[Shanghai Chronicles] (03) (Completed) Author: tljtzjzzjj

Author: tljtzjzzjj
Word Count: 29828

Chapter 5

Ju Zhong stared intently at Li Xiangxiang, and after a long while, he suddenly sighed and lowered his head. Li Xiangxiang
stepped forward and asked with concern, "What's wrong?" Ju Zhong said, "Seeing you reminds me of my daughter. She—
if she hadn't died, she would be fifteen years old!" He paused, then said sadly, "She was hit by
a . And that car just drove off after hitting my daughter. The lives of the poor
are like ants in those people's eyes. I took my daughter to the hospital. But I didn't have enough money to treat her! She... just
lay... in my arms... crying out in pain... until... she died!"

Ju Zhong's fabricated story had already brought tears to Li Xiangxiang's eyes. She murmured, "So
pitiful..." Ju Zhong raised his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Can you—can I hold you?" The kind and innocent
Li Xiangxiang was completely unaware that as Ju Zhong said this, a strong murderous intent was hidden in the corner of his eye!

As Guo Xiaoan drew closer to the T-junction, he suddenly heard a deep, resonant
chime from nearby. Reassured, he knew he hadn't gone the wrong way. Xinshun Road was right next to the clock tower. The
rickshaw driver hurried along, soon reaching the T-junction. Just as he was about to cross into the opposite alley, the driver
suddenly yanked the rickshaw forward, simultaneously throwing himself over it and
sending it hurtling towards the wall of the opposite alley! The rickshaw was already fast, and the driver's sudden pull made it even faster. A
crash like that would surely leave the rider bloodied and bruised!

But Guo Xiaoan was no ordinary man. He braced himself, preparing to leap off the rickshaw, when he heard
a soft "whoosh." The seasoned Guo Xiaoan immediately recognized it as a gunshot! It had been silenced,
hence the faint sound. Guo Xiaoan quickly lay flat on the rickshaw, gripping the handles on both sides with both hands, and twisted his body.
The rickshaw reversed to the left. —From the gunshot, he deduced that the shooter must be hiding on the right!

Guo Xiaoan hid behind the rickshaw, waiting a moment before slowly peeking out to see what was happening. But before he
could even stick his head out, he heard another soft "whoosh." He quickly pulled his head back. But he still felt
a heat on his shoulder. He looked down and saw that a bullet had grazed his shoulder, and blood was gushing out. Although the injury wasn't serious, it
horrified Guo Xiaoan. From the two shots fired, he had roughly judged that the shooter was at least a hundred meters
away . By then, dusk was falling, and it was too far to see clearly. He had only just peeked out
a corner of his shoulder, and the shooter had hit him. It was clear that the shooter's eyesight and marksmanship were incredibly good!

"Sharpshooter Yang!"

Guo Xiaoan involuntarily exclaimed.

He thought to himself, "In Shanghai, only Sharpshooter Yang possesses such marksmanship and eyesight! It seems the Divine Blade Hall
is against our leader!" He remained hidden, motionless. Sharpshooter Yang, knowing Guo Xiaoan's prowess,
dared not search further, but waited for Guo Xiaoan to emerge. The two remained locked in a stalemate. Guo Xiaoan watched the time
tick by, his heart burning with anxiety.

As darkness fell, Guo Xiaoan knew he was at a disadvantage in this standoff. He could no longer wait!

Suddenly, Sharpshooter Yang saw a shadow dart out, and was overjoyed, thinking, "You finally
lost your patience!" He raised his hand and fired a shot, striking the shadow. The shadow continued rolling forward, entering
the alley Guo Xiaoan had come from. Because he could only see the shadow, Sharpshooter Yang couldn't tell how badly Guo Xiaoan was injured. But just
then another shadow leaped out from within, following closely behind the first shadow into the alley.

Sharpshooter Xiao Yang was using a sniper rifle, which could only fire one bullet at a time; there was no time to reload and fire again.
Sharpshooter Xiao Yang was utterly puzzled.

It turned out that in his haste, Guo Xiaoan suddenly had a brilliant idea. He took off his clothes, then
took the seat cushion from the rickshaw, wrapped it in his clothes, and then, seizing an opportunity, threw it out, following closely behind.
He knew that Sharpshooter Xiao Yang was accustomed to using a sniper rifle, and even with a fast reload speed, there wouldn't be enough time to fire a second shot!

Guo Xiaoan paused to catch his breath in the alleyway he had come from, pondering, "If I go back the way I came,
it will take at least another twenty minutes to get to Cuiyu Pavilion. Going directly from here, it should only take four or five minutes. But this sharpshooter,
Xiao Yang, is guarding it, making it impossible to pass.

" Xiao Yang was currently sitting on the clock tower, whistling smugly, his eyes fixed on the T-junction.
The clock tower had windows on all four sides, offering a wide view. The distance between here and the T-junction was about 100 meters.
He had long heard of Guo Xiaoan's excellent marksmanship. But this distance was too far for a pistol. Because of
insufficient power, the bullet would deviate. A precise shot would be almost impossible. Possibly! Even if it hits, it won't be very damaging.
Sharpshooter Yang was smug; now he was the only one hitting Guo Xiaoan, while Guo Xiaoan couldn't hit him.

He saw Guo Xiaoan stick half a foot out from the corner of the wall. He raised his hand and fired, hitting the toe of the shoe. Guo Xiaoan was startled
and hurriedly pulled his foot back. Sharpshooter Yang laughed triumphantly. After a while, he saw Guo Xiaoan
stick half a foot out from the corner of the wall again. This time, Sharpshooter Yang ignored it. The two remained locked in a stalemate.

Gradually, the streetlights on both sides of the street came on… Sharpshooter Yang saw that Guo Xiaoan's shoe tip was still motionless at
the , and he became suspicious: a person… Maintaining one posture for so long must be tiring, so why hasn't he pulled
his leg back yet? Just then, he heard footsteps behind him! Judging from the sound
, the other person clearly wasn't trying to hide. Sharpshooter Xiao Yang turned around, his face turning deathly pale.
Behind him was Guo Xiaoan! Guo Xiaoan stared coldly at him. Sharpshooter Xiao Yang felt as if he had stepped into
empty air; his heart sank to the bottom. He knew he was truly finished! Besides his excellent marksmanship, he had no other strengths,
and his fighting skills were inferior to ordinary gang members; of course, he was no match for Guo Xiaoan!

Guo Xiaoan looked at Sharpshooter Xiao Yang… A sudden pang of pity flashed in her despairing eyes. She simply raised her hand, knocked him unconscious, severed
the tendons in his right hand, and strode quickly towards Cuiyu Pavilion!

With his right hand crippled, the title of "Sharpshooter Yang" was forever erased.

A desperate strike .

At this moment, the kitchen of Cuiyu Pavilion was silent. Ju Zhong gently embraced Li Xiangxiang, his right hand lightly stroking her back. His
fingers slowly traced down her spine from her neck.

First, second…

he stopped at the fifth vertebra. He pressed his finger on the fifth vertebra, clearly
grasping its size and shape. A chilling smile appeared on his lips. This smile carried a hint of cruelty.
With a hint of smugness and restraint, he suddenly and swiftly pulled and gripped. With a soft "crack," Li Xiangxiang's
life withered instantly, like a fragile flower!

Ju Zhong was very proud of his foresight. This spinal lock technique was generally considered impractical and few
people learned it. While deadly and fast, it required close-quarters combat and
prior knowledge of the opponent's spine size and shape—almost impossible in actual fights. Moreover,
mastering this technique required considerable effort. Many innocent people had died at his hands while accumulating combat experience!

The spine is the central nervous system; even a minor injury can cause paralysis, let alone such a blow. Ju Zhong looked
sadly at Li Xiangxiang's lifeless body lying on the ground and said, "Actually, I didn't want to kill you.
I even planned to marry you and live a peaceful life together. But your father was among the people I killed! I had no choice but to kill
you! A good assassin doesn't leave any loose ends! Assassins are ruthless and cold-blooded, but I'm such an
emotional assassin. The spring breeze, the autumn rain, the winter snow all make me sad. Am I really not suited to
be an assassin?" His eyes reddened as he spoke, tears welling in his eyes.

Just then, the creaking sound from the bed next door became exceptionally jarring. Ju Zhong's expression turned serious
, instantly becoming somber and calm. He was completely different from before!

He listened intently; the sounds from next door not only grew louder but also quickened! He knew it was
time for him to make his move! He felt no tension, but rather a sense of excitement! His face flushed.
But he knew that the person inside wasn't a sitting duck, but a shrewd and experienced old fox!
Even the best

The room suddenly fell silent. Hong Feilong held Qiu Mei's slender waist, motionless. Qiu Mei let out a soft moan,
wrapping her legs around Hong Feilong's waist, hooking her arms around his neck, pressing her body tightly against him. Then, she
took the initiative , parting her cherry lips slightly to kiss Hong Feilong. During the kiss, Qiu Mei suddenly bit Hong Feilong's tongue. Hong Feilong felt
a slight pain on his tongue, and a faint taste of blood in his mouth. However, he didn't pay much attention, assuming it was just
Qiu Mei being overly excited. But this bite sent a jolt through his body, and he immediately ejaculated.
His body, which had been taut like a bow, slumped against Qiu Mei like a limp eel. Qiu Mei let out an "Ah," her arms and
legs tightening their grip, clinging to Hong Feilong like a leech. Her lower flower seemed to come alive,
swallowing Hong Feilong's penis. Hong Feilong was so excited he felt like he was on cloud nine, while Qiu Mei's breasts gently
rubbed against his skin. Just as Qiu Mei let out an "Ah," Ju Zhong burst through the wall. —The wall, of course, had been
loosened beforehand by his palm strike, and breaking through it didn't slow him down. His movements were as graceful as a light and agile swallow,
or a shooting star streaking across the sky. The entire movement was simple and swift, without a single superfluous motion.

In assassinations, he had only used this move, "Vulture Fighting Lion," seven times—
there weren't . Each time he executed it, there was a slight flaw. Even so, he had never missed. This move seemed
simple, but it was actually incredibly complex. One had to accurately calculate power, speed, distance, environment, and resistance
to unleash its maximum destructive power. And every environment was different. So achieving perfection was
almost impossible. But this time, he did it! As he leaped, he knew that today's move was flawless!
Perhaps it was the strength of his opponent this time that had unleashed his potential!

Mid-air, Ju Zhong thought with a touch of smugness, "This attack should be about 80% successful." For some
reason, he suddenly thought of Yan Beifei. Yan Beifei was his partner on his first assassination mission. They
later collaborated many times. At the time, his greatest wish was to have Yan Beifei's skills. But then
he heard that Yan Beifei had died in a failed assassination attempt. The person he had assassinated was Hong Feilong! The exact killer was unknown.
He had cautiously memorized Hong Feilong's name then. Of course, he wouldn't kill Hong Feilong to avenge Yan Beifei; he
simply wanted to be wary of encountering this man! More than ten years passed quickly, and Hong Feilong's reputation grew ever stronger,
earning him the moniker "The Immortal Dragon." Many times, everyone thought he was doomed, but he always survived.
Before Hong Feilong was like a dark pool of water, terrifying, tense, and unfathomable. Now, he even began
to suspect that his actions had been anticipated by Hong Feilong! —He was beginning to regret his actions.

"I think I'm about 30% sure?" he thought anxiously,

but he couldn't back down now; he had to take the gamble!

When Hong Feilong heard the sound of the wall breaking, Ju Zhong's snake-shaped cone was less than three feet from his vital points. Hong Feilong tried to
turn around, only to realize he was still entangled with Qiu Mei. He struggled frantically, but Qiu Mei's strength was
astonishing . He couldn't break free. He was utterly astonished and struggled again, finally managing to break free. But it was too late! The snake-shaped
cone struck his back with a "plop." The vertebrae at the point of impact collapsed! But Hong Feilong remained standing.
Ju Zhong was shocked and used the force of the impact to leap backward, trying to avoid Hong Feilong's final, fatal blow. The snake-shaped cone
was still embedded in his back! Qiu Mei saw Hong Feilong's furious expression and knew he had seen through her; she was terrified
. Hong Feilong raised his right palm and chopped at Qiu Mei's head! At this moment, Hong Feilong straddled Qiu Mei. Where could Qiu
Mei possibly escape? Qiu Mei looked at Hong Feilong with fear and pleading. Hong Feilong suddenly withdrew his right palm,
let out a long sigh, and then lay down.

Ju Zhong and Qiu Mei waited a while before recovering from their tension. Ju Zhong said, "I didn't expect to kill him
so easily ! I thought that blow would only injure him at most! Is the rumor that he has Iron Shirt Qigong
false?" Qiu Mei picked up a long robe and put it on, saying with lingering fear, "Luckily, I bit his
tongue and broke this old guy's Iron Shirt." Ju Zhong nodded and said, "Oh, a broken martial arts technique takes twenty-four
hours to recover. No wonder I was able to strike with one blow! But this old guy is quite tough. He could have easily killed you before he died
. I wonder why he suddenly stopped?" Qiu Mei shook her head and said, "I don't
know either. I was terrified when he struck me with his palm. I would
n't have taken the risk if the money he offered wasn't so tempting!" Looking at Hong Feilong lying dead on the bed, a strange expression suddenly appeared on
Qiu Mei's face. She looked at him and then giggled. Ju Zhong asked, "What are you laughing at?" Qiu Mei said, "He
still thinks I'm really Qiu Mei, and he even hopes I can bear him a son!"

Ju Zhong looked at the corpse on the ground and said, "You are sisters, and you deliberately imitated her. Who
could tell the difference? Besides, an old woman who has lost her child values continuing her lineage more than anything else!" Qiu Mei
said , "That old man! He's dreaming! Don't tell me he's old and useless; even if you get pregnant with his child, you can
abort it!"

Ju Zhong suddenly said, "Wait! If you can get pregnant with his child, you absolutely mustn't abort it!" Qiu Mei asked
suspiciously , "What's wrong?" Ju Zhong didn't answer directly but instead said leisurely, "I have a way to make
you rich overnight! I know you'll get a lot of money this time, but compared to the amount I'm telling you,
it's just a drop in the ocean!" Qiu Mei's eyes shone with greed and excitement as she asked, "How?"
Ju Zhong said, "I can tell you, but on the condition that you give me one-tenth of what you get! Of course, I
will secretly do my best to help you, otherwise it will be difficult for you to succeed on your own!" Qiu Mei nodded repeatedly. Ju Zhong said,
"Fine! I'll tell you, and I'm not afraid you'll deny it later! If you want to fool me, this is an example!" He pointed to
the corpse on the ground. Qiu Mei looked at the gruesome body of Hong Feilong on the ground and shuddered slightly. She knew Ju Zhong meant what he said
.

Ju Zhong continued, "Hong Feilong's son and wife died before. Now that Hong Feilong is dead,
his vast fortune will fall into the hands of his younger brother, Hong Feihu. But if you get pregnant with Hong Feilong's child, that
enormous fortune will be yours! So how can you abort his child?"
Although Qiu Mei didn't know much about the underworld, she was familiar with the Hong Group, which was ubiquitous on the streets. In her excitement, she suddenly
thought of a problem and said, "How can it be so accurate to get it on the first try! Alas, it seems that the hope of making this fortune is
too small!"

Ju Zhong laughed and said, "It doesn't matter whose child you are pregnant with now! What matters is that
everyone inside and outside the gang knows that you are Hong Feilong's mistress. The child you are pregnant with is naturally his! Even if someone suspects it
, they can't prove it." Qiu Mei understood and couldn't help but smile.

Suddenly, Ju Zhong exclaimed, "Guo Xiaoan has arrived so quickly!" He then turned to Qiu Mei and said, "This
man is shrewd and capable, and extremely loyal to Hong Feilong. His presence is a great threat to you! I'll hide in the shadows.
You lie on the bed and pretend to faint. When Guo Xiaoan arrives, he'll wake you. Then you should try your best to seduce him. Once
he's bewitched, I can seize the opportunity to eliminate him!" Just as Qiu Mei was about to lie down, Ju Zhong said, "Take off your clothes
!" Qiu Mei suddenly realized that Hong Feilong had been killed during intercourse. If she were dressed properly,
Guo Xiaoan keen observation skills, would surely notice the flaw.

Guo Xiaoan examined the bodies of Lao Huang and Xiao Liu, then looked up and saw the cook, Li Dahai, lying dead to one side.
Guo Xiaoan was secretly shocked: "Such swift and ruthless methods! It really is the ruthless assassin Ju Zhong!" He quickly went to the third
courtyard. The bedroom was just ahead.

Chapter Six:

"The gang leader and Qiu Mei should be inside now!" Guo Xiaoan thought to himself.

Suddenly, he felt an unusual stillness, so still that even the chirping of insects dozens of steps away could be clearly heard!

"Has he not made a move, or is everything already over?" Guo Xiaoan had no idea.

He hurried to the bedroom door. Still no movement inside! He was on high alert and gently knocked a few times.

—No response.

"Knock, knock, knock." This time he knocked hard and loudly, enough to wake anyone sleeping inside.
But the bedroom remained deathly silent! Guo Xiaoan muttered to himself, "They're probably asleep. I'll deal with it tomorrow!"
But as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly kicked both doors off their hinges.

The room was deathly dark and gloomy, like a dark tomb. Guo Xiaoan took a deep breath,
lit a lighter, and walked inside. Ju Zhong watched Guo Xiaoan gradually enter, but felt at a loss!
Only then did he realize how terrifying Guo Xiaoan was! In this seemingly casual movement, the coordination of his steps and gestures was
incredibly , his entire being flawless! Ju Zhong knew that if he forced an attack now, he could injure Guo Xiaoan, but he
would pay the price with his life!

Guo Xiaoan walked to the bedside and turned on the bedside lamp, and the scene on the bed was immediately clearly displayed before his eyes.
Hong Feilong lay naked on top of Qiu Mei, who was also completely naked, with a fist-sized bloody hole in his back!
Clearly, Hong Feilong had been suddenly attacked during intercourse! Guo Xiaoan did not go forward to examine him closely, but instead
scanned the room! Ju Zhong felt a chill run down his spine; he realized he had underestimated Guo Xiaoan! But in the end,
Guo Xiaoan didn't see anything either. After he finished looking, he came to the bedside to examine her closely, and of course found that Qiu Mei was
unharmed , only unconscious. He put Hong Feilong's body aside, then pinched Qiu Mei's philtrum,
and Qiu Mei slowly woke up. She opened her eyes and saw Guo Xiaoan, asking, "What are you doing here?" She sat up,
only then realizing she was completely naked. She screamed, covering her chest with her hands, then
grabbed her nightgown to cover herself. Guo Xiaoan instinctively took a step back.

"You shameless!" Qiu Mei said.

Just as she was about to put on her clothes, she turned and saw Hong Feilong's corpse lying beside her! She screamed again and
fainted! But her hands still tightly gripped the silk nightgown, most of it covering her chest, a
corner just covering her lower abdomen. Under the pink light, Qiu Mei's delicate, snow-white skin looked exceptionally
alluring ! Although she was covered by a nightgown, how could the thin, almost transparent nightgown conceal her mature, voluptuous body?
Qiu Mei, a former
While a beautiful, naked body was alluring, a body that was partially covered was even more likely to ignite a man's desire to explore the hidden depths. What
was even more alluring was that she was currently unconscious—meaning no
one . She knew perfectly well that because he was working as Hong Feilong's bodyguard, the young and in his prime hadn't been with
a woman in a long time, and this time he would undoubtedly fall easily into her carefully laid trap of tenderness. Looking at the naked
body lying there, Guo Xiaoan felt a strange ripple in his heart. He walked step by step to the bedside. Ju Zhong, hidden in the shadows, could
clearly see Guo Xiaoan's Adam's apple bobbing up and down, knowing that he was now burning with desire. But he didn't underestimate
Guo Xiaoan, because even he, hidden in the shadows, was already aroused by the sight of this spring-like scene. "This woman
is truly a beauty!" he thought to himself.

Unexpectedly, Guo Xiaoan walked to the bedside and still pinched Qiu Mei awake, then turned around and said, "Put your clothes on."
"Get up." After a moment, he turned around and saw that Qiu Mei had already put on her pajamas. The pale pink pajamas had a wide
neckline and no buttons, just loosely tied at the waist with a belt. —So loose that it seemed as if it might slip off at any moment
. A clever woman attracts a man with appropriate exposure, but a truly skillful woman knows how to seduce
a man with concealment.

Guo Xiaoan's heart skipped a beat. He asked, "What exactly happened? Who killed the gang leader?"
Qiu Mei sobbed and said, "I...I don't really know...I just suddenly heard a 'whoosh,' and someone
rushed in from next door...and killed the old man...and then I was so scared that I fainted." After saying this, she burst
into tears.

Guo Xiaoan wanted to wait until she finished crying before asking, but Qiu Mei's crying was like the Yellow River overflowing its banks, unstoppable.
Guo Xiaoan had no choice but to go over and comfort her, "Sister-in-law, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Please accept my condolences and take care of yourself!"
Qiu Mei raised her head, her tears soaking her entire front, looking utterly heartbroken and pitiful, yet
possessing a captivating allure. Through her tearful eyes, she said, "My master is dead.
Who will I, a weak woman, rely on now?" She then "naturally" buried her face in Guo Xiaoan's shoulder and wept bitterly. Qiu Mei had
only resorted to this simplest and most direct method after the previous attempts had failed. —The simplest and most direct method is often the most effective
. Qiu Mei had already subtly expressed her feelings in her previous words, and with her gentle embrace, who could resist?

Guo Xiaoan, however, pushed Qiu Mei away, saying, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. Although the gang leader has passed away,
there will be people in the gang to take care of you. Take care of yourself!"

Guo Xiaoan was certainly not a saint, but in his moment of madness, he suddenly remembered
the kindness his family had received from the Hong family for two generations. How could he do such an unjust thing?

News of the assassination of Hong Feilong, the leader of the Qinglong Gang, quickly spread throughout Shanghai. The entire Qinglong Gang and even the underworld were thrown
into chaos. First, Li Bing, the leader of the Tiger Group, led over two thousand members to declare their independence from the Qinglong Gang,
establishing the Tianfu Gang and claiming territory within a radius of several dozen miles west of the city. Upon hearing of his brother's death, Hong Feihu
was enraged and immediately assembled nearly four thousand combat troops from the Wolf Group and Pigeon Group to prepare for an attack on the Divine Blade Hall. He also sent messengers to contact
the Eagle Group and Lion Group, requesting their assistance. However, Guo Xiaoan and Xu Qingchun advocated investigating the true mastermind before taking action
. Hong Feihu was furious upon hearing this: "Those two are cunning bastards, trying to preserve their strength!
That scum Li Bing is even worse; he's usually as silent as a sick chicken. But now his mind is working fast! He's already
established his own gang . Damn it, I'll make him pay sooner or later!" But for now, he dared not do anything to Li Bing, whose territory lay at
the border between the Qinglong Gang and the Divine Blade Hall. Hong Feihu's attack on the Divine Blade Hall required passing through its territory. At this point, Hong Feihu
didn't want any further complications.

The Divine Blade Hall's informant within the Green Dragon Gang quickly relayed the news of Hong Feihu's planned large-scale attack. The Divine Blade Hall
was greatly alarmed and began dispatching men to assemble at the border between the two gangs.

Inside the Divine Blade Hall, Chen Yifu and his men discussed countermeasures. Because the matter was of great importance, all the leaders from the second to the seventh were present
—except for the deceased Long Fei and Sharpshooter Xiao Yang.

Chen Yifu said, "This time, Hong Feihu has gone all in, and his attack is fierce and should not be underestimated!" The sixth brother,
Iron Tower Zhang Zaisheng, mumbled, "What's there to be afraid of? Their most powerful Tiger Group has already separated itself.
We'll slaughter as many of those pigs as Hong Feihu come!" The fourth brother, Cigarette Mouth Yang Yesheng, said, "Hong Feihu isn't much, but his two
deputies are not to be underestimated. And I've heard that several other gangs allied with the Green Dragon Gang have also joined!
There are quite a few capable people here! Although we are certain of victory this time, our losses will be considerable." The second brother, Flying Knife Li Wuxin,
said , "We're just afraid Hong Feihu won't come! If he doesn't come, it'll be troublesome!" Cigarette Mouth Yang Yesheng asked, "What do you
mean?" Li Wuxin said, "Hong Feihu is reckless and reckless. This time, he hastily entered..." "Attack him now, and it will be relatively easy to deal with him.
But if he gives up now, a joint attack with Xu Qingchun and Guo Xiaoan later would be a formidable threat. If we eliminate him first
, even if Xu Qingchun and Guo Xiaoan are incredibly cunning, their numbers are far too many to harm us!"
Chen Yifu nodded happily and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking! But think about it, with Guo Xiaoan's shrewdness and
Xu Qingchun's intelligence, do you think they'll just sit by and watch Hong Feihu be destroyed? Obviously not, they'll send people to persuade him.
So from now on, our insiders over there should drop everything and do everything in their power to prevent Xu Qingchun and
Guo Xiaoan envoys from reaching Hong Feihu's side!" He turned to Yang Yesheng, the fourth brother, and asked, "
How many people do we have in the Green Dragon Gang?" Yang Yesheng replied, "Two high-ranking members, fifteen mid-ranking members, and over one hundred and thirty ordinary members!"
"He always had a cigarette dangling from his lips, even when talking to the gang leader. But he spoke very clearly,
without any ambiguity because of the cigarette. Dong Yifu knew he always did this and didn't take offense.
However, Yang Yesheng's cigarette was never lit. Others gave him that nickname because he always had a cigarette in his mouth.
Yang Yesheng rarely lit his cigarette; when someone saw him light one, he would only take a few puffs and then stub it out. The people in the gang discussed it back and
forth, but couldn't come to any conclusion.

Chen Yifu said, 'With a major battle imminent, we don't know many people in the Green Dragon Gang. If a chaotic battle
breaks out, we might end up fighting among ourselves!' Li Wuxin said, 'I think it's best to have them
withdraw before then; they're not very useful there anymore!' Chen Yifu pondered for a moment and said, 'Withdraw! Of course, we should withdraw.
There are many of our gang's elites there. But we can't just withdraw like this! Before we withdraw, we should have them persuade
a group of people to join us, and then we can take the opportunity to eliminate the rest.'" "These are the Green Dragon Gang's henchmen! This way, we can weaken their forces while strengthening
our own." Zhang Zaisheng, the Iron Tower, exclaimed loudly, "This idea is brilliant! Boss, when did you
start having these cunning schemes?" Chen Yifu smiled, then turned to Li Wuxin, the Flying Knife, and said, "
If possible, we should try to win over Li Bing at all costs. Even if that doesn't work,
we must ensure he remains neutral in this conflict with the Green Dragon Gang!" Li Wuxin, the second brother, said, "Making him neutral shouldn't
be . He
's located on the border between our two families. He seems to be a smart man. Now that he's established the Tianfu Gang, he has men and
territory over would be easy..." Chen Yifu said, "Of course, I don't expect him to join our Divine Blade
Hall. I'm just using this to gauge his attitude. Once the Green Dragon Gang is destroyed, dealing with him will be a piece of cake, right?" Inside the Green Dragon Gang's
Loyalty Hall.

Xu Qingchun and Guo Xiaoan discussed countermeasures, arranging Hong Feilong's funeral while trying to find a way to stop Hong Feilong.
"Tiger is making his move," Xu Qingchun said. "I heard Hong Feihu made his move at nine o'clock, which is only two hours away! But we haven't heard a word from the people
we sent! What happened over there?" Guo Xiaoan said, "It seems
I have no choice but to go myself!" Xu Qingchun said, "No! The safety of the headquarters depends entirely on you.
If you leave, it's no joke if things go wrong. I'll go!"
Guo
Xiaoan said, "The people we sent haven't returned. Something must have happened! You're just a weak scholar; you might get ambushed on the way!" The two were at a loss, lamenting that they had no one to rely on. Guo Xiaoquan said, "I'll go!" Guo Xiaoan said, "You were just discharged from the hospital yesterday. Are you
sure you can manage?" Guo Xiaoquan said, "It's alright!" Xu Qingchun handed him a letter that he had written beforehand.

Guo Xiaoquan took the letter and hurriedly left the Green Dragon Gang. Halfway there, seeing that no one was around, he turned and went to a
secluded corner. He opened the letter, read it for a while, sneered, tore it up, and threw it in the trash can. He glanced around again,
quickly turned into an alley, and slipped into a courtyard!

Meanwhile, Hong Feihu was annoyed by Guo Xiaoquan and Xu Qingchun's refusal to send troops when a subordinate reported, "
Fang Cheng, the captain of the fifth squad of the seventh battalion, has led more than a hundred men to defect to the Divine Blade Hall!" Hong Feihu
was furious , slapped the man, and cursed, "Aren't you going to send someone to chase him? Damn it, if we catch him, we'll
skin him alive!" The man who reported said with a bitter face, "We found out too late!
More than forty of the two hundred and sixty men in the fifth squad of the seventh battalion were killed, and the rest have all defected to the Divine Blade Hall!" As soon as this man left,
another person rushed in to report: "Chen Daoyuan, the deputy captain of the third squad of the second battalion, killed the captain and
escaped with more than fifty men!" "Li Mingfang, the captain of the sixth squad of the fourth battalion, was killed without cause."

"The deputy captain of the third squad of the eighth battalion..."

...

...

...

More than ten people came in one after another to report. Hong Feihu was initially furious, like a balloon about to burst, but
later he was dumbfounded, like a deflated tire, unable to muster any more fire! After a long while, he
remembered that he should call his two deputies to discuss countermeasures. Hua Wanchun said, "This is obviously
the work of spies infiltrating the Divine Blade Hall. There's only half an hour left before our planned attack on the Divine Blade Hall. Naturally, these people
won't they'll try to make one last profit before leaving. I've made arrangements for every three squads to gather
together and monitor each other, but I think most of the spies should have left by now!" Hong Feilong asked, "How many men did
we lose this time?" Li Xing replied, "About a thousand!" Hua Wanchun cautiously said,
"Brother Hong, the gang is in a state of panic right now. If we go into battle, we'll undoubtedly be defeated! I think we should reorganize and discuss
it another . We can also take this opportunity to recruit more men." Hong Feihu nodded. That morning, Hua Wanchun had advised Hong Feihu
to postpone his departure, but Hong Feihu had berated him mercilessly.

More than half a month passed, and the position of leader of the Qinglong Gang remained vacant. Hong Feihu believed that as Hong Feilong's
younger brother, he was the natural choice to succeed him. However, everyone else objected, and Xu Qingchun proposed that only those who avenged the previous leader could become
the new leader. Just as things were getting heated, Dongmei, disguised as Qiumei, made her appearance. She wasn't after the
leadership position, but rather the wealth. Everyone in the gang knew that whoever controlled this vast fortune was
the true boss. This was because no businesses within the Qinglong Gang's territory paid protection money, and the gang's expenses relied entirely on the Hong family's
businesses .

Hong Feihu was deeply resentful that what was practically his property was about to slip away. He sent someone to the hospital
to check she was truly pregnant. After the examination, Hong Feihu had nothing to say. Seeing that open confrontation wouldn't work, he claimed
he needed to inventory the assets to delay the handover, while secretly sending someone to warn Qiu Mei to relinquish Hong Feilong's property and leave Shanghai.
However, the person who went never returned. —Ju Zhong had been secretly protecting Qiu Mei all this time.
He didn't want his cash cow to fall before he got the money!

That day, "Qiu Mei," beaming with pride, went straight to the Hong Group with her lawyer. She knew a huge fortune
was about to fall into her hands, and she was incredibly excited.

At the Hong Group, she went to complete the handover procedures with Hong Feihu. Hong Feihu knew he could no longer refuse and reluctantly
signed the inheritance documents. Just as he was about to hand the documents to "Qiu Mei," Old Wang, the servant pouring tea, suddenly
said, "Wait! This can't be given to her, because she's not the real Qiu Mei!" Everyone present was
stunned ! Qiu Mei felt a pang of panic, but outwardly she pretended to be calm, saying, "Who else am I but Qiu Mei?
Everyone knows me! Go away, you have no right to speak here!" Old Wang suddenly laughed. The laughter was
loud and unrestrained. Hong Feihu's eyes lit up, and he said, "You...you are..." Old Wang didn't answer, his eyes
fixed on Qiu Mei, and slowly said, "Qiu Mei has a twin sister named Dong Mei! You are Dong Mei!"
As he spoke, he yanked a wig off his hair, rubbed it against his face, and removed an
exquisite mask. Everyone present was stunned. Standing before them was none other than the deceased Hong Feilong!
Hong Feihu said excitedly, "That's right...that's right! It really is my elder brother!...I thought the voice sounded just now."
Dong Mei's face was ashen. Hong Feilong said loudly to her, "The person you plotted to kill at Cuiyu Pavilion was
just a double for me! Actually, I realized a month ago that Qiu Mei was no longer Qiu Mei!" Dong Mei
said in a hoarse voice, "How did you find out? We look exactly alike! Even our voices are the same! When we were little, even
our parents couldn't tell us apart. Before coming here, I carefully examined her from head to toe. I even
removed the inconspicuous little black mole inside her left ear!" Hong Feilong shook his head and said, "Actually, I
didn't notice any of that. You have to remember, Qiu Mei and I have been together for two years! Everyone
has , it has become natural. Although you and Qiu Mei have known each other's habits since childhood,
you certainly know them very well. But you can't understand this aspect. So you immediately gave yourself
away! Remember, no matter how good someone is at disguising themselves, they can never fool the other's husband and wife!"
Mei's heart sank. She never expected that her dream of getting rich would be shattered in an instant, and that her life would be in immediate danger! She had
come here walking into a trap. "

Hong Feihu said to Hong Feilong, "Brother, since you discovered it back then, why didn't you expose her immediately!
Keeping such an enemy by your side is too dangerous!" Hong Feilong smiled and shook his head, saying, "
It's like a trap. If you don't know where the trap is, it's indeed very dangerous, but if you know where the trap is..."
"Where you are, this trap is no longer a threat! And I can even use it to
trick my enemies!" Hong Feihu seemed to understand, but Hong Feilong said, "Knowing how to utilize and fully
leverage the talents of your subordinates to work for you isn't difficult, but knowing how to manipulate your enemies to act according to your own will is
the true mark of a master!" Hong Feihu suddenly realized, "That time at the meeting you mentioned going to Cuiyu Pavilion…"
Hong Feihu said, "Yes! I said that on purpose! Because I knew there were still some
spies in our gang that I didn't know about! I wanted to use my fake death to see who the spies were." He then asked Hong Feihu,
"How many people did we lose this time?" Hong Feihu said, "More than a thousand!" Hong Feilong said,
"That's quite a lot! But it's worth it. After this purge, we can have no more worries."
Sitting to the side, Dongmei trembled with fear, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles. She knew that although Hong Feilong was kind to others,
he was ruthless towards those who betrayed him. The few minutes he had been sitting there felt like years! Sweat
streamed . Looking at Dongmei's pale face, Hong Feilong said, "Don't worry, I won't kill you!
We're still relatives, after all." He paused, then asked with concern, "How's your sister?" Dongmei nodded,
struggling to say, "She's...she's alright..." But she knew she wasn't. Hong Feilong said, "Oh, if
you see her again, give her my regards! Okay, you can go now!" Dongmei was momentarily confused, not understanding what
Hong Feilong meant, and even less why he was letting her go so easily. But upon hearing that she was being allowed to leave,
she hurriedly got up and left.

A few weeks later, Dongmei herself didn't know how she ended up being taken away by the police. "Take her to Special Zone Two!"
an officer-looking man said.

"Oh, that's where they lock people up..." The junior officer was interrupted before he could finish, "This is what they arranged!"

Dongmei was taken to Zone Two.

The walls there were twice as high as those in a regular prison! Everywhere were sentry posts.

"What did I do wrong?" Dongmei had a terrible premonition

. The person leading the way remained silent. They entered the prison. The cells were separated by steel pillars as thick as eggs.
The smell of rusty metal and the musty odor in the darkness couldn't mask the strong stench of blood! The horrific
screams were even more chilling. After walking for a while, a patrolman ahead said, "Interrogation Room Number Thirteen!"

The person leading the way said "Oh" and continued forward.

Soon, they arrived at the room with the sign "Number Thirteen" on it! But the iron door was tightly closed.

They waited at the door for a while before it finally opened! A pale-faced, thin man shouted,
"Old Liu! Take this person to the slaughterhouse! This person is dying!"

At this moment, a lame old man, carrying a large iron hook used for slaughtering pigs, slowly walked over.

In the middle of the interrogation room, a horizontal wooden pillar hung, and a girl was tied to the beam with her hands bound. Her legs
were spread wide in a "I" shape and tied to the horizontal wooden pillar. Her private parts were wide open!
A white, viscous substance was continuously flowing from them.

The girl was about twenty years old. Except for her face, the rest of her body was covered in whip marks. And it was clearly a severe beating,
a bloody mess. Several iron skewers were stuck through her nipples, completely piercing them! Her full, white breasts were
also covered in iron clamps. "No fatal wounds, just a lot of bleeding, she probably won't survive.
Drag her !" the skinny man said.

The lame old man grunted in agreement. He bent down and roughly inserted the tip of the iron hook directly into the girl's private parts,
then thrust it in, then out from her lower abdomen. The entire hook was caught on her pubic bone. Then the old man pulled the hook and
dragged the girl away. The girl was only bleeding heavily and hadn't died immediately. She kept wailing and screaming, her body
twisting and turning.

But the old man seemed oblivious, continuing to drag her slowly forward through the passageway with the iron hook. This sight
nearly made Dongmei faint. The skinny man said, "Next!"

This shout almost scared the soul out of her.

She immediately signed the confession. Tortured to the point of madness, she didn't read it carefully, and in the end, she
didn't even know what she had done! She was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Not long after Dongmei left, the Guo brothers and Xu Qingchun entered together. When they saw Hong Feilong
standing before them, they were all extremely shocked. However, Xu Qingchun and Guo Xiaoan were both surprised and delighted, while Guo Xiaoquan was both
shocked and terrified. Hong Feihu said, "The one killed at Cuiyu Pavilion was just my elder brother's double!" Hong Feilong
greeted them, then walked up to Guo Xiaoquan with a smile and slapped him on the shoulder. Guo Xiaoquan
cried out in pain. It turned out that Hong Feilong had used considerable force in that slap! His palm technique was far from
ordinary . Hong Feilong, still smiling, said, "It's strange, every time I get into trouble, you always seem to be in trouble too
! If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who leaked the news this time!" Guo Xiaoquan said through gritted teeth, "No...
no... I... I didn't... betray... you." Hong Feilong sneered, "I never punish my own brothers without absolute
certainty ! I really don't like doing this kind of thing because it's always
unpleasant. But that doesn't mean you can treat me like a fool!" He then pulled out a stack of photos from the expressway
. Guo Xiaoquan looked at them and immediately turned ashen-faced, lowering his head! It turned out that his act of secretly opening and tearing up the letters had been photographed
! Even his sneaking into a small courtyard at the end hadn't been missed. Hong Feilong said, "I've already had your last
courtyard investigated; it's indeed a contact point for your Divine Blade Hall! What do you have to say for yourself now?"
Guo Xiaoan, enraged, walked over and slapped Guo Xiaoquan twice across the face, then knelt before Hong Feilong, saying, "
Chief, my cousin is young and acted rashly. Please... please spare his life!"

Xu Qingchun said from the side, "Brother Guo, get up. The Chief has already spared your cousin's life!"
Guo Xiaoan looked at Xu Qingchun in confusion and said, "When did you say that? I didn't hear it!" Xu Qingchun
said , "Just now, the fact that I shattered Guo Xiaoquan's shoulder bone with one palm shows that the leader doesn't want him dead. The leader has always been a
straightforward person; otherwise, he would have already killed him with one palm, without bothering to shatter his shoulder first."
Hong Feilong looked at Xu Qingchun approvingly and said, "Qingchun is right. Guo Xiaoquan should be executed for what he
did. But he is your cousin. I've always known you've been loyal and dedicated to me. So I
didn't kill him, I just shattered his shoulder bone and crippled his martial arts." Then he turned to Guo Xiaoquan and said,
"Chen Yifu is a very ambitious person. I'm afraid even the Divine Blade Hall can't tolerate you now. You should leave the Upper Hall."
"Go find another way to make a living!" Then he turned to Hong Feihu and said, "Second brother, give Xiaoquan five hundred silver dollars."
Hong Feihu said indignantly and in surprise, "He... he's giving him money?... And so much at that?" Hong Feilong
said sternly, "Go when I tell you to!" Hong Feihu had no choice but to go out and get the silver dollars. Hong Feilong handed the money
to Guo Xiaoquan and said kindly, "Spend this money sparingly; it should be enough for the rest of your life."

Guo Xiaoquan did not expect that he would do such a rebellious thing, yet Hong Feilong would still treat him like this.
Filled with wept bitterly and knelt before Hong Feilong, saying, "I, Guo Xiaoquan... in the past... my behavior was truly...
truly... worse than a pig or a dog! Though my martial arts are gone, I am still willing to serve the gang leader like a dog or a horse.

" "I believe you!... and I believe your words are sincere!" Hong Feilong said
earnestly
. "But you should still leave Shanghai! Our Green Dragon Gang is all about licking blood from the edge of a knife. Now that your martial arts are completely gone, you can barely protect yourself. Keeping you here will only harm you!" He then smiled and said, "Having your brother serve me
is the same; brothers are one body!" Guo Xiaoquan was moved to tears.

Guo Xiaoquan left Shanghai safely with the five hundred silver dollars. However, he later heard from people in Jurong that
a Shanghai customer with a bandage on his right shoulder had been chased and killed, his pockets emptied! The corpse's face was hacked to pieces,
making it impossible to identify who it was.

Inside the Green Dragon Gang's Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness,

Hong Feilong summoned all the groups. They discussed how to deal with the current situation. When Hong Feihu entered, he was shocked
to find that Quick-Gun Li Bing and his two deputies were already seated! Hong Feihu walked over angrily and said, "You
little brat, you're really good at changing your tune! Now that the gang leader is back, you're back all high and mighty!" Then Hong Feihu said to
Hong Feilong, "Brother, this kid announced a few days ago that he was leaving the Green Dragon Gang to start his own business, and..." Before he could
finish speaking, Hong Feilong waved his hand to interrupt him and said, "I know, because that's what I arranged beforehand
! I made him do that!" Hong Feihu said, "Then... isn't that creating chaos?" Hong Feilong
said, "That's exactly what I want to create chaos! Only in chaos will those lurking spies act without restraint!
Because it's easy to fish in troubled waters! When they act recklessly, they'll inevitably become complacent! Besides, Li Bing's territory is special,
located on the border between the Divine Blade Hall and ours. I don't want to directly confront the Divine Blade Hall..." " A head-on clash. With Li Bing's independence as
a buffer, I believe there won't be a direct conflict before I show myself. Moreover, I've assigned Li Bing a special mission!"
Hong Feihu said. "What mission?" Hong Feilong didn't answer directly, but instead asked him, "
How many people did we lose in this rebellion? Be detailed!" Hong Feihu said, "More than 1,100 people, of whom more than 700 died, and
more than 400 escaped and joined the Divine Blade Hall!" Hong Feilong turned to ask Li Bing, "How many people did you intercept this time?"
Li Bing said, "We captured a total of 382 members who had defected and tried to enter the Divine Blade Hall through me,
and killed 107 of them." Hong Feihu said in surprise, "Not a single one... escaped." After saying that, he
said to Hong Feilong, "Brother, did he know about your faked death?" Hong Feilong nodded. Hong Feihu
said , "You trust him so much... if he were to defect, the consequences would be unimaginable!" He wanted to say,
"Trust him more than your own brothers?" But after thinking about it, he swallowed it back. Hong Feilong said, "I believe
he would never betray me because he is my own son!" Everyone present looked at each other in astonishment.
Hong Feilong continued, "Actually, he is only my first son. He grew up in the countryside. At that time, I hadn't made
a name for myself wandering around, so I didn't bring him here. As I established the Green Dragon Gang, I made more and more enemies. My children
would inevitably become targets for them. Therefore, my children had to bear an extraordinary burden of life! —
He doesn't have extraordinary skills or a sharp mind… so…" His eyes were filled with sorrow and
bitterness . He must have been thinking about the accidental deaths of his other two sons.

"But from this incident, I discovered that he—Hong Bing—possesses these qualities, so I dare to announce this secret
to you ." In fact, Hong Feilong announced this secret now because he was afraid that if he died unexpectedly,
this secret would be taken to his grave. Hong Bing would not be able to inherit his family fortune and status. Hong Feihu said, "Congratulations
, brother, on having such a capable son. Now that you're back, we're more confident in eliminating the Divine Blade Hall!"
Hong Feilong said, "No! I plan to send people to negotiate with the Divine Blade Hall! It's not advisable for us to directly
clash ; that would only result in mutual destruction!" Hong Feihu retorted, "Are we afraid of not being able to defeat
them? With our current strength, we can overcome them, plus the Death God directly deployed by brother..." Hong Feilong
interrupted him, saying, "We can only
act when our strength is overwhelmingly superior to theirs! Otherwise, after a major battle, other gangs might reap the benefits! But I believe that day is not far off!"
A confident smile appeared on Hong Feilong's face. Hong Feihu retorted, "We've been locked in a stalemate with the Divine Blade Hall for more than
a year or two. To be far stronger than them... I don't know..." Xu Qingchun said, "
Our spies in the Divine Blade Hall are still intact, while their spies have been completely eliminated.
We , and their development will be constantly hampered. Isn't this extremely advantageous for us?"
Hong Feilong laughed heartily, "Among the Green Dragon Gang, only Qingchun is my confidant! With him, I've saved myself a great deal of effort!
Yes! We must make peace with the Divine Blade Hall!" Finally, it was decided that Liu Yongchun, the deputy leader of the Tiger Group, would go
. Firstly, he was eloquent, and secondly, he had some connections with the fourth leader of the Divine Blade Hall.

Night fell, neon lights shone like rainbows. Shanghai's nights are lively and beautiful. The Green Water Tea House, located in Longwo
Lane in Pudong, was considered relatively remote. However, it was exceptionally bustling tonight. The tea house itself was decorated with exquisite
elegance . The owner, Shen Fei, stood in front of the door, glancing occasionally towards the other end of the alley, seemingly waiting for someone.
Finally, around nine o'clock, three customers arrived from the other end of the alley. The man in the middle wore a top hat and sunglasses, his head
bowed , obscuring his face. The two beside him stood ramrod straight, their eyes fixed ahead, their expressions resolute and
their gazes piercing. The one on the right was about 1.80 meters tall, tall and thin. The one on the left was about 1.72
meters tall, with dark skin, a broad back, and a robust build.

The three men walked with a peculiar gait. Given their varying heights, their strides should naturally differ, but their seemingly
chaotic steps harmonized perfectly, forming a fixed rhythm. The man in the middle was always only half a step ahead of
the other two.

The boss, Shen Fei, hurriedly came out to greet him, bowing and scraping so obsequiously he almost knelt down.
The simply nodded and walked into the courtyard. Shen Fei followed him inside. A moment later, he
came out again and said to his waiters, Xiao Sun and Xiao Li, "You two be alert.
Report any conspicuous figures immediately!" Then he turned to Wang Juncai and said, "Go and pour tea for the guests inside. They're in
the inner room of the west courtyard. Bring the 'Water Pavilion Guanyin' tea that you bought from Fujian a few days ago!" Wang Juncai exclaimed, "Boss,
that was specially bought from Fujian by you to give to the director! It cost three hundred silver dollars for just two ounces, and it was in short supply.
Even now, if you have the money, you can't find it. You haven't forgotten, have you?" The boss said impatiently, "
Just go!" Wang Juncai obediently poured the tea and walked towards the west courtyard, thinking as he went, "Who
is this person? Why is our boss so eager to curry favor with him?" When he arrived at the inner room, he put down the tea and glanced
at . He saw that the man had a square face, a high nose, sparse eyebrows, and a two-inch-long scar below his left eye.
He was slightly overweight and not very tall. But sitting there, he exuded a dignified and imposing aura, his piercing eyes radiating a commanding
presence. Wang Juncai's heart pounded: "He...he...is Xu Jinlin, the mayor of Shanghai!" He stumbled backward,
nearly tripping over the threshold in his haste.

Xu Jinlin took a sip of tea and praised, "I never expected such fine tea from such a small tea shop. It's truly
remarkable!" A moment later, a knock sounded at the door. Xu Jinlin said, "Come in." The owner, Shen Fei,
pushed the door open and entered. He approached Xu Jinlin and whispered a few words. Xu Jinlin said to the two men behind him, "
You go out for a moment." The two men acknowledged and left. Shen Fei followed them out. A short while later, the door
creaked open. A young man in his twenties slipped in. He wore a wide-brimmed cap, and the collar of his trench coat
was turned , obscuring the lower half of his face, so his features were not visible. Xu Jinlin not only didn't scold the man for barging in without knocking
, but instead stood up and said warmly, "Qing'er." The young man said, "Father, how have you been lately?"
He then took off his hat, revealing his face. This man was actually Xu Qingchun of the Green Dragon Gang! Xu Jinlin
laughed , "I come from a military background; I'm very healthy." It turned out that Xu Qingchun was Xu Jinlin's son, Xu Yuanqing.

Chapter Seven:

Xu Jinlin said, "Any new news lately?" Xu Qingchun said, "That Hong Feilong really
faked his death ! The situation has changed drastically; Hong Feilong is cunning and doesn't intend to go to war with the Divine Blade Hall." Xu Jinlin said:
"Hong Feilong is indeed a cunning old fox! It's not easy to fool him. These two gangs are powerful, and they
have all sorts of people from all walks of life. To truly control Shanghai, we must control them. Unfortunately, they don't know what's good for them."
Xu Qingchun thought to himself, "These are all arrogant figures who have long dominated their areas. How could they easily be controlled by others
!" Xu Jinlin paced around the room a few times and said, "So we must eliminate them! Then we will
support gangs willing to work for us!" Xu Qingchun said, "After observing for the past two years, although these two gangs each have capable people,
there aren't many with strong combat abilities. More importantly, most of them are untrained and have very poor teamwork.
We can easily eliminate them with just a force of about ten thousand men! Why go through so much trouble?"
Xu Jinlin said, "Do you know why there are so many gangs in Shanghai?" Xu Qingchun shook his head. Xu Jinlin
said , "In Shanghai, there are far more migrants than locals. These migrants leave their homes and come to Shanghai.
If they encounter any difficulties, it's hard for one person to solve them. Sometimes it directly affects their survival. So, groups of
acquaintances or people from the same place form gangs to help each other. This is
why gangs are so prevalent among the lower classes. Even in our army, many people are gang members. If I
rashly , others will think I don't tolerate gangs, which will inevitably cause chaos. The best scenario is for the two gangs
to openly fight in Shanghai, then I can send troops to eliminate them in one fell swoop under the pretext of suppressing order. This relationship is very
delicate ..." " We must seize this opportunity!"

Xu Qingchun said. "Regarding the arms case last time, Chen Yifu's reaction was as expected, but Hong Feilong is
incredibly cunning . He could tolerate his son being killed by the Divine Blade Hall! Today, he actually sent someone to negotiate peace. It seems like
a war won't break out!" Xu Jinlin said, "He really can tolerate it! Then let's do something he can't tolerate!" Xu Qingchun
said , "I'll see how things go and think of another way. This Hong Feilong is really not easy to deal with!" Xu Jinlin
paced back and forth in the room, somewhat agitated, and said, "We haven't removed this thorn in our side, and now the Beiping side has sent people
. They ostensibly to reward me and promote me, but they really want me to work for them as cannon fodder!" Xu Qingchun said,
"What do you plan to do?"

The next morning at nine o'clock, Liu Yongchun went to visit the Divine Blade Hall, but there was no
news . The following morning, Hong Feilong was discussing matters with the group leaders. An informant from the Divine Blade Hall reported: "Liu Yongchun was killed outside the hall by Flying Knife Li Wuxin
before he even met the hall master, Chen Yifu! At the same time
, the Divine Blade Hall declared that any peace talks must be sincere. Sending someone who can't make any decisions is clearly an insult to the Divine Blade Hall!
If peace talks are truly necessary, the leader must go in person!"

Hong Feilong pondered for a long time before saying, "It seems I have no choice but to go!" The other group leaders all
advised Hong Feilong against taking such a risk. Xu Qingchun stood up and said, "This Chen Yifu is utterly unethical.
How can the leader, of such high status, lightly enter such a dangerous place? Besides, the leader going to him in person to negotiate would make it seem like the Green Dragon Gang is bowing down to them !
It would be better if I went instead. After all, I am the vice-leader; talking to him wouldn't be beneath my dignity." The night was vibrant and beautiful, with neon lights illuminating everything. Green Water Tea House is located in Longwo Lane in Pudong, a rather secluded spot. However, it was unusually lively today. The tea house wasn't large, but its decor was exquisite and elegant. The owner, Shen Fei, stood at the entrance, glancing occasionally towards the other end of the lane, seemingly waiting for someone. Finally, around nine o'clock, three customers arrived from the other end of the lane. The man in the middle wore a top hat and sunglasses , his head bowed, obscuring his face. The two beside him stood ramrod straight, their eyes fixed ahead, their faces resolute, their gazes piercing. The one on the right was about 1.80 meters tall, tall and slender. The one on the left was shorter, about 1.72 meters, with dark skin, a broad back, and a robust build. The three men's gait was peculiar. Given their varying heights, their strides should naturally differ, but their seemingly chaotic steps harmonized perfectly, forming a fixed rhythm. The man in the middle was always slightly shorter than the others.

The two men were half a step ahead.

The boss, Shen Fei, hurriedly came out to greet them, bowing and scraping so obsequiously he almost knelt.
The simply nodded and walked into the courtyard. Shen Fei followed him inside. A moment later, he
came out again and said to his waiters, Xiao Sun and Xiao Li, "You two be alert.
Report any conspicuous figures immediately!" Then he turned to Wang Juncai and said, "Go and pour tea for the guests inside. They're in the inner room of the west
courtyard . Bring the 'Water Pavilion Guanyin' tea that you bought from Fujian a few days ago!" Wang Juncai exclaimed, "Boss, that
was specially bought from Fujian by you to give to Director Liu! It cost three hundred silver dollars for just two ounces, and it was rare.
Even now, you can't find it anywhere else. You haven't forgotten, have you?" The boss said impatiently, "
Just go!" Wang Juncai obediently poured the tea and walked towards the west courtyard, thinking as he went, "Who is
this person? Why is our boss so eager to curry favor with him?"

When he arrived at the inner room, he put down the tea and glanced at the middle-aged man. He saw that the man had a square face, a high nose, sparse
eyebrows , and a two-inch-long scar below his left eye. He was slightly overweight and not very tall. But
sitting there, he exuded a dignified and imposing aura, his piercing eyes radiating a commanding presence. Wang Juncai's heart pounded:
"He...he...is Xu Jinlin, the mayor of Shanghai!" He stumbled backward, nearly tripping over the threshold in his haste.
Xu

Jinlin took a sip of tea and exclaimed, "I never expected such a small tea shop to have such fine tea. It's truly
remarkable!"

A moment later, a knock sounded at the door. Xu Jinlin said, "Come in." The owner, Shen Fei, pushed the door
open and entered. He approached Xu Jinlin and whispered a few words. Xu Jinlin said to the two men behind him, "You two
go out for a moment." The two men acknowledged and left. Shen Fei followed them out.

A short while later, the door creaked open. A young man in his twenties slipped in. He
wore a wide-brimmed cap, and the collar of his trench coat was turned up, obscuring the lower half of his face, so his features were not visible. Xu Jinlin
not only didn't scold the man for barging in without knocking, but instead stood up and said warmly, "Qing'er." The young man
said, "Father, how have you been lately?" He then took off his hat, revealing his face. This man was none other than
Xu Qingchun of the Green Dragon Gang!

Xu Jinlin laughed heartily, "I come from a military background; I'm very healthy." This Xu Qingchun was actually Xu Jinlin
's son, Xu Yuanqing.

Xu Jinlin asked, "Any new news lately?" Xu Qingchun replied, "That Hong Feilong really
faked his death ! The situation has changed drastically; Hong Feilong is cunning and doesn't intend to go to war with the Divine Blade Hall." Xu Jinlin said:
"Hong Feilong is indeed a cunning old fox! It's not easy to fool him. But these two gangs are powerful, and they have
all sorts of people from all walks of life . To truly control Shanghai, we must control them. Unfortunately, they don't know what's good for them."
Xu Qingchun thought to himself, "These are all arrogant figures who have long dominated their areas. How could they easily be
controlled by others!"

Xu Jinlin paced around the room a few times and said, "So we must eliminate them! Then we will support gangs willing to work for
us !" Xu Qingchun said, "After observing for the past two years, although these two gangs each have capable people,
there aren't many who are truly strong in combat. More importantly, most of them have not received any training, and their teamwork is very poor.
We only need to send about 10,000 troops to easily eliminate them! Why go through so much trouble?"
Xu Jinlin didn't answer directly, but said, "Do you know why there are so many gangs in Shanghai?" Xu Qingchun
shook his head. Xu Jinlin said, "In Shanghai, there are far more outsiders than locals. These outsiders
leave their homes to come to Shanghai. If they encounter any difficulties, it's hard for one person to solve them. Sometimes it directly affects their survival.
So, groups of acquaintances or people from the same place form gangs to help each other. This is why gangs are so prevalent among
the lower classes. Even many people in our army are gang members. If I
rashly send troops to suppress them without reason, others will think I don't tolerate gangs, which will inevitably cause chaos. It
would be the two gangs openly fought in Shanghai, then I could send troops to eliminate them in one fell swoop under the pretext of suppressing order! This
relationship is very delicate and must be handled carefully!"

Xu Qingchun said, "Chen Yifu's reaction to the last arms case was as we expected." "But Hong Feilong
is cunning and treacherous. He could tolerate his son being killed by the Divine Blade Hall! Today he actually sent someone to negotiate peace. It seems that
war won't break out !" Xu Jinlin said, "He really can tolerate things! Then let's do something that he can't tolerate!"
Xu Qingchun said, "I'll think of another way depending on the situation. This Hong Feilong is really not easy to deal with!" Xu Jinlin paced back and forth in the room,
somewhat agitated, and said, "I haven't removed the thorn in my side here, and now the Beiping side
has sent people. On the surface, they're rewarding me and promoting me, but secretly they want me to work for them as cannon fodder!"
Xu Qingchun said, "What do you plan to do?" Xu Jinlin chuckled and said, "With a piece of tattered
paper that's too small to even wipe your butt, they want me to leave Shanghai? No way!" A strange, almost imperceptible look suddenly flashed in Xu Qingchun's eyes.
He looked up at Xu Jinlin and tentatively asked, "The person who came is a special envoy from the Central Committee. If you don't obey,
the higher-ups will treat you as a warlord and send people to punish you. Right now, the strongest call in the country is to punish warlords!"
Xu Jinlin sneered, "The Beiping government is already overwhelmed with dealing with the restoration and the Northeast warlord Zhang
. They're too busy to come to my side! Besides, my 300,000 troops are seasoned veterans, not to be trifled with!" He
then changed the subject, saying, "Of course, I can't openly disobey the Central Committee. After all, that would be bad for public opinion.
And when we recruited the troops, we used the banner of serving the country, which is why many so-called patriotic young people joined us.
There might be trouble within the army!"

He paused and said, "They've sent seven batches of special envoys in succession, but I've always remained unchanged. It's just
one word—delay." Xu Qingchun lowered his head, a hint of anxiety flashing in his eyes.

Xu Jinlin said, "There's nothing wrong in Beiping, but the real problem lies with these two major gangs. You know, in
Shanghai, the gangs' infiltration and intimidation power far exceeds that of the government. Citizens would rather offend the government than dare to offend the gangs.
Once we control the gangs, not only will we have an additional source of ample funding, but
we can also let them do those things that are inconvenient for the government to handle but that must be done!"

Xu Qingchun, who had been thinking about something with his head down, suddenly looked up and said, "I think there's still a chance for this to turn things around!"
Xu Jinlin said, "Oh? Tell me about it." Xu Qingchun said, "That Chen Yifu... regarding the loss of Lao Wu and that batch of weapons..."

He was
still deeply troubled. "Let's have our informant in the Divine Blade Hall add fuel to the fire and eliminate those negotiating this time. I 'll volunteer to go then, and we'll decide what to do next!" Actually, Xu Qingchun had already planned what to do, but he knew that a hasty plan would inevitably have flaws. This was a golden opportunity; if he carelessly revealed a weakness,
all his previous efforts would be in vain! Xu Jinlin said, "Be careful yourself. Also, Huang Xiaoshi has been bribed by my men;
you can have him handle anything that's inconvenient. —Alright, I'm leaving now."

To avoid suspicion, Xu Jinlin walked for more than ten minutes before Xu Qingchun left the Green Water Tea House.

The next morning at nine o'clock, Liu Yongchun went to visit the Divine Blade Hall, but there was no
news . The following morning, Hong Feilong was discussing matters with the group leaders. An informant from the Divine Blade Hall reported: "Liu
Yongchun was killed outside the hall by Li Wuxin, the Life and Death Blade
, before he even met Chen Yifu, the hall master! Meanwhile, the Divine Blade Hall has declared that any peace talks must be conducted with sincerity. Sending someone who can't make any decisions is clearly an insult to the Divine Blade
Hall! Peace talks are possible, but the leader must personally go!"

Hong Feilong pondered for a long time before saying, "It seems I have no choice but to go!" The other group leaders all
advised Hong Feilong against taking such a risk. Xu Qingchun stood up and said, "This Chen Yifu is utterly wicked. How can the leader, a woman of
noble birth
, so easily venture into such a dangerous place? Besides, if the leader goes to him personally to negotiate, it would seem as if the Green Dragon Gang is bowing down to them! It would be better if I went instead. After all, I am the vice leader, and negotiating with him would not dishonor
him."

Hong Feilong said, "Qingchun, with your wit and eloquence, I believe the negotiations will be successful. However, I fear that
the other side might attack you before you even sit down at the negotiating table! You have no martial arts skills, so you might suffer.
Which one do you want as an attendant? You can choose!" Xu Qingchun shook her head: "No need. It's precisely because everyone
knows I have no martial arts skills..." Because of their stronghold, they naturally relaxed their vigilance and hostility towards me. That's how I had the opportunity
to successfully negotiate with them. Bringing followers would

only make them unhappy." Hong Feilong said, "This depends on their reaction! How confident are you?"
Xu Qingchun said, "Sixty percent! That's their stronghold, the situation can change in an instant, sixty percent... is already pretty good!" He
smiled and said, "People always think I must be very cautious, but actually I
will do anything if I think I have more than a fifty percent chance of success! There's no such thing as a sure thing in the martial world, the greater the risk,
the greater the potential reward!"

Alone and adventurous

at dawn.

Xu Qingchun went alone to the main hall of the Divine Blade Hall—the Mighty Hall.

The Mighty Hall was located on the banks of the Huangpu River, not far from the river dock, somewhat remote, but because the Divine Blade Hall's main
business was on the water, the main hall was close to the river.

The entire Mighty Hall occupied a huge area, about sixty or seventy acres. Xu Qingchun arrived at the gate and
presented . The gatekeeper took the visiting card and went in to report.

After waiting for more than twenty minutes, the gatekeeper still hadn't come out. Xu Qingchun thought to himself, "They must be thinking of
a plan. They never expected me to come, and so quickly!..." Just then, the gatekeeper came out and
said to him, "Please come in, the leader is waiting in the inner hall."

The gatekeeper looked at Xu Qingchun with a look of pity in his eyes, as if looking at a dying man.
Xu Qingchun saw this and knew that danger lay ahead, but having come this far, there was no reason to back down. He
smiled calmly, stepped up the stairs, and walked inside!

Although Xu Qingchun appeared confident on the surface, he wasn't sure if his Iron Finger Inch Strength
could withstand Li Wuxin's throwing knife. Li Wuxin was the leader of the Thirteen Protectors, nicknamed the Life and Death Blade, and
his skill with throwing knives was naturally extraordinary.

He walked while remaining vigilant, and after seven or eight minutes, he arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Might. The entire Hall of Might was magnificent
and imposing. Above the doorway hung a black plaque with gold lettering, bearing the three large characters "Hall of Might and Might." Xu Qingchun
paused , straightened his clothes, and then stepped inside.

Just as he reached the top of the steps, he suddenly heard a sharp, piercing "whoosh." The sound was extremely loud, like the whistle of a pigeon
. Xu Qingchun was startled, momentarily confused.

The sound seemed to grow closer. By the time Xu Qingchun realized this, he saw a throwing
knife less than a foot away! Xu Qingchun was startled. He had been wary of Li Wuxin
launching his knife from blind spots or strange directions, but he hadn't expected Li Wuxin's first strike to come straight at him! And with such fanfare, emitting
a sharp whistling sound! It was as if he was deliberately warning others to be careful of his throwing knife.

Xu Qingchun had also diligently practiced his Iron Finger Inch-Strike technique for two years. This Iron Finger Inch-Strike was a skill of the Eagle Claw School; when mastered,
the fingers could cut through iron bars like scissors! Because of its small point of impact and its fierce force, it was
the nemesis of striking techniques like Iron Shirt and Golden Bell Cover. Just as the flying knife was about to reach Xu Qingchun's face, he raised his hand and clamped it
between !

"Li Wuxin, the 'Life and Death Blade,' is nothing more than this!" Xu Qingchun was somewhat
disappointed that he could catch the flying knife so easily. But he immediately realized he was wrong. Although the flying knife was clamped, it was not completely under his control!

The flying knife was shaking violently like a living thing, as if it wanted to break free! Now Xu Qingchun was in
a difficult position.

Xu Qingchun knew that Li Wuxin had used hidden force when he threw the knife, waiting until it was clamped before unleashing it. Perhaps Li Wuxin's shrill slash was deliberately meant for Xu Qingchun to catch! Xu Qingchun had only used

two fingers to clamp it, but now he quickly pinched the blade with his thumb. But the hidden force contained in this slash was extremely powerful, and even using three fingers together, he still felt powerless! His index and middle fingers were cut! The throwing knife could slip from Xu Qingchun and pierce his face! Xu Qingchun suddenly took a large step back, using the momentum to deflect most of the knife's forward force. But as soon as he regained his footing, he felt another surge of power, forcing him to retreat three more steps before regaining his balance. By this time, Xu Qingchun's face was drenched in sweat! "It's said that Li Wuxin usually only carries six knives. How many can I catch?" Xu Qingchun wondered. Just then, a clear voice suddenly said, "Good! You're the first person to catch my throwing knife !" As he spoke, a tall, neatly dressed middle-aged man walked out. This man was Li Wuxin. Li Wuxin continued, "I wonder if you can catch it this time?" With that, he flipped his left palm, and...

Each finger held a crescent-shaped throwing knife! Xu Qingchun's heart skipped a beat! Li Wuxin flicked his
wrist , and the four knives vanished. Xu Qingchun instinctively leaped backward, only then realizing the four knives
hurtling towards him!

Normally, when someone throws several hidden weapons simultaneously, they travel in unison. But these four knives seemed to have been launched from
different directions by different people! Each knife's speed and trajectory were completely different.

Because they weren't parallel, they inevitably collided in mid-air, flying erratically and
losing their original accuracy. In the end, only one knife reached Xu Qingchun! Xu Qingchun was secretly delighted and reached out
to catch the knife, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his elbow, and for a moment, his entire arm was paralyzed! At the same time, he
felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and chest! All four knives had hit their mark! It turned out that the seemingly random collisions were actually
part of Li Wuxin's calculations. Through several collisions, Li Wuxin not only disrupted Xu Qingchun's mind and vision but also concealed his
true route. Fortunately, Li Wuxin's skill in throwing knives and internal energy cultivation was extremely high, allowing him to dull the knives
and only numb Xu Qingchun's pressure points without causing him any harm. This is the origin of his nickname, "The Flying Knife's Life and
Death are at His Hands." At this moment, three burly men walked out of the Martial Hall. The leader was the third brother, Shi Dingshan, followed
by Yang Yexiang (Smoker) and Zhang Zaisheng (Iron Tower). Zhang Zaisheng said loudly and cheerfully from afar, "Second brother
, you're still the best! You took care of Xu Qingchun, the number two figure in the Green Dragon Gang, in one go!"

He strode up to Xu Qingchun and said, "The Green Dragon Gang members are our mortal enemies.
What's the point of keeping them alive? Let's settle this once and for all and give them a taste of their own medicine!" With that, he drew a short knife and
thrust it towards Xu Qingchun's chest! Xu Qingchun said, "Wait!" Zhang Zaisheng stopped, looked at Xu Qingchun, and said with a smile:
"You're begging for mercy? Even the dignified deputy leader of the Green Dragon Gang is begging for mercy? Fine, as long as you kneel down and
kowtow a few times, I might spare your life!"

Xu Qingchun said. "Since I dared to come, I didn't take life or death to heart! Besides negotiating peace, I'm
also here to present a grand gift to Hall Master Chen. I know Hall Master Chen has been very troubled lately, but this gift of mine
is guaranteed to delight him! If you kill me, this grand gift will naturally fall through! And when Hall Master Chen comes to question you
, you won't be able to bear the consequences!" Zhang Zaisheng looked at Xu... Xu Qingchun, empty-handed, roared, "You bastard, trying to fool me? You're asking
for death !" Just as he was about to attack, Li Wuxin said, "Stop!" Zhang Zaisheng quickly stopped and turned
to say, "Second Brother, this..." Li Wuxin said, "You know the Hall Master's temper! --- Take him
to see . Let's see what he has to say! Are you afraid he'll fly away here?" Zhang Zaisheng didn't dare to act rashly and glared at
Xu Qingchun, saying fiercely, "If you keep spouting nonsense, you'll be in big trouble later!"

Several people led Xu Qingchun into the hall. Chen Yifu was sitting at the tea table drinking tea. Seeing Xu Qingchun enter, he
said, "Your Green Dragon Gang has ruined the Divine Blade Hall like this, and you still want to negotiate? You slapped us and then tried to smooth things over?
The buyers for that batch of weapons were already booked. Now, not only are we not getting paid, but we also have to pay their deposits!
Damn it, all the money we made this year won't be enough!"

Xu Qingchun could tell from his words that he wasn't too concerned about Long Feiwu's death, but was deeply distressed by the losses. He
quickly understood the reason: although Long Feiwu was the fifth oldest, his skills were no less than the second oldest, Li Wuxin.
In addition, he was skilled in both literature and martial arts, righteous and amiable, and had excellent interpersonal relationships. In the past two years, Chen Yifu had become suspicious of him,
and therefore always sent him out on business without stopping.

Chen Yifu put down his teacup and said, "Everyone says you're incredibly clever. Now I'll give you two minutes to convince me not to
kill you!" Zhang Zaisheng took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

Xu Qingchun remained expressionless and said, "Our Azure Dragon Gang came with utmost sincerity, but we didn't expect you to act this way!
To be fair , what are the chances of your Divine Blade Hall winning against the Azure Dragon Gang?" Chen Yifu replied, "More than 60%!"
Xu Qingchun smiled slightly and said, "Based on the current situation, perhaps 60%, but as the saying goes, money makes the world go round.
As long as our Azure Dragon Gang spares no expense, recruiting another four or five thousand people in a short time shouldn't be a problem, right? Add to that
the more than three thousand members of the Hong Group's disciplinary and factory protection teams, and the tide of battle will immediately turn! If Chief Hong is willing to commit all three thousand members of his secretly
trained Death God Squad..."

Hearing this, Chen Yifu's expression changed slightly. His informant only knew of this Death God Squad, whose members were all
brave and skilled in combat, and well-equipped. He thought that with such quality, the Azure Dragon Gang would be lucky to train one or two hundred.

Xu Qingchun, observing this, suddenly changed the subject, saying, "What are we in this world for?
Ultimately , isn't it all about making money? If the Green Dragon Gang and the Divine Blade Hall fight, neither side will benefit. That's why our leader often says,
'We're out here to make a living, not to seek revenge. We value peace and advocate for negotiation.'" He glanced around and said,
"I know your gang is still resentful about the arms loss from last time! I have a way to recover it! To return these weapons
to their rightful owners!"

Everyone present was shocked! Chen Yifu, who had been leisurely sitting in his chair, also stood up and asked,
"What way?" Before Xu Qingchun could answer, Zhang Zaisheng, who had been looking at his pocket watch, shouted, "Two minutes are up!
Xu Qingchun, you're dead now!" Shen Yifu's face darkened, and he scolded, "Seventh Brother, don't be rude to your guests!
Get out!" Zhang Zaisheng was stunned, not understanding what was going on, but under his boss's authoritative gaze, he could only lower his head,
muttering as he turned and left. Chen Yifu said, "That scoundrel! Chief Xu, please don't take offense. Please sit, please sit!" After
Xu Qingchun sat down, Chen Yifu said, "I'd like to hear the details!" Xu Qingchun said, "This matter... involves too many things
..." He looked around as he spoke. Chen Yifu understood and dismissed the others. Xu Qingchun then said, "I
heard from a friend in the military that the confiscated weapons are all on Chongming Island. There were originally only fifty-odd
garrison troops on the island, but now another regiment is stationed there." Chen Yifu said dejectedly, "A regiment! They
can't even steal a single bullet!" Xu Qingchun said, "Don't worry, I have a way to get that regiment to leave Chongming
Island in the next few days. It won't be for too long, but it will be enough for you to carry out your plans. I will let you know when that time comes!"

Chen Yifu knew that Xu Qingchun had extensive connections and great abilities, and he believed that he could do it. He sighed, "What a pity
! If Chief Xu had come to our Divine Blade Hall back then..." Xu Qingchun said, "Although I am in the Azure Dragon Gang,
there will be many opportunities for cooperation in the future. As long as there is anything I can do to help, Hall Master Chen, just ask, and I will
do my best to do it for you!" Chen Yifu said happily, "I have long heard that although Chief Xu comes from a scholarly background, he is very generous and forthright."
"His righteousness far surpasses that of ordinary people. Meeting him today confirms this! It's truly a great fortune to have a friend like you!"

Chen Yifu knew that Xu Qingchun had many friends and was well-known, and establishing a relationship with him would make many things much easier in the future
. Xu Qingchun also wanted to befriend him.

Before they knew it, the two had been talking until noon. Chen Yifu naturally treated them with great hospitality. After a hearty meal, the two
had another long talk. The more they talked, the more they clicked, feeling as
if

they had known each other for a long time. Finally, at Xu Qingchun's suggestion, they became sworn brothers. After the ceremony, Xu Qingchun said, "Brother, I don't want outsiders to know about our sworn brotherhood for now. I'm afraid
there will be gossip within the Green Dragon Gang!" Chen Yifu said, "Of course!" Suddenly, Xu Qingchun sighed and lowered his head,
remaining silent. Chen Yifu asked, "What's wrong?" Xu Qingchun replied, "I was thinking, if I were
the leader of the Green Dragon Gang, our sworn brotherhood wouldn't need to be so secretive. And if we brothers joined forces,
wouldn't the whole of Shanghai be under our control?" Chen Yifu laughed, "Brother Xu, you're truly ungrateful! At your age, I
was just a gofer!" Xu Qingchun said, "I used to think that as long as I persevered, that day would come.
Brother, you've heard that Li Bing is actually Hong Feilong's son, haven't you? Then the Green Dragon Gang will be his, won't it?" Chen Yifu said...
"Yes, if it were the old Hong Rentong, he would have been alright. He was cowardly, and you would have been the one truly in charge of the gang!
But this Li Bing is a real problem!" Xu Qingchun suddenly said, "Brother, can you
do me a favor?" Chen Yifu said, "I will definitely help if I can!" Xu Qingchun said, "Tomorrow, Li Bing will be taking a shipment to
Beiping to trade with foreigners. There are only six or seven of them. Could you please send a few brothers to take care of them
? They always stay at the Tianzhu Hotel. If you take them out in Beiping, no one will suspect you. In these
chaotic times, murderers, arsonists, and robbers are everywhere! This shipment is a rare antique, very valuable.
Tell the brothers to be careful!" Chen Yifu's eyes lit up. He patted Xu Qingchun on the shoulder and
said, "Alright! We brothers will split what we get!" Xu Qingchun said, "Consider my half as
a gift from your brother. If you don't take it, you're disrespecting your brother!" Chen Yifu
laughed heartily and stopped refusing. After

devising a plan

to leave the Divine Blade Hall, Xu Qingchun was extremely excited: he hadn't expected his entire plan to start so smoothly! He
lay in bed pondering for a long time, finally deciding to meet with Xu Jinlin one last time.

"Yuanqing, we just met a few days ago, why are we meeting again so soon? Has something changed?" Xu Jinlin
asked.

"Father, I know you're busy with official duties, but this time I still need your personal assistance! Because my
efforts over the past few years are finally about to bear fruit!" Xu Jinlin was overjoyed. Xu Qingchun said, "The Azure Dragon Gang and the Divine Blade Hall will both become
history! But Father, you will have to pay the price! — The price of fifty lives!" Xu Jinlin said:
"Fifty lives? Worth it! What are your plans?" Xu Qingchun said, "I've already instigated
Chen Yifu in the Divine Blade Hall to attack the armory on Chongming Island." Xu Jinlin said, "
Don't ? Do they think they can fight a well-equipped regiment of my troops with these small fry?" Xu Qingchun said, "
Of course they wouldn't dare, but I told them that I would be transferring the garrison of this regiment, and that's why they dared to take the risk."
Xu Jinlin said, "That's my armory's stronghold; transferring the garrison is no joke!" Xu Qingchun said, "Have
them move most of the weapons to the underground armory. Only keep the ones we captured last time on the surface. Divine Blade..."
"I'll notify you in advance when the Divine Blade Hall's men are robbing the weapons! Only fifty men will remain on the island as a show.
After the Divine Blade Hall's men eliminate these fifty, they'll go in and rob the weapons. At that point, I'll arrange for the Azure Dragon Gang
to , they'll naturally fight fiercely!" Xu Jinlin said, "Wait a minute, haven't the Azure Dragon Gang and the Divine Blade Hall already
reconciled? —And you were the one who facilitated it." Xu Qingchun laughed, "Yes! But they'll have
new grudges! When the time comes, old and new grudges will surely cause them to fight!" Xu Jinlin laughed, "It was you again,
wasn't it?" Xu Qingchun smiled without answering and continued, "Once they've fought..." " It
's Father, to clean up the mess!" Xu Jinlin asked. "How many people are there in the Divine Blade Hall and the Azure Dragon Gang?"
Xu Qingchun replied, "Although they have many people, they won't be sending many this time to maintain secrecy. Only the elite will go ! I'll persuade the Divine Blade Hall to only take 150 or 160 people— that's enough
compared to the 50 people on the island ! The Azure Dragon Gang will have more, between 200 and 300. The Azure Dragon Gang will have a slight advantage in a fight, but they won't be left with many men! Annihilating them will be a piece of cake. How can Father miss such a spectacular scene? And I have an idea, if we can capture both sides alive..." "Only my father can persuade their leaders to surrender. Only by personally taking charge can we make that decision. They will only believe what he says and the promises he makes." Xu Jinlin said confidently, "Good! I'll take five hundred men! I won't be a hero if I don't wipe them all out!" Xu Qingchun said , "For the sake of convenience, we can let the police and maritime patrols in the east turn a blind eye for now , just for show. It's best to let them rest on the day! Otherwise, if we happen to run into them, it will disrupt the whole plan." Xu Jinlin said, "Okay! I'll take care of these things. You just go for it!" More than ten days passed in a flash, and the Dragon Boat Festival was not far away. Just then, the news of Li Bing's death reached the Green Dragon Gang! Xu Qingchun, who had known this would happen in advance, naturally made arrangements to let them know that the murderer was a member of the Divine Blade Hall. This time, even the usually calm Hong Feilong lost his composure. He summoned the group leaders to plan a full-scale attack to wipe out the Divine Blade Hall. Hong Feilong said angrily, "I originally thought the Divine Blade Hall was just a stumbling block, but now I realize they're a fishbone stuck in your throat—not removing it will not only cause you discomfort, but could also endanger your life!" Xu Qingchun was secretly delighted and said, "Chief, I have a plan that can not only wipe the Divine Blade Hall out of the picture, but also prevent us from suffering too many losses!" Hong Feilong said, "Oh? The Divine Blade Hall is powerful; that's probably unlikely." Xu Qingchun said, "The Divine Blade Hall has always played dirty tricks on us. This time, we'll give them a taste of their own medicine!" Hong Feihu, who was standing nearby, was anxious and said, "Just say it clearly ! Stop making things so confusing!" Xu Qingchun said, "It's quite a coincidence. Last time when I went to the Divine Blade Hall to negotiate peace, I told them about the batch of weapons from Chongming Island. They're still waiting for my instructions before they make a move." He then briefly explained the situation to everyone.

"Three days later is the Dragon Boat Festival. I will notify them to make their move at 9 PM that night. They will bring about 150
men. At that time, all the elites of our gang will be deployed to ambush them on their return journey. In addition,
some of the people from the Divine Blade Hall are among our own. With a surprise ambush and a pincer attack from both inside and outside, how could we not wipe them out? These are
the leaders of the Divine Blade Hall. If they die, although the remaining members of the Divine Blade Hall are numerous, they are a disorganized mess and not a
threat. What's even better is that the Divine Blade Hall members died at the military's armory on Chongming Island, along with many soldiers.
Of course, others will assume that they attacked the armory and the military." "They died in the conflict! The remnants of the Divine Blade Hall won't come after us,
eliminating a worry for us." Hong Feilong was overjoyed and said, "They have 150 men, I'll take
300!" Xu Qingchun said, "If even one of them escapes, it will cause endless trouble! Then
the entire Divine Blade Hall will be our enemy! So, for the sake of complete safety, I want the Death God Squad to be disguised and scattered around
the north and south ports. As long as any Divine Blade Hall member escapes from Chongming Island, kill them on the spot!" The Death God Squad was
personally organized and trained by Xu Qingchun, but only Hong Feilong could command them. The captain was also a trusted confidant
directly . Hong Feilong nodded. Xu Qingchun said, "There's something we need to keep secret these next few days!"
Hong Feilong asked, "What is it?" Xu Qingchun said, "Everyone should pretend not to know about Li Bing's death,
otherwise the Divine Blade Hall might become suspicious and disrupt our plans." Hong Feilong said, "Good!—Divine
Blade Hall, both of my sons died at your hands! If I don't wipe them out completely, I'll be letting them down!" The moonlight

was

dim, and Chongming Island was peaceful.

The Divine Blade Hall members were divided into three groups. According to Xu Qingchun's intelligence, they knew the island's fifty-odd
guards were divided into three positions: one at the main gate of the armory, one next to the armory, and one in the rear dormitory.
Two groups would take turns on duty, and one would rest. Normally, the gate guards would sound the siren if attacked.
The siren could be heard for miles. On the river... The patrol team rushed to provide support upon hearing the siren. Meanwhile, the garrison near the armory,
hearing the siren, immediately called the Shanghai garrison for backup and simultaneously pulled the emergency brake. The armory gate
would be sealed shut by three iron doors, each over twenty centimeters thick. It would be difficult for the enemy to open it in a short time. —They,
of course , didn't know that even if they did the same, no reinforcements would arrive.

The first group was responsible for dealing with the guards at the gate, led by Chen Yifu and Li Wuxin; the second group was responsible for dealing with the guards beside
the armory , led by Shi Dingshan and Yang Yesheng; the third group was responsible for eliminating the guards in the dormitory,
led by Zhang Zaisheng. Chen Yifu knew the first group would be the most difficult, so he personally led it. If the guards at the gate sounded the siren,
the enemies inside would be alerted, potentially causing further trouble. —He, of course, didn't know that the patrolling navy had been
given leave; the first group's arrival... They stopped about 200 meters from the gate. The island was densely wooded, providing easy cover,
but the movement of many people made it easy to make noise. Chen Yifu and Li Wuxin decided to investigate first before
making a decision.

The two cautiously approached and found that the area wasn't as heavily guarded as they had imagined.
The eighteen people were chatting casually. Li Wuxin raised both hands simultaneously, sending twelve throwing knives flying almost at the same time.
Instantly, only four remained! Two of the four were terrified, while the other two, the more quick-witted ones, immediately pulled
the alarm . Just as Li Wuxin was about to draw another knife, a flash of white light appeared, and the remaining four fell to the ground. Shen Yifu had
struck first! Li Wuxin approached and saw that each of the four had a copper coin embedded in their forehead! Most of the coin
was embedded in their skull; the edges weren't sharp, yet they had managed to penetrate the hard skull. The bone was pierced into the brain; the strength of the blow was
unimaginable . Li Wuxin was secretly astonished.

After dealing with the guards at the gate, the enemies guarding the warehouse and dormitory were dealt with even more easily—these soldiers were mostly
old, weak, and disabled men prepared to die. Just as Shen Yifu was smugly walking back with the weapons, he was
ambushed by the Green Dragon Gang. Caught off guard, the Divine Blade Hall was quickly overwhelmed, taking down more than ten men. However, the Divine Blade Hall was no pushover,
especially Shen Yifu, who immediately felled seven or eight Green Dragon Gang members with just two copper coins. Because both sides were afraid
of alerting the maritime patrol, they dared not fire. Close combat and hand-to-hand fighting ensued, with both sides fighting fiercely.

The Green Dragon Gang had the advantage in numbers. Several group leaders and their captains fought bravely, intending to
kill Shen Yifu themselves. This Shen Yifu, known as "One Man Against All," was not without reason.
After , he wounded three and killed five. Enraged, Hong Feilong personally intervened. After several exchanges, the two
exchanged blows, evenly matched. Both were forced back by the force of the other's palm strikes.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Wuxin launched a sneak attack, severely injuring Shen Yifu. Shen Yifu, both shocked
and enraged , exclaimed, "You shameless scoundrel! I nurtured you and gave you important responsibilities, and now, seeing the situation is unfavorable, you
betray me for personal gain! Don't you even realize that without me, would you be where you are today?" Li Wuxin laughed, "Thank you for your
continued , but betraying you is hardly an exaggeration. Before joining the Divine Blade Hall, I had already joined the Azure Dragon Gang!
Don't you remember when Vice Gang Leader Xu came to negotiate? If I hadn't secretly shown mercy, how could I have survived to see you?
Today I'll let you know that the Azure Dragon Gang doesn't just have five groups; there's also a secret Snake Group, dedicated to infiltrating other
gangs. And I am the leader of the Snake Group!" Enraged, Shen Yifu disregarded his own safety and unleashed
his ultimate technique, the "Crescent Slash," intending to kill Li Wuxin with a single blow. Unexpectedly, halfway through, Hong Feilong ambushed them with an Iron
Sand Palm, instantly killing the hall master. The others, losing all will to fight, scattered and fled. But how could the Green Dragon Gang let
them have their way? Hua Wanchun and Li Xing joined forces to capture Shi Dingshan alive. The new leader of the Tiger Group, "Yin Lie Yang Ji"
Shi Chenzhou, killed Zhang Zaisheng. Li Wuxin blocked the fourth brother, Yang Yesheng, the cigarette holder. The two fought for over twenty rounds, but Yang Yesheng
was no match for Li Wuxin. He was stabbed in the chest and seemed doomed. Yang Yesheng counterattacked in his dying moments, exhaling
a cigarette from his mouth. The two fought at close range, and this move was completely unexpected. Just as Li Wuxin was about to dodge, the
"cigarette" struck him between the eyebrows with a "pop," most of the cigarette penetrating his brain! —It turned out
that Yang Yesheng's cigarette wasn't a real cigarette, but his unique hidden weapon! Both died instantly. The battle lasted
for over half an hour. It ended with the destruction of the Divine Blade Hall. Seeing that his long-standing nemesis had finally been eliminated and
that dominating Shanghai was just around the corner, Hong Feilong burst into laughter.

A gunshot rang out, shattering his laughter. Hong Feilong felt a sharp heat in his shoulder; he had been hit by a bullet!
He quickly hid behind a large rock, enduring the pain. At the same time, a burst of gunfire erupted, and another seventy or eighty of the remaining two hundred-
plus members fell! Hong Feilong asked Xu Qingchun beside him, "What happened?" Xu Qingchun
replied, "I don't know either, let's go see." He crouched down and nimbly darted away,
disappearing from Hong Feilong's sight in a short while.

Xu Qingchun returned quickly. He said to Hong Feilong, "The regiment that used to be stationed here is back! I
didn't expect them to return so early! But I know a hidden hiding place. The other brothers can
hold them off here. The gang leader is injured, so let's go inside and hide." Hong Feilong looked at the three hundred-plus men he had brought;
soon only less than fifty remained. Knowing he couldn't fight them head-on, he had no choice but to follow Xu Qingchun forward.
Xu Qingchun supported the wounded Hong Feilong, and the two walked through the winding forest for about ten minutes before finally finding a
hidden cave. Xu Qingchun settled Hong Feilong in and then said, "Chief, wait here for a moment.
I'll go and bring the Death Squad to escort you back." Hong Feilong said, "Okay!" Xu Qingchun said, "Give
me the talisman, otherwise they might not listen to me!" Hong Feilong took out the talisman, but suddenly thought, "
The sea blocked off, how could he get out? And his movements today seemed unusually agile, and..."

Hong Feilong's doubts resurfaced. Xu Qingchun saw this and suddenly thrust a finger at Hong Feilong's chest!
Hong Feilong had been struck by a palm from Shen Yifu and shot, making him immobile and unable to dodge in time.

He quickly channeled his energy to defend himself, intending to rely on his Iron Shirt technique to withstand the finger strike and then counterattack. Unexpectedly, the
finger struck his chest, causing him to see stars. "Iron Finger Inch Punch!..." Hong Feilong exclaimed in surprise.

"Who exactly are you?"

Xu Qingchun didn't answer directly, but instead said ramblingly, "You've disappointed me greatly!
When I first came to Shanghai, I did want to help you unify the Shanghai underworld. But as time went on, I discovered that while you appear kind and benevolent, you are cunning and ruthless underneath
! Shen Yifu is selfish, ruthless, and you both deserve to die! So I meticulously
set up this trap! Everyone who enters this trap has only one outcome—death!" He then poked
Hong Feilong's vitals with his fingers and took the talisman from his corpse.

Xu Qingchun arrived at the dock, where Xu Jinlin's adjutant naturally recognized him. At Xu Qingchun's request, he diligently
escorted him away from Chongming Island.

After arriving at the dock in Jiangbei, Xu Qingchun immediately went to see Sun Yu, the captain of the Death God Team, and handed him the talisman
, ordering to accompany him. Sun Yu examined the talisman in his hand and said, "This isn't real!"
Xu Qingchun's heart sank. He said, "How could this talisman be fake? Look at it again!" Sun Yu said,
"Chief Hong always ties a knot at the tassel under the talisman when he calls upon the Death God Squad! This talisman might not be
fake, but it definitely wasn't issued by Chief Hong!"

Xu Qingchun secretly winked at Li Lang, the vice-captain beside him. Li Lang was Xu Qingchun's confidant. Seeing
the wink , he understood immediately. He swiftly beheaded Sun Yu and then said sternly, "Sun Yu disobeyed orders and
committed treason. He deserves to die! Anyone else who dares to disobey orders will be killed without exception!"

The members of the Death God Squad were personally selected and trained by Xu Qingchun and always held him in awe. At this moment, they dared not utter a word
of dissent. Xu Qingchun said, "Chief Hong is besieged on the island by an army of five hundred men. We must
go to ."

Xu Jinlin, having just annihilated the Green Dragon Gang and the Divine Blade Hall, hadn't even had time to rejoice before finding himself surrounded by a group of
unknown men in black! These men were all dressed in tight-fitting black suits, with two large silver
scythes embroidered on their chests. A ferocious, blood-red skull was embroidered on their left arms. Xu Jinlin was puzzled; such peculiar
attire , and such a large number of men—he'd never heard of them before. Moreover, these men were incredibly skilled in combat, their teamwork impeccable, taking turns
covering the advancing ranks. Only an army with long-term, rigorous training could possess such qualities. "Could it be that one of my
troops has rebelled?" Xu Jinlin wondered. But he immediately dismissed the idea. He realized these men were using
carbines, and his own troops were never equipped with such weapons. The battle lasted for over an hour. The men in black, with their numerical
advantage, annihilated Xu Jinlin's entire force. Xu Jinlin was captured alive. The temporary command post for this group of men in black was set up in
a sentry post next to the former armory. Xu Jinlin was escorted by the men in black to see their commander. Upon

entering the sentry post, Xu Jinlin was utterly astonished to find that their commander was none other than Xu Qingchun! He exclaimed in surprise,
"You… Qing…" Xu Qingchun waved for the other men in black to leave. Then he said to Xu Jinlin, "Father,
these people are the Death Squad of the Green Dragon Gang. They are directly under Hong Feilong's command, so my words here don't
carry much weight! Here's what I'll do: I'll go and summon the Iron Blood Guard to wipe them out in one fell swoop!" Xu Jinlin said,
"Alright! Several army commanders know you, and you might be able to mobilize other units, but without my orders,
no one can mobilize the Iron Blood Guard. I'll write you a handwritten order!" He then walked to the table and wrote a note: "Zhao Sishui,
this man is my own son. Seeing him is like seeing me; all matters are to be handled by him!"

Xu Qingchun put the note in his pocket and suddenly burst into laughter. Xu Jinlin, growing increasingly suspicious, asked,
"Yuanqing, what... what are you so happy about?" Xu Qingchun pulled out an identification from his pocket and said, "I am not
Xu Yuanqing, but Xu Yuanyi, the special envoy of the Seventh District of Beiping! The Shanghai troops will be accompanying me north soon." Xu Jinlin's
jaw . Xu Yuanyi said, "Your son, Xu Yuanqing, was secretly detained when he went abroad to study.
My superiors saw how much I resembled him and ordered me to have plastic surgery to impersonate him. Three years! A full three years to
complete this mission!" Xu Jinlin said, "Wait, your name is Xu Qingyi? Is your father Xu Jinrong?"

Xu Yuanyi said, "Yes! I know my father is your brother! When I came here, my father instructed...
to let you go..." He looked up at the dim night sky outside the window, his face expressionless.

"However... I am a soldier. I cannot disobey orders! I will deliver you safely to Beiping.
As for the rest... you will have to wait for the central government's judgment!"

[The End]

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