Chapter 22

Li Daniu, fearing that She Tongcheng might act rashly and harm Ye Yu, stepped forward to shield Ye Yu.

"Dan, move aside, it's fine!"

"Master..."

Just as Li Daniu was about to say something, he saw Ye Yu shake his head at him and swallowed his words.

He then stepped aside but kept a tight watch on She Tongcheng, maintaining his previous vigilance.

Ye Yu quietly looked at She Tongcheng but did not speak, only a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

She Tongcheng approached and said solemnly to Ye Yu, "I, She Tongcheng, have never admired anyone, but today I am convinced!"

As he spoke, he knelt on one knee and bowed, saying, "I, She Tongcheng, may not be a hero, but I am a man of my word. I will keep my promise! From now on, you are my big brother!"

...

She Tongcheng's actions left everyone present stunned, and they began to whisper among themselves. Among them were some ruffians who had come with She Tongcheng, intending to persuade him, but were harshly rebuked by She Tongcheng.

However, Ye Yu remained unusually silent and did not ask She Tongcheng to stand up. After a moment of silence, he said quietly, "Then tell me, was someone behind you, making you cause trouble?"

Upon hearing this, She Tongcheng was taken aback and immediately looked up at Ye Yu, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Seeing this, Ye Yu said with a light hum, "You don't need to be so surprised. Your eyes have already given me the answer!"

Saying this, Ye Yu whispered a few words to Su Tai, who was standing nearby, and then lifted She Tongcheng with both hands, saying solemnly, "There is one thing you said that is very true, you may not be a hero, but you are a man! For this reason alone, I respect you!"

At this moment, Su Tai had returned from the accounting room to the hall. Ye Yu took a stack of paper money from Su Tai and handed it to She Tongcheng, saying, "This is two hundred guan of paper money. Take it and go home to recover properly!"

"This..."

Seeing the puzzled and astonished look on She Tongcheng's face, Ye Yu gently comforted him, "You were hired to do a job, and I don't blame you for that. But since you call me your big brother, your well-being is now my concern! Dan, find a stretcher and send Brother She home!"

Li Daniu followed Ye Yu's instructions and led a few dyers to the warehouse to find a stretcher. Meanwhile, She Tongcheng felt uncomfortable and looked at Ye Yu with a puzzled expression, "Aren't you worried that I might change my mind later?"

Hearing this, Ye Yu first felt a moment of pain, then shook his head and said, "I, Ye Yu, have been betrayed by my closest friend, but I still believe in brotherhood. We may not have known each other before, but even if you change your mind, I will have no regrets! Next year, our dyeing workshop needs to expand, and we need a trade team that can be mobilized at any time. Since you have some skills, if you respect me after you recover, I will entrust you with leading this team!"

"Master, this is absolutely not possible!"

"Master, this is absolutely not acceptable!"

"Master..."

"..."

Ye Yu's arrangement made Li Daniu and Su Tai speak up to advise him. She Tongcheng, who was sitting on the side enduring pain, could only look at Ye Yu with a bewildered expression and did not speak.

"Do you really trust me, She?" After a long time, She Tongcheng looked at Ye Yu with a serious expression.

Ye Yu responded calmly and solemnly, "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them!"

"Good! I, She Tongcheng, am convinced! Big Brother, please accept my three bows!" She Tongcheng stared at Ye Yu for a long time, then, ignoring the pain in his leg, knelt down and bowed three times to Ye Yu.

After the bows, he said nothing more, bowed to Ye Yu, and limped out of the hall. The dozen or so ruffians who had followed him were all frightened and quickly left the dyeing workshop.

Ye Yu watched She Tongcheng's departing back, glanced at the paper money on the table, and called Li Daniu, "Dan, take this money and deliver it personally. Remember to invite Doctor Wang from the city to treat him, and record the medical fees and medicine costs on our account!"

"Master, this..."

"Do you need me to repeat myself?" Ye Yu frowned slightly, and his voice became colder.

"Yes, I'll do it..." Li Daniu, recalling the scene of the master eating human flesh, felt a chill and obediently took the money and left the hall.

In the hall, only Ye Yu and Su Tai remained. Ye Yu, no longer maintaining his composure, urgently instructed Su Tai to push him to a quiet place, where he vomited violently, as if his insides were being torn apart.

Ye Yu almost vomited his gallbladder. He had eaten something that was not ordinary meat, and it was already very difficult for him to hold on for so long.

As they say, one should not show weakness to ruffians. Although Ye Yu did not want to, the situation left him no choice. To impress She Tongcheng and his group, he had to pretend to eat the human flesh calmly.

Ye Yu vomited for a long time in a quiet place before gradually recovering from the nausea. Su Tai, who was watching, felt both admiration and helplessness for Ye Yu.

When Ye Yu recovered, he saw Su Tai's hesitant expression and knew that he was shocked by the act of eating human flesh. He asked, "Uncle Tai, speak your mind!"

"Master, to make the city's snake submit is truly impressive! But Master, are you really going to entrust the safety of the trade team to the city's snake?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Ruffians are not trustworthy, Master!" Su Tai advised earnestly.

Ye Yu nodded in agreement, took a sip of wine, and muttered to himself, "Indeed, they are not trustworthy!"

"Then why did you..."

Seeing Su Tai's puzzled expression, Ye Yu put down the wine bottle and sighed, "But after the New Year, can our trade team be successfully formed? Even if it can, most of the members will lack experience and the ability to handle crises. What if we encounter obstacles or bandits on the way?"

"..."

Although Su Tai did not have a good opinion of She Tongcheng and his group, he could not refute Ye Yu's argument.

"If we can recruit this group, we can bring peace to the county and gain a strong arm for our trade team. Although they are ruffians, they are skilled and intelligent, and their experience in the gray area makes them more suitable than those we might recruit temporarily..."

Su Tai carefully analyzed Ye Yu's words and found them reasonable, but he was puzzled by one term, "Master, what is the gray area?"

"Ah, this, the gray area is a position between the people and the bandits. The city's snake and his group belong to this area..." Ye Yu cursed himself for speaking carelessly, as he had inadvertently used a modern term.

Su Tai nodded in agreement and finally clapped his hands in approval, "Master, your words are precise. Black and white have always been clear, but the area where they blend is the gray area you mentioned!"

"As for their loyalty and whether they might turn against us..."

Ye Yu touched his chin lightly and muttered to himself, "There is no absolute loyalty in this world, nor is there an unchanging heart. The only way to bind them is to give them what they want, to give them a reason to be loyal to you..."

In the accounting room, Ye Yu not only learned that She Tongcheng was Lu Kun's brother-in-law but also asked Su Tai in detail about the background of the city's snake.

It turned out that She Tongcheng was not originally so vicious. After his elder sister, She Lanhua, was taken by Lu Kun as a concubine two years ago, She Tongcheng's personality changed dramatically.

Not long after, She Lanhua was beaten to death by Lu Kun's wife out of jealousy, just six months after she entered the household. She Tongcheng, who had learned some martial arts, wanted to avenge his sister but was outnumbered and could not achieve his goal.

When he reported the matter to the government, there was insufficient evidence, and he had no hope of justice. From then on, She Tongcheng gathered the ruffians in the county and began to bully and oppress people. His actions were despised by everyone, and he was called the city's snake.

In the eyes of the people, She Tongcheng was a heinous criminal, but when Ye Yu learned of his past, he felt deep sympathy for him.

But after careful analysis, it became clear that although She Tongcheng was committing evil deeds, he was also retaliating against his environment and venting his frustration. He was deliberately using the name of Lu Kun's brother-in-law to add to Lu Kun's crimes!

Because while the people hated She Tongcheng, they also associated him with the county magistrate, Lu Kun. This was the true purpose of She Tongcheng's actions.

When Guo Xiaotian and Liu Yuanshan arrived at the dyeing workshop, it had already returned to its busy state. Liu Yuanshan then asked Ye Yu about what had happened, and Ye Yu did not hide anything, telling him the whole story.

After hearing Ye Yu's account, Liu Yuanshan laughed heartily, "I must say, Ye Yu, you really have some skills. The city's snake, who everyone in the county fears, has been tamed by you! I increasingly feel that you are to my liking!"

Su Tai also added, "Sir Liu, you didn't see the master's composure, the scene of eating human flesh... thinking about it now still gives me chills..."

Liu Yuanshan took a sip of wine and nodded in agreement, "Yes, eating human flesh is a small matter, but few people dare to do it, especially in front of the one who cut the meat! Ye Yu, your courage truly impresses me!"

"Sir, now that I have removed a great evil from the county for you, shouldn't we drink to celebrate?" Ye Yu raised his wine glass and smiled at Liu Yuanshan.

"If it's true as you say, it's a good thing, but be careful, for such a person might be hard to control and could turn against you!" Liu Yuanshan raised his glass to drink with Ye Yu, but his words were not as optimistic as Ye Yu's.

"Sir, people are not inherently good or evil. I will be cautious, so you don't need to worry!"

Since the city's snake did not cause trouble at the dyeing workshop, Liu Yuanshan drank a few cups of wine and then led his officers away.

A seemingly terrifying storm had been silently resolved. But Ye Yu knew that the hidden storm had just begun...

In the blink of an eye, it was the New Year. The north wind howled, and snowflakes covered the southern land. After a month and a half of rest, She Tongcheng's injuries gradually healed.

During this time, Ye Yu visited him three times, which surprised and deeply moved She Tongcheng.

On the last visit, Ye Yu intentionally had Guo Xiaotian show off his martial arts skills in front of She Tongcheng. After their sparring, She Tongcheng was so impressed by Guo Xiaotian's skills that he wanted to become his disciple.

At first, Guo Xiaotian refused, as it would mess up the hierarchy.

Imagine if he became She Tongcheng's master, and since Ye Yu was She Tongcheng's big brother, he would be a generation higher than Ye Yu.

Ye Yu, however, did not mind. The hierarchy was separate and did not interfere with each other. Moreover, Ye Yu had Guo Xiaotian show off his skills to quickly win She Tongcheng's heart.

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