Chapter 67

In the large hall of the Old Military Inn, voices were clamorous, and the scene was chaotic.

Yang Shouwen stood at the edge of the crowd. After listening for a while, he gradually understood the gist of the situation.

In essence, after Old Military was released, he became extremely cautious. He strictly restrained the large and small gang leaders in Changping and forbade his henchmen from committing crimes outside, which led to a collective backlash from the underground organizations in Changping.

Of course, this was just a trigger.

In reality, the gang leaders in Changping had long been dissatisfied with Old Military's rule and were looking for an opportunity to overthrow him. This time, Yang Chenglie's capture of Old Military also provided those gang leaders with a chance. They believed that Old Military was now under the scrutiny of the authorities and, although temporarily released, would eventually be dealt with by the government.

In such a situation, Old Military naturally had to be cautious and could not act as recklessly as before.

Then...

Yang Shouwen suddenly smiled and looked at Old Military with interest.

Old Military, who had ruled the underground organizations in Changping for so many years, was certainly not the type to sit idly by and wait for his doom.

He wanted to see how Old Military would navigate this crisis.

Sure enough, in the face of the indignant outcries of his subordinates, Old Military remained calm, showing no signs of anger. He looked at Yang Shouwen, who smiled and nodded at him.

Who was Old Military?

The emperor of the underground world in Changping, who had ruled for over a decade, making the entire underground world of Changping as stable as a rock.

From Yang Shouwen's smile, Old Military immediately understood the information he wanted to convey.

"Brothers, I understand your thoughts."

The years of authority still held sway. As soon as Old Military spoke, the hall fell silent.

He walked down from his seat, smiling and looking around, his gaze finally pausing on a few people.

"It's not that I want to cut off your sources of income, but the current situation is too chaotic.

Previously, a series of murders in the county have already drawn the attention of the authorities. Now, there's news that the chieftain of the barbarians, Moche, has raised an army in rebellion... ah, a storm is coming! Two years ago, the Khitans attacked Changping, and the devastation was unforgettable. So, I thought it would be best for everyone to be more cautious, to avoid giving the authorities an excuse to wipe us out, which would be counterproductive.

But I didn't expect..."

Before Old Military could finish, a burly man stepped out from the crowd.

The man was about six feet tall, with a robust and muscular build, dark skin, a fierce appearance, and a full beard.

"Old Military, don't give us that sweet talk.

Even without the barbarians attacking, the authorities have been watching us. Old Military, I heard you were arrested recently. Don't tell me that one stint in prison has scared you so much that you've lost your nerve. Don't just talk nonsense to us. I only ask you, who will ensure the meals for the hundred or so men under my command?

Old Military, you have a wealthy household now, but don't forget that it was our brothers who helped you build it.

It's fine if you want to stay out of trouble, but the brothers still need to make a living... day by day, you need to give us an answer."

The man's voice was loud, and his words were full of provocation.

"Who is he?"

Yang Shouwen asked in a low voice.

Yang Rui leaned in and whispered, "His name is Dongmen Jiulang, the head of the Peaceful Quarter, who has always been at odds with Old Military."

"Is he Japanese?"

Yang Rui was taken aback and quickly shook his head, "Brother, you're joking. How could there be a Japanese person here? Even if there were, they wouldn't be in charge."

"Isn't his name Dongmen Jiulang?"

"Dongmen is his surname, and he is the ninth in his family, hence the name Jiulang."

In other words, his name is Dongmen Jiu. What a strange name, adding a 'Lang' to it, making it sound like a Japanese name.

Yang Shouwen smiled wryly and shook his head.

Old Military had already sat down, listening carefully to what Dongmen Jiulang had to say, with a smile on his face.

After Dongmen Jiulang finished, Old Military sighed.

"What do you think I should do, Jiulang?"

Dongmen Jiulang was taken aback and felt a bit uneasy.

He had followed Old Military for years and knew that Old Military was a ruthless man. He had expected Old Military to be furious, but instead, Old Military was calm, leaving him unsure of what to do.

However, after glancing around, his courage returned.

"Old Military, it's not that we are making things difficult for you, but our men also need to make a living.

If you can't come up with a plan, the brothers will have to find their own way. But please don't blame us, and don't use your authority as the head to order us around. I'm doing this for everyone, don't you think, brothers?"

A few large gang leaders whispered to each other, and some responded in low voices.

Old Military nodded, looking as if he agreed.

"Jiulang, what you say makes sense... but I'm old, and I'm not as bold as you. How about this, I, Old Military, will only manage the affairs of the Old Military Inn, and the outside matters will be handled by you?"

"Ah?"

Dongmen Jiulang never expected Old Military to hand over power so readily.

Although this was what he had always wanted, the sudden happiness made him so excited that his dark face turned purplish, his forehead shone, and his whole body trembled with excitement.

"Jiulang, you've followed me for many years, and the Peaceful Quarter has always been the most profitable among the eight quarters in Changping. When I was released from prison, I considered giving you the dragon head seal.

Today, all the gang leaders are here, and I can finally settle this matter... Jiulang, here is the dragon head seal. From now on, Changping will be under your management."

"Old Military, how can I accept this?"

Although Dongmen Jiulang was excited, he still had to be polite.

Old Military smiled, "Among brothers, there's no need for such formalities. In front of all these brothers, come over here."

As he spoke, Old Military took out a sandalwood box from beside his pillow, opened it, and took out a dragon head seal. The seal was made of steel, with a dragon's head carved on it, and a short sword about a foot long protruding from the dragon's mouth. Below the dragon's head was a square iron seal...

The dragon head seal was old, but it had no rust, and it shone brightly.

Dongmen Jiulang, still being polite, walked over.

Perhaps because of his excitement, he stumbled and almost fell. Old Military caught him and said sternly, "Jiulang, to do big things, you must be steady on your feet. If you can't even walk properly, how can I entrust this legacy to you?"

"Ah?"

Old Military's voice changed, becoming cold and harsh.

Dongmen Jiulang shivered and immediately calmed down.

He looked up and exclaimed, "Old Military, you..."

But before he could finish, Old Military raised the dragon head seal and smashed it onto Dongmen Jiulang's head. The blow caused Dongmen Jiulang to bleed profusely. He screamed in pain, trying to struggle, but Old Military turned the seal, and the short sword pierced through Dongmen Jiulang's palm. The intense pain made Dongmen Jiulang scream continuously.

The hall fell silent, and everyone, including the previously noisy henchmen, closed their mouths.

Old Military grabbed Dongmen Jiulang's hair and pressed his head onto the bed.

Dongmen Jiulang tried to struggle, but the Hu girl, who had been sitting quietly beside Old Military, suddenly produced a dagger and pinned Dongmen Jiulang's bloody hand to the bed with it.

The Hu girl's face was calm, as if she had done something trivial.

Old Military did not stop, and the dragon head seal continued to smash onto Dongmen Jiulang's head.

Blood and other substances splattered onto Old Military's body and face. In the firelight, Old Military's face was fierce, and he kept smashing down, until Dongmen Jiulang was silent and collapsed on the ground.

Yang Rui was stunned.

Old Military, who had been in a weak position, suddenly turned into a man-eating tiger.

His cruel appearance was completely different from the Old Military Yang Rui had known before, appearing so vicious and terrifying.