Chapter 38: It Can

The cheers were deafening.

Ye Tian did not stop them, only led the crowd, noisy and boisterous, toward Jin Feng Tower.

Only after the crowd had moved farther away did some ordinary civilians quietly open their windows or crack open a door gap to observe the scene outside.

The once noisy streets were now utterly silent.

Especially the gambling dens, which were now completely still.

"The Feiyun Gang is gone! The Feiyun Gang is gone!"

Someone couldn't help shouting it out.

Then came even louder cheers.

"Great! The Feiyun Gang is gone!"

"We no longer need to fear the Feiyun Gang."

"Hahaha! Great! Great!"

"..."

These were the cheers of the common people.

Over the years the Feiyun Gang had dominated here, they had exploited these civilians endlessly; though no one yet knew who would take over this territory next.

But without the Feiyun Gang looming over them, many were so overcome with emotion they burst into tears.

It could be said that the people here had truly suffered under the Feiyun Gang for too long.

Even Ye Tian, who had moved some distance away, still heard the civilians' cheers.

"Boss?"

Seeing Ye Tian's expression turn unusual, Mei Yongning looked over with concern.

"I'm fine!"

He waved his hand, signaling he was alright.

"I just realized that although I did this for the Feiyun Gang's territory, to these civilians, I've done them a tremendous good."

In an era where life is as worthless as grass.

Who is good, who is evil—who can truly judge?

Mei Yongning's expression was strange, clearly surprised that Ye Tian could have such a sentimental side.

Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly laughed.

"Isn't Boss already a good man?"

"Hm?"

He turned his gaze sideways, surprised, toward Mei Yongning.

But Mei Yongning explained as if it were obvious.

"In Linshui City, there's probably no other gang's territory more stable than Boss's."

This wasn't Mei Yongning flattery—it was the truth.

Ye Tian never allowed his men to bully civilians, and had explicitly forbidden kidnapping women or oppressing the innocent.

To Ye Tian, these things meant nothing.

After all, don't underestimate the spending power of these civilians—if you drove them all away, could you really only do business with gang members? From a source perspective, Ye Tian was really just after profit.

When the territory was stable, the civilians could feel safe.

Only then would they venture out to spend.

But others who controlled territories clearly didn't think this way; to them, ordinary civilians were simply there to be abused.

Exploitation had become routine.

The Feiyun Gang was a prime example—Ye Tian had heard they charged all kinds of fees on their own territory, collecting taxes from civilians as far ahead as seventy or eighty years into the future—absurd.

Ye Tian would have to be an idiot to do something like that.

When he was making money before, he always knew the value of slow, steady gains—he never drained everything at once, always accumulated gradually; only later, when his courage grew, did he start taking more.

But no matter Ye Tian's motives.

It didn't change the fact that his territory had become a haven within Linshui City.

"Boss probably hasn't walked through our territory in a long time!"

Mei Yongning still smiled as he looked at Ye Tian.

"Now, many civilians are calling you their Qingtian Dalaoye, saying that with Yù Gōngzǐ here, their good days have arrived."

"Haha!"

This made Ye Tian laugh out loud.

Qingtian Dalaoye? It can't be that I'm actually some kind of good man.

It's truly strange—in a crowd of rotten people, suddenly one who isn't quite so rotten becomes so beloved and supported.

For the first time, Ye Tian directly felt the cruelty of this era.

In this feudal dynasty era, for the common people, perhaps the greatest luxury was simply having a peaceful life.

"Let's go!"

He stopped dwelling on such thoughts.

He patted Mei Yongning's shoulder and led the way forward.

"Enough of that—everyone worked all night, let's have a good drink and celebrate!"

"Yes, Boss!"

Mei Yongning didn't waste words, nodding with a smile.

In truth, it was precisely Ye Tian's bit of "goodwill" that made Mei Yongning even more determined to follow him—violent men were common every year, but someone like Ye Tian, Mei Yongning had never seen before.

,,,

Just as Ye Tian had predicted.

Only the next day.

The news that this righteous and peerless Yù Gōngzǐ had avenged his brother by wiping out Feiyun Gang spread throughout Linshui City.

If before, Ye Tian had merely been slightly known, now he had truly become famous, his name fully established in Linshui City.

Many among the younger generation now spoke of Ye Tian's name, especially drawn to this "peerless righteousness"—the younger they were, the more they valued righteousness above all, willing to live and die for it.

In Ye Tian's own words, they were just greenhorns.

But in a fight, nothing is more feared than such greenhorns—they truly dare to strike, reckless and unafraid.

Especially after learning that Ye Tian's banner this time was avenging his brother.

Many among the younger generation began to yearn to follow Ye Tian.

For those like Shuangdao Jiang and Pilihuo, who answered to no gang, joining was simple—but those already in a gang found it far harder to leave.

,,,

"Brother Zhuīyá, I found out—the rumors are all true."

In a territory in City North, the power structure was the most chaotic.

City South was Black Water Gang, City West was Earth Dragon Gang, City East was ThreeSeaGang—only City North had no major gang dominating it; demons and monsters of all kinds lurked there, yet it was also the place where violent men most often emerged—and where they most often perished.

"I even went specifically to that Yù Gōngzǐ's territory to confirm—it's truly incredible! To avenge his brother, he wiped out Feiyun Gang outright. So satisfying, so damn satisfying."

"No wonder everyone in the martial world is saying this Yù Gōngzǐ is peerless in righteousness."

As he spoke, he slapped his thigh repeatedly.

His eyes brimmed with longing.

"I also heard that to avenge his brother, the Yù Gōngzǐ suffered heavy losses—and now Earth Dragon Gang and Black Sha Gang are watching him closely, Brother Zhuīyá, this is our chance!"

His subordinate's words made Zhuīyá's eyes narrow, lost in thought.

In his hand, he toyed with a dagger, shaped like a beast's fang.

It was this dagger that earned him the name Zhuīyá.

"That's right, Boss!"

"Rather than rot in this Wang Family Gang, let's join the Yù Gōngzǐ."

,,,,,,