"Qiao Sen, are you crazy?"
Hei Dao and his four men retreated back-to-back against the wall. He wanted his subordinates to call for help, but they couldn't get out. For the moment, they were holding off Qiao Sen's attackers.
Ignoring Hei Dao's question, Qiao Sen glanced at Ya Lili in the car, his face hardening. He walked to the side and picked up a stone.
The sharp-eyed Hei Dao immediately realized something was wrong. With a furious roar, he erupted, kicking one attacker away and using a shoulder tackle to charge into the throng. Someone grabbed him, but Hei Dao reached out, grabbed their hair, and yanked them forward. Amidst the screams, he kicked his assailant in the stomach, sending him flying and toppling several others.
A gap suddenly appeared in the encirclement. Hei Dao and his men quickly broke free.
"Go, get reinforcements! If any of you let them get away today, you can pack your bags tomorrow!"
Hei Dao and his men fought and retreated, holding off Qiao Sen's subordinates. One of them broke away and ran.
Qiao Sen, completely unfazed, had already reached Ya Lili's car window with the stone. Without hesitation, he raised it and smashed the window, the immense impact startling Ya Lili inside.
Seeing this, Hei Dao's face grew even more anxious. Gritting his teeth, he decided to fight to the death.
He kicked one attacker in a vital spot and, using his physical advantage, pushed through the barrage of punches and kicks, grabbing one of them and attacking ferociously.
"Don't hold back! Cripple them if you can!"
The Green Gang had a rule: gang members could not kill each other in disputes. Discovery of such an act would lead to severe repercussions for their superiors as well.
Although this rule had become a dead letter due to recent unrest, among the Green Gang's four departments, Hei Dao's Fourth Master's faction was the most adherent to rules, and they still abided by them.
But at this moment, Hei Dao sensed Qiao Sen's intention to take Ya Lili away directly, and he could no longer tolerate it.
With his explosive fury and physical advantage, Hei Dao was like a tiger among sheep. In just a few exchanges, he had completely incapacitated four attackers. The pressure on the remaining attackers lessened significantly, and they began to counter-attack fiercely.
Qiao Sen hadn't expected Hei Dao to be so ferocious. Seeing the situation rapidly reversing, he quickly threw down the stone and fled into the distance. His subordinates also scrambled to pull their men and retreat.
Hei Dao did not pursue. Instead, he led his men away. The scene was left with only Ya Lili, trembling inside the car.
After another five or six minutes, the police finally arrived at the scene. Ya Lili also received calls from Feng Zheng and Zhang Yu, who had been in a meeting and had turned off their phones.
Meanwhile, Li Meixia also received Hei Dao's call and learned of the details.
"This is a bit troublesome now!"
Li Chonglou, who was also waiting for news, asked about the situation.
"The ones surrounding your friend are also from our Green Gang, specifically from Second Master's faction. They outnumbered us, and Hei Dao had to break the rules and fight to the death to prevent your friend from being taken.
"The Green Gang has a rule against members killing each other. If they report this to the higher-ups, both Black Dao and I could face questioning, and... "
Through Li Meixia's explanation, Li Chonglou finally understood the complexity of the matter.
The reason Fourth Master had been able to withstand the simultaneous targeting of the three departments and remain safe was his adherence to rules and discipline, which garnered support from many. Moreover, he never interfered in the internal affairs of the other three departments.
Now, with Hei Dao having fought to the death, the opposing side would surely seize the opportunity to attack Fourth Master. This would be like adding fuel to the fire for Fourth Master, who was already in precarious straits.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect it to turn out like this!"
"It's not your fault. Hei Dao fell into a trap. This likely would have happened to someone else, not necessarily your friend!"
Li Meixia thought very thoroughly. However, she didn't know that this incident was not as she imagined; it was merely an accident. Li Chonglou felt indebted and asked,
"Can this be resolved?"
Li Meixia waved her hand and said, "It's fine, just a little troublesome. You should go back first. Oh, by the way, the Hei Dao I mentioned earlier is your contact person there. Get acquainted with various matters with him first."
Li Chonglou could only nod. After thanking her again, he left.
What Li Meixia had given him earlier was not only Green Gang membership credentials but also another identity.
The Green Gang's territory occupied seventy percent of Shangjing. Each department was responsible for a large area. Fourth Master's large area was divided into three smaller regions, each with a deputy representative. Li Meixia was one of these representatives.
When Li Chonglou learned of this, he was greatly surprised. He had previously thought Li Meixia was just an ordinary member of the Green Gang, not expecting her to be a third-in-command.
Li Meixia managed five locations, one of which happened to be in Yi'an. The identity she gave Li Chonglou was also that of the person in charge of this area.
What Li Chonglou had to do was simple: ensure peace in the Yi'an area and prevent anyone from causing trouble. This was naturally easy for him, and with Zhang Yu already there, it made it more convenient for him to interact with her.
At this point, Li Chonglou had a preliminary understanding of Shangjing, and the tasks he needed to accomplish had become clearer. If he could get acquainted with the high-ranking officials of the Shangjing government through the Green Gang, it would be very helpful for investigating the Wu family and obtaining clues about Shi Boqiong. Therefore, Li Chonglou understood that his primary task now was to rise as quickly as possible within the Green Gang.
As for the other matter, agreeing to Xian Yan's invitation to the antique exchange fair, Li Chonglou decided to keep his appointment after some consideration.
"The Green Gang identity can only provide me with more channels for investigation, or a fallback in case of future trouble. But no matter how good it is, it can't be brought into the open."
Li Chonglou understood that regardless of how noble the Green Gang's principles were, it was still an underground organization, operating in the shadows. Therefore, he had no intention of abandoning his identity within the Shangjing Antique Association.
With the overt support of the association and the covert capabilities of Zhou Tong, Li Chonglou believed he could quickly unravel the mysteries of Shangjing.
Just as Li Chonglou was heading towards Yi'an, San Yang, under Li Meixia's instructions, was also en route to Yi'an.
Both Li Chonglou's initial leniency towards them and his later rescue of them from Dao Ba had earned Li Meixia's deep trust in Li Chonglou's abilities and character.
Therefore, she wanted San Yang to learn by Li Chonglou's side. Her pampered younger brother was clearly falling behind in the current situation. If he didn't improve, he would eventually be eliminated.
In the underworld, being eliminated meant a high probability of death.
When Li Chonglou found Ya Lili, she was at the hospital, accompanied by Zhang Yu and Feng Zheng. Although the police said they were investigating, there was no news yet.
"Brother Li, did you call those people?"
As soon as he entered the room, Ya Lili asked.