"Brother Li, how do we do this? Just speak!"
At this moment, Hei Dao had changed into a retro black outfit. The buttons at the collar resembled ancient martial arts buttons, and the man exuded confidence and a dignified demeanor, possessing a certain master-like aura.
However, his expression was one of grimness, and his sharp eyes harbored suppressed fury. Gao Baisong, watching from the car, instinctively felt a sense of awe.
Li Chonglou was quite pleased with his demeanor and couldn't help but ask, "How many people did you bring?"
"One hundred and fourteen. It was a bit rushed, or I could have called more."
Seeing Hei Dao's serious expression, Li Chonglou nodded with satisfaction. To gather over a hundred people was beyond his expectations, and he considered Hei Dao's test a perfect success.
"That's enough. Relax, we might not even have to fight."
After speaking, Li Chonglou patted Hei Dao's shoulder, then instructed him to have his men follow behind him as they walked towards the red house.
Although Hei Dao had instructed his men not to bring weapons to avoid suspicion, they were all unarmed. Moreover, as they were hastily assembled, their attire was not uniform.
Even so, their presence exuded an aura reminiscent of grand scenes from old martial arts films. Gao Baisong, still in the car, now completely believed Li Chonglou's earlier words.
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. In his view, he had indeed followed the right person, and his younger brother's issues would likely be resolved soon!
Where there is joy, there is naturally sorrow. In a hidden alley, a dozen men armed with sticks were hiding around a corner. One of them peeked out and saw the crowd outside, then nervously retreated.
"There are at least a hundred people. We only have forty to fifty in total, not enough to fight!"
"No! We can't make this decision ourselves. We need to find Brother Qing quickly."
A thin man quickly hurried away upon hearing this.
Li Chonglou led his group back to the front of the red house and knocked on the door.
"Fu Shang, open up, I've brought people to pick you up."
After waiting for about ten seconds, the previously shut door opened again. Fu Shang peered outside with a look of surprise, but his expression immediately changed.
"So many people?"
In his sight, the area outside the door was densely packed with people! Each of them looked fierce, with tattoos, permed hair, or robust physiques, clearly individuals not to be trifled with.
Li Chonglou smiled calmly and said, "Isn't more people always better? In any case, you can rest assured and come with me. No one will be able to stop you this time."
Upon hearing this, Fu Shang's face lit up. Someone who could casually summon so many subordinates must not be an ordinary person! Perhaps he could truly exit this wealthy struggle with his help?
With this thought, Fu Shang no longer hesitated, "Okay, I'll go with you!"
Li Chonglou gave Hei Dao a nod. The latter immediately instructed a few subordinates to step forward and help carry Fu Shang out. Then, the entire group headed back towards the village entrance in a grand procession.
However, halfway back, a group of people suddenly rushed out from a nearby alley, blocking their path.
The newcomers numbered about forty to fifty, but each of them was armed with wooden sticks or long knives. Although fewer in number, their aura appeared more imposing than Li Chonglou's group.
This was understandable, as one side was armed, and the other was unarmed.
The leader of this suddenly appearing group was a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a tight-fitting black outfit. His well-trained physique was evident, with clearly defined muscle lines.
"You dare to snatch people from the Xi Gang? Are you tired of living!"
The leading middle-aged man spoke coldly. Perhaps it was because of the Xi Gang he mentioned, or perhaps because the people behind him were all armed, that he appeared fearless despite being outnumbered.
Hei Dao was not to be outdone. He took a step forward and sneered at him, "What is the Xi Gang? Even our Qing Gang doesn't claim to control everything in Shangjing. What, do you think the entire Shangjing belongs to your Xi Gang?"
The mention of the Qing Gang caused the middle-aged man's expression to change drastically. After Hei Dao finished speaking, he immediately asked with surprise, "Are you from the Qing Gang?"
The middle-aged man's reaction puzzled Hei Dao. As they were both among the Four Great Gangs, he didn't expect such a surprised reaction.
Could they be fake?
However, before he could react, the middle-aged man suddenly said, "Heh, whether you are from the Qing Gang or the Huang Bao, this is our Xi Gang's territory! To snatch people from under my nose is equivalent to declaring war on our Xi Gang! Think about the consequences!"
Hei Dao's brow furrowed.
"What evidence do you have that this is your Xi Gang's territory? As far as I know, this is Huang Bao's territory. Have you Xi Gang cooperated with Huang Bao?"
"It's none of your business whether we cooperated or not! Anyway, this is our Xi Gang's territory now. You want to take someone away? Impossible!"
With the last three words, the men behind the middle-aged man tightened their grip on their weapons, appearing ready to fight.
Hei Dao, however, showed no sign of backing down. He clenched his fists and said coldly, "Since that's the case, let's stop the nonsense and fight!"
The middle-aged man's brow furrowed deeply. He hadn't expected Hei Dao's attitude to be so unyielding.
In his estimation, as long as he revealed the Xi Gang's identity and they were all armed, the other party should have retreated, not remained so aggressive.
Li Chonglou, with a similar furrowed brow, understood the difference between having weapons and not having them better than anyone present. As the saying goes, even the highest martial arts fear a kitchen knife. If both sides' skill levels were similar, it would be difficult to predict who would win or lose in a real fight.
The key issue was that this would inevitably lead to heavy casualties among Hei Dao's men. This had already happened once at the coffee shop, and Li Chonglou did not want a repeat.
After much deliberation, Li Chonglou reached out and grabbed Hei Dao's shoulder. Just as he was about to speak and show weakness, several vans suddenly drove into the village entrance.
This commotion naturally drew the attention of the middle-aged man and his group, and almost simultaneously, both sides' expressions changed dramatically.
Hei Dao thought he had no other reinforcements, so the people arriving now must be enemies! The middle-aged man had the same thought; he hadn't called for reinforcements either. For a moment, both of them believed that these more than a dozen vans were all the other party's men.
"Brother Li, this time it's bad. I'll go first, then you..."