Chapter 147: Kneel of the Black Dragon_1
Brother Long felt like crying out for his mother, thinking that the two hundred and fifty thousand yuan from Cai Xiangdong was a surefire deal, but it turned out he had kicked an iron plate this time. Not only were dozens of his men wasted, but it seemed even his position as the big boss was at risk.
Under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head, and though Brother Long had been hustling on Jiangtan Street in Zhonghai City since he dropped out of school at thirteen, he had never seen a freakish combat power that was not of this world like Xu Fan’s.
Brother Long was quite worldly, and he suddenly remembered something that the old-timers in the underworld had once told him.
Although they, the gangsters, could strut around and show off in front of ordinary people, and even have legitimate forces as protectors, allowing them to live openly under the sun, everyone recognized that there was a type of person in the underworld they should never provoke.
That was the legendary Ancient Martial Artist.
Because Ancient Martial Artists possessed unmatched strength and combat ability. Before the founding of Yan Country, what was now called Zhonghai City used to be known as Zhonghai Beach. Back then, the most formidable power on Zhonghai Beach was the Qing Family, with thousands of members strong, wielding power over both the underworld and legitimate business, to the extent that even the police headquarters of Zhonghai Beach had to act according to the face of the Qing Family Head, Du Yueqing.
But even such a behemoth-like gang was destroyed overnight after offending three Martial Artists, with hundreds of their brothers killed or injured, and even the gang’s second-in-command became paralyzed.
Afterwards, the Qing Family mobilized their entire clan to backlash, even deploying military forces they were in cahoots with, attempting to take down those three Martial Artists.
As a result, the three Martial Artists were killed by the Qing Family, but their actions angered a hidden, fearsome Martial Artist.
In just one night, all high-ranking members of the Qing Family were annihilated, with none escaping the pursuit of that Martial Artist.
The Qing Family, which had dominated Zhonghai Beach for ten years, was wiped out overnight by a powerful Martial Artist.
Therefore, since before the founding of Yan Country, there was an unwritten rule on the streets of Zhonghai City: any gang or force that encountered Martial Artists should respectfully bow three times and then immediately withdraw.
Although Brother Long had never seen a real Martial Artist in his life, he was now somewhat convinced that the only ones who could topple over a dozen grown men in the blink of an eye, besides the legendary Martial Artists, were no one else.
“Big brother! Let’s talk this out, I’m Brother Long of Night Castle on Jiangtan Street… uh… Ah Long. This was purely a misunderstanding.” Brother Long quickly changed his tune and said to Xu Fan obsequiously.
“Do you think I believe you?” Xu Fan said coldly to Brother Long, his eyes half-closed.
“Really! Truly! I was deceived by someone else to come bother you. Without that kid’s instructions, even if I had eighteen guts, I wouldn’t dare to mess with you, boss…” Brother Long spoke earnestly to Xu Fan, then lowered his head and cautiously asked, “That boss, there’s a rule in our world, so I boldly ask if you are the legendary ‘Ancient Martial Artist’?”
“Suppose so,” Xu Fan said indifferently with a nod.
To tell the truth, he should be called a Cultivator instead; however, his current strength had not yet reached the heights of a true Cultivator. Being called a Martial Artist was somewhat justified.
“Big brother, I was wrong. There’s a rule on our turf: when you encounter a Martial Artist, you retreat three feet. Please, for the sake of my ignorance, spare my men. For any misdeeds, I, Ah Long, am willing to take the blame for them,” Brother Long begged, kneeling on one knee and making a gesture of requesting punishment.
There were at least a hundred tourists in Tiger Garden now, who had been greatly frightened when they saw Brother Long and his gang burst in aggressively, nearly fleeing into the tiger enclosures collectively.
However, once they noticed Brother Long heading straight for Xu Fan in the crowd, everyone swiftly retreated to watch the drama unfold from a safe distance.
Xu Fan, a thin and weak-looking young man, was surrounded by a bunch of underworld figures. Clearly, this kid was about to be dealt with by this group of gangsters.
Among the tourists were locals from Zhonghai City, who seemed to recognize the identities of Brother Long and his men, so they started whispering among themselves in the crowd.
“The one leading the way, that’s Brother Long from Night Castle on Jiangtan Street. It’s said that with a watermelon knife in hand, he went in and out of gang clashes seven times without flinching, chopping people down without batting an eyelid.”
“Damn, wouldn’t his eyes get dry then?”
“Dammit, I mean Brother Long kills without batting an eyelid, and you’re asking me if his eyes get dry?”
Just then, a dozen or so lackeys charged forward and, like scattered petals, were sent flying all over the place, ending up as a pile on the ground, vomiting blood and crying out in pain.
Before the crowd could adjust to this sudden change of scene, they saw Brother Long from Night Castle, the boss of the bunch, shirtless with a large dragon tattooed on his chest, kneeling on the ground with one leg bent and his head lowered in front of Xu Fan, admitting his wrongdoing.
The bystanders were dumbfounded.
“Hey? What did you just say? That dumbass kneeling on the ground, is that the same Brother Long you said kills without batting an eyelid?”
“Damn, since when did Brother Long become such a coward…”
“Haha, so this is what a gangster is like, looks like we’ve been fooled by the movies…”
Although Brother Long couldn’t hear the discussions of the onlookers, he could still pick up on the disdain, contempt, and even shock from their expressions.
But what could Brother Long do? It just so happened that he had run into Xu Fan, this nemesis.
The reputation of a martial artist was known not only to the official organizations but also within the underworld. Seeing the fierce and murderous look in Xu Fan’s eyes, Brother Long didn’t have a sliver of courage to resist. Instantly, he surrendered all his dignity, and knelt down respectfully.
He knew that if he didn’t kneel, not only would he not be able to escape, but his dozen or so lackeys would also follow him and be crushed by this powerful martial artist.
Xu Fan lifted his eyes, looking lazily at Brother Long kneeling on the ground, his face unfazed.
“You say you were misled by someone, who sent you to trouble me?” Xu Fan asked indifferently.
The underworld has its own rules. Since he had accepted a client’s commission, it was necessary to keep it confidential for the client. Otherwise, it would be hard to do business in the future. This is what’s called ‘honor among thieves.’
Xu Fan saw a look of struggle on Brother Long’s face, as if he was somewhat reluctant to reveal the identity of the person behind the scenes.
So Xu Fan said to Brother Long with a displeased expression, “I’m only giving you 10 seconds to think about it. It’s up to you whether you talk or not, but if I don’t get an answer, I’ll have to find this person by my own means. Then, whatever happens, it’s out of your hands.”
Upon hearing Xu Fan’s words, Brother Long’s face turned instantly pale.