Chapter 603 - 603: Win The Bet (Third Update)
After parting ways with Ye Qing and Du Tianyi, Zhao Chengshuang took the tape back to the police station and dispatched people to keep an eye on Ding Shaoyan, preventing him from leaving Shenchuan City.
Zhao Chengshuang wanted to file the tape as evidence at the police station first, then contact the Ding Family and the Xingyi School to show them the content of the tape. Of course, Zhao Chengshuang had no plans to arrest Ding Shaoyan himself, because he knew that once the content of the tape was revealed, Ding Shaoyan's fate would be sealed.
Ye Qing, Du Tianyi, the people from the Ding Family, and from the Xingyi School were all sure to look for Ding Shaoyan. Zhao Chengshuang didn't want to get involved anymore, and decided it would be better to leave Ding Shaoyan to them for vengeance.
Ye Qing and Du Tianyi returned to the teahouse, both having sustained serious injuries. Upon return, they each found a room to adjust their Internal Breath and heal.
Sometime after three in the morning, the people Ye Qing had sent to launch a surprise attack on Nine Heavens returned. As soon as Li Lianshan got back, he excitedly shouted about Ye Qing's brilliant strategy. He told how they lured the members of the Tianqing Gang and the Fu Bang to the Qingfeng Club while they launched a surprise attack on Nine Heavens. The Fu Bang didn't have time to react, and Nine Heavens was left completely turned upside down.
The people in the teahouse hadn't slept all night, and Old Wang Ba was sitting in the hall. After hearing about the situation at Nine Heavens from Li Lianshan, he chuckled and turned to look at Ghost King Li Ruoyuan, saying, "Ghost King, what do you think? Now, can we consider the wager you and Miss Lin made settled?"
"What!?" Ghost King looked astonishingly at Old Wang Ba.
Old Wang Ba laughed and said, "Weren't we saying at that time, if Ye Qing returned victorious tonight, then you must listen to Miss Lin from now on?"
Lin Mengjie stood to the side, also smiling slyly at Ghost King Li Ruoyuan. Although the bet was made after being taunted by Old Wang Ba, she had been worried about Ye Qing's condition all night, and almost forgot about the bet had Old Wang Ba not mentioned it.
Li Ruoyuan hurriedly waved his hands and said, "That's not right! Although Ye Qing returned victorious, it was only with our help. If we hadn't helped, they might all have been killed by random gunfire; what victory could be spoken of then?"
"What were the exact words of our wager at that time?" Old Wang Ba looked at Li Ruoyuan, saying, "You said if more than two-thirds of the people Ye Qing sent out returned, then you would admit defeat."
Old Wang Ba then looked at Li Lianshan, asking, "How many of you went?"
"Eight hundred thirty-seven," Li Lianshan replied.
"And how many returned?"
Li Lianshan said, "Seven hundred ninety-three returned. Forty-two brothers were injured and have been sent to the hospital. Unfortunately, two of our brothers met with misfortune and could not come back!"
"That's correct!" Old Wang Ba looked at Li Ruoyuan, saying, "Eight hundred thirty-seven went, and seven hundred ninety-three returned. Even if Ye Qing and the two others were shot dead, that still makes seven hundred ninety returned people. By this count, it far exceeds two-thirds. Ghost King, are you still not willing to admit you've lost?"
Li Ruoyuan's eyes widened as he protested, "How can you count it like that? If Ye Qing had died, what victory would there be to speak of? No, this bet was not clear from the start; it doesn't count!"
"Doesn't count?" Old Wang Ba laughed contemptuously, saying, "Are you trying not to count it, or are you trying to back out? Really, the mighty Ghost King, making a bet with a young girl and now trying to back out? Tsk tsk tsk, Killing Gate Seven Hidden, Lord of the Ghost King Cave, seems like you're really losing your reputation. If word gets out, that will sound great, won't it?"
The Ghost King, his face red and neck thick with anger, retorted, "Old Wang Ba, you motherfucker, stop provoking me. The details weren't clear before; how can you say I'm backing out? I, Li Ruoyuan, am known for keeping my word; how could I possibly go back on my bet with a young girl?"
Old Wang Ba laughed, "Whether you speak once or thrice, I can't control that. We had witnesses for our bet, and everyone here heard the exact words. If you want to back out, hmm, let's make it a witnessing occasion and let everyone see for themselves what kind of man Ghost King Li Ruoyuan really is!"
Those around also watched Ghost King Li Ruoyuan, especially Lady Boss Hu Momo, who had a mocking smile in her eyes, as if taunting the Ghost King for trying to renege.
"Old Ghost Li, you're quite a character; you should keep to your word," Demon Queen He Qinghua said mockingly. She didn't care to side with Lin Mengjie; she just wanted to see how Ghost King Li Ruoyuan would behave when he had to take orders from Lin Mengjie.
"We of the Killing Gate always keep our word. Ghost King, since you had the courage to bet, you should be willing to acknowledge it," Cui Yu stated firmly.
The others snickered secretly while Ghost King Li Ruoyuan fumed, smoke practically pouring from his nostrils. Yet, he truly had no argument, because the bet he made with Lin Mengjie wasn't fully clarified at the time. However, with so many of Ye Qing's group having returned, he had indeed lost.
"A true man dares to own up to what he does!" Ghost King Li Ruoyuan suddenly clenched his teeth, turned his head to look at Lin Mengjie, and said in a deep voice, "Whatever you want to command, say it quickly. Once it's done, that'll be that!"
"Ghost King, could you have remembered it wrong?" Old Wang Ba said with a laugh, "What we said at that time was, if Miss Lin won, you'd have to listen to her for the rest of your life."
"What?" The Ghost King immediately widened his eyes and said anxiously, "What are you talking about? Didn't I agree to listen to her just once? What does 'for the rest of your life' mean?"
Old Wang Ba said with a smile, "When we were betting, Miss Lin's stake was that if you won, she would accompany you for a lifetime. Since she's put a lifetime on the line, Ghost King, surely you don't intend to bully a young girl, do you?"
Ghost King Li Ruoyuan looked at Lin Mengjie and then at Old Wang Ba, trying to get angry several times, but in the end, he could only swallow his anger. He clenched his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Old Wang Ba, you dare to trick me!"
"Let's not change the subject. Let's talk about this issue," Old Wang Ba said with a smile, "Ghost King, you're not planning on backing out, are you?"
Ghost King took several deep breaths, struggling to calm himself, turned his head to look at Lin Mengjie, and said in a deep voice, "From now on, tell me directly whatever you need."
With that statement, the Ghost King had effectively acknowledged that he would listen to Lin Mengjie's commands from then on.
Lin Mengjie couldn't help but smile, as she actually thought it was just a joke, without giving it much thought. Of course, she didn't realize what it meant for Ghost King Li Ruoyuan to listen to her commands in the future. This man, despite being extremely lecherous and often capricious, even borderline psychotic, was also a man of his word. Since he had promised to listen to Lin Mengjie, he would absolutely never reneg on that promise!
Old Wang Ba smiled lightly and nodded, for he had gambled on this outcome for a reason. He knew Ye Qing was certain to win. Moreover, he had noticed that Li Ruoyuan had been wanting to make a move on Lin Mengjie. So he orchestrated this situation, ensuring that Ghost King Li Ruoyuan would have to obey Lin Mengjie. As a result, he would no longer be able to harm her, which was a way of helping her.
Cui Yu could guess Old Wang Ba's thoughts, so he was chuckling inside. He couldn't control the Killing Gate Seven Hidden anymore. If Lin Mengjie could command Ghost King Li Ruoyuan, it would be advantageous for him too. At least, he would have one more person under his command!
Li Lianshan was completely unaware of the bet between Lin Mengjie and Li Ruoyuan and was still in a fog, continually asking curiously, "What's the matter? What happened?"
"Shut up!" Li Ruoyuan glared fiercely at Li Lianshan. He was already extremely frustrated, and Li Lianshan's questions were adding fuel to the fire.
Lin Mengjie immediately said, "Old Ghost Li, Li is my friend. You should be more polite to him from now on!"
"You..." Li Ruoyuan almost went mad, pointing at Lin Mengjie for a long time, but in the end, he helplessly shut his mouth.
However, Li Lianshan really didn't dare to ask anymore. Having stayed in the teahouse for the past few days, he had deeply realized that the strength of the people there was extraordinary. Ye Qing was still fine since he had the capability to stand with these people. To them, he, Li, was no different from an ant. If he truly angered them, despite having many subordinates, they could still easily kill him.
"Where's Ye Zi?" Li Lianshan looked at Lin Mengjie and changed the subject, "Where is he? I have something I want to discuss with him!"
"He is still healing and will be out in about two more hours," Cui Yu said. "You all must be tired from tonight as well, better rest up a bit. Anything you need, you can discuss with him tomorrow!"
How could Li Lianshan sleep at a time like this? He was about to become the boss of Shenchuan City, and excitedly pulled a few of his trusted aides for some takeaway drinks outside the door.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Ye Qing and Du Tianyi came out one after another. Their internal injuries were basically healed, and the external injuries were not that serious—both of them had essentially returned to normal. As for the external wounds, they would heal over time.
Seeing Ye Qing come out, Li Lianshan immediately ran over excitedly, saying, "Good heavens, you've finally come out. Come on, let's discuss what we should do next, how we can take in the people from Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang under our wing!"
"You should have more experience in these matters than I do; you can make the decision," Ye Qing said.
"How can I just make the decision on my own?" Li Lianshan said, "We are brothers; this concerns both of us, so of course we should discuss it together. Though I really am more experienced than you, I already have a plan in mind. I'll share it with you; listen to it and see if there's anything that needs to be improved. Give me your opinion!"
Next, Li Lianshan laid out his plan to Ye Qing. In fact, to absorb the strength of the Tianqing Gang and Fu Bang for himself, the most crucial point was to take over their territories. By doing so, the smaller factions without a strong base would slowly gravitate towards Li Lianshan, gradually becoming his subordinates.