The headquarters of the Righteous Gang was located in the Fenghe District, north of Obsidian City. This place had always been a source of chaos and danger, as well as one of the poorest areas. Every day, brawls broke out on this street, often sparked by trivial matters over black rye mushrooms, which then escalated into old grudges that spiraled out of control.
The Righteous Gang, stationed on this street, had no intention of maintaining order here; they showed no desire to manage the chaos, seemingly reveling in it.
At the moment when Li Qing was brought before the headquarters, bound tightly, he witnessed a short, frail youth, covered in blood, kneeling at the entrance of the Righteous Gang, pleading for the Dragon to take him in.
To Li Qing's surprise, the Dragon actually sent the sinister-looking youth flying with a single slash of his blade, blood splattering everywhere.
“Hahaha, as long as you can survive, I’ll let you join the Righteous Gang,” the Dragon sheathed his sword and laughed heartily, “Want to join my Righteous Gang? Your life must be tough enough!”
What astonished Li Qing even more was that the sinister youth showed no trace of resentment in his eyes; instead, they sparkled with joy and gratitude.
This confusion lingered in Li Qing's mind until he was locked deep within the Righteous Gang's stronghold. It wasn't until his guards left that the Dragon, accompanied by his subordinate Wei Tian, arrived at the cell and immediately untied Li Qing.
“Brother Li, I truly apologize,” the Dragon's tone was much more subdued this time, no longer carrying the airs of a gang leader.
This was because after having a confrontation with Li Qing earlier, he was now certain that the young man before him was not significantly weaker in martial prowess.
Maintaining the pretense of a gang leader at this moment would indeed be a source of ridicule.
“Dragon Gang Leader, you jest. This plan was proposed by me; there’s no need to mention it,” Li Qing smiled.
The Dragon asked eagerly, “So what should we do next? Should I find an excuse to send you to the Yan family?”
Li Qing shook his head and replied, “That would seem a bit too deliberate. Since it was the Yan family that incited you to act against me, they will definitely come looking for you in the next few days. I suspect they would want to lock me up, ensuring I would serve them for a lifetime.”
“So next we—”
“We don’t need to do anything; we just need to wait for the Yan family to take the initiative to ask for me.”
As he said this, a dangerous curve appeared at the corner of Li Qing's mouth.
“Good! If it’s as you say, Brother Li, then when the time comes, we can first join forces to eliminate one of the Yan family's offerings, and the other two will be nothing to fear,” the Dragon said excitedly, as if he could already envision sweeping through the Yan family.
However, Li Qing did not share this optimism. He preferred to consider the worst possible outcomes; only then could he ensure safety and security.
“Dragon Gang Leader, don’t be too quick to rejoice. What I just mentioned was the best-case scenario. What if we fail to eliminate an external strength expert together, or if the Yan family has more external strength experts?”
“After all, we are only two people. Two against three is still a disadvantage. Can you, Dragon Gang Leader, take on two alone? Or does the Righteous Gang have other external strength experts?”
Hearing Li Qing's question, the Dragon burst into laughter, patting Li Qing on the shoulder, and said, “Hahaha, you can rest assured about that, Brother Li. I wouldn’t have called you to deal with the Yan family if I didn’t have some confidence!”
As he spoke, the Dragon's expression suddenly turned mysterious, and he instructed Wei Tian, “Wei Tian, go summon the members of the Seven Kills Team.”
“Understood, Gang Leader!” Wei Tian immediately responded.
After Wei Tian left, the Dragon spoke with a hint of pride, “The Yan family has been committing evil in Obsidian City for so many years, causing countless families to be ruined.”
“Brother Li, to be honest, I started secretly gathering those who have deep grievances against the Yan family ten years ago!”
“I arranged for these people to meet with reasonable accidental deaths, ensuring that the Yan family wouldn’t notice.”
“And now these people—”
After the Dragon's somber words fell, footsteps soon echoed from outside the cell.
Accompanied by these footsteps, thirteen figures appeared before the prison. Upon entering, they uniformly shouted, “We pay our respects to the Gang Leader!”
Li Qing glanced at the faces of these individuals, unable to suppress a slight astonishment within.
These thirteen people varied in age, the youngest barely twelve or thirteen, while the oldest was nearly thirty.
However, they shared a common trait: a special aura of numbness in the face of death, their only remaining belief in surviving seemed to be revenge.
The Dragon had secretly trained these individuals into death warriors; they were absolutely obedient to him and willing to sacrifice their lives for him.
From the gaps between their fingers, Li Qing saw thick calluses; they definitely possessed martial skills. Although they had not yet reached the level of external strength experts, their expertise lay in killing techniques. If they fought together with their lives on the line, they might not be unable to take down an external strength expert.
Seeing the look in Li Qing's eyes, the Dragon's mood brightened, as if he were showcasing the fruits of his labor, and said, “Originally, I only planned to train seven people, but the Yan family has been increasingly reckless over the years. The Seven Kills Team has now grown from seven to thirteen.”
“So, Brother Li, if you hadn’t appeared, these thirteen might have turned into twenty or thirty!”
“Now, Brother Li, do you have any concerns left?”
Li Qing nodded and said seriously, “None. Since you, Dragon Gang Leader, have revealed such a significant secret, if I still have doubts, wouldn’t that make me seem overly timid?”
“Hahahaha, well said! While we martial artists must act with caution, being overly timid is pointless!” The Dragon laughed heartily.
As his voice fell, the Dragon waved his hand, dismissing the thirteen members of the Seven Kills Team.
Li Qing watched the silent figures leave, feeling a sense of calm within.
As long as this plan succeeded, with him, the Dragon, and the thirteen members of the Seven Kills Team, they would undoubtedly have a great chance of toppling the Yan family.
Even if they failed to eliminate one of the Yan family's offerings in advance, the situation would not be too dire. Even if the operation truly failed, he was confident he could escape without putting his life in danger.
(End of Chapter)