Chapter Seventy-Nine: Understanding

"Greetings, Leader!" Seeing the group act so respectfully, Qin Yi nodded in satisfaction. "Come inside, let's talk," he said, heading into the house first.

"Yes, yes!" Liu Chongjie, seeing Qin Yi go in, hurried over to help He Hongjun up.

Inside the room, Qin Yi sat in the chief seat with commanding presence, while He Hongjun and the others stood below, cautious and attentive.

"What are your names?" Qin Yi asked.

"Leader, I am He Hongjun."

"I am Liu Chongjie."

"How many high-ranking members are there in the gang, and where are they?" Qin Yi continued.

"Leader, there are two deputy leaders and four hall masters in the gang. Liu Chongjie here is one of the hall masters. The other three are guarding our turf, and the two deputy leaders should be at their homes," He Hongjun quickly replied.

"Send someone to call them over," Qin Yi ordered.

"Yes, I'll send people right away," He Hongjun said, not daring to entertain any other thoughts. With the opponent's skills, even if he summoned all the gang members, they couldn't stop him. But in the future, their days would be numbered.

He promptly dispatched several members to fetch the others.

"Leader, we still don't know your name," He Hongjun asked nervously.

"Qin Feng."

"He Hongjun, give me a detailed introduction to the Golden Tiger Gang."

"Alright, Leader Qin. Our Golden Tiger Gang controls seven streets, has over two hundred members, owns three casinos, five restaurants, one brothel, a rice shop, and a pawnshop. We also have thirty storefronts, which we rent out for business, collecting rent. All seven streets are under our protection, and we collect a protection fee from the shops," He Hongjun explained.

"What is the Golden Tiger Gang's standing in the west side of the city?" Qin Yi asked again.

"Leader, not to boast, but we're one of the six major gangs in the west side, though we're ranked last. The other twenty or so small gangs aren't worth mentioning," He Hongjun clarified.

Qin Yi nodded. With seven divisions of strength, two hundred members, and seven streets under their control, the Golden Tiger Gang was certainly not small.

"What about the leaders of the other five major gangs in the west side? What level are they?"

"The leaders of the three strongest gangs in the west are all eighth level, holding the most prosperous areas. The other two leaders are seventh level, same as me, but those gangs have two seventh-level leaders, while our Golden Tiger Gang has only me, so we're ranked last," He Hongjun replied awkwardly.

"But now that you're our leader, we can definitely surpass the other five!" he added.

Qin Yi understood then; among the twenty or thirty gangs in the west side, only six were truly strong, the rest were small and insignificant.

"What about the top three gangs in the whole city? What is the strength of their leaders?" Qin Yi asked.

He referred to the Flying Eagle Gang that ruled the east, the Blue Wolf Gang dominating the south, and the Brotherhood occupying the north.

"Their leaders are all ninth level," He Hongjun said gravely.

"Ninth level?" Qin Yi nodded.

It made sense—without such strength, they couldn't control such vast territory.

"Exactly."

A quarter hour later, footsteps sounded outside.

Five burly men entered. Two were in their forties, and the other three in their thirties.

Seeing them arrive, He Hongjun quickly signaled, "Hurry and pay your respects to Qin Feng, our leader!"

The five saw the bloodstains on He Hongjun's collar, still fresh, and immediately knelt, "Greetings, Leader Qin!"

On their way, they had already heard the news. The members who fetched them said a young master had arrived and defeated the leader with a single move. The shock of this was immense. So, upon entering, none dared question or resist; all surrendered meekly, unwilling to gamble with their lives.

"Rise," Qin Yi gestured.

"Leader, let me introduce you. These two are deputy leaders, brothers named Zheng Wei and Zheng Wu. The other three are hall masters..." He Hongjun introduced each.

"Good. From today, I am the leader of the Golden Tiger Gang. He Hongjun, you will be deputy leader. Zheng Wei and Zheng Wu, you two will be elders, your authority above hall masters but below deputy leader. The hall masters retain their positions," Qin Yi decided after some thought.

Everyone was delighted.

"Thank you, Leader!"

Aside from He Hongjun losing his position, the others' status remained unchanged. Though He Hongjun felt some regret, he had no choice; in this line of work, one never knew which day might be their last. Survival belonged to the strong.

"He Hongjun, are there any larger gangs near our Golden Tiger Gang?"

"Nearby?"

"Yes, bordering us is the Iron Fist Gang, one of the six major gangs in the west. Their leader and deputy leader are uncle and nephew, named Deng Yuan and Deng Haifeng, both seventh level. They are our bitter rivals. If Deng Yuan weren't over sixty and weakened by old injuries, it would be hard for the Golden Tiger Gang to stand against them," He Hongjun replied gravely.

"Alright, send word for all members to gather here. In half an hour, we attack the Iron Fist Gang," Qin Yi announced.

"Yes! Eh?" He Hongjun was stunned.

He had thought the leader wanted to gather everyone so they could witness the change in leadership, not to attack the Iron Fist Gang!

Good heavens!

The others were equally dumbfounded.

"Leader, are you serious?" He Hongjun asked uncertainly.

"Shouldn't we plan and prepare if we're going to attack?" Zheng Wei suggested quietly.

"No need. It's only the Iron Fist Gang, no plan needed. Gather everyone, bring your weapons. Don't you want the Golden Tiger Gang's territory to grow?" Qin Yi said calmly.

Gulp...

Everyone swallowed nervously.

"Leader is formidable!" He Hongjun remembered how he was defeated in one move; the Iron Fist Gang had only two seventh-level fighters, surely the leader could handle them.

Half an hour later, over two hundred men marched towards the Iron Fist Gang's turf.

In the city of Xiangzhou, the curfew only began at ten o'clock.