Chapter 976

“Chen Brother, you’re mistaken—there may be a misunderstanding about Ma Liu. The Six Shan Door brothers would never humiliate the Tianlao brothers; that was never our intention, I swear. Someone must be deliberately sowing discord between you and me. Don’t fall for it!”

Meng Laoda spoke with solemn sincerity while uttering pure nonsense.

Chen Guanlou listened, then laughed. He extended one finger and tapped the dossier. “So you’re saying all of this is a misunderstanding?”

“It’s definitely a misunderstanding! I’ve always admired Brother Chen—how could I ever do something that hurts kin and delights enemies? Besides, if your account is true, such an obvious flaw would be a grave insult to the Six Shan Door. If the Six Shan Door truly wanted to substitute one man for another, they’d pick someone nearly identical to Ma Liu and leave not a single flaw!”

Implicitly, he himself would handle the substitution, choosing someone who looked eighty percent like the real Ma Liu, leaving no room for suspicion.

“From your tone, is this scheme orchestrated by Ma Liu himself—is he provoking the Six Shan Door and Tianlao?”

“It’s certainly Ma Liu acting on his own,” Meng Laoda seized the opportunity, speaking with absolute certainty. “The underlings were only focused on taking bribes and never realized they’d been manipulated. Brother Chen, rest assured—I’ll punish those responsible when I return, and make them spit out every silver coin they took.”

Right before Chen Guanlou’s eyes, Meng Laoda made no attempt to conceal anything. The Six Shan Door’s countless illicit dealings were laid bare. After all, they were brother units—both sides were dirty; the big brother didn’t scold the second brother. No need for pretense or hypocrisy.

Chen Guanlou smiled. “No need to return the silver. The Six Shan Door brothers are also my brothers. As long as they recognize their mistakes and correct them, I won’t pursue it.”

At these words, Meng Laoda beamed. “Thank you, Brother Chen! Tomorrow I’ll find a suitable man to replace Ma Liu in the cell.”

“No need,” Chen Guanlou raised his hand to stop him, then continued with a faint, mocking smile. “You can tell the real Ma Liu this: don’t let me catch him. If I see him, he will die without fail.”

Meng Laoda’s expression froze—he seemed confused.

Chen Guanlou continued casually. “To scheme against me, then come to my face and boast—would you let him live to celebrate the New Year?”

Meng Laoda had no idea what to say, only managed a forced laugh. “Th-this… hahaha… Brother Chen is right. This whole affair was crude and dishonorable—it’s betraying Tianlao’s brothers! Ma Liu must die! He deserves nothing less!”

Chen Guanlou chuckled along. “So we’re in agreement. Excellent.”

“Excellent, excellent!”

“Would Brother Meng care to meet the fake Ma Liu in the cell?”

“No need! I trust you, Brother Chen. You wouldn’t joke about something like this. It’s all the fault of those underlings—can’t even handle a simple task. A bunch of useless fools.”

Chen Guanlou’s gaze was cold, his mind filled with mockery.

He couldn’t even clean his own mess, yet only blamed his subordinates—another useless fool.

The banquet lasted until nearly the end of the shift before breaking up.

Chen Guanlou personally saw Meng Laoda out the Tianlao’s main gate, then returned to his office.

The room had been tidied, incense lit to dispel the lingering stench of wine and food. The jailers were becoming increasingly adept at their duties.

Mu Qingshan asked curiously, “My lord, was it truly the real Ma Liu behind this?”

“You believe everything that fool Meng says? Your brain—don’t ever go into business, or you’ll be left with nothing but your underwear.”

“So you mean the Six Shan Door did this on purpose?”

“I don’t know if the Six Shan Door intended it. But I know someone looks down on Tianlao and wants to disgust it. If a few jailers die in the process, they’ll be even happier.”

Such a crude, unhidden act of humiliation.

Hmph!

Do they really think Tianlao is easy to bully?

That Meng fellow spouted nothing but lies—not one word of truth. Then don’t blame me for being uncivil.

…

The night was deep.

In the vast capital, beyond the glittering districts, most people had already fallen asleep. The entire city grew silent.

As a local kingpin of the capital, Meng Laoda twisted through alleys, avoiding all night patrols, and soon arrived at a house in Nancheng.

“Meng Laoda, what are you doing here?”

“Ma Liu, first thing tomorrow, as soon as the city gates open, leave the capital.”

“Why?”

Candles burned inside. A sturdy shadow cast on the window, voice rough and loud.

“You dare ask why? I just dozed off, and you botched this so badly—do you really think Tianlao’s people are all fools? You’ve drawn the attention of Chen Yucheng. If you stay, you’re asking for death!”

“Isn’t that Chen guy just upset we didn’t pay enough? Fine—we’ll pay him a sum. Didn’t you say Tianlao only cares about money, not people?”

“Shut your mouth!” Meng Laoda exploded. “What kind of time is this to be talking about silver? Useless fools! Just get out of the capital—don’t let me see you again. Remember: from now on, our grudges are erased!”

“Meng Laoda, don’t do this! We’re brothers—years of friendship! This time you help me, next time I’ll help you…”

“Oh? So the two of you call each other brothers?”

“Who’s there?”

At the voice, Meng Laoda trembled violently, frozen in shock.

Ma Liu roared—how had a stranger appeared in the room without him noticing?

Chen Guanlou stepped slowly from the darkness. “Brother Meng, we meet again. How delightful!”

He smiled warmly.

But Meng Laoda broke into cold sweat, waving his hands frantically. “It’s not my fault! Brother Chen, we’re brothers—don’t kill me!”

“You’re Chen Yucheng?” Ma Liu, still oblivious to his doom, stood like an ox—muscular, formidable. “Chen Yucheng, name your price. Everything can be discussed, right?”

“You’re Ma Liu?”

Chen Guanlou asked curiously.

“The Jianghu brothers show me respect—they call me Sixth Brother, or Sixth Master. Before Chen Yucheng, I dare not claim the title. If you don’t mind, let’s be brothers, shall we?”

Chen Guanlou laughed. He turned to Meng Laoda. “Where did you find this guy?”

So arrogant—he dares to propose brotherhood with me? Doesn’t he even look in the mirror to see his own worth?

Meng Laoda, terrified yet clinging to hope, said, “Brother Chen, Ma Liu’s just a crude man, ignorant of propriety. Don’t take it personally.”

“Brother Meng, don’t worry—I never take anything personally from the dead.”

“Your motherfucker, who are you calling dead, you—”

Thud!

The sturdy body collapsed slowly to the floor with a heavy thump. In the dead of night, the sound was like an explosion—Meng Laoda turned ashen, shaking like a leaf.

He stepped forward, checked Ma Liu’s breath. “He’s dead!? Brother Chen, you just killed Ma Liu?”

“I already said: if I see him, he dies. Would I let him live to celebrate the New Year? Brother Meng, are you reluctant?”