Chapter 69: If You've Got the Guts, Go Ahead

"Hall Master suddenly called me over—is there something you need?"

As he spoke, it was as if he hadn't noticed Xiǎo Bàwáng and the others sitting not far away.

At this point, Ye Tian was no longer the same person who had just entered Linshui City, having to look before he leaped and plan every step in everything he did.

Watching this manner of taking control of the room the moment he arrived.

Sēn Lǎo's gaze narrowed slightly, a flash of displeasure crossing his eyes—no matter what, he was still the Hall Master; how dare a mere Head Boss speak to him in such a casual tone.

"Are you blind? Can't you see us here?"

This attitude of being ignored made Xiǎo Bàwáng somewhat furious, and he slammed the table and started shouting.

"I presume this must be the Bāngzhǔ of Zhòng Hé Bāng, Wu Luo."

Ye Tian, as if he hadn't heard, completely ignored Xiǎo Bàwáng's existence and looked curiously toward Wu Luo's seat.

"Hmm?"

Not expecting to be suddenly called out, Wu Luo was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"That's right, this old man is indeed—"

But before Wu Luo could finish speaking, Ye Tian stepped in first with a smile and said,

"Bāngzhǔ Wu certainly has refined tastes—bringing a dog along wherever you go. Though this dog is rather noisy—don't you find it annoying, Bāngzhǔ Wu?"

"..."

No one here was a fool; naturally they all understood what Ye Tian meant by that.

He might as well have pointed straight at Xiǎo Bàwáng's nose and called him a dog.

The smile on Wu Luo's face gradually faded.

Xiǎo Bàwáng was even angrier, his face turning red, and he stood right up.

"Who the hell are you calling a dog? If you've got the guts, say it again."

"Sit down!"

Before Ye Tian could respond, Wu Luo stepped in first and barked a rebuke.

Ye Tian's forceful, domineering manner had truly exceeded Wu Luo's expectations—at a time like this, he still dared to strike back so sharply. Continuing to argue now would only mean losing more face for no reason.

"Dad!"

Xiǎo Bàwáng's face was full of grievance; he might as well have written the words "unconvinced" right across his face.

But after Wu Luo glared at him, Xiǎo Bàwáng still sat down in humiliation.

"Young man, it's not wrong to enjoy a good fight, but in these Jianghu, you can't get by on fighting alone."

Wu Luo put his smile back on and looked toward Ye Tian.

Unlike Xiǎo Bàwáng, the fact that Wu Luo could keep Zhòng Hé Bāng running in perfect order was proof enough that he was a capable man.

"Of course you'd think fighting is useless—after all, you don't even have the strength to play with women anymore, so how could you possibly fight?"

"Pfft!"

Mei Yongning laughed along in coordination.

But the first to actually laugh out loud was Xiǎo Bàwáng, who was right beside Wu Luo.

"..."

Wu Luo said nothing, only silently withdrew his gaze, his eyes coldly fixed on Xiǎo Bàwáng.

I'm here trying to save face for you, and you turn around and undermine me?

"..."

Xiǎo Bàwáng immediately fell silent and lowered his head.

"Ahem!"

In the end, it was Sēn Lǎo's light cough that stopped the argument from continuing.

"Alright, alright, we're all people of standing here—no need to get worked up over a youngster."

Though this seemed to ease the atmosphere, it was clearly tilted in Wu Luo's favor.

It was plainly taking Wu Luo's side.

A fierce glint flashed in Ye Tian's eyes, but it quickly vanished.

"Boss?"

Mei Yongning was a little worried, but Ye Tian said nothing, only giving him a reassuring look in return.

,,

Sēn Lǎo didn't rush things, but had someone bring over several jars of hard liquor and set them on the table in front of everyone.

"Yù Gōngzǐ, I heard earlier that you have some conflict with Zhòng Hé Bāng. Zhòng Hé Bāng is, after all, no small faction—how about this: you drink all this liquor down, and we'll consider the matter settled. How does that sound?"

He had taken several tens of thousands of taels of silver from Wu Luo precisely to make things difficult for this Ye Tian.

About to step down and still planning to squeeze out a few more fortunes, Sēn Lǎo naturally wouldn't take the money and not deliver at a time like this.

"Conflict?"

Looking at the several jars of hard liquor on the table—a normal person couldn't even drink that much water in a day, let alone liquor.

Along with that, the gazes of Iron Fist and the others behind Ye Tian all turned unfriendly.

"Hall Master! About this matter—" Mei Yongning hurriedly stood up, about to say something.

"Did I say I was talking to you?"

Ye Tian was a Head Boss, and recently riding high on his momentum, so Sēn Lǎo naturally wouldn't show too much stiffness.

But Mei Yongning was just some unknown scholar—before he could finish, Sēn Lǎo directly rebuked him.

"When we're speaking, where is it your place to butt in? No manners at all. If Yù Gōngzǐ won't teach you, then let this old man teach you!"

After saying that, he also shot a pointed look at Ye Tian, as if implying Ye Tian didn't know how to teach his people.

"How I teach people is my business. If the Hall Master wants to teach my subordinates, how about you start by teaching me first?"

A smile hung at the corner of his mouth.

Ye Tian's gaze turned dangerously toward Sēn Lǎo, and the atmosphere gradually grew sharp.

"What do you mean? I'm kindly offering you a reconciliation — are you not giving me, Sēn Lǎo, face?"

Ye Tian's reaction was somewhat beyond Sēn Lǎo's expectations. No matter what, he was only a Head Boss under his own command — could he possibly be thinking of defying his superior?

"Then what if I refuse to give that face today?"

"How dare you! If I tell the Bāngzhǔ, you—"

"If you've got the guts, go right ahead!"

Sēn Lǎo spoke loudly, but Ye Tian spoke even louder than Sēn Lǎo.

"As Hall Master of the Black Water Gang, you goddamn support outsiders instead of your own brothers. If today's matter gets out, I want to see whether you can still step down peacefully. If you've got the guts, go tell the Bāngzhǔ right now. Let's see when this blows up in front of the Bāngzhǔ — who actually has the right on their side!"

"You—!"

Sēn Lǎo was so angry his breathing had grown ragged.

This was completely different from the situation he had anticipated.

This kid truly did not put him, the Hall Master, in his eyes at all.

But if word got out that he supported outsiders instead of his own brothers, Sēn Lǎo's reputation would be ruined.

And it happened to come right when he was about to step down.

Sēn Lǎo was unwilling to step down just like that, but one had to know that in these jianghu, those who could step down peacefully and live safely were likewise exceedingly few.

"You... you..."

Trembling, he raised his hand toward Ye Tian's direction, so angry that for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Ever since he had become Hall Master, for decades now, when had anyone dared speak to him like this?

"Ahem!"

This situation likewise caught Wu Luo quite off guard, but considering Ye Tian was at that age of youthful arrogance, it didn't seem hard to understand.

Moreover—

Since he had come, Wu Luo naturally had a backup plan in mind.

After clearing his throat, he openly rose from his seat.

"Since Yù Gōngzǐ is unwilling to accept Hall Master Sēn's reconciliation, how about this — let's follow jianghu rules and hold a fist fight, shall we?"

"A fist fight?"

He withdrew his gaze and looked, somewhat surprised, at Wu Luo, whose face was all smiles.

So, this is your real plan?

Ye Tian did not answer, because a familiar voice rang out once again.

,,,,,,,