Chapter 23: Chapter 20 Controlling the Iron Saber Association

The next day.

As soon as Li Xin arrived at the Iron Saber Association, someone came to report.

Mrs. Li woke up last night after being treated by a doctor, only to discover her biological son, possessed by evil spirits, had died in madness, and she herself had sustained a facial injury that left a chunk of flesh missing, disfiguring her; unable to bear the shock, she hanged herself that night.

On hearing this, Li Xin let out a cold laugh and said nothing further. He instructed his subordinate who had come to report, "Hastily gather the Deputy Gang Leader and all the elders for a meeting in the hall."

After speaking, Li Xin went to the hall to wait. He recalled the young master's order from last night, "Take full control of the Iron Saber Association and find an opportunity to instigate conflict between the Iron Saber Association and the other two gangs."

In the hall, Li Xin sat in the principal seat, surveying the elders on his left and right. The Iron Saber Association was a historically established gang, but after all, it was confined to Yang City and only had minor disputes with two other small gangs on ordinary days. In addition to one Gang Leader and one Deputy Gang Leader, the gang's upper echelons consisted of only five elders. All these elders had inherited their positions; their grandfathers' ancestors had joined when the Iron Saber Association was first established and secured spots as elders, and these positions had been passed down generation by generation to them.

Honestly, when Qing Yu first heard Li Xin's introduction to this upper structure, he almost burst out laughing. A small gang, yet organized like this. The three large Yang City gangs truly were a political mire in the gang world.

"Has everyone gathered?" asked Li Xin to his subordinate standing on the right, awaiting orders.

"The Deputy Gang Leader and two elders left early this morning to visit the Li Family and help prepare for the funeral."

Deputy Gang Leader Li Dian, a distant relative of the Li Family, had also been sent by the Li Family to monitor Li Xin. Hearing of the great tragedy in the Li Family, Li Dian hadn't slept all night, donned mourning attire this morning, his face haggard, and went to the Li Family to mourn.

"Heh," Li Xin laughed briefly, turning to look at the remaining elders. In fact, only six people needed to be gathered; three had left, and three had arrived—it was clear at a glance. Li Xin's question was merely a prelude to revealing where they had gone.

"It seems the three elders are not well-informed, not even aware of such a big incident at the Li Family," remarked Li Xin to the remaining Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Fifth Elder, a playful smile on his lips.

On hearing this, Third Elder just gave a wry smile; he still had a white mourning cloth tied around his head. While not as devoted as the Deputy Gang Leader who wore mourning clothes, he too was one of the informed. Ultimately, the Third Elder was elderly; having spent the previous night with a concubine, he struggled to get up this morning and was caught by the gang members who came to report.

The other two elders were not as well-informed as the others, and on hearing this, they couldn't help wanting to ask what had happened at the Li Family. However, seeing the scheming expression on the Gang Leader's face, they kept their questions to themselves. The relationship between the Gang Leader and the Li Family had never been good; it was said that his mother had been bullied by Mrs. Li in the past, causing her health to deteriorate and leaving her weak in the years following.

"Alright," Li Xin waved his hand, signaling his subordinate to close the doors of the hall. "Our discussion today concerns the Qingshan Gang's assassination of our Iron Saber Association's high-ranking members; we vow not to rest until we retaliate."

Third Elder asked doubtfully, "Who among the Iron Saber Association's high-ranking members has been killed?" Aside from the mourning trio, the rest were all gathered in the hall for the meeting.

"Do the Deputy Gang Leader and the Great Elder and Second Elder count as high-ranking?" Li Xin said with a faint smile.

"You..." The three elders nearly shot out of their seats in unison, realizing this was an attempt to rebel against the Li Family.

"What are you planning to do..."

"Gang Leader, don't be impulsive..."

"The Li Family won't let this go easily; Gang Leader, please reconsider..."

The three elders all spoke at once, their words full of attempts to dissuade Li Xin. The Iron Saber Association was merely a puppet of the Li Family—given the Li Family's formidable strength, attempting to break free was like hitting a stone with an egg. The three elders were already thinking of stabilizing Li Xin and then reporting to the Li Family to show their loyalty; it didn't matter if they were slow in mourning, but this matter couldn't be delayed.

Seeing the resolute expression still in Li Xin's eyes, the three elders exchanged glances, wanting to take the initiative and restrain Li Xin first.

"What's happening; I can't muster any strength..."

"I am as well..."

"Li Xin, you poisoned..."

The three elders were about to make a move when they felt their bodies weaken, collapsing onto their chairs. They were experienced in the worldly society—even though they had spent their entire lives within the confines of Yang City, they still possessed some street smarts.

Before the council meeting, as soon as his men had closed the main gate, Li Xin had already released the seductive smoke. This seductive smoke, enhanced by Qing Yu using the medicinal herbs obtained from Li Xin, was unexpectedly powerful and difficult to guard against, though it took effect slightly slower. Li Xin's previous provocative words not only firmly dealt with the three elders but were also meant to agitate them emotionally, expediting the spread of the seductive smoke through their bodies.

Li Xin still wore a smile on his face, "Elders, now I am the knife and you are the fish. How you should choose, I don't need to teach you."

"You won't succeed."

"Li Xin, stop now."

"There's still time to turn back..."

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, the elders changed tactics, persuasively advising from the bottom of their hearts. The Li family was not something a small group like the Iron Saber Association could contend with; Li Xin alone was insufficient, even with their support.

"This is not something you three need to worry about."

Li Xin pulled a red pill bottle from his pocket and poured out three red elixirs.

The elders, weakened by the seductive smoke and without any strength, were forced by Li Xin, one by one, to open their mouths and swallow the elixirs.

"What... what did you make us take?" the Third Elder asked feebly.

"Three Corpses Brain God Pill." Li Xin poured out another elixir.

"You must know, Third Elder, what happened in the Li family yesterday."

"That was... you did that?!" The Third Elder, face full of horror, couldn't believe it.

"Indeed, I did it." Li Xin took the blame onto himself, displaying the professionalism of a loyal subordinate.

The other two elders, unaware of the situation since the deranged biting of his own mother by the Third Young Master Li was a shameful matter meant to be suppressed and hidden, didn't have much inside information about the affairs of the Li family.

The Third Elder truthfully relayed to the other two elders every detail about what had transpired the day before.

The other two elders, being astute, immediately made the connection that the elixir Li Xin had administered to them was probably the same poison that had caused Li Qiuyan's madness and subsequent death, and they too showed horrified expressions.

Li Xin peeled off an outer red layer of the pill case with his fingernail, revealing a greyish small round pill inside. Pointing to the grey pill, Li Xin said, "This pill contains three corpse worms. Once consumed, it shows no immediate symptoms, but every Dragon Boat Festival at noon, if the antidote that restrains the corpse worms isn't taken in time, the worms will emerge. Once they enter the brain, those who have swallowed this pill will act fiendishly, even biting and eating their parents and spouse."

Seeing the elders facing a life-and-death decision, Li Xin smiled and said, "Don't worry, what I just peeled off was the inhibiting layer for the corpse worms. The pill you took is complete and won't cause immediate fits like in Li Qiuyan's case. As long as you take the antidote annually, you will be safe until death."

"Li Qiuyan caused the death of my mother, and I naturally made his life worse than death. For the three of you, if you follow orders, there will be no shortage of antidote."

Preferring a bad life to a good death, the three old men, receiving this news, could only bow their heads and pledge loyalty to Li Xin.

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Chapter 24: Chapter 21: The Late Night Restaurant

Late at night, it was almost 9 p.m.

In Yang City, there was still a tavern that remained open.

Inside the tavern, three mourners who were dressed in hemp clothes and wearing mourning bands were devouring delicious dishes voraciously. These three mourners were part of the group led by the Deputy Gang Leader of the Iron Saber Association, who were mourning for Mrs. Li and Third Young Master Li.

While they were eating, the Second Elder suddenly said, "Deputy Gang Leader, there was a meeting this morning in our association. It's okay that we didn't attend, right?" His voice was full of unease; he was naturally a timid person whose greatest wish in life was to pass on his position as the Second Elder. He usually wavered between the Gang Leader and the Deputy Gang Leader.

Deputy Gang Leader Li Dian wiped the grease from his hands and said leisurely, "I said, if I, the leader, am not scared, what are you scared of? The sudden, serious illnesses and deaths of the lady and the young master are major events. We, who serve the Li family, should personally mourn their passing. The association's meeting is a minor matter, not worth mentioning." He spoke with a shake of the head, as if he were a scholar who had studied poetry for years.

'Are you really going to mourn? Wearing hemp, crying more miserably than the eldest and second young masters who lost their dear mother. When your own mother died, you didn't even cry that hard, did you?' the Second Elder thought bitterly. But then he remembered that he had wailed louder than Li Dian, and he felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Moreover," Li Dian's voice suddenly grew more animated, "with such a big incident happening, and Li Xin still thinking about the meeting, showing no concern for the family affairs, what kind of gang leader is he? I heard his old mother also fell ill suddenly last night and died. In my opinion, it must be some contagious disease caught from that despicable maid, which she then transmitted to the lady and the young master. Now, let's see what good end awaits this illegitimate son sired by the maid. Perhaps it's about time to remove the 'deputy' from my title as Deputy Gang Leader."

In his words, there was nothing but disdain for Gang Leader Li Xin and a firm conviction of securing the position for himself.

With such a scandal in the Li family—cannibalizing mother leading to her disfigurement and suicide—Li Pingsheng was naturally concerned with suppressing this scandal. The maids and house servants present at the time were all warned not to leak any information, and even Li Xin, who had left early, was specifically cautioned by a house servant.

"Brilliant, the gang leader is truly brilliant. After learning the news, he did not sleep all night and summoned the two of us today to rush to the Li household and start arranging the funeral to spare the patriarch and the two young masters from both the pain of losing loved ones and the trouble of managing these trivial matters. The patriarch was deeply moved by the gang leader's pale face, busily managing everything. The succession as the head of the Iron Saber Association is just around the corner," the Great Elder also chimed in with enthusiastic flattery.

"Hahaha…" Hearing this, Li Dian laughed heartily, pride evident in his laughter. Seeing the Great Elder take the lead in flattering the soon-to-be new gang leader, the Second Elder, out of jealousy and unwilling to fall behind, also vigorously praised Li Dian.

Amidst the robust flattery from the two, Li Dian's laughter was incessant, as if he could already see himself ascending to the throne of the gang leader, with Li Xin, that shameful little bastard, kneeling before him.

"Hahahahaha…" An even louder laugh echoed, full of vigor and completely drowning out Li Dian's laughter, interspersed with sounds of fists pounding on the table, as if the laugher could not control himself and was forcefully hitting the table.

Li Dian's moment of pride was interrupted, and he turned his head around in annoyance, searching for the person disrupting his mood.

It was nearing midnight, and ordinary guests had long returned home, while the pleasure-seeking young masters were unlikely to come to the tavern for fun. Li Dian looked around; there was not a single person sitting nearby. The laughter continued, and following the sound, Li Dian saw a figure dressed as a waiter, leaning over the counter where the tavern manager usually stood, unable to straighten up from laughter.

"Little bastard asking for death," muttered the Second Elder, feeling that he had previously lost some face. He lifted his foot, intending to rush over and teach the inn's waiter a lesson for disturbing the future Gang Leader's mood, hoping to redeem his earlier performance.

"Wait a minute…" Li Dian held back the eager Second Elder. Although a bit arrogant, he was no fool; otherwise, he would not have been sent by Li Pingsheng to the Iron Saber Association to restrain Li Xin, the current Gang Leader. Ordinary waiters lacked many things, but they certainly had keen eyesight. The three of them often paraded in the streets, throwing their weight around, and were more recognizable to the common folk than the people from families like the Li and Zhang Families. This waiter dared to interrupt him, so he must have had something to rely on.

Seeing Li Dian act this way, the Great Elder and Second Elder also restrained their intention to teach a lesson and became alert.

"Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?" Li Dian asked carefully and cautiously.

The waiter's laughter gradually ceased. He lifted his head, revealing from beneath his slightly dirty cap the delicate face of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy—it was Qing Yu.

Qing Yu looked at the three men on high alert and felt that he was about to burst into laughter again. These three weren't mindlessly aggressive like minor characters should be; instead, they were surprisingly sensible, almost to the point of rivaling himself.

"It's nothing serious, just something funny. Seeing a few clowns who have already stepped one foot into the Ghost Gate without realizing it, still so pleased with themselves. What's even funnier is that they stepped into the Ghost Gate of their own accord," Qing Yu said with a laugh.

"What do you mean? I am Li Dian, Deputy Gang Leader of the Iron Saber Association, and also from the Li Family of the Four Great Families of Yang City. You should think thrice before acting against me," Li Dian advised, sensing ill intent from the other party and quickly tried to leverage his connections.

"Not the Gang Leader, huh…" Li Dian's old face flushed a bit.

"Do you know that your actions today have already raised Li Pingsheng's eyebrows, and trouble is imminent?"

Seeing the three men confused, Qing Yu continued, "Third Young Master Li, Li Qiuyan, was struck with a strange poison yesterday afternoon. He went mad, like a corpse demon, biting human flesh, and even bit a piece off his mother's face, disfiguring her. Last night, Li Qiuyan died, and his mother, unable to bear the shock, hung herself. Such a scandal is something Li Pingsheng is desperate to cover up, yet you three are flamboyantly unveiling what's already been covered. A great disaster is looming, yet you're unaware."

Li Dian was sweating profusely, and his sleep-deprived face turned even paler, devoid of any color. A trembling large hand clutched his shoulder, and turning around, he saw the similarly devastated Great Elder and Second Elder, their eyes filled with despair.

Li Dian forced a wry smile, realizing they really were courting death.

No, that's not right, Li Dian suddenly brightened up and laughed loudly, "Almost got scared by you. Even I, who am well-informed within the family, am unaware of such disgraceful matters of the Li family. I don't believe that you, an outsider, could know more than I do.

Unless… you are the one who poisoned and plotted against the Third Young Master."

"Being an outsider doesn't necessarily mean I'm less informed than those in the Li family. However, you are indeed right, the person who drugged Li Qiuyan was indeed me," Qing Yu said with a smile, his eyes reflecting the increasingly larger shadows.

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