Chapter 912: Chapter 851: On the Brink
After Liu Hun and the others left the bar, the two sides fought for about ten minutes before realizing Huzi was already dead.
"Stop!" At this moment, Lao E suddenly stood out and shouted at everyone.
Although this incident was initially caused by a conflict between the young masters of both sides over a girl, everyone knew that even without this incident, the tension between them had become irreconcilable.
Fighting is one thing, but if an important person from either side is killed, the nature of the matter changes. Previously, small skirmishes resulting in the deaths of insignificant people were of no consequence.
Huzi was Hong Wenqiang’s right-hand man in the Hongxing Gang. Once Huzi was dead, it was likely that a deadly conflict would erupt between the two sides.
"Lao E, it was just kids playing around today. There’s no need to bring so many people, or are you trying to bully us because you think De Yun Society has no one?" As Lao E’s words settled, the scene gradually became calm. A middle-aged man slowly stepped forward, looking at Lao E without any fear, instead questioning in a cold voice.
"Huzi is dead!" Lao E stared intently at the middle-aged man in front of him, speaking coldly.
As he said this, everyone present couldn’t help but hold their breath. Everyone, whether from the Hongxing Gang or De Yun Society, knew very well who Huzi was.
Yet, such a prominent figure was now dead...
Following Lao E’s gaze, they looked to the side and saw Huzi’s body lying on the ground. A short knife was directly stabbed into his back.
Even in his dying moments, Huzi’s eyes still showed an expression of anger and unwillingness.
"Lao E, what do you mean by this? Do you think it was someone from De Yun Society who did this?" The middle-aged man couldn’t help but gasp and asked Lao E in a deep voice.
The death of Huzi almost meant that the two sides would fall into a death struggle, something neither the Hongxing Gang nor De Yun Society wanted to see.
But at this point, the die was cast, and no one could change it.
"Although there were many people today, when Huzi came out, he only encountered people from your De Yun Society. And if I’m not mistaken, this short knife should also belong to your De Yun Society, right?" Lao E said coldly, his eyes full of killing intent.
In the Hongxing Gang, aside from Hong Wenqiang, probably no one knew that Huzi was his half-brother. Although they were born of the same mother but different fathers, their relationship had been exceptionally close since childhood. Now that someone from De Yun Society had killed his brother, Lao E would naturally not let them get away with it.
"That short knife does belong to someone from our De Yun Society, but our people know their limits. This is definitely not something our people would do!" The middle-aged man answered Lao E through gritted teeth.
"You’re aware of Huzi’s strength. Ordinary people here could not possibly have killed him, and to kill Huzi quietly requires someone with extremely high skills." At this point, Lao E paused slightly.
Without waiting for the other party to respond, he continued, "And Huzi was my own brother!"
"Hiss! How is that possible, you...?" The middle-aged man gasped in shock, his face full of disbelief at Lao E’s words.
Yet he could feel from Lao E’s angry and murderous gaze that what he said was likely true.
In the entire Hongxing Gang, aside from Hong Wenqiang wielding the most power, Lao E was next in line.
Moreover, they were now on the Hongxing Gang’s turf. If Lao E went berserk, it would be difficult for them to leave today.
Facing Huzi’s death, he had no words to explain, since the short knife was indeed from their De Yun Society. Besides the cultivators from both sides present, the rest were ordinary people who couldn’t possibly kill Huzi silently.
Also, since Huzi was Lao E’s own brother, it was even more unlikely that Lao E would have killed his brother just to frame De Yun Society; such an action wouldn’t benefit the Hongxing Gang in any way and would lead to the loss of a valuable lieutenant.
So, whether or not this deed was done by De Yun Society, it seemed like this burden would fall on them today.
"Call the chairman." After hesitating for a moment, the middle-aged man instructed the subordinate behind him.
Seeing this, Lao E said nothing more and nodded to the people beside him.
About a quarter-hour later, the heads of the Hongxing Gang and De Yun Society arrived, accompanied by several powerful cultivators.
In the café opposite the bar, Liu Hun, Wenhua, and Uncle Yun watched the scene unfold, each with a smile on their face.
"Brother Tian, I never expected you could even kill Huzi. That’s incredible," Wenhua said to Liu Hun with a glowing face, full of excitement.
He had never imagined that he could swallow both the Hongxing Gang and De Yun Society, but now, that dream was becoming increasingly tangible.
Even though he knew that, in the end, all this might not have much to do with him, Wenhua, having risen from a petty thug, felt that achieving such a realm would be enough in his lifetime.
"The impressive feats are still to come. This is just the beginning. I know what you’re thinking. But you see, life isn’t that long or short. What you achieve depends on how big your dreams are. To me, these forces are nothing more than stepping stones. Eventually, they’ll belong to you. Do you understand what I mean?" Liu Hun turned his head, calmly looking at Wenhua.
At this moment, Wenhua stood there in a daze. He couldn’t believe that after Liu Hun had paid such a high price, he still didn’t desire these things, which anyone else would find incredible.
But during his time with Liu Hun, while he didn’t fully understand him, he knew that Liu Hun was someone who did what he said.
The more he interacted with Liu Hun, the more he sensed his formidable nature. For a person like Liu Hun, a small place like Huaihai Province certainly couldn’t satisfy him.
With this in mind, Wenhua suddenly resolved himself, seriously looking at Liu Hun. "Brother Tian, if you say the bigger the dream, the bigger the capabilities. If you believe in me, I want to stand on the world stage!"
Staring at Wenhua’s expression, Liu Hun couldn’t help but pause. He had thought that Wenhua would take much longer to understand these things.
But he hadn’t expected that Wenhua would catch on so quickly.
"The bigger the dream, the bigger the potential. While that’s certainly true, reaching that level isn’t about what others give you but what you strive for through your efforts," Liu Hun said, taking a deep look at Wenhua before redirecting his attention back to the bar opposite.
Seeing Liu Hun’s calm profile, Wenhua turned his gaze, gradually extinguishing the fiery determination in his eyes.
What Liu Hun said was accurate. If one desires to achieve something, one must exert the corresponding effort and pay the price, as Wenhua knew he was no exception. After all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
In the bar, the head of the Hongxing Gang and the head of De Yun Society arrived in succession. Both turned pale when they saw Huzi’s body lying on the ground.
De Yun Society’s head hadn’t expected such a thing to happen, but he easily recognized the short knife in Huzi’s back as belonging to their society. He was sure Hong Wenqiang would notice it too.
Though De Yun Society was stronger than the Hongxing Gang, a real fight would only leave both sides worse off.
Such an outcome wasn’t something the authorities wanted to see. If a large-scale war broke out, neither side would gain anything.
"Old Hong, you should know I would never let my people do something like this. Someone is clearly framing us. Just think about it, that batch of goods was stolen with both of us present, and now this happens. It makes no sense for me to do this as it doesn’t benefit us at all," De Yun Society’s head said with a somewhat difficult expression to Hong Wenqiang.
However, Hong Wenqiang ignored his words, coldly laughing, "In the entire Huaihai Province, there are no more than ten people capable of killing Huzi like this. Plus, that short knife is undeniably from your society. If someone else did this, then today’s incident is purely accidental. What are the odds someone’s constantly lurking in this small bar, waiting for something like this to happen?"
Facing Hong Wenqiang’s retort, the head of De Yun Society had no words to counter. Although he vaguely felt someone was indeed pulling strings from behind, he currently held no evidence.
Now that the dead man was Hongxing Gang’s Huzi and not someone from his society, he knew Hong Wenqiang wouldn’t let this slide.
"So you’re saying this incident falls squarely on De Yun Society’s shoulders?" Although he felt something amiss, he knew this wasn’t the time to argue, and Hong Wenqiang wouldn’t listen to him anyway.
"Our animosity isn’t new. If you let him die here today, nothing further will happen between us, and the waters will remain still. Otherwise, no one from your side is leaving today!" Hong Wenqiang coldly pointed at the previously mentioned middle-aged man from De Yun Society.
This middle-aged man, besides having formidable skills, was also a pillar of De Yun Society. If he were to die, the society’s strength would be halved.
Naturally, he couldn’t allow this scenario to unfold. But if he didn’t agree now, considering Hong Wenqiang’s temperament, they truly wouldn’t be allowed to leave today.