Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"Are you trying to say you're the bread and butter of millions of canal workers! You're trying to use the canal transport system to threaten me, aren't you?"

Gao Zhao's laughter was unrestrained and arrogant, and his expression was full of contempt and disdain!

This attitude, however, made Jiang Long and the group of foot soldiers feel extremely uneasy.

If you're a normal person, we can reason with each other, weigh the pros and cons, and negotiate!

But look at him, he's almost insane. Does he look like someone who can reason with people?

Don't you dare turn around and chop us all up!

Even if he gets punished afterward, we're really dead!

Jiang Long wasn't afraid when facing the Imperial Guards' attack. After all, if there was a conflict with the Imperial Guards, he could easily settle things by spending some money and pulling some strings!

But now he was really panicking, wondering if his words had offended the other person, and whether he should be more tactful next... or maybe he should apologize to him!

As he was pondering this, Gao Zhao's laughter suddenly stopped. He turned around and kicked Jiang Long to the ground, then shouted loudly:

"Do you think that just because you have power you can do whatever you want? That you can disregard the law? Let me tell you, you're wrong! The current emperor is supremely wise and enlightened; how could he tolerate petty villains like you acting recklessly and harming the people!"

These words were spoken with righteous indignation and impassioned passion. Led by their general, the imperial guards clapped and cheered loudly.

Jiang Long and the others were completely bewildered. Who had the power? Who was doing whatever they wanted?

Why do you sound like you've been wronged? Why don't you look down at our current state first, and then say something?

Seeing that his words had worked and he had gained the support of the crowd, Gao Zhao became even more confident. He stepped on Jiang Long's chest and demanded, "Will you answer the questions I just asked? If you answer, I'll spare your life; if you don't, I'll kill you right now!"

Jiang Long's heart sank. The Worry-Free Cave was definitely not to be trifled with, but this evil star was not to be trifled with either!

Why did you drag me into your own competition?

If I say that, it means I'm betraying Wuyou Cave, and I'll definitely face their retaliation!

Needless to say, this wicked star in front of me will definitely not let me go, and I might not even have a chance to deal with the Worry-Free Cave!

"Stubborn to the end!" Just as he hesitated, Gao Zhao lost his patience, kicked him aside, turned to the other members of the Bianshui Foot Gang, and shouted, "Second Brother, who's the second-in-command? Come out!"

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively turned to look at a strong, muscular man in his thirties.

Upon realizing his identity had been exposed, the man didn't hesitate. He raised his head, strode forward, and shouted, "I'm the second-in-command here! What are you going to do about it? Release my leader first, and if you have any tricks up your sleeve, come at me!"

"What a loyal man!" Gao Zhao felt he had met a kindred spirit and couldn't help but feel a sense of mutual respect. He wanted to give him a boost, so he laughed and said, "You tell me about the Wuyou Cave, and then I'll kill this Jiang Hu. How about you become the leader of the gang?"

"Pah!" the man roared, spitting on Yang Zhi's feet. He cursed, "You dog of an official, you underestimate me! The leader and I are sworn brothers, as close as siblings. How could I betray you..."

Gao Zhao, hearing the harsh words he uttered, gestured towards Yang Zhi with his lip.

Yang Zhi understood, took a step forward, and thrust his precious sword in with a "thud," killing the man and knocking him to the ground. He then delivered two more blows, ending the man's life.

The people around were stunned. They never expected him to draw his knife and kill someone without saying a word!

The moment of stunned silence lasted only a brief instant. Then, the group of men reacted and roared as they rushed forward to avenge their second-in-command. The Imperial Guards, without hesitation, drew their swords and suppressed them!

Yang Zhi glanced at the men who had been subdued again, wiped his saliva on the corpse of the second-in-command, snorted coldly, turned to Gao Zhao, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Gatekeeper, I have fulfilled my mission; the bandits have been eliminated!"

Gao Zhao was also dumbfounded!

You still report back to me... Do you think I'm a psychopathic killer?!

However, since things had come to this point, there was no point in blaming Yang Zhi anymore, so he had no choice but to accept it.

Turning his head to look at Jiang Long, who was stamping his feet and pounding his chest in grief, Gao Zhao called out again, "Third brother, Third Master, come out here for a moment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, no one responded from the crowd. Gao Zhao frowned slightly and shouted again, "Come out yourself! Don't make me send someone to ask. Have some self-respect!"

After saying that, Gao Zhao turned to Jiang Hu, grinning as he put pressure on him: "Chief Jiang, I'll choose a suitable person from among your subordinates to replace you. That way, the docks won't be in chaos, and you can go in peace! What do you think of my plan?"

Jiang Hu disregarded his grief and realized that this arrogant and domineering playboy was determined to kill him and was choosing a successor in front of him.

This feeling is like having a knife to your throat, slowly cutting away flesh and bleeding you, watching yourself die right before your eyes!

The feeling of being at someone's mercy is just too painful!

The second brother is loyal and would rather die than betray himself, but what about the others? Would they all risk their lives to save themselves?

He's not the kind of young, hot-blooded, impulsive person who's just started out!

He knew better than anyone what the martial arts world was like!

Just then, the Imperial Guards pulled one of the men out of the crowd and kicked him to the ground.

The man turned deathly pale with fright, trembling all over. He lay on the ground, his voice trembling as he cried out, "Young master, don't kill me... I've eaten with you... and even watched a dance with you..."

Gao Zhao was taken aback, not expecting that such a crude foot troupe would have such a refined and cultured person.

After all, he had refined tastes, and his circle of friends consisted of people of noble character, such as Wang Fu, Qin Hui, and Fan Tong...

He turned his head and stared at the man carefully. He suddenly remembered that after he exposed the Beggars' Gang's evil deeds in order to uphold justice, Fu Jin had treated him to a meal to settle things. The man in front of him was one of the people who accompanied him at that time.

"You...you seem to have the surname Sha, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes... Young master, your eyes are truly discerning! It was indeed me!" The man lay prostrate on the ground, his smile obsequious, nodding repeatedly.

Gao Zhao didn't particularly like this person; his obsequious attitude didn't match his upright and incorruptible character. However, since the person claimed to know him, he had to respond.

"Old Sha, do you want to be the head of the gang, or are you prepared to stubbornly stick to your ways and go down a dead-end path?"

This wasn't a casual question; it contained Gao Zhao's clever intentions.

If the other party is loyal to Jiang Long... that possibility is ruled out; you can tell just by looking at him!

If he were to choose to betray Jiang Long, he would release Jiang Long after he had extracted all the information from him…

The young master has always hated evil as if it were his enemy, and he has always treated such disloyal and unjust people this way.

The man was stunned for a moment, then kowtowed and cried out, "I have wandered for half my life without ever meeting a wise ruler. To meet you again today, young master, is truly an honor beyond measure. If you do not abandon me, I am willing to follow you closely, to lead your horse and hold your stirrups, to serve you without any disloyalty!"

Gao Zhao: "..."

P.S.: The new book is done!