Chapter 503 - 503 Cui Yu's Promise
Ye Qing looked at the Ghost-faced Judge and said, "You've gone to such great lengths to have me come here just to ask this question?"
The Ghost-faced Judge shook his head and replied, "Of course not, this question was purely out of curiosity. I've always been puzzled as to what gave you the courage to change the order in Shenchuan City that had been maintained for so many years."
"In our hometown, there's an old saying, 'The barefoot are not afraid of those with shoes.'" Ye Qing explained, "To put it more clearly, a person who has nothing is not afraid of those who are extremely wealthy. Because he has nothing, he can afford to die, but can a wealthy man afford to exchange his life with him?"
"Hahaha…" The Ghost-faced Judge laughed heartily and slowly nodded, "You're right, 'The barefoot are not afraid of those with shoes'; that's indeed the case. The Lin family is so large, with so many people and so much money, yet not one of their family members is willing to die. But you, even if you kill one, it's not a loss, and if you kill two, you've gained one. That's why you dare to fight them because you can afford to lose, while they cannot!"
"But…" The Ghost-faced Judge suddenly changed his tone, "Can you still speak such words today?"
"Therefore, I now cherish life very much!" Ye Qing said, "I have to struggle to survive. I can't let those kids suffer from poverty anymore, nor can I let them be used by those bad people to make money."
The Ghost-faced Judge observed, "But there seem to be quite a few people in Shenchuan City who don't wish to see you alive!"
Ye Qing smiled faintly and responded, "Are the people who don't want me to live confined to Shenchuan City? However, I will definitely try my hardest to survive. If they want to kill me, they must prepare to be killed by me in return!"
"Well said!" The Ghost-faced Judge nodded again and said, "As a man, that is how one should be. If people don't allow me to live, I kill them. If heaven doesn't allow me to live, I shall go against heaven."
Ye Qing looked at the Ghost-faced Judge and asked, "Mr. Cui didn't ask me to come here just to discuss these matters, right?"
"Hehe…" The Ghost-faced Judge chuckled and replied, "We have strayed a bit too far, my apologies. In fact, the main reason I called you here today is to ask about that man!"
"Mr. Cui also wants to know about that man?" Ye Qing slightly furrowed his brows. Huangfu Ziyu had asked him about this, so had Tie Yongwen, and Shen Qianyue also wanted to ask him. Now, even the Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu had personally called him in to inquire about this man; just how many people were involved with this man?
The Ghost-faced Judge looked at Ye Qing and said, "Up until now, you are the only one who has faced him in combat and still managed to rescue Miss Shen. The most suitable person to ask about his matters would naturally be you!"
"What do you want to know?" asked Ye Qing.
"Everything!" The Ghost-faced Judge said, "From when you first spotted him to when you rescued Shen Qingyi, the entire process, everything about him!"
The Ghost-faced Judge seemed to be more interested in this man. Huangfu Ziyu mainly wanted to know about the man's strength, while Tie Yongwen was focused on that knife. Only the Ghost-faced Judge seemed eager to know the entirety of what happened.
Ye Qing stayed silent for a moment, then recounted the events of the night from beginning to end. Of course, he omitted the fact that he knew Li Style Bajiquan because he did not wish to reveal that just yet.
After listening to Ye Qing's words, the Ghost-faced Judge remained silent for a while; he then looked at Ye Qing and said solemnly, "I heard that before he went to the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, you had seen him once. What was the situation then?"
The Ghost-faced Judge's curiosity about that man was indeed great. Ye Qing did not hide anything and recounted the events of the night, including how the man had drawn his sword and chopped off the front of a car. Even though the story was astonishing, the Ghost-faced Judge did not appear the least bit shocked upon hearing it, but his eyes sparkled with a keen glint.
After hearing Ye Qing's story, the Ghost-faced Judge slowly nodded, seeming to have a better understanding of the man's situation. He fell silent for a while, then suddenly looked at Ye Qing and said, "Very good, Mr. Ye, thank you for the information. From now on, the teahouse owes you a favor. If there's anything you need, feel free to find me, Cui Yu."
"Ah?" Ye Qing was a bit taken aback, as he had just casually said a few words and unexpectedly received such a grand gesture of appreciation.
A favor owed by the Ghost-faced Judge was worth at least thirty million. After all, the Ghost-faced Judge charged thirty million for a single kill!
Ye Qing looked at the Ghost-faced Judge, truly unable to fathom what was going through his mind. Or rather, he didn't even know what had actually transpired here, the business between that man and the Ghost-faced Judge, as well as with the Shen Family, was completely beyond his comprehension.
The Ghost-faced Judge turned and said, "Xiao Bai, take Mr. Ye back. From now on, we will no longer accept any business from Mr. Ye, or even those people around him!"
"Yes!" White Impermanence nodded respectfully, still feeling some resentment towards Ye Qing. However, he dared not disobey the Ghost-faced Judge's command.
"Mr. Ye, it's late. I'll invite you for tea another day!" The Ghost-faced Judge stood up and effectively showed him out.
Ye Qing followed White Impermanence back to Tian Sheng in confusion, and even after he sat back down in his own office, he couldn't figure out what had happened. Just a few words exchanged and he received such an important gift? The Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu owed him a favor? That was a big deal!
Moreover, what astonished Ye Qing the most was that Cui Yu didn't even ask how he had rescued Shen Qingyi. Cui Yu knew full well that Ye Qing wasn't a match for that man, yet he didn't press for details. Didn't he find this matter suspicious, or did he know the reasons behind it?
Ye Qing was filled with doubts, but he couldn't guess the reasons behind it. Undoubtedly, the Ghost-faced Judge and that man were connected to the events that Tie Yongwen had mentioned before. What had happened to these people, and why did they hold such a grudge against the Shen Family?
Ye Qing sat in his office pondering over these questions until almost midnight, when he suddenly got a call from Li Lianshan.
"Hello, Ye Zi, we've got a problem!" As soon as Ye Qing answered the phone, Li Lianshan's panicked voice came through, "Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang have joined forces and taken over a third of the Fierce Tiger Gang's territories overnight. The scattered forces of the Fierce Tiger Gang didn't escape; they were all swallowed up. Now, Pi Junchao has united the remaining major forces and is holed up in the Fierce Tiger Gang's headquarters, not daring to fight against Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang!"
Hearing this, Ye Qing immediately perked up, quickly sat up, and asked, "Are they still fighting now?"
"The police have arrived, everyone has dispersed, so there's probably no more fighting tonight," Li Lianshan said. "But with the Fierce Tiger Gang losing a third of their territories, the loss is serious. If this continues, the Fierce Tiger Gang might not be able to make any money, let alone operate as a gang. What do you think? Should we also make a move, take advantage of the situation, and grab some of their territories? This is a good opportunity, you know, to kick someone when they're down!"
"Not so fast!" Ye Qing said with a calm smile, "Let them fight, we'll just enjoy the show!"
"Ah?" Li Lianshan was greatly surprised and asked, "Ye Zi, what do you mean? If they keep fighting, what are we going to do? I've seen that Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang are really serious this time. There's probably going to be a tough fight tomorrow night, and given the current state of the Fierce Tiger Gang, they can't hold off their attackers. Perhaps by tomorrow night, the Fierce Tiger Gang will lose another third of their territories, and the remaining third won't be worth squat."
Li Lianshan paused, then said, "Ye Zi, you said that if we want to grow, we need to swallow up the Fierce Tiger Gang. Now Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang have struck first, making it clear they want to swallow all of the Fierce Tiger Gang's territories before we get the chance, leaving us no opportunity. If we don't act now, we probably won't even get the leftovers!"
"Why settle for leftovers?" Ye Qing said methodically, "Li, what I meant by merger is the members of the Fierce Tiger Gang, their people, not their territories. Although Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang can take over the territories of the Fierce Tiger Gang, they can't absorb their people, which doesn't affect us!"
"What kind of reasoning is that?" Li Lianshan was taken aback and said, "If all of the Fierce Tiger Gang's territories are taken, even if we absorb all of the Fierce Tiger Gang's people, it won't be of much use. These days, you have to develop the economy first. The Fierce Tiger Gang maintained so many people with so many territories. If those are gone, what will we use to support them? Just with our current territories, we simply can't sustain that many people from the Fierce Tiger Gang. You know, the Fierce Tiger Gang grew to its current size with money. Without those territories, the Fierce Tiger Gang is just an empty shell; what can we do with it?"
"Li, you're worrying too much," Ye Qing replied with a light smile, "To do great things, one must take extraordinary measures. In Shenchuan City, it's simply impossible to completely swallow up the Fierce Tiger Gang. After all, those members have been with the Fierce Tiger Gang for so long, they must be loyal. To get those members of the Fierce Tiger Gang under our control, to willingly work for us, we have to push them into a corner. Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang are doing this for us right now. When the Fierce Tiger Gang truly has no territory left, they will have nowhere to turn!"
"Damn, just because they have nowhere to turn, will they come to us?" Li Lianshan asked, "Ye Zi, don't forget that you were the first to strike at the Fierce Tiger Gang. You swindled them out of so many territories last time; they should hate you even more now!"
"Heh heh..." Ye Qing chuckled, "There's a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and that is an eternal truth. As long as we are enemies of Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang too, then we are their friends."
Li Lianshan said, "Damn, aren't you too sure of yourself?"
"That's not certainty," Ye Qing replied calmly, "That's psychology!"