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Chapter 131: Enemies on a Narrow Path
Zhang Qiu's words left everyone speechless and instantly made him the center of attention. All eyes were on Zhang Qiu, who stood right in the middle of both parties.
Yang Yu and the others widened their eyes, wondering what Brother Qiu was up to.
A gust of wind blew, rustling the leaves, casting shadows under the moonlight as the branches swayed, creating a flickering effect on Zhang Qiu's face. Zhang Qiu pointed at Third Brother and said, "I've figured it out; you're just a shameless person. From what you said, your boss doesn't have much time left, right? You've been brothers for life, yet instead of doing something to make him happy, you're busy fighting for position and turning against your own brothers. You even shamelessly claim that you don't need loyalty. With someone like you, do you deserve to be out here? You don't!"
Zhang Qiu was emotionally charged and shouted at the group of Brothers standing behind Third Brother, "And you guys! You're following such a leader. If he treats his own brothers like this, how can he treat you well?"
Silence fell, a deathly stillness. The long-standing conflict between Brother Leopard and Third Brother had taken an unexpected turn with a young man stepping up to criticize them. Even Zhang Qiu himself hadn't anticipated speaking out like this. However, it felt good, though seeing the hostile expressions of the group behind Third Brother made his heart race.
"Who the hell is this brat!" Third Brother cursed angrily. As soon as he finished speaking, several burly men stepped out from behind him, brandishing gleaming machetes as they approached Zhang Qiu.
Watching the men close in, Zhang Qiu thought about how his personality often got him into trouble. However, he smiled lightly; despite their intimidating size, they appeared to be all show with their big bellies wobbling with each step. If it were a barehanded fight, Zhang Qiu was confident he could defeat them. But seeing those three shiny blades made him furrow his brow and take the situation seriously. He crouched slightly, preparing to defend himself.
"Get them!" Yang Yu snapped back to reality first and rushed to Zhang Qiu's side, holding a metal pipe in front of him.
Just as tensions escalated between both parties, a voice suddenly shouted from the crowd: "Brother Hai! Brother Hai! I know him!"
That voice sounded familiar. Zhang Qiu turned to look and saw a Red-Haired Boy emerging from the crowd, standing in front of Third Brother with three scruffy-looking youths behind him.
"Oh no, what a coincidence! Isn't that the group we fought at East City Barbecue this afternoon?" Zhang Qiu exclaimed in surprise and turned to Yang Yu beside him. "Looks like we're really going to fight."
Yang Yu changed from his usual carefree demeanor to one of calm determination and said firmly, "Brother Qiu, if we're going to fight, let's not care who they are; we'll take them down."
"Brother Qiu, we're with you," Gao Zhi added as he waved his metal pipe.
"Good brother, be prepared and wait for the changes," Qiu Wan said, raising the steel pipe to his chest, his eyes darting between the red-haired man and the four big men in front of him. "When the fight starts, I'll take care of the two in front with knives. Yang Yu, you handle the left side. Gao Zhi and Zhao Pingchuan, you two take the right side. Wang Zhengxiang, you lead the others to cover us..."
Zhang Qiu was strategizing here, confident that he could eliminate the big man directly in front of him in their first encounter, as he posed the greatest threat to him. Meanwhile, the red-haired man respectfully addressed Third Brother, saying, "Brother Hai, I know him."
Third Brother raised an eyebrow and slapped the red-haired man across the face, coldly saying, "Are you trying to plead for him?"
"No, no, no." The red-haired man grimaced in pain, covering half of his left face where a large red handprint was clearly visible. With a whimpering tone, he said, "Brother Hai, I'm not pleading for him; it's just that this guy caused trouble in our shop this afternoon and injured several of us." After he spoke, the other three young men nodded in agreement.
"Smack!" Another slap followed. Third Brother was both angry and embarrassed as he shouted, "Getting beaten by a few high school students is really humiliating!"
The red-haired man endured the pain and ingratiated himself with Third Brother, pointing at Zhang Qiu and saying, "Brother Hai, you must avenge us."
"Hahaha..." Zhang Qiu couldn't help but burst into laughter; it was just too funny. Yang Yu shook his head and sighed; his mental fortitude was still not on par with Brother Qiu's. But soon Zhang Qiu stopped laughing as Third Brother shot a cold glare at him. Zhang Qiu couldn't help but shiver; there was definitely a murderous intent.
"Well then, how do you want to die?" Third Brother threw this line directly at Zhang Qiu.
Zhang Qiu sneered. Even if I die, I can still knock out a few of your teeth. He shouted back, "Your subordinates started trouble with us first; if they want to fight us but can't win, what can I do?"
"Damn you... Ouch." The red-haired man's words were cut short as he received another hit from Third Brother.
"I don't care who started it; there must be an explanation today. Since you're one of Second Brother's men, I'll give you some face. You have two choices: one is that no one leaves with an arm intact to teach you a lesson. The other is that you die; I'll be generous and let your Brothers go." At this point, Third Brother suddenly lowered his voice before bursting into laughter.
Zhang Qiu looked at Third Brother's large face shaking with laughter and felt disgusted. He said solemnly, "Whether you want my arm or my life depends on whether you have the ability!"
"Hit me!" Third Brother said without further ado, completely enraged by Zhang Qiu. No one had ever dared to be so arrogant with him before. A mere kid, still wet behind the ears, had the audacity to act this way; if he didn't teach him a harsh lesson, it would be unacceptable. As soon as Third Brother finished speaking, the four burly men in front of Zhang Qiu raised their knives and charged at him.
Zhang Qiu had been paying attention to their conversation and, at the moment the four men lifted their knives, he darted forward, positioning himself directly in front of one of the large men. He thrust the steel pipe in his hand forcefully, jabbing one end into the man's throat.
The man who was struck in the throat dropped his knife with a clang, clutching his throat with both hands, his face turning a deep shade of purple, looking as bad as it could get. With this success, Zhang Qiu turned to face another opponent, engaging in a fierce clash between the machete and the iron pipe.
Yang Yu was not so fortunate; within moments, the seasoned fighters had cut through Yang Yu's skin. Fortunately, just as the machete was about to sink into his flesh, Wang Zhengxiang, a big guy, used all his strength to charge at the burly man, causing the machete to veer off its original path.
"You all join in!" Third Brother said darkly as he sent more of his subordinates into the fray.
In just a matter of seconds, blood was flowing continuously—this was a scene that Zhang Qiu and Yang Yu could hardly have imagined from their experiences with street fights. Seeing Yang Yu injured made Zhang Qiu's eyes turn red with rage; he rolled to evade an attack and picked up a machete from the ground to slash horizontally.
With a dull thud, one of the burly men fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding ankle and grimacing in pain. The brothers brought by Yang Yu were also fighting fiercely; several of them were injured in multiple places. All four of Third Brother's men were now lying on the ground, protecting their vital areas with their hands, fearing further punches and kicks.
Zhang Qiu and his companions were all injured and entangled in combat with Third Brother's men. Third Brother laughed sinisterly; he wasn't finishing them off all at once but rather sending a few men at a time. He wanted to see Zhang Qiu and his friends exhausted before plunging knives into their arms to fulfill his promise.
"Enough!" Brother Leopard shouted coldly from where he stood watching. In an instant, Abiao led some people over to separate everyone, while several of Third Brother's subordinates helped Zhang Qiu and his companions retreat.
"Second Brother, what are you doing?" Third Brother glared at Brother Leopard. He had been envisioning stabbing one knife after another into Zhang Qiu and his friends' arms when they were suddenly rescued by Brother Leopard. How could he not be furious?
Brother Leopard replied coldly, "If this continues, something bad will happen; I'm doing this for your own good." If Wang Guodong's nephew got hurt, it would be catastrophic for Stone Dagger Gang.
"Did you not see that they hurt my men?"
"Your people acted first; if they are not as skilled, what can be done?"
"Second Brother, are you trying to cover for them?"
Brother Leopard raised an eyebrow. "Don't start with that. I want to ask you something."
"What do you want to ask me?"
"What's going on with that red-haired guy? The boss has said that his own brother is not allowed to cause trouble in places where protection fees have been paid. How dare your people act like that?"
"My people were there to take care of business and intimidate those who wanted to cause trouble. Isn't this all for the benefit of those merchants?"
"That's nonsense!"
"Second Brother, don't speak so harshly. I call you Second Brother out of respect; don't force me to lose my temper." Third Brother raised his voice, his chubby face making his dead fish eyes seem almost bulging.
"Third Brother, heed Second Brother's advice and don't go too far."
"My affairs are none of your business; hand over those brats quickly."
"They are already my people."
"But they attacked my men!"
Brother Leopard looked at Third Brother with a complex expression and after a long pause said, "Then I'll apologize on their behalf, is that okay?"
"Brother Leopard..."
Brother Leopard waved his hand, interrupting Abiao, his eyes fixed on Third Brother, waiting for his response. At that moment, the last flicker of fire in Brother Leopard's heart had already extinguished.
"Brother Leopard, don't apologize to him. Whatever he wants to do, let him come at me," Zhang Qiu shouted loudly from the crowd.
"Shut up," Brother Leopard snapped, turning his head to glare fiercely at Zhang Qiu.
It was the first time Zhang Qiu had seen Brother Leopard angry, and he instinctively closed his mouth tightly; it was the kind of gaze one would expect from a gangster.
"Third Brother, give Second Brother some face; let's talk about terms," Brother Leopard called out to Third Brother.
"Oh? What terms?"
"A condition that you will definitely be satisfied with. I'll cover your medical expenses. Also, that trade market I've been managing—haven't you always wanted it? I'll give you half, how about that?" Brother Leopard's clenched fists cracked as he spoke. Ever since the Stone Dagger Gang became the largest gang in Beilan County, Third Brother had become increasingly unreasonable. He had long wanted to teach him a lesson, but that thought was quickly suppressed by Brother Leopard. He loosened his clenched fists and looked directly into Third Brother's eyes, asking, "Is that acceptable?"
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