The base leader was leading the attack personally. Who dared refuse to accompany him? Even if they wanted to refuse, they were intimidated by his despotic power. They had no choice but to lower their heads and follow him.
“Base Leader.” As the other captains expressed their assent, one of them frowned. “Earlier, we got news saying that guy was traveling with the Skyspan Trading Company. If we go kill him, won’t the Skyspan Trading Company form a grudge against us?”
Huang Aogu smiled and waved away their concerns dismissively. “I sent out scouts earlier to investigate. They’ve already reported back saying that Ye guy has already left the Skyspan Trading Company. He’s currently staying at the Hundred Daybreaks Inn. However, even though that’s the case, we can’t attack within city limits. None of us can say for sure just what his connection to the Skyspan Trading Company is. Just in case, we’d best lead him outside the city, then take care of him.”
A few of the captains immediately looked troubled. Zhao Ye scowled, but said nothing.
When he saw that the entire crowd was silent, Scarface, who stood at the very end, looked around the room. From the moment Huang Aogu first callede them here, he knew that it had something to do with Ye Zichen.
After being robbed twice, Scarface had learned his lesson. He no longer had any desire to antagonize Ye Zichen.
As a result, throughout the entire meeting, he hadn’t said a single word. Even as the others all fell over each other in their eagerness to get revenge, Scarface just sat there and nodded coolly. In his heart, he felt nothing but disdain.
None of them had fully experienced Ye Zichen’s terrifyingness. If just the few of them attacked him….
It would probably cost them their lives.
“Base Leader.” After a brief internal struggle, Scarface cupped his fist and stood.
Remember, Scarface had the lowest status of anyone present. Huang Aogu was surprised to see him stand up at a time like this. He looked at this mere vice-captain and asked, “What is it, Scarface?”
“I…..” Scarface clearly had something to say, but he couldn’t quite get it out. After that, a serious, his expression grew serious, yet bitter, as if his entire face were distorted with righteous indignation.
“Your subordinate requests orders to lure that Ye bastard outside of the city. He robbed me twice. That’s an absolute affront to my character and dignity. I haven’t been able to sleep in days; I can think of nothing but revenge. Since you, Base Leader, and my esteemed colleagues are unsure of how best to lure him outside the city, please let me take care of this. I’ve been in the Axe Gang for years now, but I’ve never contributed anything major. Please, Base Leader, grant me this opportunity.” With that, he lowered his head. His sincere tone moved everyone’s hearts.
When Huang Aogu heard this, his face flushed with delight. Almost everything was already taken care of. All they had to do now was wait for Ye Zichen to leave the city. But who could say with certainty just when that would happen? Furthermore, the Wu Family clan head’s wife was pressing him on insistently. If Scarface was willing to volunteer, that was naturally a perfect solution. “How sure are you that this will work?”
He was very pleased that Scarface took the initiative to volunteer, but they only had one chance to get this right. If Scarface failed to lure Ye Zichen into their trap, he’d only become more cautious going forward.
“As your subordinate, I’m willing to swear on my very life. I’ll lead him outside the city no matter what. If I fail, I’ll come back and offer up my head.”
Scarface was quite the actor; it seemed as if his heart overflowed with hatred, making him emotional. He cupped his fists, a hint of earnest pleading in his voice. “Base Leader, please grant me this opportunity.”
“Alright, I’ll give you a chance. But you’d best understand: we only have one chance. You can’t even imagine the consequences of rashly alerting the enemy. That said, if you succeed, I’ll promote you to a full captain.”
After a brief pause, Huang Aogu patted him on the back. “Don’t let me down.”
Scarface solemnly cupped his fist, then resolutely turned and exited the meeting room. He truly cut a heroic figure.
The other captains couldn’t help but be moved. They wondered just what Ye Zichen had done to Scarface to fill him with such deep hatred. Huang Aogu nodded in satisfaction as well. Although he was somewhat worried about whether Scarface could succeed or not, Scarface’s determination and conviction were enough to convince him to trust him just this once.
“When Scarface gets back, that Ye Bastard is doomed!”
Scarface walked solemnly out of the building, his expression cold. However, as soon as he stepped outside, his gaze suddenly shifted. He leaned against a nearby wall and breathed raggedly.
Just now, his demeanor and everything he’d said came straight from the heart.
But at the same time, he was using these feelings to put on a show. Was he really going to trick Ye Zichen and make trouble for him?
No way!
The second time Ye Zicheen robbed him, Scarface decided that he’d never provoke that walking disaster ever again. Moreover, if he had the opportunity, he’d join him!
The way he saw it, following Ye Zichen would be much better than sticking with the Axe Gang.
However, he couldn’t just show up out of the blue and ask to become Ye Zichen’s subordinate. He needed an opportunity to switch sides. Now that the Axe Gang was plotting against Ye Zichen, he had his chance.
The only thing that seemed a bit of a shame was the spot of captain. He’d been in the Axe Gang for so long, and for what? Wasn’t it all to become a captain?
“Farewell, becoming a captain.” As he bitterly looked back at the towering, yet malevolent Axe
Gang base, his expression shifted. Soon, his bitterness was replaced with delight. “Scarface, your brand-new life is about to begin.”
No matter where you were, you couldn’t underestimate the impact of power and money. Ye Zichen’s generosity meant that all the clerks and waiters of the Hundred Daybreaks Inn gave everything they had to provide to his every need.
“Sir, this is our inn’s reserved room. This humble one things this room suits your temperament and chose it just for you,” said the clerk flatteringy. He pushed open the door. The room inside was lavishly decorated and covered in gold. It had a distinctly nouveau riche air.
“It’s just, this room costs…….”
“To me, money is nothing but a number.” In truth, Ye Zichen didn’t particularly care for the room’s gold-covered decorations. However, it seemed that the clerk doubted his wealth? How could he tolerate that?
Whoosh.
He pulled ten thousand spirit coins from a spatial ring. When he saw them, the clerk’s eyes widened. To the side, Bai Xiaosheng reacted in much the same way. After a brief shock, he reaffirmed his determination to work for Ye Zichen.
The Minister of the Left? To hell with that!
“Here’s ten thousand coins. Subtract the room’s cost from that. If it’s not enough, tell me.” With that, he pulled out another hundred. “And this is your reward.”
At first, the clerk thought that, after subtracting the cost of the room, he could take the rest of the initial ten thousand as a tip. This result surprised him, but after brief disappointment, he chastised himself for being too greedy. One hundred spirit coins was already a lot.
“Alright, sir. Please enjoy your stay.” The clerk collected the coins and left. Ye Zichen and Bai Xiaosheng entered the room. They couldn’t see too clearly from the doorway, but when they stepped inside, Bai Xiaosheng’s eyes practically popped out of his head.
It was way too Nouveau Riche.
Even just standing there, he could smell the gold in the air. Ye Zichen was much calmer. After all, he’d seen plenty of extravagance in his life. If this guest room was enough to intimidate him….
“Your Excellency, you can’t take that gold with you.”
“Your Excellency, what are you doing? You can’t take that….”
“Your Excellency…..”
Bai Xiaosheng watched Ye Zichen poke and pry at the decorations. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After a while, Ye Zichen gave up and gnashed his teeth. He hadn’t managed to pry off any of the gold.
Even so, he maintained his aloof and mysterious air as he said, “I was just testing to see how durable the decorations were. It seems they’re quite good!”
“As you say,” Bai Xiaosheng laughed bitterly. In his heart, he muttered to himself.
Realizing that his behavior just now had hurt his image, Ye Zichen tried to turn things around. He sat cross-legged on the chair, looked directly at Bai Xiaosheng, and asked seriously, “Bai Xiaosheng, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
