[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-108":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Proles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2290406,4478,"Chapter 108: I Love Jiang Xiang Bang","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-108",108,"\u003Cp>Yang Yanzheng is the steward of the Second Miss Chu’s household; over two months ago, he came to Lan Yang Village and instructed me to gather information about you—once I heard you had money, I was to place two bricks beside the old well at the village entrance, and he would send someone to handle it, paying me thirty silver dollars upon completion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days ago, he met me in person and paid me the reward as agreed, telling me to keep going, that the rewards would grow larger, which is why I’ve been monitoring your movements ever since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those men who robbed you were all sent by Yang Yanzheng—they were outsiders, unfamiliar with the area, and I was the one who guided them and identified you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything happened, I was to report it to Yang Yanzheng quickly; that’s all I did. I never laid a hand on you, never intended to harm you—I’ve told you everything I know, Young Master Wu, and you, sir, please spare my life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Fangdong knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He really did tell everything he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, Li Banfeng was like a demon—no matter what he hid inside, Li Banfeng seemed to see it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu finally understood why every group sent to rob him was different, yet each time they could recognize him and find him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all because of Wei Fangdong’s guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu asked Wei Fangdong: “Why does Yang Yanzheng want to harm me? I’ve never even met this man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Fangdong shook his head: “I don’t know that—I’m just doing what I’m told.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng nodded: “That’s also the truth. Is there anything else you haven’t told us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Fangdong wept: “I’ve told you everything—no secrets left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng believed he spoke the truth; he turned to Ma Wu: “Brother Ma, could you step outside for a moment? I’d like to speak privately with Mr. Wei.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Wei Fangdong burst into loud sobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to be alone with Li Banfeng—not for a single moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu guessed what Li Banfeng intended to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wei Fangdong’s tears, Ma Wu actually felt a pang of sympathy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he himself said, he was just a hired hand, neither the mastermind nor someone who ever physically harmed Ma Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Li, I think this matter could…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng ignored Ma Wu and asked Wei Fangdong: “You knew Ma Wu was already sleeping in the shack—why did you still report to Yang Yanzheng and send men to rob him? Even his last meal money wasn’t spared?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Fangdong wept: “I just wanted the money—I saw Young Master Wu selling scraps, and I wanted to earn more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng asked again: “Don’t you remember Ma Wu saved your life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I—I paid it back with rent! One thing doesn’t cancel the other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Ma Wu’s sympathy vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Li, I’ll go for a walk—I’ll be back in an hour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need for an hour,” Li Banfeng smiled at Wei Fangdong. “With you talking so freely, a few minutes should be enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Fangdong screamed: “Ma Wu, don’t leave! Let’s settle this now—I have plenty of friends on the streets. If you lay a hand on me today, you won’t walk out of this door!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long ago, when Wei Fangdong fought with Yu Mazhi, he indeed had many men helping him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he be one of the Bangmen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Landlord Gang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu sneered: “Mr. Wei, do you think I’m that naive? Your ‘friends’ are just thugs—paid to do anything, whoever pays them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Ma Wu left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng patted Wei Fangdong’s face: “Now it’s just you and me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty minutes later, Ma Wu returned to the wooden house and saw Li Banfeng laying a red carpet over the spot where the clay had been—Wei Fangdong was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu helped Li Banfeng clean the living room, and they began discussing Wei Fangdong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu asked: “With Wei Fangdong gone, do we still live here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course,” Li Banfeng sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette. “Wei Fangdong went on a long trip—he might not come back for a while. No one’s looking for him now. We’ve just lost a landlord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu realized this made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng continued: “There’s one thing I can’t figure out—can someone else replace you in a Wild Ground Duel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean find someone to fight in your place?” Ma Wu shook his head. “In the Blue Sky Arena, for daytime duels, yes—you can send a substitute. But in the Chaos Heaven Arena, no—it’s a life-or-death duel, and only the person himself can fight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s strange,” Li Banfeng frowned. “Wei Fangdong had no real skills—how could Yu Mazhi have lost to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Yu Mazhi just that weak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But during the chaos, Yu Mazhi didn’t seem weak at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there another reason?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question had no immediate answer, so they set it aside for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussing Wei Fangdong, they turned to Yang Yanzheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng asked Ma Wu: “Yang Yanzheng must be acting on his master’s orders to harm you. Do you know the Second Miss Chu? I saw her name in the papers—she was accused of attempted murder of her husband.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu thought for a long while: “Second Miss Chu—Chu Huaiyuan. I know her. I’ve never held a grudge against her—just some business friction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me about the friction,” Li Banfeng sipped his tea, clearly intrigued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu said: “It wasn’t anything major. This past New Year, Green Water Bay held fifteen consecutive song contests from the first to the fifteenth day, naming a Song Queen each night—fifteen in total. Among them, Jiang Mengting, Xu Qiulan, and Xiao Xiufei were the most popular.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ran two dance halls and hired Jiang Mengting, signing her to a three-year contract to rotate between my two venues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In March, I managed to lure Xiao Xiufei away from Chu Er’s control. Now I held two of the top three Song Queens—they performed separately most days, but sometimes shared the same stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li, let me tell you, during that time, nearly half of Green Water Bay’s dance hall business was mine—I even arranged for them to record vinyl records during the day…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng understood why Ma Wu could earn twenty percent of the Ma family’s income from just two dance halls—he was a true genius at business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also understood why Second Miss Chu wouldn’t let him live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Ma, you’re so good at business—do you know that cutting off someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu fell silent, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when he was Fifth Master of the Ma family, he thought business was fair competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he was fallen, he realized that before Second Miss Chu, he was nothing but an ant to be crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chu family was one of the Four Great Families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could Ma Wu possibly contend with Second Miss Chu in his current state?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng remained optimistic: “She won’t kill you—Chu family wouldn’t allow it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent such weaklings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether she’ll keep tormenting you—I doubt she’ll stop. But if she keeps sending these kinds of people, it’s not hard to handle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu pondered: “You’ve angered the Lu family, I’ve angered the Chu family—we’re barely surviving in Lan Yang Village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng frowned: “What do you mean ‘barely surviving’? We’re here to build something great!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Dong Province, Yue Zhou City, East City Villa District.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong sat in his spacious living room, staring at the pair of scissors handed to him by Cui Ti—scissors stained with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Xiao, do you recognize these scissors?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong gave a slight shake of his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti said: “You should know more about your own Bangmen. These scissors belonged to one of your subordinates—Zhou Yujuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong thought a moment: “That name… sounds familiar…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti said: “She’s the owner of the Xianle Dance Hall in Yao Wang Gou. Xianle Dance Hall is under Jiang Xiang Bang’s control. She vanished—along with Du Hongxi, the Patrol Captain of Yao Wang Tang’s Second Division.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong recalled something: Luo Zhengnan, head of Yao Wang Tang, had reported that Xianle Dance Hall had been bombed. “Where were these scissors found?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At Li Banfeng’s place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Banfeng? He stole Zhou Yujuan’s scissors?” Xiao Zhenggong found this unbelievable. “Are you saying that white lamb blew up Xianle Dance Hall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti shook his head: “Master Xiao, you don’t know your opponent well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Banfeng isn’t your ‘white lamb.’ He’s an Annengzhe —a Traveling Cultivator, likely low-tier, but he possesses many powerful weapons—the so-called spirit objects and magic treasures common in Pu Luo Province.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beyond these weapons, he has clear tactical thinking and combat methods no ordinary person can predict. He’s no ordinary foe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong waved his hand: “No need to explain. Just tell me—how much money will it take to find him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti paused, then shook his head: “Master Xiao, this isn’t about money anymore. You still don’t grasp the gravity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The most powerful clan in Pu Luo Province—the Lu family—has turned its gaze toward Li Banfeng. I’ve clashed with their private detective—a man calling himself Daboyins, one of the finest detectives in all of Pu Luo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong smiled: “I’ve known that already. That detective was sent by Zhuo Yuling—she’s not Lu Dongliang’s lawful wife; her actions don’t represent the Lu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Xiao, that was before. You may not know—Lu Xiaolan has returned to the Lu family estate. She’s told her father everything about Li Banfeng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lu family has already poured massive resources into searching Yao Wang Gou for Li Banfeng. I’m certain Lu Dongliang trusts his daughter—they’ll keep increasing their efforts. If I keep getting involved, I’ll face enormous risk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong frowned, lit a cigar, and said to Cui Ti: “You must find Li Banfeng before the Lu family does. Name your price—I’ll listen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti sighed: “Master Xiao, you still don’t understand—I can’t stand against the Lu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Xiang Bang can help you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Xiang Bang isn’t a match for the Lu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong drew on his cigar, smiling faintly: “If the Lu family commits fully, no one in Pu Luo can oppose them. But they can’t commit fully—they’re held in check by the He family. That’s why I had you heal He Haiqin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In many ways, Cui Ti looked down on Xiao Zhenggong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had to admit—on the matter of reviving He Haiqin, Xiao Zhenggong had performed brilliantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zhenggong held his cigar, tilting his head at Cui Ti: “Speak your terms quickly—while I’m still willing to listen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti thought long and hard, then named the price he truly wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to open a hospital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You? Open a hospital?” Xiao Zhenggong thought he’d heard the most absurd request in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew what kind of Dao sect Cui Ti was, and he knew the unseeable techniques within that sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was a disaster to every hospital, and now he wanted to open one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xiao Zheng’s surprised expression, Cui Ti smiled faintly: “Young Master Xiao, do you think I can’t open a hospital?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I can, isn’t it just a matter of money?” Xiao Zheng struggled to control his expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not just about money. In Pulu Province, every business needs a gang’s protection, and hospitals are no exception. Young Master Xiao, you know my difficulties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zheng pursed his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Get Jiang Xiang to protect Cui Ti’s hospital?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Xiang’s reputation was already poor…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much hesitation, Xiao Zheng agreed: “I’ll contact the head of the Medicine King Hall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti shook his head: “I’m not opening a hospital in Medicine King Gully. I’m opening it in the city—in Green Bay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Green Bay?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, you damn foreign devil, are you being too much?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zheng’s cheek twitched: “This won’t be easy. You’re not yet a member of Jiang Xiang, and opening a hospital in Green Bay—I’m afraid I can’t protect you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am a member of Jiang Xiang.” Cui Ti pulled open his shirt, revealing a tattoo on his chest with five large characters:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I Love Jiang Xiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zheng stared in shock for a long moment: “But… weren’t you just saying you loved Pulu Province?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti smiled: “I feel my bond with Jiang Xiang runs deeper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zheng pursed his lips: “You… you can’t just change that tattoo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Ti’s expression turned solemn: “I can change it anytime. I could even change it to I Love Young Master Xiao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Zheng, cigar clenched between his teeth, turned pale: “No, don’t change it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That tattoo—don’t let anyone see it. You don’t understand Pulu Province’s customs. Showing it off is indecent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Shara has also decided to get a tattoo—I Love the Reader Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recommend a new book: Old Man Doll’s “I Might Be Too Extreme”—a legendary tale of a secret martial world where the King of the World spins magnetic fields against global nuclear weapons. Welcome all to support it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2197,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e6301a24a2c343d0fd0270845c5bf704b70e2a312abc5954c10915e31901fc97","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-109","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-107",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]