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.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
9 Power
stone You may also Like
Paragraph comment