Chapter 134: Haizi's Dilemma

The rearview mirror in the off-road jeep clearly reflected Li Shenzhou's slightly shocked expression. Li Shenzhou rubbed his slightly aching tiger's mouth, let out a sigh, started the jeep, and in a flash, disappeared into the night again.

The night passed quietly amidst all these disturbances.

When Chu Tian woke up, it was already past ten o'clock. The pain in his chest had mostly subsided after the treatment last night. Chu Tian stretched, then circulated his inner energy once. Feeling that the true qi in his body was flowing smoothly, he jumped out of bed. After washing up, he went down to the hall on the first floor and found that Haizi and Guangzi had already woken up. After a night's rest, their faces had regained some of their ruddy color. They were reading newspapers and chatting cheerfully in the hall. Some of the able-bodied disciples of the Jiang Bang were also active, practicing at the door. Chu Tian couldn't help but secretly sigh. The men of the Jiang Bang were truly tough. After a night of fierce fighting and a life-and-death struggle, their fighting spirit had not been sapped. Instead, their morale was even higher. It seemed that Haizi and Guangzi were indeed capable of leading troops.

When Haizi and Guangzi saw Chu Tian coming down, they quickly stood up with smiles on their faces. Haizi walked up to him, carefully examined Chu Tian's face, and said, "Third brother, you look good. You must be feeling much better after a night's rest, right?"

Chu Tian touched his face and patted it a few times. "My physical strength has almost recovered. After a good meal, I'll be completely fine." Then Chu Tian walked up to Guangzi, reached out to feel Guangzi's pulse, and asked, "Brother Guang, do you feel any discomfort in your body?"

Guangzi stretched his hands, moving them freely, and then smiled. "I'm fine. The doctor examined me carefully last night. He said that the poisoned blood has all flowed out, and my body is just a bit weak. After taking some medicine and resting for a few days, you'll see the old Guangzi who can fight again. In fact, I already have the strength to chop off Ye Sanxiao's head now."

Haizi also walked over and patted Chu Tian and Guangzi. "Third brother, don't worry. We're not that easy to die. We still want to follow you, defeat the Axe Gang with our own hands, and chop off Ye Sanxiao's head."

Chu Tian smiled bitterly in his heart. When he woke up in the morning, he thought it was all a dream. He didn't expect that Haizi and Guangzi were still thinking about him taking the position of the leader of the Jiang Bang. Since he had already promised them, he couldn't back out now.

While Chu Tian and the others were chatting and laughing, breakfast had already been set on the table. There were some delicate pastries, a large plate of fried eggs, several bamboo steamers of Xiaolongbao (steamed buns), a large pot of soy milk, and a pot of fragrant lean meat porridge. Finally, a plate of steaming hot steamed buns was served. Chu Tian looked at these foods in surprise, wondering if he wouldn't need to eat lunch. Before Chu Tian and the others could sit down, Tian Yangsheng came out of the small guest room on the first floor. His clothes had obviously been changed, and Tian Yangsheng had cleaned himself up very well. There was no trace of blood on him. Although there was still an ineradicable murderous aura about him, the eerie chill from last night was gone.

Tian Yangsheng walked over energetically, showing no signs of fatigue after killing more than a hundred people last night and then fighting with a mysterious master. Tian Yangsheng came to the table, unceremoniously pulled out a chair, sat down, and picked up a steaming hot steamed bun and started to eat it. It seemed that steamed buns were always his favorite food and the only thing he used to replenish his physical strength.

Haizi laughed heartily, pulled out a chair, and sat down too. He personally poured a bowl of fragrant soy milk for Tian Yangsheng and placed it beside him. "Don't worry. There's plenty of everything in Shui Xie Hua Du, and there are definitely enough steamed buns. Brother, take your time eating. Wash them down with some soy milk. Maybe it'll taste even better." Haizi then poured two more bowls of soy milk and placed them in front of Chu Tian and Guangzi.

Tian Yangsheng seemed to think Haizi's suggestion was good. He picked up the bowl of soy milk and gulped it down. The large bowl that could hold several hundred milliliters of soy milk was emptied by him. Then he shook his head, expressionless, picked up four steamed buns, and while biting into them, went outside to bask in the sun. Haizi and Guangzi already knew Tian Yangsheng's background and personality from what Chu Tian had told them. Since they were men of passion themselves, they had no aversion to Tian Yangsheng's actions. Instead, they felt that he was straightforward and sincere.

After drinking a few sips of soy milk, a question that had been weighing on Chu Tian's mind since last night and had been suppressed until now resurfaced. He hadn't asked Haizi and Guangzi last night because he was afraid of putting pressure on them or making them feel awkward. Now that he saw that the two of them looked much better than last night, he said, "Two brothers, I have something about the Jiang Bang that I want to ask. I wonder if you two can tell me?"

Haizi and Guangzi knew that Chu Tian was going to talk about something important, so they put down their chopsticks, nodded, and said in unison, "Third brother, after offering incense at noon, you'll be the leader of the Jiang Bang. You can speak your mind without any hesitation."

Chu Tian thought for a moment and finally said, "I remember that Brother Hai and Brother Guang said that the Jiang Bang has six hundred elite members. But why were only more than a hundred brothers desperately resisting in Shui Xie Hua Du last night? The other brothers weren't even there, and they didn't come to support us. Moreover, with such a large-scale attack by Ye Sanxiao, I believe you two brothers wouldn't have been unaware of the news. But we didn't have sufficient preparations, and we almost got the gang destroyed and everyone killed. What's the reason for that?"

Haizi and Guangzi looked at each other for a moment and nodded to each other. Haizi let out a long sigh, and a trace of helplessness showed in his eyes. "Third brother, I can only pour out my grievances to you. The Jiang Bang indeed has more than six hundred elite members. I'm not exaggerating. Back then, because I was brave and willing to fight and risk my life, I made a lot of contributions to the Jiang Bang. So, the previous leader, Elder Sun, gave me the position of the leader of the Jiang Bang. After I took the position, everything seemed to go smoothly. The Jiang Bang became stronger and stronger, our territory expanded, and the number of people increased. The ambitions of the three hall masters below also grew. When there were battles and bloody fights, they always came to me, the leader. But when it came to dividing the territory and recruiting subordinates, they were all very eager. As a result, while my loyal brothers fought desperately, the territory and subordinates we gained were divided up by those hall masters. So, the Jiang Bang became stronger, but it was those hall masters who became powerful, not me as the leader."

Chu Tian seemed to understand a bit and said, "Brother Hai, you're like Chiang Kai-shek back then, right? Nominally, he unified China, but the warlords under him still held their own troops and occupied their own territories, making them difficult to control?"

Haizi and Guangzi said in unison again, "Brilliant!" Haizi even felt a bit ashamed. He had said so many words, but his third brother had summed it up in just two sentences. It seemed that his third brother was indeed much more capable than him.

Although Chu Tian understood, another question came to his mind. Since he had already started asking, he might as well ask to the end. He said, "Brother Hai, Brother Guang, since you knew the problem, with your abilities, why did you let those hall masters grow in power without taking control?"

Chu Tian's words hit the nail on the head for Haizi. Haizi gulped down the soy milk in his bowl and said, "Third brother, you don't know. Back then, Elder Sun and several brothers came to Shanghai and established a territory here. After站稳脚跟, those brothers of Elder Sun naturally became hall masters. Of course, they still obeyed Elder Sun's wishes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to become the leader of the Jiang Bang. After Elder Sun stepped down and went abroad, his brothers also stepped down and enjoyed their leisure time. They naturally passed on their positions as hall masters to their sons. So, how could I control those old-timers? If I were too tough, I'd probably be poked to death by those old fellows with their fingers."

Guangzi nodded and added, "I once told Brother Hai to take control of the Jiang Bang by force. Brother Hai was indeed tough for a while, but those hall masters immediately brought out their fathers to accuse Brother Hai. They even went abroad to invite Elder Sun back to persuade Brother Hai. Brother Hai was grateful for Elder Sun's kindness, and he's not a heartless person. So, he became weak again. When Brother Hai went to Yibin City last time, on the one hand, he wanted to open up a new situation there, and on the other hand, he wanted to develop his own forces there."

There was a hint of sadness on Haizi's face, which was completely different from his usual tough and豪爽 demeanor. He said softly, "Guangzi and I received the news that the Axe Gang was going to attack Shui Xie Hua Du recently. So, I transferred all my loyal brothers here and sent people to contact each hall master, asking them to send thirty elite members each. Unexpectedly, each hall master made excuses, saying that they had too many things to deal with recently and didn't have enough people, and they refused to send people to Shui Xie Hua Du. But they promised to support Shui Xie Hua Du at any time. Who knew that Ye Sanxiao and his men came fiercely and quickly, and the signal on the mountain was blocked, and the telephone lines were cut. We didn't have time to call for the support of the hall masters, so we almost got wiped out."

After hearing this, Chu Tian also let out a long sigh and lowered his head to drink the soy milk. He now understood the difficulties that Haizi and Guangzi faced. Nominally, Haizi was the leader of the Jiang Bang, but in fact, he was more like the管家 and vanguard of the Jiang Bang, the kind of person who shared the benefits but took on the hardships alone. Even if the telephone lines were connected and the signal was strong, those hall masters probably wouldn't have sent people to support them. They were just using it as an excuse.

After Haizi finished speaking, Guangzi laughed and said, "Third brother, do you think it's too difficult to be the leader of the Jiang Bang? Do you resent us two brothers for making you take this nominal position of the leader?"

Chu Tian smiled slightly. At first, he might have been forced by Haizi and Guangzi to take the position of the leader of the Jiang Bang, but now he was willing to lead Haizi, Guangzi, and more than a hundred brothers to make a name for themselves in Shanghai.

A rare sense of authority appeared on Chu Tian's face. He said to Haizi and Guangzi lightly, "If you two brothers are really willing to entrust yourselves and more than a hundred brothers to me, then you must completely follow my arrangements. I promise to lead everyone to establish a true hegemony in Shanghai."

The determination and confidence on Chu Tian's face ignited the passion of Haizi and Guangzi. The two of them stretched out their hands and intertwined them, saying, "We'll follow all your arrangements, Third brother. We're brothers, sharing both blessings and hardships."

Chu Tian smiled slightly and put his hand on top of theirs. "We're brothers, sharing both blessings and hardships."

The hands of these three passionate men could feel the sincerity from each other's hearts. They didn't let go for a long time, as if they had returned to the life-and-death situation of last night.

After a long time, they finally released their tightly clasped hands, and their hearts grew even closer.

Chu Tian picked up a Xiaolongbao, took a few bites, and said, "Two brothers, there are only two ways to solve the current situation of the Jiang Bang. First, take strong control of the Jiang Bang and achieve complete unity. The process may offend many of the uncles and elders in the Jiang Bang, even the previous leader, Elder Sun. Second, leave the gang and establish our own forces. We won't take any territory of the Jiang Bang or any people from the other hall masters of the Jiang Bang. We'll use the blood of our three brothers to bring out upright men and use our own blood to carve out our own territory."

Haizi and Guangzi looked at each other and nodded excitedly. But Haizi still had some concerns. He said to Chu Tian, "Third brother, both of the methods you mentioned are feasible, but they both have big problems. The former will lead to internal strife in the Jiang Bang, and those uncles and elders are not easy to control. After all, they have deep roots. However, if we really manage to control them, then unifying the underworld in Shanghai will be within reach. The latter, although it avoids internal strife in the Jiang Bang, if more than a hundred of us leave the gang with nothing, our forces will be too weak. It will be very difficult for us to survive outside. Even if we're not annexed by others, we'll probably starve to death sooner or later."

Chu Tian smiled. His smile was extremely bright and charming. He said lightly, "Two brothers, don't worry. I already have various countermeasures in mind. As for which plan to choose, we'll have to meet with the hall masters and then make a decision."

Haizi and Guangzi were slightly taken aback. Their third brother already had countermeasures? He had come up with solutions to the problem in an instant? He was truly a remarkable person. Seeing Chu Tian's confident and determined smile, Haizi and Guangzi felt much more relieved. They knew that Chu Tian's confidence wasn't just for show to make them happy. So, they didn't ask any more questions and happily started eating the now slightly cold breakfast.

Chu Tian then said, "Brother Hai, please invite the hall masters to come to Shui Xie Hua Du for a meal in seven days. I want to test their attitudes then. In these seven days, you two don't do anything. Just focus on recuperating from your injuries."

When Haizi and Guangzi heard Chu Tian's arrangements, they immediately felt relieved and happily nodded. With Chu Tian around, they wouldn't have to rack their brains thinking about things anymore. They just had to lead their brothers and charge forward. Thinking of this, they had a good appetite and started eating heartily.

On a marble stone at the entrance of Shui Xie Hua Du, Tian Yangsheng was lying on his back on the stone resting. His eyes were fixed on the desolate sky. A green bamboo snake suddenly emerged from the bushes beside him and quickly crawled under Tian Yangsheng's clothes. Perhaps there was some warmth and coolness there, or perhaps there was a strange smell. Tian Yangsheng didn't move at all. His eyes were still fixed on the sky. People who didn't know might have thought he had been dead for a long time. The green bamboo snake slithered across his abdomen, past his chest, and even climbed onto his head. It stared at Tian Yangsheng's eyes with its terrifying eyes, and its whole body tensed up, as if it would bite fiercely and mercilessly as soon as the young man's eyes moved.

Tian Yangsheng's eyes were still fixed on the desolate sky, seemingly lifeless. Finally, the green bamboo snake relaxed its vigilance, slid down his shoulder, and towards his arm. Just as its seven-inch mark slid onto Tian Yangsheng's palm, Tian Yangsheng's hand suddenly clenched tightly. The green bamboo snake dropped its raised head in disbelief, its eyes filled with great grief and unwillingness, and it died with hatred.

The members of the Jiang Bang beside him were already stunned and shocked. Even Haizi and Guangzi, who had just walked out of the door, were shocked. Tian Yangsheng's composure and murderous intent were truly beyond the reach of ordinary people. No wonder he could kill more than a hundred people and retreat unscathed. He could even endure the venomous green bamboo snake until the best moment to strike. How much more so those members of the Secret Killing Hall of the Axe Gang?

As the night gradually fell, Ye Sanxiao stood on the balcony on the second floor of the villa, looking at Tianyue Longting, which was heavily guarded. Everything was as calm as a still pond, and nothing had happened. In the battle at Shui Xie Hua Du, more than three hundred elite members of the Axe Gang were killed or injured. While this pained Ye Sanxiao, he didn't forget to protect his own life. He was afraid that Chu Tian and the others would come in stealthily and kill him. Ye Sanxiao transferred all the remaining more than four hundred elite brothers in the gang to Tianyue Longting. Among them were many capable people. Even if Chu Tian was very powerful, he couldn't break in, let alone reach him.

Uncle Wang, Ye Sanxiao's butler, brought up a pot of tea and quietly placed it beside Ye Sanxiao. Ye Sanxiao smiled slightly at this old subordinate and said, "Uncle Wang, nothing happened in the gang today, right?"

Uncle Wang shook his head and said lightly, "There were no major incidents. Even the Tianlang Sect, the Tianxiong Gang, and the Ba Dao Association didn't start a big fight because you destroyed their bases. I think they're all afraid."

Ye Sanxiao let out a sigh of relief but still had some concerns. He said, "Those small gangs have their own selfish interests. They want to destroy me but are reluctant to risk everything. They won't amount to much. What I'm really afraid of is Chu Tian and the Jiang Bang."

Uncle Wang showed a faint smile. As Ye Sanxiao's confidant, he naturally knew Ye Sanxiao's concerns. He said, "Chu Tian can't hold on alone. Most of Haizi's loyal elite members are injured and temporarily unable to attack the Axe Gang. The other halls of the Jiang Bang have always been duplicitous towards Haizi and are difficult to unite. You don't have to worry about it, Master."

Ye Sanxiao