Chapter 232 – Second Ring

The next morning, Zhao Changhe stretched lazily as he walked out of the inn's courtyard, still in the appearance of a commoner, carrying a broadsword as he headed to the Ji family.

The steward of the Ji family was anxiously waiting at the entrance of the alley. When he saw Zhao Changhe, he let out a long sigh of relief and hurried over. "Mr. Situ, you finally arrived."

Zhao Changhe lazily replied, "What's the matter?"

"I heard that someone claimed to be our young master and went to the Kangle Gambling House to gamble with our property!"

"So, did your young master really come back?"

"No, he didn't. How could he go to the gambling house before returning home? That must be an impostor!"

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"Then why are you so worried? Does the impostor have the land deed to use as a bet?"

"Well... we're afraid that the Kangle Gambling House will use this as an opportunity..."

"In the end, it's all about strength. If you have strength, there's no need to worry. Did you tell Yan Lianping that Mr. Situ Xiao represents the Ji family in negotiations?"

"Yes." The steward nodded and bowed. "Yan Lianping said he met with Mr. Situ this morning at the Qiuyu Pavilion. You see..."

"Let's go." Zhao Changhe took a big gulp from his wine gourd and walked forward. "I hope the wine in Jianhu City will bring me some surprises."

It was autumn.

Coincidentally, as he mentioned going to the Qiuyu Pavilion, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, bringing a hint of freshness to the hot weather. Although the rain was not heavy, it caused the streets to be less lively than the day before. Many vendors did not come out, and there were fewer pedestrians. The bustling Jianhu City suddenly had a touch of the quiet town, with a drizzling rain, and Zhao Changhe liked this feeling very much. It was very ancient, very much like the martial world, and even the current situation in Jianhu City was quite similar.

Next time he changed his appearance, he might consider sticking two eyebrows above his mouth.

The Qiuyu Pavilion was faintly visible in the distant mist. It was a low-rise building with only two and a half floors. However, its location was excellent. The top floor had a windowless terrace, and there were no obstructions in front, allowing a view of the distant ancient Jian Lake. The cool breeze, accompanied by the autumn rain, was very comfortable.

At this moment, many people had gathered outside the building, half of them were from the Pinghu Association, and the other half were from the original Xingyi Gang that had been incorporated. Although the original Xingyi Gang had been disbanded, some loyal old men were willing to come and show their support for the Ji family.

This was also the reason why the private property of Taiping Street could still be preserved until now.

When Zhao Changhe and the steward entered the building, many old members of the Xingyi Gang shouted, "Please, Mr. Situ."

Zhao Changhe gestured to the surroundings and walked up the stairs.

At a glance, he saw Yan Lianping sitting in the main seat, with Yihuo She next to him, admiring the scenery. A group of Pinghu Association members guarded the surroundings of the building, gazing at Zhao Changhe and the steward as they walked up the stairs.

The steward's forehead was sweating, and his legs were trembling slightly.

He just wanted to use the name "Situ Xiao" to fight for some of the "young master's rightful property." Now that the Xingyi Gang had disbanded and the young master's life and death were uncertain, it was easy for him to manipulate this private property.

Before coming, he felt that there was no pressure with the name "Situ Xiao" backing him up, but now he realized that the pressure of going to a meeting alone was much greater than he had imagined... It was enough to make a person's legs tremble.

What was the use of private property if one's life was gone?

"Mr. Situ?" Yan Lianping was a man in his thirties, and when he saw Zhao Changhe enter, he spoke with a stern expression. "Yan doesn't like to beat around the bush. Just say it. Yan has seen Situ Xiao, and you are not him."

Zhao Changhe replied indifferently, "So what if I'm not Situ Xiao? The property belongs to Ji Bochang. Don't others have the right to arbitrate?"

Yan Lianping said, "Of course, there is a difference."

"Oh?"

"Situ Xiao is the direct descendant of the Shenghuang Sect, and we dare not easily kill him. But if we change to someone else... the martial world is not a place where you can argue with your yamen."

Clang! The sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the building, and the bright sword formation pointed directly at the center.

The steward's legs went weak, and he collapsed on the ground.

However, Zhao Changhe didn't even flinch. He said calmly, "Is this why you let Yihuo She appear here directly, without concealing your identity as a member of the Four Elephant Sect? Because I'm about to be a dead man, and dead men don't leak secrets."

"Firstly, because dead men don't leak secrets, and secondly..." Yan Lianping smiled. "Because the people who should know about my background already know, there's no point in hiding it. Besides, I'm about to unify Jianhu City, so there's nothing to hide."

Zhao Changhe also smiled. "In that case, it doesn't matter if others see it, right?"

As he finished speaking, a cheerful voice came from outside in the misty rain. "Oh, it really is the Four Elephant Sect. Is Yihuo She a girl? Let me take a look."

Several figures floated up the building from outside, and it was Sand Seven.

Yan Lianping narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the two old men beside Sand Seven before saying, "What does Mr. Sand Seven mean?"

Sand Seven sat down on the opposite side with a nonchalant attitude. "Ji Bochang mortgaged his property to my Kangle Gambling House. I've come to discuss this matter with you."

Yan Lianping looked at Zhao Changhe and said calmly, "Is this Ji Bochang? The Ji family steward and the old gang members don't recognize this Ji Bochang?""It doesn't matter at all whether he is Ji Boyong or not. What matters is that the martial world is not a place for playing bureaucratic games," Sha Qi said with a grin, using his own words to retort, "You don't dare to offend Li Shentong, do you dare to offend my master, Ying Wu Ye? If I say he is Ji Boyong, then he is Ji Boyong."

Yan Lianping was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Alright. Then there's no need to discuss this matter further. Those properties on Taiping Street that belong to Brother Ji are his."

"Fair enough," Zhao Changhe said leisurely as he sat down and poured himself a cup of wine, "But what I want to discuss is not just the private properties on Taiping Street... Now that I, Ji Boyong, have returned, shouldn't the Xingyi Gang be passed on to me?"

Yan Lianping couldn't help but laugh, "If Young Master Ji desires the gang's assets, Yan has no objections. However, fine birds choose their trees to nest in, and it's not up to Young Master Ji to decide whom the brothers below wish to follow."

Zhao Changhe said, "Then may I ask them?"

Yan Lianping replied, "Please do."

Zhao Changhe looked towards the members of the Xingyi Gang below, "Gentlemen, the old gang leader was murdered. We all live by the code of the martial world, and we must have some sense of righteousness, right?"

The crowd exchanged glances. Righteousness was indeed necessary, and it was also under the pretext of "avenging Ji Yinan and capturing Han Wubing" that Yan Lianping was able to smoothly take over most of the gang members. Although it was really just a matter of choosing the stronger side, a public reason was still needed.

Someone said, "This... Mr. Situ, the gang leader was killed by Han Wubing, and only Chairman Yan can lead us to avenge him."

Zhao Changhe said, "However, the old gang leader was not killed by Han Wubing at all."

There was a moment of silence.

This was just an excuse, and whether Han Wubing was the killer or not wasn't too important to most people. Of course, some cared more, but what use was there in making such a baseless claim?

Yan Lianping laughed heartily, "This... is it Young Master Ji or Mr. Situ? If the sword wound on Ji Yinan wasn't from Han Wubing, whose could it be? Surely you're not suggesting it was me? As everyone knows, I use the Yan Hui double blades, which have nothing to do with swords."

Zhao Changhe slowly said, "I use a knife, but I can also switch to a sword, especially when there's a significant gap between me and my opponent, it's even easier."

Yan Lianping smiled, "Ji Yinan was not much weaker than me."

Zhao Changhe gave him a strange look, "I never said it was you. Why does Chairman Yan keep insisting on taking it personally?"

Yan Lianping's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head, "Are you not implying that it was me? However, unfortunately, your baseless accusations are meaningless."

Zhao Changhe said, "You're wrong, from the beginning to the end, I was not talking about you. Because the one who killed Ji Yinan was a barbarian."

Before he could finish, someone hurriedly reported, "It's terrible! Han Wubing has stormed into the Ji residence with a sword, taken Mrs. Ji hostage, and is demanding that the Wild Lion, He Lei, come out to die!"

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