“Boss, tell me anything that you want to do!”
“Yeah, boss, if you have anything that needs to be done, make your arrangements. We will do these things well for you.”
“We are at your command. If you point to the east, we will never go to the west. If you ask us to go to the south, then we will never go north.”
…
The faces of those Hall Chiefs turned red. They patted their chests and guaranteed to complete the task the gang head gave them.
A wisp of bright light flashed across Wang Qianye’s dull old eyes, and he said in a loud and confident voice. “Okay, calm down, everyone. Listen to me.”
The conference room became quiet again. These great men who could even command the wind and the clouds were sitting solemnly to show their respect. All of them looked like primary school students who were having class, sitting properly and looking steadily forward.
Wang Qianye looked at everyone with satisfaction. He had neglected the gang’s affairs for three years and these people became disloyal to him long ago, so he was very satisfied with their attitudes at this time.
Even though he knew that they only pretended to be respectful and didn’t know what exactly they were thinking about, Wang Qianye still felt very pleased. At least, it showed that he still had some remaining authority, and these guys still seemed to be afraid of him.
“I am old now, and I am not sure how much time I have left. Since I was sick, Zhihao and Junyang have been helping with the gang’s affairs. They have done a very good job. I am very pleased about that.”
His eyes twinkling with a sharp light, Wang Qianye glanced around slowly. He didn’t look like a dying man. He was more like a sleeping lion that was slowly waking up.
Wang Zhihao and Hong Junyang were stunned in their hearts. They hurriedly stood up of one accord and said humbly, “Boss, you have overpraised me.”
“Bang”, Wang Qianye suddenly banged his palm on the table angrily. He became so angry that both his hair and beard seemed to stand up. With a sneering look, he said.
“Overpraised? Did you still know that you are overpraised? I thought that you are turned by your small achievements.”
Wang Zhihao and Hong Junyang shivered all over and then bowed their heads in awe. They didn’t even dare to breathe.
The seventeen Hall Chiefs kept quiet out of fear. The expression on their faces changed constantly, and They realized how ridiculous their previous vicious intentions were.
All those previous leaders of the Axe Gang were not simple characters. Otherwise, the gang would have already been destroyed long ago.
Wang Qianye, the current leader, was a person who had eyes blazing like torches. He was extremely cruel and merciless. When he wanted to kill, he would do it decisively. Wang Qianye was really good at hiding his capabilities and biding his time. He was a hero of his generation.
Even when people of the Qin Family, the most powerful force of the underworld, saw him, they would dare not to treat him lightly and had to politely call him the old gang head Wang.
A tiger’s prestige still existed even after it died, not to mention that the tiger Wang Qianye was not dead yet.
“Yang Kaishan was killed. Our places in the university town were taken away by the Green Cloud Gang. Batulu of the Black Knife Camp was also assassinated. Now the Axe Gang is going to endure the fierce anger of the Seventh Lord’s Mansion. Are all of these the answers you gave me?”
Showing an awe-inspiring manner, Wang Qianye was like an angry lion. Angrily, he shouted.
“I’m sorry, boss. I am too careless.”
In great trepidation, Hong Junyang took the initiative to apologize. After all, the branch that Yang Kaishan belonged was in his jurisdiction. If something went wrong, Hong Junyang had to take the responsibility because it was the thing he couldn’t delay.
“Boss, I know that I have also done something wrong. I only focus on my own business and neglected the affairs that Deputy-head Hong was in charge of. I have made some mistakes, and I am willing to accept any punishment that you gave me.”
In fear and trepidation, Wang Zhihao said in a low voice while lowering his head. However, a trace of pride flickered over the bottom of his eyes.
In deep hatred, Hong Junyang ground his teeth. It seemed that Wang Zhihao admitted his mistakes. But in fact, he spoke in an extremely skillful way. By speaking ill of him in a disguised way, Wang Zhihao shifted all the responsibility onto him. Meanwhile, it showed that he had a good overall sense of justice. Moreover, he was gentle and always paid his attention to the interests of the whole. All of this was better for him to buy people’s hearts.
What kind of people Wang Qianye was. How could he not see Wang Zhihao’s secret thoughts? But he would never easily show what it was in his mind. Hence, he wouldn’t unmask Wang Zhihao right in front of him. And besides, the dilemma the Axe Gang faced didn’t allow him to carry out his plans at leisure.
Immediately, he coughed. Then, he raised his hand and motioned them to sit down. In a low voice, he said, “What’s done is done. Now it is not the time to find out who is to blame. I don’t want to ask more questions about who assassinated Batulu. But since the person has the ability to do it, then he certainly can clear up the messy situation. I know what you are thinking. Haven’t all of you always been thinking about the place that I took?”
As soon as he finished speaking, all the people presented bowed their heads and tried to avoid the sight of Wang Qianye.
“Humph, you’re all a bunch of bums who don’t have the courage to take the blame for what you have done. You only have evil designs but no guts. I despise this kind of people the most.”
Wish his hands clasping behind him, Wang Qianye slowly stood up, rays of cold light flashing in his eyes. “How can a man without wild ambition have his own business in the underworld? Your ambition is a good thing for me. But you must remember that your strength should always match up to your ambition. The ambition without enough strength can only be called unrealistic illusions. A very competent person must be someone who has the ability that can match his ambition.”
Wang Qianye paused a little and then said with his ice-cold eyes, “Now beset by enemies from within and without, the Axe Gang has reached a point where its very existence is at stake. No venture, no gain. Heroes always emerge in troubled times. It is also the time to test your ability. Wang Zhihao, Hong Junyang!”
“Yes!”
In unison, Wang Zhihao and Hong Junyang stood up. They bowed and answered.
Once again, Wang Qianye glanced at Wang Yuqiu, who was eager to try. “Wang Yuqiu!”
“Yes!” Excitedly, Wang Yuqiu stepped forward and bowed as a reply.
“From now on, each of you is in charge of the six branches of our eighteen branches. I don’t care what kind of strategy you are going to use. You can either pacify the anger of those people in the Seventh Lord’s Mansion or just destroy it. Anyway, it is your only chance to get promoted. Whoever makes it can get my position.”
Wang Qianye lured them with a sonorous and forceful voice.
“But now there are only seventeen branches left.”
Wang Zhihao said unwillingly, and he cursed secretly in his heart. “You actually want to let Wang Yuqiu get your position.”
“I will take over Yang Kaishan’s branch!” Wang Yuqiu said frankly.
“Well… It will bring you some trouble, and you are just a girl. Or, let me take over it.”
In his heart, Wang Zhihao secretly felt very happy. But he still said that hypocritically.
“What’s wrong with girls? Why cannot girls make great contributions? Uncle, you just settle down to run the six branches of yours. Don’t worry about my business.”
Relentlessly, Wang Yuqiu said. She hated the hypocritical Wang Zhihao to the core.
But Hong Junyang remained silent, frowning. The matter was related to the battle for the position of the gang’s leader, plus people in the Seventh Lord’s Mansion came to look for trouble in full fury. Therefore, he was going to use every bit of the strength he controlled, and he would never take the initiative to reduce the strength in his hands.
A touch of ice cold crossed the bottom of Wang Zhihao’s eyes. Wearing an artificial smile, he exclaimed, “My niece Yuqiu, as a girl, you are as excellent as your male peers. Then, I will wait and see you show your skills.”
“You will see,” Wang Yuqiu said resolutely.
Wang Qianye ignored the dispute between them. He waved his hand. “The meeting is over. As for how you are going to distribute the eighteen branches, it all depends on yourself!”
When he finished, he strode away, and the Four Great Vajrapanis immediately followed after him.
But the three Great Gods remained silent with their eyes closed. Right after Wang Qianye announced that the meeting was over, they instantly stood up and turned to walk away as if all of these things that happened had nothing to do with them.
On the Nine Kilometers Bridge, Wang Qianye stood solemnly with his hands behind his back in the dim light of night. He looked at the distance, but no one knew what he was thinking.
“Qianye, Yuqiu is quite a good girl. Why are you still hesitating?”
The Great God appeared behind Wang Qianye like a ghost and said in a low voice. Nobody knew when he popped up here.
“Yuqiu is good. But it is a pity that… she is a girl after all. Even though she played a trick and took over Yang Kaishan’s branch, I have no faith in her.”
Wang Qianye said gently without any emotional ups and downs.
At such an old age, he certainly knew those secret thoughts of those men under his command.
Wang Qianye could also see Wang Yuqiu’s mind clearly. On the surface, it seemed that she was relatively weak because she could only take over five branches of the gang. But in fact, she got the best of the bargain.
Although Yang Kaishan was dead, his branch was still there. But all the other five branches had their own Hall Chiefs with different minds. Compared with these five branches, it was easier for Wang Yuqiu who had a relatively weak foundation to take control of Yang Kaishan’s branch which had no leader.
“Then why do you still let her stand up to compete? Compared with your two bastards, Wang Zhihao and Hong Junyang, I prefer the little girl Yuqiu.”
The Great God made a surprising comment, giving no consideration to Wang Qianye’s feelings. With his hands clasping behind his back, the Great God stood side by side with Wang Qianye and looked at the night in the distance with him.
If Wang Yuqiu heard this conversation here, she would inevitably be greatly shocked and understand why Wang Qianye always felt reluctant to let her inherit the property of the Axe Gang.
It turned out that both Wang Zhihao and Hong Junyang were the illegitimate children of Wang Qianye. If news of this got out, it might shock the entire Ninghai.
After all, Wang Zhihao’s father was Wang Qianye’s cousin. However, Wang Qianye had an affair with his cousin’s wife who then gave birth to the illegitimate child Wang Zhihao.
As for Hong Junyang, no one knew his family background. Perhaps, even he himself didn’t know that his father was Wang Qianye.
Wang Qianye slightly heaved a deep sigh. But he didn’t answer the Great God’s question. “Mo Xie, how many years have we known each other?”
“I am sixty-three this year. My enemy wounded me when I was twenty. If I didn’t meet you, I would have turned into a pile of dry bones long ago. After that, I became the Great God of the Axe Gang. Forty-three years have already slipped by since that time.”
The Great God recalled the past, and he said with emotion.
“Yeah, forty-three years in a blink of an eye. I am seven years older than you. You are sixty-three this year, and I am already seventy.”
Wang Qianye uttered a deep sigh. “You are the only person in the gang who witnessed the scene that I killed my blood brother and became the leader. My success was built on countless dead bodies. Then in all those past years, I displayed various means, eradicated my enemies one after another, and have got this far. You are also the one who had watched the whole process.”
“Yeah. That year, to compete for the position of the gang leader, you seemed to tread on thin ice. One careless step would cost your life. Even if you chose not to kill them, they would kill you. I cannot help shivering even when I recall the bloody and horrifying scenes now.”
Still in a state of shock, the Great God exclaimed. The scenes of that year emerged vividly in his mind like a movie. Because of these scenes, he still could feel relieved.
Wang Qianye turned his head and looked at him deeply. In the night, his dim-sighted eyes were literally shining.
“Mo Xie, you are the only person I trust in my life. I have never treated you like an outsider. Therefore, I have hidden nothing from you. I even told you that I had affairs with my cousin’s wife.”
“Qianye, from the moment you saved me when I was twenty, my life is yours. Living to this age, I already got one hell of a deal. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
The Great God looked at Wang Qianye with his honest and sincere eyes.
“I am not a warrior, but you are. I know that with your cultivation, you had already reached the Master Realm ten years ago. You had the chance to become a master. How many people in the whole Shenzhou Country can become masters? However, you have remained incognito all along only to show your gratitude. You helped me without a thought of fame and wiped out numerous tough enemies for me. In this life, I can never pay off the debt that I own you in this life.”
Wang Qianye said emotionally.
“Why are you talking about these things? I would have already died without you, so don’t be sentimental here. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
With a frail laugh of sadness, the Great God said. He was a grateful person. He always cared about the kindness of Wang Qianye, so he chose to stay in the Axe Gang and became the sharpest knife under the command of Wang Qianye. The Great God cleared away the obstacles in Wang Qianye’s way. Also, he helped Wang Qianye get rid of those people that went against him.
The Great God had not made an oath that he would never leave the Axe Gang if Wang Qianye was still alive.
He had the chance to start out to become the Great Master three years ago. If it were not for the oath, the Great God would go to travel around the world long ago to find his breakthrough opportunity. If there was no accident, he might already become a Great Master now.
