Chapter 159: The Sudden Change

By the time Haizi and the others had searched Changfu Garden for over an hour and finally found that underground passage, Zhangsun Jincheng had already disappeared without a trace. Haizi was so annoyed that he smashed Zhangsun Jincheng's study to pieces. Then he called Chu Tian. After learning about it, Chu Tian didn't say much. He just cursed with a laugh, "That old fox Zhangsun Jincheng." Then he told Haizi to send some people to look for Zhangsun Jincheng's whereabouts. He said that Zhangsun Jincheng and his dozens of men couldn't cause much trouble. The most important thing at the moment was to consolidate the newly acquired territory and brainwash those Jiang Bang disciples who had surrendered.

Chu Tian asked Guangzi to arrange for people to send Old Master Zhao and Zhao Fengxiang abroad. Of course, both of them had written letters of repentance. Then he incorporated all the more than a hundred Jiang Bang disciples who had surrendered under Old Master Zhao and his son into Brother Cheng's management and asked Brother Cheng to lead them to attack other small gangs and factions that refused to surrender.

At this time, Brother Cheng was overwhelmed with gratitude when he saw that Chu Tian trusted him so much and gave him command of nearly a hundred elite Jiang Bang disciples. He became completely devoted to Chu Tian. He even felt lucky that he had been sensible enough to become Chu Tian's undercover agent. So Brother Cheng worked even harder for Chu Tian. By using his various connections among the diverse groups in Shanghai, he managed to subdue quite a few small gangs and organizations within a few days, and the number of people under his command increased to two hundred. Even so, Brother Cheng still didn't dare to be showy in front of Chu Tian. For some reason, he always felt uneasy when looking into Chu Tian's indifferent eyes.

At this time, the underworld in Shanghai was in a situation of "one superpower and multiple strong forces". The "one superpower" referred to the Shuai Jun, which had nearly a thousand members and controlled nearly 60% of the territory. It was truly worthy of being called "super". The "multiple strong forces" referred to the Tianlang Sect, the Badao Association, and the Tianxiong Gang. Through this operation, their territory had almost expanded by half, and they had also replenished a large number of members. Naturally, everyone was overjoyed and celebrated their success.

There was a lively celebration banquet being held in the Tianlang Sect. However, the Sect Leader, Deng Chao, seemed to have something on his mind. After drinking a few cups of wine, he slipped into the study. Heijian quickly followed. The Sect Leader seemed so restless, as if he was troubled by something, and Heijian thought he might be able to share some of his concerns.

Deng Chao paced back and forth in the study. After a long while, he let out a long sigh. Seeing Heijian standing respectfully beside him, he suddenly asked, "Heijian, what do you think of me joining the Shuai Jun? How will the brothers feel about it?"

Hearing Deng Chao's words, Heijian seemed a bit surprised. He asked in astonishment, "Sect Leader, our situation is very good now. Our territory and the number of members have both expanded a lot. Why do you want to join the Shuai Jun? Moreover, Chu Tian has already promised that whoever seizes the territory can keep it and that the Shuai Jun will never interfere. Could it be that the Young Master will go back on his word?"

Deng Chao shook his head and said, "The Young Master did say that he wouldn't interfere. But in this world, there are only eternal interests, not eternal friends. Now everyone is busy consolidating and expanding their strength, and our interests are aligned, so there won't be any conflicts. But what about in the future? The Young Master is no ordinary person. How could he allow gangs like the Tianlang Sect and the Tianxiong Gang to exist peacefully? Even if he really keeps his promise, what about the other members of the Shuai Jun? It's hard to say that there won't be any disputes over interests among the brothers below in the future. Many times, even if the Young Master and I don't want to fight, if the brothers below force the issue, a war will be inevitable."

Heijian nodded. What the Sect Leader said made a lot of sense. It's difficult for two tigers to coexist on one mountain. Sooner or later, there will be conflicts between the Shuai Jun and gangs like the Tianlang Sect. After thinking for a while, Heijian offered a strategy, saying, "Sect Leader, actually, we can join forces with the Tianxiong Gang and the Badao Association and advance and retreat together. Wouldn't that allow us to resist the Shuai Jun?"

Deng Chao gave a bitter smile and said self-deprecatingly, "How can we advance and retreat together? Huang Tianxiong and Guan Dongdao not trying to take advantage of us is already a blessing. Besides, even if we really unite, we're still no match for the Young Master. Look at the Axe Gang and the Jiang Bang, the two oldest and most influential gangs in Shanghai's history. How long did they last in the Young Master's hands? They were wiped out in less than a month."

Heijian also let out a sigh. It was indeed true. The Young Master was truly a rare talent that came along once in a hundred years. Things that others couldn't accomplish in a few years or even decades were so easy for him. After considering all aspects, joining the Shuai Jun seemed to be the best option. At least, they wouldn't have to worry about how to confront the Shuai Jun in the future. Moreover, given Chu Tian's character, their interests shouldn't be compromised after joining. So he said, "Sect Leader, after careful consideration, I also approve of joining the Shuai Jun. As you said, how can one allow others to sleep soundly by one's bedside? There's no telling when the Young Master might be in a bad mood and wipe us out with a wave of his hand. Besides, even if it's not for the sake of survival, the Young Master is a passionate man with remarkable courage and is a worthy brother that we can trust and follow."

Deng Chao was delighted. He had originally thought that his subordinates would strongly oppose his idea, but he didn't expect that Heijian would also see things his way. How could he not be happy? So he said to Heijian, "Then go and test the brothers' reactions. If there are no problems, I'll go and find the Young Master someday."

Heijian received the order and left. Deng Chao's mood instantly became lighter.

At Yunshui Mountain Residence, Chu Tian and Master Ba were drinking tea. There were many Qing Gang disciples standing around, either in the open or in hiding. There were even a few snipers upstairs. Since he had almost been shot by Yumi last time, Chu Tian had asked Uncle Zhong to assign more people to protect Master Ba's safety, in case the enemy, unable to harm him, would target Master Ba instead. Then he would be a sinner through the ages.

Master Ba smiled. Looking at Chu Tian's calm demeanor in the face of success or failure, he said indifferently, "Now the underworld in Shanghai follows your lead. It only took the Shuai Jun a month to rise and dominate. This is truly the most astonishing thing in my lifetime, my son." But Master Ba hesitated for a moment and then sighed, saying, "However, you have a problem. You promised the Tianlang Sect, the Tianxiong Gang, and the Badao Association that you would never interfere with the territory they seized. This is very不利于 (I'm not sure if there's a proper English word for this specific term in this context, so I used the pinyin here) your future unification. Besides, everyone is in the underworld making a living. It's inevitable that there will be conflicts among the people below. Will you step in to solve these problems or not? There should be righteousness in the underworld, but not sentimentality."

Chu Tian smiled faintly, took a sip of tea, and said with a confident air, as if he had a well-thought-out plan, "Father, don't worry. There should be righteousness in the underworld, but not sentimentality. You understand this, and I understand it too. I think Deng Chao and the others understand it as well. I believe they will make the right choice on their own."

Master Ba thought for a while and then suddenly laughed. He raised his finger and said, "No matter how the situation changes, it's all under the control of the Young Master."

Chu Tian suddenly let out a sigh and said with a hint of doubt, "The only thing that makes me feel a bit uneasy is that Zhangsun Jincheng and his men have disappeared without a trace. They can't be found anywhere in Shanghai. Could it be that they really escaped from Shanghai?"

Master Ba smiled slightly and said softly, "Although Shanghai isn't very big, it's still easy to hide dozens of people. That Zhangsun Jincheng is extremely cunning, and besides, he has a scheming daughter. You shouldn't be too careless, or something might go wrong."

Chu Tian nodded and suddenly finished the tea in his cup. It was time to ask Haizi and Guangzi to send people to conduct a thorough search.

Master Ba took a sip of tea, looked at the time, and couldn't help but glance at the door. Uncle Zhong should have already returned from the airport with Xiao Nianrou and Xiao Sirou. Why hadn't they shown up yet?

At this moment, two Qing Gang disciples supported Uncle Zhong, who was covered in blood, in front of Master Ba and Chu Tian. Both Chu Tian and Master Ba were greatly shocked. What had happened that someone dared to attack the Qing Gang so brutally? And where were the Xiao sisters?

Uncle Zhong took a deep breath, filled with grief and indignation, and shouted, "Master Ba, I'm useless!" Chu Tian patted Uncle Zhong on the back and asked him to tell what had happened. It turned out that when Uncle Zhong and the others were on a remote road a few kilometers away from Yunshui Mountain Residence on their way back from the airport, they were blocked by three vans and an ordinary car. More than twenty people got out. The Qing Gang disciples beside Uncle Zhong fought bravely, but unfortunately, two of the attackers had excellent martial arts skills. They brutally killed the six Qing Gang disciples beside Uncle Zhong with knives and fiercely abducted the Xiao sisters. They left Uncle Zhong alive to convey a message to Chu Tian: If Chu Tian wanted the Xiao sisters to live, he had to go to the "Devil and Angel" Nightclub alone at 8 o'clock in the evening to rescue them. Otherwise, they would kill the Xiao sisters.

Chu Tian's hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes. He hated it the most when people involved the innocent, the old, and the young in gang disputes and used them as leverage.

"Uncle Zhong, how long have they been gone?" Chu Tian suddenly asked.

"About ten minutes. At most fifteen minutes." Uncle Zhong said that they had been attacked at 5:30, and it was 5:55 now. Some time had been spent in the fight.

Chu Tian thought to himself: If he could move quickly now, he might be able to catch up with those vehicles and rescue the Xiao sisters. Otherwise, by 8 o'clock in the evening, the opponent would have everything set up, and if he went there, he would be like a turtle in a jar or a moth to a flame. If his guess was correct, the people who had attacked Uncle Zhong and the others should be Zhangsun Jincheng's subordinates. They actually dared to reveal the location for him to rescue the sisters. They weren't afraid that he would send people to level the "Devil and Angel" Nightclub, which meant that their methods must be extremely ruthless and the traps must be very elaborate, so they felt confident. If the Xiao sisters were in their hands, the situation would be even more unfavorable for him. He would have to be cautious in his actions. So he had to rescue the Xiao sisters first and then find a way to eliminate Zhangsun Jincheng and his men.

Chu Tian asked Uncle Zhong to quickly lead the Qing Gang brothers to protect Master Ba and return to the villa and take strict precautions in case the enemy used the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain. After asking Uncle Zhong about the appearance of those vehicles, he told Tian Yangsheng to start the car and prepared to pursue those vehicles at high speed, hoping to rescue the Xiao sisters and let the six deceased Qing Gang brothers rest in peace.

Just as Chu Tian got into the car, Master Ba, who had regained his calm, quietly uttered one word: "Kill!"

Everyone could feel the murderous aura and domineering spirit emanating from the bottom of Master Ba's heart. Even Tian Yangsheng glanced at him in surprise.

Chu Tian nodded. It seemed that tonight would be another sleepless night, or rather, a crazy night.