Chapter Fifty-two Adjoining

  Hua Wushuang and Hua Wudui were also people without a sense of direction in their daily lives. After Hua Manlou died, they only knew how to cry to the heavens and earth, completely not thinking about handling the aftermath.

  Wu Long and Han Hu exchanged a glance, both letting out a long sigh. They were mourning the sudden passing of Hua Man Lou, while also lamenting that the Hua brothers were in such a state. They sighed at how the heroic Hua Man Lou had no one to inherit his legacy! Wu Long and Han Hu went forward separately to help up Wu Dui and Wu Dui's brother, saying: "You brothers should be filial and mourn, but don't be overly grief-stricken. The matters at hand are handling your father's funeral and dealing with the gang's affairs!"

  The two brothers were sad for a long time, and then stood up, looking around in confusion. After their father left, they had no idea what to do next. Even after listening to Wu Long and Han Hu's advice, they still didn't know what to do!

  Jinjiu, who had been quiet for a long time, suddenly spoke up: "The sudden death of Huabangzhu has left everyone with a heavy heart. He was like a brother to us all for many years, and we all remember his kindness! However, we can't just stay in this state of grief forever. Xiaodao will be without a leader for too long, and if something else happens, how will the hundred or so brothers cope? Seeing these two brothers, he really couldn't help but worry about the future of Xiaodao Association.

  Wu Long saw that the normally taciturn Xing Jiu had spoken up, and instantly understood what he meant. He said: "Right, Brother Xing is absolutely right! We should handle the aftermath of Hua Bangzhu's death while also finding someone to replace him as our leader, or else things will get chaotic and become a big headache!"

  Han Hu nodded and said, "I also agree with Wu Xiong and Xing Xiong's words. The gang cannot be without a leader for a day! Originally, after the death of Hua Bangzhu, one person should have been chosen from among Hua Wuduo and Hua Wushuang to take his place! However, I think they are both too grief-stricken at present and it's not suitable for them to take on this important task! At present, there is a most suitable candidate, what do you all think?" He couldn't say that the Hua brothers were unfit to be the gang leader, but instead skirted around them, casting his gaze towards Gu Longfei.

  The rest of the gang members, who had always known the two brothers, nodded in agreement when they heard Han Hu's words. Especially since Hua Bangzhu had suddenly added a new deputy leader to the gang before his death, did he have a premonition and find a way out? Everyone thought about it again, and it seemed that this was the will of heaven, and who else could take on the role of leader except for Gu's deputy leader?

  Wu Long and Han Hu suddenly appeared in front of Gu Longfei, clasped their fists and knelt down on one knee, saying in unison: "Master Gu, please take the position of Master Hua for the sake of the many brothers present at the meeting!"

  At this time, Gu Longfei truly admired Hua Manlou. He was rough and fierce in appearance, but his intelligence was not inferior to Murong Ding's! This scene had been calculated by him long ago. Now he politely declined a few times, seeing that everyone was not giving up, he went along with the crowd's intention and took over the burden left to him by Hua Manlou!

  Gu Long helped Wu Long and Han Hu up, saying: "I'm new here and not familiar with the affairs of the meeting. Since everyone has unanimously recommended me to take over as the leader of the Flower Gang, I don't want to disappoint my brothers, so I won't decline! Especially at this moment, it's really necessary for someone to take charge, so I'll do my best to undertake this responsibility! However, I have one thing to say beforehand: don't let brotherly feelings get in the way and make it hard for you all to speak up later!"

  Everyone chimed in: "Elder Gu, just say what's on your mind. We're all brothers here, no need to be polite!"

  "Right now, I'm just temporarily taking over as the leader of the gang. When a suitable candidate appears in the future, I will definitely step down! Second, during my temporary tenure as leader, if I have violated any gang rules or made mistakes, everyone must point them out to me, especially you, Big Brother Xin - there can't be even a hint of favoritism!"

  "Wulong said: "You are the most suitable person, where else can we find someone else!"

  Han Hu also said: "Yes, Hua Bangzhu opened the Fragrant Hall to welcome you into the gang, and had a premonition. Now he's saying these things, isn't he afraid that his brothers will be suspicious?"

  Jiǔ's face turned serious again, and he reverted to his usual expressionless demeanor. He said calmly: "Everyone in the meeting, regardless of their position, is treated equally, without exception!" His implication was that what you're saying now is useless, and if you violate the gang's rules later, I'll naturally know how to handle it!

  The Hua brothers, Ashou, Axie and other brothers all said that Gu Longfei was the only one who could no longer decline, and there was no one more suitable than him to be the leader!

  Gu Long Fei didn't want to get too deeply embroiled in the Jianghu world's factions and lose his freedom. He also wanted to see if Hua brothers could inherit their father's legacy after some changes. However, seeing the crowd eagerly expecting him to take on the role of leader, he said no more. With a downward press of both hands, he declared: "Alright, I won't say anything else! As for the current situation, first, let's handle Hua Bangzhu's funeral; second, dispatch brothers to investigate other factions in the association and see if there are any unusual signs. If anyone has ulterior motives, report back immediately! I'm worried that some brothers who don't understand the true situation might, in their anger, do something irrational, such as defecting to the Japanese side!"

  Everyone listened to Gu Longfei's instructions and responded in unison. Gu Longfei continued, "I would like to ask Wu Dage and Han Dage to stay here together to support the funeral of Hua Bangzhu; Hua Wudui and Ah Shou, you two lead some brothers to set up a mourning hall, buy incense, candles, paper money, coffins, etc.; Hua Wushuang and Ah Xi, you two lead some brothers to inform relatives and friends, as well as brothers who are far away, to attend the funeral of Hua Bangzhu tomorrow! Finally, Xing Dage, you take some brothers to check on the movements of the various brothers. If there is any dissent, it must be patiently explained!"

  Everyone nodded in agreement, seeing that the new boss was giving orders in an orderly and organized manner. They were all secretly delighted to see that this old boss's abilities were not inferior to those of Hua Bangzhu! After accepting Gu Longfei's command, everyone went off to busy themselves with their respective tasks!

  The courtyard in front of the Huajia gate is spacious, and it's just here that a mourning hall has been set up. Several hundred fellow villagers and relatives have come to pay their respects, and there's enough space for them to move around without feeling crowded. Ah Shou has lived with the Huajia family for many years and is very familiar with the whole household. He handles matters in a calm and efficient manner. When he goes out with Hua Wushuang, all the purchases are made by him. Ah Shou knows that this young master doesn't pay much attention to these things, so he doesn't bother to be polite or courteous with him.

  Hua Wudui, with Ah Shou's help, soon had all the things Gu Longfei had ordered purchased and arranged. Ah Shou even invited back the yin-yang master and the monks who were performing the rituals for Gu Longfei, which made Gu Longfei extremely happy. He turned to Wu Long and Han Hu and said: "This Ah Shou is really capable!" As he spoke, however, he forgot that he was belittling Hua Wudui. He glanced sideways at Hua Wudui, who was staring blankly at the strong men carrying a coffin into the house, oblivious to his words!

  "Indeed, Ah Shou has been with the Huas for over a decade now? Not only is he diligent in his work, but what's even more rare is that he's wholeheartedly loyal to the entire Hua family!"

  Han Hu nodded and said: "The two brothers are the same, they are down-to-earth, loyal and kind, but Ah Xi's ability is even stronger than his brother Ah Shou!"

  "What? Ah Shou and Ah Xi are brothers?" Gu Longfei saw that the two men were dressed in the same way, with a red scarf on their heads, wearing black leather jackets, with a wide-edged copper buckle belt around their waists, and a row of small knives inserted at the back of their waist; however, they didn't look alike at all!

  Han Hu smiled and said, "Old Master Gu, I know why you couldn't tell they were brothers. Their appearances are too different! The mysteries of heaven and earth are hard to understand. These two, Ah Shou and Ah Xi, not only are they brothers, but also twins. And yet, their appearances are as different as those of unrelated people, with no similarities whatsoever!"

  "Oh! So that's how it is!" Gu Long Fei exclaimed in a low voice, asking: "How did Ah Xi become more capable than Ah Shou?"

  Wu Long took a glance at Ah Shou, who was busy in the distance, and said: "Ah Shou is taciturn and rarely speaks, but he buries his head in work. As long as you give him something to do, he will never refuse, no matter how difficult it is! And little brother Ah Xi not only has all the advantages of his older brother, but also knows how to talk and reason, and his brain is even brighter!"

  Gu Long Fei couldn't help but feel secretly pleased with himself upon hearing this. Earlier, he had assigned different tasks to Ah Shou and Ah Xi, doing so in a rather casual manner without much thought. Yet, it turned out that the assignments coincidentally suited the brothers' personalities! It seemed that these two elders would have to admire him once again!

  "What's going on?"

  "What kind of people are you?"

  At the moment when Gu Longfei was thinking about going out to contact relatives and friends to prepare for the mourning of Hua Manlou, he suddenly heard a burst of exclamation and angry shouting in his ears. He quickly turned his head around, but what he saw in front of him made him extremely shocked. He only saw that Hua Wushuang was being pressed on the table by two people, with a steel knife hanging over her head, while Ah Shou was also controlled by two people, with two knives pressed against his chest and neck respectively! "Who are these people? How... how did they get in?" Gu Longfei had been keeping an eye on the door when he was talking to Wu Long and Han Hu earlier, but he didn't see anyone suspicious coming in!

  Wu Long snorted and said, "They are the four men who carried the coffin in earlier! Snort, I've been a veteran of the jianghu for decades, but today I was actually blinded and didn't see through their true faces!"

  Han Hu stepped aside, saying coldly: "These bastards are too daring! With just the four of you, you think you can storm the main gate? Hmph! You don't take the Small Knife Gang seriously!"

  Jade Dragon felt a pang of shame in his heart. He had just become the leader and already several people had sneaked in unnoticed, fortunately without causing much damage or loss. If word got out, he would lose face! He watched as Wu Long and Han Hu presented a united front, slowly moving towards the four men. To cover for them, he loudly shouted: "Who are you? Can't you just talk things through properly instead of resorting to violence?"