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"Are you saying the White Tiger?"
"Yes," Zhang Qiu nodded, "I've had this thought for a long time. Although I had the White Tiger when I was first injured, I still feel it's related to it; after all, it's quite miraculous."
"So, Brother Qiu, you want to confirm this through your research?"
"Exactly, that's the plan."
"Wonderful." Yang Yu nodded repeatedly.
At noon, Zhang Qiu, Yang Yu, Jiang Xue, and Rui Rui all left. Outside the school campus, Zhang Qiu's appearance did not cause any commotion; members of the Hall Society greeted him cheerfully, completely unaware that their leader had almost ended up in prison.
Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, and Wang Zhengxiang asked as soon as they exited the school gate: "Brother Qiu, why didn't you come to school this morning?"
"Is something going on?" Gao Zhi said with a knowing look at Zhang Qiu, the meaning clear.
"Come on," Rui Rui interjected, "I can tell you that I almost ended up in prison with Brother Qiu."
"Look!" Yang Yu lifted his white shirt, revealing a freshly scabbed wound to everyone.
"Brother Qiu, you guys..." Zhao Pingchuan's expression changed; it was evident that something serious had happened between yesterday afternoon and this morning.
Seeing that they were inclined to chat right there and noticing the scorching sun overhead, Zhang Qiu quickly said, "Let's talk later. First, let's find a place to sit down and grab something to eat."
"Brother Qiu, where are we going?"
Zhang Qiu pointed south and smiled, "Of course we're going to East City Barbecue."
The Boss of East City Barbecue saw Zhang Qiu bringing people in and enthusiastically ran over to greet them, leading them to the only large round table in the restaurant. He smiled and said, "Please, have a seat. What would you like to eat?"
Zhang Qiu, Rui Rui, Gao Zhi, and Wang Zhengxiang, the four food enthusiasts, placed their orders. The Boss smiled and said, "I know you're short on time, so I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare your food right away."
"Thank you, Boss," they replied.
The Boss personally went to the kitchen to give instructions. Meanwhile, only tea was served at the table. Zhao Pingchuan asked, "Brother Qiu, what happened?"
"Of course, a lot has happened in such a short time," Zhang Qiu began to reminisce. After a few sighs, he slowly recounted his story.
"After we parted ways yesterday afternoon, I planned to take Xue'er to White Day Fire. After leaving the school gate, I had to take care of something first, so Xue'er went ahead by herself. When I finished my task and went to find Xue'er, I discovered that she never arrived at White Day Fire." Zhang Qiu glanced at everyone; they all participated in the retaliation against Azure Blue Rose. "The first person I thought of was Mao Tong; he has always been targeting me. With Rui Rui missing, I suspected it was related to him."
"So Brother Qiu got into a fight with them?"
Yang Yu's injuries silently told the story of what happened yesterday; Zhang Qiu and his group must have gone through a tough battle.
Zhang Qiu shook his head and smiled. "It wasn't them."
"Then who was it?"
"Liu Xiaolong."
"Liu Xiaolong!"
Everyone present—Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, Wang Zhengxiang—showed expressions of shock. They were all too familiar with Liu Xiaolong; the conflict between Liu Xiaolong and Zhang Qiu was well-known among them. They were all core members who had participated in the Ancient City Battle, and the celebration banquet was held at this very restaurant. Who didn't know about Liu Xiaolong's reputation? But during the Ancient City Battle, hadn't they defeated him? In fact, they heard that Liu Xiaolong's brother, Liu Xiaofei, no longer dared to come out and mix with others.
"Brother Qiu, is he still so arrogant? He even dares to kidnap his sister-in-law!" Gao Zhi found it hard to believe.
Zhao Pingchuan said with concern, "Brother Qiu, Liu Xiaolong has been quiet for so long, and suddenly he becomes so bold. Is there someone behind him? Perhaps it's really Mao Tong's side?"
"There is indeed someone behind Liu Xiaolong, but," Zhang Qiu scanned Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, and Wang Zhengxiang, "he is not backed by Mao Tong, but by Lu Bin."
"Lu Bin!"
Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, and Wang Zhengxiang were once again surprised. Wang Zhengxiang sighed, "Brother Qiu, why do I feel like we have made so many enemies?"
"You've taken someone else's cake; of course they won't be happy about it."
Yang Yu's words made sense. Indeed, every step we take in our development is like encroaching on someone else's territory. But I believe this is like the metabolism of the human body; old ones will fall while new ones rise. Chairman Mao once said that the world belongs to you and us, but ultimately it belongs to you."
"Brother Qiu, since we know who did it, let's take our brothers and get revenge. This time, we must make them tremble at the mere mention of us and see if they dare to provoke us again." Gao Zhi was excitedly rubbing his hands together; he couldn't wait to avenge Zhang Qiu.
"There's no rush. This time the police are involved; that should be enough for them. If the law is truly unjust, then we might just have to handle things our own way."
"The food is ready!" The Shop Owner personally brought over a tray filled with skewers of meat sizzling with oil on silver sticks, sprinkled with red chili powder and brown cumin powder that made one's mouth water. There were also golden grilled enoki mushrooms, ham with crispy edges, and fragrant chives.
Gao Zhi couldn't wait to grab a skewer and took a bite, only to burn his tongue and yelp in pain. The Shop Owner, who was bringing over some beer, saw this scene and chuckled, "It's hot! Don't rush; drink some beer first and let it cool down a bit."
"Let's eat!" Zhang Qiu called everyone to dig in. Yang Yu and the others wasted no time and dug in without hesitation. Zhang Qiu placed a skewer of meat on each plate for Jiang Xue and Rui Rui; Jiang Xue ate happily while Rui Rui appeared more reserved.
After a round of drinks, Zhang Qiu said, "Now there are only twenty days left until the college entrance examination. During these twenty days, Liu Xiaolong and Lu Bin won't cause us any trouble for now. The only thing that can distract us is Mao Tong's side. Chen Hu has already met with me, and this time I'm using the police against him; he definitely won't let it go easily."
"Brother Qiu, who cares who he is? As long as he dares to defy us, we'll take him down!" Gao Zhi shouted loudly, with bits of unchewed meat still visible in his mouth. His booming voice drew the attention of those around them.
Zhao Pingchuan added, "Brother Qiu, don't worry. As long as we brothers are united, defeating Chen Hu is just a matter of time."
"I believe that will happen."
Qiu Wan raised his glass, and everyone toasted together. The Boss came over with more dishes: crispy potato slices and freshly stir-fried clams soaked in spicy oil, still steaming. The Boss lifted his glass and smiled, "You guys are regulars now; welcome back! Let me drink to that."
Zhang Qiu and the others clinked glasses with the Boss and exchanged a few casual words before he went off to attend to other customers.
After a few drinks, Zhang Qiu felt a slight burning sensation and quickly grabbed some potato slices to eat. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, tasting quite good. The sauce was especially delicious, smooth and rich in flavor. Zhang Qiu continued, "While I was at the hospital, I met Brother Leopard once. He said a few things to me that I want to share with you."
Yang Yu, Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, and Wang Zhengxiang all paused their actions to look at Zhang Qiu, with Gao Zhi's half-eaten skewer frozen in mid-air. Zhang Qiu slowly said, "Brother Leopard told me that soon there might be heavier responsibilities handed over to you all. What do you think that means?"
"What else could it mean? It obviously means Brother Qiu will be given more important tasks," Gao Zhi replied excitedly. The implication was clear: the better Brother Qiu did, the better they would do as well. That thought made Gao Zhi even more determined as he thought of his hometown friends.
"Congratulations, Brother Qiu!" Wang Zhengxiang said with a smile. "Does this mean we've made it out ahead of schedule?"
Zhang Qiu looked at Gao Zhi and Wang Zhengxiang's happy expressions before glancing at Zhao Pingchuan, who appeared calm and deep in thought with a furrowed brow. He asked, "Zhao Pingchuan, what do you think about this statement?"
Zhao Pingchuan looked up and said, "Brother Qiu, I believe this is good news, but it also has its downsides. As the saying goes, fortune hides within misfortune and misfortune lies within fortune; whether it's good or bad depends entirely on our development."
Zhang Qiu nodded in agreement while Gao Zhi complained, "Zhao Pingchuan, can you stop being so pedantic?"
Zhao Pingchuan chuckled and replied, "It's actually quite simple: behind every opportunity lies risk; they are relative concepts. If Brother Leopard is assigning Brother Qiu heavier responsibilities, it means there will be more dangers involved."
Gao Zhi clenched his fist and said nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? We all knew this would happen when we got into this life."
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "I have one more thing to make you feel a sense of crisis."
"What is it?"
The group turned to look at Zhang Qiu simultaneously.
"Meng the Boss is hospitalized. His health isn't good, and he's getting old. If something happens to him, the Stone Dagger Gang and Lin Tao will go to war. At that time, we won't be able to avoid it. I don't know about others, but Mao Tong and even Chen Hu, we will definitely have to fight!"
Zhao Pingchuan said, "What Brother Qiu said makes a lot of sense. If we want long-term development, we must have foresight. Since we know a battle is inevitable, we should start preparing from now on."
"Exactly. Today's gathering is not only to celebrate our reunion but also serves as a pre-war mobilization. After going back, everyone should inform their responsible Brothers to prepare for the upcoming battle and also not neglect physical training," Zhang Qiu laughed at this point, "I never expected that the responsibility of strengthening our bodies would fall on a club."
"Don't worry, Brother Qiu, we will definitely pass on the spirit."
"Your words are quite good. I need to reiterate one last important matter today; this is crucial and will determine our strategies and precautions in the upcoming battle against Lin Tao's group," Zhang Qiu suddenly became serious. "This matter may decide the fate of our club and us."
Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, and Wang Zhengxiang all perked up their ears to listen to what Zhang Qiu had to say. Even Yang Yu was focused intently on Zhang Qiu.
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