Chapter 65: Crash My Business? Touch My People?

"Are you fucking crazy!"

This scene left Xiǎo Bàwáng shaken with lingering fear.

He was arrogant, sure, but Xiao Bawang wasn't truly suicidal—how could he have expected Shuangdao Jiang to actually come for his life?

"My Boss? You're not even worthy to speak his name!"

"Your Boss?"

Xiǎo Bàwáng froze for a moment, then locked his gaze on Ye Tian.

He'd already guessed the man's identity—here, the only person Shuangdao Jiang would call Boss was Yu Gongzi of the Black Water Gang.

"You're Yù Gōngzǐ?"

"Truthfully, fame doesn't match reality."

Bái Wěicái immediately picked up where Xiǎo Bàwáng left off, smiling and bowing toward Ye Tian.

"Yù Gōngzǐ lives up to your name—elegant and refined. No wonder you bear such a title."

Seeing Ye Tian say nothing but lift his wine cup and drink, Bái Wěicái instinctively narrowed his eyes—it wasn't quite what he'd expected.

But the next moment, he smiled again and continued.

"Perhaps you didn't fully understand what I just said. I meant—"

"I understood perfectly."

Bái Wěicái was skilled at arguing, but Ye Tian had no intention of wasting words.

He set down his cup and cut Bái Wěicái off mid-sentence.

"You want me to hand over my people to win favor with Zhòng Hé Bāng—isn't that what you mean?"

"Yù Gōngzǐ misunderstands—it's not your people, just a few dancers."

Bái Wěicái had heard too many stories about Yù Gōngzǐ's brutality; if possible, he'd rather not anger Ye Tian.

In Bái Wěicái's view, a few worthless dancers meant nothing compared to an alliance with Zhòng Hé Bāng—anyone would know which to choose.

"No, there's no misunderstanding."

Ye Tian smiled lightly, shook his head, and stood up.

His gaze swept over the terrified dancers, then returned to Bái Wěicái, his smile calm.

"They work on my land, earn money for me—they're my people. You come onto my land, wreck my business, and try to steal my people. Looks like I've been too lenient lately."

Had he gone too long without acting, causing his reputation to fade?

By the end, Ye Tian's tone carried a hint of sigh.

"?"

This reaction felt off.

Ye Tian's answer made Bái Wěicái's heart drop—his sense of dread grew heavier.

Before he could say anything,

Ye Tian casually waved his hand and uttered two simple words.

"Attack!"

How dare a gang built on seniority dare to jump around in front of him?

The moment he spoke, every one of Ye Tian's men moved instantly—Ye Tian had once laid down a rule: any order he gave meant ten taels per man cut down, two hundred taels as family settlement.

"Attack" was his order—perfectly covered by that rule.

"Don't you dare fight me for it!"

"Let me! Let me!"

"Hah! Ten taels in the bag!"

"..."

With gold as incentive, they were truly willing to die.

"My father is Bāngzhǔ of Zhòng Hé Bāng! My father is Bāngzhǔ of Zhòng Hé Bāng!"

Xiǎo Bàwáng was used to being arrogant—he'd never faced this many men charging at once. When they surged forward, he froze in shock.

He screamed at the top of his lungs.

His usual threats always worked—but not this time.

"Shut the hell up—don't you know how loud you are?"

The first to rush down was Shuangdao Jiang—he kicked Xiao Bawang flat on his back, snatched up the fallen knife, and raised it to strike again.

Luckily, Xiǎo Bàwáng reacted fast—he yanked nearby subordinates in front as shields and scrambled backward.

"Bái Shu! Bái Shu, say something! Didn't you promise to come here and restore my honor? Get them to fight!"

At that moment,

Xiǎo Bàwáng spotted Bái Wěicái retreating too—he grabbed Bái Wěicái's wrist.

He looked like he was begging Bái Wěicái to charge Ye Tian.

"..."

Fight? What the hell are you talking about?

Don't you know I'm a scholar? If I could fight, would Zhòng Hé Bāng even have your father in charge?

"This place is wrong. This Yù Gōngzǐ is wrong."

What the hell—why didn't my usual tactics work on Ye Tian?

Bái Wěicái guessed Ye Tian was too young to understand what Zhòng Hé Bāng's connections truly meant—ignorance breeds recklessness, that's why he dared to act.

All his calculations were useless.

"No—we run. Go back to the Bāngzhǔ—he'll have a solution."

Not seeing him is fine.

Now that I've seen Xiao Ba Wang, if I just abandon him and run off alone, I won't be able to explain it back to Zhong He Bang.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Xiao Ba Wang, not clever enough to think much, hurriedly nodded.

Seeing Ye Tian's people drawing nearer, he quickly said.

"You're right—I'll go find my father; he'll definitely avenge me."

As for revenge, we'll talk about it later.

Bai Wěicái's mind was now filled with nothing but escape.

"Come with me."

After glancing around, Bai Wěicái quickly spotted his chance and grabbed Xiao Ba Wang's hand and ran.

,,,

Ye Tian, on the second floor.

He merely watched indifferently the scene below; to survive in the Jianghu, constant compromise is useless—only by showing your dominance will others feel fear.

"L-Lord."

At that moment.

The several dancers on the stage below had already crept along the wall, inching their way up to the second floor.

Not knowing what to call Ye Tian, they could only address him as "Lord."

"Just call me Boss."

His gaze swept over their faces; Mei Yongning had good taste in selecting people—none were stunning beauties, but all were delicate, charming girls.

Though they showed little expression, just this reply eased the dancers' anxiety considerably.

They weren't new to Linshui City; they'd seen all kinds of Jianghu types, and someone like Ye Tian was definitely among the best.

They'd heard Ye Tian's territory was the safest, so they'd come here out of sheer luck, and although gang fights still occurred, compared to other gangs' territories—

This place was truly a sanctuary.

"Boss, thank you, Boss!"

They were thanking Ye Tian for not handing them over.

Especially when they recalled Ye Tian saying they were his people, their eyes brightened slightly.

"Do your work well, earn money for me—on my territory, no one dares cause trouble."

"Understood, Boss."

It sounded cold-hearted, yet no one felt it was wrong.

Though still a little timid, this reply calmed their emotions considerably.

The fight below didn't last long.

Though they'd come prepared, Xiao Ba Wang had brought no more than a hundred men—only dozens—and on Ye Tian's territory, the battle was utterly one-sided, crushed without resistance.

There was no chance to fight back.

"Boss!"

The Double Blade General, drenched in blood, climbed up, making the dancers recoil in fear.

But the Double Blade General didn't look at them—he looked at Ye Tian with shame.

"I failed—I didn't kill Xiao Ba Wang. Please, Boss, punish me."

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