Chapter 2: The Black Tiger Gang

  Seeing these people, a surge of hatred and fear emerged in Yuechuan's heart, followed by many fragmented memories that made Yuechuan understand the source of these emotions.

  The Black Tiger Gang, an old-school underworld gang in Starn City. They are not large in scale and never provoke the authority and interests of the big nobles and merchants in Starn City. However, when it comes to small traders, they deceive and cheat them without any scruples. Fortunately, their targets are mostly foreign merchants, and they do things cleanly and efficiently, leaving few clues behind. Moreover, there is a mysterious figure backing them up, so they have not been eradicated for many years.

  More than a decade ago, Old Lei Ze moved from afar to Starn City and bought several storefronts to start a business. However, on the first day of opening, he was extorted by the Black Tiger Gang. After the extortion failed, the Black Tiger Gang smashed his store to pieces. Later, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang knelt outside Old Lei Ze's residence with his upper body bare, having someone whip him while begging for Old Lei Ze's forgiveness. It is said that the leader of the Black Tiger Gang was whipped over 300 times before being forgiven by Old Lei Ze, his entire back a bloody mess, wounds so deep you could see bone, and if he wasn't extremely resilient, he would have died on the spot.

  More than a dozen days ago, the news of Lao Leize's misfortune was sent back to Starn City. Wumeng encountered the boss of the Black Tiger Gang - a middle-aged man who walked with his waist bent and occasionally coughed. The man looked deeply at Wumeng and said: "A father's debt, a son repays! Don't worry, I won't let you die easily. That taste of 326 lashes, I will let you savor slowly."

  The members of the Black Tiger Gang teased and bullied Wumeng every day, stealing his belongings, leaving him hungry and penniless, stripping him naked and throwing him onto the streets, making him lose face. They also beat him to a pulp, leaving him on the brink of death. It was precisely their humiliation of Wumeng that made him harbor suicidal thoughts, which in turn gave Yuechuan the opportunity to cross over.

  And now, the Black Tiger Gang has arrived again. The leader is none other than the Black Tiger Gang's number one fighter, Huang Maohu.

  "Hey, isn't this the young master of the wealthy family, Wumengte? How did he end up living in a poor neighborhood, making it hard for us brothers to find him. What's going on, is the young master tired of his life of luxury and come to experience the lives of ordinary people?"

  Huang Mao's sarcastic remarks instantly triggered a burst of laughter from the crowd, and all sorts of vicious taunts spewed out of their mouths. Even Yue Chuan's usual calm demeanor couldn't help but flare up in anger. Beside him, Qian Qian was so frightened that she trembled all over, her small hands tightly grasping Wu Mengte's sleeve.

  Yuexi subtly squeezed Xiangxiang's palm, signaling her not to worry. He then calmly asked: "Huang Maohu, in our line of work, there's a rule that trouble shouldn't be brought to family members. Today, you broke into my home with your men, which is a bit excessive! Leave some leeway for the future. Otherwise, your boss would have been killed by my father over a decade ago, and you wouldn't have made it this far."

  Huang Mao Hu was stunned, looking at Wumengte in disbelief. Just a few days ago, as long as he made this kind of gesture, Wumengte, who feared physical pain, would immediately be scared to the point of having weak legs and trembling hands, unable to say a complete sentence. But what's going on today? He was actually so calm. And looking at his expression and tone when speaking, it was clear that he was an old hand, not some ignorant rookie. Had he been pretending all along? But why would he do that? Was there something unknown about him?

  For a moment, Huang Mao's heart was filled with doubts. As the top fighter, he naturally knew many of the gang's secrets, including the matter of Old Lei Ze letting his boss off the hook back then. Things were indeed as Yue Chuan said - always leave a thread, for future use. After all, those who venture out will eventually have to pay their dues.

  Thinking of this, Huang Maohu gave up the idea of repairing Wumengte. Their boss often reminded them not to provoke people they shouldn't, otherwise it would be a disaster that couldn't be undone. This was their way of survival, and they didn't dare forget it for a moment. Before investigating Wumengte's background clearly, he didn't dare to be as arrogant as before. What if there were mysterious figures behind Wumengte? Wouldn't the scene from over a decade ago be replayed?

  "Haha, Young Master Wumengte." Huang Maohu said with great respect, without any hint of mockery or jest, "Our Black Tiger Gang has several brothers who followed your father on a business trip, but unfortunately encountered difficulties. There are widows and orphans at home who need to be supported. Isn't this just us seeking some compensation for our departed brothers? Young Master Wumengte, you tell me, isn't that the reason?"

  Seeing Huang Mao's attitude change, Yue Chuan secretly let out a breath of relief in his heart, he knew that his verbal attack had taken effect.

  Yuè Chuān chuckled, and the muscles that were originally slightly tense relaxed slightly, a calm demeanor emerged, as if everything was under control.

  "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Yue Chuan smiled and looked at Huang Maohu, "My Lei Ze family's merchant caravan, either hires guards from the Mercenary Guild or signs a contract with slaves. Even if there are any losses, there is no compensation to be claimed. If your brother was hired to come here, he should go to the Mercenary Guild for compensation, don't you think that's the way it is?"

  Huang Mao Hu stared at the talkative Umonte in front of him with a skeptical expression, thinking to himself, "Is this really that foolish young master who was cheated out of his family's property?" His words were clear and logical, with evidence to back them up, completely different from the person he met just over ten days ago. There must be something fishy going on here!

  For a moment, Huang Mao's heart was filled with the urge to retreat. However, his brothers didn't have such thoughts; they still wanted to intimidate and beat up Yue Chuan like before, then take the money and leave. One by one, they clamored to go beat up Yue Chuan. In their opinion, a good thrashing would surely make this pampered rich kid beg for mercy. These wealthy young masters were delicate and thin-skinned, making it especially satisfying to beat them up.

  "Slap!" Huang Mao Hu's large earlobe was slapped, and the subordinate who had been hit stumbled backwards, dizzy. The others also stopped in their tracks.

  "What are you doing? What do you want to do? We came to ask for compensation for our brother, not to collect debts. Who told you to take action?"

  As soon as they mention Lao Da, these guys instantly turn into kittens, only missing a meow to express their docility.

  Yuè Chuān watched all this with a cold eye, and he was secretly glad that this Huang Mao Hu was a clever fellow. If it were some brainless thug, he would have had to eat a fistful of old punches today. The Black Tiger Gang wouldn't kill him, but they would definitely make him understand what it means to be worse off than dead.

  "Ahem!" Yue Chuan said in a gentle voice, "From a legal standpoint, our Lei Ze family indeed has no obligation to provide compensation. However, from a human perspective, your brother sacrificed his life for the benefit of our Lei Ze family, shedding blood and sweat. It is only natural that we should take care of the widows and orphans he left behind. How about this: Huang Hu, you go back and make a list, draft a charter, and I'll go talk to the elder members of the clan to get some compensation money."

  Huang Mao Hu's head swelled at the words "law" and "human feelings". This small gang was most afraid of the law and big shots. When Yue Chuan mentioned "senior members of the clan", he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

  "Cough, our Hei Hu Bang may be poor, but we can still afford to open the pot and take care of the orphaned children and widowed mothers. There's no need to disturb those elders. Right, it's getting late, so we won't bother you anymore."

  Yue Chuan sat on the chair and waved his hand, "Then I won't see you off. By the way, don't forget to close the door when you leave."

  Upon hearing this, Huang Mao Hu nearly fell over, his face bright red as he stared at the plank on the ground. He pulled out a pouch of money from his pocket and placed it on the table, saying: "Brothers, you don't understand, Mr. Wumengte doesn't take it to heart, consider this money as compensation for repairs."

  Before he figured out the root of Umonto, he could only show respect. But if he was exposed to Umonto's secrets, he would naturally retaliate a thousand times over. Knowing oneself and knowing others is the key to stability; being able to yield and being able to stretch is the key to longevity - this is the lesson their leader learned through bloodshed.

  Yue Chuan slumped in his chair, panting heavily as if he had been drained of all energy. Beside him, Qianqian's small mouth hung open in shock, unable to close for a long time.

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