Chapter 76

First Volume, Chapter 76: Lost His Pants in Compensation

The crowd, originally fists clenched and ready for a fierce battle, were all caught off guard, wondering how Qin Feng could make Long Batian cry with nothing but his words—why had they even come? Was it just to stand by and watch?

Qin Feng didn't care what others thought; he had come today to do business with Long Batian.

There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests—even this conflict ultimately stemmed from profit, for its core was the trade war between Qin Feng and Zui Xian Lou.

Qin Feng clutched his abacus and, instead of rushing to settle accounts, spoke solemnly: "Who in all of Jingdu doesn't know your name and your gang's? Even if I didn't say it, it wouldn't change anything—but if your head gets cut off, who will I collect from? Someone, help our Gang Leader out."

Long Batian had no idea what foul scheme Qin Feng was brewing inside his head; he was utterly bewildered.

Zhao Zhangfu and Gao Song, watching the entire scene from the Wine House Elegant Room window, were equally baffled.

This was Gao Song's first encounter with Qin Feng, and he never imagined he'd end up shooting himself in the foot. Who in their right mind would expect Qin Feng to pull such a low blow? His ability to escalate matters was even greater than that of the seasoned officials in court.

"Long Tiger Gang, Long Batian… damn it, what kind of names are these!" Gao Song fumed and feared, thinking that after this was over, he'd absolutely have to change Long Batian's name.

Zhao Zhangfu, having experienced Qin Feng's ruthlessness before, turned pale and whispered: "Long Batian has been tricked."

Gao Song frowned: "How so?"

Zhao Zhangfu gritted his teeth: "The only way to deal with a madman like Qin Feng is to knock him down the moment he shows up—violence is the only language he understands. Once you engage him in verbal combat, he's not only razor-sharp in thought but swift in response. Not just a brute like Long Batian—even court ministers could easily be ensnared by him."

"The moment he opened his mouth, Long Batian had already lost."

Recalling how, at Ji Wang's birthday banquet, Qin Feng had single-handedly triggered the Northern Di war, humiliated court ministers, ingratiated himself with the Emperor and Ji Wang, amassed political capital, and still walked away unscathed, Gao Song felt a chill of dread—this madman's rhetoric and scheming were beyond ordinary comprehension.

But if they used direct violence…

Gao Song glanced at the dense crowd behind Qin Feng and let out a bitter laugh: "If we really start a fight, we don't even know who'll be the one getting beaten."

At Qin Feng's instruction, Qin Xiaofu brought paper and ink, spreading a sheet of rice paper flat before him.

Qin Feng picked up the brush and scribbled a few strokes—the twisted, ugly characters were utterly unreadable. After finishing, he ordered the banner hung over the Long Tiger Gang's Door: three bold characters—"Deaf Scare Gang."

Then he wrote a small note, handed it to Long Batian, and smiled: "I've named you."

Long Batian unfolded the note and nearly fainted from rage—the crooked characters read: "Deaf Shit Extinguisher."

Qin Feng had written six characters total, five of them vile, offensive, and full of contempt.

Long Batian's chest tightened with rage; he nearly spat blood. His Long Tiger Gang comrades slumped, faces flushed with shame, utterly stripped of any bully's aura.

The air was filled with deafening laughter; the onlookers clutched their stomachs, bending forward and backward.

"Hahaha! What a 'Deaf Scare Gang'—no wonder he's the Qin Family's young master, so cruel! Only a madman could dream up such a trick!"

"Is Qin Young Master trying to laugh us to death? Long Batian was such a majestic name—now it's been turned into 'Deaf Shit Extinguisher'! Not only deaf, but worse than shit! So vicious!"

"I can laugh at the Long Tiger Gang for a whole year!"

Gao Song, watching secretly, blushed furiously and gritted his teeth: "That damned Qin Feng is so treacherous!"

Zhao Zhangfu cleared his throat to ease his embarrassment, feigning calm: "Young Master Gao, do you understand now? To deal with a man like Qin Feng, you must strike with one-strike victory—or else your momentum fades, then collapses. Let me say this plainly: in cunning, shamelessness, and filth, he is unparalleled—no one before him, none after. His title as the Capital's Four Scourges' leader isn't earned by accident."

Knowing this now was useless. Gao Song's cheeks burned—he had built the Long Tiger Gang himself, and now it was a laughingstock of Heaven. He felt his own face swelling from the humiliation.

And yet…

Even though both names were unbearably shameful, they had no choice but to swallow them—better to be humiliated than dead. Otherwise, Qin Feng's stunt would surely enrage the Emperor.

Shu Feng bit his thin lip, watching this vile Qin Feng with quiet amusement—he'd never be bored by Qin Feng's side.

Qin Feng picked up his abacus again, spat on his fingers, and resumed calculating: "Material and labor costs: Ten Thousand Li Silver. Medical expenses for the workers: Two Ten Thousand Liang of Silver. My Qin Family Restaurant is about to open—this incident at the deadline means lost work time. Based on Zui Xian Lou's daily revenue, compensation is three-to-one for five days—that's roughly Five Ten Thousand Liang of Silver."

Long Batian nearly dropped to his knees, begging Qin Feng to stop—the total was already seventeen ten thousand liang of silver.

"Qin Feng, you—"

Before Long Batian could finish his plea, Qin Feng waved him silent.

Qin Feng was no saint—he insisted on absolute clarity: "I brought five hundred people here—they didn't come for free. One hundred taels of silver per person—that's five ten thousand liang. Add the name I just gave you, which saved your life—one name, ten thousand liang. Total: Twenty-Four Ten Thousand Liang of Silver."

Long Batian collapsed to his knees, tears streaming: "Young Master Qin, even if you sold me, I couldn't raise this much. I was foolish before—I beg you, have mercy!"

Long Batian's kneeling shattered the morale of his thugs—they slumped, lifeless. Had the gang not been completely surrounded, they'd have fled long ago.

Qin Feng knew Long Batian had no money. Even if he tore the entire Long Tiger Gang apart, he'd barely scrape together ten thousand liang of silver—and even that would take effort.

Long Batian had no money—but the two men upstairs certainly did.

As soon as he arrived, Qin Feng had spotted their watching eyes.

Every move he made was staged for them.

One was the Second Prince's money tree; the other was the Grand Commandant's son—a wealthy merchant and a noble scion, both drowning in silver.

Qin Feng wasn't in a hurry—he simply wrote a promissory note and handed it to Long Batian.