Chapter 587 - 587: 587
Xu Cunxiao knew that Xu Dingjiang was his brother Xu Cunzhi's trusted aide. To kill him, he had to get the approval of Xu Cunzhi.
Actually, Xu Cunzhi had arrived earlier but did not agree to kill Xu Dingjiang. Just now, Xu Cunxiao deliberately told Xu Dingjiang so much to seem as though he was describing the current situation, but in reality, he was persuading Xu Cunzhi, who was hiding in the shadows, telling him that they must kill Xu Dingjiang.
In the end, Xu Cunzhi was still persuaded by his elder brother Xu Cunxiao and personally killed Xu Dingjiang, showing their firm stance. This plan that had been in the making for over twenty years really could not afford the slightest mistake. If Xu Cunxiao could even risk his own son, what was an aide to Xu Cunzhi?
Xu Cunzhi, looking at the corpse of Xu Dingjiang, heaved a sigh and said to the few underlings who walked in through the door, "Take him back to Western Province and bury him properly."
Those underlings had no idea what had happened inside, but they still carried out Xu Dingjiang's body.
"We should also head back," Xu Cunxiao said to Xu Cunzhi. "The grand spectacle in Shenchuan City is about to be staged. We've waited over twenty years, a few more days won't make a difference!"
Although Xu Cunzhi felt very despondent inside, he still left with Xu Cunxiao. The things to come were such that they absolutely could not show their faces. The plan that had been prepared for over twenty years could not afford the slightest mistake!
At over four in the morning, Ye Qing hurried to the downtown area. He had called Cheng Shuang ahead of time to have him protect the people at the hospital because Ye Qing was worried that Tianqing Gang and Fubang might go for a desperate last stand. It would be troublesome if anything happened to those people at the hospital.
After returning to the downtown area, Ye Qing first took Mad Dog and his men to the teahouse. There were two very strange new faces at the teahouse, but thankfully, under the protection of Cui Yu and Cui Yulong, Lin Mengjie was safe and sound, which was a great relief to Ye Qing.
Cui Yu had been waiting for Ye Qing these past few days, and knowing that Ye Qing had returned with Old Wang Ba, she was aware that whatever Ye Qing had gone to do must have been successful. After listening to Ye Qing's account of the situation in Xishan City, Cui Yu couldn't help feeling deeply moved. With Ye Qing finding that daughter for Liu Changping, it was as if he gained two strong backings. At least in Eastern Province, on the official level, no one could suppress Ye Qing anymore!
"Mr. Ye, what do you plan to do now?" Cui Yu asked.
Ye Qing said solemnly, "First, we still need to investigate and find out who really killed Uncle Tie."
"Right," Cui Yu nodded and asked, "Do you have any plans?"
Ye Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm planning to find Shangguan Tian and Li Wenyuan first. Those two definitely know something!"
Not long after Tie Yongwen's death, Shangguan Tian and Li Wenyuan immediately made a move against Ye Qing, which seemed very much in sync. Therefore, Ye Qing had sufficient reason to suspect that these two people were definitely involved. To thoroughly investigate the cause of Tie Yongwen's death, Ye Qing currently had only two leads: one was Shangguan Tian and Li Wenyuan, and the other was Ding Shaoyan.
Although he had seen that traffic footage last time and confirmed that Ding Shaoyan didn't call him, Ye Qing was convinced in his heart that Ding Shaoyan must be related to this matter. However, it was not easy to investigate Ding Shaoyan now that he had the protection of the Ding Family. But it was different with Shangguan Tian and Li Wenyuan; no matter what methods Ye Qing used against these two, no one would come forward to say anything!
"Do you need my help?" Cui Yu offered. Shangguan Tian and Li Wenyuan's influence in Shenchuan City might be strong, but in her eyes, they were really nothing. As an acme assassin like her, wanting to kill people like Shangguan Tian and Li Wenyuan would be effortless, no matter how many people were protecting them!
Ye Qing shook his head and said, "No need, I want to settle this matter myself!"
Cui Yu nodded and said, "Since that's the case, I won't get involved. However, this person, you might find him useful!"
Cui Yu clapped her hands, and the door beside opened. White Impermanence pushed out a man. The man was covered in wounds, and most of his body was bandaged, showing that he had been seriously injured.
"Pi Junchao?" Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise. The severely injured man was none other than Pi Junchao, who previously controlled the largest power within the Fierce Tiger Gang. Seeing him in this state, he was completely down and out. Seated in a wheelchair and being pushed out, he could almost be considered a spent force.
Pi Junchao slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing Ye Qing, a flash of shock and rage passed through them. However, it quickly turned to sorrow.
There was a time when he could stand toe-to-toe with Ye Qing, but now, he had thoroughly become a spent force, uncertain how much longer he could live, let alone contemplate standing on equal footing with Ye Qing.
"Ye Qing..." Pi Junchao looked at Ye Qing and weakly said, "You... you actually dare to come back... Tianqing Gang, Fubang, Xingyi School, the Ding Family, and many police officers, they all want to kill you. Are you planning to come back to die?"
Ye Qing ignored what Pi Junchao had said and inquired in surprise, "How did you end up like this?"
Cui Yu explained, "The remaining forces of the Fierce Tiger Gang were wiped out by the combined efforts of Tianqing Gang and Fubang. He was hunted down by people from both Tianqing Gang and Fubang; luckily, I happened to pass by and saved him on a whim!"
Ye Qing couldn't help but frown. If Pi Junchao hadn't just happened to pass by, his life would probably have been lost. It looked like the Tianqing Gang and the Fubang were ready to eradicate all forces in Shenchuan City that could threaten them.
Now, in the entire Shenchuan City, the Tianqing Gang and the Fubang were the strongest. It wasn't going to be easy for Ye Qing to deal with them.
"We... Our Fierce Tiger Gang won't be… won't be wiped out so easily..." Pi Junchao, clenching his teeth, said, "Even if I die, our Fierce Tiger Gang will rise again one day!"
"Rise again? What do you have to rely on?" Cui Yu scoffed at Pi Junchao, saying, "You've been unconscious these past few days. You don't know the situation outside, do you? All your Fierce Tiger Gang's hidden points in Shenchuan City have been exposed, and most of your members have defected to the Tianqing Gang and the Fubang. Even those who are tougher, are now either injured or dead. What does the Fierce Tiger Gang have left? Most importantly, even the police are now hunting down your Fierce Tiger Gang members. What do you have to rely on for a comeback? Do you think you can get support from the Provincial Director and the Commander of the Provincial Military Region like Ye Qing?"
Hearing Cui Yu's words, Pi Junchao's expression changed dramatically. He struggled to sit up and said in a deep voice, "How... how are our Fierce Tiger Gang members now?"
"Most of them are finished. The few who managed to escape are being hunted down. Pi Junchao, you've been quite a disgrace as a leader!" Cui Yu shook his head and said, "The Fierce Tiger Gang had a foundation of several decades, and yet it ended up ruined in your hands. Alas, so many loyal to the Fierce Tiger Gang will ultimately face death, how sad!"
Pi Junchao's face twisted, and he clenched his teeth, staring at Ye Qing, before suddenly asking, "You just mentioned Ye Qing has the support of the Provincial Director and the Commander of the Provincial Military Region? Which province is that?"
Cui Yu replied, "Obviously, it's Eastern Province!"
"How is this possible? How is this possible?" Pi Junchao looked at Ye Qing in amazement, and said, "Director Liu Changping loathes evil and would love nothing more than to eradicate all these dark forces; how could he support someone? And the Commander of the Provincial Military Region, how could he meddle in these local affairs? Impossible, it's simply impossible, you must be trying to deceive me!"
Pi Junchao's voice had become somewhat hysterical, as he simply couldn't accept that Ye Qing had received such powerful support. He had always believed he had a better starting point than Ye Qing, and that he could undoubtedly keep Ye Qing beneath him. However, the distance between him and Ye Qing was getting wider, and he truly couldn't accept it.
Cui Yu looked at Pi Junchao coldly, and said, "Do you think I would deceive you?"
Pi Junchao glanced at Cui Yu then at Ye Qing, fell silent for a long while, bit his teeth, and in a heavy voice said, "Ye Qing, is... is what he said true?"
Ye Qing slightly furrowed his brow, and said, "I did Director Liu a favor, and he owes me a favor, that's all!"
Pi Junchao asked urgently, "What favor did you do for him?"
Old Wang Ba beside him said, "He helped Director Liu find his illegitimate daughter who had been separated from him for over twenty years!"
"Ah?" Pi Junchao's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at Ye Qing. Knowing Liu Changping's situation, he naturally understood what finding an illegitimate daughter meant for Liu Changping.
"Ye Qing, is... is what he said true?" Pi Junchao looked at Ye Qing and through clenched teeth said, "Tell me the truth, swear it, swear to tell me the truth!"
"It's true!" Ye Qing nodded.
Stunned, Pi Junchao stared at Ye Qing for a long while, his face gradually becoming sorrowful and resigned.
"Ye Qing, I've lost!" Pi Junchao lowered his head, breathing a long sigh of resignation. This time, he was truly conceding defeat.
"I never intended to compete with you," Ye Qing said. "I just want to run my orphanage well so that those children can live properly. So, between you and me, there's no talk of winning or losing!"
Pi Junchao lifted his head to look at Ye Qing, bit his teeth, and all of a sudden, grabbed Ye Qing's arm, saying in a deep voice, "Ye Qing, do me a favor, will you?"
Ye Qing hesitated slightly, and asked, "What favor?"
"Help me prop up the Fierce Tiger Gang!" Pi Junchao said solemnly. "My father founded the Fierce Tiger Gang with his own hands, and I don't want it to collapse under my watch. Help me prop it up; from today on, you will be the new Gang Leader of the Fierce Tiger Gang!"
Cui Yu and Old Wang Ba looked at each other with a hint of a smirk in their eyes. Cui Yu, a man of few words, had spoken so much just now with Pi Junchao to provoke him into handing over the Fierce Tiger Gang to Ye Qing.
Although the current Fierce Tiger Gang was a shadow of its former self, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. The current Fierce Tiger Gang was still stronger than the forces of Ye Qing and Li Lianshan. If Ye Qing could take over the Fierce Tiger Gang, he would be able to stand on equal footing with the Tianqing Gang Fubang, giving Ye Qing the strength to establish himself in Shenchuan City!