20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 822 The Most Ruthless Person in Fengtian
People can't resist being flattered!
Faced with the cheers of the onlookers, Lai Zi and his companions were taken aback. At first, they felt a little ashamed, but gradually they were able to accept it with a smile and soon felt that it was only right and proper.

It's no wonder everyone praised him so much; they didn't know the details, they only knew that as soon as the fan gang arrived, the maintenance committee would immediately scatter.

Doesn't such a person deserve to be called a "hero"?
In the world of entertainment, it's all too common to try to flatter someone to the point of ruin, or to force them into something they don't deserve.

But then again, the fact that everyone is willing to praise you is a kind of honor.

If you can handle it, you'll become famous; if you can't, you'll only make a fool of yourself.

The onlookers don't care whether you live or die; they just treat it as a spectacle and join in the commotion.

Lai Zi and the others were only half-open-minded, and they were obsessed with Xiang Man'er. They were so eager to make a name for themselves that they were not willing to miss this opportunity to show their faces. They immediately clasped their hands in greeting to the onlookers.

"Fellow villagers, thank you for your kindness! You don't need to flatter me. Fengtian is our Chinese territory. It's not the place for the Japanese devils to point fingers. It's our duty to fight evil and promote good. If we encounter something like this again, I don't care what others think, but our Gang will be the first to object!"

"Well said! Look at this, this is what a true hero of our time is like!"

The crowd whispered among themselves, praising the performance and secretly giving it a thumbs up.

The leper was very pleased with himself, and then said, "Brother, my nickname is Leper. If you all think highly of me, feel free to come to me for help if you encounter any troublesome problems in the future!"

As he spoke, he swaggered to the stone steps in front of the insurance company building, patted Zhao Guoyan on the shoulder, and asked casually, "Brother Yan, how are you? Are all the brothers alright?"

Before Zhao Guoyan could recover from the shock, he waved his hand and said, "It's nothing."

"Don't be afraid if anything happens!" Lai Zi patted his chest and said confidently, "As long as we brothers are here to protect them, even if they had the guts, Old Dou wouldn't dare to cause trouble again!"

Zhao Guoyan felt a little displeased, but not wanting to offend him, he gently pushed his hand away and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your hard work, brother."

"Hey, it's nothing!"

Lai Zi strode onto the steps, hands on his hips, and shouted at the crowd in the distance, "Today, I'm putting this out there: nobody is going to mess with the Jiang family. If anyone's unhappy about it, they'll have to get past me first! You all know my boss, Jiang Lianheng. He has connections with everyone, from government officials to bandits, in both the legitimate and underworld circles..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Guoyan frowned and quickly whispered to his men, "Go and make him shut up!"

The two brothers nodded and were about to move forward when they saw another commotion coming from the crowd in the distance.

"Oh no, oh no, another puppet regime group is leading Japanese soldiers and men on an attack!"

Where is it?

"Not far from here is Huifang Lane!"

"Ah, isn't that another one of the Jiang family's businesses?"

"Who says otherwise? I bet those two families are going to have a showdown now!"

The crowd began to discuss the matter, and soon their gazes turned to the stone steps at the entrance of the insurance building.

Lai Zi's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that the harsh words he had just uttered would be so eager to be fulfilled so soon.

As he was pondering this, some onlookers gradually began to jeer.

"Hero, how about... we go take a look?"

"Heh, what kind of question is that? What did Master Lai just say? They are heroes of the martial arts world, and besides, this is their own territory. How could they possibly stand idly by?"

"Let's go! Let's all follow Master Lai and take a look. We can't let the puppet regime get away with this!"

With just a few words, the crowd had the leper on their shoulders.

A person without integrity cannot stand!

Lai Zi understood this principle, but then suddenly asked in a low voice, "Brother Yan, are you going or not?"

Zhao Guoyan shook his head, but said, "The master has already given instructions that we are not allowed to leave our posts unless absolutely necessary."

Upon hearing this, Lai Zi couldn't help but click his tongue. Looking at the expectant eyes of everyone present, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Let's go! Let's all go and take a look!"

The onlookers responded in unison, immediately spreading out to the left and right, crowding around the fan-wielding group as they walked towards Huifang Lane.

Zhao Guoyan watched the group walk away, then quickly went back into the house, picked up the phone from the cabinet, and truthfully reported what had happened to Jiang Lianheng and Hu Xiaoyan.

Meanwhile, Lai Zi and the others were filled with apprehension, but gritted their teeth and rushed to Huifangli to check on the situation.

It is said that in Huifangli, Zuantianying led members of the maintenance committee to forcibly enter the store for a search, and the commotion was quite significant.

Lai Zi thought to himself: Who knows, it might turn into a bloodbath.

So he ordered his men to make the formation as large as possible, to try to gain the upper hand and seize the initiative.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the destination, Sky Eagle, just like Old Dou, hesitated slightly upon seeing the Fan Gang approaching from afar, and then quickly and hastily retreated.

As a result, the calls for the entire fan gang to be heroes and valiant men grew stronger and stronger.

This has left even Lai Zi and the others somewhat bewildered.

He wondered to himself, could it be... that the Kaoshan Gang really made a name for itself that night, successfully intimidating the traitors and making them wary of the Kaoshan Gang?
As the saying goes: those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly!

The fact that Lai Zi and others had such thoughts was not entirely unfounded.

After all, if it weren't for the timely support from the Fan Gang that night, the outcome for the Jiang family would have been very uncertain.

Now, seeing the maintenance committee fleeing in the face of them, and hearing the onlookers praising them, how could Lai Zi not have wild thoughts?
For the first time, I had some doubts—could it be because of me?
The second time, I started to waver—perhaps because of me.

The next time, I became convinced that it was because of me!
Don't be fooled, even the emperor was easily fooled like that, let alone a few half-witted, uneducated, vain, and vain hooligans.
Lai Zi became increasingly convinced that if the Jiang family didn't have the support of the Fan Gang, they probably wouldn't be able to get by at this point.

The puppet regime was causing trouble and conducting searches in Xiaoxiguan, and the fan gang followed them back and forth, keeping them busy all day long.

At the same time, Jiang Lianheng also learned the whole story.

Believe it or not—the fact remains that as soon as the fan gang arrives, the maintenance committee leaves.

The brothers of the West Wind Hall have made great contributions. As the leader, Jiang Lianheng should personally summon them, otherwise it would not make sense.

The leper is under the jurisdiction of the West Wind, and if he wants to visit his master, he has to go with the West Wind.

However, Li Zhengxi also felt that something was amiss. That evening, he took Lai Zi to the Jiang family mansion, and when they reached the alley entrance, he couldn't help but stop and give him a few words of advice.

"Hey rascal, when you see the boss later, tell the truth. If it's your achievement, no one will dare to take it from you. If it's not your achievement, don't brag about it."

"Third Brother, what do you mean by that?"

Lai Zi stopped and frowned, saying, "Today, the maintenance committee was acting like a tyrant in Xiaoxiguan, clearly trying to cause trouble for the Jiang family. Insurance companies, Huifangli, Heshengfang, and several 'helper' shops were all harassed. Every time, it was me who led the men there to settle things. This isn't something I'm bragging about; you saw it with your own eyes, didn't you?"

"I saw it, but I felt something was off," Li Zhengxi told the truth.

"What's abnormal?"

"They didn't even fight, they just ran away as soon as they saw each other. Don't you think they did it on purpose?"

"Intentional?" Lai Zi refused to believe it and immediately retorted, "They're deliberately trying to make me look good. What good would that do them? They're obviously afraid we'll rely on the Fan Gang!"

Li Zhengxi was also confused, so he said, "I can't see clearly right now, but be careful not to be used as a pawn."

Lai Zi misunderstood and quickly swore an oath: "Third Brother, I've never submitted to anyone since I was a child. I've only ever acknowledged you as my brother. All the brothers know that I'm absolutely loyal to you. How could I possibly be used as a pawn?"

"That's not what I meant!" Li Zhengxi waved his hand. "Anyway, you should take it easy these days. The higher they praise you, the harder you're likely to fall!"

Upon hearing this, Lai Zi felt a chill run down his spine.

Originally, they came to pay their respects to the master in high spirits, but when they arrived at the gate of the mansion, the eldest brother poured cold water on them. No one would feel good about that.

Li Zhengxi didn't treat him like an outsider and said earnestly, "Don't overthink it, I'm doing this for your own good."

"Hmm!" Lai Zi nodded, turned his face away, and didn't say anything more.

Li Zhengxi continued, "When you were setting up your stall along the riverbank, you were dealing with members of the Ming Bamen (a powerful martial arts sect). If there were any frictions or mishaps, as long as everyone talked things out, there was no deep-seated hatred. But now you're dealing with members of the An Bamen (another powerful martial arts sect). If you're not careful, you could lose your head. I hope you think this through. This line of work isn't so easy..."

"Third Brother," Lai Zi suddenly interrupted, gesturing with his chin forward, "Are we still going?"

Li Zhengxi sighed and gestured, "Let's go!"

At this time, the Jiang family's funeral was not yet over, and a large shed with a ridge was still erected in the courtyard. However, there were fewer guests coming to pay their respects, as keeping vigil and fulfilling filial duties were ultimately a family matter.

As for how many more days the body will remain in state, there is no definite answer.

Poor families couldn't even stop for a day; they'd just wrap the body in a straw mat and bury it. Ordinary families would stop for three or seven days before going to their ancestral graves for burial. Wealthy families, on the other hand, could stop for twenty-one days or even forty-nine days, weather permitting.

The most important thing is to choose an auspicious day for burial, only in this way can blessings be bestowed upon future generations, but these are not the things the Jiang family needs to consider.

Even before the funeral was over, the Jiang family had a reason to arbitrarily gather a hundred or so people to guard the house.

Li Zhengxi led Lai Zi to the front of the courtyard gate when he suddenly saw a car driving out of it, so he quickly stepped aside to avoid it.

The car slowly stopped beside Xifeng, then the window rolled down, and Zhao Guoyan, sitting in the driver's seat, nodded to him: "Xifeng, you're back?"

"Old Zhao?" Li Zhengxi leaned down and saw Hai Xinnian sitting in the passenger seat and Chuang Hu slumped in the back seat. "What's going on here..."

"Go find that translator."

"Oh, I've brought the leper over to answer."

Zhao Guoyan glanced at Lai Zi, nodded slightly, and without saying anything more, started the car again and drove along the alley toward the South Railway Concession.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the car had been secretly fitted with a different license plate.

"Let's go!" Li Zhengxi led Lai Zi into the courtyard.

At this moment, Jiang Lianheng was burning paper money for Xu Ruqing in the mourning hall. Hearing that Xifeng had returned, he came out of the mourning hall and sat on a chair in the corner of the courtyard, taking the time to meet with the two of them.

"Boss, we meet again!"

Lai Zi rubbed his hands together as he jogged over, but he was so excited that he almost tripped and fell flat on his face halfway there.

Jiang Lianheng nodded slightly and casually handed him a cigarette. He quickly bent down to take it, carefully tucked it behind his ear, then took out a match from his pocket, leaned over to light Jiang Lianheng's cigarette, and then stood aside, grinning foolishly like a little kid waiting for praise.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lianheng's first words were: "You rascal, your third brother doesn't even have a cigarette to smoke yet!"

"Huh?" Lai Zi was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Xi Feng, quickly took the cigarette off his ear, handed it over, and said with a smile, "Third Brother, you can have a cigarette!"

Li Zhengxi didn't mind, waving his hand and saying, "You keep yours, go ahead and smoke yours!"

Lai Zi, of course, dared not smoke, so he tucked the cigarette behind his ear and stood with his hands hanging down, grinning.

Jiang Lianheng looked around, seemingly amused, then suddenly pointed at Lai Zi, nodded and smiled, "The most ruthless man in Fengtian!"

"No, no!" Lai Zi denied it, but his face was beaming with joy. "Boss, they're just making things up. Don't joke with me!"

"How can you call that bragging?" Jiang Lianheng laughed. "I heard from the managers of various counters today that no matter how tough the security forces are, they all run away the moment you show your face. That's a title bestowed upon you by the people on the street; it's well-known and respected. Don't be modest!"

"Hey! Boss, it's mainly because the brothers have been in this business for a year or two. Old Dou is a piece of trash, a dog's ass. I always deal with him. It's no exaggeration to say that the old guy's legs would tremble when he sees me. It's not that I'm too ruthless, it's just that he's too cowardly!"

"Cough cough..."

Li Zhengxi suddenly cleared his throat, clearly reminding him not to exaggerate his abilities.

But for some reason, Lai Zi got more and more carried away and, following his own desires, began to fawn over Jiang Lianheng in every way.

"Besides, even if I had the greatest abilities, without your support, I couldn't use them! How could I possibly deserve the title of 'the most ruthless person in Fengtian'? You are the most ruthless person in Fengtian! At best, I'm just someone who adds fuel to the fire, doing whatever little thing I can for you. It's my honor to be able to help you, and if I can't, I'll have to come and apologize to you! To put it another way, how many people would bang their heads against the wall to serve the Jiang family without even a chance? I'm already incredibly lucky to have this opportunity!"

"Haha, you're quite the smooth talker!"

"Master, what I just said comes from the bottom of my heart!"

"Good, good, good! It's truly commendable that you have this kind of heart!"

While praising him, Jiang Lianheng secretly touched the scar on his palm.

Those are scars left from burning charcoal, more than twenty years ago, and almost no one knows where they came from...

(End of this chapter)