The scarred man gave an order, and the remaining few men showed ferocity on their faces. They pulled out short knives and daggers from their waists and, like wolves smelling blood, charged at Li Chonglou with low growls.
These weren't ordinary thugs. Li Chonglou noticed the difference; such reactions and expressions were only seen in trained professional fighters. An ordinary person would have been intimidated by their presence alone.
The moment the men drew their daggers, Li Meixia's face turned pale. She knew the identities of these thugs better than Li Chonglou and urged him on.
"Xiao Xiao, hurry and leave..."
Before she could finish, the thugs with daggers arrived in front of Li Chonglou. Without any hesitation, they lunged at Li Chonglou's stomach, neck, and other vulnerable areas. Meanwhile, the scarred man, who was being restrained, struggled violently.
Li Chonglou's eyes darted around. He first kicked over the closest thug, then suddenly pulled the scarred man and used him to collide with the attackers. The four men crashed into each other. The thugs, afraid of harming the scarred man, retracted their weapons.
Before the four could regain their footing, Li Chonglou grabbed a nearby tablecloth and threw it over their heads. He then rolled across the table to the other side. In a few swift movements, the three men who had been subdued were left writhing in pain on the ground.
"Let's go!"
Li Chonglou grabbed Sanyang, then quickly pulled Li Meixia along. Taking advantage of the scarred man and his men struggling with the tablecloth, they dashed out of the private room.
As soon as the scarred man tore off the tablecloth, he saw his three thugs lying on the ground. Li Chonglou and the other two were nowhere to be found in the room.
"Damn it, chase them!"
As the men stormed out of the private room, they heard the wail of police sirens.
"Who's being a busybody? Let's retreat first."
The scarred man's expression changed. He quickly led his men back into the private room, helped up the injured thugs, and then they all left through a nearby emergency exit.
Meanwhile, Li Chonglou had already brought the two women downstairs. Although Sanyang's face was bruised and swollen, she had no serious injuries and took the lead.
"I know the way, follow me."
Half an hour later, in a residential house.
"This is our territory, the Green Gang. It's definitely safe here."
Sanyang explained as she poured tea for Li Meixia. The woman's chest heaved continuously. It was quite an feat for a woman to run with two men like this, especially in high heels.
As soon as she recovered slightly, she quickly said to Li Chonglou, "Thank you so much just now. If you hadn't been there, my sister and I would have been in their hands."
A look of lingering fear flashed across both their faces. Li Chonglou frowned and asked, "Who do they belong to? And why do they want to capture you?"
"You can rest assured about this, it won't affect you joining the Green Gang. They are just some old enemies of mine."
Li Meixia seemed unwilling to say more. Li Chonglou turned to leave. Who would believe that after meeting for the first time, they would be chased, and the information kept hidden? Did they really think he was a fool?
"Brother Xiao, don't go. My sister is telling the truth, she's not lying to you." Sanyang quickly stopped him. Seeing this, Li Meixia finally explained.
"Three years ago, that scarred man's brother tried to force himself on me, and I disabled him. The scarred man is also a member of the Green Gang, but he's a sworn enemy of Fourth Master. So, he issued an order that I'm not allowed to set foot in their territory."
"Sister, this is my fault. I didn't know they had also taken over the Golden Restaurant."
Li Meixia shook her head, not blaming Sanyang. Instead, she continued to explain to Li Chonglou, "The Green Gang is currently undergoing a transition. After this, deep-rooted old corrupt elements will likely be uprooted. That's why many people are desperate and causing trouble everywhere."
Then, she elaborated on some details about the Green Gang. Li Chonglou's impression of the Green Gang was confirmed.
It was similar to what he had gathered from combining Zhou Tong's information and what he had found online. The Green Gang's influence covered almost all of Shangjing, but they only operated in the gray areas.
The current Green Gang controlled seventy percent of the gray area forces in Shangjing.
Under the Green Gang's control were things like gangs of delinquents, underground casinos, and adult entertainment venues.
However, Li Meixia's approval of the Green Gang was not due to these reasons, but because of the Green Gang's true objective.
"Don't think that our Green Gang is also colluding with them. Most of the underground casinos taken over by our Green Gang in recent years have been transformed into legitimate businesses, such as mahjong parlors."
"And those original adult industries, through the efforts of our Green Gang, have become legitimate massage parlors and foot bath shops. In this regard, our Green Gang is undoubtedly worthy of the people of Shangjing."
Li Meixia's eyes sparkled as she spoke. The Green Gang seemed to be a faith for her, and she always spoke with pride and belonging.
In her words, the Green Gang was completely a heroic force, venturing into the abyss and saving the lost souls within.
However, Li Chonglou did not fully believe her.
He might have believed her before, but after the recent events, Li Chonglou had a different perspective.
How could a heroic force, as she described, cultivate thugs who clearly had blood on their hands, and possess such fierce auras that ordinary thugs would never have?
Therefore, Li Meixia was either lying or hiding something. In any case, the Green Gang was definitely not as great as she claimed.
However, he was not concerned about whether the Green Gang was great or not.
"So, what is your purpose in wanting me to join the Green Gang?"
The two finally returned to the main topic.
The woman pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "The Green Gang is divided into four factions. First Master manages all the casinos, Second Master manages all the adult businesses, Third Master is responsible for the training of all fighters, and Fourth Master, whom I follow, manages two parts: the overt companies and the control of local small gangs."
"However, the four Masters are not the ultimate decision-makers of the Green Gang. And a while ago, the ultimate decision-maker passed down a message that the four factions of the Green Gang are to be reorganized, aiming to completely clear out the gray industries under their control!"
If her previous introduction to the Green Gang was to portray a positive image, then Li Meixia was now dissecting its true nature.
The Fourth Master she followed had always been involved in legitimate businesses and had managed local gangs well. Therefore, when the reorganization news came out, he received the favor and support of the true decision-maker.
This very fact made Fourth Master a target, surrounded by enemies. He desperately needed powerful fighters to maintain order.
Li Chonglou immediately understood why her attitude had changed so drastically upon witnessing his strength, and why she had been so eager to recruit him into the Green Gang.
However, such a Green Gang was not suitable for him.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to get into any more trouble right now, so..."
Li Meixia suddenly interrupted, "Don't rush to refuse. Do you know who the real decision-maker of the Green Gang is?"