Chapter 39: Wang Family Gang Main Hall

The several men beside him also began to echo in agreement.

"A few days ago, weren't one of our brothers killed by another gang? But what did our Bāngzhǔ do? Not a single word, just took three hundred taels of silver and buried the matter."

"In my view, he never once considered us outsiders as family."

The Wang Family Gang's influence in City West is neither large nor small—just three streets' worth—and it's a family-based gang.

The reason it's called the Wang Family Gang is precisely because it was originally founded by an entire Wang clan, and later grew in scale.

Whether it's the Bāngzhǔ, Fù Bāngzhǔ, or Hall Master, all are surnamed Wang.

Zhuo Ya once believed their lies during recruitment.

They promised that if he joined the Wang Family Gang, he'd become family, that all sorts of benefits awaited him—but look now, he still hasn't risen to Hall Master, despite having the ability.

Yet a young upstart surnamed Wang snatched the position from him.

Here, ability means nothing; only those surnamed Wang can rise.

Even worse, those surnamed Wang look at us outsiders with contempt—eyes aren't eyes, noses aren't noses.

"Brother Zhuo Ya!"

"Boss!"

Seeing Zhuo Ya remain silent, someone could no longer hold back.

Clearly, they'd long grown tired of the Wang Family Gang, and now that a better option existed, they had no intention of letting it slip away.

If they stayed in the Wang Family Gang, they'd truly never see the light of day.

Finally.

After a long exhale, Zhuo Ya's expression slowly changed.

"Will that Yù Gōngzǐ really let newcomers take charge of territory?"

"It's true!"

Seeing Zhuo Ya show signs of agreeing, the subordinate who first reported rushed to nod.

"I've confirmed it—Pili Huo, Shuang Dao Jiang, and others—they all went over and immediately took control of territory. This Yù Gōngzǐ doesn't care about seniority, only ability. In our City West, who has more ability than Brother Zhuo Ya?"

In his prime, Zhuo Ya was once a fearsome figure indeed.

Otherwise, the Wang Family Gang wouldn't have lured him with such grand promises.

Unfortunately, after years of stagnation, his reputation and prestige had greatly declined—but even a dead hundred-legged insect doesn't rot completely; if he left the Wang Family Gang, plenty of other gangs would still recruit him.

But the years wasted in the Wang Family Gang had turned Zhuo Ya into someone far from the naive boy he once was.

At the very least, he wouldn't be so foolish as to believe empty words and join blindly, as he had before.

"Don't spread this news yet."

"Brother Zhuo Ya!"

Thinking he'd refused, someone leapt to his feet, eager to speak.

They'd truly endured enough in the Wang Family Gang—being bullied by other gangs was one thing, but being bullied by their own people? How could that be?

"Relax."

Zhuo Ya raised his hand, giving them a look to calm down.

"Even if we leave, we won't leave like this." His gaze was cold and sharp—even after all these years, Zhuo Ya still possessed the same ruthless decisiveness of old.

"Many want to join the Yù Gōngzǐ's side, and among them, no shortage of capable men. If we want to stand out, we'll need another strategy."

Clearly.

Among Fist Masters, Zhuo Ya was one of the rare few who thought before acting.

Far superior to those who only knew how to grab money or swing fists.

"Then, Brother Zhuo Ya, what should we do?"

"What should we do?"

At this, Zhuo Ya suddenly smiled—but the smile held no warmth whatsoever.

"The Wang Family Gang was unkind to us first. They look down on us outsiders? Then let's see—without us, can the entire Wang clan even hold onto these three streets?"

This wasn't just about leaving the Wang Family Gang—he planned to take every outsider within it with him.

"Understood. I'll contact them right away."

These subordinates were sharp—they instantly grasped what Zhuo Ya meant.

"I've heard many complain. With a better path open, they won't refuse."

If they simply went over alone, they'd get little attention—but if they went over with a whole group, the outcome would be very different.

"By the way!"

Since they were leaving anyway, why bother with courtesy?

Zhuo Ya said directly.

"Before we go, don't forget to take the money from our territory."

Perfect—soon it's time to pay the Bāngzhǔ his dues. But now? Pay dues? I'll pay a damn pile. If they want it, let them come to City West and take it themselves.

"Understood!"

Hearing Zhuo Ya planned to strike back at the Wang Family Gang before leaving,

none of them felt it was wrong—on the contrary, they all laughed happily. After all, these past years had been unbearably oppressive under the Wang Family Gang.

Now that they had a chance to retaliate, how could they miss it?

,,,

Similar incidents had actually occurred in many places.

But someone as decisive as Zhuo Ya remained rare.

Cheng Nan location.

This is the location of the Black Water Gang's main hall; every month at month's end, all Hall Masters must come to the main hall for a meeting, and the Bāngzhǔ and Fù Bāngzhǔ will also come.

But this month, it has clearly been moved earlier.

The Bāngzhǔ and Fù Bāngzhǔ have not yet arrived, but no one finds it strange—after all, they always arrive last at every meeting.

All eight Hall Masters of the Black Water Gang have already arrived, including the Old Hall Master above Lei Tang.

"I never would've guessed, Sēn Lǎo—you're nearly retiring, yet you've got such a vicious man under you."

Someone teased.

"What a pity—if you were younger, you might even have landed yourself the position of Fù Bāngzhǔ."

It sounded like teasing, but carried a hint of mockery.

Though all were Hall Masters of the Black Water Gang, they were far from harmonious, and rivalry simmered between them.

Some teased, some mocked, while others sat back calmly, watching the show.

"That dock of the Flying Cloud Gang—I've coveted it for a long time!"

Sēn Lǎo had just turned sixty, but years of youthful recklessness had left him with deep internal injuries; now, even walking a few steps left him panting, and to say he felt no regret was impossible.

If he were still in his prime, with a man like this to conquer new lands for him…

The position of Bāngzhǔ was out of the question, but the Fù Bāngzhǔ seat? It might not be unattainable.

Just thinking about it made him feel regret.

Hearing the last words, Sēn Lǎo slowly lifted his gaze.

"What, Dāo Guǐ? You want to snatch territory your own men fought for?"

It wasn't that he wanted to protect Ye Tian—purely that he didn't want the other Hall Masters to profit.

The man called Dāo Guǐ was a man in his prime.

Hearing this, he didn't care; instead, he laughed loudly and indifferently.

"Hah! I'd never do something so low-class—who doesn't know my territory was won blade by blade?"

"Hmph!"

Sēn Lǎo gave a cold snort and said no more.

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