even if Wen Bin was promoted to the position, the Flood Dragon Gang would be completely under his control. At that time, he would naturally be the Grand Master. Doing this now was disadvantageous to him. Nominally, he had already handed over the Caoquan leader. If the Young Master was captured, he would become the target of public criticism, which would make it difficult for him to seize the position.
If he really had a plan, he might as well help Wen Bin to get the position. At that time, he would be able to "control the princes". Even if he wanted to get the Flood Dragon Gang under his name, it would be better to weaken the Wen family's influence first than to make trouble now. But if it wasn't Li Hei, who could it be? Yan Shiwei? If he had the ability, he could just be the leader of Caokou. Why did he have to be the leader of the Caoquan in name only?
While everyone was discussing, someone suddenly ran in and shouted, "Something happened, something big happened. The Iron Helm Gang, Six Sails Gang, Yi Shun Gang, and the other four gangs have announced to merge with the Shun Gang. The Shun Gang is holding a sect-merging meeting!"
The scene was in an uproar. The Shun Gang merged with the seven gangs? These seven sects were small gangs that people usually didn't pay attention to. No one paid attention to their movements, but with the seven sects joining together, the Shun Sect could be compared to an upper-middle sized gang based on the number of people. More importantly, what gave the Shun Gang the confidence to merge with the other gangs?
Wei Yongtang hurriedly said to his daughter, "Have your Uncle Xu accompany you to the Wan Nian County Yamen to see what Wen Bin has done. Father will go to the Shun Gang to take a look!"
Wei Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement. Xu Lin, the helmsman of the Heavenly Eagle Clan's Caokou, accompanied her to the Wannian County Yamen. Wei Yongtang, on the other hand, went straight to the Shun Gate. The people of the other clans who happened to be present also rushed over like a swarm of bees.
Li Hei looked around and said in a deep voice, "Close the door and discuss matters in front of the memorial!"
Madam Wen and the other YiNiangs looked at each other in dismay. The steward loyal to the Wen family, Zhang Ji, said with a face full of vigilance: "Master Hei, Young Master has been captured by the government. If we don't hurry to rescue him, what else do we need to discuss?"
Li Hei's eyes flashed with anger and he shouted, "We need to discuss the lives of our two thousand brothers and close to ten thousand family members!"
Yan Shiwei said unhurriedly, "The president has passed away, Vice President Jun has a stroke, and now Young Master Wen has been taken away by the government. How difficult it is for the gang? The Flood Dragon Union is about to sink under the storm. Shouldn't we discuss our future and livelihood? Master Hei is the leader in the gang in terms of seniority and status. Isn't it right to summon everyone for a discussion? Close the door and reject all guests. We need to discuss matters in the gang! "
Zhang Ji shouted, "Wait!"
Li Hei's face darkened and he said coldly, "Zhang Ji, what do you want?"
Zhang Ji sneered, "I also want to ask, Master Hei and Master Yan, what do you two want?"
Li Hei lowered his eyelids again and said indifferently, "I've already said that we need to discuss the lives of our two thousand brothers and close to ten thousand family members!"
Zhang Ji walked to the memorial tablet and knelt on the cattail hassock. He kowtowed to Wen Changxing's memorial tablet three times and said loudly, "Master Wen, your body is still warm and your spirit is not far away. Do you see that the good brothers you treated as brothers are going to rebel against you? Do you see that?"
Yan Shiwei was furious and was about to step forward when he was stopped by Li Hei who shook his head with a sneer.
Zhang Ji stood up and said to the stewards and disciples around him, "The leader has passed away, the young master is in court, and Vice Leader Jun is bedridden. What else can we discuss if we don't save them? Yan Shiwei and Li Hei have repeatedly obstructed the young master's promotion. Now that the young master has been arrested, they've overstepped their authority and summoned all the stewards for a discussion. They obviously have bad intentions. If you're my good brother, stand out and let's go. We don't accept orders from others! "
Li Hei chuckled and hid his hands in his sleeves. He looked at him with interest and then at the stewards who had different expressions on their faces. He smiled without saying a word.
The mourning hall was silent for a moment before two burly men strode out and stood beside Zhang Ji. They said loudly, "Steward Zhang is right, we don't accept orders from others!"
One of them was Lin Tian Nan and the other was Jiang Cheng. They were both Wen Changxing's confidants. As soon as the two of them stood out, a few more people came out to stand with them. There were stewards and junior stewards among them. Although there weren't many of them, they were all people with real power in the gang and held important positions.
A steward standing in the crowd hesitated for a moment before advising, "Brother Zhang, now that the leader has passed away, Vice Leader Jun has suffered a stroke, and Young Master Wen is in prison, our Flood Dragon Triad is in troubled times. We should all work together and not have any internal strife. Why don't we stop and listen to what Master Hei has to say first?"
"Pfft!"
Zhang Ji glared angrily and said, "Can't you see that Li Hei has the ambition of a wolf? What right does he have to summon all the stewards for a discussion? I, Zhang Ji, am the first to not accept him! If he wants to discuss, he can discuss. But whatever he wants to discuss, it doesn't count in front of me. Let's go! "
Zhang Ji waved his hand and led his men out. Li Hei Xiu crossed his arms and smiled, but he still didn't say a word.
The mourning hall was located in the main room of the third courtyard. From the third courtyard all the way to the main gate, the three gates formed a straight line. Because the funeral was being held, the gates were wide open. Both sides were filled with shining white sacrificial offerings and spirit streamers.
Zhang Ji and his men strode out of the main door of the third courtyard and went straight to the main door of the second courtyard. Just as they were about to step out of the second courtyard, the main door of the second courtyard closed with a loud bang. Zhang Ji stopped in his tracks and let out a shout. Suddenly, many assassins jumped out and pounced on them with long and short blades.
Zhang Ji suddenly turned around and pointed his spear at Li Hei. He said in shock and anger, "Li Hei, how dare you!"
Li Hei was originally facing the main door, as if he was watching him leave. But now, he laughed and slowly turned around, leaving his back to Zhang Ji.
Behind Li Hei, sharp blades were raised. "Pu pu" sounds were heard as the blades pierced into flesh. Blood splattered everywhere and people continuously fell to the ground. The sacrificial flags on both sides of the road were splattered with blood, like plum blossoms in a snowstorm.
Lin Tian Nan tightly held onto an assassin's neck, but the other assassin was stabbing the dagger in his hand into Lin Tian Nan's chest again and again. Lin Tian Nan's chest was riddled with holes and blood dyed his clothes red. Soon after, blood also flowed out of his mouth.
Jiang Cheng's body was covered in blood. He staggered two steps and was caught up by the two assassins. Two long blades, one on the left and one on the right, fiercely stabbed into his waist, almost cutting him in half.
Li Hei slowly walked to the front of the coffin. Madam Wen and the concubines were so scared that their faces turned pale and they hurriedly retreated. The main door of the third courtyard slowly closed behind Li Hei. The moment the door closed, Zhang Ji was in a difficult situation. Seven or eight long blades were chopping down on his head.
"Bang!"
The main door slammed shut. The sound of the door closing did not drown out the desperate and resentful scream. It clearly drilled into everyone's ears.
Li Hei stood still in front of the coffin and slowly turned around. He indifferently said, "When Master Hei was roaming Jianghu, that Zhang guy was still in his mother's womb. He doesn't know why Master Hei is called Master Hei, but I don't blame him. Is there anyone else who doesn't know? Stand up and I won't blame you! "
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