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As they continued to argue for a while, they gradually quieted down when they noticed that I remained silent.
"Yan Shao, this matter is of great importance. We must avenge the old gang. Leave this to me, and I promise to handle it clearly!" Chen Duo patted his chest in assurance. Hearing this, I couldn't help but smile; avenging the old gang was indeed a significant task.
It could be done, but I still didn't know where Lu Xian had gone. Did Chen Duo have any confidence? I asked him with a smile, knowing he was eager to jump into this pit himself, and there was no way I could stop him.
"Of course I have confidence! That kid Lu Xian grew up under my watch; where could he possibly run off to? As long as the Hongmen doesn't interfere with his affairs, I guarantee I'll capture him alive! Then you can decide his fate, Yan Shao Ye!" Chen Duo said passionately. I nodded in satisfaction after hearing his words.
"Good! But Chen Duo, you just mentioned that avenging the old gang is crucial. What if your strength alone isn't enough? Do you need my help?"
Before I could finish my sentence, Chen Duo interrupted me, "No need! For such a small matter, I don't require any assistance. Rest assured, if I can't handle this well, I'm willing to withdraw from Qing Gang!"
Anyone present could see that Chen Duo was somewhat unhappy because he felt I underestimated his abilities. Since he had already stated he would accept punishment if he failed, I had nothing more to say.
"Alright! Then I'll leave this matter in your hands!"
I said with a smile. Chen Duo nodded in satisfaction. However, when my subordinates suggested that I take over the leadership of Qing Gang, Chen Duo surprisingly spoke up to stop them.
"The old gang's revenge hasn't been settled yet. Yan Shao Ye, you should wait a couple more days. We need to wait until I catch Lu Xian back; only then can you personally kill this ungrateful wretch and take over in style. Don't you agree?"
"Yes, I think so too."
I nodded and smiled. At that moment, Chen Duo began to reveal his ulterior motives quite clearly. But how long had he been plotting? How deep were his schemes? He was destined not to outsmart me.
As for the matter of taking over the gang, honestly, I didn't want to assume leadership right now. Whether or not I took office held no significance for me; what mattered was that I could grasp the real power of Qing Gang—who cared about the title?
After the meeting adjourned, many of my followers approached me. They shared their insights about Chen Duo's intentions and urged me to find a way to deal with him; otherwise, the elders would surely become a threat under his control. I chatted with them briefly to brush it off; Chen Duo wouldn't become a problem for me now or in the future.
News of Lu Xian's escape spread rapidly; both Nan Hongmen and North Hongmen received the information. Naturally, their feelings about Lu Xian's escape were completely opposite—Nan Yuan must have been furious about it while Ye Tong was undoubtedly overjoyed.
Yet both of them coincidentally called me to offer their congratulations. Ye Tong's joy was genuine, but Nan Yuan's congratulatory call felt somewhat forced.
"Haha! Brother Lu Yan, I've heard that Lu Xian has escaped? That's wonderful! With such a vast Qing Gang now yours alone, no one can contest it!" Nan Yuan laughed heartily in a way that betrayed his true feelings. Deep down, I knew how frustrated he must be knowing that no one could compete with me for control of Qing Gang.
I exchanged some simple pleasantries with Nan Yuan before he gradually began to get to the point.
"Ah, you know, the rarer something is, the more precious it becomes. Adding embellishments is far less valuable than providing timely assistance, wouldn't you agree?" Nan Yuan asked me with a smile. The embellishments referred to my support for Qing Gang in the North Hongmen, while the timely assistance was about finding him. I must say, Nan Yuan's choice of words was quite adept, capturing the essence of our current situation.
"Yes, you make a valid point," I replied slowly, agreeing without offering any further opinions.
In the past, I had made many mistakes, and here I wanted to apologize once more. "Please don't hold a grudge against me. To show my sincerity, I've transferred one hundred million to your account. Rest assured, from now on, you're my brother. If I have a meal, you'll definitely have one too!"
Nan Yuan laughed at this. One hundred million? It wasn't a small amount, but it wasn't excessive either; it seemed just right as a gesture of goodwill.
"Thank you very much," I said with a smile. I knew that at this moment, Nan Yuan would want me to pledge my loyalty to him or something similar, but I chose not to say anything.
"Hey! No need for thanks! What are you thanking me for? Don't worry; while I may be cautious with enemies, I'm certainly not stingy with my brothers!" Nan Yuan's words were both self-praising and subtly threatening.
I understood that his way of handling matters was something worth learning from. I felt no fear; even if Nan Yuan became wary of my attitude, it didn't matter because he had no choice but to cooperate with me.
Nan Yuan laughed heartily at my words but didn't say much else. He began asking when I would turn against him, but I had no intention of doing so. If I sided with the North Hongmen, it would mean tearing apart my relationship with them and effectively pushing myself into a corner. Therefore, my plan remained to appear as if I were defecting to the North Hongmen while secretly ensuring that both Southern and Northern Hongmen would suffer losses at a critical moment.
Nan Yuan did not agree with my proposal; it presented too many variables for him to accept. Yet, as before, he had no choice but to agree to all my conditions.
After Lu Xian left, Qing Gang quickly split into two factions: one loyal to me and the other loyal to Elder Chen—oh no, I should refer to him as Chen the Elder now. After Lu Xian's departure, Chen the Elder began aggressively courting Lu Xian's former subordinates. Many of them followed him without realizing that they were still under my control; I had ordered them to cooperate with Chen the Elder in this charade. My goal was to make Chen the Elder believe he had taken control of Qing Gang and for the North Hongmen to think the same.
Nan Yuan was quite anxious about Chen the Elder's power grab and had approached me multiple times to discuss it. However, I had no intention of revealing the specifics; let him worry.
I knew that Nan Yuan must have found my attitude infuriating, yet he had to maintain a friendly facade when communicating with me. This must have been difficult for him and made him feel that I was overly arrogant.
Once North Hongmen was eliminated, he would undoubtedly repay all his pent-up frustrations onto me—but unfortunately for him, he would never get that chance.
Ye Tong called me and informed me that he planned to launch a full-scale attack on Nan Hongmen next month. The assault by North Hongmen would be grand and resolved through the most primal means of the underworld—gunfights!
The scale of this gunfight would be unprecedented; wherever Nan Hongmen was located, North Hongmen would initiate attacks and conflicts. At that point, resolving matters without deploying troops would be impossible.
However, what I could foresee, Ye Tong could also anticipate. He must have already dispatched people to monitor troop movements because once the army mobilized, Ye Tong would immediately implement countermeasures. He was prepared; even though it would take time for the army to arrive on-site, he would definitely manage to escape in time.
As for the attack by North Hongmen on Nan Hongmen, and the reckless decision to engage in such a fierce battle, it was clear that Ye Tong had reliable sources informing him. Once the military was mobilized, Ye Tong would likely suspect me. Therefore, the army could not be deployed; I had to cooperate with Ye Tong and play my part in this scheme.
Ye Tong's plan was to mobilize the elite forces of North Hongmen to launch a surprise attack on Nan Hongmen. Once Nan Hongmen realized what was happening and began organizing a resistance, we from Qing Gang would step in and engage in a major battle with them. He claimed that this approach would ensure the operation's secrecy. He couldn't mobilize the entire North Hongmen army, only a portion of its elite forces, which is why he wanted Qing Gang, positioned between Southern and Northern Hongmen, to act as the second wave in this offensive.
The first elite team from North Hongmen would undoubtedly adopt a hit-and-run strategy; they would assassinate key figures and then immediately retreat. The responsibility for taking the blame would fall on us, Qing Gang. Thus, although Qing Gang was designated as the second team, Ye Tong would certainly not want his first elite team to become cannon fodder. They would execute their mission and escape while leaving Qing Gang to take the brunt of the conflict.
I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't deny that he made a valid point. This was indeed the best plan available at the moment, and I had no room to reject it. After Ye Tong hung up, I pondered over the operational aspects of this situation. What should I do?
I spent an entire afternoon calculating all possible outcomes and realized that Ye Tong's move was exceptionally clever. He skillfully utilized the current situation; if I were not genuinely willing to ally with him and did not mobilize Qing Gang to assist him, he wouldn't come himself. If he did come, it would only be when Qing Gang had suffered significant losses and Nan Hongmen was also severely weakened. Regardless of what happened, he could always retreat unscathed.
Lu Xian was right; Ye Tong's leadership skills were undoubtedly impressive. Even if he didn't trust me, he could still use this plan to his advantage by sending me into danger as cannon fodder. If I refused, he would likely persuade Chen Duo to defect with half of Qing Gang's strength. Although that would cost him dearly in his struggle against Nan Hongmen, it would still ensure his position remained unassailable.
Yet even with all his intelligence, there were aspects he couldn't foresee. Chen Duo could not fully control Qing Gang, and I certainly did not want him to perceive me as weak. My strength would exceed his expectations.
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